The Pedaler

It appears from the article that the engine was "new" in or around 2009.

Another day closer to the BIG announcement...ohhh, this is like waiting to open your presents at Christmas isn't it?

Just because British and Danish teams are pitifully weak doesn't mean that they aren't entitled to compete, er, or at least to take part. Not that many years ago, "The New Saints FC" (Welsh football champions) took part in football's Champions League, and could have faced Barcelona or Real Madrid. In the end they faced Liverpool, but that's the luck of the draw for you. Similar gulf in class but they were allowed to play. If nothing else, it would be a welcome sight to see Poole's colours lowered by a properly "Elite" team. Might knock some sense into the BSPA to see how lowly British speedway has become.

Another day passes, another day closer to finding out all about this lovely new deal. Isn't this exciting, everybody?

You make the mistake of applying common sense and logic to a scenario that involves the BSPA....BIG mistake.

Woohoo. Only a few more days according to someone in the know...and then we can all know. This will be the week when all will be revealed! Are you all excited children?

For a team to be called "Great Britain" (as opposed to e.g. "A British XV XI VII IV II") does there not have to be official approval from that country's governing body? Does anyone think that a random British twosome can take part thereby implying that they are representing their country (and thereby their governing body), without approval? Well One Sport seem to think so, but what's the betting that the BSPA show them who's boss?

Who says Drury doesn't post in forums?

So WHO exactly are the 16 "Star Names" left in British Speedway? What is the qualification criteria for these "Star Names"?

Last year Birmingham were playing catch-up with the fixtures all season, with matches in hand on everyone until the last few weeks of the season. This year the first 3 EL meetings all involve Birmingham, and two of them are away. If Belle Vue get an away win at Perry Barr, it could prove a disaster, with possibly having a 3-match handicap on the rest of the league before most of the rest have turned a wheel in anger. Best get the sponsors signed up now because if the season has fallen flat before the start of April, and with the likely reluctance of fans to support a team that's languishing, no new sponsors will be tempted later on in the year!

The BSPA has issues with the FIM Europe Best Pairs competition. The BSPA has issues with the FIM Europe SEC competition, promoted by OneSport The BSPA will have issues with the OneSport promoted "World Best Pairs" competition - not only is the promoter of the events (OneSport) common but the BSPA and their "issues" are common too. Presumably any rider taking part in the World Best Pairs event, if missing from an EL or PL meeting can only be replaced by an NL guest, as the BSPA won't allow any "facilities" to cover their absence? Ryan Fisher (USA) Kevin Wolbert (Germany) Kalle Katajisto (Finland) and Jason Doyle (Aus) all in PL action on the March 28th date...

You have to remember that in this country the guy who does the EL fixtures cares not a jot about the FIM calendar. So much so that he programmed his own team to have a home fixture on the "training day" of an FIM event that 3 of his own riders were involved in, a year or two ago. Not sure if it's simply incompetence or arrogance that nothing other than EL matters, or what...

And a tortoise in the garden!

The BSPA considers its leagues to be the most important competitions in the world. Why on earth should they consider cow-towing down to foreigners who want to get in the way of the BRITISH Elite & Premier League? As long as league matches are played, who in the BSPA gives a flying fig about Mickey Mouse competitions run by foreign governing bodies who give the BSPA nothing back for "using their riders" (as the BSPA would think of them)?

Nicki Pedersen is the Dick Dastardly of the SGP Series. He should be made to wear "00" F1, MotoGP, WRC, NASCAR, etc etc are all pretty well run, make loads of money and attract HUGE crowds, are given massive TV coverage and attracts huge interest,.. but as you say speedway doesn't operate like that.

Maybe the Polish Shop around the corner will be the new team sponsor?

Have you tried going into the pits before a meeting and telling one or two of them that?

Has anyone noticed the lack of sponsors on the Brum website? Where's the money coming from to fund the travelling expenses of a pole? Is Skornicki going to be enough to draw in enough crowds to make up for the lost sponsors? Will Philips's nerve and bank account hold out long enough to last a season if the crowds don't come back??

If average admission prices were £10 in the UK, then there would still be the discontented on BSF saying that it was only worth £5 and that admissions should have to be reduced further. If it's any consolation, between a third and half of the speedway going public DO only pay £10, because they are old enough to get concessionary admission. If all admissions were set at £10, should it be a flat-rate £10, applicable to all, or should the take on the gate be reduced even further by even cheaper concessionary rates? Maybe you should write a book on how to attract a younger and a more sustainable crowd to speedway meetings?

Too bad that GoSpeed have the rights to Polish League racing, just to block it from being shown, and deflecting from...well...whatever it is that they seek to protect.

The major flaw with your point is that you are under an impression that speedway actually markets itself. May I ask where? To whom? Who are these great marketeers who are out there promoting this sport? The BSPA? GoSpeed? If you said BSI, I'd stop and rub my chin for a second or two but where do BSI use the "family" as a part of the image that they are fostering?

Are there any i-Pad / i-Phone users who are able to view the videos on the site?

And that is a reason to NOT provide APPS to those who do? Maybe if speedway gets a new deal on television, it should be in the old square screen format, and in black and white only, just to appease those who don't have internet facilities, as they probably don't have HD/3D widescreen TV's either?

That's just it. You need to get out more. Try going to a real speedway match then you won't want to see the whole thing ruined by television. Next thing to appease your craving for televised speedway, you'll have Sam Ermolenko doing a voice-over at the start of the broadcast, saying "this match was filmed before a studio audience". The audience would have to be in a studio because all the old fans will be staying at home under your vision of wall to wall speedway television. what'll be the point of going out when you get it all at home.