John Leslie

Go for it. We shouldn't be squeamish about such things if it could save lives in future. If you have compiled empirical data to show that more life changing accidents occur on the straights, as you claim, then you should show it...Lives are at stake here! (on the other hand you could just be making it up, to be argumentative because you stupidly want to ignore the view of someone who has slammed into various kinds of fence and knows which gave him the best protection) p.s. I don't think it's very nice of the people who have called you retarded, I would never call you retarded without medical evidence.....but I think urgent tests should be done.

Where's your evidence to support this claim? Have double blind tests been done? Have you got the statistics to show where tests have been done with correctly and incorrectly installed fences? What is the exact definition of a "poorly designed air fence"? How does it compare to a "well designed air-fence" in technical spec? Really???? My experience says that the worst injuries occur on the bends. Please share the empirical evidence that says I'm wrong.

According to google, Tom Sykes is also a motorcycle road racer. But neither of them are in the betting for SPOTY, whereas Tai is. Yes. That's the betting that I was referring to.

Who made you the internet police? Tai's expected forthcoming appearance on SPOTY is a very relevant topic to discuss. Well I've never heard of either of them....and nor it seems have Ladbrokes, since they aren't in the betting. Tai of course is.

Yes. In the early 90s, the Angling Times ran a campaign for everyone to vote for Bob Nudd. He polled a massive number of votes, but the BBC decided to discount organised campaigns.

:lol: :lol:

Quite right. Some people don't read (or maybe don't want to read something positive that conflicts with their need to feel bitter and miserable). No one has suggested Tai will win SPOTY - That's a foregone conclusion, the award is going to Mr Personality himself, Andy Murray Tai won't even be on the shortlist that the public get to vote on. But it's possible he could be on the long list before it gets filtered down to the BBCs list of approved choices And it's certain he will get an invite to be in the audience, and will get some kind of mention. That could be a 2 second clip in the "other British World champion" section...or maybe they would be interested in getting his bike into the studio for a 2 minute interview a la Breakfast TV. Certainly the more noise we can make, and the more we can make the BBC aware of their Speedway-loving licence payers, the better chance of a bigger mention. There's nothing to gain from being a bitter, doom and gloom sadcase.

After making sure I was awake to watch the BBC breakfast item, I went and missed it. But I switched over to BBC News 24 and caught the 8.45am interview. This was an interview of maybe 3 or 4 minutes. Tai saying how his family had emigrated to Aus, he started riding there aged12, and they all moved back to England and lived in a caravan for 3 years to support his career. Explained how he'd broken his collarbone twice and carried on riding. No mention of his tattoos. He came across well.

To be honest I have no idea who this Hawksbee and Jacobs are, but the positive to take out of it is that what sounds like two neanderthal football fans have been made aware of speedway because of Tai's achievement....aware enough to be thinking about it and mentioning it on their football programme. There's no such thing as bad publicity

Some are, some aren't. But even if it's decided at the first corner, you only have to wait 60 seconds and the race is over. Then four new riders start level again. Compare with Formula 1, where the race is often over before it starts. The best driver is given several hundred yards start over the worst driver. The best usually stay at the front, and the rest follow round for two and a half hours...thrilling!

Our new young British World Champion, didn't mention that he'd just won the world title? Are you sure your hearing aid was switched on? Or were you expecting the world champion to talk of things other than his world title win? Our British World Champion gets a five minute interview on National radio on the biggest breakfast show in the country (which probably has listening figures to shame many TV programmes), and somebody still has to have a whinge

Just the new version of "Fx" now that we have to call exclusions "disqualifications"

Asking how many people could remember something from 3 hours ago, I presumed he was chairman of the amnesiacs society

Yes, but his brother Keith is very well known....probably more so than his sister, Dame Edith

At Scunthorpe. Postcode for Sat Nav is DN15 8QZ I believe Scunthorpe's last home match is this Sunday(?) but there's no Castleford 2nd half as they have finished all their fixtures.

He bought a bike one week, rode it round a car park once and was an instant star, was thrown straight into the KO Cup final for Walford (looking suspiciously like Troy Pratt), rode in heat 2, quit and walked out of the meeting. Presumably he's still banned by the SCB now

How can dead people name snooker players? Unless you're Derek Acorah....and then they'd all be scouse ones

I've got a smart phone. But I didn't know they did a smart version of an "arse phone". Must be a gay thing....do you switch it to vibrate?

Do Eurosports not have the ability/facilities to take on their own outside broadcasts in the way Sky do? If not, who does? Could BT take it on? How do BT cover Premier League football? Is it produced by an outside company and just broadcast by BT Sport? or do BT sports film it themselves? Also what in the involvement of Russell and Go-speed? Does his contract for the rights to British Speedway also come to an end this year?

It's true. They did. Also when Raquel Watts was a model she did a shoot for the Brewery calendar with a speedway rider called 'Erik Mikaelsson' who she then dated, making Des Barnes jealous. Bit of dodgy casting with Erik though. He was about 7 foot tall and built like a rugby forward.

Just put Quest TV on and there's a programme called Salvage Hunters. Obviously a repeat but I've never seen it before. He's going round salvaging antiques. He's now at the Speedway Museum near Rye House

The Speedway link being that Paul Merson gets his speed from the same place as Michael Lee? (allegedly)

Actually the BBC are interested. I've been told that if Tai wins the title tonight, there will be a big press conference on Monday morning for all the media at the new BBC Television Centre in Manchester.

Joke all you want but there is a sinister side to this story. Terry Russell who of course now holds worldwide and universal copyright on the word "speedway", as well as Dirk Bogarde's image rights, is now demanding £10,000 from Hayley Cropper for infringing his rights. Hayley has said she will not pay, and Terry Russell is very angry. Having crossed Mr Russell, I wouldn't be surprised if Hayley is dead within 6 months

That's nonsense. If ever changing silly rules and squabbling put them off, then no one would touch Formula 1. The reason most newspapers ignore speedway is because there is no call for (or at least they believe there is no call for) any more coverage. With a young British World champion we need to start making some noise and show them that there is a call for more coverage. We're never going to compete for coverage with the major sports (we are no longer a major sport) but we should be up there way ahead of a lot of minority sports that are getting coverage. Personally I think Tai's piercings and tattoos are grotesque, but to today's youngsters they are cool and trendy. We need to make the most of a young British cool and trendy World champion.