iris123

Also in the Longtrack GP series i think

I think its all about survival.Most tracks have only a few meetings a year and i guess they need a (meaningful )competition to attract both fans and sponsors.I`m not sure how many miss Swedish matches ,or if there is a problem in Poland either,just this constant(30 years or more)in Britain.I think for too long the promoters failed to see that the speedway world was changing and the grip they had on the sport was loosening.They failed to cope with the fact that Europeans could get back for meetings in their own country,whereas before a foreigner mainly meant someone from the southern hemisphere who was here for the season.When the British promoters employ someone from the continent they know what that entails.At least they should do after all this time.They have a choice not to employ them .Its rather funny to see this problem still being discussed so long after the Swedish ban,etc.Can`t say i`m entirely surprised though

Not sure riders from most countries have to miss domestic league meetings Maybe they might miss a few meetings in Britain,but should authorities in other countries give a damn.If promoters in Italy or Germany have an idea that is going to bring the crowds in and naturally the money,then i for one applaud them.Far better than bringing in silly rules IMHO.If its acompetition that people like then it survives if not then it wont be with us for long.Most small(in speedway terms)countries only have a small league,with only a few places available for overseas riders,these competitions give the fans a chance to see others.Maybe the promoters in Britain want to do more promoting and less tinkering with the rules.It seems to me that the sport in Britain is in danger of being left behind.When i was going regularly there was no way that a Swedish or Polish league could compete with Britain but now they are not only up there but maybe better Why? Because people had ideas and worked hard i would guess

A rider can`t compete in a GP or 2 if he is out injured as well and that leaves the door open for someone who wins few if any GP`s to win the title Its the same with the system where a rider only has to win one heat all night to be the winner,as long as its the final

http://www.speedway.org/ look in the links,then verein and on the deutschland karte,to see all the tracks around Germany.Not much speedway in that area.Then look under termine.As you will see most speedway in the south is based in Bayern.

Why not have it 16 riders meet in 4 qualis.1st & 2nd in each heat then meet in top half racing 5 heats each against each other and the same for the 3rd & 4th placed riders.Lottery in the first 4 heats perhaps if someone is excluded or has an e.f,but hopefuly you get the 8 best riders battling against each other

Whats the problem?All levels of competition can have finals even the Conference League.Even Under-15`s.Its all part of the learning curve.Why not Wales or Scotland Not sure you meant that about "nothing countries".Once Denmark and the U.S would also be in the same category.For years it was Ole Olsen and a.n.other in the pairs.Even G.B had to include Mauger and Briggs etc to compete at international level.Everyone deserves a chance of glory

Can`t say i like the fact that its not necessarily the best rider that wins,just the one that wins the last heat.Also don`t like it that everyone apart from wildcards qualifies from the previous years performance

Might be worth starting a thread at a later date though,as it seems a few have changed.Can`t imagine it myself,so i would be interested.Even though i now live in Germany and have not seen the ressurected Dons i still consider myself a Wimbledon supporter

oops should have guessed what with the swapping of team allegiance that you was a girlie

Didn`t know what particular year, if any Lupus was refering too as his period of supporting the Robins.Maybe Yeates was more a second division rider(one of my favourites)but have never heard him described as an "also ran".But then i didn`t have to watch the team every week

Not very kind to call the likes of Kai Niemi,Jimmy Nilsen and Finn Thomsen "also rans" and they are just a few i can think of

Can you buy tickets on the door?I might just decide to take the train up if it all looks good saturday morning Went to the last GP at Vojens and it was hard getting in even with a ticket,what with the crowd and the chaos.Expect it is better at Parken

Couldn't see the wood from the trees Always thought it was "wood for the trees" or is that some Australian derivative:blink:

Must say honestly that before Abensberg i didn`t give him much chance of scoring more than 4 points.Not that sure he rides that often here in the north as he is with Diedenbergen.Then again Hertrich has yet to convince me either but he has had some good scores down south.Somebody in Bayern might say the same about Knakowski.I would say there are a good bunch of talented riders here in Germany(Kevin Wölbert is only just 15 and impressed me)but it takes a lot of hard work and some luck to make those final steps up the ladder.

I think Schultz and Smolinski have a good chance of qualifying if fit

Belle Vue

some pics from the meeting & the Bundesliga at Stralsund http://community.webshots.com/user/maccattack

Its funny though that when i first started going regularly in the early 70`s i almost never heard anyone talking about Fundin.There wasn`t much written about him either.Even though he was only a few years away from England it was almost as if he had never been there.I went to the Briggo farewll meeting at Hull and he rode a couple of races,which might have been the only time i saw him.Maybe of course this was because i was a Wimbledon fan and there were other heroes to speak about.Also gather he wasn`t that popular,but still funny though

@ f-s-p ,could be but Scandinavia also had a seperate quali for the u-19 in Outrup and the EM in Elgane.Just wondering why there seems to be so many ? Good to hear Ilkka is still involved in the sport.I remember him and his brother riding

Table: ...........................Matches........Pts....Race Points Parchim/Wolfslake 4..............8......132 Olching..................3..............6......99 Güstrow.................3..............6......97 Brokstedt...............3..............5......99 Diedenbergen.........3..............3......82 Nordstern stralsund.2..............2......54 Neuenknick............2...............0......37

Nordstern Stralsund 32 M.Frankow 2,2,2,2,0 R.Kowalski 2,3,1,2,0 R.Haupt 1,0,3 M.Pozakowski 3,3,2,2,1 B.Danielczik 1,0 Olching 24 M.Smolinski 2,F.rem,3,3,2 F.Wallner 3,2,1,F,1 H-J.Müller 1,1,1,1 M.Hertrich 0,0,1,1 R.Kral 1,0 Par/Wol 41 J.Kugelmann 1,1,2,2 B.Hamill 3,3,3,3,3 M.Schultz 2,3,2,1,3 C.Hefenbrock 1,2,2,3 D.Rath 0,1 Güstrow 23 M.Möller 0,0,0 J.Pingel 0,1,3,1,2 P.Karlsson 3,2,3,3,0 S.Mell 0,0,0,3,2 C.Zöllner 0,0 Good meeting even if it turned out to be 2 seperate contests,with Stralsund fighting Parchim/Wola for first place.The battle for 3rd being crucial as both Güstrow and Olching are battling to host the Final.Güstrow missed the injured Danny Knakowski.Fritz Wallner took Mariusz Frankow on the line in heat19 for what proved to be a vital point,but Karlsson finishing last in heat 20 was crucial and unexpected.Crowd of 1,600

Briggo was also World Champ at the age of 23.Was on the rostrum at 21.don`t know what taking his time is there

No jamie luckhurst,not even in 14 riders

Thought Michanek was at or near the top of the averages for a while,not just a couple of years. Suppose you can say it about a lot of riders ,but who knows what Harrfeldt might have acheived but for injury