van wolfswinkel

Totally unbiased but would agree with that. Other great racers would have to include Ashby, Wardy.

My bruv in Adelaide was at the South Australian Champs yesterday chatting to North Dakota and Doyley(the winner), both said wouldn't ride for The Robins after fall-outs with Emperor Rosco.

thanks...got a text from my bruv in Adelaide(originally from Swindon) said he was chatting to North Dakota.

Disagree...an extra 3 people attended meetings the following week

Started going to New Cross in 63 the year they closed, then we went to Wimbledon, Ackney, West Am, then Wembley, White City, moved to Swindon in 68, Briggo etc., followed them since then. Should be a track in the capital. Drove past Smallmead, Reading last Monday, sad to see it in that state. Went to IOW the year before it closed. Have a 1963 Speedway Star bought from a car boot sale in Workington about 10 years ago. My bruv in Adelaide has a great collection of hundreds of progs going back to the 50s.

A Merry ChrisMoose to all

Good to see speedway getting a favourable mention on this popular quiz show hosted by Brad Walsh, with 6 million viewers. A woman from Exeter saying she followed the motorcycle sport of speedway, then Brad saying it's great to watch, and The Beast saying full-throttle, no brakes. She mistakenly said it was Britain's second most watched sport(about 30 years out of date), well behind the top 3 of football, horse racing, and rugby now. May attract a few new fans.

All speedway fans in the south of Moonrakerrland(the other side of Warminster and Amesbury) would probably support the Knobs, and Saints, Bournemouth, Yeovil, football clubs.

Don't know when/if they will start building the new Stade de Lite. I drive past it every day, the new homes are springing up fast, wouldn't mind living there myself, preferably with view over track. There was supposed to be a care home in the plans. keef

Saw a couple of races, it was ok with the 8 riders in a heat, but too slow compared to the bigger sweeping speedway tracks. Good crowd, facilities, and presentation, and assume it was held indoors. could be a winter stop-gap for speedway fans in this country.

If he was gay Arse he Bored

For me it was Wimbledon, followed them in the 60s. Although Swindon's Abbey Stadium has a great retro toilet on the back-straight, done out in 60s-style. Coventry has decent facilities.

The crowds visibly dipped at the Abbey after Mr.Adams left.

Only difference between 2009, Swindon lost final(after finishing top), and 2012 Swindon won final(after not finishing top!).

Yep great atmosphere in the 5000 plus Abbey crowd that night, the noisy 500 hundred or so football-style Wolves fans, even though the Robins couldn't pull back the deficit twas a good evening. The 2012 final against Poole couldn't compare with only 2700 there. What happened to the missing 2000 Robins fans! Good article in yesterday's Racing Post, comparing the demise of dog racing to speedway after big crowds for 20 years after the war, the days of trilby hats, Petula Clark in the hit parade, and self-flavoured crisps! The racing is just as good now, but perhaps the stadiums/presentation are still stuck in the 60s/70s. Far too expensive and not VFM nowadays, unless you go to GP at Cardiff.

Mad to have Mads back. About the only sport where you would see 2 team mates from a rival team celebrating, as on the front cover of SS. Imagine Wayne Rooney celebrating with the Chelsea team after scoring the winning goal for them!

You poor soul which rider dumped you? Would Doyley return to Swindon? Cant blame these riders if they earn 10 times more in Poland though.

I prefer to watch team racing at Swindon, but enjoy the Cardiff GP as well(for the comfort, atmosphere and facilities rather than the racing). Obviously more people prefer Cardiff to the league format as the crowds at the 30 tracks(probably less than 25000 per week in total) don't match the 40,000 at the GP.

I started following those orange and black Rangers in 1963 as a 7-year-old living just dahn the road in Nunhead S.E.15. First match against Ackney. Even though New Cross were poor loved watching number 1 Squibbo, my fav Geoff Penniket, and the Reeves Reg and Eddie(sound like 2 gangsters from Bermondsey!). Also went to West Am Hackney and Wimbledon after they closed, Bjorn Knutson was one of my favs, with Sverre Harrfeldt, and Ollie Nygren, Reg Luckhurst and Trevor Hedge at Plough Lane. Remember Wolves Poole(who won the last ever meeting at the frying pan)Newcastle Stoke Sheffield Cradley Heath Middlesboro Long Eaton Exeter Edinburgh Ackney Rayleigh St.Austell...Mauger Silver Kitchen Brian Craven Trigg Monk Gilbertson Wayne Briggs. Barry Briggs rode for Southampton, who also folded that year, at The Pan. From what I remember my now local club Swindon were in the top-tier with Belle Vue, Norwich, The Dons, Oxford, Coventry. Only 3 still in top-tier 51 years on! Also remember the sad death of Peter Craven that year, as I had his rosette on my bedroom wall. Saw Ove Fundin win the World Final at Wembley beating Knutson and Briggo. Nigel Boocock rode. The year of The Beatles and the killing of JFK.

Yes I knew it was back at bloody 5 this morning via a text from bruv in Adelaide! Good news should be decent crowd at the home of speedway, he went to the last GP in Sydney, was about 40,000 there, although over 20,000 had free tickets.

They should stick with the local Purton-flyer, one of the few who really wants to ride for the team. I wouldn' be bothered about having a rider in the GPs as well, Iversen and Wardy were still top 2 of the EL averages, and Zagar was in top 4, and Harris in top 6.Woffy was affected.

It's not English, Australian and Danish. Like to see Hancock, Ward, Woffy, Iversen, Zagar, but will settle for Killer number 1, Kid Morra, Doyley, Steady, Zagar if poss. No Batch for me, couldn't even be bothered to acknowledge the Robins fans(only Gusto did), and hasn't lived up to his GP performances. Killer has scored more than any other GP rider on average in his 2 rounds of 15 and 18. Most importantly hope the new stadium is opened in 2015!

Well done Cov. fully-deserved, surprise win, they wanted it more and gated much better, congratulated a few Midlanders on the way out. At least they didn't throw eggs at the home fans again! Looked like 2 different teams to the last meeting 4 weeks ago. Howarth was excellent. At least Gusto came round to say thank you to the fans(the only one).Hope the Bees win the final now, a mainly English team. Glad we didn't have to stand there and watch the other match as well. Decent crowd over 2000 soon went quiet, very little passing.

Well done to the Blunsdon track staff, the unsung heroes of the sporting world who give up their free time. Hopefully the Robins will progress to the Grand Final for the 2nd. time in 3 years. Hoping for a decent-sized crowd and hearing the Blunsdon Roar. GO ROBINS!!!

Don't think it will be a 29-point trouncing as last time, but Swindon should get into Grand Final against Poole as 2 years ago. Will go 52-40 to the Wiltshire side.