pandorum

Which is blindingly obvious to nearly everybody

No we don't as we are not them. We have no idea at all what they would do if they were in the SGP and faced with these situations. You speak for yourself like the rest of us and anything you say is simply opionion just like anyone else. If you think the costs then are comparable to the cost now and that the way the WC operated similar then that's fine but I disagree. And the lads are not paupers (and I never claimed they were just to be clear) but that does not mean they do this as a form of charity anymore than Mauger and Briggs did. And you believed that?

Exactly after all that's what the rest do. It's a bit silly comparing Briggo and Mauger with todays riders for this scenario as the sport is a Universe away from those days in terms of world championships and to be fair nobody knows what those riders would have done if faced with huge costs and minimal rewards. These guys do this for a living first and foremost and if SGP does not pay then Emil won't be the last to be injured at the start of a season then make a miraculous recovery to ride in SEC and Polish league. It seems riders are mercenaries when they look after themselves but when stupid rules and ideas overwhelm them with added costs and endless hassle it's little wonder they get p#ssed off.

He has gone from being 'fighting fit' to 'withdrawn through injury' on the SGP website so something is not quite right. It certainly is a massive blow for the series but whoever wins is a worthy world champ and I am a massive Emil fan. It's pretty obvious it's about money and the way the sport is run. There are big problems with the Russian side as we have seen thier entire team withdraw from the SWC through 'injuries' and now this. But the replacements for two top riders are very 2nd eleven and the SGP has been degraded badly and something has to be done to stop this or it's in danger of becoming an ERC. Emil not having bottle is a bit of a laugh as he is one of the bravest riders in the sport but sadly off track nonsense has spoilt 2014 as a spectacle. Hopefully Wuffy will wipe out all comers and retain the title but whatever is causing the problems needs to be addressed as we want to see the worlds best compete in SGP not the likes of Bomber and Batch who with respect will never qualify for that accord. Another sad day for a dying sport

Beggars can't be choosers so of course it's fine if Rory discovered he was an Australian with an Englishman desperately trying to get out. Has anyone checked Eddie Kennet is not really Albanian?

Looks like a good line up. Pity we are not there. Enjoyed it last year and look forward to this one. Go Russia

Yes but these are not just 'bricks' these are Marks & Spencer bricks!

Nope I read it fine. I just don't happen to agree with him is all. That is called a discussion. I left out the History of sport bit as I know what the world cup is SEC IS an established championship as 'a few years' turned out to be 12. A lot for speedway. It's not the first speedway event to evolve. Look at SWC which has been many things in it's history The world championship has evolved as has the under 21s. And as far as pointless competitions go speedway has had more than it's fair share. Many here say this is some sort of power struggle or about money and if that is the case then what you, I or Humpy say is irrelevant as these people will not care but don't try to peddle your 'you are not reading it' crap as I read really well and have done for a long time. I simply don't agree with Humpy no matter how many sports he tries to bring in to the argument. He has every right to do so of course as thats discussion but the yin also has a yang or else it would not be a discussion but simply a love in

My God have the UN been informed. Forgive my flippancy but surely that is not a reason to destroy SEC. It will probably grow if it becomes popular. That is inevitable. But UK speedway is the poverty stricken relation and will be at the mercy of any ideas that come out of Europe. SGP, Under 21s, Polish league all will impact on the UK.

I agree totally. To be honest I have no idea what OneSport is as I am not really interested nor am I interested in BSI or in the rules of the FIM. I am just a fan who enjoys his TV speedway and can't understand how increased TV coverage can be bad for the sport if it brings in new countries and new sponsors and new interest. It's not like speedway has any great following. Make your mind up it's a parallel GP but distinctly different. And it's been going since 2001 which is well established for this sport.

How so. The European championship has simply done what the Speedway World Championship and World under 21 has done. Made itself into a series. Your argument is not valid as the SEC has not been pulled out of anyones arce and is a competition with a history. It's not a separate SGP series it's a well established European championship now benefitting from an influx of money and rider interest.. It already existed and how is it some competitions are allowed to expand but they are not. Smart lawyers will eat the FIM for breakfast over this. Why should a European football championship be allowed when we have a World Cup. Oh wait a minute that happens with a great many sports. Your argument that the SGP has not done a great job overall for the sport is valid, many here think the SGP bad for the sport. Not one of them myself. It's a spat about money plain and simple. Someone is not getting their wedge and they are annoyed. But funnily enough it was on telly last year and the SGP has not collapsed because of it. It is collapsing now however as it has forced riders and sponsors to choose. If what we see is true and the Russians favour the SEC and sponsors like NICE and FOGO have made a choice what damage will the SGP suffer as a result of all the fallout from this argument.

What an absolute mess these lunatics are making of the sport forcing riders to choose. Were there any riders from weekend British tracks there last year or due to be there this year? Only I think 3 of SEC last year rode in the UK and none from Brit weekend tracks. I don't really think we are important enough to formulate any kind of policy regarding this speedway spat sadly. How are OneSport trampling over the sport? Providing valuable TV coverage and some interesting TV speedway. Can't the GP and SEC just live together it's not like speedway has any great worldwide popularity. Surely the SEC creates interest that might rub of on other sections of the sport.

And decimals. I would choose 3.142 just to show I am 'cleverer' than the rest

The sport is going bonkers. Maybe a good legal battle to sort it all out might end up doing some good.

After lap one I doubt they will be reffering to him much at all Now that's thinking outside the box and just what the sport needs. Brilliant

Excellent news. I have seen some div one on youtube and they have some great racing. Chance to see Scotty and Bomber. Cool!

Criteria For Testimonials Etc Testimonials etc should only be awarded to people YOU like

No sh#t Sherlock Who would have thought they would do that

Plenty of riders I 'hated' as a kid but have too much respect for them to hold any grudges agianst them. Mad Jack Millen always booed to the rafters but always gave 100% and always entertained the crowd. People go on about Nicki knocking people off but Vaclav Verner was a master of the hard ride. I was a big fan of him and Zdenek Kudrna. Saw another so called hard rider Robbie Blackadder try to mix it with Vaclav at Birmingham and end up with a mouthful of shale for his trouble. Mad Jack v Vaclav would have been a sight to see. Not a fan of Darcy as a person but what a hell of a speedway rider he is. I get what people say about Greg as he is a bit clinical. But so was Mauger and he was pretty good. After watching a lot of Polish speedway Tomas Gollob infuriates me. Such a talent but takes a huff too easy and then gives nothing for his team. I always liked the 100% trier which was why I always enjoyed watching a lot of guys who never really made it. Gutsy little buggers who never cared who they raced against but never had a decent bike so ended up never better than 2nd division 2nd string. Chris Harris annoys me as the guy was such a talent but never seemed to live up to that talent and has lived off his one GP win far too long. Scott Nicholls is another. Great talent and should have done better.

So does that mean you think most of us are hoping for a ridiculous format? As we can't understand that the problem is coming up with a sensible format it's lucky you were able to inform us of our inability to understand the obvious We don't want to see awful meetings and hopeless mismatches now do we. Oh wait a minute wasn't that what we saw last year a lot of the time I think the problem for the BSPA is perhaps thier aspirations exceed their abilities. But then what do I know

But they just had 15 years of superb SKY TV coverage and did none of that. But suddenly having one camera concentrating on the guy in front in a betting shop where nobody is interested at all in the racing just who wins will bring these opportunities? For punters to be able to bet on 3-3, 4-2 and 5-1 they would have to understand the sport and it's hard enough for those of us interested in it to figure it out. So it will be RBYW but as rmc above mentioned people will soon get p#ssed off when they realise red and blue may team ride and a rider may deliberately come 2nd or 3rd. Chasing stuffed rabbits is an established sport that punters like and the idea that speedway will be in every betting shop in the country is beyond laughable. A fad for a week and then back to the stuffed bunny. Another rainbow chased by speedway in a vain attempt to find another pot of gold that will never materialise.

Sky reported a year ago that BV would be riding in a new stadium next (this) year. But of course they won't be unless the builders work weekends and have a time machine. Still can buys bricks and pavers though. Been going on so long now it's chances are pretty slim. I have seen dozens of projects like this come across my desk and then quietly dissapear. Hope it happens of course but it looks less likely as every year has gone past.

If Newman and Redford became aware of this imagine the chaos they could cause. But sadly it's just speedway chasing another pipedream. The idea that the betting public will be gripped by speedway 6 days a week is to daft to laugh at. Might be a fad for a week but thats about it's lifespan.

Fair point

That was a nice gesture by BSI Phil. The guy made an effort to try and bring regular GP to NZ. He seems not to have had too much help from his compatriots and may have ended up losing money. But he also seems to have enjoyed the experience so hats off to him I say. It seems people here would whine on if they won the lottery. Instead of saluting a fellow fan for trying he gets criticised. Strange lot we speedway fans I enjoy the GP and saw the first NZ round live at stupid oclock in the morning. I missed the second but may try to see the 3rd. Hopefully Bill will get a decent crowd to sign off with and a meeting to remember.