Grand Central

I don't know. Perhaps noone. Perhaps a thousand, ten thousand or even one million. But at least Chris has got the recognition of one extra listener.

It's going be an up-hill task to make Tai into a household name. Chris Evans, the most-listened-to radio host in the UK, can't even rely on his own listeners remembering HIS name. .

No. These are the FIM Standards that apply to those tracks wanting an FIM TRACK RACING LICENCE only. Not the regulations that apply to all other Speedway tracks in the world.

Well, no. When making such a comment it may have been better to read the item yourself.. The first section makes it plain that the regulations quoted are for standards required for obtaining an FIM Track Racing Licence. My personal opinion, for what it is worth, is that I am completely in favour of APDs for all tracks. But I am concerned that at some tracks they have been fitted in front of hideously dangerous obstacles. And that at some venues they are woefully poorly anchored at the bottom so that they are easily pushed out of the way in a multiple impact collision. Seeing a rider slam into the unprotected obstacles lurking behind an inadequately anchored air fence that has 'bounced' out of the way is horrific.

Hougaard Racing Fans NO BRAINER. Sounds just about spot on

Getting back to the issue at hand. Speedway on Sky in 2014. Terry Russell is the guy to do the negotiating for British Speedway. And Barney Francis at Sky is the only chap there to do business with in Isleworth. So, is anything going to change to make Mr Francis speak to Mr Russell? We are all quite bouyant about the play-offs (so far), but has Mr Francis even noticed them? Is TR even one-percent better placed to get Barney to accept his call; or is everyone wasting their hopes? Philip Rising spent most of the last winter maintaining our hopes that Sky would take up the calls from Paul Bellamy and talk Turkey about a new deal for the SGPs. It never happened; and really, we now know that it was never going to happen. When Sky have had enough they don't phone to say goodbye. They just disappear. Has that point not already been reached with the Elite League? In two weeks time the Sky boys will say their farewells. And that will be it. Forever.

In a war between BSI/SGP/FIM and One Sport/SEC/UEM. Which side is one supposed to take? It sounds like the dilemma of the bare-footed man. Should he step in the pile of steaming horse-muck? Or should he tread straight into the freshly laid cow-pat? Whatever the choice. The stink is much-the-same.

Why can't all Speedway be like this? Because these are the play-off semi finals. The culmination of the season. Surely it's just as simple as that.

At least anyone who took the 13/8 on the Brummies last week still got a better deal than the current 6/4. It's the wasted money on the Robins, for those with a 'guaranteed profit' in mind, that must sting. The Pirates fans cool enough to have kept the faith last week and piled on straight after Blunsdon, as the Bookies wrote them off, that may get the real pay off. Amazingly Poole are now odds-on. .

Perhaps he will be chatting about his Andy Sidaris movies he made for the discerning-gentleman audience. My personal favourite was 'Enemy Gold' which tested Brucy's acting ability to it's fullest extent.

Swindon are at 11/8 and Birmingham at 13/8. So the minute 'guaranteed' profit is so dependant on Poole definitely not pulling anything out on Monday. That seems a big risk for a very small return.

Is this some sort of 'in perpetuity' agreement? Or does it have a term length? Will it still be described as 'handling negotiations' when there is no one left to negotiate with?

They bought Heineken. The can was just coke sized.

This is exemplifies why the original question was justified; and why some of the facetious responses were a little unworthy. There is not just one type of APD just like there was not just one type of wire mesh or one type of board fence. If we are to progress on to find better and more safe alternatives then work on research into the various types needs to be ongoing. Statistics need to be collated and analysed; as do accident reports. To just say air fences are safer that seventies death- trap fences doesn't move us forward. My layman's observations are that there is a wide variation in the performance of different APDs at different track upon different types of impact. Some APD seem to bounce into the air quite freely when hit by a machine and the following fallen rider then disappears under it and smashes into whatever is behind. At other tracks they seem to remain more stable even with multiple impacts and continue to offer protection after the initial hit. Some tracks seem to have attached their APD to a high grade fence that will still 'catch' the rider who goes under the APD whilst others seem to have just hung their's on the lethal-looking Stock Car girders. One of things about H&S is that it needs to be be continually re-evaluated in light of real experience. Just saying 'we bought an air fence in 2005 so we are sorted' is simply not good enough. .

Just to put my two penneth in. I think you are talking at cross purposes. SCB is OK with the run-off series to determine the positions within the top 3. But he feels that the rules only meant for the run-off series to declare the two qualifiers. The other three non qualifiying riders involved in the run-off should then have their positioning determined by the countback procedure NOT by their positions in the run-offs. It would be a bit odd to finish 'third' in the run offs for qualifying place but be lower down the list of non-qualifying reserves But it is SCB's argument that this is what the rules stated should occur. And they didn't. I can see the point SCB is making.

Sadly, this is so, so true.

Oh God it's Ermolenko. 3 hours of Speedway on mute. NOT how I was hoping to spend Saturday night.

We know! That was the whole point of the thread. And was reiterated in my post.

I added Coventry up to five but had forgotten about the couple of matches that Ronnie Moore rode. But you have missed JACK YOUNG. That makes it six for the Bees.

If the criterion is having a World Champion ride for them at ANY time. Wolverhampton, Newcastle and Hull have 4 each, Coventry 5 that sprang to mind Then I make it that Cradley have six Penhall, Gundersen, Pedersen, Hancock, Hamill, and Michanek. Belle Vue are on seven Craven, Fundin, Mauger, Collins, Ermolenko, Crump, Hamill But POOLE have eight that I can think of Hancock, Lee, Havelock, Rickardsson, Crump, Loram, Ermolenko, Holder .

Yes great explanation of lots of points from Arthur Cross. The last couple of paragraphs are particularly resonant to me. I agree entirely that 'us AB' people are very much at home with activities and venues that actually are 'quite C2DE'. Much more than the other way round. It feels like quite a generational thing to me. And there is no doubt Speedway does LOOK 'quite C2DE' in many ways. Lots of which are actually fairly unchangeable. Frankly at our best, with all our bib-and-tucker at the Millennium Stadium we still don't come across as the Ascot-set. And i don't think the sport ever could. But in this world perceptions are often much more powerful than facts.

I agree on all counts. But I've always felt that Knudsen lacked the good fortune to have Frank Ebdon in the box in Katowice in '86 like Sam did in Pocking. Not that he was in a great position to win the meeting but that took any chance away. Hans move in Heat 15 in Poland was every bit as bad as the one that got him excluded in Germany.

Yes, I agree. It is just that the whole population has changed at the same time. All my friends, and me, are the sons and daughters of C1 or C2 parents. Twenty five years later most of those parents are gone and we are dotted all over the country (and world) living completely different lives. Most of us would be classified as B or A. A few if us continue to attend Speedway and I figure our 'improved' status will never have been measured by any statistic connected to the sport. But that's just it some of us ARE doing those things. This year like the last few I have been to Royal Ascot, Henley Regatta, Buckingham Palace Coronation Event, Lords T20 match, several visits to the theatre in London and one Black Tie Open Air Opera.. In addition Cardiff for the GP and several trips to domestic Speedway at 4 venues. I am not 'blowing my own Trumpet' here. Just trying to show that this IS what the world is like. And I don't think I am alone. PS. Iam now skint..

As you say, I would expect Sky to have done that research about their viewers. But have you, or anyone else, any information on the results that it produced? Similarly, I don't think we have by results of studies into the social class of people who do attend meetings. Because, to my knowledge, no studies appear to have been done. I know we many LOOK 'low rent' with our autistic-like obsessions and, for some, lamentable fashion sense. But is there any true information out there or are we just repeating the perceived 'wisdom' without factual basis?

Yes, he was stunning that night especially his win from the back against Bobby Schwartz to get his maximum. In fact, I saw him net brilliant big-track maximums at The Shay and a stonking 18-pointer at Belle Vue earlier in 1985 and thought that could well be his year. But at Odsal, just a few weeks after Long Beach, he could barely win a race except against the ho-hopers when he was well out of the running. Actually he was quite the big disappointment at Odsal that day.