Roger Jacobs

Even if it's only one day a week, it still needs to be funded - and a CEO won't be on minimum wage.

Whoops! Splendid mixup between 84 and 98

Only for team building purposes.

Sometimes the same team completes that starts. In 1994 the same 6 Witches swept to the title. There was an "agreement" between promoters that if a team stayed the same it could be kept for the following season - but the dominance of the Witches meant that the other promoters hastily forgot that ...

Apparently Linda Lovelace's dentist said that she had the best set of teeth he'd ever come across.

I wonder how many Ukrainians consider the Witches "their" team - or even know there is speedway? When Gollob and other Poles rode, there was no big interest from the Polish community in the town. I think it's possible that there will be a negative reaction overall from people who are vociferous about the war ...

It was confirmed to me by an email from BSPL office (very helpful with general queries).

Rew starts at reserve. Hume’s Green Sheet is higher - the Brit discount is only for team building purposes.

The Star and EADT haven't employed journalists for a long, long time - the standard of writing has reduced dramatically, and most articles are simply reports of something that's happened - often from Tweets, etc. - with no observation, analysis or opinion. Look at this for a prime example of meaningless, hilarious drivel (Tuesday, 14 Feb): https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/23319268.suffolk-heater-fail-leaves-audi-driver-without-100-000-car/

I thought he was suffering with long Covid and has to pace himself through the season?

Indeed, it’s *easier* to see who appears to have the most fans - although ask a number of people and you’ll get a number of varying estimates. However, the post said Carl Johnson reckons Peterborough sell the most season tickets - that’s impossible to verify, unless the clubs actually release details.

Impossible to say what that means, given that such info remains top secret throughout the sport. Johnson, Sunak, Raab, Zahawi, etc. would be delighted at the openness and transparency of the BSPA/L.

News always seem to elude the fans. Hopefully any announcement will allude to some specific info :)

They don't pay £20+ to watch a match in Poland. The big money is all from nouveau riche business people with successful businesses and money to burn.

Sorry, I misunderstood what you were asking. I agree with you too - the ACU is aligned with the FIM and is the governing body for motorcycle racing in the UK.

A page or two back ...

“… still regarded as Russian by the FIM …”

What has happened in previous seasons is irrelevant, because as we know the Regs are fiddled with every winter. Even so, I think the version of Reg 12.02 in the 2022 set was rehashed from before, because of the previous problems and other changes, e.g. the Transfer Window, etc. Every time the BSPA & SCB make a cock-up with the Regs, they patch them up, but don't seem to conduct a thorough review. Any idiot can see that "proven long term injury" is a hopelessly vague statement (any idiot except the BSPA and the SCB). The point is that Belle Vue didn't make a tactical change, it was made because their #1 rider was absent with a proven long term injury - what ever period was set as a precedent (possibly based on Jake Allen's and Erik Riss's absences), and was completely within the 2022 Regs.

It took a solicitor because the BSPA and SCB originally approved a poorly worded Regulation, yet refused to interpret it, even though precedents were set with previously approved changes - that's the only taint. People are wrong to question the necessary change made by Belle Vue - they should question the continued poor quality Regulations, and the BSPA's & SCB's inability to use them (nobody even knew the clearly written Regulation for tied teams in the Pairs - including the Sheffield team manager!). If Sheffield had beaten a Belle Vue team that was using a random guest or R/R, then their win would have been tainted, as have previous wins against weakened opposition. As it is, Sheffield's defeat was tainted by Holder's miserable failure at Belle Vue.

Yes there was, as per the wording in Regulation 12.02 which I have posted. It's quite clear - even if the term "proven long term injury" is vague. Also, it isn't a Belle Vue only rule, because as previously stated (do you read replies?), both Sheffield and Ipswich took advantage of that Regulation - and neither of the injured riders were out of acton for a significant length of time - both returning in the Championship, but for some reason neither required by the Tigers or the Witches (except Riss was eventually reinstated to the Witches line-up when they realised he would need to be in the final 1-7 so that they could use him in 2023).

Except that it wasn't.

"A Premiership Transfer Window opens after 25% of the League fixtures are complete and closes when 75% of League fixtures are complete. This permits changes to the team on 2 occasions, except for proven long term injury."

First Brit to stand on the Individual World Final rostrum (1975) since Peter Craven (1962). Join "Speedway Friends" on Facebook - that's the ideal place to post photos and chat about the past

Max Fricke was injured! Why do the whingers keep making it sound as though BV made a tactical change? They had suffered in the play-offs before when losing a rider, and this time they were able to bring in a replacement, within the Regulations. Of course, no-one would batted an eyelid if the Aces had been forced to use a guest or R/R and Sheffield had waltzed to victory ... "Unlucky Aces, play-offs injury curse strikes again", etc. As it was, the Regulations allowed the change because of the specific circumstances of Fricke's absence. In reality, Sheffield lost because of Holder's awful performance (and, to a lesser extent, Howarth's erratic riding) at Belle Vue. But that's speedway.

The article in the Speedway Star mentioned transfer windows - it made no mention at all of the Regulation containing the Long Term Injury statement.