iris123

Guess there must have been some benefit or they wouldn't have hosted it or wanted to host it.All down to the local promoter how well it goes to an extent.Seems in Latvia things went wrong.Is that a surprise? The thing is you say others could have done the same job that BSI/IMG have done.The fact is they had years and years of chances and never did....Always easy afterwards to say "I could have done that".Turn back time and i could paint Guernica,start a social network or even see what a great idea 4 guys racing around a dirt track oval on motorbikes would be....No-one wanted to take a risk and i rather think the FIM were all too happy to get some money for a sport they hardly care for......and their officials get to go to some big cities for a weekend rather than Norden

I agree with you.My first speedway meeting after a gap of about 7 years was a GP at Vojens.I have seen a number of posts here over the years mentioning it was the GPs that attracted them(back).It really takes the sport onto a new level.All those against it and wanting the old one off World Final i doubt would go to anything more than the Final that Britian held once every few years.I doubt we will see them travelling to Terenzano,Güstrow or Balakovo for a quali meeting.But it seems a lot of GP supporters will travel to a number of GPs every year and most seem to try to fit in one or two other meetings in around the trip.That benefits the local tracks as well as the GP organisation.One or two tracks around the time of Cardiff will also benefit from that,as well as danish tracks or Polish tracks at the time of their GPs.Scrap the GPs and this will all end to a large extent as well

Indeed.Don't think anyone is trying to deny Hoskins an important place in the history of our sport.But it shouldn't make the role of other important figures like the Americans and AJ Hunting anything less than they deserve.It should also be remembered that speedway wouldn't be what it is today(in Europe at least)without James Baxter,who was convinced that team/league speedway was the way to go

What does it say Norb,what does it say?Did he or didn't he?

Ah i didn't know that.Thanks Norbold.I would also be surprised if the Americans were going into the unknown as it suggests when visiting Australia.I would have thought news was reaching the States fairly regularly of what was going on in the wide world.Sales staff would regularly be speaking with the men in America and like i mentioned other riders had been over and seen what was going on.The world wasn't quite so cut off as maybe people think it was.It was news of the new track at Brooklands(1907) that inspired the Indianapolis Speedway to be built.There is an excellent piece of footage of Board Racing from 1920 on the net,which was filmed by the Indian Motorcycle rep from Czechoslovakia on his visit to the States,so i would imagine many other Reps from around the world had visited the States and seen what was going on.Just a pity there doesn't as far as i know seem to be any footage from a Dirt Track meeting in the States or even Australia at this time

Surely the timescale is a little wrong there?Didn't Brinck travel to Australia late 1926?I would have thought that was a little late to be showing the Aussies how to ride with their foot down.Other Americans had been going to Australia(probably on sales drives for the Motorcycle companies)from at least 1915 when Erwin 'Cannonball' Baker went over.The same reason the Indian team with DeRosier went over to the IoM TT in 1911.Brinck didn't stay too long as by the summer of 1927 he died in the US.What is the history of Cec Brown?And did Sprouts Elder stay the whole of 1927 and travel over to England with Huntings riders and Hoskins?Hoskins was also at the time of Brincks arrival no longer at West Maitland,but in Sydney

For Protasiewicz's place.But i guess they could in theory offer a Brit Wards place.Hope not.But that might be the scenario flagrag has heard about.

There is a general trend that one or two on here don't seem to be contributing much to a debate You "like" a certain theory and don't seem to want to look at any evidence that goes against your opinion. Not only has it been pointed out that the same type of event had taken place in Australia before Maitland in 1923,but i have put evidence that shows 1. Motorbike meetings had taken place years before on tracks called speedways 2.races there were called speedway races 3.Bikes were being produced without brakes for racing 4.The same riders who raced on the board tracks one day would be racing on dirt tracks another 5.Barney Oldfield who was racing on the same tracks as the motorbikes was sliding round rather than using brakes 6.We know that riders like Don Johns etc were also sliding. Now whether they got the idea from Barney Oldfield or he got the idea from them it doesn't really matter(i don't know when bikes were powerful enough to slide,but i have seen that at the IoM bikes had an easier course at first because they were not powerful enough to get up the hills..1907ish).All the elements were in place in the US that make up speedway racing.It is also recorded that a few of the US riders did go to Australia.Seem to recall one at least was there in 1922 which would fit because it seems the type of racing that took Australia by storm was happening in the US some years before.It was probably happening in Australia a few years before Maitland.Now i don't know what evidence Ian Hoskins will come out with,but it will most probably be nothing that can be substantiated by proof.Just his opinion and what his father "told" him,i would guess.I await your report when you read the mag. Until then it would be nice to get back on topic and stop all the sidetracking

I don't see it so dark as you.PePe isn't stupid.He knows just as well as you and i,that his chances of becoming World Champ or even finishing in the top 5(i could be cruel and say top 10)are about as much as my chances of running 100m in less than 10 seconds.I said a while back that all he and Bjarne will contribute to the series is one or two good meetings.Now personally i don't see it as being a big deal if he and or Bjarne decide it isn't worth their while entering.But i thought the FIM were taking action against this infringement?What happened there i wonder?

Think i will be at both Berlin + Dresden.Not sure about any others.Probably pretty spur of the moment if i do go to any more

Yes i was referring to a post or a mail you sent me about him It would seem like practically every rider in western Europe will be needed that day then Do hope Dresden happens.Quite fancy that trip Might be different in a few months though

It would seem the town got its name from the race track.According to the towns website it was "incorporated" in 1926.But the race track was from the first days called a "speedway". From the Indy website March 11, 1909: The Indianapolis Sun (later The Indianapolis Times) makes reference to the track as the Indianapolis motor speedway, rather than the motor parkway, And the first ever race meeting was for motorcycles on a tar surface which was found to be dangerous and was soon changed to a brick surface.And a in a local paper in 1909 refers to "speedway races",although this was specifically the car meet i guess where a number of people were killed speedway races And here is one of the earliest films(1913) featuring motor racing.Not that much of interest i guess,apart from the fact it features Barney Oldfield,who so it say's on Wikepedia didn't brake in the corners like other drivers,but slid like motorcyclists.... The Speed Kings And here is an interesting piece from the Indian Motorcycle website about producing racing bikes without brakes near the end of WW1 "Of all the inspired "wrenches" who picked up Indian's engineering reins after Oscar Hedstrom's departure, the two most remarkable were Hedstrom's long-time assistant Charles Gustafson and Charles B. Franklin, an Irish immigrant who had ridden for the "Indian Rules" team that swept the Isle of Man TT in 1911. Under their leadership, Indian celebrated the War's winding down by firing a broadside that resounded throughout the entire racing world, the introduction of the first dedicated board-track factory racer ever offered for sale directly to the public. Featuring a four-valve-per-cylinder, overhead-valve engine and a lightweight rigid frame without such "nonessentials" as brakes, fenders or throttle (the bikes were run with the carbs wide open), the Model H carried a top speed of over 120mph and a sticker-shocking price of about $375, roughly a third more than a fully equipped Chief of the era. Because not many club racers were both wealthy and brave enough to buy and race one, relatively few were built, but those few --particularly when "loaned" to professional riders by the factory -- took home trophies and track records almost everywhere they competed"

Yes,absolutely right that the Speed Skating body is the most important and have priority with dates i think.Wanted to go to Berlin a couple of years back for the World Championships.Just €18 on the bus...... Other news on Germany.I did see somewhere that Berlin were also planning on some sidecar races on the ice alongside this Open championship they are planning.Could be quite exciting.Think they used to have the sidecars at Erfurt? Oh......wait to see what Petteri say's about Teromaa.

Well you would have thought the talks were going on while everything was still in the planning stage,but like i said i would have thought Inzell would have to bring their meeting forward rather than Togliattis being moved.Obviously couldn't be done,sadly

I see there has been an official statement from the Inzell club,due to false info on "forums".Doubt they are meaning this one though.But their reason for cancelling the meeting is down to a clash of dates,so they say.The only date they could fit the meeting in was the weekend that Togliatti have down for the Team Final.It seems according to the statement that Inzell had asked Togliatti to move the final back so they could host the semi-final.Togliatti turned this request down.It sates that the Triathlon World Championships being held in nearby Ruhpolding meant everything being booked out afterward.Though not sure what "afterwards" has to do with anything.Surely they needed a date before the Togliatti date.But maybe there were other events being held that stopped them being able to host the Ice Racing earlier.Anyway,they say they will host an FIM meeting in 2013

There you go Jack.In black and white.....just like i was saying.There's your evidence,whoops!where's your evidence? Wikepedia,don't you just love it

We don't know what other two wheeled sports they were using as examples.Doubt it was MotGP or even Tour de France

And? I would hazard a guess that the top table tennis players earn less than Andy Murray

Yup.Fingers crossed PePe * Bjarne have to turn down their places as well

Have you looked at the source given for this Maitland meeting being called speedway?It is a website showing the programme where presumably the guy running the website has written on the programme in red type "first speedway meeting",and that is the "evidence".Because the programme nor the newspaper ad mention "speedway".The only thing mentioned is "Motorcycle racing".Now i could find a programme from an earlier meeting anywhere in the world and with the use of a pc type first speedway meeting on it and that would be evidence? Please.........

To appease the angry PC brigade and even better,confuse the Sky commentators,i would nominate Shanchajan Vasantharajan But sadly i fear he has retired from our sport,so i think Parsloes should nominate the "new face"

I don't really want to get into anything personal with you,but where is your evidence that the page has been there for years?I will put one bit of eveidence against......it mentions Gollob is the first Polish World Champ since Szczakiel.So that bit of evidence has been posted relatively recently wouldn't you say?But the thing with Wikepedia is a certain page might be there for years,but info within that page can be changed continously.This was my point with the Custom House page.Ok the info that Hoskins didn't build it can be corrected.But what is stopping someone some minutes,days or weeks after changing it back again..... And just to point out that even the page you mention does actually state that there is eveidence that meetings were held before Maitland

Wikepedia isn't 100% correct on these things though.It relies on people putting the correct info on AND other checking and correcting false info.I once put a link on here to a Wiki page that stated Custom House stadium was built by the one and only Johnnie Hoskins.Of course it wasn't.Hoskins involvement with West Ham started after the stadium was built and after West Ham had been racing.I think it was Norbold who corrected that Wiki page The Heritage wall is in the General speedway section of this site

Did wonder those same questions myself.Bauer is obviously the big name in German racing.To go without him is a big risk.But sometimes in these things the line-up seems fairly unimportant.Fans turn up regardless.But like you say,it devalues the title somewhat if you don't have the best riders.And anyway the German Championship never has 16 Germans.They have to complete the line-up with foreign riders.So to go without one or two Germans menas even more foreigners.I also looked to see who was behind it and found the name of Schiffner.Wondered if it was the Sievers,but saw no evidence......

Now i see on the NSS heritage wall thread,we have someone suggesting that Hoskins is honoured becaue he "brought speedway to this country".Surely the honour should go to a few others,rather than Hoskins.AJ Hunting for instance.As far as i know Johnnie had nothing to do with any of the meetings claimed as the first speedway meeting in Britain.But the myth goes on.....and it isn't anything against Hoskins to want the real people honoured