norbold

Bangs head against wall.

You do an amazing job, steve as does everyone else who compiles figures and records for previous seasons and I for one fully appreciate all the difficulties and effort you go to to try and make them accurate. I agree with everything that has been said about the poor record keeping in the past as I know from painful experience in trying to compile the year by year records for my various books.Although he did a great job with his book, "British Speedway Leagues 1946-1964", it is a shame that Peter Morrish only published the number of points each rider obtained and not the number of rides or even the number of meetings. Still, I suppose he had the same problem everyone here has found.

The stadium is still thriving, Bobbath. And what's more they still have hot rod and banger racing there, so the old speedway track is still there as well, though now sadly covered with tarmac.

And I was trying to draw attention to the fact that that doesn't make it right and therefore is a completely irrelevant comment.

Well that's all right then. Let's stop testing for alcohol as obviously it improves your performance and makes you a better rider.

Thanks for that, semion. I wonder who got it all?

What's that then? Democracy? Freedom of religion? Gender equality? World peace? The drinks industry?

Of course the loyalty to one of their own team is very commendable, but Poole supporters who are supporting Darcy Ward seem to be suffering from some form of mass paranoia. It seems really strange to me that supporters of the team that has undoubtedly been the best in Britain taken over the last few years should think that the whole world is against them and that everyone hates them. Personally I don't love or hate Poole any more or less than any other team (well, perhaps I love them slightly less than Ipswich). In fact in many ways I admire them for what they have achieved and for keeping our sport so healthy in at least one part of the country. But then I suppose it is very comforting to them to be able to dismiss any criticism of one of their riders as just the mutterings of "Poole haters". Do those Poole supporters on here really really think that everyone who has commented adversely about Darcy Ward's actions are only saying so because they are "Poole haters"? Can they really not see that he did something very wrong and that he is being criticised for his actions irrespective of their views on Poole as a team? It is very unfortunate that there is such a "circle the wagons" mentality about some on here that it blinds them to the very real danger that Darcy Ward could have put his fellow riders in to and that he deserves some form of punishment.

You're not your.

Oh well, that's all right then. If it was written all over his face no need for him to make any oral or written apologies. That's good enough for me...er....

Go on then, give us a clue. What did he say?

He rode over Ole's foot as well? A bit clumsy for an elegant rider, wasn't he?

I think you've been in Germany too long.....

Wasn't it? How do you know this?

As far as the delay goes, we have been led to believe that the reason for the delay is that Ward's legal team were challenging the alcohol test and the way it was undertaken. I don't know if that is true but if it is, then surely some of the blame (at least) for the delay is down to Ward rather than the FIM?

Just because you're paranoid, pugwash, doesn't mean they're not out to get you.

There you go.

It means he serves a one year ban and then is allowed back to race. If he offends again during the second year he will then have to serve the second year ban immediately as well as any extra punishment he might receive. If he doesn't offend again during the second year, the second year punishment is expunged.

A pretty good score for a rider who only ever rode one match.... I'd go along with the Ken Sharples theory.....

I was there on 11 May 1960 for the Britannia Shield match against Norwich, my first speedway meeting. And then very frequently after that!

I'd been born by then.

Just back from the WSRA lunch in Norwich. The general concensus from people who think they are "in the know" is that it'll be a two year ban with one year suspended. But how much they are really "in the know" I have no idea....

I wasn't even born!

Looking forward to meeting all my old Norwich pals at the WSRA dinner in Norwich this Sunday.

Over many years of watching speedway, I've seen them come and seen them go. The greats retire - Ove Fundin, Barry Briggs, Ivan Mauger, Hans Nielsen, Tony Rickardsson - and we move on. As in all walks of life no-one is irreplaceable. Yes, we might miss them for a very short while, but we move on to see the new stars. It's been happening since 1928 and will no doubt go on.