PHILIPRISING

DOES appear that the guy in the studio is letting Eurosport down and no doubt it is something they will address shortly. They do, however, need to have someone in the studio when they dip in and out of the world feed provided by BSI with Kelvin and Nigel at the stadium for their own ad breaks, etc. Cannot be rocket science...

PEDERSEN injury "so-called_ ... hardly. He has a broken arm. Give the bloke his due.

BEAUTIFUL day here in Gorzow... possible light shower later but looking good. Could be a cracker and yesterday Holder looked very on the ball. Gollob spent all his available time working on his own bikes, adjusting that, changing this. Sure sign that he is serious. Tai did all his practice runs. Staying in same hotel, in good spirits this morning. Aches but that is to be expected. But he needs to stay out of trouble. Another fall and he could be sidelined for the rest of the year. And Pete Adams knows it.

NOWHERE near that

TAI, remarkably, was one of the few riders to take all his six practice runs yesterday, Looked at ease on the bike but, of course, he was on his own. Just hope he doesn't get a big bang at some stage. If he further damages his shoulder he could be out for the season. Brave but a big risk, hence the long face on Peter Adams. Sorry, he always has that!

I IMAGINE they sold a higher percentage when the draw for each GP was made in time to be included in the programme. They seem pretty happy with sales so presume they think they have got the balance right. I know I am biased but the programmes we do include much more editorial and features than programmes in Poland or the Czech Republic.

BUT they still sell several thousand at events like Cardiff and Copenhagen...

PROBLEM not so much his wages but his ability... easy pickings in a combined league

SGP ... hearing much the same as you. Lots of merger talk regarding the EL and PL doing the rounds at Tuesday's General Council, especially if it helps to secure a TV deal. One thing is for sure... EL cannot carry on as it is, most if not all tracks haemorrhaging financially. Talk is that the big earners and highest averaged riders will have to be sacrificed but where would that leave someone like Tai Woffinden. Would he be effectively barred from racing in his own country?

AGREE with most of your last sentence flagrag although not sure Sky do themselves any favours with their choice of co-commentator at Premier League meetings, plus of course some woeful pit interviews. Just a personal view of course...

NOT a good day for Sky ...hours of wasted time at Edgbaston with the cricket rained off and now the loss of live speedway. Summer sports, don't you just luv 'em COULD be chicken and egg at the moment. What product will the BSPA have to offer? EL, PL or just one league? General Council meeting yesterday... probably like the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem

NOT in jest but obviously not thinking it would be handled by the BSPA! But, for example, the guys that oversee the GP coverage are more than capable of arranging quality TV production at a cost. The BSPA would have to fund that and get their money back and more by selling it on. The flaw, of course, is that it requires a level of professionalism from Rugby that is sadly lacking. PRESUME that if Sky did continue that they would provide their own pictures. But if they withdraw then some sort of alternative will have to be sort although, as you so rightly say, it would have to be of the quality now expected by all broadcasters including BT and Eurosport. Or even sought ! Or even sought!

CANNOT see Eurosport stumping up 40 grand in production costs for every EL meeting. There are those in the industry who think that those current Sky costs could be reduced and perhaps the way forward for the BSPA is to offer the product (rather as BSI do with the GPs) and see whether they can glean more money that way.

I BELIEVE that those actually in the stadium had to wait an hour for the meeting to start so a bit puzzled why first five heats weren't shown anyway

NO, Ole has nothing to do with printers. Humphrey is right about automated process but not every printer can turn round the required product, perfect bound, as rapidly as those currently doing the job. And he is also right about courier services from Denmark.

WOULDN'T be surprised if that is exactly what Sky are thinking... nothing wrong with star riders if they are within balanced teams but therein lies the problem with the Elite League these days.

RUBBISH

REGARDLESS of Ole's influence, perceived or otherwise, difficult to ignore a rider who on his last appearance as a wild card actually won the meeting.

I ENQUIRED of Tony Steele (member of the FIM's Track Racing Commission) what the selection process for the wild card at the GP Challenge will be and he said that, in fact, there is no official plan. The proposal to the FIM has to come via the ACU and he imagines that the BSPA will make a suggestion to the SCB who will, in turn, pass it on to the ACU.

HARDLY a disgrace given that he took third place there last year. Hopefully the weather and track conditions will be perfect this year. Plenty of racing lines there. My information is that both Pedersen and Woffinden have declared that they will ride. Happy memories for Vaculik but can he repeat last year's shock win on his GP debut? Kaspzrak on his home track, Iversen on a circuit he knows well, Gollob and Hampel needing a result, Holder too, but Sayfutdinov loves it there.

AGREE, shame about the final... also not sure why Scott and his fellow commentator kept referring to previous World Pairs results, which have no relevance to this meeting which is not an official FIM event and doesn't have World Champipnship status.

uk martin ... BSI did not contract Chris Harris for the Cardiff wild card as far back as November. They did inform the BSPA that results in the 203 British Final would no longer determine the Cardiff wild card but the decision to give it to Harris was not made until a few weeks before the event.

FOR logistical reasons ... more practical to use one printer for the ones we do (Gothenburg, Cardiff, Copenhagen, SWC Final, Italy and Stockholm) and transportation from Denmark is more convenient and allows us better deadlines. Obviously the New Zealand programme is printed there.

THE old chestnut rises from the ashes yet again ...