PHILIPRISING

WELL said ... bsf would have much more respect if those sort of comments were eliminated. Believe me, working non-stop for over three and a half hours, in extreme heat and with your ears being battered all the time by comments and instructions from the TV truck left them both a little dazed.

NOT a lot of Swedes to choose from. Quite possible they will have no riders in the top eight. Who would get a wild card?

ENDORSE all of the above. Off the track he is a pleasure to deal with at Press Conferences, etc and on the track is a revelation.

SPARE a thought for Nigel Pearson and Kelvin Tatum who were live on the world feed without a single break for over three and a half hours...

WRONG ... my first involvement with the bsf was when many lies were being told about Speedway Star and its ownership. I wanted to put those lies to bed and have always said that I enjoy reading people's opinions, and sometimes challenge them with my own, but when facts are blatantly distorted grow a life of their own they need to be corrected. I have never denied either my own involvement with BSI nor that of Pinegen and, yes, we do produce a number of SGP programmes and do other work on their behalf, all of which helps us to maintain the number of pages that we produce for SS every year. However, after all these years I am quite capable of making up my own mind and express what is my personal opinion. I am not involved with the day-to-day content of SS although as Managing Editor and Managing Director of Pinegen I am still very much involved with the running of the company, although at nearly 68 years of age pretty much take a back seat. I enjoy being able to supply some information to members of the bsf on an instant basis whereas in the old days I might have preferred to keep things back for SS ... but it is a very different world now. I like the banter that we can have on here but as with many get frustrated when it degenerates into something far less constructive. Anyway, it is now only 20 minutes to the start of the Italian GP, the sun is a little less powerful and the track does look a little different. Money still on Greg...

EVERYTHING that Kelvin has talked about in his column next week has just been endorsed by Marcel Gerhard, a former World Champion on the longtrack, top engine tuner for much more than just speedway and someone who has actually built speedway bikes. Of course, he could also be talking crap...

HAVE asked the question a 100 times. The answer is as stated. It fits their schedule and they like having Italy on the calendar. Simples...

VERONA is right for the best airport. Humphrey, you have obviously never been to this part of Italy. A tourist board! Udine itself is hardly a tourist attraction and Terenzano is just a very small town with a Mayor, two men and a dog, all of whom were at the reception last night! They like the idea of having an international sports event visit their town but have certainly don't pay much for the privilege. The rationale about coming here maybe difficult to comprehend, I wouldn't argue with that, but no one is throwing money at BSI.

BECAUSE it is another country in which the SGP series is staged. They clearly don't make any money coming here but presumably it is all part of the bigger picture. Seems 99.9 per cent certain Lonigo will be back next year. Slightly better track and in a nicer area of Italy ... Lake Garda only about 30 minutes away! Tyres: yes this is the first GP in which riders will have a choice of three different tyres from three different manufacturers. The non Mitas tyres have been homologated all year but were not allowed in the SGP because they were not available in sufficient quantities. They are now. They all have to be produced to the same specifications and all tyres, whether those supplied by Mitas or not, have to be handed over to the machine examiners before the meeting, where they are tested (hardness of compound) and then handed back to the riders at the same time as the Mitas ones are released. Hancock used a Golden Tyre in Sweden on Tuesday and again during the second half of practice yesterday. Will be interesting to see what happens if, for example, he wins using Golden Tyres tonight at the next GP? How many other riders will switch? The heat could be a major factor tonight. Undoubtedly affects the performances of the bikes and some will get it right and others not.

THE Italian GP is run by BSI themselves in conjunction with a little support from the local council. There is a perceived value to BSI of having Italy on the calendar. They are actually putting some new material on the Terenzano track today. Not expecting a racing feast, especially as it is almost 40c here today, but might be a tad better than usual. Not holding my breath, however. Difficult to glean anything from practice but Hancock looked very good, is obviously fully recovered from the knock that affected him for a while, and might be worth a small wager.

ABOUT 99.9 per cent certain

BLISTERINGLY hot here for practice today ... around 39c. Most had wilted by the end. Would love to say that Terenzano track looked any better but that wouldn't be true. It will be baked again tomorrow. Greg Hancock practising on new tyres ... GP riders now have a choice of three. Incidentally, he confirmed that he is 'legal' and will be at Poole on Monday.

KELVIN Tatum will be taking up some of Gary's proposals regarding engines and ways of reducing riders' costs in his SS column next week ... some very interesting comments.

ALWAYS happy to discuss anything over a beer or two...

MIGHT have to start calling you The Know again!

WHY is it that the track always gets the blame? Perhaps on this occasion at least the lack of passing was down to the inability of the Coventry riders to do so against a number of Poole riders (Ward, Janowski and Jonasson in particular) who were riding very well.

RUMOUR going round that Torun have thrown lots of money at Ryan Sullivan (or the tax authorities!) for him to ride for them again replacing Chris Holder....

I REALLY seem to be getting up your nose lately... what's your problem? The conversation wasn't between a promoter and journalist as such it was just two people discussing what is, believe it or not, a major drain on British speedway's limited financial resources. It was not an on the record chat which is why I did not name the promoter concerned. If you prefer for me not to relay that sort of information, fine. Others seem to appreciate it. How the tuners and various component suppliers wish to bill their clients is surely up to them. I would imagine that many like to involve various tracks to try and ensure they get paid. This has got absolutely nothing to do with what Monster pay in sponsorship fees ... and contrary to what The Don't Know keeps chirping about, they do pay. Exactly how much is a matter between them and IMG, just as it is with all the other events and riders they are involved with. This is hardly uncommon across the sporting world. Some deals are made public, many are not. That is the prerogative of the parties involved. You and Humphrey appear obsessed by knowing what Monster pay IMG. Get over it. I don't lose sleep over how much various companies pay for their sponsorship of golf events that I watch or attend. Or even cricket. CONSIDERING that a new engine can cost around £4,500 (up to £7,500 with titanium) I would imagine that a rebuild would be considered worthwhile at £1,500. But then I am not an expert.

I DIDN'T say the promoter was paying the bills. They were on his desk waiting to go to the riders concerned. Of course these figures are relevant because so much money is going out of the sport. Riders on £600 a point! The general view in the UK is that very few if any riders would earn more than £175 a point, most far less so the costs of paying for and servicing equipment is important. What is the fortune that The Don't Know is claiming the top riders earn? Probably less than a Premier League soccer player gets in a week. And they don't have the vast expenditure that speedway riders encounter.The cost of GM engines are rumoured to be going up by 20 per cent shortly. Of course it is their choice to ride or not but we should be thankful that they do.

IT'S not all about what they earn but what they spend to remain competitive. One promoter told me of some of the bills sitting on his desk ... £1,500 for an engine overhaul, £600 for a standard service, £800 for a carburettor, £600 for a used carburettor ... this is expenditure neither the riders nor British speedway in particular can afford.

ON that track is probably a racing cert ... at least the series won't be going back there next year.

AS of this morning Andreas Jonsson hasn't withdrawn and has told Tony Olsson that he intends being in Terenzano.

SORRY but most of that is rubbish. The financial details of the vast majority of sponsorship deals are not made public. Doesn't matter how many times the question is asked if the people don't want to answer. And, as WTK, says why should they? We don't have a divine right, only a morbid curiosity, to know who pays who what.

NOT Monster's policy to reveal what they pay whether for events or individual riders like Gollob, Hancock and Holder. Actually not that unusual across the sporting spectrum. Some companies like the publicity, others not. Nike happy to reveal what they pay McIlroy although not Woods.

PROVES just how little you know ... SURELY you don't take anything The Don't Know posts seriously?