iris123

Addio hit on an important element of modern speedway.Fitness.Probably Mauger was the first to consider fitness important.Most riders before and a lot after could have extended their reign at the top if they weren't smoking and drinking like troopers.

But most of the time they never even for a world title have to ride in one foreign country!!!! Not the 'British' riders i.e Brits,NZ and Oz riders.They rode a couple of meetings on tracks they rode year in year out and as we get into the 50s the number of tracks in the top league were few anyway.It might have been a far different story if they actually had to ride in meetings around Europe.maybe Plechanov would have won a title or two?.... Take 1959 for instance and Ove Fundin had to ride in one meeting(Sweden) before the world final.Similar things happened in other years or sometime a rider was directly seeded to the final.Briggo?

Trouble is with the scenario imo is... 1.The vast majority of world finals in that era were held at the same track,so quite probably the riders who rode well at that track would always tend to finish up at the top. 2.To help prove the problem,the one season Peter Craven rode at a world final in another country he finished a poor 10th!!!! In the modern era it is impossible for track specialists to win world titles because we have 11 or 12 rounds

Of course.As i pointed out Nicki won 3 titles against those you named.He must rate better than Gollob and most probably behind Crump.But he isn't that far behind Crump not to be mentioned at all.Then we have Greg,who has more titles than both Crump and Nicki......so that is 2 Just look at the facts rather than judge with prejudice because you don't like a rider

Disagree and it seems the BV management do too.Collins should as they have offered.Morton and Andy Smith,Joe Screen,that type have done enough to earn one,but i'd guess most of the 100 PC thinks should get one are not in that category.And it is also not up to any rider who is in the category to dictate to any promotion

I agree.Big factor as well.Phil touched on it.BSI want too much perhaps and then the lack of sponsors they bring and certainly local promoters can attract

That seems to be utopia.Maybe you missed the bit Phil posted about nobody other than Poland wanting to host the SWC final rounds?At least not on the terms offered.And you can bet that one of the terms the host promoter will want is that the home team is given a wild card or they run the risk of getting into big financial trouble.Probably a big part of the problem in running it elsewhere is most think Poland are odds on,the fans think so too,and so it is a competition for the lesser places.Agreeing to host the finals and then not even having the home team in just isn't going to happen.......

Yeah and not Nicki who won 3 titles finished second once and third 3 times!!!!

Could be true,could be rubbish Just take a look at say Barry Briggs.He won back to back titles then in the next 5 seasons got 1 silver and two bronze.Tai's record is very much similar to Briggo in a short period.We don't know how it will pan out in the future though.Maybe like Briggo or Greg he just has to wait w hile before he wins another title or two? Peter Craven is an even more extreme example between his wins

As one or two have pointed out,this is really trying to re-write history.As i am sure you know it was a national team event at first but they had to change it.Probably for the reason you have been pointing out for years....that BSI were trumped and wanted to also have a pairs comp,but were too slow off the mark.What is strange is having seen how the One Sport version has followed the attern of previous pairs competitions,they still want to push ahead with the project!!!!

I think one forumite rates a rider who never won a world title and threatened to kill a fellow rider on track over Tai.And as far as I can tell that is because Tai has tattoos!!!!! Strange world,strange petson

I wonder how much last nights boxing cost?On German tv they were saying although not as many as at Wembley there was an amazing atmosphere both in and outside Cardiff and that most had travelled from England!!! I was quite amazed really at the hype surrounding Joshua at this stage of his career.90,000 and now 80,000.But boxing is usually veeerrryyyy expensive!!!! Then to rub it into the locals Michael Buffer announced Joshua as "The Pride of England"!!!!

Regardless of whether he is deserving or not or a mediocre or great champ,what is the reaction in Australia to having a world champ crowned in their country?How has the media reported the meeting and Doyle being crowned at home? Will it be a boost for the sport in Oz or make no difference really,rather like Hancock made no real impression in the States.But having a champ crowned in Oz must have made a headline or two in one paper or website????

Great work Interesting for me to see the foreign riders who gave years of dedication to the leagues.Commonwealth riders to the fore,but riders like Karlsson,Ermolenko,Richard Hellsen(somewhat a surprise),Stekkers and although not in the list Olle Nygren all great servants to the sport in the country

Why?Do i need your permission to watch in Europe?

For i think one season i used to get into Plough Lane for nothing.My Grandad worked at the stadium for a couple of decades for the St.John's and so knew the staff there,at least the security guy on the gate of the Grandstand and later when he was in a wheelchair we went to the speedway and the guy just opened the gate and through we went.Not sure how widespread such things were though and it was possibly nothing that the speedway promotion knew about Then again,seeing as one of my family used to be mechanic to Ronnie Moore and then became speedway machine examiner,i was told as a teenager to go to the pits gate and ask for him and i would get in for nowt........

I also thought Parker rode in the 50th,but didn't take much interest and 1968 was really before my time,so thought that might have been more a 'proper' race

Well oficially Ron Johnson was born in Scotland,which at the time(still is so far) was in the UK

Don't forget who was the first person to remind people of this point

Seen a programme about sport in East Germany and particularly football and I think it was a European clash between Dresden and Bayern Munich,the stadium was full of Stasi and Communist party members.A normal citizen couldn't get near the stadium for fear they might meet someone from the 'enemy'. Poland was maybe not so bad

I've got a collection from some ice racing tracks in jars,but they've all melted!!! Has he only got shale samples?No cinders!!!

Some old footage of Ronnie(and Wimbledon) i think in 1954 when he beat Alan Hunt in the Golden Helmet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg95k_j_1Nc

You can expect a large number of pm's today,i think Norbold

There has been wildcards even in the one off world final

Watt could well have qualified for a one off final just like he qualified for this due to his Australian final score,just like riders qualified from the British final or from a Polish quality etc