eastern wolf

You'll find a thread about Steve in the Speedway General Discussions section under the title "Thanks Jonno!"

I think KL should nip in and sign Harris and Batchelor while Coventry and Peterborough aren't looking

Uncle Bob has had 20 years of opportunities to drop down to the PL but insists it's only EL therefore I can only assume that he's prepared to bankroll the club. And for that we should all be grateful. I really don't think clubs should be bankrolled by the BSPA but this year we're in exceptional circumstances. If we can get KL in the Elite and hopefully it's a success then it'll be a major benefit to the EL for the future.

I understand what you mean. The EL is eager to increase its numbers beyond 9 (as I reckon Cov and Pet will still be there next year) and if promises have been made to KL I can't see that that would change. I'm pretty sure that if KL have shown the guts to move up they'll get the support needed. This hasn't always happened in the past and I'm sure the EL promoters have learned their lesson.

The EL seems desperate to increase its numbers so I can't see KL being left high and dry. Can't imagine there's any EL promoter wouldn't want Lynn in the top league. Great track, good support - should be EL.

Lynn seem to be in a win-win situation. The BSPA bankrolls a season in the top flight (which ought to be the ambition of every club!) and if it doesn't work out you move back into the comfort zone of the PL. There's no question of the EL bankrupting Lynn so you've nothing to lose. The Elite League's really not the awful place it's being portrayed as. Give it a chance.

Birmingham's in the safest of hands with Tony Mole, he's not in the business of shutting speedway tracks down. If he thinks moving to the Elite is the right move then you can be sure it is. I think Birmingham is just what the Elite League needs and the Elite League is what Birmingham needs.

I can remember being in that massive crowd (there were thousands there from the UK) and waiting for the German referee to give a decision. I don't think anybody was happy with the decision he made. The Poles certainly weren't happy and nor was Khlynovskiy. The Poles did get a World Champion but not the one they hoped for or expected.

If I remember correctly Khlynovskiy caused uproar in the World Final at Chorzow in 1973 when he clashed with the darling of the Polish crowd, Zenon Plech, effectively robbing Plech of the title. The disapproval of the crowd was, to say the least, pretty loud!

I'm sure you know Ando and Mickey better than me and you're probably right that they would have ridden in the final if Dudley had qualified. But still disappointing that they couldn't be available until the end of the UK season. Unless it's certain there are no further fixtures surely riders should be available till October 31st. Glad Robert stayed around till the end (but then he IS a Brit ) and contributed so well to Buxton's title win.

In what other sport would competitors not want to compete in a championship decider? In most sports it's the pinnacle of the season and a league-winning medal is something to aim for and be proud of. But this is Speedway and our leagues have so many riders who flit in and out of the country when it suits them and show no loyalty whatsoever. This isn't a criticism of all overseas riders as the club I support has no problem at all with its foreign riders.

For the last few years there's been an unwillingness on the part of the BSPA to allow the season to run into November. Is it something to do with insurance - I'm not sure. To allow a league championship to be decided like this though is a total farce. Dudley (who are the champions in all but name) must be pig sick.

So in the EL we have a team finishing half way down the table being declared champions and the NL can't complete their play-offs. What a crazy way to decide league winners the play-offs are.