iris123

I also heard from a source in Russia that it was costs and conditions that stopped Togliatti wanting to host a GP and instead plumped for the SEC

Could well be the case.I know Güstrow a few years ago sort of complained that it cost less to hold a European meeting(might have been the U19 team event) than it did to hold a German national meeting

Could well have popped into Plough Lane whilst visiting the Communist MP for Battersea North Just a question of whether WJ Cearns,who was from the East End of London was a socialist and that is why the Dons rode with the racing version of the red flag.And was Ronnie Greene a Communist and went that step further and introduced the yellow star to the red flag? Let's not forget the times.....1936 and the Soviet Union had boycotted the Berlin Olympics an we had the Communist party organising the counter-protest against the facists in Cable Street.Then in early 1937 we had the Soviet Union getting involved in the Spanish Civil War and many British socialists and communists volunteering to fight against the facists and in Stepney the Communist Phil Piratin was elected onto the borough council On the other hand Ronnie might have been a horse racing fan and taken a liking to a jockeys racing colours

Tbf to him there were a couple who called it mickey mouse.I think Bwitcher was one,but obviously going way ott by saying everyone

The Soviet flag with the red background(to commemorate the red flag of Paris Commune,1971)and red star with gold border from 1923 was the inspiration for other communist countries flags i.e Vietnam,China and PR of Congo.But doubt anyone at Plough Lane was a Communist? But in nearby Battersea North they did have a Communist MP from 1924-1929 and he was still active in the area into the 1930s https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shapurji_Saklatvala

What about Chalky White? Common,but i guess not really daft Okoniewski's nickname of Okon-meaning the fish Perch.....Ok i can see shortening the surname to make a new word,but who wants to be known as the Perch?Well Okoniewski does obviously

Like free passes for ex riders who could chat about the old days to fans?

Good post One thing i would say is for sure we all went to tracks in fields(i remember Mildenhall in the early 80s for instance,was quite a shock to someone used to Plough Lane,White City,Wembley,Hackney etc)and i guess a lot of us went to the old football grounds where people just urinated against the wall as the queues to get into the inadequate toilet 'facilities' were horrendous and the pushing and shoving on the terraces was just accepted even to the extent you were carried alongby the crowd and your feet wouldn't be touching the ground.But that was then and we generally just don't accept facilities tha were ok in the 40s and 50s and outdated and dangerous by the 70s and 80s.It is bad enough for a league meeting etc,but i think fans expect a higher quality for a GP venue Having said that i go back to my previous comment that i hope a 3 year contract might be the boost teterow need to make some major improvements

Sometime in the 60s,Plough Lane.No idea who was riding.Sad really,but that is it

I don't think your statement is true.In fact i know it isn't.I never called it a mickey mouse competition.The one i called mickey mouse was the Champions League thngmy..........when is that going to be held by the way?

Nobby wasn't named Smith though,was he?

Just passing on a thought.Something that happened to me a decade ago and seems is still happening now.You would have thought the promoter had enough experience especially as the Grass track meeting attracts around 20,000 i think and used to attract around 100,000 over the 2 days.But have to hold my hand up to not having mentioned my lack of orientation around the Teterow country lanes to anyone at the track.In fact i had forgotten about it until i read the comments on FB today,looking for anything about rowdy fans..... Probably robbed me of the chance to see Kelvin and Banks on the famous grass track what with the extra 30 minutes to get to the car park and then the 20 minutes or so to get from there to the track

Thought money not only talks,but in Poland it shouts? Obviously not for everyone

If you are in contact with people who make the decisions,you might want to mention the poor signs to the stadium/car park(s) Phil.I have seen comments on the net about it and know from personal experience.that they are not the best.The time i went to the Grass track and then the speedway afterwards i came to the town and there were signs in 2 different directions to car park #1+2.Never having been before i think i chose #1 as you do and ended up on a tour around the countryside that must have lasted another 30 minutes or so.Obviously the wrong choice and that was my fault.But when i left early i found there were no signs showing me my way back!!!! And i rode around the country lanes in the dark for ages before finally finding the main road. It seems from a few comments that this situation hasn't really improved much,although nowadays people should have a navigation system.....

Think Nicki has backed up my comment about him a few days ago on another thread.Almost like i could see the future

Lol I can remember NZ and how the promoter was almost a god for putting up the cash and then was a pr#t when it was announced he had pulled out

'crusty' Pye and 'Red' Ott

You can watch the meeting again here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5-94CLVOUY

As i said before,Ole and i think possibly Phil backed him up was saying Vojens wasn't really a worthy venue for the GPs.Now it wasn't just the track/stadium, which is much better than Teterow,but also the town,which is pretty poor,but again is much better than Teterow.Now all of a sudden a worse venue and town in ok for the GPs.So i guess it must be down to who will cough up the dosh. Having said that,i have long said that if a GP is held in Germany then Meck-Pomm is the area that should host it.Close to Scandinavia and Poland and has a great number of hard core fans.Teterow also have for more than a decade had big plans for the stdium,that never seemed to get going.Hopefully this contract will help them develope the stadium towards that vision.What i doubt the GPs can do though is help develope the town of Teterow into anything that most fans would want to spend much time in......not a tourist magnet or party town at all

Tbh i haven't heard about this,but the stewards have been a problem for a decade or more.Mostly fans have been upset about being searched and having food and drink taken off them,but general stewarding has been a problem at the track.My own personal view which is a decade oldas the last time i went i somehow by-passed the stewards and drove almost on the track(!!!) before turning back and finding the car park,is that there seemed to be a ddgy political element to the stewards,which is not unknown in this area....

I was lucky enough to go to the one that went ahead.A mate of mine came over from Manchester for the second one.Just happy i didn't bother.But one of the biggest scandals in the sport of recent years.Bad enough that,but to then follow it with a few others was too much and heads at the top should have rolled

Not sure,but typically after 10 years of running the event,last year an Anglo-German woman won and that was the end https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3LWokp9g3A

Sort of like it was ironic that a week or two after the GPs in Gelsenkirchen,the stadium hosted a stock car event and was sold out year after year

Russell Paine built a track and wanted to get started,but it seemed corrupt local politicians and getting robbed at gun point put him off

Just done a search on this and it was at Valparaiso,Indiana back in 2007 Some Polish expats got together and persuaded the promoter to put on a team meeting between the Hoosier Hot Rockets including Wesley Oskiewicz(resident of Chicago) the son of former Grudziadz rider Wieslaw Oskiewicz against the Chicago Red Scorpions including Artur Taraszka.Now this wasn't a success as i guess the speedway hungry Poles didn't flock to support it.But interesting all the same There was also another Polish born rider living in Chicago,who never really made much of an impact as far as i know,Lukas Michalski