Steve Shovlar

Well hopefully tomorrow Tony Rickardsson will become the 2005 Speedway World Champion, making Jason Crumps reign as champion one of the shortest on record. TRick has dominated the GP series this year and left the rest looking like abunch of no hopers. Well done TRick. The best speedway rider in the world. Ever.

Absolutely nothing there to pass. Gate and go. Hope it picks up but there is no grip at all.

SSSSSSLLLLLLIIICKKKKK!

Did you see the TV coverage of the Norris/Rickardsson incident? Norris clearly, ahbsolutely, took away Rickardsson's leg. NO Ifs, buts or maybes. Did TRick make the most of it? Yes of course he did! But Norris made contact, he admitted he made contact and no matter how you look at it, if a rider makes contact the the opponent falls, then the rider who made contact is excluded. In an interview straight after the incident, Norris was upset, but when shown the replay, said, "well fair enough I did touch him". There are so many hoping and praying for Tony to fail in some way or another, but it ain't going to happen just yet. His legal dispatch of young pretender Hampel shows he still means business.

Rickardsson did absolutely nothing wrong. He just gave a bit back to what Hampel was doing to him. Hampel was leaning all over him and he decided Hampel wasn't going to get away with it, so gave him a nudge back. Fair play to Trick. All four back the correct decision. As for the Holta exclusion, well the ref was clearly wrong. Should have been a simple decision of all four back in that one.

KK, Bjarne, Lindback, Zagar, Walasek, Kennet and Chrzranowski. Be virtually guarenteed a top two place with that lineup.

Walasek as one of Poole's reserves next year!

£22 is a bargain. Go watch Swindon Town FC and you will pay £23 for the priveledge and cheapest ticket.

Stead and Harris V Bjarne and Nicki. boys against men. Reserves against number ones. Just rotten luck our main guys seem to get themselves injured at the worst possoble time. Still, I will be there cheering on Team GB, whether we quaify or not.

Terrible luck yet again for Middlo and the boys. Every year we seem to have the same problem. Well I reckon 2nd is the best we are going to do and hope Mark is fit for the run off next thursday.

Mark is out of the WTC at swindon. Stead is taking his place on Sunday.

Hope everyone is planning to make the trip to Blunsdon on Sunday. Team GB need our support, and I for one will be going along with my Union Jack T shirt on to cheer on the lads. We have it touogh against Denmark, with Bjarne, Hans, Nicki and Charlie. Hope I don't see any Swindon fans cheering on Gjedde. ( as I will not be cheering on Bjarne) This is country not team. Come on Team GB, lets show the doubters we can do it and go straight through to the final! UP THE BRITS!

Why change your name to Eastie from Kylmo? We all know you as that so just because you changed your email doesn't mean you have to change your handle.

The riders I listed are all greats of the sport. But IMO Rickardsson is the greatest of the great, and this time next year, when he will probably be on target for a record seven world titles, we shall all know this to be true. Tony also rides on GM's, and Penske do not make speedway engines. The company itself released a statement to the press a few months ago distancing themselves from what their workers were doing in their spare time. Doubt they are doing it for nothing but this work has nothing to do with Penske itself. As for Poole, well league titles and cups don't lie. The third year in a row at the top and there is a reason for this that other clubs have clicked onto. Yet. And have you ever heard the George Orwell saying, "all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others?". Well tonys engines are equal, but with Andersen spending abit longer on them, they can be tweaked that bit further. You pay for it, it will be done, as long as its inside the rules.

Sorry Bernie no on no and no. Penske have NOTHING to do with TRicks engines. brian Andersen does them, as he does a lot of other riders as well. I would however say there is a pecking order. The more you pay Andersen the longer he will work on your engines to get the best out of them. Penske, the company itself, have nothing to do with speedway. Some of the workers at Penske work in their spare time to bild TRicks frames. Not the company itself. As for finsing the GP series boring this year, well you should blame every other ride except TRick. It's their fault they are lagging behind. Why should TRick not continue to dominate if they haven't go their acts together? The same at the moment goes for elite league speedway. Poole have dominated over recent seasons because no other team have got their act together to bring their standards up to Pooles. The engines are all 500cc. You could do a test on Tonys and I bet £1000 they are within the limits. The guy is the worlds best ever speedway rider. Better than any rider that has ridden a bike before, and IMO that includes Mauger, Neilsen, Gundersen, Briggs, Olsen, Michenek, Fundin et al. In 20 years time youo can look back and say I remember Rickardsson, and these upstarts are not a patch on him etc etc etc.( and by then you will probably look back at his dominance and realise just what a star the guy is)

What an excellent post Cappy. I apaud you in your honesty and praise of Tony. I know that Tonys win tonight is probably the most unpopular result for any non Tony fan, but he has set the bar and everyone else is fally below it at the moment. No good waiting for him to have an off night. It will happen but won't help anyone as Tony would have disappeared over the horizon by then, if he hasn't already. better to step back, re-assess the situation, see where improvements can be made, and start all over again. There are so many areas to look at. Personal fitness and belief, engines, equipement you are completely happy with, your mechanics, the list goes on and on. And of course even if you can tick those boxes, Tony has so much natural ability he could affod to team ride Lindback hoe in the semi to make sure Crump didn't make a last lap charge, making sure he defended second. The only good news for non Tony fans is the fact that he is 34 years old, and nearing the end of his illustrious career. A couple of seasons and it will be all over, and he will leave a huge whole in the GP series, So rather than moan or crurse that Tony has won again, embrace it and know that when you supported speedway you were there when the best rider the sport has ever produced won his record breaking 7th title.

What's the point? Tony would win that as well! I think riders should get points for the semi. 3-2-1-0, which add to their scores, and give them something for making the semi if they bow out there.

I was certainly here cheering them on, both lets be honest both are not good enough to really compete and make silly mistakes with over riding. Sad that Lee went out when he had every chance of making the semi though. Not a Sullivan fan ( only when he rides for Poole), but I am a Lindback fan and also Bjarne to a lesser extent ( who had a nightmare). I was hoping for a one two in the final but a one three is good enough! Lets face it. Its just great being a Poole fan at the moment. Young Lindback, showing riders of more experience just how to do it. And long may it continue! And Crump, sinking faster than Belle Vue's season. Off for a drink to celebrate. UP THE PIRATES!

Totally disagree. This year it's absolutely fantastic. The racing has been brilliant, Lindback is breaking through big style, the old guard are fading, and best of all TRick is going to equal Maugers record and next year beat it. Crump is now a lame duck champion and was never at the races. TRick would have won every single GP if it wasn't for Pedersens move on Bjarne. Great stuff tonight and Poole fans are happy as Larry.

Crump can you hear me? Get the trophy and give it to Tony. Now. And the new generation are coming through. I thought Lindback would need a couple more years but already he is challenging and making finals. This youngster will dominate the sport in the next few years. What a night to be a Pirate!!

tony!!!!!!! LINDBACK!!!!!!!!!!!! What a fantasic GP. well done to the man, and a bigger well done to Antonio, his send final and first podium. The first of many many finals for the youngster!!! Off to open a boootle of Chmpers. Time to celebrate a brilliant night for TRick fans and Poole lad Antonio!!!!!!!!

What a fantastic bit of team riding from the two riders. The young pretender with the best looking after him. TRick is so damn good. Kept Lindback in front to defend second. If he had gone past Lindback might have been open to attack. TRICK, YOU ARE THE MASTER OF SPEEDWAY.

YYYYYEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSS!

Much harder semi. Semi one looks like Pedersen and Hancock. Semi two could be two of 4.