Cockney Rebel

Thought I read in the somewhere that he's now lookingfor EL rides. Saw him for the first time last night, was very impressed particularly in the run off with Haines, was way behind then stuck to the outside to get level on the last bend only for his engone to pack up. Gutted. So many inexperienced riders try to make up ground on the inside but he knew it was faster round the outside, Mr Gollob would have been impressed with that.

Did I read last week Charlie Cheddar wants to ride after all seems his head injury has cleared up. Don't have the stats to hand but would he and Ben Morley fit taking Bunyan and Lambert out?

If I remember correctly, the late great Garry Middleton wanted to put Colonel Bogey air horns on his bike so he could play them as he passed his opponents, sadly the idea wasn't approved.

Don't see how two riders entering the first bend 10 metres behind the other two is unsafe while four riders entering the bend together isn't? OK several points well made but it was just a thought,.I'll go back to thinking about Suzy Perry now

No not really but it got your attention didn't it? If I'd have put "Alternative to tac ride/tac sub" you'd have passed it over wouldn't you? As we all know the tac ride is probably the most disliked rule in the book but most of us understand that it's there to make meetings closer and therefore more exciting, so what are the alternatives? I was thinking back to the "good old days" when the likes of Barry Briggs, Ove Fundin and Peter Craven went off of a handicap and I thought, could we use something like that today instead of the dreaded tac/ride. When a team get four points or more in front their heat leaders would go off a ten metre handicap until the score got back down to less than six. Imagine the scenario, the turbo twins get a 5/1 in heat thirteen to put Poole 4 points up with no heat leaders in Heat 14 and therefore no handicap it could be drawn heat, come heat 15 with them both off a ten metre handicap and with both opposition heat leaders off the gate what a scrap would endure to at least get one of them past one of the oppostion to hang on for the win. I haven' trun an imaginary match in my head as it would hurt my brain too much, but I'm sure there's someone out there who will Just a thought! Would there be any promotor out there willing to try it out in a challenge match. I await your comments and if you disagree, as some undoubtedly will, please refrain form using such adjectives as, "moronic", "stupid" and "idiotic" it is after all only a suggestion and my own opinion. Thanks

Not wishing to be nasty but perhaps a decline in Poland might make some riders consider GB as a better option at least they know (hopefully) they will be paid regularly. The problem with riders sharing is, will they want twice the money cos they're only doing half the meetings. I'm not totally against the idea if it means some of the big names coming back to these shores but boy it would need to be worked properly and every loophole looked into.

No not wrong Iris123 but, I did find it amusing that it has been mentioned, quite understandably, that there are no characters in the sport nowadays compared to years ago and years ago they were saying the same thing. I do think that speedway because of it's, for want of a better word "originality" will never have the mass support that us hardcore fans would like and that it will always have good times and bad. Some bikers don't see it as a bike sport because they only go round in circles and not that quickly compared to MotoGP or Superbikes and you can't buy a GM or a Jawa road bike.Before anyone leaps down my throat I know Jawa used to make a road bike but don't know if they still do. Non bike fans see as just a noisy dirty biker sport and always think the stadium will be packed with Hells Angels and their like. Like most on here who have all made valid points in trying to pinpoint the decline I have no idea how to stop the yo-yoing. For what it's worth I don't think there is a decline in Global speedway it's just this country and I think that can be largely put down to two things. The fall of the Iron curtain enabling Polish Speedway to really take off and, I know this is old ground and not every body will agree, the increasing impact of the ever larger Grand Prix. Riders cannot compete in all the leagues and the Grand Prix so they leave out the least profitable, the poor old Elite League. If only I had a magic wand.

Have just read an article about how riders today just treat the sport like a business and there are not so many "characters" about like there were in the "old days" and they forget as well as being sportsmen they are entertainers. Oh by the way this was an article in a January edition of the Speedway Star from 1963 on Speedway Star Xtra online mag. Things don't change much in Speedway do they?

Too much of a nip in the air for that a think

Thought I'd put down some of my hopes for the New Year for those involved in the our great sport. RIDERS No serious injuries please. But also remember a wage rise for you is a price rise for the fans so please be realistic in your demands. Fans don't have bottomless pockets THE TECHNICAL RULE MAKERS. Please think carefully about any new innovations. None of the riders wanted or liked the silencers last year so why bring them in, if the riders can find cheaper ways to reduce noise listen to them. Titanium parts? What's that all about? Just more expense for the riders which ultimately means more expense for the fans. The bikes don't need to be any faster, it doesn't improve the racing so think carefully before any changes and consult with the riders FIRST. PROMOTERS Promote. Get out to the schools, shopping centres, fetes etc. Bombard your local newspaper and TV station. Posters, leaflets all used to be used in the "Old Days" give em a try again. Stick to the spirit and not just the letter of any new ruling. Going over any new rule to find a loophole so you can get a world class foreigner on a three point average may not be technically cheating but to all but your own supporters it is. If the new adjudicator says says the new Polish/Swedish/Danish wonder kid is given a six or seven point average accept it don't go whining and crying that your being hard done by. To use one of your own phrases "It's in the best interest of the sport" THE FANS I wish you many happy hours of enjoyment and that your team are crowned champions come October, unless you are a Premier League follower then may your team finish second to the mighty Rockets. But most importantly be nice to each other just because someone has a different opinion doesn't make them a moron or evil we are all speedway fans remember that. Cut the promoters some slack remember they were supporters before they were promoters and they love the sport as much as we do. and finally THE WEATHER GODS NO MORE RAIN A happy new year to you all

I bowled a cricket ball once doesn't make me an expert at picking next years County Championship winners though. Think this team will do better than some on here are suggesting but what you will get every week is excitement. When the Rockets were winning by 20/30points each week people were complaining that it was boring now that's not going to happen with this team people are saying they're not good enough. Make up your minds please.

Ta for that. I did at first think it was just the printing, as Shadders suggested, but in one shot he's next to another Rocket who's body colour is distinctly yellow.

Can anyone explain to me why Jason Bunyan's racejacket is Blue and Green and not blue and yellow, the official club colours?

According to today's Speedway Star Simon said Rye House would be his first choice by a long way even though everybody's speculating a return to Sheffield. he also says riding at a smaller track will help bring him on as a rider. Think he did quite well after he settled in, a lot better than some people expected (that inludes me)

Do you reckon Westhamboy66 and indeed Uncle Len himself are getting the Chrises mixed up, I know "Shadders Chris" has had a few complaints but is nonetheless a Rye regular whereas the other Chris who is a perpetual doom and gloom merchant very rarely attends anyway. Just a thought.

Tis a tricky one. A couple of years ago fans were saying there's too many meaningless fixtures so they tried something different last year which really didn't work so back to the sort of norm for this year but again fans still saying too many meaningless fixtures towards the end of the season. If you shortened the season and raced only the league and KO cup matches would the clubs that rent their stadium generate enough income to cover the rent? I personally would not like the one week on, one week off scenario because, as someone already posted, you quickly get out of the habit of going. If we're looking for serious competition why not start the year with a proper four team tournament, rounds and final to be decided before the league starts and why not try some sort of GP system for the PL riders. I haven't worked out all the details but might be worth looking at further

Spot on post. As for some saying the ref handed Holder the title is ridiculous, Nicki still had the chance to win it but lost out coz on the night he wasn't good enough. Even if Holder had been excluded ( I hate the new "diqualified") there's still no guarantee that Nicki would have won the title. In the end the title was decided on the track where it should be decided. If Holder had been chucked out the fate of the championship would have been out of his hands but by calling all four back it left it in the hands of both riders. Which is the way it should be.

Dammit man, please stop, I cannot take it much longer, I'm shaking and shivering, cold and sweaty. I am a Cockney born and bred but now living in Nottinghamshire 150miles from the nearest Pie 'n' mash shop. The sight of God's Own food everytime I read one of your posts is too much for me to bear. Aaarrgh!

Good post SC. Whether Nicki was guilty or AJ was at fault will be debated for a long time, Nicki's immediate reaction after the exclusion where he swore during the interview was understandable as he felt he was wronged. However on two occasions well after the incident as he was being filmed going back to his place in the pits, as they do with many other riders, he flicked a "V" sign at the camera and therefore at the thousands of speedway fans, some NP supporters, that were watching. This behaviour to the fans, that pay his wages, was inexcusable and unacceptable. I don't know what action the FIM can take but this should not be glossed over as "Nicki being Nicki", disrespect to the officials is one thing, god knows that paticular referee deserves it sometime, contempt for the fans is another matter entirely.

Can't argue with any of that mate. It always amazes and sometime amuses me that all the clubs are run by people who have other successful businesses which presumably they advertise so why don't they do the same with their speedway business? I think Neil Machin mentioned this in an article in Speedway Star sometime about how hard headed businessmen go to pieces when trying to run a speedway club. Do the methanol fumes affect their brains or are they hypnotised by four blokes going round in circles? Answers on a postcard please to the BSPA. The winner will receive the undying gratitude of thousands of speedway fans and the grudging respect of some promoters.

Exactly! despite these unpopular rules people still watch so if it's not the daft rules that turn people off what is it? GRW123 Mentions star riders and promoters going round schools etc to drum up support which is an excellent idea and used be done quite regularly I believe but most star riders are off to the continent as soon as the meeting is over so are not likely to be too keen on touring the local schools. This what I meant in another topic on a different part of the Forum when I asked "where do want speedway to go?"

Both the above posters ask questions that unfortunately we will never know the answer to. If the people who run Speedway, be it the BSPA ACU or SCB are doing things wrong and people walk away from the sport how do we know what they are doing wrong if the people who walked away are not here to tell us? There are lots of things that happen in the sport that some of us are not happy with, points limit, guest riders, tactical rides etc, but we are still fans and keep going. Apart from personal circumstances what would make you give up your regular speedway fix? Nothing would put me off, all the daft rules and arguments about team make up doesn't detract form the spectacle of four madmen going round a small track with a loose surface on powerfull bikes with no brakes. I think we need somehow to get that image across. Unfortunately I've got no idea how to do that. Perhaps we need to draw people through the gate by additional entertainment and hope they enjoy the speedway enough to come back and again. Make the evening a big event with speedway just a part of it? I realise this post hasn't answered any questions or offered any solutions but just wanted my say.

Chalkie, I did say when I got home I realised I didn't like Bernie Perssons but liked Mauger even less. My cousin was a BIG Mauger fan and every time Ivan won anything we would never hear the end of it. At that time I wanted anybody to beat him. Thats the effect the one off finals had that the GPs don't. Do agree with you about Briggo though, he would have won it that night if not for that crash.

I'm with BV72, Guitar _Art and Sydney on this. I remember coming home from the 1972 (I think) World Final with a sore throat and a thumping headache screaming for Bernie Persson to beat Ivan Mauger, I'd been home for a couple of hours before I realised I didn't even like Bernie Persson. Such was the occasion. The GPs are fairer to the riders but not as exciting for the fans. Knowing the World Champion was going to be crowned that night was absolutely the best feeling a fan could have, seeing a rider win a GP but thinking "well he's got to do that several more times this year" is not the same. I also don't like the " If I ride well this year I might get a chance to ride in the qualifying rounds for the GP next year and ride in the GPs the year after that". Under the old system every rider no matter what his standard could dream of being World Champion that year. Thats'the magic of any sport

I'm delighted Jason got the nod but with all due respect to him and the meeting reserve, Andrew Aldridge what's happend to New Zealand speedway? Mauger, Briggs, Moore, Ross, Shirra and now the best they can offer is a Middle order Premier League rider, who is English, and a rider who failed to make an impression in the National League. Where did it all go wrong?