Tsunami

iris No Manu riding.

Think SCB is hankering for an invite for next year. Bet he's like a lost puppie. You arrive at your apartment and he'll be sitting on the doorstep waiting to be let in. He's not daft is he(don't answer that) The apartments on offer are great for a party of friends who are happy to be with each other. Our apartment could have slept 6 but my wife and I, ginga doughta and boyfriend just used two of the bedrooms. Other blond doughta should be available next year after final medical exams so it looks like the same apartment next year.

Many congrats to Lubos for his heroic efforts last night. He was my star of the night. Anybody notice he raised his arm after the last race and then tried dismally to get the bike up. Nevermind Lubos, next time. After the meeting he said "I smile", now that's progress. Newcastle and Oxford were well represented last night and Lubus knew he had some great support.

Puma Josef 'Pepe' Franc George Stancl Frank Sitera ?

SCB "Too much of a good thing is a bad thing" Yea, the wife keeps reminding me.

All Panic yesterday when I got an email from our apartment manager. He stated that our apartment would not now be available because "Truhlarska don't flowing a watter during your stay". Great. He also went on to say that he had changed our booking to a brand new apartment in a better location off Karlova. Phew. So after you have all got drunk in the Old Square it's all back to our place.

Tsunami + 3 Bugger. I was going to Prague to get away from SCB. Bet he gets on about Grieves and Collins the actor.

Jim With due respect, there are very few people in speedway who have achieved what Eric has and is still doing in Speedway. His brother may have been a better rider but that's all he was, a rider. There have also been better riders than Nigel and they still would not warrant writing and selling their life story. Eric has done it on every stage in speedway and in his own way. You obviously have never been in his company and heard him spin his yarns and exploits, sometimes with Ian Thomas, and keep a group amused for ages. He has a roughness that some don't take to but nevertheless he is one of the great characters in modern speedway. Borrow his book and be entertained.

Remember at Hyde Road the fans in the middle of the straights used to hang over the fence with their programme boards lined up against their right eye. Clever.

Think SCB will be getting excited at the possibilty of his return to Newport. Hope it all goes well for the lad.

SCB He was a lovely well mannered lad with a lovely girlfriend called Anu. Last time I heard they had a little one, sex unknown. Our chinchilla is named after him even though he is a she. He was a brilliant gater and would not have been passed at Newport. My spies tell me that the track at Reading those days was deliberately slick to satisfy him.

Finnish Petri Kokko

Can't really comment on the rights and wrongs of this case but when Davey Watt is amongst the desenters you do get a bit of a bias. I remember the days when he rode for us in 2002 and he would say before the meeting the track is s**t and he would not be performing. Exeter and Stoke come to mind.

Rema and Ben. Eventually got through to pay last night and also went with the e- ticket option. Last couple of years they did not have the 'tent' signin just straight to the gate and crossed off by computer. See ya all there.

Ticketstream is taking the bookings but not accepting the payment by creditcard. Aaahhh.

JJ82 See the thread "Travelodge Gp, Cardiff" in this section.

Details might be wrong but the event is true. Ian Thomas and Brian Larner used to be joint promoters at Newcastle in late 70's early 80's. At each home meeting they took it in turn to drop the other one off at Wetherby and the dropped off one had to make his own way to Newcastle within a certain time. Bets on.

seanisnumber1 We usually stay at a hotel in Newport for the same reasons as you. This year we decided to try for a Cardiff hotel and could not get in leaving only the Travelodge option. When that closed off we went back and the Newport hotel was also fully booked. Can vouch for the Newport Holiday Express Hotel as I have stayed there when we have had a doubler at Newport. All booked now and will have to get a provisional booking earlier for 2007.

MK1 Unlike you, I am not into 'camping'. Loitering intent is not me. Timbo Why were the reviews awful, was someone singing. Gorgeous looking but. The events I refered to was the alledged overdose attempt by her mother.

Yes. I waited for the red sticky to come off advising about the 6 month in advance restriction. When it did come off in mid November (12thish) it declared that it was fully booked. I rang the hotel direct and they confimed that it was fully booked. Just who booked it so quickly is a bit puzzling. Was there a list and an allowance for last years customers or has it been block booked for foreign package deals. A bit annoyed as I had waited since the date was confirmed. Even contacted Church Hotel which is run by Charlotte's Mam and Dad. In view of this week's exploits I am pleased I did not book there. Eventually got accomodation at the new Holiday Inn Express, beside the Airport, on a good deal but hardly handy. Had tried to get in anywhere in Newport but apart from everything being fully booked up, I heard there was a lot of riff-raff lived there all year long.

Ian Of course you can use them. My day at Edinburgh always used to start with a visit to Princes Street, game of putt beside the station, more walking along Princes Street then late tea in Woolies cafe where the pillars were covered in different tartans. Being a Campbell on both sides we always looked for that one. Off to Old Meadowbank to sit in the main stand and try to avoid being beside, or getting into an argument with, that mother and son who used to abide there. After exchanging 'pleasantries' with some home fans it was off to the chip shop just up from the stadium or down to the sitin chip shop in Mussleborough. 2 hours later home and to bed. Great days. BTW Mike Watkin was at Sunday School and in the same boys club as me. We both worked for Parsons as apprentices and he married a girl I was at school with. Spoke to him in about February and he is now a Swimming coach at a Middlesex Swimming Club. He was a county swimmer as was Paul Bentley. I would be delighted if you could make it to Brough next year and I will show you around the joint and have a pint. Either that or I could see you at Armadale.

Ian Certainly would. Used to love going to Old Meadowbank for our usual arguements. All the riders then were personalities. Never thought that Berto would ever make a speedway rider then ends up riding for Wembley. Young Briggo was interesting to watch, you never knew which race was going to kill him. He must have had more injuries in the early days than the rest of the team put together. Jimmy Tannock never looked like a speedway rider more like a young grandad. Dick Campbell was a canny rider. The Temps were rough and ready especially Dougie and I would not have liked to race against him. Lastly, the Ladybank Express. Unfortunately in his meetings with Mauger he was so geed up that he either broke the tapes or made mistakes that he did not do against say Brian Craven or Bill Andrew. I liked Georgie, good honest rider with a bit of flair about him. Always seemed happy to be with fans and always seemed to have a tab in his mouth. Didn't realise you were as old as me, it certainly was a great time to follow speedway and all of my holidays were spent going round the tracks living in the car for about 12 days at a time.

The Reading team, under Geoff Mudge, used to do their Northern tour in an adapted bus in the early 60's. In about 1961, a rider called Jimmy Cox(the Buckskin Kid), was riding at Old Meadowbank, Edinburgh and after the finish rode to the backstraight fence. In a lightening single move he stopped the bike and then punched a supporter in the face who had been barracking him during the race.

SwissPosition Like Lanzilla, I just want to say that you are spot on with the core problems. With stadiums and the outlets being owned by others it is very difficult to improve on or comment on them. Owners feel that if it's good enough for their doggy patrons it should be good enough for you speedway lot. Speedway will always be speedway, despite dodgy rules, and internally we all moan at the wrong things that new fans really aren't bothered with. If we all bring others and help spread the word, that is the must effective way of introducing and adding to the fan base. Let's all make an effort before the start of next year and see what we can do about it.

rabbit The most sensible and relevant posting on this subject so far. Reality rearing it's head.