PHILIPRISING

TATUM says that in his very early days as a Wimbledon rider Simmo told him to just follow him around for a few laps ... that was largely to learn how to negotiate Plough Lane. It was Briggo who had a big helping hand as far as riding technique was concerned ... one quote was "You will never make a speedway rider if you don't get your arse out of the saddle."

SENSIBLE idea in theory but doubt whether many riders have that sort of money. Closest who comes to it is Nicki Pedersen.

FIRST I have ever heard about Simmo - a completely natural talent - and Ivan. Of course there should be 1 on 1 as in just about any sport ... tennis, golf, athletics, etc. That would be the whole point of a proper training school, the like of which Mauger ran right across Europe and Erik Gundersen still does. Just watching riders go round for lap after lap achieves nothing other than to prompt Ivan's remark.

GOOD points. Like you I have always found it odd that there is so little proper tuition in speedway. Ivan Mauger said often that riders simply perfect their bad habits. And the two riders you mention are perfect examples.

CERTAINLY a step in the right direction but who will be doing the instructional work?

CANNOT be a very satisfactory situation for a rider probably one of the best if not the best to be sitting on the sidelines waiting for someone to get injured or be rested.

SO Emil could just end up with Polish league and the SEC ... very under-employed surely.

NO Sayfutdinov?

THERE was no hidden agenda ... Nicki is always good copy and happy to talk.

NOT sure of the exact details but certainly well in advance of minimum Sky requirement. They can also be adapted to spotlight just the track, just the centre green or both.

BUT what would be the incentive for a youngster if he cannot make a living and a career out of it and at the very least cover all his costs? And, of course, once they reach a certain standard the lure of racing elsewhere would still be there.

YOUR second point is probably true but the rider situation would be far worse if tracks only employed semi-professional riders, of which there are very few.

THE release date of the actual fixtures is a bit of a red herring ... it is when tracks signed riders that is the key here.

ON our Twitter page (@speedwaystarmag) ... will be either in SS next week or SS Xtra

HAD a connection with Barry McGuigan the boxer. Staring the memory cells to cough up more. Will contact Peter Oakes, who was sports editor of the Daily Star at the time they had a deal with McGuigan.

EVERYONE has to swim in the same waters and over the passage of time it was always accepted by both Poland and Sweden that in Britain the vast majority of the teams only rented the stadiums in which they raced and therefore had restricted access. It wasn't greed that saw British teams gobble up virtually every night of the week but necessity. By comparison Swedish clubs could by and large have a single race-night (Tuesday) as did Poland (Sunday) and the BEL accepted that.

EASIER said than done. There is a shortage of riders already and if British tracks could only sign riders who could commit to every meeting the situation would be far worse. The bottom line is that the vast majority of riders need to race in more than one league to make a career not a hobby out of speedway.

THAT was supposed to be one of the tasks of the International Speedway League at the FIM ...

TRACKS with GP riders know from November when their riders will be missing on Fridays and can plan accordingly... the change in race-night for Polish teams is only just starting to take affect and, of course, won't be on GP weekends.

PIX also available... @speedwaystarmag

POLISH league matches being televised on a Friday night this season is already beginning to have an impact on Elite League clubs in the UK. I heard today of one rider who originally was thought to be absent from his English club on just two occasions but that has already risen to seven. Polish meetings, by far the most lucrative, hold sway. This will undoubtedly only be the tip of the iceberg. It was my understanding that when the International Speedway Leagues committee was established at the FIM, with Britain's Alex Harkess as its Chairman, that this sort of thing would be avoided. Riders would be compelled to ride for whichever team required them on its established race night. In other words, riders contracted to, for example, Coventry and Lakeside would have to give priority to those teams on a Friday even if their Polish clubs arranged fixtures for the same nights. That, apparently, has gone out of the window with the Poles effectively riding rough shod over the rest. Sweden and Denmark, with their Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday race-nights, remain largely unaffected so are unlikely to kick up a fuss. It's Britain who are having sand kicked in their faces. Again ...

SEATING being installed as well ... full steam ahead now

CONFIRMED by Armando Castagno ... potential winners but at least race-off material surely. Big boost for the competition.

TERRIFIC news if true ...

UNDERSTAND that the artificial turf for the centre green is now down which has given the new stadium a classy look ... just like laying a carpet on old floor boards at home. Everyone working flat out now to get ready for March 19.