f-s-p

Extraliiga 6.7.2007 Seinäjoki Kotkat 44 Joni Keskinen 21121 7 Benny Johansson 3333 12 Kalle Lindgren 3332 11 Rene Lehtinen 32333 14 Kopparberg Speedway 36 Mikko Rahko 11 2 Jyri Palomäki 2232 9 Tomi Reima R6^3323 17 Thomas Ljung 121211 8 Paholaiset 29 Petri Koskela 3111 6 Marko Suojanen 11220 6 Appe Mustonen 20 2 Jari Mäkinen 222116^1 15 Jokerit 5 Markku Autio 00002 2 Juho Ruuska 0000 0 Olli Heikkilä 1000 1 Kalle Katajisto 02R00 2 Erä erältä: 1. Koskela, Keskinen, Rahko, Autio 2. Johansson, Palomäki, Suojanen, Ruuska 3. Lindgren, Mustonen, Heikkilä, Reima R 4. Lehtinen, Mäkinen, Ljung, Katajisto 5. Lindgren, Ljung, Suojanen, Autio 6. Reima^, Mäkinen, Keskinen, Heikkilä 7. Johansson, Katajisto, Ljung, Mustonen 8. Reima, Lehtinen, Koskela, Ruuska 9. Lindgren, Mäkinen, Rahko, Ruuska 10. Johansson, Ljung, Koskela, Heikkilä 11. Lehtinen, Palomäki, Mäkinen, Autio 12. Reima, Suojanen, Keskinen, Katajisto 13. Johansson, Reima, Mäkinen, Autio 14. Mäkinen^, Keskinen, Ljung, Ruuska 15. Lehtinen, Suojanen, Ljung, Heikkilä 16. Palomäki, Lindgren, Koskela, Katajisto 17. Reima, Autio, Keskinen, Suojanen 18. Lehtinen, Palomäki, Mäkinen, Katajisto Standings after today: Kopparberg...4 - 138 - 16 Keittiöpiste....3 - 123 - 15 Kotkat..........3 - 121 - 13 Paholaiset.....4 - 111 - 12 Jokerit..........3 - 50 - 8 Haukat..........3 - 19 - 6

Might even go as far as saying that it was a very good meeting today at Lahti! Keittiöpiste 43 Tero Aarnio 33122 11 Juha Mäkelä 230 5 Teemu Lahti 3222 9 Juha Hautamäki 333333 18 Kopparberg Speedway 33 Mikko Rahko 020F 2 Tero Villanen 00 0 Tomi Reima 21212 8 Andreas Lekander 32336^33 23 Paholaiset 31 Petri Koskela 226^10 11 Marko Suojanen 1132 7 Appe Mustonen T121 4 Jari Mäkinen 112221 9 Haukat 8 Kalle Kivistö 1R0 1 Niko Siltaniemi 00101 2 Aarni Heikkilä 0111 3 Janne Nyman 002^00 2 Erä erältä: 1. Aarnio, Koskela, Kivistö, Rahko 65,28 2. Lekander, Mäkelä, Suojanen, Siltaniemi 64,13 3. Lahti, Reima, Mäkinen, Heikkilä 65,35 4. Hautamäki, Lekander, Mäkinen, Nyman 65,55 5. Mäkelä, Rahko, Mustonen, Nyman 68,22 6. Hautamäki, Koskela, Reima, Siltaniemi 65,60 7. Lekander, Lahti, Suojanen, Kivistö R 65,60 8. Aarnio, Mäkinen, Heikkilä, Villanen 66,87 9. Hautamäki, Mustonen, Nyman^, Villanen 66,15 10. Suojanen, Reima, Aarnio, Nyman 66,56 11. Koskela^, Lahti, Siltaniemi, Rahko 67,28 12. Lekander, Mäkinen, Heikkilä, Mäkelä 66,42 13. Hautamäki, Suojanen, Heikkilä, Rahko F 65,29 14. Lekander^, Lahti, Koskela, Nyman 66,60 15. Hautamäki, Mäkinen, Reima, Kivistö 66,31 16. Lekander, Aarnio, Mustonen, Siltaniemi 66,97 17. Hautamäki, Reima, Siltaniemi, Koskela 65,94 18. Lekander, Aarnio, Mäkinen, Heikkilä 66,59 More Finnish news late saturday night, I'm off to a short break.

Sorry about that... They never rode it. Without a doubt the biggest thing in Finnish speedway during the new millenium never happened. It will be staged at Seinäjoki this friday. Also the other meeting ment to be ridden at Vaasa will be at Seinäjoki. Here's the Finnish calendar for the rest of the season as I see it, but dont travel without doublechecking through me... I'm going to Lahti today and probably just have time to post the results, then I'll be offline until saturday when I'm coming back from the U21 final in the evening. July 2...MA...Extraliiga: HAU-KEI-KOP-PAH..Lahti, SsMK 6...PE...spw..Extraliiga: KOP-PAH-JOK-KOT..Seinäjoki, VaMK 7...LA...spw..U21 SM Finaali..Seinäjoki, SeMK 14...LA...spw..Kaupunki Cup: Kauhajoki-LahtiForssa..Kauhajoki, KauhjMK 15...SU...spw..Kaupunki Cup: LahtiForssa-Seinäjoki..? 15...SU...spw..Kaupunki Cup: Pori-Kauhajoki..Pori, PMK 21...LA...spw..Extraliiga: KEI-KOT-HAU-JOK..Kuusankoski, KMMK 22...SU...spw..Extraliiga: KOT-KEI-JOK-PAH..Seinäjoki, SeMK 27...PE...spw..Extraliiga: PAH-KOP-KOT-KEI..Pori, PMK (looks like the meeting of the season! 28...LA...spw..Extraliiga: JOK-PAH-HAU-KOT..Kauhajoki, KauhjMK August 3...PE...spw..Extraliiga: KOP-JOK-KEI-HAU..Seinäjoki, VaMK 4...LA...spw..Pairs SM..Lahti, SsMK 12...SU...spw..Extraliiga: HAU-KOT-KOP-JOK..Lahti, SsMK 18...LA...spw..Seinäjoki Speedway..Seinäjoki, SeMK 19...SU...spw..Extraliiga: KEI-HAU-PAH-KOP Kuusankoski, KMMK

I've been to Cardiff twice, and it look's the same. Around 40k

here.

Didn't know sportowefakty makes mistakes? But their story says it's quoted from corren.se, the source that has made me a nervwreck!

The story has changed again... How come we have been getting the info we have???? Through to semifinal: Damian Balinski (12 poäng) Mikael Max (12), Kenneth Bjerre (12), Fredrik Lindgren (11), Tomasz Gapinski (11), Kaj Laukkanen (11) och Jonas Davidsson (10). Reserv blev finländaren Kauko Nieminen (9). EDIT: And 15 minutes ago sportowefakty has published the results where Nieminen is through ann Laukkanen out?? What really has happened?

Dont know the rules so well, and infact I think they have changed too, but I'd say now that there's NO way like will ride in the semi. If reserve, he might have.

or five? I have been fallowing this for the whole season now, Laukkanen hasn't really beaten any of the "big names" this year. For example he rode against Jensen three times in a Danish league meeting about 3 weeks ago. He was telling me how he did so great´and got 18 points in the end. Well he lost to Jensen every time they met. And now once more, when it really counted.

YIIIIIIIHAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! Balinski won it.

First news in here from Cardiff is that 50k is expected at the Millenium today...

Doesn't it say three HOME riders in the re-run...

"Piratförarna Mikael Max, Damian Balinski och Kenneth Bjerre hamnade alla på 12 poäng i dagens GP-kval. Så nu krävs omkörning om segern. Övriga som är klara för semifinal är Tomasz Gapinski, Jonas Davidsson, Fredrik Lindgren och Jesper B Jensen." Thats it then, Kauko didn't make it

Should be through then... Hometrack advantage???

2nd Kauhajoki Speedway 30.6.2007 Meeting abandoned after heat 16 because of rain. Rene Lehtinen declared winner by a throw of a coin. Rene Lehtinen 3333 12 Joni Keskinen 3333 12 Petri Koskela 3313 10 Markku Autio 2233 10 Kalle Katajisto 1232 8 Aarni Heikkilä 2212 7 Petteri Koivunen 2122 7 Teemu Lahti 132R 6 Tero Aarnio 3F2F 5 Timo Villanen 1211 5 Toni Stenberg 0022 4 Jan-Eric Korkeamäki 0101 2 Heikki Tapani 11FR 2 Esa Yrjölä T101 2 Tero Villanen 2 2 Jere Mattila F010 1 Olli Heikkilä 00R0 0 Erä erältä: 1. Keskinen, Heikkilä, Katajisto, Korkeamäki 63,34 2. Aarnio, Koivunen, Tapani, Mattila F 62,68 3. Koskela, Te.Villanen, Lahti, O.Heikkilä 63,08 4. Lehtinen, Autio, Villanen, Stenberg 62,71 5. Lehtinen, Katajisto, Yrjölä, Aarnio F 63,96 6. Lahti, Villanen, Korkeamäki, Mattila 63,91 7. Keskinen, Autio, Tapani, O.Heikkilä 65,21 8. Koskela, Heikkilä, Koivunen, Stenberg 64,78 9. Katajisto, Stenberg, Mattila, O.Heikkilä R 65,83 10. Autio, Aarnio, Koskela, Korkeamäki 64,70 11. Keskinen, Koivunen, Villanen, Yrjölä 66,50 12. Lehtinen, Lahti, Heikkilä, Tapani F 63,18 13. Koskela, Katajisto, Villanen, Tapani 65,15 14. Lehtinen, Koivunen, Korkeamäki, O.Heikkilä 64,41 15. Keskinen, Stenberg, Lahti R, Aarnio F 70,76 16. Autio, Heikkilä, Yrjölä, Mattila 70,28

Efter fyra omgångar leder Mikael Max med sina 11 poäng närmast före Balinski, Bjerre och Tomasz Gapinski på 9 poäng, Kaj Laukkanen, Jesper B Jensen, Jonas Davidsson och Fredrik Lindgren på 8 och Kauko Nieminen med 7 poäng. De nio slåss just nu om sju platser till en av semifinalerna som går den 7-8 juli. after four heats Max...11 Balinski, Bjerre, Gapinski...9 Laukkanen, Jensen, J.Davidsson, Lindgren 8 Nieminen 7

from here... I paus efter tre omgångar leder Mikael Max med sina 8 poäng närmast före Balinski, Bjerre, Jesper B Jensen som alla har 7 och Tomasz Gapinski, Kauko Nieminen och Fredrik Lindgren på 6 poäng. De sju är just nu de som får en biljett till en av semifinalerna som går den 7-8 juli... After three heats Max...8 Balinski, Bjerre, Jensen...7 Nieminen, Lindgren...6

Thanks but I need more...

Updates from Motala?????

I wonder whats going on with Joonas... At the moment he's riding like Laukkanen, great today and poor the next. I discussed this with someone and a point was made that now that the new avg's are in in Elite league I could expect him to score well again. Same goes for his riding in Sweden, he's been hitting the Laukkanen figures for a month now and even though they've had tight matches he's been allowed to take his four rides anyway with 010 or similar from the first three. Go figure Finland will be slaughtered in Vojens.

This is Eteläpuisto, the former track at Tampere as it is today. Built in 1953 with the aid of the city council and the help of hundreds of volunteers it saw most of the biggest stars until it closed in 1986. A few picutres from the seventies here, here, and here. As Eteläpuisto closed a new track was ready and waiting in Teisko, Kaanaa. Some 50 km north of the city centre. Kaanaa also witnessed Tomasz Gollob winning the Champions cup before riders like Leigh Adams and Gary Havelock. Later in 1995 Jason Crump won the U21 title at Kaanaa. Around that time a track was being built to Nokia in co-operation between Nokian Pyry and Pirkan Moottorimiehet. Nokia had a team in the early fifties and they were riding in "keskuskenttä", an athletics track beside the current Nokia ice hockey arena. They were without a track for almost 50 years until the track at Koukkujärvi opened. It was used for a few years until the to club's had a fallout. It's in no condition to stage a meeting but it's used by a few riders every season still. Kaanaa staged it's last (so far) meeting in 2005. Facilieties at Kaanaa are probably the best of the Finnish tracks. The track itself is crap and the enviroenmental issues are closing the whole motorsport complex in a few years. In Nokia they are starting to build a MX track next to the speedway track. After almost 3 years in court an appeal was rejected by the highest authority and it's now all systems go. The "little green people" were given a fine for 200 € when their appeal was rejected. They did manage to get a statement in to the planning permission that only one race meeting during the season can take place at the are that includes speedway, car racing and now MX. Things might change in a few years, but for now it seems there wont be any speedway staged near the city that ruled the sport between 1960 and 1990. From 4 teams in the Championship league in the eighties Tampere is now down to 2-4 riders depending how you look at it.

We already have a full team riding in the Swedish league, it's just that they all ride in different clubs. Your idea is great though, that's probably why they are currently trying to fix a Finnish team to the Swedish ice racing league for next winter. So far so good on that front, we will see if it really happens.

from one end to the nother... here it goes... Agree with Schumi, F-S-P's coverage of the Finnish scene is so good it often doesn't need any comment but rest assured your excellent updates are well read and appreciated! Thank you, I agree What sort of admission fee do clubs charge for a typical League meeting? 10 €, I think Pori only take 5 or 7 € What are crowd figures like for these meetings? This year league has had 200-300, last year Pori had 1000 since they gave away 6000 free tickets prior to the season start in scholls and such. I'd say this season 200 seems norm, 300 sounds great. Are most of the riders basically amateur's, racing for the love of the sport? Amateurs yes. Juha Hautamäki has just added a "part time rider" in his status on his website. Riders like Palomäki, Reima, Mäkelä?, Aarnio and Hautamäki ride enough during the summer that there might be a small pay in it for them, but surely it distracts them from their working. Then there's riders like Jari who are too young to work (and cant do anything yet) so daddy pays. Every rider in Finland works during the winter. When you go to a meeting in Finland what sort of facilities are there for supporters at the tracks? Do they all have seating area's? Can you buy food and a drink? Do clubs have a track shop selling souvenirs? Do they always issue a programme?? Do they play Finnish Death Metal music between races!! Some play music, some dont. Pori, Seinäjoki, Kauhajoki, Lahti all have good facilieties, including toilets. Usually there are no souvenirs. Finnish programs are seasonal? this year with the scorechart folded in the same package for every meeting. For example the facilities at Kuusankoski are non excistent. Coffee, sausage, soda, candy you can buy at every track. I think only Seinäjoki has the license to sell beer. Is there activity at Finnish tracks which don't stage league mmetings, for instance maybe practice sessions or individual club meetings? Yes, but I dont know when. Haapajärvi was supposed to have a individual meeting early June but they cancelled it because there were not enough riders. They even had a 170 € check for the eventual winner... Big money! And finally any chance of a revival of a League club in Helsinki? At the moment cant see Helsinki ever getting a track. But the club has a very keen speedway promoter in Kalevi Kyyhkynen. He's been paying the points money for the Leijonat-team in the recent years. Unfortunately he wasn't able to take part in the league this year. They can ride their home meetings in Hyvinkää. Here are the Finnish league tracks with GPS coordinates someone has copypasted from online services. If anyone ask's, it wasnt me... Routakallio Routakalliontie, 60280 Seinäjoki Lat: N 62º 44' 42.81" Long: E 22º 54' 39.21" Kauhajoki Sotkantie, 61800 Kauhajoki Lat: N 62º 24' 34.60" Long: E 22º 14' 31.48" Kuusankoski Kuusaantie, 45720 Kuusankoski Lat: N 60º 53' 27.46" Long: E 26º 38' 8.89" Lahti Lakkilantie, 15610 Lahti TRACK PICTURE here!! Lat: N 60º 57' 18.88" Long: E 25º 42' 19.48" Pori Vauhtimontuntie, 28800 Pori Lat: N 61º 33' 46.65" Long: E 21º 33' 38.23" Back to Jari once more... His brother was coming home from Sweden yesterday and sent me an SMS saying how Jari is so great and all that and how well he rode. The usual stuff that anyone will say after a few drinks. But he knows the stuff since he was himself a former rider (never really good) and now he's his #1 sponsor financially. So if he's happy, I think we all should be happy. Hopefully everything goes well in Wittsock. I'm now off to celebrate the midnight sun...

Thats as far as I get with some of the polish one's! One piece of news yet untold is that Team Finland will track the same team in SWC Vojens as it did in the qualifier. So you will see what Tero Aarnio is made of. This was the story from our team manager after Aarnio blew all his engines and finished rock bottom in our national final.

Indeed. At least when I was an ice hockey ref I usually was where it was happening... It would help if the ref in question had a history in riding the bike. Then he'd be able to say how harsh a move actually is. The lineup for the Wittstock meeting is here. We will see if Jari get's any points...