g13webb

No fortunately I resisted the opportunity fearing, what might happen actually did.. I don't have to be in the pits to see the response of a team when the scores show exactly the effort applied... After heat 4 the Lynn Stars won just one more race. ( Niels in Ht13) During that time Tungate and Grajczonek won 6 of those 10 races. Please don't tell me these are world class riders, They ply their trade as 2nd strings at best. But they wanted it more than the so called Stars. The track at Swindon is not the best, and gating is probably more important there than some of the other tracks, But whatever the conditions it is the same for both sides. For a team to succumb to a 22 point difference from heat 4 is unforgivable...... It's all very well you blowing sunshine up their arses, but you only do it when they ride well. I want to see more Effort, Team Spirit and Application... before I start giving praise out....

It wasn't so much that we lost last night, , it was more about the desire and application shown by the whole setup of Riders, Managers and Promotions Most things in life are achieved by those who want it the most, It quite obvious we're not that bothered...... I thought we would've been good enough to get at least a point....... Never once did I imagine we'd roll over......

Not intending to decry the performances, Wolves have achieved this year, but surely no-one is deceiving themselves in thinking they will compete with Poole and Belle Vue for the League title this year. Those two are the stand out teams and are some way in front of the rest. Wolves have accredited themselves very good and are the next placed team, while the remaining are just anybody opinions. Achieving a play-off position is not something to shout about,........ but for a few teams that's all we ever had to aim for.....

Hard one to call. Head says Swindon, the heart says Lynn. The Stars have turned a corner of late and are now putting up a much stronger account of themselves. I have no doubt we will be a sterner test, than before, and that Swindon will need to be firing on all cylinders to secure all the points. I expect at least one point from our travels, but all 3 is not the distant dream it once was......... Should be a good meeting......with a decent crowd, especial with Darcy putting in appearance....

We have 3 Promoters, we have 2 Team Managers, We have Extensive Stewards and Pit personnel, But PR man we know nothing... The original PR man, who was very efficient, departed earlier in the season.. Since then we have a new website, but we know nothing. It appears, but for the name, we are all but dead. No enthusiasm at all..

Probably not, but if you were contemplating an away trip, the fans should know what team they can expect. Especially after the rumpus we had last time out... It the club was run successfully the fans should be the first to know of every development. As it is we appear to be an after thought....

Time waits for no man. We are but 2 days away from r next meeting away to Swindon, and as yet there has been nothing in regards to a statement form the club. There is no team announcement for the Swindon match, no mention of any new fixtures, Nothing.... Is it too much to ask for the fans to be kept up to date.. After the fiasco of the cancelled home match and the comments made between Promoter and Captain, can we assume everything has now been sorted ??

You were missing the most important point of the post I wrote. The Run-off was regarding as boring racing. 'Gate and Go', whereas the Saturday's Final was classed as brilliant.The main differences was pointing out how important a good track is, The size of the crowd and specific riders are irrelevant to the quality of the track. When you are talking about a world Final, you expect all the riders to be of a certain standard, but if the track is suspect then the product is substandard.... No doubt the Poles and the Swedes would have found it, just the same as the four teams that rode on Friday....

What a differrence a day makes !!! Yesterday we had pages of complaints about the Run-off and how bad it was. Today we have pages saying totally the opposite. Both meetings were run at the same venue; Both matches had the same crowd, Both matches had the same riders. The only difference was the preparation of the track. When considering 1000's of fans are appreciative of the brilliant racing that Saturday produced, it just goes to show how important the track man is to the promotion of Speedway. When the track is as good as last night the concept of speedway is far more exciting and easy to sell. Promoters doing cost cutting on track preparation and the materials use, are on false pretence, when in fact they are destroying the excitement the fans crave for...... The meeting last night had it all, Wonderful occasion tremendous atmosphere, exciting racing. For GB to collect a creditable Silver Medal was the icing on the cake. It would be wrong to be judgemental on individual riders but special mention for Woffy, who showed what a great rider is really is in this world class field. Congratulation to Poland for being SWC Champions, but the biggest winner last night was the sport itself....

As usual, I must be an exception to most, inthat I thoroughly enjoyed the meeting. All those people highlighting, the negative aspects to me, were expecting too much. The meeting reminded me of the many Wembley Finals we saw. The racing was never that good, but the occasion made it special. Had Doyle been performing at Wembley last night he would have been World Champion. His gating and track craft was equal to anyone who won there. Mauger would have been proud to have performed that good. Probably the best five gates in a meeting I've ever seen by anyone. Of all the SGP and SWC I've seen over the years, the real good ones you can count on your fingers. Just because there are top riders, it doesn't guarantee exciting racing. I agree the racing could have been better. But we must remember this is a new venue, and some riders seeing it for the first time. Also the track staff are learning all the time and will no doubt benefit from tonight critiques . I thought it went quite well. We now have a venue of stature , one that will get better in the future, and one we can be proud off...... Let concentrate on the positives for a change.....

Hancock's attitude toward the SWC run-off is disgusting.. This will surely changed the fans perception of him. Most of whom was of the impression he was this great ambassador for this sport, but the truth is he is no better than all the rest. Self, self , self My respect for him has taken a massive downturn.......

Some races when Lambert turns it on, he is unbelievable. Some of his passes are out of the top drawer. Yet in others, he don't show the same impetus, tending to follow. Hence the suspect CMA.. I am in no doubt of his ability, but sometimes the attitude is left wanting.... I put it down to his young age and hopefully will grow out of it and into in a exceptional rider......... Probably even a Champion.....

I didn't see it as being farcical, I thought it was excepted as normal practise in these competitions. We could all do with a bit of humour. The fun has gone out of all sports.... Doyle made it easy to see what his intention were last night, whereas he need not have been so obvious. But could the same Ref had decided that AJ wasn't trying.?? He did not attempt one pass the whole race, Not so easy is it, but both were guilty of the same charge....stupid as it may be......

Again, thoroughly the 2nd Semi, with Sweden proving what a powerful unit they are. Always finishing in the top 2 of each heat was indeed an achievement. No doubt they will provide strong contention for the final, only a fool would disregard them of winning. Amazing the quality of racing last night, especially after the amount of rain in the afternoon. It was commendable the way the track behaved. Probably some of our top club tracks could take a leaf out of the their book, considering the Vastervik is only a 2nd division side in Sweden.. Talk about showing us how its done..... Personally, I like the Joker, It adds a bit of humour to the proceedings. Heat 14 was so predictably after the Swedish manager said he didn't want any jokers played. With Lemon on the ball he was always going to be aware of the gap and informing Doyle in what to do. I was amazed Dolye waited till the last lap. He could have done a much more convincing job, hadn't he made a good start. As for disqualifying the riders, that's crazy. How could a referee determined if someone is giving 100% or not... While they're Jokers this scenario will always happen. When Lemon use Holder with the Joker, I automatically thought he would use Doyle as a TS in the nominated heats. But he messed that up good and proper. Fiske and Masters are quality riders, but are someway off the standard needed in these SWC. Compared to years before this is a weak Aussie team. My feelings are that whoever gets to the final we will be similar to the Aussies and offer but a token resistance...... Prediction: On the FAST open spaces of Belle Vue, I go for Sweden just, followed by Poland, and Denmark ahead of G B.

Unfortunately, the time when the States had a worthwhile team, is now just a distant memory. Once they ruled the world with their brash, in your face, characters. Riders like Penhall, Morans, Schwartz were household names and big draws for any promoter. These were later followed by Ermolenko, Hamill and Hancock. All quality riders. But the once proud production line of American talent appears to have dried up. The old saying ' You reap what you sow' is never more correct than in the development of young riders. That is why Poland will start as favourites to win this years SWC .......

Up to this point I was agreeing with you tonight. bit to say Emil won't be World Champion is ridiculous. The man is pure class. He is up there with the very best and equal to any challenge the SGP could throw at him..... If, when he decides to ride, he will be one of the favourites to win.... Awesome Talent....... Thoroughly enjoyed an exciting meeting. When looking at the wealth of young Polish talent, you realise how far behind the other nations are. .

No doubt the Shale issue will come back to haunt us. We have only managed 15 meetings in the first 4 months of the season. I've lost count of the number of rain-offs we've had. We now have to 13 meetings left to squeeze in the last 6 weeks before the playoffs. Our next meeting is away to Swindon 4th Aug. followed by Poole at home on the 11th . We don't stand a chance in hell of getting them all completed......

Just for a minute, like to go back to a special day, Good Friday morning 1975, against Leicester . We had a tremendous SNOW storm so much so some of the roads were blocked , stopping some of the riders from getting there. The teams were made up with junior riders, this being Michael Lees debut meeting. The track was extremely wet with lots of shale. Not only was there 13 heats of the main match but also a starlet meeting that followed. Racing was in an abundance, Michael Lee passing Ray Wilson 3 times during the match. The point I'm trying to make is; the wet conditions didn't automatically deem the track unraceable. The riders wanted to race it was their bread and butter and probably there only way of earning a crust, and the bikes were less powerful but,more controllable in adverse conditions. What happen at Lynn the other night was an accumulation of circumstances of how our sport has become.. The tracks now are useless in the wet and offer no grip, The riders don't give a damn about riding in adverse conditions, and the bike are far more powerful and are hard to control in these conditions.. Buster, like me is old school. He can remember these days when the riders rode these track and feels if he can trouble to get the track ready they should race it, regardless of the danger. But these bikes are hard to control slowly, its not just a issue of controlling the speed, these bike are all or nothing... Sad how our sport has become. But unless we have major reinvention it will not change. To me.... Give me the old days everytime.......

It was so obvious to any one watching, the track was not racable. There were 4 races started, and in each one there were instances of the riders in trouble. The track was wet, inconsistent and very slippery. The shale that Buster uses don't appear to work that well in the wet and the track becomes unraceable. Years ago when it rained the track stood up better as the water drained away. Now there is nowhere for the water to run, the track gets sodden and with faster bikes, there always going to be issue with safety. We need better tracks, slower bikes and covers to keep the tracks dry..... What we don't need is Promoters accusing Riders for not racing...... I'm with you Rory........

Yet another nail into that coffin tonight. A truly terrible evening. I have sympathy for Buster, I have sympathy for the fans; and no way do I blame the riders. Without doubt, the sport was the biggest loser tonight. Some supporters will have left tonight, never to be seen again. The untimely rain shower had a lot to answer for. It couldn't have come at a worse time with damning consequences. Yes its easy to understand why Buster wanted to meeting to run. The financial implications must be horrendous.... The riders risk life and limb every meeting so obviously want a safe track to race on, so no complaints there. But the Fans and supporters should be considered more in situations like this and any decision should be made bearing them in mine. TO ask them to wait around hoping the meeting goes ahead is wrong. I joined in after the rain when the skies were blue. Big crowds had assembled at the box offices I believed the meeting was going ahead. That was until I saw the track. It was a disgrace. there were clods 6" big near the start area. No way was this track ready to race....... In hindsight it should have been cancelled then. If there had been any doubt at this time then it should have been called. The punters and kids could have gone home. I admire Buster endeavour and determination to remedy the track, but is it right the paying public having to wait 2 hrs, not knowing whether it be on or off. To me that was a bad call, but it was made for personal reasons only...... A bad day for all concerned...... It did nobody any favours......

With you on that.. Huckenbeck has had more than enough opportunities and has failed everytime....... Seeing what he achieves aboard only adds insults to how he rides over here.... He has proven ability when motivated, but it is not seen on a regular basis...

9am ..At the moment mate, the sun is shining and a good day expected. The forecast thundery showers is not expected here, only in the north..... Fingers crossed........

I thought we had seen the last of Kai Huckenbeck. Am disillusioned with this chap who appears uninterested, and rides with no passion at all. Started out the season OK but has gone from bad to worse ever since. The thinking of selecting him into the side in preference to Porsing is beyond me. He has done nothing for months now. Its been so long since he performed well, I can't remember when it happened. and yet he has been selected to ride again tonight.... I thought when Busk Jacobsen joined the team, it was a breath of fresh air. He was everything you want in a new rider. A fast gater who could mix it with whoever. He scored more points in one meeting than Huckenbeck had done all year. Huckenbeck was now just a distant memory. But apparently not....... Whatever the reasons for using Huckenbeck, they are unacceptable. When we lost at home to Coventry, He was pathetic Not only last everytime, but showed no presence or interest in the proceedings at all. To expect the public to part with their hard earnt to watch him is wrong. I thought our season had turned the corner and we were competitive again...but now I'm not so sure...... Terrible decision......

Sure hope all goes well and you have a enjoyable night......

Never have I said there is no passing at Monmore, The track is notorious for riders getting the corners wrong and many passes are created by errors. Some riders have the wrong idea of the fastest line, some go chasing the dirt when the inside line could be quicker. No there are many passes, but what I pointed out that when a home rider hits the front he usually knows the quickest route and therefore how to keep the opposition behind him....