waiheke1

I only started going in 81 when pc was past his peak. Reckon I only saw him beat kc once at the Shay and once at Hyde rd, and dont think I missed an aces/dukes clash involving them from 81 on.Mort must have had a 50/50 record against kc at Hyde rd, but don't think I ever saw him beat him at the Shay (or odsal).

Would love to see the following in a meeting at Hyde rd: Craven fundin Moore Briggs mauger Olsen Collins Carter gundersen Morton Nielsen j crump t Rick ward Emil and one of gollob/penhall/Parker. Mauger Briggs and Olsen to be favourites narrowly ahead of craven Collins and Carter? Would be interested to know who u ranked best around Hyde rd post mauger gc?

Kl vastly strengthened, but still think they will do well to pick up a point. Apart from perhaps at reserve, think Swindon still stronger man for man in each position around Swindon

He's been averaging 6 as a hl. He therefore doesn't need to improve to score 8 as a second string.Agree he's not in great form, but still one of the top 25-30 riders in the world this year.

Lindgren? Bjerre? Cook? Did someone really suggest thorssel as a better option than lindgren?

And mike Lee surely?

I can understand though excluding both if they fall independently and roughly simultaneously in unrelated incidents. But when both are starting infringements you would think the two events are not independent and therefore only the first offender should be excluded Probably needs an update to the rule book to make it clear how such incidents should be treated, as it seems refs may just be making up their own interpretations

You would logically think so - the equivalent of a "double play" being impossible in cricket because the ball is dead once someone is "out"But as scb points out the exact same thing happened a few weeks ago

But its a myth that good racing leads to bigger crowds. Or do the likes of Somerset and Peterborough get bigger crowds than poole? I would suggest that star riders, a successful team and good marketing contribute more to attendances than the standard of racing.The key for me is that meetings should be completed in 90 minutes and there should be entertainment throughout that period

Aces need to win at wolves, possibly a four point win needed. Hopefully that will be enough, though the point Swindon got last night could prove crucial.

Could cook not have taken his 3rd ride in ht 15? And is it correct that a tapes exclusion doesn't count as a ride?

A lot of money I agree. But how much of that is "incremental" gp spend? Someone like Emil is already spending on world class bikes, has a full time agent and presumably mechanic. Surely the cost of doing 8 extra meetings can't be more than say 40k (if u assume of the 300k maybe 50% fixed 50% variable, assume 50 mtgs a season would be an "incremental" cost of 3k per meeting, which even if you double it would mean 50k extra to do GPS)

And tbh team riding in the overseas final run off as well

If Swindon had used him as a dodgy guest we'd be right to complain. But if this is a re declaration I don't see how anyone could have an issue?

How different that era could have been if England hadn't prematurely lost Lee and Carter and the yanks not lost penhall and sigalos.

Really need to send the robins away pointless. Aces by 7

He is probably my favourite rider, but tai is a notch ahead.The euros don't pay better than the gp, and surely red bulls sponsorship would increase if he were world champ. Very sad that he is being advised against or coerced not to enter the series

I think the European champ may be being less than honest, unless his clubs are failing to pay him again... The bikes he is using in the euros seem quick enough to me to compete in the GPS..

But clearly they are. Otherwise the hotels would be empty on gp week, and they would drop their prices the next year, or closer to the event.Why would u think it ok to raise prices for rugby and not speedway? I remember having to pay about 120 qiid for a b&b when I went to watch the all blacks around 13 years ago.

Maybe he needs to change sponsors if red bull aren't paying him enough to compete with the monster boys.Or maybe his club need to pay him more, if the likes of Doyle can earn enough to compete successfully. Either way, seems like he must need a new agent, who can negotiate deals which will allow him to compete...

But the fan who has stopped going because of the tr does so because its "unfair." But went for 30 years with the ts rule, which was used more often and with greater advantage to the losing team,meaning it altered far more results. I suspect orions point is that if someone is using such irrational logic, it is hard to argue that promoters take that view seriously.

Good postI think it shows that speedway still has a good core product, what is needed is an improvement of the presentation and marketing, to make it 90 minutes of entertainment. Your post also shows that " mood" is contagious. U and your mate went along to have a good time and did. If you'd spent the two hours going on about how ridiculous the number if guests were and what a farce the TAC ride is, your mate would probably have thought " if someone who goes every week think the rules and sport are a joke, they probably are." They're not likely to enjoy it if you're moaning the whole time. If you describe the TAC sub as being comparable to a losing team in a game of football having goals count double they may laugh. If you instead explain that it's a way of keeping meetings close, partly due to the heavy home advantage in speedway, they'll likely think no more of it and accept it as a quirky rule, most sports have their own quirks.

Exactly. Which is the opposite of what you posted earlier.

That's the point though. Speedway has been superseded by a range of alternative leisure time options that do cater to the wants of modern consumers, and what is left is the "hard core" a lot of whom just want things to be the way they always were. Speedway has barely changed, and the result is the empty spaces in the stands and terraces.

Why is it absurd? You could be ranked number one in tennis or golf without winning a major. Win forMula one championship without winning a gp.What would actually be absurd is a points system where it wasn't possible to be world champ without winning a gp, as it would mean an incredible amount of points being awarded for winning a gp rather than coming second. The points system is the best it has ever been