Mr Snackette

Go to: http://www.tptours.co.uk/GpTours/TourInfo....7-05-26_sweden/ This should provide all the information you need, but if you want to ask any further questions give Jimbo a ring in the office. Best bet is to ring him in the morning, as the old boy is of an age where he needs to take a nap in the afternoon!!!!

For those who like their speedway Swedish style, why not join me and currently 30 others on TP's "Springtime in Sweden" Tour. Based in Motala we are there for the GP at Eskilstuna on the Saturday. However before then we will be off to Vetlanda to see VMS Elit v Dakarana; Linkoping for Filbyterna v Eldarna; and Karlstad for Solkatterna v Valsarna. A relative feast of speedway action!!!

The stadium isn't actually in Gelsenkirchen, it's on the outskirts. The suburb of Schalke is close by, but even that is a little distance away. The venue is close by a retail park, with the stadium having what appeared to be plenty of parking. How much of this (and at what cost), will become available on the night, remains to be seen.

If all goes to plan, I will with the Group all the way through the Aussie Tour, with Uncle Jimbo joining us (probably accompanied by the Memsaab.... mostly to keep him in check!!!) at some point during the tour. So look forward to seeing you in Oz Dave. Assuming that UK Immigration authorities are not having a major clampdown on all these migrant Aussies invading our hallowed shores, will we have the pleasure of your company in Europe during the summer?!!! Brian

Was in sunny Germany yesterday with Jimbo, sorting plans for the German GP. As most will be aware from the brochure, we were never going to stay in Gelsenkirchen, and if you have been there, you would know why!!! Indeed there is probably only one decent hotel in the area, which is right next door to the stadium complex. BSI has booked a number of rooms there, and whilst this is great if you're working at the Stadium, it's certainly not suitable for people looking for a weekend break. Our original plan was to stay in Cologne, but the switching of the date now coincides with the Cologne Fair, and there is no available accommodation in the city. However I am delighted to announce that the TP group will now be staying in Dusseldorf. Neither James nor I had visited Dusseldorf before, and yesterday provided the ideal opportunity to have a good look at this delightful German city. The accommodation we have booked is superb, and is less than a 45 minute drive to the Vetlins Arena. As part of the tour TP will be offering a fully guided sightseeing tour, which will include a river cruise on the Rhine. For those that have already booked based on the original date, James will be writing to you all individually, setting out the new arrangements, and providing you with the opportunity to confirm your booking. There will also be details published in the Speedway Star. I was really impressed with what Dusseldorf has to offer, and I am eagerly looking forward to spending some more time there in October.

That's being rather condescending to the good folks at Ostrow. I had the pleasure of meeting the promoters at the track back in December, and they are committed to putting on one hell of a show. Personally I reckon it could be one of the events of the year. As an aside Jimbo tells me that the TP bookings are going very well across the board, and in particular our trip to Poznan for the Bydgoszcz GP and World U21. Indeed the tour is already near capacity, so if you fancy seeing both meetings and want to avoid the hassle of hiring cars / long train journeys etc, it might be an idea to give Jimbo a bell.

Apart from going to Vetlanda for the VMS Elit v Dackarana meeting, Karlstad for Solkatterna v Valasrna, and of course the GP, we can now confirm that on Wednesday we will be off to Linkoping, for Fibyterrna v Eldarna. It seems an absolute age since the GP was last held at the track, which in all probability was last time the Witches had a half decent team!!

I had already posted a more direct link on the main thread. To make things easier try this link: http://www.gillmanspeedway.com/video/12_01_07.htm

What a fantastic radio programme. In the end I wanted throw Nev and Chesh a line, as they seemed to be sinking fast!! Bring on the reggae!! Watch Round 4 at: http://www.gillmanspeedway.com/video/12_01_07.htm

Although not quite as quick!!!

Despite suffering the worst case of man flu seen since records began. I've struggled to the keyboord to post the link below: http://www.tptours.co.uk/

I notice there are no fixtures for KSZ Krosno. Have they withdrawn from the league?

Jimbo has declared the European Tour a state secret until the brochure comes out next week. However I can confirm that we will be staying at 4 locations, and James has allowed me to provided four cryptic clues to the locations themselves. 1. The home town of a Darren Gough wanabee? 2. Is this where one of Popeye’s pals comes from? 3. This band took my breath away in “Top Gun”! 4. Could be where the most lustful beer in the World comes from! As with all my quizzes my decision is final, even when I'm obviously wrong!!

Firstly Ryanair are not the only carrier that uses Bydgoszcz. LOT flies there with a connecting flight via Warsaw. This provides an opportunity for those who do not fancy the schlep down to Stansted to use other, in some cases, more local airports. Secondly I can confirm that TP Tours have not booked, nor intend to book any flights to Bydgoszcz. As James indicated in another thread, that due to a university convention, accommodation in the Bydgoszcz / Torun area is extremely scarce, and indeed all the decent stuff has long since gone. Consequently the TP group will based in Poznan, staying at a fabulous 5 star hotel. I went out with Jimbo to view the hotel and it is absolutely superb. Coincidently spent the day with James at the Speedway Star offices, putting the final touches to the 2007 brochure. I think there's something there for everyone, and the brochure will be in next week's magazine.

A word of warning to those taking these fixtures as gospel. I am told they are in DRAFT form only, and are subject to considerable change. Both these and Ekstaliga fixture should be released towards the back end of next week. As for the World U21, at present Ostrow do not have floodlights, and consequently an afternoon start would be likely. However there are plans in place for the stadium to be radically redeveloped, which will include floodlighting. The club hope to have lights installed by September, and if so a start time of around 18.00 to 19.00 is favoured. Let's hope they are successful, as speedway under lights in Ostrow looks like being quite a spectacle.

Thanks for posting the fixtures. Very dissapointed that there are no fixtures planned for the Sunday after the Wroclaw and Bydgoszcz GPs. Equally surprised that no fixtures are programmed for the Corpus Christie holiday. It is to be hoped that the Ekstrliga fixtures will fill the gap!!

For those who have not has the "privilege" of meeting Dave, a photo of this fine specimen of Aussie manhood can be found at the following link: http://www.travelplusontour.fotopic.net/p32253337.html Dave also got the TP Tours award for the best quote on tour. Having just made the bus before it departed, Dave commented: "Blimey mate that was tight, I nearly had to break into a stroll!!!" Dave, I hope you can join us on another of our tours in the not too distant future. Brian

More importantly, I would have thought, is what teams will be riding in the Ekstraliga in 2007. Was it not the intention that the league was to be expanded to take in 10 teams? Is that still on the agenda? If so who are likely to join the party?

If we accept the idea that the majority of fans want the GP series to expand and to have more events, then it is to be expected that at least one(possibly more) will need to take place in October. If we then accept, that for the time being at least, the series will be contested solely in Europe, which "proper speedway track" could 100% guarantee that the event and the Championship will be concluded on the due day? I would suggest none. Only stadiums such as Cadiff, Parken and now Gelsenkirchen are not at the mercy of the autumnal climate. I'm sure that had this Forum existed back in time there be those folks bemoaning the loss of cinders for this new fangled shale stuff!!! "One off tracks" are part of speedway's development and over time will continue to improve. Mind you nostalgia ain't what it used to be!!!

Go to: http://travelplusontour.fotopic.net/ or the main TP website: http://www.tptours.co.uk, and follow the link to the photo site.

Naturally with full acknowledgement to those who were providing him with the information!!!

Thank you Joanne for adding some authority to the debate!!! I like this weather site, and it may replace Weather Underground as my forecaster of choice in future. Best of luck with the navigation!!!

Good news, I now have a cable that links my camera to the computer. Pictures from the European Tour, will be released over the next few days. Photos up to, and including the meeting at Debrechen have now been posted. For those interested please go to: http://travelplusontour.fotopic.net/

A letter from Jimbo should be winging its way to all those on the tour, and hopefully there shouldn't be a problem. It was interesting to see, that even yesterday, when scores of flights were cancelled and delayed the Manchester flight got into Budapest just 15 minutes late. Just be aware of any announcements concerning the restrictions on hand luggage, and you would be well advised to turn up at the airport a little earlier than usual. As for currency, I wouldn't bother with getting too much / any Slovakian currency, as Travel Plus have laid on a meal in the hotel for the Sunday evening, and we will be leaving for Krakow early Monday.

As I understand it first race is planned for 18.00, with presentations earlier. However it always pays to get there in good time. Meeting is a Junior International between Czech Republic and Poland, plus some vet races. Sorry can't help with the trains.