Bryce

If Loram does refuse to ride, then I can't see how the GB team can realistically expect to win the tournament. Therefore, it would make a lot of sense to stick the kids in and let them learn. I'd go with : Scott Nicholls Lee Richardson David Howe Simon Stead Chris Harris 2 or 3 years down the line, it could really pay dividends.

It was rather good wasn't it?

You have no sole. Even Angling has a time and a plaice.

Congrats to Leigh Adams et al. Particularly great to see the 3 Brits making such a fine showing on varying levels.

Thanks for that tip Rabbit. Actually, I kinda guessed that I might need to avoid this place tomorrow night.

Actually, it means I have to studiously avoid finding out the result before I settle down to watch the repeat. Fortunately, that's not much of a problem with Speedway.

Can't remember the exact details, as I was quite young. It would have been at Cleveland Park, to see the Teesside Tigers. Nig Close was in the team, I remember, as his Dad and mine were friends. He took my brother and I into the stadium with him, which was a big thrill at the time. Alan Emerson, Tom Leadbitter, Pete Smith, and Andy Cowans were also riding. I think the opposition was Canterbury, with Les Rumsey and Ted Hubbard in the team.

Heh. I remember Kelvin smashing the window of the ref's box one night. He was definitely a character!

Martin "Mad Dog" Dixon Alan Grahame

Dyslexics of the world untie

If I recall, didn't the Collins brothers proceed to team ride Shawn Moran out of the run-off for the last qualifying places? Greeted by huge cheers. Oh and then all of us on the Cradley coaches got a bit of abuse too. Then on the way home on the M1, we got in a jam, and ended up at one point with Kenny Carter in his van in the middle lane, and a busload of Heathens either side of him. Sigh. A very entertaining day. It seems sooo long ago.

And how many of this illustrious field will qualify for next year's GP from this meeting?

Yes, Bruce Penhall. I had the pleasure of seeing almost every meeting he rode for the Heathens. I often had the impression (as he blasted away another track record, or notched up another maximum) that he really wasn't even trying most of the time. And no, I'm not referring to a certain Overseas Final at White City.

If the 2 top leagues were to amalgamate, and a limit of 2 GP riders imposed on each team, it would make it far easier to have promotion/relegation, without teams who go up or down having to change their squads wholesale. That in turn makes speedway a much more viable product to the likes of Sky. It would imho be better to improve the standard of the current PL, rather than just drag down the standard of the EL. If both divisions could have access to the Sky tv money, it may allow an equivalency of pay scales across the two main divisions. If the lesser teams could then afford a Peter Karlsson or Lukas Dryml the standard goes up. Riders are less concerned about dropping a division, more stability ensues. Just some thoughts... I imagine one or two EL promoters won't want to contemplate such large changes though.

Not forgettting Dave Jessup. Surely the unluckiest rider ever in terms of costly engine failures.

Whilst you can never write off Crump and Rikardsson, I've just got a sneaky feeling Lukas Dryml is going to pinch this one.

It's not a good idea to knock Sky too much. I've just gotten back into the sport purely because I can see it regularly on Sky Sports. I am actually one of those affected by the decision to put this week's GP on xtra. I will miss it. However, since my local track died a few years ago, I'd be missing a hell of a lot more without the coverage given on SS1,2 and 3. Does anybody really want to go back to the days of a few mins coverage of Speedway a year?