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ZUPER ZENON !! We called him and he was our hero . My all time favourite rider and just incredible. The whole stadium at Hackney buzzed when Zenon took to the track !! We travelled to Chorzow Poland for the World Final way back in 1979 to cheer HIM on . This draw some confusion from the Poles but he was idolised by us Hackney fans and we were routing for him to win. He should have won the meeting and been 1979 World Champion . He was so humble and total gentleman off track . I got the chance to chat with him on the plane to Voyens GP in 1999. He vividly remembered his time at the Wick 20 years later and clearly had an affinity and affection for his adopted club and the fans who loved him. Our car had a ZUPER ZENON sticker in the back window when he rode for us. One day my wife was driving car up the M11 , who should draw up beside her ? Zenon himself and gave her a wave. Len Silver will be mortified to hear of Zenon's passing - RIP Zenon - A TRACK GREAT & LEGEND IN THE EAST END - WE WILL NEVER FORGET YOU ! - UP THE HAWKS !!!

Hi Mike Think you have made some valid points and I agree with what you are saying... I still think there will be two leagues as there is the TV contract to honour however there will be an awful lot of doubling up... an awful lot... As a big advocate of 6 man teams I also would not be adverse to that however I don't think it will happen any time soon... however following the washout this year has been there has never been a better opportunity for the BSPL to reset things... Let's hope they grab the opportunity with both hands... Somehow I can't see it happening but you can always live in hope.. Regards THJ

It's an interesting idea. The most obvious questions are, who sets the budget and at what level? Currently clubs set their own budgets based on what they think their income will be. The challenge will be predicting income levels in 2021 and then presumably setting the budget to be affordable to the smallest club. The overarching problem for me is that this will result in dumbing down of the product, which as we've seen over the last 15 years of dumbing down, inevitably leads to a reduction in crowds. This means the following year the budgets will need to be reduced (just like the points limit is today) and inevitably, lower crowds.

Zenon was a legend at Hackney and I am devastating by this news. He was fearless on a bike and a gentleman off it. One minute on the line the next up on the fence. Amazing rider. I got to know him well during the run up to the Hackney reunion in 205 when I had the absolute privilege of him staying with me for a week. How many sports top riders integrate with fans (at least from that era) to that extent as speedway. More recently I was a guest at his meeting in Gdansk and was privilege to be invited to the after party where we once again regaled tails of the good old days. The last time I saw him was the day I flew home from that meeting where I delivered a letter to him from his old mate Barry Thomas. His smile whilst reading it lit up the room and it is that picture that I will remember. RIP Zenon and thanks for all the excitement you gave a 9 year in 1976.

I think the guessing on teams will start in the new year and I'm sure it will be minus virtually all European riders, and if a points limit is set early on. Big difference making a team on 35 compared to 38/9, so almost impossible to guess at the moment. Low limit normally means a greater discrepancy in ability throughout teams , so hope it's at the slightly higher end of the range really, with enough British and Commonwealth riders to go round.

Next season might just need a bit of flexibility when it comes to putting teams together, and maybe even some rider control if all teams are not competitive. One thing for sure is that co-operation of all will be vital and some sacrifices will need to be made for the greater good.. Unprecedented times re Covid 19, and then Brexit on top of that, must mean some 'less than perfect' decisions being made.. However, as this is Speedway, it will hardly be the first time such decision making has happened would it??? It may need virtually every rider doubling up or one big league, however, the priority of whatever they do needs to being getting enough rides for the riders to make it pay.. After the season just gone, the danger is a good few of the riders may call it quits and move onto other things (eg Ellis Perks).. Given Poland's restrictions (and I would suggest they are deadly serious given Doyle and Holder have dropped Sweden), added to the unknown of Brexit, and a whole season just missed, maybe a year of 'make do and mend' is on the cards with a vision to regroup and do something a bit more structured the year after? Next year, I would suggest is a 'free hit' for Promoters given the fans will be desperate to get back to the tracks, so maybe less riders per team, with mainly British lads of Premier to National League level in every team, could be affordable to Promoters whilst giving the lads plenty of racing to earn money? Those fans who will stay away because the points level is much lower than usual will be very few and far between I would think given the lack of racing over the past 8 months, so the Promoters should use this "goodwill" to set up next year to ensure all tracks ride and all can make it through the season... In any fashion required...

And couldn't let this sad moment pass without a picture of him in action for the Hawks

Sadly, only last month I was asked to write a bio of Zenon for the speedway museum website. A link here in case anyone would like to read something a little more in depth than you get on wikipedia http://www.speedwaymuseumonline.co.uk/zenonplech.html

That is, indeed, sad news. Some lovely memories of Zenon here...

Deffo forum... lol...

Is that forum or promoter nuggets?

'The Great Reset',,, it's a small window of opportunity for everyone to make for a better future, 'Build Back Better' an that.

No star again getting the norm now not turning up on Thursday .

It's interesting what you say... I wonder if anyone of you heard of referee being persuaded to change his original verdict on something that happened on a speedway track. With reference to Zenon Plech's premature passing there quitea few article being published in Poland. In one of them https://www.speedwaynews.pl/aktualnosci/item/70913-to-byl-bieg-30-wierze-ze-zrobie-to-na-co-wszyscy-licza?fbclid=IwAR31iZCICd_EmMhAM-nJoxtY_70DTzHeAfNk6P0y_0a4mD_lPoyodfLuVdk respectful Polish journalist claims just that...and it happened - in his words - after the infamous race in the Katowice 1973 world final in which Zenon Plech was knocked down by Khlynovski . Anyway, read it for yourself ( in my translation): (...) The English used to call Plech – a Golden Boy. The Golden Boy entered the speedway world like a hurricane, and his riding style electrified fans around the world. Unbridled, crazy and extravagant - that's how Plech was on the track. He used the entire width of the track and the entire saddle on his motorcycle, the long characteristic saddle of the time in the Czech ESO speedway bikes. - I liked them because I could move freely back and forth - said Zuper Zenon a few years ago. All the described values were on show to over a hundred thousand fans during the final in Chorzów. In the second race of the day - next to the Sweden’s Michanek – lined up the biggest favourites of the tournament's: Plech, Mauger and Olsen. The New Zealander was the fastest at the start , so Plech began competition with a point loss, but with a victory over Olsen. In the following heats, Plech was unstoppable, whilst his rivals began to lose points. The united forces of Szczakiel-Waloszek stopped Mauger in the eighth heat, while in the last series, Olsen defeated Szczakiel. As a result, two heats before the end of the competition, the classification was as follows: Szczakiel and Mauger on 13 points, Ole Olsen and Zenem Plech on 11, and Grigorij Khlynowski on 10. The last two had one more race up their sleeve. They both came up to the tapes in heat 19. At the starting line everyone was surprised by Peter Collins, whose style of entering world class riders resembled that of Plech. So far the Englishman riding was an average. Plech starting from the outside chose a wide lane and picked up speed on the opposite straight and as he entered the second bend he sharply rode under the Brit. Plech withstood the challenge, rode close to a foul and in speedway jargon - pushed Collin wide on the outside. So Plech , with deafening cheering took the lead. Behind him was Khlynowski, who began to sense his chance of overtaking leading Plech. If this was the end of the race, Plech would have joined the race-off for the gold medal. Khlynowski, however, would not give up. He closed on the Pole and finally rode very close to his rival on the bend that started the fourth lap. At the exit of that bend Russian staggered a bit, then he blocked Plech’s racing lane and the Pole consequently fell onto the track, and landed on the fence. At first, the referee from the GDR (East Germany) excluded Khlynowski and awarded three points to Plech, two to Collins, and one to Gorideyev . It is known in speedway that once the referee makes a decision, there is no point in protesting , because he will not change it. This time however it was different. Immediately after the referee verdict, the Anglo-Saxon camp started to defend the Ivan Mauger’s interests . They assumed that in the run-off Mauger would defeat Szczakiel, (…) who, incidentally, was a huge revelation of the tournament. They realised that it would be more difficult with Plech, and moreover, Mauger would have a coalition of opponents rather than having to settle for a one-to-one duel. The leaders of the protests turned out to be Ole Olsen (Mauger's close friend), the leading British journalist Phil Rising and the influential man in British speedway, Reg Fearman. The telephone line between the referee's booth and the pits got heated up. There were arguments that throughout the tournament the referee favoured the Russians and the Poles. That he did not care about the flying starts of his Eastern friends, and kept the Western stars under the tape. Sharp words and accusations began to fall without limitation. Words about scandal, lack of fair-play and protests to the FIM. In the end referee bowed down and changed his original decision in favour of a new, daring interpretation! Well, Khlynowski remained disqualified, but three points went to Collins, two to Plech, who did not finish the race, and one point for Gordeyev who at the time of Plech’s crash was in fourth position . "This interpretation had no logic," said Plech later on. - It is difficult to justify why the German referee decided in this way. To this day, I don't know and I wonder how the run-off with my participation would go. Unfortunately, I will never know - said Super Zenon years later, who finally finished the competition in third place, and the title was won by his countryman Jerzy Szczakiel.

The last thing a club needs, is to drive a wedge between itself and supporters who are feeling below par

An all-action rider for sure and I think the only rider who made to the 4's Final at Sheffield in 1979 (which Hull won) following the delayed by 24 hours World Pairs at Vojens. RIP....

Honestly I am really surprised that there have not been any predictions on the team changes yet with Nick Skorja and Ondrej Smetana now not coming and not just on this thread but on all threads. The silence is surreal because usually folk are on here making outlandish predictions and bids for the prospective riders they would like to see in their team for the season to come. I appreciate that there will be changes on the team build points level which will probably reduce from the 2020 level of 41 to somewhere between the 35 to 39 mark for the Championship so this will release some riders as teams have to restructure to comply to the new build points level; and on rider availability due to actions being taken in Poland restricting riders on the other teams/leagues and countries they can ride for/in and of course the dreaded Brexit situation that is fast approaching; although that seems to have taken a bit of a back seat with this Covid carry on but it will also impact foreign riders casting a large shadow on what can and cannot be done. It will be difficult for promotions that's for sure... So what we were having in 2020 was... Newcastle Diamonds 1. Claus Vissing 8.43 2. Matthew Wethers 6.92 3. Nick Skorja 5.00 4. Ondrej Smetana 5.00 5. Max Clegg 4.92* 6. Connor Mountain 4.61* 7. James Wright 4.00 Team Total: 38.88 Remaining: 2.12 The other question now is; will we be able to retain Claus? What's his status; will having a home in the UK give him preferential access and the ability to work in the UK (if he indeed does have/or wants a second home here)? does he have dual nationality? can he run as Claus Vissing Racing Ltd as a business in the UK and use this as a route to ride without a Visa or will he need the dreaded Visa which is a further cost and who pays for the Visa the club or the rider; or is there another route that no one has thought of yet that gets him here without a Visa and allows him to ride in the UK? all questions that need answering not only by Newcastle but by any clubs who use a foreign/European rider. As it stands re. Brexit I don't think Commonwealth riders will be impacted as there are already processes in place to allow these guys to ride in the UK... How loyal do clubs have to be to riders contracted in 2020? Promotions/BSPL did hint that they would try and run with the same teams that were contracted in 2020 to the best of their ability but this seems to be a big aspiration to me which will now be almost impossible to achieve. Newcastle have lost 2 riders so far but who is out there to fill in these gaps. If the build points are set to a lower level does that reset everything and does this allow clubs to approach any rider? Newcastle were already 2 points under the build limit so this should/could protect the riders they have left from 2020 but as I see things at present there are definitely more questions than answers. The picture should become a little clearer once Brexit has been put to bed by the end of December but I imagine there will be some arguments and infighting to overcome within the BSPL over the Christmas and New Year periods... Who would be a promoter eh!!! Regards THJ

Landlords will still want a set level of rent which creates the knock on effect of promotions needing to charge a certain price to pay the bills. There are fans who won’t attend unless they’re seeing the “best” racing here (despite that stopping around 20 years ago). Those riders won’t be happy to standardise equipment to a level for the UK only because they don’t race in the UK only. While it’s a nice idea it’s something of a minefield I suspect. I feel we need to go semi-pro and take a hit quality wise short term to move forwards long term.

Sad news.... both Zenon and Edward Jancarz served British Speedway well in those early days of Polish riders riding in Britain. Zenon was a very talented rider.My condolences to his family

I agree with Steve about going back to basics. It's going to be extremely difficult for everyone, Promoters, Riders & Fans alike. With so many out of work, with the situation getting worse all the time, and I'm sure that we're still quite a long way from being safe despite the vaccine, it's a very worrying time for everybody involved in our beloved sport.

Looking at the economic statement yesterday, just confirming what we all knew, surely the time is right for standardised equipment, it'll never happen of course so almost not worth discussing alas

wheres that at Neila ? i know the treacle mines are at Pica and the jam eaters are in and around the Workington area . been looking for around 40 odd years and still cannot find the sticky stuff . Merry Christmas to all .

Getting back to the serious side I attended the public meetings regarding the stadium last year. Parking issues were discussed. I seem to remember there would still be some parking so that would probably cover people with walking difficulties. If somewhere such as Unipart was used then proper transport not golf carts would be used. Nick Burdir the proposed buyer even said a small muti storey could be considered on site. There is a railway line behind the back straight, a station there was mentioned as a possibility. Nick would need to act on the parking issues as his company would be running the dogs so he would have the same parking issues as the speedway promoter. Building houses on part of the current parking area is important as it generates income to pay for bringing the stadium back to a useable standard. It also helps the City Council with its housing shortage. Without the support of the council and its former MP (who still supports the campaign although now retired) have given the stadium would be long gone. The City Council also has a green policy so that would be why public transport is probably part of the plan. The biggest negativty should be the concern that the current owners of the site will actually go through with the sale. By the way see my comments on page 20 regarding the impressive plans which the proposed owner says he has secured the funding for. These plans include moving the pits to the second bend along with renewing the kennels. already there, For some reason my comments got delayed and when they appeared others had posted afterwards so readers may have missed them. Steve Roberts you will see I asked about your uncle on page 20. if you want to keep the humor of a golf theme going lets hope the plans dont get stuck in the bunker or I think their is considerable drive to get these plans through. By the way was does a golfer wear two pairs of trousers? In case he gets a hole in one.

Think you could be right Jim with the UK angle but I think all the teams we have now will start the 2021 season just that these teams could look an awful lot different to what was due to turn out in 2020 Regards THJ

So sad to hear this. Zenon was one of my first speedway heroes as a kid at Waterden Rd. A spectacular rider and such a nice guy. I still have the yellow NGK Spark plugs cap he handed to me through the bars of the Hackney pits..A treasured possession. RIP Zenon, you will always be Poland's number 1 in my eyes.

Very sad news. My sincere condolences go to his family and friends. R.I.P. + Zenon.

Yeah a lot of different posters chipping in too

Nice to see a bit of humour on BSF for a change!!

It’s been a number of years since I last went to Plymouth, but I always enjoyed my visits down there. I also don’t know the background of the current promotion but from pictures of the track/stadium, the news coming out of Plymouth during the pandemic earlier this year, branding and efforts made to stage meetings look highly commendable - long may that continue.... and Friday night racing too!

If Somerset were allowed to revert back to Friday nights that would confirm how bias and unfair plymouth are being treated by the mc,as one of the reasons for plymouth being turned down last season was that there is to many Friday night tracks but i guess that doesn't apply when your promoter is on the mc,who says it's not all about self interest and different rules for different clubs. I will watch developments with interest but I think I know what the outcome will be,the word corrupt springs to mind!

Four and twenty of them were baked in a pie.

Got mine today, its arrived a few times on a Monday during lockdown even once on a Tuesday, as long as it gets here thats the main thing.

It didn't help Workington either and the Friday was only their alternative night to run... Regards THJ

Oooooh, I think we're all quite relieved -- on so many levels -- that you aren't the Somerset boss............

I had not remembered your uncle Keith was on the committe but I remember him doing the photos 76 time. I come from Abingdon, during the SOS my dad realised he drank in the same place as Bernard Craper and they were both photographers. They became good friends and Bernard got me to run a junior supporters club part of this involved me selling rosettes, I am wondering if your uncle took some of the photos for the rosettes or whether it was Mike Patrick. I notice your uncle has produced some books in recent years, did he disappear from the speedway scene for a while between the late 70's and the book publications?

Wayne Carter....

No evidence at all just utter Bullrubbish . LR is no crook . Infact he works very hard for Birmingham speedway . Is he a good team manager ? in my opinion No . But that is purley professional criticism. My opinion on him non professional is that he is a decent guy and works very hard . Certainly no crook .

I take you have evidence to back your allegation.