George Dodds

and at the end of the season we will see whether it has worked or whether, despite the increase in crowds, the books balance. I really hope they do but look at Glasgow who do everything you say with bells on and are losing a shedload of cash. Main cost for all promotions is riders' wages, I would imagine that stadium rental, insurance and medical cover vie for second place. Some say they can't afford to go every week, others say that racing every other week isn't good enough - not whingeing as I often get accused of, just pointing out that one fix does not necessarily fit all.

Matty Wethers guesting for Etheridge on Saturday with r/r for Jacobsen at two

most of the forecast seem to suggest the slight possibility of a light shower. Sun cracking the flags at the moment

To be honest I think you either embrace the concept of heats merely being a qualifier for sudden death semis and final or you declare a winner after 20 heats - see no way of mixing and matching. At least this way it brings it in line with the GPs and qualifying so anyone going on in their career at least has some idea of coping with the pressures of the endgame heats.

Added attraction is some 125cc races by some of the lads competing in the CFS British Youth Championships. Anyone who has seen NJL racing at Shielfield will tell you that some of the 125 races have been absolute crackers over the years.

Draw for riding order made on Tuesday morning 1 Luke Harris (Cradley) 2 Anders Rowe (Somerset/Kent) 3 Tom Brennan (Eastbourne/Cradley) 4 Leon Flint (Berwick/Belle Vue Colts) 5 Nathan Greaves (Redcar) 6 Drew Kemp (Sheffield/Kent) 7 Jack Smith (Redcar) 8 Kyle Bickley (Glasgow/Belle Vue Colts) 9 Jack Thomas (Leicester) 10 Jordan Palin (Belle Vue Colts) 11 Harry McGurk (Berwick/Cradley Heath) 12 Dan Bewley (Belle Vue) 13 Ryan Kinsley (Scunthorpe) 14 Zach Wajtknecht (Swindon/Birmingham) 15 Jason Edwards (Mildenhall) 16 Robert Lambert (King’s Lynn) Res Henry Atkins (Somerset) Res Alex Spooner (Kent) Referee Dave Watters (Coventry)

merchant charges, minimum monthly fees, transaction fees, rental of equipment, connection charges to landline/mobile network, all chip away at the amount being collected. It's why so many small businesses have a minimum spend on card transactions? Big companies can afford to swallow the fees and probably can negotiate not to pay them in the first place.

well why not pay cash and give 100 per cent of the money to the club/rider running the testimonial rather than 15 per cent to Barclays or whoever the payment has to be processed through?

excellent news ... always enjoyed the Tiggers fans at Shielfield, they help to create a cracking atmosphere

Tesco, Morrisons or Aldi

suppose you could always take a more radical approach and get a job like the rest of us

Blatant plug alert.... and continues to be good news as, with programmes (which are included in the price) now costing £3 buying a standard pass at £229 represents a saving of £41 over the remaining 14 meetings and for those aged 65 and over, disabled or students (ID proof needed for these three) a saving of £45. Buy and pay via the club website http://www.berwickbandits.co/content/buy-season-passes

It was and of course it was quite a bit wider, especially on the straights and the fence was along the line that the current wall takes. No need for a netural zone in those days. Start/finish was just in front of the football tunnel, leading to a much longer drag race to the first bend. Not too great metrically but believe 440 yards is 402 metres

was also 34 metres longer!

Fairly certain you'll find there is somewhere outside the turnstile to collect so, no, you won't have to pay twice

Berwick is 4099 for football (1,366 seated) - probably squeeze a few hundred more in for speedway. On the non-league website Glasgow's capacity is stated at 3,500 with 600 seats -again that's for football.

but you have to admite his attempt to introduce "inconsideration" into the English language

Strange thing is while often a lack of passing in a meeting is, in some minds, held as proof of a lack of entertainment; Trownson over the Owens, Powell over Hancock and Hamill, Dougie Wyer blocking every move from Ivan Mauger and Denis Sigalos at Sheffield are races that still stick in my mind. Speedway Updates would have dismissed them all as: FTG. Good racing isn't just passing and repassing - although a good swoop from high on the banking never did any fan any harm!

no, no both of them in the same race and when DT was an frustratingly inconsistent reserve, before he stepped up a notch or two. Genuinely the stuff of legend

Good reserve pairing with FLINT .... (Gary) be a pretty good average reduction surely?

Gary Barlow''s a Bandit?

Not just the promoters - some of the fans who post on here should be avoided at all costs too

Which, depending on how you view it, either makes it more difficult or easier than for someone who had just five races on one night of the year.

On riding ability yes but - as with Collins at the British Final in 1978 - engine failures, a fall, lousy track conditions or annoying a belligerent referee could see you fail to qualify from any given round. No wildcards to cover your box office appeal or guarantee of qualification for the next season by finishing in the top eight of any given season. I'm sure Tai's quality would have shone through but bad luck could have robbed him of the chance of even reaching a World Final

FWIW I personally think Peter Collins is the greatest British rider of my time - stretching back to 1968. Tai isn't far behind him and, unless he retires, will soon surpass PC so the answer to the OP is ... not yet!