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Listening to Brundle at the fans forum meeting one would have had to be impressed as he spoke so eloquently, with such enthusiasm. But its easy to talk the talk, far more difficult to walk the walk. So it is with purpose I have noticed these past weeks he is doing just as he had spoken. He said each Friday there would be information posted on the media, and there has, he said there would be new fitness program for the riders and there has, He said he would get the College involved for future development and he has, He also said he wanted to get the kids involvement, and getting them to design a new mascot he has done that as well. So full marks to Mr Brundle for doing as he had promised and for that I am impressed. But that new Stars anthem is an EMBARRESSMENT . Imagine the mic man standing in the middle of the track trying to generate a response with that . Terrible....

Did I miss the part about speeding the meeting up, or the bit about starting the meetings on time, What about the pit gate being close to stop riders returning to the pit s at every opportunity. ??? It seems al those issues that were voiced upon have been forgotten already,.....

I am in no doubt, if all tracks were similar to Belle Vue, our sport would benefit no end..... The Riders love it, the fans love it, and you wouldn't have to watch any of this 'Gate and Go' rubbish. Just imagine watching proper races everytime. That was a wonderful dream.......... now back to reality......

I cannot believe some of the theories I read on here. Not having club race suites is a no brainer and a massive backward step in my opinion. Whatever the rights and wrongs of this idea, the only reason we are having this discussion it because Matt Ford wants to make a point. If he was doing his job properly he would find a sponsor to meet the cost and provide an ideal way of advertising for that company. But what Matt Ford wants , is what Matt Ford gets......... No, Having no Race suites is a massive backward step...... Going back in time when, Michael Lee was the only rider in the Stars team to have a sponsored covered leathers , all the rest were in black. It was thought then to be wrong, now Ford is suggesting we go back to then days.......... Yeah Right...........

Hi, I am aware of Buster going to the Cardiff GP's having seen and spoken to him on many occasions, be it as Chairman of the BSPA or that of a Promoter. My comment was directed to those Promoters who don't bother... Sometimes the racing is suspect, but its a weekend not to be missed by any speedway supporter. The atmosphere in the street has to be seen to be believed.... And you don't get that on the television....

But then again , if a Promoter was doing his job trying to put their club in the shop window, they should all be there. Even if it was only to try and persuade some new exciting talent on board for the future. Burying one's head and doing nothing is so easy !!!

I am confident Proctor can step up to the mark and be a decent acquisition. Been unlucky with injuries in the past, so getting a good run of meetings could be invaluable. Watching him perform for Sheffield against Leicester showed he has much too offer. I think he is more than capable of putting pressure on those team members around him in the rankings... TJ, Rose , Kerr and Andersen are all of similar positions and each's performances will have a bearing of where the Stars finish..........

From someone who knew Mike fairly well, it would be difficult to pinpoint the exact point when his fortunes turned sour . It was very clear he had no friends in the BSPA who wouldn't do anything to help his corner. When he won the WC , you would have thought he would have been the biggest promotion our sport could have. Had he been any other nationality he would have been hailed a hero and treated as such. But it wasn't like that. If they could create a problem for Mike. they would. It was very politically back then in that the BSPA wanted to rule the sport all over the Europe. When Ole Olsen came up with this Grand Prix idea, BSPA said no and arranged other fixtures in competition to it. Lee was being pulled from pillar to post. Mike became very disillusioned. Sure he wasn't no saint, but he suffered more than more from petty political arguments. Like when they arranged a pointless 4 team meeting on the same weekend as the World Pairs Comp. Because the WP meeting was rained off for 24 hrs, 6 riders failed to turn up for the 4TT. But it was only Michael who was fined. Fined for representing his country. The straw that broke the camel back was that '5yr ban' that the SCB/BSPA imposed for a crime he didn't commit . It was there for all to see, that they were going to get him whatever the costs..... There was no end to the deception these people would pull. An appeal hearing was planned on the Day of the British Final. With no case to answer, from these concocted lies it was advertise Lee would be riding in that final, But we all know what happened. In their determination to rid the him from the sport, they changed the offence and banned him for a year. That was the day speedway lost the plot. You never kill the goose that lays the golden egg, but they most certainly did. They lost probably the best rider some of us had ever seen, plus thousands of fans who turned up each time he rode. They turned their backs forever....

Whilst I do not want to run Lambert down, the reason he is compared with all those top riders was because of his immense talent he showed at a young age. It is only natural he would suffer from these comparisons. It was always going to be difficult to continue that devastating form he showed and anything less than invincible would have been noticed. . Although still an exceptional rider, he is now of a class where the competition is so ripe that being top dog is an unbelievable position, that only a few will reach. Top riders like Doyle and Iversen may have arrived late on the top stage. This, no doubt, was achieved through, Hard Work, Belief, Dedication and Confidence, It pleasing to note that age is not that important when looking at past champions, I'd like to think that Lambert, who has time on his side, will take on board all the positives he will learn along the way, and when that time comes for him to rule the world he will be good and ready...

Michael Lee, in only his third year, 1977, aged just 18, won the British Championship and only lost out in the World Final in atrocious conditions . He topped the averages with 10.59. and that was when the British League was the best in the world, having all the best riders competing over here.. He was a bit special.....

Now you're being Silly.... that's a far too sensible approach. The BSPA would never agree with that...

Like you, I have been around a long time. Mike Lee was a once in a lifetime happening, and it would be wrong to compare others to him. But Robert Lambert was that good , I don't apologise for making that comparison. . You say for a 19yr old, he should be over the moon with his average, that's where we differ.. In our weakened league he should be far better than his current score. I have been associated with fellow workers all my life and believe my interpersonal skill is an invaluable commodity. A person will perform much better if they are happy rather then troubled. and when I look at Robert he appears to have all the troubles possible. Because of his attitude being wrong, he doesn't reap the rewards his talent deserves.... You pick up a book and read that Roberts not happy. You hear rumors of a petty argument with Niels. You see him gestating to the fans , all the behaviour of someone who is troubled. Nobody could doubt his ability on a bike, but just wish he would channel all his efforts into riding, like we know he can...

I remember seeing a 15yr old Lambert riding for Lynn starlets, scoring 21 points against Stoke and thinking this was indeed a privilege to be there and watch him ride. From the gate or from the back he was majestic. He was from another planet. it was a case of men versus boys, He was winning races by the country mile. Obviously people were making comparisons with some of the greats we had previously seen at Lynn, and Lambert was rightly compared with them all. What was so noticeable that night was his persona, he walked about the pits with a massive smile on his face and was so comfortable within and those around him. He appeared to be walking on cloud 9. How things have changed in those 5yrs. He cannot be happy with the small progress he makes each year,. Averaging just over 7.30 must be disappointing for someone with so much talent. I wont except there are 20 riders better than him riding in our league. You see him walking about and he appears to have all the troubles going. That big smile has gone and replaced with trepidation. although, some of his races are out of the top drawer, others are best forgotten. A top world class rider has to perform in every race.. I don't profess to know the answers, but something is definitely not working. I hope he can find the answers that will project him to the heights he should aim for, and to illustrate his capabilities of being a top 10 rider....

Only a fool would doubt Holder's ability, but what we saw last year was a side of him few could have imagined. It really was an eye opener. For that reason my thoughts of him as a rider took a massive downward step. Up to that point we would have forgiven him for his substandard displays, hoping he would come good in the end. But after that sad day in July, It was obvious he was someone who forgot about the fans and only rode for this own being, to me he has lost all the respect that I and many others had for him. Its a shame really, cos' he will never ever get that respect back....

That's just it, in fear of being ripped off I'd rather go without. After paying £1 of a coffee at dinner time, I'll be damned to pay £1.50 for the same drink in the evening..

If you're thinking about riders who can add a point or so on their average, I would imagine the list would be quite long. If we are talking about the rider who average will improve the most then Woryna is way ahead of the rest. I hope he doubles his score, then probably it will open the BSPA eyes and see the pathetic situation they have created by using out of date CMA

Exactly... Another grip of mine is the 'PIT STOP' café' Am I the only on to notice that the prices go up for Speedway and Stockcar meetings. When you use the café during the week the prices are substantially lower. I understand the logic of a captive audience , but if you wish to look after your supporters the last thing you want to do is rip them off If the prices are adequate to make the Café viable during the working day, then why would it be necessary to increase them when you have a far bigger custom base....

Freezing cold outside, not much on the tele, and in the quietness of a warm office, I wasted the available time to take a structure analysis of each of this year’s teams competing in the Premier League ( a sad existence really.) Looking at the graph above, I have placed all the riders in the position their CMA indicated, knowing full well they will change frequently, but we need a starting point. I have then compared them to those in equal positions and rated them 1 to 8, the best to the worse, to form some sort of comparison between the riders and the teams… Of cause, opinions will vary, and my view would bring a different outcome to others but, having a structure approach, backed by some 50 years of spectating, I’ve tried to be fair in my assessments, where favourites are few and far between. Looking along the first row of No1 HL Riders, I have placed Doyle as the best, followed by Niels, Vaculik and Cook. I have placed Kurtz and Harris as the worse, but it could have gone either way, but this was my way to evaluate the strength of each team starting out. I repeated this process through each of the remaining team positions to finally arrive at the point of where it brings all the thoughts into comparison. Looking at the results bring together some amazing information, that I find very interesting. Some teams seem to have been perceived better than they should, and others have hidden their obvious strengths pretty well. We need to forget about Poole as they are way and above better than any other team. Their position total of only 20 illustrates this. The fact most other teams are separated by just a few points indicates Poole’s strength are streets ahead of the rest.…. The biggest surprise to me was how Lynn stacked up. I purposely guarded against any favouritism and feel any assessment was rightly placed. In my original prediction, (on Page 6) I placed them nearer the bottom, thinking they had too much to do. Now when looking at other teams in similar comparison, then yes, they could achieve a PO position. It’s interesting to note, that the majority of teams are only a few points apart. A point that proves most of them will be competitive and in with a shout. The one team that surprised me was Rye House. On 40 pts they came in some way adrift of the rest. What wasn’t taken into consideration was their massive advantage their own track provides, and this will have a big bearing on overall results. Looking at their riders, I still believe their team is one of the weakest, but that home advantage will be a big leveller against better sides… So in conclusion, Poole seem to be on a different planet from the rest, Leicester, Belle Vue, KingsLynn, Swindon, Wolves and Somerset are all separated by only a point, with Rye House having a bit to make up. Be interesting to see how it all pans out..

Analysis of Teams Riders Positions KEY Rider No. BelleVue Kings Lynn Leicester Poole Rye House Somerset Swindon Wolves 1. Best No 1 HL Craig Cook Niels K Iversen Mart Vaculik Brad Kurtz Chris Harris Jason Doyle Nick Morris Jab Torsell 2 Average 8.45 4 9.04 2 8.00 3 8.08 8 7.63 7 9.69 1 8.87 6 8.64 5 No 2 HL Max Friske Rob Lambert HanAndersen JosGrajczonk Scot Nicolls Charl Wright TroyBatchelor Sam Masters 3 Average 7'39 2 7.38 5 7.75 1 7.34 6 7.48 7 6.69 8 7.63 3 7.92 4 No 3 HL Stev Worrall Th Jorgensen Danny King LinSundstrom KrzKaspersak Rich Lawson Dav Bellego Rory Schlein 4 Average 6,77 5 5.93 6 6.66 4 7.22 1 6.86 2 6.43 7 7.37 8 7.72 3 No4 S/S Roh Tungate Ty Procter Krz Pieszczek Chris Holder Eddy Kennett Jack Holder Tob Musielak Kyle Howarth 5 Average 6.18 3 5.50 7 6.50 4 7.16 1 6.39 8 5.82 5 7.37 2 6.64 6 No 5 S/S Dam Drozdz Lewis Rose Josh Bates Kasp Woryna Ben Barker Jake Allen Adam Ellis Cam Heeps 6 Average 5.00 8 5.25 4 5.52 5 4.65 1 6.00 6 5.07 3 5.46 2 5.25 7 No 6 Res Dan Bewley Lewis kerr Kyle Newman Mat Szczpani Stuart Robson Brad Wil Dean Zach Wajknec Ash Morris 7 Average 4,71 2 5.06 4 4.86 7 4.54 1 5.72 3 4.67 5 3.21 6 3.75 8 No 7 Res Jye Etheridge Kas Andersen James Sargent James Shane Max Clegg Jon Jepersen Mich Davey Nat Greaves 8. Worse Average 2.00 6 4.00 3 2,56 5 2.95 2 2.00 7 4.00 4 2.00 8 2.54 1 Positional Totals 30 31 29 20 40 33 35 34

I admire your loyalty, even at the extent of blinded vision. Make no mistake, when Somerset is referred to a one man team it is because in Doyle they have a great rider who will win most races at each of you meetings. The other riders are all decent people capable of winning some. Your 2nd and 3rd HL are of the lowest CMA in the league. Yes you may have performed well on your travels last year and scored decent points, but that doesn't mean anything this years. This is a new ball game with different sides... Looking at all the teams so far in my eyes Somerset are one of the weakest...... that being a structured analysis with no biased attachment....... I wish I could be more optimistic .... Sorry........

Everyone in that side Sidney, is capable of upping their average. Brady, Josh and Holder, all seasoned riders capable of winning heats for fun. Linus, Woryna and Schpankiak? are all capable of being heat leaders, averaging 7 plus. and James Shanes is far better than the 2.95 he was given. I see then as runaway leaders . One I things for sure, with the exception of Holder, ( so he says) they can all ride our track with no problems . A few years back I saw Sundstrom come and score 17 pts making everyone else look silly..

Think you;re wrong there Sidney, Poole have this year assembled an exceptional side built on the back of 'out of date' Averages. If a team can acquire 1 ringer on a low average they are doing well, but to get 3 takes it to another level . All the teams were built to a max of 42.5 , But had Woryna, Schpank and Sundstrom been accredited with upto date figures, their team strength would have been nearer 46 Pts. Many are missing the point here where the advantages compound the differences. After the first set of figures , all the Poole riders, along with all the rest will be accredited with a new average, so any replacements needed will be proportionate to the average of the missing rider. so they will have better replacements whenever the need arise. Every year we have this same problem , and every year they do nothing to stop it. Its so annoying the BSPA cant see further than the end of their big noses.... So sorry Sidney, I cant agree with your views. The league will be a walk in the park for Poole losing only but a few matches, the only hope our sport has, is if another team meets them on a bad day.. Some hope.,,.

We are now being silly, next someone will suggest bikes staked to the ground.. I like the competition between the rider and the ref, it adds much needed excitement after the follow the leader races..... So what if a reserve gets a roller, or someone wins against the odds.

I don't see the problems with the laws we have already. I think too much is made of riders who take the gamble. The rules state if you touch the tapes your excluded . The riders know the rules, the Ref controls the tapes, where's the problem. ? What really gets up people backs, is when the red light comes on for the slightest infringement, riders goes back to the pits, mechanics come out, another 10mins of waiting about . If a rider anticipates the starts, and gets away with it, then good on him, The Ref will have to keep an eye on him.,, It brings added excitement back into proceedings....

Reading these posts, it becoming most obvious that the majority are prepared to give the promoters the opportunity to get it right. The ball is firmly in their court. I wont have it that speedway is unprofessional , you might have that impression from going to Lynn at times but I have been to many meetings run very professional. both Home and Away. Also, when we get to the summer and the Sun is a hazard, why not have the 15 min interval at the start of the meeting.... ???? and then run right through....... Years ago we use to run on Saturday night when finishing time wasn't that crucial, and in them days we use to have 22 heats of racing.... Different world now.....