PHILIPRISING

VARIETY of opponents from season to season, maintains interest for most teams throughout the season at the top and the bottom. More pluses than minuses.

BUT if the gap between the two leagues becomes barely discernible then that argument won't apply. At the very least it will mean the paying public will see different teams each year. We have all moaned and moaned about the current state of affairs but serious efforts are being made to try and make some significant changes and surely we should applaud that. I also understand that the task of re-writing the rulebook is being tasked to a number of senior referees, as close to an independent body as we are likely to get. One can only hope that the promoters both individually and collectively accept what they come up with. There cannot be anyone on either side of the fence who doesn't recognise that British speedway desperately requires a revamp and this may just be the first step. Of course, theory and reality are not always the same thing which is why the trials taking place are so important. Too often in the recent past an unworkable rule is simply amended and supplemented by another rather than starting from scratch. There is no magic wand that will solve all the ills at a stroke. But let's try and be positive that a new era might be forthcoming. All we will require then is someone to sort out the weather. Have we ever had so many postponements at this time of the year? No doubt someone out there will have the answer.

WILL be a lot more to do and see this year

WASN'T there this year but much depends on the currency exchange rate and Scandinavian countries are never cheap.

PRESUMABLY you have had the sound on your TV muted. So much rain not just today but over the past few days. Really tough for raiders behind because of the heavy dirt. On a dry day and with the world's best riders the SWC rounds should be sensational. DON'T forget the Russians if they are at full strength. Emil about to resume racing.

THE dog track would have been a quagmire and no meeting.

YOUR loss. A great meeting, plenty pf passing, controversy, young blood in Janowski, Zmarzlik and Pawlicki, an Englishman chasing a third title, plenty to get excited about.

SOD'S law isn't it? Beautiful weather last week, very few fixtures.

WHY is that surprising? The beginning of the end of substantial national newspaper coverage of speedway in Britain came about because of the dominance of Denmark through the 1980s. I can still remember calling back to the Daily Express (the paper I worked for) after yet another Denmark win and asking how much copy they wanted to be greeted by: "Not the bloody Danes again. Four pars will do." The writing was on the wall. Of course Ekstrabladet will concentrate on the performance of the Danish riders.

HE'S been struggling on Ashley Holloway tuned engines which, as Craig Cook can testify, don't seem to be up to scratch this year. Cook switched this week to pjrs and has looked a very different rider at BV and Peterborough.

HE'S wearing an England shirt in Horsens today ... and please don't say that only because Australia are not in the Euros!

NO... still involved with some of the media arrangements but that's it.

PLUS rugby and cricket. Good job my missis is away!

TEXTED Emil's manager Susi about when he would be riding again and he said still no definite date.

NOT seen anything but do know FIM are exerting pressure on Russia to field a full-strength side. And presumably that will help any visa applications.

By England

FOR many years, cannot remember quite when, they were held on a Wednesday, Derby Day. At that time all the national newspapers had representatives at Brandon but there were no telephone facilities available. The CO arranged for each of the houses alongside the stadium to be allocated to a newspaper and arranged for them to use their private telephone. Trouble was that we had to send 'running' reports every few heats which meant going outside the stadium to the house and missing some of the racing. Hardly ideal. Oh for mobile phones or internet access with a computer. Some of today's journos don't know how lucky they are! NOT sure ...

FROM all accounts there were some decent crowds at speedway meetings over the Bank holiday weekend. But how ridiculous, for example, that after tomorrow Poole don't have a fixture until June 29th.

PAVLIC probably still in bed as he could crawl there in his pyjamas

BUSTER hasn't said he will do it himself but engage others (Tony Steele and Craig Ackroyd would be among my choices) to help draft a far simpler set of rules rather than current ones which contain so many amendments and also to to envisage what they actually mean in practice rather than just theory. When I first read that Hall had been banned from riding for Birmingham I, too, thought it a poor decision but, on reflection, if the National League is indeed supposed to be a stepping stone for younger riders to move up the ladder then I can see the reasoning.

YES 2017

WHERE have you been these past few weeks? It doesn't matter how many times it has been said before. Give the guy a chance to actually try and turn over a new leaf. He did go into detail about several things that are wrong and there is any chance for fans to voice their views at Belle Vue shortly.

HE certainly took notice of what Pete Adams said during their time together.

IF they are not complicated then many are at best a nonsense.

TRACK update here ... http://speedwaygp.com/news/article/4902/olsen-banking-on-top-horsens