moomin man 76

Really happy with the digital subscription I have taken out. I ended up taking out the subscription, as it now appears that none of the supermarkets in Carlisle wish to stock the magazine.

Perhaps but a comparison of the careers of both riders, suggests that Simon Cross achieved to a higher level than Sean Wilson.

If you did some reading into Aki-Ala Rihimaki's back story, you would find it even more remarkable that he has been able to make a comeback to the level that he has achieved.

The phrase 'legend' is banded about all to freely, but in Olle Nygren's case, it is fully deserved for his exploits both on and off the speedway track. RIP Olle.

Another one bites the dust...seems pretty ridiculous to be holding this meeting in the middle of the pandemic, along with the usual nonsense from the Russian authorities with obtaining visas, and the reported eight-thirty two hour border crossings mentioned on this forum. That said, I take my hats off to all the western riders prepared to put up with the above, drive crazy distances from the Russian border to Togliatti, to finish (in all probability) way down the field.

I will be staggered if all the western competitors make it. On a separate note, it feels like a very odd World Final without any Swedish riders.

If it was purely down to personal choice, no FIM meetings in Russia at all. If Russian riders wish to compete, allow them to compete freely outside of Russia as Russians; not some nonsense of not wearing a flag on their race bib.

The Winter Olympics in 2014 in Sochi was the event where it has been proven the Russians ran a state controlled doping programme. The World Cup went ahead as Russia appealed to the Court of Arbitration for sport. The point that I was trying to make is that the WADA sanctions for Togliatti are utterly meaningless. All the crowd will be Russian, while the Russian riders are just as Russian whether you allow them to wear a Russian flag or listen to a Russian anthem. If you are going to use sanctions, you have to follow through with them, or not bother at all. There is absolutely nothing gained from stopping a flag being worn or waved, or an anthem not being played.

You can't script this nonsense. The event is being staged in Russia, will be watched exclusively by Russians and will be won by a Russian, but you can't have a Russian flag flying or a Russian anthem. Wada really 'punishing' a nation that ran a state sponsored doping programme.

I suspect the meeting will either be held with a small crowd in attendance, or it will be scrapped/rearranged for later in the year. The biggest barrier to it being held in June will be any travel restrictions/quarantine period required for any participants, as we are now far beyond the days when all the riders allocated to the meeting will be UK based.

Super bit of research on Mongolian participation in ice speedway. I guess it went the same way, as the proposed introduction of the sport to towns such as Heihe in Northern China (across the Amur River from Blagoveshchensk)?

Query question for those who are more informed than I. What ever happened to ice speedway in Belarus? Prior to the millennium, there were a number of riders on the international scene, such as Oleg Khomich. Were these Russians riding under a license of convenience, or was there proper ice racing in Belarus?

I had a good chuckle today at a couple of Speedway Mail magazines from 1997, which came in the post today. In reviewing the World Team Cup (1997), the article bemoaned the lack of western riders coming through (no changes there), stating that the likes of Serenius and Svensson couldn't go on for ever (Svensson riding in the GPs again this year)... In the review of the World Semi-Finals, it referred to the non-qualifier, Frankie Zorn as 'promising.' Also featured and still riding today were the likes of Aki-Ala Rihimaki and Harold Simon... Ice racers truly do ride on and on...

A full field of sixteen for the Finnish Championship at Kauhajoki on 13th February.

Some pretty big assumptions that these will all be 'future stars' if these are the riders allocated to the top league... I personally can't see the likes of Bickley ever progressing beyond competent Championship performer...

In summary, much ado about nothing. A five year plan to promote British Youth, which they have been forced into due to rider availability, following the Polish restrictions on how many leagues a rider can participate in. Aside from that, seven man teams, blokes riding their bikes round a track four times, with a season start date of 1st May.

May well be needing to ask if he is available on day release...

Absolutely no chance of speedway returning to Blunsden. Never trust anything coming from the mouth of Clarke Osborne. Stadia UK make their money from closing venues and selling them on for redevelopment. Stadia UK have never opened a new venue, in all their years of operation.

Sadly so true. In all honesty, the Russian final is far stronger than the World Championship rounds. I could count on one hand, the number of non-Russians who would be of sufficient standard to compete in the Russian final.

Pretty surprised at the allocation; especially the allocation of only two places to Swedish riders. Unless Aki-Ala Rihimaki fances doing the GP rounds, I'm not sure who in Finland wishes to compete/is capable of competing at GP level.

But at least Castagna gets a GP in his beloved Italy...

Oh dear...hopefully no one will be expecting any entertainment from the meeting. Never seen an interesting meeting yet from Terenzano.

Leitner also rode as the wildcard at the only Austrian Speedway GP at Weiner Neustadt in 1995.

Zorn did indeed look well off the pace...in his final heat, he was taken from behind by Rihimaki, before the latter lost control on the badly rutting 3rd-4th bend. To be honest, Rihimaki probably lost around 4pts from race rustiness...

Some good racing this afternoon in the European Championship, interspersed with long delays for track maintenance. However, with the cancelled GP Qualifier, it will be interesting to see how they determine the non-Russian GP riders. From what I have seen this afternoon, the only riders who can confidently expect a GP place (assuming they wish to compete) are Svensson, Ledstrom and Weber. The others will be there to simply make up the numbers. Haarahiltunen no doubt will get a place if fit to compete...