Jonimac

I have to say that we (2 adults and 3 kids) had a fantastic day out. Tickets were very reasonably priced, the weather was great, Cardiff is a great place to visit for any age, the kids loved the intro with a closed roof, flashing lights and the massive trophy. And crucially getting away afterwards was really easy (we parked east of the city centre). From a speedway perspective, I thought was telling we got through the program so quickly. The track held up really well, so smooth racing and no ruts. Admittedly it became obvious that the Yellow helmet was a guaranteed no win, but I would be willing to bet that if you asked the riders, they would take that surface all over again as they could confidently throw the bike into the corner without worry about holes. And if you were someone like Kildemand (a definite GP rider ), gate 4 was still worth giving a go. All the riders played their part, with a special shout to Tai, Greg, Holder and Pedersen. 4 World Champions who, in their own way, really got the crowd going. Whoever wrote that the atmosphere was flat - the only time I've experienced better was at White City in 1977, with Peter Collins blasting round the outside !. With the roof closed, it kept in the noise, cheering, smell and the darkness helped with the sheer spectacle of it. My 3 highlights (1) Tai's last to first (2) Craig Cook holding off Hancock (3) Nicki Pedersen playing the villain - we do need him, whether we like it or not Only low point - the final race, which was a bit processional. I really like NKI but he contributed little to the meeting (overtook Pedersen perhaps?) but gated and was away. And well done Tai for the wheelies. He is the main draw and focus for the event, was probably more disappointed than anyone with the last heat, and I doubt it bothered any of the rostrum riders.

2 points (1) Well done Peterborough. Deserved their victory and the Tigers rode their luck till heat 15. (2) Is that typical of racing there? The track was appalling, virtually no passing, and quite the opposite of what was described as "a great advert for Premier League speedway" . Doctored, poorly prepared or just the norm ?

Is anyone always right ? No Should people's opinions be respected ? Surely Yes? We are talking about speedway here ! A few on this forum do not subscribe to that view, which for me immediately lessons the impact of the sometimes very good points they make. As for sharing information, I would imagine as a journalist you have must be very choosy as to what you pass on

Although I agree with your point about Cardiff, I'm sorry but the rest of that is just offensive. I may not agree with people's point of view occasionally, but to get a contribution from someone who has more inside information than you and I will ever have, is something that needs to be respected - along with everybody else's views on here.

I thought Greg's statement was simply the World Champion giving us a glimpse of how Pedersen is viewed in the pits. Surely in any high speed sport there is an element of trust in your opponent in order to prevent needless collisions ?

Just describing how it looked as Greg tried to race the outside line, NP on the inside, and he simply left him no where to go except the fence. That is certainly how it looked to me. I would analyse some more of Niki's scraps but I fear the season might be over by the time I finished.

It is not a fact, it is your opinion. Can you point towards any rider supporting Niki in the media this morning?

Oh right, so are yo It's not facts, it;s just your opinion. Thanks for the assessment of my post btw. And look up Rant in the dictionary too Have a look at twitter to see what the professionals are saying about it.

I don't think I've read may observations on this thread that aren't clouded by personal opinions of the riders involved. I recognised that in myself as I watched it last night, and fell about laughing. I think they call it Karma. It looked to me (i.e. none of this "FACT" spouting nonsense, just an opinion ) from the 3 views I've seen that Niki did fence him. Or at the very least give him no room as he tried to pass between Niki and the fence. I also agree that Sundstrom's antics last week were worse but perhaps because he is a bit less practiced at it than Niki. As for Pedersen being potentially injured by Greg, I'm not sure how a 45 year old man jumping over your handlebars competes with being ditched into a fence at the end of the corner where the air fence runs out.

Well done Edinburgh. Quite a comeback from Friday. Only followed it online as I couldn't attend. Did the monarchs really raise their game? Or was ours left in Edinburgh on Friday night ? Even prior to today, there have been warning signs that problems need addressing. Shame we couldn't find out who this new rider is. With these sort of results, it better be Darcy Ward ! And what was Cook up to after heat 13. Did he really attempt a headbutt on Lawson?

Just watched it tonight. I agree that speedway was the loser. Let's face it, as Chris Louis was hinting at, the team trailing will always try to get the meeting stopped. Pointless complaining about Poole winning. Coventry would have been straight out to the gate at heat 10 if they were in the lead.

Well done Newcastle but a very poor result for the Tigers. The new owners have every right to be asking questions of some performances. Was Kozza Smith really a heat leader ? Is Lawson really an Elite League heat leader ? Shame Sargeant isn't available as I'm wondering if he would have been as effective as Rose tonight. I suppose it's a good wake up call that you can't buy success, but if the owners are serious about league titles, one or two riders need motivating pretty quickly.Again, well done to the Diamonds for a very gutsy win.

Was there more people at Ashfield last Tuesday? Finnish disinterest or post-Polish GP effect?

This isn't a serious question, is it?

I am intrigued by Polish Law. Apparently in compensation, they are requesting that "slag adequately atone" They also states that there is legal precedent, as "Holder was rubbish, and he rides that terrible Poole track all the time". They further added that Ole Olsen will play the next Bond villain. [this paragraph may not be true]

E I Addio A really good post, simply sticking to the facts. Of which there are not many at the moment. Having ploughed through all the pages of this thread, much of which reminds me of being down the pub with my mates and having having a good rant after at least 5 pints - plenty of emotional opinions but not a lot of clear facts. Don't get me wrong. I like that, and think that is one of the plus points of the forum, where you can let off a bit of steam, and talk about your favourite sport. However, as far as I can see, the facts are (1) The riders went into a room for a meeting. (2) The FIM Jury called the result after heat 12 due to track conditions. As the FIM jury didnt actually ride the tracks for 12 heats, I think you can reasonably infer that the riders have given them their opinion on it's safety. Safety is not just about looking at what has happened over the previous 12 heats. It is about what potentially might happen over the remaining heats. I accept that the TV pictures suggested it was reasonable, as did the commentators. You can ignore rider interviews (which seemed to be played on the stadium PA system too), as they would have to be very careful about talking openly about safety on a temporary track. If the riders have insisted it is not safe, then surely as speedway fans we should accept this? I imagine this acceptance would get more and more difficult depending on how much you have shelled out to get there from the UK or USA ! Personally, I get Eurosport free with my Sky subscription, and I had to walk from the fridge, wih my beer in my hand, all the way to the sofa to watch it. If I could hope for one thing, it is that this is a turning point for the GP. If you want to be ambitious about bringing the sport into eyecatching venues, then the track has to be made to catch the eye ! Unless it is weather related, no excuses should now be acceptable.

Shame about last night. Hero to zero in 3 hours. A massive crowd in an impressive stadium, Greg H suggesting that this was the closest he would get to Wembley in his career (ie the longest of any of them) . Eurosport offering their informed, enthusiastic coverage which disentegrated into waffling by the end. Speedway is trying very hard to make an impact, for which the organisers should be congratulated. Yes, it brings in the cash but it takes plenty just to put these meetings on. However it would seem not enough of the budget is being spent on track preparation. I would love to ask the eventual "winner" why he chose not to practice. If it is an unsurmountable task to prepare a temporary racing surface to the safety (and racing) standard required, then the GP series will wither and die, as sponsors and spectators lose interest. Only good race of the night for me was when Kelvin referred to Gollob beating Nilsson years ago, and I watched it on Youtube while I awaited the farce to finish. Safety is paramount, so if Greg Hancock says it's not acceptable, that should be good enough for any speedway fan to acknowledge. This is not a time for hysterical reactions (and that other nonsense about flags, Poole, etc) but an assured response that this will not happen again. This requires explanation as to how they will acheive this. If we expect the authorities to be explicit in their details, the least we can do is a considered and measured response to the plans. Not a Pavlovian dismissal from the armchair experts.

Frankly it wouldn't work as most people on here would be whinging about Matt Ford using Ryder replacement.

I watched the edited highlights at 1030 last night. I suppose King Lynn last week gave me unrealistic expectations. I found myself questioning what two 2nd division riders were doing in the final, but genuinely couldnt think of who might replace them. "Seven times British Champion" Scott Nicholls was the only one who came to mind. In fact, whoever they put in would seem to be a bit like the reserve system in the Elite league this year, just building up their confidence and experience. Why Simon Stead then ? Perhaps because he rode there in 2008? I dont think the big fast continental track is an excuse. Kings Lynn,where they won last week, is only 6m shorter than Bydgoszcz but the track record, according to what I have read, is 2.5 secs quicker. What was obvious from last night is that Woofie aside, not one of the team made the first corner even close to the lead. Is that down to inferior equipment and lack of confidence stemming from unfamiliarity with the racing line? I am pretty sure if it was raced at Birmingham (RIP) then Danny King and Chris Harris would be mixing it up with Pedersen and Hampel

Shame for Kasprzak. Great start to the season and very unfortunate. I expect him to withdraw from the GP now for surgery,

having only come back to the sport a couple of years ago, I dont have the same sentimentality as some about Chris Harris. He is a good bloke- arent 90% of them? But he isnt competitive at this level and every time I watch him in the GP, i just think about what Emil could be doing instead. Turning up with a duff bike in the first heat is just unacceptable from a sport and entertainment point of view. Yes, he saved Coventry last night but perhaps that is his level now?

"Blind because they do not wish to see?" What is the advantage of that ? I just took my son and friends along to watch speedway. Like a few on here, you seem to want to take a debate to an argument within one reply. Funnily enough, one of the best things about our sport is chatting with supporters. You care. I get that. So why not simply tell me what the grading does? I would genuinely like to know . I thought it levelled the track and takes dirt to wherever the driver wishes to place it

I stood with a couple of Wolves supporters at bend 4 ( a long 4 hours home for them !). We didnt see the blue line. inside/outside? Are you suggesting Bob had taken the dirt off the track? Interestingly Wolves won 3 of the 7 heats from heat 9. As I said earlier, Woofy looked great and no home rider could get near him, which suggests a slick, trustworthy line had developed.

Yes, I was there. i witnessed it. But I dont think it was to do with the track preparation or grading. More like home track advantage and a poor showing from Wolves IMVHO. Ask Lewis Blackbird ;-)

Right come on all you speedway experts. What exactly is Bob doing with that tractor that ruins the track? It seemed fine to me. Had walk on it before the meeting. Speaking to an ex rider recently, he reckons with a slick track and dirt on the outside ( as it was last night ) you get more competitive racing because the rider trusts the track more.