crescent girl

Absolutely correct. Media coverage is impossible for a Saturday night practice. Back in the day when Bandits were at Berrington (and could run bikes any day, any time) the P&P sessions were on a weekday morning preceding the opening night, with two TV channels and a dozen journalists in attendance. The coverage from the joint (weekday morning) P&P sessions at Brough Park in recent seasons bears this out. They even had Per Jonsson up for local TV on a Tuesday morning as the newly-crowned world champion to advertise an end-of-season individual meeting.

Qualifier will start early. Maybe 6pm. The whole meeting will run through, then be followed by the U16 event. They won't be alternating - it will be one event, then the other. 42 races!

And if Joe agrees to travel from Blackpool every week to race for a Scottish club....

Not watching the live stream organised by MA? Wednesday's viewers were up 50% on Saturday. Friday starts around 8.15am, from Mildura...

And how was it? Worth the investment? Next episode is on Wednesday.

Seen the recent British Championship line-ups?

But will he be allowed Championship rides, as he didn't race there last year? Isn't David in the same situation as Scott Nicholls?

This is one we haven't heard about. Any further information?

Shouldn't Coventry discussions be moved to the NL section now?

Absolutely vital this is recovered. If only to be -- for instance -- given to Ian Paterson.

Let's be realistic. Berwick Bandits have survived a full fifty seasons without winning their Championship-level division. Putting on cheerful entertainment on a Saturday night, and winning the home meetings satisfies 95% of their public, year on year. The other 5% seem to post on here! That rule hasn't been accepted at SCB level yet. They control the rule-book for the actual staging of races. BSPA conference can make requests and even recommendations -- but this won't be the first suggested change we might see quietly dropped. As GP will continue with yellow-card warnings, it becomes awkward and confusing to run races to differing sets of rules.

Eh? Is this the same Nick Morris who finished last season with a higher average than Thorssell, Cook, Bjerre, Andersen, Harris, Fricke, Kurtz, Batchelor or Holder that you're talking about? Only riders higher were Lindgren and Doyle. What part of a No 1 don't you understand? On a different note, what a marvellous accolade for the Somerset promotion to have the club handed the first-ever "Community Club" award by the SWRA trustees. Fully deserved, and ahead of the expectations of clubs such as Glasgow and the Isle of Wight.

Can any of our friends Down Under reveal when the line-up for the Titles will be announced? Would be interesting to know who will (and who won't) be entering.

Wasn't there a season-long BSPA pass offered as a raffle prize (or auction, maybe) at the BenFund Bonanza at King's Lynn in 2016?

Oh dear, ten pages and counting -- I always said Speedway Star was a better read in the close season! Peter Collins was one of the most gifted riders of all time -- in a very, very exclusive 'club' like Ronnie Moore before him and Darcy Ward since. He was almost certainly the prime reason Belle Vue were able to continue in speedway after 1987, and I've always thought his involvement in saving the famous club at that time has been air-brushed a wee bit from their wonderful history. As such, he is entitled to his opinions, and it is better they be aired publicly -- be they right or wrong -- than left as unheard mutterings. Regarding the BV policy, it might have been better to follow the example of Berwick Bandits, where the club announced to the world in 2016 that, excluding guests, every living rider -- whether he was a 15-year legend such as Rob Grant or a wobbler who had only competed in one heat before crashing out -- who had raced as a Bandit since 1968 could, and should apply to the club for a lifetime pass to every meeting at Shielfield. Many have done, and attend matches, often with (paying) friends and family members. A great deal of goodwill has been generated. It isn't rocket science.

While the main point of the current, preferable system is to bring a night's racing to a climax, which is always a desire in any form of entertainment, think on this........ The suggestion that Ivan Mauger might have lost one of his six World Titles (only two of which came from maxima) has to be set against the alternative thought that, if the old 20-heat World Final had been completed by the deciding 'semis and final' Ivan might well have also won in 1966, 1967, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1976 and 1978!

Oh well, at least there are another five months for this one to go round and round. And round and round. Speedway is a combination of sport, entertainment and business. As is all professional sport, even stuff like darts or snooker. To make the business pay, the promoter is required to provide entertainment. Drama. Intrigue. Twenty heats provide plenty of entertainment, with the points being added up as the evening expands to allow progression on the night and (in GPs) the season-long standings. The semis are a sudden-death drama, and the final allows the punters to file out (or switch off after the programme) after watching the show build to a climax. The best rider didn't win? Tough, come back next time and maybe he will. That's called suspense and maintaining interest in the product. Those who want a straight twenty heats, with a winner declared -- perhaps as early as Heat 17 -- will only see the public drifting, or switching, off after the victory is obvious. Which might be OK for amateur sport, but not the business of professional entertainment. So there.

Maybe be a few sore heads on Sunday morning after the dance, but a refreshing breeze at Duns will clear away the cobwebs! See here: After so much hard work and unforeseen hurdles, the Training Academy team can now confirm the opening date of the Grant Henderson Tankers Speedway Training Academy @ Duns MX! This Sunday the 22nd of October at 11am we will launch the first official session at the brand new facility. To book in please call 07730-691897. Plans are in place to run every Sunday (weather permitting) from 11am to 3pm. Prices are as follows, 250cc and 500cc Riders £40 per session, 125cc and under 250cc Riders £35 per session, Under 125cc Juniors £30. Day License’s are also available by request. Membership information will follow in the coming weeks. A Live Facebook information feed from the Berwick Speedway Training Academy Page can be found @ www.berwickbandits.co with all the information you need to book in and be part of something special! All levels are welcomed and guidance and tuition will be on hand at every session and provided by one of our experienced team consisting of Kevin Doolan, Aaron Summers, Scott Courtney, Tamas Sike and Gary Flint. Special guest instructors will make regular appearances at the venue and we will keep you right up to date with that! Training bikes will be available for hire in the very near future but at present we will only be catering for riders with their own equipment. Let’s go Riding! Feel free to check out the Berwick Speedway Training Academy Page for all of the most up to date information.

From Berwick's Facebook page: ITS TIME! After an unbelievable amount of hard work and unforeseen hurdles, the training academy team can now confirm the opening date of the Grant Henderson Tankers Speedway Training Academy @ Duns MX! This Sunday the 22nd of October at 11am we will launch the first official session at the brand new facility. To book in please call 07730691897. Plans are in place to run every Sunday (weather permitting) from 11am to 3pm. Prices are as follows, 250cc and 500cc Riders £40 per session, 125cc and under 250cc Riders £35 per session, Under 125cc Juniors £30. Day License’s are also available by request. Membership information will follow in the coming weeks. A Live Facebook information feed from the Berwick Speedway Training Academy Page can be found @ www.berwickbandits.co with all the information you need to book in and be part of something special! All levels are welcomed and guidance and tuition will be on hand at every session and provided by one of our experienced team consisting of Kevin Doolan, Aaron Summers, Scott Courtney, Tamas Sike and Gary Flint. Special guest instructors will make regular appearances at the venue and we will keep you right up to date with that! Training bikes will be available for hire in the very near future but at present we will only be catering for riders with their own equipment. Let’s go Riding! Feel free to check out the Berwick Speedway Training Academy Page for all of the most up to date information.

Hmmm. An interesting viewpoint. Doesn't mean the poster is right tho. Or wrong.

They were going to hold it on a neutral track, but it was rained off. The crowd would have been great at Somerset, it always is on that night.

Guests for the guests! What an absolute bustard..........

No-one has raced while a promoter since the British League era began in 1965

When thirty heats are decided by a single point. it is the unexpected flash of brilliance that turns the result around. I saw three this week. Liam Carr passing Mark Riss in Heat 2 at Swindon -- who saw that coming? -- David Bellego going from his customary last to second on one bend in Heat 14 last night and Nick Morris coming around the last turn in Heat 13. What a final! For anyone who doesn't agree with the play-off system, well.........

On which subject, l reckon Zmarzlik's left turn on Lebedevs was about the dirtiest move l've seen in years. Really bad.