PHILIPRISING

IF my memory serves me correct - which it doesn't always these days - other than wrestling WoS didn't show any 'live' sport. Their speedway coverage, which included the Daily Express Spring Classic from Wimbledon, was always edited and shown as a highlights package. WoS was broadcast by London Weekend Television (LTW) from the Southbank. Head of sport was legendary Fleet Street scribe John Bromley - one of the funniest men I ever met - with Dicky Davies as presenter and Dave Lanning as commentator. They were regular diners at Plough Lane. Happy days.

THE winner of each GP is the rider who wins the final. The points scored on the night eventually determine who wins the World Championship. Simples

THE CCP members at the FIM felt that the differential between first (six points) and last (zero) in the final was too great

NEED to check but I think it is scheduled for Great Britain...

IN SS this week ... 3, 2, 1, 0 in the final, no double points.

WAS told by the FIM this morning that all the freight (bikes, etc) left Frankfurt today and that everything seems to be okay and that it will be a great experience for the young riders. Make of that what you will...

SAW him win a couple. Briggo rates those six successive wins, usually against a line-up stronger than the World Final that preceded it, has possibly his greatest achievement. Never saw Peter Craven at Hyde Road but Peter Collins, Chris Morton and, of course, Ivan Mauger were magic there. But possibly Briggo had the edge.

WELL you would say that wouldn't you but Crumpie will continue with Red Bull, probably even after he stops racing speedway altogether. He is to help at least one young Aussie lad - not a speedway rider incidentally - also backed by Red Bull this winter.

COPENHAGEN GP this year clashed with Denmark's opening fixture in Euro soccer championship. Torun figure from MattB about right. Gorzow was down but with four riders in GP next year should rise again.

I THINK you will find that the Danish trio you quote above all pay huge homage to the role Gundo played. Overstated? No, understated? Probably. Erik has been a massive influence and deserves credit for what he has achieved.

THE Danes get much better funding and government support than Brits do, especially for speedway. Would love to see Robert Lambert go to Denmark for a week with Erik Gundersen. This is a critical time in his development and would benefit hugely from having Gundo teach him the ropes.

BUT they do sponsor Ward ... so that makes five

HOPE the top line in the above post isn't attributable to me. Been called a twit many times but not a user of this social media phenomenon.

HE'S not the only one in the series who needs to "grow up" shall we say and I have already suggested that he (and others) shut down their Twitter accounts. But he's in, he's young, has talent and his GP career is now in his own hands, to succeed or screw up. Time will tell, much better than even such bastions of wisdom like you and I Andy.

SO you only went to see Chris Harris?

PREFER to wait and see ... at the end of the 2013 SGP season you will have a definitive answer. Personally, that's me, not speaking on behalf of SS, would much prefer to see him succeed than fail, as I would any rider, but many of here appear to want him to flounder. Don't see the sense in that but each to his own.

YES

DO you think this forum is representative of the speedway population as a whole?

JUST checked myself and it is May 18. Know that BSI were keen to avoid a clash.

STAND corrected but isn't it on May 18?

CALENDAR should be announced soon and Dutch Grasstrack's list of venues MAYBE not 100 per cent correct. Gothenburg looks set for May 4. European Song Contest, which the Swedes (why?) adore is in Gothenburg two weeks later. Stockholm will almost certainly be the pen-ultimate GP.

RIDERS in Sweden change clubs much more easily than in the UK... presumably the Bosman ruling is taken more seriously there.

AEE you talking about as a sponsor or an organiser?

WELL Humphrey, if you believe everything you read in the Polish media .... the arrangements between BSI/IMG and the staging tracks/clubs are private and rightly so but if you care to believe what they speculate then that is your business. I would, however, suggest that the more clubs/tracks/towns trying to get on the SGP calendar would ensure that the price stays higher rather than drops down. What I do know is that each case is dealt with on its merits. I would certainly concur with mickthemuppet's comment about Ullevi. And add that the weather is always a huge factor there, allied to it's recent history. Stockholm will be a tough sell but at least BSI/IMG will know that all their efforts to pull in a crowd will not be affected by the weather. Gothenburg as a city is fighting hard to retain some major sporting events now that Stockholm is the centre of attention but I would still be suprised if the SGP stayed there beyond 2013 and didn't return to Malilla where it has been very successful, especially for the club. But by then Ole Olsen's hopes and plans for Vojens may have come to fruition, the Ratina Stadium in Tampere may have come on board, Togliatti might have resolved their issues (mainly travel and accessibility) and so on...

WHY do you (Humphrey) assume that the asking price, which neither you nor I have any information on, has come down? It could just as easily be that those involved, including the local authorities in Tampere like those in many other towns or cities, see a value in having the SGP visit their location. There is currently no shortage of tracks, clubs, call them what you will, vying for the SGP.