pandorum

So it should have but to compare the piddling drivel Ward had to offer up as an excuse and those lads is so far off topic to be further than Jupiter. Those men drunk or sober were heroes Darcy Ward is an arce. But any way you measure it he was still a better man than Ward will ever be.

And those lads drank a lot and I am sure that more than a few would have failed a breath test to get into their planes. But those lads had both courage and character whilst Darcy is a bell end. My uncle was one of those young lads but did not make it through to celebrate the end of it and even though I never met him he was 1000 times the man Darcy Ward will ever be

But did not Ward say on the TV during the GP that he got some bad news whilst having dinner and had one too many whilst not hydrating? He seems to have lied about his test reading and if this is true seems to have lied about when he got his bad news. The bloke deserves all he gets frankly and any sympathy I had for him is evaporating fast. He seems a pretty pathetic childish figure who needs to seriously grow up as his excuses are nonsense compared to what befell Tai and Emil.

But sadly it will be These #1s we are talking about won't be riding for points money so how will teams afford 2 when most can't even afford 1 because anyone who thinks 2 will cost the same as 1 is bonkers. Like one night racing it's a pipedream. The EL can't even afford what it's got let alone flying in Greg or Nicki. These people only want this because it suits them so they can stay sharp and test equipment for the big leagues and GP etc. I preferred watching 7 non big names who turned up every match and gave 100% for the team I supported rather than some superstar who was there when it suited him. And where is there any proof that these #1s make racing and therefore entertainment better? My favourite racing was old NNL/NL back in the 70/80s which was great compared to old BL which I watched a lot also. Stars don't make the league better racing does. Speedway here is clueless and potless with no investment from sponsors that is worth anything nationally, no vision or leadership and dwindling interest from it's own diehards who like TWK have given up altogether. The idea that somehow they can go from that to having a Polish type super league with GP stars thick as flies at every meeting is too ridiculous for words. The sport needs radical changes and needs to take several steps back to survive. It needs to consolidate by having a league system it can afford which is a PL level. Then it needs to build by investing in home grown riders. It needs to invest in structures that provide a sensible rule based system that is not open to fiddling and provide racing which means investing in track surfaces.. Then it can move forward and perhaps grow by promoting itself. Sadly all this needs leadership and some one with vision and speedway does not have anyone like that so what will happen next year will likely be price increases, dilution of team strengths and petty rule tinkering. Speedway in the UK is the Panda of the sporting world. A waste of time putting money in as it is determined to become extinct

Why do you people keep babbling on about cars. Ward was not driving to work. He was going head to head with three other blokes at speeds in excess of 60mph on a souped up motorbike on a circular track which would involve supreme concentration and gaps between riders sometimes that would make normal people go pale.

And we think Brit speedway is bonkers The PO format is a great but the downside is that it is rushed when rain affects it and rain affects a lot of speedway. I wonder what Vargarna fans think about this especially when they were favourites to go through after last nights results

Not looking good for your lot Alan. They need the whole match to get a decent result. Nothing on the Polish side so looks like we won't find out watching live Fingers crossed for you guys as I wanna see Greg. CU in Denmark

Got to agree with Alan I saw red flags before they got around bend 4. Pawel just asleep at the wheel there.

That's a fair point but he might not as well. If he does get a full ban it's unfair to tonight's opponents is all I was saying. He should have been suspended until the outcome and the outcome should hurry it's arce up as the sport looks even dafter especially when nobody is even talking about it except us I don't think he deserves a full ban just from the GPs this year and make him qualify for 2016 effectively ruling him out of next year.

he did put them on. And the red flags went out Pawel not paying attention . Very lucky both of them. true but Doyle still caused it

Saw Cozy Powell do that 3 times with Rainbow. 1812 is a rather stirring piece whoever is doing it

Decent start for Smederna. Got to keep their foot on the gas though. St Petersburg was unbelievable. Amazing city. Riga old town is a sight to see. Tallin and Copenhagen were great. Also went to Rostock and Klapedia and they were good too. Had a good look around Riga but did not see any posters for GP. Lots of pop stuff and various events happening but no speedway. Doyle was to blame for that. Olly was lucky there.

Just got back from a Baltic Cruise and was in Riga the week before the GP. Went to Tallin, St Petersburg, Lithuania and Denmark. Still feel rough from an overdose of Gin. Hope Greg gets back soon and your lot do the business tonight

Good luck for tonight you two Will Greg be back anytime soon? If you can keep Pawel you will have a good chance. Allowing Ward to ride with a ban hanging over his head makes speedway look daft but then what's new. How long does it take a committee to conclude the bleeding obvious.

Bit silly to allow that as if he gets banned for the rest of the season and is the reason his team wins tonight it's a tad unfair to the opposition. Ban him or let him ride but to have a fudge like this makes speedway look stupid I have to stop saying that Anyway....just sayin' Darcy not live on TV tonight tho.

I have never claimed to be an expert on anything here mate. YOU are the one who babbles on about stuff as if you are the one who invented it. Your 0% point is so pathetic that even a child would feel silly making it. We have trace amounts of lots of things otherwise we would probably die but we generally accept that zero is zero even though we know it isn't really. It's like saying there is nothing in a vacuum when we know there must be but we just have know way of detecting it as yet. Petty and rather stupid but don't let me stop you as I enjoy reading your pompous knowitall post

What Twaddle. It does not matter a damn how far over he was. And he was not driving to work he was due to ride a motorbike very fast with three blokes at his side. And you can prove this I presume or is it just something you read on Wikipedia Nicki P had 0% alcohol in his blood and has a photo to prove it. Is he some unique branch of the species

What you think the matter should just end there? Havvy would probably contest that thought with you. It's not like he accidentally had too much alcohol. He is a grown man who knew he had a major meeting the next day. He made a choice and put his own life and those of his fellow riders at risk. Bad news is something that happens all the time to people. He is not the first in speedway to get it at an inopportune moment. If it was that upsetting he should have approached the organisers and took a day off rather than turning to alcohol. We hear of Nicki, Tai and others as if that's some excuse for Ward. He is the one who failed a booze test! At the very least he should be banned from SGP, never get a pick or wildcard again and made to qualify next season if he wants to be part of the 2016 GP. He should be tested at every major event for the next few years at least. If he wants a world title make him work for it like Woffy did. It would be sad if he got a worldwide ban as he is a talent. I enjoy watching him ride. I don't like him as a person even if I don't know him. The sport has few enough Darcy Ward's. But making excuses for him does not help his cause. He needs to understand that his actions have consequences and grow up. I am no Poole hater but perhaps getting away from the comfort zone he has there might do him a bit of good. I don't want his head on a platter but he has to be taught a very severe lesson for his actions. Hydrating was not his biggest problem on Saturday

What a silly comment. TWK knows his speedway and is entitled to post as often as he likes about the EL as it's part of the sport he loves. What does it matter if he prefers PL racing? His view is as valid as anyone who loves the sport. Disagree with him by all means but he has as much right to post here as you.

You make it sound as if the whistle-blower is to blame. After all Darcy did FAIL the test. So whoever shopped him may have saved the life of someone in the meeting. Darcy is the villain here NOT Nicholls, who was brave enough to say what he thought live on TV as many did not, or the alleged tipster. And it's Darcy who must pay the price.

Yes I have had a drink after a meeting with more than a few riders. Most of whom had to go to work the next day as they were not professional riders and did this as a hobby rather than a way of making a living. Not excusing them but that was what people did 25/35 years ago. I used to drink at work and that was pretty silly when you were wandering around on a scaffold or a bridge. To quote hawkwind it was simply 'the spirit of the age'. But to offer that up as an excuse for Ward is not really acceptable as nowadays these guys are fully professional speedway riders and you can't tell me Tai Woffinden or Nicki Pedersen go on the p#ss before or after a meeting because I would require incontrovertible proof to believe such a thing. His entourage and supporters are getting ready to play the mitigating circumstance card which is frankly a load of bollox no matter what the circumstances and he should be judged on the offence not the reasons for committing it which are spurious at best for someone in the sport he participates in. If he was that upset he should have done what Emil did when his dad died during a SEC meeting, took a couple of days off and came back stronger than ever as the Russian did by winning the next GP. That's character, sadly Darcy has none and is just a grubby little individual who now is desperately hoping his mealy mouthed excuses about NOT hydrating will get him off with a fine and a kick up the arce. For the sake of speedway's last few vestiges of credibility I hope not. I would not advocate a total ban as he is one of the best in the sport and giving him a two year worldwide ban may lose him from the sport forever. Ban him from the GP for the rest of 2014 and tell him he will never get a wildcard or a pick ever again and so if he wants to be in the GP he will have to qualify for 2016. That to me is a fair punishment and add to that the fact he will be tested at every GP/SWC/FIM meeting he takes part in and if he repeats this will be banned from such meetings for life. The lad wants to be World Champion. This is a way of showing him he needs to shape up and maybe it would be the jolt he needs. Speedway needs Ward but it has to show he can't walk all over it because he is one of our best. Hit him where it hurts most and give him a chance to grow up. And you KNOW this how? And you can prove this of course?

I like the SWC Joker as it makes the thing very exciting but do not like the idea in traditional league racing although Denmark use both and I can't say I am ready to storm the Danish embassy or give up bacon Generalisations like yours are simply something stupid people do to avoid any real thinking And let's face it plenty slowed down in the old system to allow them a TS in the next heat. Sport is full of gamesmanship

It worked in that it allowed a team a tactical option options straight away to fight back from 6 points. Team strengths are another argument and that has always been something speedway has never been able to address. There will always be strong teams and weak teams. To be honest it allowed a poor team to compete a bit against a good team. Of course it did not always work. But what rule ever does? The TR nowadays doesn't allow tactics unless you have someone available you are up the creek and are probably gonna go further behind. The fact the best leagues in the world use it says it all really. I have not seen anyone pushing to use the TR in any of the top leagues. Seen that happen so many times. Even used to feel proud when it was done to my team Now ..........................

Emil Sayfutdinov got some rather bad family news during a GP series. Tai Woffinden spent a whole GP series with bad family news hanging over him. Never saw these lads fail a breathalyser. Ward is an idiot and deserves all he gets whatever the reasons. Life is hard and sh#t happens all the time to all of us. Character is something you build from life's pitfalls and hurdles. Tai and Emil have character Darcy is an arce. Kick his butt out of the GP and teach him a lesson. Might do him some good as he is a superb speedway rider.

He should have 'hydrated' True he had guts to go in front of the camera but he should be seriously hammered (pun intended) by the authorities. Scotty makes excellent points. Setting a precedent by allowing Ward to get away with a slap on the wrist would damage the GPs and make the sport look stupid (sorry about that) Whatever the reasons Ward should be at the very least be thrown out of the GP and made to qualify for 2016 as he should be told he will not be given a pick for next year.