g13webb

The riders concerned are not the issue. Its the downright bending of the rules, and insulting the integrity of the fans and supporters.. The moral standards that are desperately needed for survival. are totally demolished by the underhanded way, deals are done.. Is winning that important.???? I find all this quite shameful and unnecessary. Poole have the basis of a successful side, without all this underhanded goings on. Why couldn't they comply with the FTR's like all the other teams. They could have won the league without all this. Whatever happens now will be tarnished with the bending of the rules, thus under minding any success they may achieved. How many more people will drift away from the sport because of conspiracies like this.

Come the end of the season Lakeside and Swindon are expected to be fight for the last of the play-off positions. With that in mind, this meeting takes on added importance. If Lakeside were riding at the NA. I know they would be up for it and contest every point. Be interesting to seen what happens here and of their intentions for the playoffs The difference in points between these two are paramount. A point for Lakeside could be so precious. Having lost 12 points at home already, Swindon can't afford any more slip-ups. Another dropped point could be the final straw.

Two massive away wins last night only emphasises the importance of points as we go into the tail end of the season. Although Lynn and Poole were already top of the league, the defeats for Wolves and Belle Vue has surely categorised them as also-rans. Matches are all of immense importance now and are coming thick and fast, . Swindon go to Poole on Wednesday, and although defeat would not be the end of the world, a point would be precious in their pursuit of that allusive play-off position. It all means, that run of the mill matches, now become more important, and that has to be good for spectators...

You and me both, mate... having watched him last year I was disappointed that he went back Belle Vue, feeling this year he would Kick On to the next level. To me he appears to have gone backward, His brother seems to have taken over now.....

Was somewhat surprised at the ease, of how the Stars won last night. Looking at the statistics, Each of the Stars riders won at least one race, against a home team which only supplied 2 race winners, Namely Zagar and Nichol. Discounting the falls and retirements, we only finished last twice. These facts have a massive bearing on the overall result. I had hoped we would win but never expected to do so with such ease. Porsing, Lambert, Rose and Worrall were the stars of the show this time, the big 3 had their moments, but all can do better when it will be needed. That was a real strong performance. from the Stars.. ......

Hoping Lewis is better soon. Good choice of guest though, did well the last time he raced up there against his brother., scoring 11 pts in Swindon's surprise victory.......

If I was wrong in my posting than I apologise. But when FTR was first talked about, I was of the impression the Premier League was to be involved. Thinking along the lines as that, the Elite would have 2 British riders, 1 from the NL and 1 from the PL, Riders using the PL as a stepping stone. When it was eventually announced, it was said the PL wasn't included, not that they weren't asked. Turns out that the FTR was just another scam to lighten the loads on promoters pockets, rather than an idea to primarily benefit the sport. And you wonder why Team GB can't compete with the best....... Want do they say about Wood and Trees.

Since the SWC all poster are arguing (discussing) about the quality of our riders in comparison to those from other countries'. My take on this will always be related to the quality the riders race in on a regular basis. We were left high and dry having to take 2 riders who race second division standards. It was not their fault. They race down a divisions just as a form of survival . I relate all the problems to the powers of the BSPA. For years they have been used as a stepping stone by foreign riders to gain experience and for the Promoter to fill a void quickly. Someone with a Danish name will always have preference over an English equivalent just because they think he will be better. Last year the Premier league didn't want to be involved with the FTR, and would rather have a team of foreigners. All this toing and throwing, who is the best manager. It makes little difference who the manager is. We are a distance off the top teams in developing and encouraging new blood. We must have rules in place where ALL teams have to have so many home riders..Until such time the promoters put the British rider first, nothing will ever change. PS: This comment was not directed to all specific Promoters, some I believe are doing a grand job. It was directed to the collective body of the BSPA

What a cracking Meeting. Thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle on a sensational race track. It didn't bother me which country won, but would have to say I took great joy seeing NKI bring the bacon home. Fabulous ride from a awesome rider. . Obviously pleased for Mads to be part of the winning side. Yeah, I know he struggled at times, he was always going to be racing in this company, But his fight for second with Darcy was pivotal in the final counting's. Having read through all the pages , god, there is some rubbish posted on here. I'm under no illusion of the standard of our riders, and am aware we linger way below that of foreign countries. To me it make little difference what position we are placed . Be it 4th , 7th or 10th we are light years behind in everything we do. It would depend on the opposition on how good we really are. Riders like Woffy and to a lesser extent Bomber have achieved their status themselves and have received little or no help from our authorities whatsoever. Personnel on the BSPA cant agree on simple things like, how the structure of the league is run. what chance have the riders got, when all decisions made at the head table are based on personal benefits. My biggest gripe is that I can't see it ever changing. With so many problems in our sport how is it ever going to be possible, to induce the much needed new blood, when the cost to get involved is astronomical. It is because of this I take a more distant but relative view of the sport. I like to see exciting races, I like to see top riders, just because they are of foreign nationality it make little difference to me. Its silly wasting ones time, dwelling on something that never going to change.....

That's probably why I'm not a bookie. The emphasis was to try and put the top three countries into some sort of relevance. with GB being a distant 4th.

I wish I could be more confident, but alas, our team is way down on strength compared too the others. Riding a place like Bydgoszcz you have to have, so much speed in every race. The gates are not that important, and even when in the front, good riders will always find the speed and room to get by. If your bikes aren't speed machines then you can forget it. All the top riders of the world have top tuners to get them near the front. Only Woffy is in that category. Harris always struggles on speed track let alone King and Stead. We done exceptional well last week to qualify for the finals, but lets not get carried away with the victory. To-night is a different ball -game against the best in the world. Just to compete on this stage is a step in the right direction, but don't lets get carried away here. We need more of the British riders to up their ambitions and stop riding against 2nd division opposition just to earn an easier life..

I believe Philip Rising comment in preference to yours. From where I was watching, Darcy tried which ever way but made little difference on Hancock . Herbie's speed and placement of bike was always too much for Darcy, who didn't give up trying until the last corner.

GB are not favourites for the Bronze position, If by some chance they can achieve that, it will rank as a truly outstanding performance .....

I'm just pleased the result last night, didn't hinge on the referee decision. Very difficult to have a hard and fast rule on this as every instance is different.. I can see both angles from last night and both decisions have issues that warrant consideration I've always tried to relate to all instances, looking at them with the angle of common sense. Who created the problem, Who gained from the situation, Who could have stopped it happening. All these angles should have a bearing on the outcome and obviously, we mustn't forget all this happens when in a racing but fair environment. Sometimes a Ref is in a no win situation and either way he decides, he will be wrong. Last night was one of those instances. We had two riders giving their all. both had made hard moves on each other in their quest for points. I don't believe either rider had any intention of causing the other harm and therefore in this instance I thought the Ref should have let the result stand.. Trying to compare that to the situation at the EESG when Nicky Pedersen T-boned Kenneth Bjerre. are worlds apart. That day Pedersen raced across the corner with the sole purpose of taking Kenneth out. Tatum and Pearson couldn't believe it. Everybody who saw it, was of the same conclusion, all except the Ref. It is instances like that which gives Referees a bad name.... Fortunately, there are plenty of decent ones.....

To hear people say Hancock was boring last night, one has to question their knowledge of the sport. He was awesome, to score 21 points against the best riders in the world is a wonderful achievement. On a exceptional track with many racing lines, he tracked his prey in the first heat before executing the killer move on the run to the line. awesome. In all the rest of his races, he gated from any of the positions. Once out in front he was so smooth that he simply used his class and pulled away. The two rides against Darcy showed his expertise to the extreme. Darcy trying any which way with loads of speed, but Greg , with eyes in the back of this head was always one jump head and won comfortably. Poster say that was boring.... Yeah right. To me the Ref didn't spoil the meeting. he just made a wrong call. but then again it is all down to opinions To me it was two guys having a real good go at each other, 6 of one and half dozen of the other. pleased it wasn't the overbearing input on the result. Australia was always going to be the strongest, and deserved their win in the end. It was good to see Holder back on a bike, and showed he had lost none of his ability. Again brilliant meeting on a fantastic raceway. Wish all meeting were that exciting........... :t: If that meeting had been held in England, be it at any track, I'm sure the crowd would have been far greater than what we saw last night. The racing, the track produced was electrifying yet this wasn't enough to encourage speedway fans to turn up when their own team was not riding. How fickle are they......... Probably speedway in Poland is not as popular was we seem to believe, and that supporters are turning their back, as seems to be the case in England.. Whatever the reasons, last night attendance was abysmal.

An unbelievable low crowd to witness a brilliant meeting. Probably the best race track in the world. And what was being said about circular tracks. The racing to-night was top drawer. We should be able to learn from this , Everyone should learn from this. fantastic meeting..........

As a track creator, I've always held Buster in such high esteem that few could equal. I've seen him work miracles turning a sodden quagmire into a race track within the hour. Agreed he has all the machinery and expertise at his disposal, but he never fails to impress. Having travelled to most tracks, you appreciate just how fortunate we are having a venue like the NA. This is all down to a life time of Busters hard work. I believe Buster can prepare any race surface that asked for . The shale is of the utmost importance , and that said Buster would get the best he could possibly purchase. The track hasn't changed much in years. The Camber, The Width , The Corners , The Shape, are all the same as it's always been, so one has too ask why is it that, the racing is not as good as it was once preserved. This could be down to many reasons; 1) The bigger gulf in the class, of parity of riders competing in races. 2) Bike engines are too fast and technical. 3) The style of riding is more being contented. rather than racing. ; 4) Winning is not as important than it once was. The races on Saturday when Hancock up against Ward and Woffy and Bomber coming through from the back, was as good as any, so proving when the riders want to put it on there's not a lot wrong with the Lynn track. .

If I were a bookie, and those were the teams, the odds I'd offer would be : Poland 2:1 fav. ; Denmark and Australia 5:2 and GB 5:1 . Should be a close shout with Poland having the edge. All teams capable of winning races, but who'll win the most? Obviously like to see GB on the rostrum, but that's going to be tough. I just hope the title is not decided on a BLOODY JOKER......... What an anti-climax that'd be.........

When a country has as many class riders as Denmark it sometimes is difficult to pick the best team. Opinions will always vary. I thought, last night, all the Danes rode well, and probably Mads being the best, beaten only by the bad gate positions on the outside. When in front he looked very quick. Having watched Mads for years, his gating has always been his nemesis, yet this was the reason the Manager has picked him. His never say die attitude is exciting, but I don't feel confident of him in this class of field. If he misses the gate I think he'll be left wanting. If Secker had wanted a gater he should have picked Kenneth Bjerre, who has performed more often on this sort of stage. As much as I love to watch Kildemand, I think, when behind, he tends to override and causes problems. He was fortunate last night on several occasions. It could easily have been so different He was lucky to score the points he did. Another night, another meeting, he probably wouldn't have been up for consideration. I rate Mads and Killer highly and enjoy watch them ride, But there is no sentiment at this level and I feel both will struggle to impose themselves on proceeding at this high level. Assuming Niels and Nicky are automatic choices , I'd gone for MJJ. On the world stage he is consistently quick and has done it before. Will always score points and be in with a shout. Look at the form he has shown in the SGP. Final slot going to Hans Andersen. Consistent, reliable, quick, riding on his home track. He would be there or there abouts in any company. There would be no gamble and he would score good points. I always believed SWC was a nailed on win for the Danes, now I'm not so sure.

If I were the Danish Manager I'd go with Niels, Nicky Pedersen; MJJ and Hans Andersen. Feel sorry for the rest of the riders, but when your country is that strong, someone will always be disappointed.

Cant imagine for one moment there will be any surprises tonight. Denmark 1st; Sweden and Latvia into the playoffs on Thursday.

The Danes are that strong they could pick 3 or 4 teams and all of them to be competitive. It's amazing the production line of talent they have..... far exceeds any other country in the world,,,,,,,,

Its the easiest thing in the world to blame the track, like you say Belle Vue provides good racing and so does Wolverhampton.. I seen some wonderful meetings at EESG but I've seen some crap ones as well. It's not all about the shape. My first thoughts would be the bikes need to be CHEAPER and therefore slower, this could create closer racing......

There have been many changes with speedway over the years, not all of them have been for the better. Mostly it has created a more costly sport and very nearly pricing itself to extinction. One of the constants that has been around since the year dot is the shape of the track. Your idea of a 'more circular' shape goes against any idea I may have. I say leave well alone. I have always believed this to be the case. The bikes now are such a technical masterpieces they are far removed from anything we experienced in the past. Speaking recently to Michael Lee , he said riding the bikes of today was totally different to that from his time. Now it is all about keeping the engine revving, whereas in his day it was more torque at lower engine speeds.. Probably that answers the question about the quality of races..........

It was only recently you referred my post as tripe, but the above comes into that category . I would imagine you know as much about preparing a track as I do. To suggest Buster is using the wrong shale is laughable. Why would Buster do that for an event as big as SWC. You say the track been rubbish now since we returned to the Elite league. But I 've seen some wonderful races at the NA since we re-joined the top league. Either you don't want remember, or probably just like agreeing with others. either way, to say our track has been poor for 3 yrs. is insulting to all the hard that Buster and crew puts in to make it a track that everyone want to ride on........