iwright71

Just as you could easily identify Tai Woffinden. 2 minority sports completed totally differently by SPOTY mainly because BBC cover netball and it promotes women's sport which fits BBC's agenda . You only have to listen to Eleonor Oldroyd's show on Radio 5 on Fridays. 3 guests normally 2 women, women netballers, rugby players, footballers, cricketers aplenty.

Never did I think the Polish League would ever become bigger than the FIM world championship but it seems it has now. Possibility of riders being injured on Friday nights with no adequate replacements. What happens if there is a rain off on Saturday and Polish TV don't want to cancel their 2 TV matches ? How has it come to this that the tail wags the dog !

Would any of your quizzers have been able to identify any of England's netball team who won 2 awards at SPOTY

Yes I'm a regular reader of Backtrack

As a 40 something watching speedway in the 80's and 90's was my favourite era. Would look forward to that content in Backtrack magazine

To not mention Tai Woffindens' achievement is out of order in my book. But BBC has its own agenda and sports they want to push. Usually the few sports they actually cover and if it involves women's sport or diversity then all the better. To ignore and not interview Georgia Hall the first British women to win the women's Open for 14 years was disgraceful mainly because it wasn't on BBC ,it sums up what SPOTY has become. I used to love the program but now choose not to watch.

Didn't watch SPOTY, just for interest did Jonathan Rea get a mention this year

Always thought Belle Vue were one of the richer clubs.

Could be a squeeze this one. With only a capacity of 12 thousand lets hope Wroclaw don't sell 10 thousand season tickets. Some of those 12 thousand tickets will also probably be corporate with the usual allocation also going to tour companies and the F.I.M. Baring in mind a non speedway city such as Warsaw can flog almost 50 thousand tickets, interest in this GP in Poland could also be very high.

All promoters seem to be on the same page and very robust that the racing today in all leagues is the best its ever been. I'm with you, that is not the sport I'm watching and coinciding with crowds being at there lowest ebb many others think the same way but are less bullish and simply and quietly withdraw their labour.

Don't have a problem with Glasgow paying riders exactly what they want, just don't come out in the Speedway Star moaning you are losing money and things can't continue as they are.

Strange how in one breath the Glasgow promoters are " whinging and moaning " in the Speedway Star about losing money and then on the other hand are offering Premiership riders inflated wage deals.

Maybe you or someone else can put me straight, but I was convinced riders had 2 minutes to enter the track, not 2 minutes to be at tapes and ready to start

I'm just quoting the rule as it is now. " Riders have 2 minutes to enter the track, not 2 minutes to get to the tapes". When the race starts is at the discretion of how quickly a rider gets to tapes and how quickly the official brings them to tapes. I didn't see anything from the AGM saying that those rules had changed.

The 2 minute clock doesn't mean anything. To stop riders rushing to the tapes, crossing the centre green, going the wrong way round the tapes, you now only need to be on the track within 2 minutes , not at the tapes ready to start. Its feasible now that from when the 2 minutes goes on, we could be 4 minutes away from the start of the race, The start of the race is determined by the riders and the starting official , not the 2 minute clock as in the GP.

Can't think of any rule / legislation in Britain that was brought in for health and safety reasons being reversed or unpicked . Once you start on this path there is usually no going backwards.

Well that's not going to happen. The rule was wrongly changed to allow riders a full 2 minutes to enter the track, not to be ready to race. Unfortunately health and safety gone mad, rule the day and all the 2 minute clock would show is the time remaining for riders to be on track. Add a very slow ride round to the tapes, a practise start or 2, intervention of the start marshal to bring riders to the tapes or move riders over and you probably have a good 4 minutes from when the 2 minute warning went on . I agree the rule works in the GP but don't expect it in British Speedway, Its a thing of the past

What good would a 2 min clock do ?

Unfortunately the decline in League crowds has become pro rata with other deemed seemingly less important matches such as KO Cup, 4 team tournament, individuals and friendlies. Which in large make these matches not financially viable. I remember 20 years ago there was as many at Wolves on press / practise night as there are for some league matches last year.

Having read last weeks Speedway Star devoting a whole issue to 'speedway in crisis' you read the statement from the BSPA after the AGM and it seems they don't think there is that much wrong and a few tweaks will suffice. To have only 7 teams in the top division is embarrassing, particularly when the top 4 will contest the play offs .I look at a club like Belle Vue, I can't see how they can improve their financial position when they are still riding on a Monday night. The fixed race nights didn't work for some clubs last year and they won't work this. Unfortunately until the promoters admit to themselves that the core product at most tracks is not good enough, often enough, the sport is a busted flush . You can promote all you want, improve your presentation, but if the stuff on the track is not exciting enough people will continue to stay away. I can't believe that Peter Oakes whose column I like reading thinks the racing is better than ever. In the top division Belle Vue being the obvious exception I am just not seeing it, at my local track or on TV. Over the years there have been rules that I probably didn't like, riders have come and gone, 2 leagues, 1 big league, double points , tactical subs etc etc etc but never has any of the rules provoked me to stop going every week for 30 years because the at the core speedway was still good. I no longer attend solely because the core product I deem is not good enough, Looking at the terraces these days I am presuming many others may think the same.

They have got a bit of a front at Glasgow. They come in ,throw money around like confetti , sign a Grand Prix rider to ride in the 2nd Division then have the nerve to complain their losing money.

When the head of the BSPA says there is nothing wrong with the product you know the sport is stuffed.

Interesting that Travel Plus are further penalizing single travellers by upping their single supplement to a riddiculas and unnecessary 55 pounds per night for the Warsaw trip.

Definitely the worst team in definitely the worst final

I think people look back and think there was no good World Finals. Just watched the 73 and 76 World Finals from Katowice . Some great speedway particularly from Ivan , Ole and Peter Collins