Hamish McRaker

Maybe one match in April might be ok just as a starter, best towards the end though because Pinky & Perky will have more to talk about by then ( by that I mean results and performances in early season), and it isn't a good idea to televise if the "crowds" are freezing their dangly bits off under sleeping bags and blankets.

I don't recall having to send a photo of my genitals when I set up a profile on here, in order to verify my gender. Mind you I forget a lot nowadays.

When is the football World Cup?

German genius? Danish phenomenon? Swedish breathtaker? Australian monstrosity?

I think they'd try to keep it in the family if at all possible

So, it now seems standard journalistic/PR practice to describe any Polish rider as a "Polish sensation". What adjectives should now be adopted to describe riders of other nationalities?

So, it now seems standard journalistic/PR practice to describe any Polish rider as a "Polish sensation". What adjectives should now be adopted to describe riders of other nationalities?

Jake Allen

I wouldn't rule the Barnsley lad out just yet...

The real reason could be frostbite of the goolies. He certainly likes finding unusual ways of harming himself. As they say in that part of the world, "daft as a brush".

I gather that Greg Hancock will be riding in the Scottish second division this year

Will there be more exclusions caused by riders being "conned" by other riders who, sitting a few inches back from the tapes, fake a start. Then there are the ones who move back a bit and creep forwards so they're moving when the tapes rise. So the onus now should be on the refs to hit the button good and early, to minimise those tactics. Their job has been simplified in one respect but I think there should be a back wheel white line.

Correction. The estate agents in question was Horts.

There used to be a good investigative journo who worked on one of the papers (Cov Telegraph) and produced some highly embarrassing information about the activities of Coventry Council when the Ricoh Arena fiasco was in full flow. There was a story that the paper's editor was heavily "leaned on" by bigwigs at CC and the journo had to curtail his investigations or at least their publication. Obviously this is Rugby Council, and such journos are being pushed out of local papers by their corporate owners. There was also I seem to recall a story a few years ago by Private Eye about Framptons (BE's estate agents, by co-incidence), which alleged that a prominent Rugby Borough councillor was rather more closely linked to Framptons than perhaps ought to have been the case, in relation to a house building project in the Borough at the time.

I have just read both the Turley report from the planning application, and the Peter Oakes article in Speedway Star. He (Oakes) wastes no time in bringing Mr Horton's role to attention. Whilst not able to make any direct accusation or inference, the article raises in ones mind the possibility that Mr Horton is acting in collusion with Brandon Estates by providing financial information to Turley, and by running a Coventry team at Leicester, both of these providing substantial planks for Turley and BE to use within their application. Mr Sandhu comes across as someone who, although capable of operating the stock cars company, and perhaps the speedway company prior to Mr Horton taking over, was out of his depth as stadium owner. Hopefully Peter Oakes's report will reach the planning committee. It's just a shame that no local press did anything along the same lines but sadly those days seem to be gone.

Presumably some race-night staffing changes are needed because a number of former staffers can't do the Monday nights.

Maybe the Stock Car people would have better access to finance?

Absolutely right. Plus a ban on non-EU riders doubling up. Good to see that Mr Masters is doing the decent thing now.

When a promoter becomes unpopular with the management group, any opportunity is taken to slap him down. Nicholls is being used and now there is a potentially explosive situation. It would be in the best interests of all, if this decision be reversed otherwise it will grow into a real storm the sport can do without. Any reasonable person would admit that the introduction of this new rule should have been properly planned, meaning from the 2019 season and more equitable in it's scope allowing ALL riders and clubs involved to make decisions. Instead it's been done as a kneejerk reaction, and rushed in for the wrong reasons.

Sure but I doubt if there'd be many contributions to judge by how quiet it's been lately. It's us lot who are keeping it ticking over till something happens to make you lot wake up!

So it sounds like death is the only way of revoking a contract unless a transfer is successfully completed. Brings that movie called The Firm to mind!

So (with apologies to Rye House supporters whose thread this is!) what happens when a rider retires from speedway? Presumably his registration is cancelled, and the contract along with it? But then he subsequently un-retires ( eg David Howe)....does that contract resume as before, or is he free to obtain a new contract and registration with a new club?

What a system! There has to be some control, in a reasonable and legal way, but this seems to be overly one-sided. A good lawyer would tear it to pieces. When a rider signs his first UK club contract, does it really state that the club/promotion has those lasting rights over him?

If a rider ever tries to free himself from this restraint, he could try buying himself out of it, offering say £1 to his "owners" who would presumably reject it and state their price. In such a case, would the arbitration system apply? Or would it have to be adjudicated by a different court? Would this be a possible way of rendering the asset system defunct?

Ty Proctor likes to help out in the pits, so is probably a good team man. Think his shoulder/neck injury was a problem for a long time, that kind of thing often takes a long time to get resolved and its something that adversely affects speedway riders with the physical demands the bikes put on those areas of the body.