PHILIPRISING

YOU can't read many newspapers or magazines. I'M sorry if all our readers aren't blessed with your level of intelligence.

BUT they didn't change your opinion so why do you think that people are not capable of making up their own minds?

AND what was the other side that you wanted printed?

RESPECT your view but it's up to the readers to make their own judgements rather than us unless, of course, comments were of a racist or homophobic nature for example. A poisoned chalice if ever there was one...

WE carried reports of the court case but being a weekly publication were hamstrung about what we could carry at press time.

HAVE posted here numerous times that the FIM had no comment to make. Surely doesn't need anyone to make it clear that intoxicated riders should and cannot be tolerated in any way.

IT was up to the FIM to determine whether or not Ward was guilty not Speedway Star or any other publication and neither should SS censor publicly made comments just because some people find them disagreeable.

Hopefully along with the 300 plus pages on here ...

Fair enough but all would have been avoided had the FIM acted immediately.

I'M not arguing against the punishment, which is probably two months short of what most people would have expected, just that I cannot see how his clubs can be penalised for using a rider who had every right to ride at that time. Or that Ward should refund money he legitimately earned.

THEY did revoke his licence when they suspended him and the FIM Jury in Latvia had the authority to impose an immediate 28 day ban but did not do so. So, the fact remains that at no time did he compete without a valid FIM licence. The FIM were aware that he was continuing to ride and could have pulled the plug at any time but chose to wait.

NOTHING to do with UK law. He held a valid FIM licence until he was suspended.

BSI have already refuted this. Once Ward has served his time will be eligible for a pick just like anyone else. POSTED earlier that the FIM could and should have suspended him immediately. They did not so his licence was valid. Now retrospectively they are saying that he rode illegally which, surely, he didn't. Drivers who fail a breath test continue driving until a court of law takes their licence away.

First rule of journalism ... never let the facts get in the way of a good story. Only joking ... It is not unheard of for a policeman to carry out alcohol tests at SGP events but aways in the presence of FIM officials. It is a matter of semantics, for example, who 'carries out the test' if a policeman provides the breathalyser kit and holds it to the rider's mouth under the supervision of the FIM doctor. Is it the policeman or the doctor?

THE FIM knew from day one who (the FIM doctor) carried out the test as it was done in the presence of the referee. It was an FIM event so any suspension of Ward's racing licence had to come from them, not the BSPA or SVEMO. They (the FIM Jury in attendance) could have imposed an immediate 28 day suspension and taken it from there but did not do so.

Agree

I do find that part of the judgement a little odd given that the FIM could and probably should have suspended him immediately but did not do so, In effect he carried on riding and his clubs carried on using him with their tacit approval.

WE will probably have another 300 pages here discussing whether the length of the ban is right or wrong but for the sake of objectivity let's not forget that his loss of earnings during this period will also be tantamount to a very substantial fine.

Drinks or no drinks your memory is about right.

WASN'T there, of course, but have had numerous conversations with Kelvin travelling to and from GPs about young riders developing what Ivan Mauger used to call riding 'bad habits' at the very early stages of their careers so feel confident that would be what KT was referring to. Always been a pet theme of mine that few sportsmen have no proper coaching from the outset and throughout their careers but generally speedway riders fall into that category. Which is exactly why Ivan, who used to run authentic training schools as opposed to watching youngsters go round in circles, said what he did. Too many, he would say, think they know it all once they slide a bike but that is only the start.

AMAZING that after 288 pages another new strand emerges ... as one who was part of the process (arranging interviews) Ward certainly wasn't bullied into doing one in Latvia after failing his alcohol test. The consensus amongst his advisers including his sponsors felt that on balance it would be better to do an interview than not.There was no coercion. With regard to Gavan's comments above ... nothing that has gone on since has been anything more than conjecture. We do not know for a fact what arguments Ward's legal team have put forward because, quite understandably, they have not commented publicly. Others might have done but that is not the same thing. Neither have the FIM. Personally I do feel that the FIM could have explained the actual process without any prejudice. And the fact that their own regulations allow this amount of time to pass does not necessarily make it right. It seems highly unlikely that the FIM lawyers would have done nothing to verify their position between being advised of the situation (which I do know for a fact was within days of the alleged offence) and the actual hearing. If, and again this is pure conjecture, Ward's lawyers were challenging the validity of the procedures that took place at the SGP, then surely the FIM's team would have investigated before the hearing rather than after. So, while a timescale of 45 days is not unusual, one would have thought that coming to a decision would not take that long and passing judgement sooner rather than later the better option, particularly if the verdict turns out to be not guilty for whatever reason. And before the usual suspects come firing back, let me reiterate that my view would be the same regardless of who was involved.

LATEST from Belle Vue ... The build effort of the National Speedway Stadium has already crossed the one-month mark and nearly all of the initial earth works have been completed. Thursday saw the arrival of the mammoth pile driver that, next week, will get to work on the initial stages of the foundations of the Main Grandstand. Deep excavations are set to commence on Monday while ground preparation of the South Stand, which features the state-of-the-art acoustic barrier, will also begin. And astroturf from the former hockey pitches has started to be removed from the site, but since ISG are such firm believers in recycling it will be sent to one of the local Cricket Clubs in Manchester.

IN recent years BSI have concentrated on the very popular Fans Zone rather than pre-meeting entertainment

CARDIFF start time will be 5pm ...

Will enquire but 4pm doesn't seem right. Never been that early. Any delay in announcing the start time is usually due to TV negotiations.