Wackie

I only caught up with the Tarnow meeting just before heat 1 when they were trying to sort out what looked like a soaked track - now they're watering it!

It's hardly earth shattering news though is it? I know Tai's been wrapped up in his own little bubble for a number of years, but perhaps someone needs to point out to him that it's all been done before and indeed some people even manage to have two or more children whilst maintaining their day to day life, or does he believe he was found under a bush?

Think you've hit the nail on the head their Onion. British Speedway won't do what he wants, so he turns his back on them. Smack of a spoilt brat really. He's a good rider, but how much of it is down to his super fast engines? I wouldn't class him as one of the best ever, be interesting to see how he'd fare ona GTR engine. Oh - as for others stating how Darcy Ward never turned his back on British Speedway - remember he needed the Visa sponsored by Poole/Swindon to enable him to make his bucks in Poland. If Woffinden had taken Aussie citizenship, he'd still riding here too.

What happens if Holder does get the boot, does his Visa get revoked if he doesn't pick up another club in a certain amount of time? This crossed my mind with Davey Watt retiring as well, will the border agency be knocking on his door to deport him back to Oz now he's not gainfully employed here?

That was a bit of a walkover! Great to see Nicki bounce back to form and Janusz still doing the business!

I don't think the gates were kind to Nicki last night and whatever he was riding looked a lot slower than the bikes he's on in Poland today. Can't see him quitting the GP's mid-season. Last night wasn't an absolute disater for him, he's only 5 points behind Woffinden!

I think you mean defy Starry!

Saw this week that houses a conference centre & an ice rink are planned to be built on the land behind the Mad Stad in a development called Royal Elm Park! Nothing specific about the demolished Smallmead site but the plans look as though they may also emcompass the area! We still could of had another10 years there! Crying shame! http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/free-reading-fc-buses-included-12952913

I'm just waiting for the story that they've decided not to build a stadium, but to build a Racino instead, which will of course take longer, need more planning, oh and then an additional financial backer. Smallmead wasn't owned by GI either, neither was the land they were going to build the new stadium on. Whenever GI start implying they're going to improve or build a new stadium I'd be concerned. Not that they have form or anything!!!

Only the one's who were mug enough to pay to watch him in recent seasons

I'm glad he's walked away from the sport of his own accord (albeit maybe with a bit of a boot print on his @rse), there are too many riders who don't have this option. But he's not going to be a rider who I miss.

I like a challenge! £80 Emil more £20 Lindgren less

Oh come on BWitcher, we all know what Watt was like with wet tracks. but it didn't stop the 2 BV riders or the Racer giving it a go, or was deemed bad enough for the ref to call a halt to the meeting! I've no recollection of who the other riders were and am not sad enough to trawl back through 10 years of updates to find out! To wind Tim up enough to publically vent his anger about Watt over the PA system there was obviously more than went on in the pits than we on the terraces knew about that night. To say it was out of character of Tim to react that way is a bit of an understatement.

Yup, can't say I'll miss him from the sport following that! Not that I'm one to hold a grudge

I remember him p!ssing Tim Sugar off at Smallmead when guesting for the Racers once too. Not much ruffled Tim, but Watt's refusal to ride a heat 15 decider on a 'damp' track certainly wound Tim up.

I rarely contribute to threads on the polish league meetings etc. but used to enjoy reading all the comments whilst watching the streaming. Brandonbee certainly loved his speedway. Sad news.

:rofl:

The truth is out there Starry.....

Stand aside Starman, Poole need a Shovlar to dig themselves out of this one.

Looks like the BV team woke up in the second half of the meeting and securing the points was then just like like taking candy from a baby. Speaking of which, what's this I hear a 10 month old child was charged £8 to get into NSS today? Will promoters ever learn?

Fantastic debut from young Shanes, he may face a different race format in the league but that performance is going to boost his confidence going into the league meetings.

To be fair, I don't think Ward's insurance had paid out at that time and you can't blame him or his family for wanting to get him back to a country where English is the first language. I'm sure hospitals in Poland have improved vastly in recent years but when you're dealing with injuries such as his, and where decisions have to be made you want to make sure you fully understand what medical staff are saying and not get things lost in translation. Ward is far from skint I'd imagine, but he's also not going to earn a lot in the future is he? If he wants to promote another benefit meeting for himself again in the UK, whose to say he shouldn't. He's being proactive - maybe there should be a few more riders who have paid a huge sacrifice to the sport banging on their old promoters door too to do something similar? Fans will always support benefit meetings, that's one of the best things about speedway supporters - but these meetings don't just happen by themselves.

He was due out in heat 9 too and Holder in 10. Like I said, those two wouldn't of had to do much convincing with Batchelor & Watt to abandon the meeting, that's already more than a quarter of the starting line, and we all know how much and how loudly that quartet between them can whinge. They will have already, and will again race on much worse tracks in the GP's. Just shows how much contempt they have for British Speedway now it's given them the springboard they needed. There really does need to be something put in place for 2018 ensuring the UK have priority on the racing schedule of all Aussies wanting UK clubs to sponsor their WP's and not Poland if they have a deal there too, if they don't agree then they get their Polish club to apply for their WP and base themselves there for the season. I'm not one to normally praise Matt Ford, but fair bloody play to him for being the only promoter to make a stand on the issue this year.

That has crossed my mind too, especially as they didn't even bother to try riding the track again after the track staff had spent what seems like forever working on it. Heat 8 was one of the better races of those that did take place too! Holder was apparently walking around the pits with a face like a smacked @rse well before the meeting was abandoned, would he of had a downer on the Poole promotion not signing the agreement that gives Poland priority on his little brothers racing schedule? He certainly seemed to on twitter. Intersting, Ward stated on his live FB feed he was getting £160 a point in the UK and £1200 a point in Poland - it's obvious that the top Aussies are only riding the UK to get their visa's & work permits. Hopefully a few other promotions take the same stance as Ford has this year when it comes to signing up Aussie riders for 2018 and stop them and Poland taking the p*ss.