BWitcher

It has already been confirmed by Adam Ellis's father that the practice was very much a last minute thing. Tai has likely had the day booked in Poland arranged some time ago, as he will have arrangements made for both flying to the UK and transportation of equipment to the UK. You see, he is ultra organised, all part of being the World Champion.

I do love how Gresham keeps trying to band speedway together with Darts and trying to create some conception that folk don't go to Darts because of the way people dress? I guess that's why they've moved out of small clubs and into arenas for their events....

He's on holiday, Gavan recommended a nice resort to him apparently.

Correct Grachan. Lemon was tactically clueless tonight.

Fantastic 2nd place yes. Referee needs specsavers!

Agree with most of that, however, I can see the US thinking, they're sticking Hancock of gate 1 to try and guarantee the 3pts. They figure the germans won'ts score 7.

Bar a disaster for Hancock in his last that should be the case.

It's only the same few who have been spouting their rubbish throughout the entire thread.. Minus their leader Robert72 who has 'mysteriously disappeared'....

If he excluded one, he had to exclude both then. As it happened, result didn't change. Absolutely AWFUL team management from Mark Lemon there. Holder been struggling with his clutch.. Doyle is their best rider and flying, it was a no brainer to put him in, especially off gate one.

That win for Smolinski puts a lot of pressure on the USA now. Vital that Hancock secures 6pts when they use him.

Jump aggressively? The thread is hilarious. Complaining about something that didn't happen.. i.e. Woffinden didn't miss any GB practices. As for the pathetic 'five of you jibe', that applies to the moaners, the same old folk each time. You can't play the 'most don't like him' card anymore, that myth was destroyed at Cardiff when his reception was deafening.. and it will be again at the weekend. Meanwhile, nobody has ever said he is a 'saint'. Compared to Lindback and Carter he is though!

You're right, convicted drink drivers are much more to peoples taste. Staggering!

The resident troll has gone quiet... unlike him not to have posted since last night! Some of the other usual anti Tai posters have picked up the slack in his absence though.

Name a SWC practice session Woffinden hasn't attended? Agree with everything you say. Regarding the tattoo, that part is true, Tai had tweeted yesterday he was having one done, that was one amongst a few engagements he had lined up yesterday.

It's multiple world champions don't forget... AND beat them.

The practice was arranged at very short notice, Tai had already got other engagements that day, aside from the tattoo. He will be at the official practice of course.

You may not have realised, but official practice is later in the week.

Damn it, that's the last thing you want.

There are more than that, there's a number of interviews in Backtrack magazine with riders saying they were in teams literally within a few weeks of going for their 'first ever ride'. We've had this conversation before, I think it was Grachan that backed me up having read similar interviews.

Again, precisely my point. The standard was such that riders could become 'proven' very quickly. In the lower leagues there were no 'foreign' (Danes, Swedes, Poles etc) so teams were made up with a lot more British riders. Just because a rider had a 6pt average didn't mean they were all that good, that's just a mathematical fact that a number of riders will attain that sort of figure. When the league opened its doors to foreign riders, a number of them were brought in at a higher standard than the the British riders they were replacing (from the bottom ends of teams). The slightly better British riders moved down places in the team and it became much tougher to break into a team. Obviously this had a knock on effect in that with less places available for British riders, less of them made the transition from junior racing/2nd halves etc. With less chance of transition less riders took up the sport and gradually we've arrived where we are now. The Conference/National League and indeed leagues such as the MDL below that have begun to create more of a pipeline for young British riders again.. however what needs to be done is the Premier League to do away with awful, journeymen foreign riders clogging up the reserve berths and have them for British riders only.

Not at all. Take someone off the street, give them the very best bikes there are.. do you think in a matter of weeks they'd be good enough to ride in a team? It would be unthinkable.. Yet back when the standard was supposedly higher... it happened quite often.

Thanks for proving my point! Dear me... The fact that any tom, dick or harry could just step into sides and perform shows the standard they were stepping into was not that great. Many riders have stated they were in teams within weeks of them first ever riding a bike. Chances of that happening now? Absolute zero.

Hobnob was speaking directly to you. That is YOU. The cretin that is besmirching the good name of past speedway riders for your own personal kicks. Hobnob Smith IS a former rider. I know him well. He's asked you nicely. Pay heed.

I was no fan of Darcy Ward, although I admired his ability as a speedway rider. I have commented in the past that he was fortunate to be receiving so much attention when compared to other riders in a similar plight... However, I haven't gone as low as you are doing on this thread.

Yet Emil had a big lead that year which had been whittled down and been lost. The momentum was with Tai and Emil was beginning to flounder. Tai was leading the championship at the time of the injury to Emil.