Grand Central

The WRSA deal is not totally free. They pay £35. Making it Free for everyone would not cost as much as many suspect. The vast majority of ex riders are not attending anyway. So no money would be lost to the sport by more coming free. The real issue I have is the ridiculous deal that ties these men to bringing their carer to gain free entry. That is just wrong. It is the wrong type of deal to do when trying to respect them as people let alone when claiming to value them for their contribution to the sport It is not beyond the wit of man to come up with terms that deal with who should qualify for a pass, what discount they get and how many and/or what type of meeting it could be used for. But this particular bring your parole officer/vicar/nurse to get in for free. That just stinks.

That is NOT the information provided on the WSRA's own website. A Former rider pass costs £30 plus a fee of £5 and the information given is that free admission is only available when accompanied by a full-paying adult. It is disingenuous to call that person a 'guest'. They are a pre-requisite of the discount 'offer' more akin to a voucher code or 'money off coupon' in human form. Frankly I would not be 'President' of any club that treats it's members in such a fashion when negotiating with other parties. It's degrading.

So ... the WSRA terms. Are they reasonable ? Or even sensible at all. Does it not seem a little odd to say that an ex-rider must be accompanied my a full paying adult to gain free entry. Why is he not allowed the human dignity of attending alone ? Or is it acceptable for this 'deal' to treat him as someone in need of a 'carer' ?

Which is exactly what PC says in the article. In fact nothing that has been said here seems to contradict anything said in the article. So just to be clear. Is there anything in the article, or the quotes from Peter Collins, that is/are untrue?

Why wait for a full week at least for that. They can post their side if the story right here. And we would all be put right, straight away. Rather than wait and just allow public opinion to solidify against them. As it surely will. Edit ... Clearly there has been an unofficial reply posted. Not sure it is the same 'story' as would be provided by the promotion. One would hope it wasn't.

PC says in the article that he gave Taffy one of the passes he did get from the promotion for this season. The sad thing is just how petty minded people can be. We are just talking about the cost of admission for only a few people. It's all so low rent. And for some reason Speedway Promoters seem to be THE most pettyminded low rent folk around. Strange isn't it ?

I am completely fine with the 'amount of movement' that has occurred in the vast majority starts I have seen over the last twenty or thity years since the tape touching rules were brought in. I see no reason to do anything about them at all. Only a very few of those that have been stopped actually needed to be brought back due to an obvious mess up in control by Start Marshall or referee. Their role is key. The rest, in fact most, that have been stopped, and restarted - with or without warnings - were absolutely fine for me. They should have been let run. Generally, I just dont have a problem with the starts of the last many years. From before this recent change of attitude by refs and 'tampering' with the rules on warnings etc started. EXCEPT referees now stopping them at all the bloody time. That IS the problem. Not the riders or the start.

I'm getting a little fed up with all this obsession with anticipating the start. Perhaps BSI can employ a sniper. If getting a flyer is so much of a problem for some here. And the stoppage causes too much pain as well. Let's take them out. And be done with it.

Any such person would have to be appointed by, paid by and report to those very same promoters. With their myriad of manifest personality disorders. How would that change anything ?

That is not true. It is only an opinion of yours when a soluton has been offered and you have ignored it Or just don't like it. My answer was stated on the first page. No exclusions, warnings or stoppages if no one touches the tapes. The race just runs. A Very Workable Solution. And better than what we have today. (in my opinion).

Whether these fixtures are meaningless or not, is a matter of opinion, for any of us. And we, here, are free to express it publicly. However for a licenced promoter to believe it is very revealing. Of their bizarre mentality, if nothing else. But for the same person, in that position, to express it publicly. That could be seen as 'Bringing the Sport into Disrepute. People have been fined or banned for less. .

These ill tempered press releases on the part of promoters are becoming tiresomely commonplace. Have they no professional or personal dignity? The winter really cannot come quick enough for us all to get some respite.

Absolutely spot on. The 'grading system' would be utterly futile. The only sensible sytem is to use averages without bonuses for team building with a ponts limit of 42 points for seven man teams over 15 heats. The match point system currently operating, with a minor tweek, would then sustain interest in matches and reward away teams who keep the scores close. No Joker rides needed. If people want simple. That is not complicated.

I imagine it is still at Canterbury Museum, Christchurch. It was on show there for some time before it was purchased by the Museum about a year or so ago.

He may well have been. But totally erroneously. Your meticulously researched stats showed that in the two year periods compared. That the old tac sub and the TR resulted in identical proportions of 'false results', as orion calls them.

The full results are available on the auctioneers website at bonhams.com From a quick glance it looks as if the bikes all went for the ballpark of their auction estimates. Top price being £18400 for the 1972 World Final machine. Some bigger than expected prices seem to have been paid for the personal items like his helmets and kit. I trust they all went to good homes where they will be greatly appreciated. And that the Maugers are able to put the money realised to good use for Ivan, and for all the family. Every penny is richly deserved.

Both good reasons for it. The 'warning system' seems to have been ineffective in curtailing it. Possibly having the reverse effect, it gives everyone a 'life' that they can afford to lose. And the impact is to spoil the opening races of SGPs, just when you dont want it to happen. And the atmosphere on TV and in the stadium is dampened considerably. It has been a poor rule change.

I have already stated my position that I would stick to tape touching alone as the excludable offence. But I was just wondering what people think has been the result of the 'warning system' as used in the GPs. Has it produced any discernable improvement ? My view is that it has made matters worse. I have no stats available but my feeling is that there have been MORE starts called back since it has been introduced not less. With all the resulttant delays being greater. If this is true I ponder upon the reasons ... It 'feels' as this is more often in the early heats of a GP not later (I have no proof). Which makes one wonder if the warning gives cetain riders a 'psycological push' towards taking that gamble early on. When they havefour more starts to come. The odds look good on taking the risk. This has made several GPs very stop-start at the beginning and ruined the atmosphere leaving everyone cold and frustrated. In addition, as warnings HAVE to be given to riders now by the refs they have a onus to stop every race wher it happens to issue the penalty. EVEN when the offender messed up his own start and the ref could have 'played the advantage' of letting that race run. And therby we have to suffer the extra delays. Whatever, the whole thing of unsatisfactory starts being called back all the bloody time its getting right on my t!ts.

If you dont touch the tapes. Then the race just carries on, no exclusions. Getting a 'flyer' is fine. You just made a damn good start.

Sounds like Belle Vue only deserve praise. Speedway needs to make every effort to get meetings on. And when you have the facilty of the standard of the NSS. Then miracles can happen with a little work Pretty shameful for people to jump in with nasty comments on this occasion. Save them for those that derserve it. Norfolk way.

Good news indeed. Thank goodness that the relationship as been repaired, bearing in mind how things were this time last year.

Like you, I really do hope that BT are not swayed by that one fixture - or two if we include the redundant second leg to come. But the deceit implicit in blundering on with a promotion and relegation fiction in Speedway in this manner is so symptomatic of the lobotomised head of British Speedway. As further illustrated well by your Torun encounter. It is difficult to hold out much hope when I hear such stories. And meet the grim reality face to face. I imagine the contrast for you, when enjoying the wonder of the SGP at Torun on Saturday, was even more stark.

And here was me crediting you with a smidgen more intelligence. But if that is how you feel about a totally different state of affaiirs In a different sport. Then, fill your boots.

I wonder just how detrimental last night's embarrasing farce at Sheffield may turn out to be. Last week the Premiership Play offs gave BT and the veiwing audience a sight of British Speedway at it's best. It was the best advert in the shop window the sport could have had to end this god-awful season. And showed just why the play offs are specifically designed to be the FINALE. Out with a bang But last night just showed so much that is wrong with the product that is served up by this current bunch of dimwit promoters. Polishing a turd in public. I imagine that in most people's eyes at BTsport and beyond we have just snatched (huge) defeat from the jaws of (possibly very small) victory.

A Championship winning team could usually be expected to finish their season on a real high. ... or some bright spark could come up with this daft idea. To end with a damp squib. Real brain boxes those promoters aren't they?