PHILIPRISING

PLACES like Malilla reckon on about a 50/50 split of pre-sales, especially if there is a discounted offer on tickets, and walk -ups on the day. It's not like Cardiff, for example, where the vast majority want a seat in a specific area. Apart from one area at Malilla fans are free to go where they want once inside so no real gain in pre-paying. The Swedish summer has been very wet and it was hardly surprising that given the weather forecast it would be highly likely that many should have shied away from travelling. Under the circumstances the crowd on Saturday was pretty good.

GIVEN the weather few more than one man and his dog. Just over 7,000 I believe...

AS mentioned before, no track is better equipped to tackle these problems. Huge amount of equipment, dry material on site, they will give it their best shot. Very light, fine rain still but nothing like it was. An hour to go ...

NOT bad, 2pm start but rain has just about stopped here now (18.15) so think should go ahead this evening

TAKES aboiut 30 minutes to get covers off. Plenty of dry material here to lay a new surface before 8pm if the rain stops.

START time now 8pm local time ... Eurosport should be taking it live. Covers still down. Local airport says rain should cease around 6pm ... which is about now!

5pm now and rain has eased considerably. One forecast now saying no rain after 6pm. Covers obviously still down.

AT the stadium now and that's the latest forecast... not very pleasant for spectators. Walk-up crowd will take a massive hit sadly

HOPE so... 15.40 now and it is very heavy.

AGREE WE are at cross purposes again. Staging a SWC Final at Manchester is not comparable with having a GP there.

RAINING heavily here now (2.40 local time) but various weather forecasts disagree. Track is covered and as long as the rain stops the local guys will get a racing strip ready. Spent a couple of hours in a car travelling to and from Vastervik (for lunch, nice to get away from Hultsfred) with messrs Tatum, Louis and Pearson. Should have recorded the conversations. Would make a great podcast. But look out for some forthcoming interviews with the two ex-riders in Speedway Star shortly.

YES 8.30 am local time here and there isn't a cloud in the sky! Not sure what has happened to the rain that was forecast but hopefully it will stay away.

YOU are comparing apples with pears ... the cost of going into stadiums like those in Warsaw, Cardiff, Stockholm and Melbourne demands they have a roof to ensure against the weather.

NOT at all ... the speedway track in Manchester will be there and the SWC Final is hardly on a par with laying one at GP at Cardiff where the outlay on staging the meeting is huge.

ONLY because it was a number Nice afternoon for practice here at Malilla but cannot see it being anything like the same tomorrow. Forecast slightly better but still lots of rain. Manila guys have borrowed covers and are laying them now. If there is one track that can make good a damaged track in short shrift it is here but it all depends of when rather than if the rain stops according to the predictions. Tai, Nicki, Greg and Holder looked fast. Too many chiefs in the Harris camp with Marcel and Brian Andersen, who tunes GM for Chris, both there. Not a great recipe for success me thinks.

3pm bst

STILL no roof though which given the vagaries of the British weather is a must when such huge sums are spent on staging the meeting.

THE most common comment from ex-riders about the 'modern style' is not having their right leg firmly on the footrest at all times... Briggs, et al will tell you that's where they get stability as bill94d suggests.

PREMATURE ... IT was always going to be a mix as you well know...

WORTH thinking about OR if there were already three Aussies in the top eight...

I WOULD wager a bet that the majority would like to see him back in as long as he stays on the straight and narrow. Tai Woffinden didn't qualify and he won the World title. Could Ward do the same in 2016?

WHAT are you trying to say Wasn't there (personal reasons) but you will have to put up with my ugly mug again in Malilla on Saturday.

WOULDN'T argue with any of that except, as a top referee told me recent, it is a fallacy to believe that a rider in front "can do anything he wants." There are exceptions where a rider can be excluded despite being front of an opponent although this obviously wasn't the case with Harris on Saturday.

JUST spoken to KT (still in Riga waiting for flight to Gatwick having driven back there last night in a hire car with 175,000 k on the clock) and he says Harris definitely on GTR in fourth ride having started on GM.

CANNOT help as wasn't there. Cannot contact Kelvin right now as he is driving back to Riga tonight.