BWitcher

And let's not forget the referee awarding a win to Lindback when Hancock won the race. He got suckered in by the celebrations which weren't for winning the race, but were for sealing Sweden's qualification.

The thread is about what makes speedway great, not your fantasy stories that you are prone to trot out. I haven't said you brought Darts into the conversation, I said that you have tried to compare the two, which is ridiculous. You mention Formula One, fans and indeed competitors wear garish clothing in that too. Cricket, fans dress up in silly costumes. I've taken many, many people to speedway, not one of them ever has 'laughed at the rules'.. made comments about clothing.. said they wouldn't take their girlfriends or any of the cliched comments you always roll out. Now back onto the thread.. what makes the sport great... As a child I was into every sport going, my Dad first took me to speedway in 1984 when Wolverhampton re-opened and I was hooked from the first moment. He explained how to calculate averages and the statistical side was massive to me. I was unable to attend much between 84 and 87 but used to eagerly look forward to the newspaper on Tuesday evening with the scores from the previous nights meeting. I had a folder (still got it) where I would write out all the heat results and calculate the averages etc. Come 1990 I was old enough to be attending myself and pretty much didn't miss a meeting after that till moving abroad. I can't say exactly why the sport hooked me in as much as it did, bit of everything. The on track action of course, the riders... Sudden Sam, Rocket Ronnie, PK... Lars Munkedal was an early favorite rider of mine. Being able to meet the riders afterwards, get photos signed was a big appeal as a youngster, I dread to think how many photos Sam Ermolenko has signed. As others have said, travelling around the country following the team, I was fortunate enough to go to every meeting home and away in 1996 when Wolves did the double and the memories of that season are fantastic. I got involved in organising fund raisers for riders and in later years sponsored riders bringing another level of connection. Then of course the friends met during that time. Some sadly no longer attend, but there is a steady group I've stood with for many years now. In fact, this thread has actually reminded me of just how much I miss attending speedway. Hopefully Wolverhampton will make the play-offs and if so, I will be there, wouldn't miss those for the world!

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.