The Pedaler

Think not of the cruxifiction. Think of the resurrection.

And the last person to perform miracles on earth was the son of a certain someone too...I know it's that crucifixion time of year just now, but let's not get too carried away with it all.

The whole "fast track" thing is a nonsense. Lee Smart, Benji Compton, Paul Starke, Simon Lambert, Kyle Newman, Daniel Halsey, What's the point? Just need Jon Armstrong to complete the set of seniors in juniors clothing. If fast track is to work then the two reserves should also be the two youngest riders in the team. No more experienced "ringers" like Newman. No more old-timers who are looking to justify their long career in speedway by being able to say to their grandchildren "I was an EL rider in 2014". No more make-weights who can't even cut the mustard at PL level. The concept needs a re-think.

If you come off at J6 and drive into Perry Barr from there, you will get a first hand feel for what was going through Darcy Ward and Chris Holders heads when they made their famous tweets about the city's population. The J7 route is far more pleasant if a mile or two longer. The M6 has just opened up as a "Smart motorway" (it said on telly tonight) so all the traffic hold-ups of old ought to be a thing of the past and covering the extra mile or two to J7 shouldn't be a problem. Getting back to the M6 by heading back to J7 will allow you to visit a kind of a Speedway shrine. Marco's Chip Shop. A stopping off point for many a speedway rider and fan for many many years. It just HAS to be done.

A couple of thoughts spring to mind. Phil Morris was always "Drury's man". Now Drury has gone, any more calls for "bring back Wizzer" etc, will be like whistling in the wind. A double blow if you like. Secondly, if the current team is to be strengthened now, who is the "speedway man" with the contacts, the gravitas and the nose for a good signing? Who knows, some money might be found, a new fairy godmother sponsor could come along, but who there now, has their finger on the pulse of the sport and would know how to spend that money on a good signing when they saw one? As for the accusation of nepotism...for every Newport, there's a Kings Lynn too...Charles Phillips should be given a chance to prove himself.

It is Drury's team that's languishing. He chose to sign the likes of Kennett etc. He's done nothing to attract new sponsorship...it was just a matter of time.

So does this mean that the existing Kirky Lane stadium has to get bulldozed in order for the new Kirky Stadium to be built on "the centre of the Kirkmanshulme Lane site"? Try doing that during one winter! Sounds like the Aces might have to either take a year out or go upmarket, somewhere like Stoke perhaps for their home meetings.

A rider with a grudge to bear and a point to prove...makes him a dangerous proposition.

2.2m Zloties = roughly £440,000. Now it's a 15,500 capacity stadium isn't it? So dividing one into the other, you get £28.39 per person in the stadium. Ok so there will be factors like advertising to add into the equation, and all the running costs to take out, but I suspect the bottom line is that Google/Bing mis-translated gate revenue for profit again.

If it's right that the crowd was only 10,000, then it's never going to be profitable, bearing in mind the cost of moving the circus to the other side of the planet. You are right though that BSI do know how to squeeze the blood out of their hosts though. I foresee GP venues that pay big bucks to BSI turning over to OneSport as their contracts run out. In a few years the scene will be very different.

I hope lots of people would have been impressed, and it will do the sport a lot of good in Germany. Good thing that Smoli won't have much league racing to get in the way as the German TV stations love their heros and will have just found a new one to gush over. Totally agree, but it I'd have been the one to say that, "old agendas" would have been the accusation...

Coventry fans understating their chances so that they can gloat all the more after the event, again. They know that they will win this but after last year there will be extra enjoyment in the heads of Bees fans for rubbing it in all the more. Ignoring both of the Birmingham performances so far, because, well, there wasn't much to take notice of, but the result from Swindon speaks volumes. Coventry will be a juggernaut this year, and will get all 4 away points from this meeting at a canter.

The answer to the second part is from the Bank of Philips, because there is no-one there getting any sponsorship money in to fund any team changes. The Sky money is gone, GoSpeed can't find a sponsor for the league, the Brummies only have Selco and a garden shed supplier from Kingstanding putting their money into the club, so where else is that money coming from? Although Barry The Cat was no doubt being sarcastic, Joe, or someone else who can do a fantastic job of getting money into the club is needed again. You'll be accused and lambasted for being ageist with comments like that. These things happen to you when the truth hurts. What makes anyone think that Sundstrom would want to ride for a team in the UK?? Another example of someone who was offered a team place but decided against riding in Britain. You have to accept the fact that the Elite League under the BSPA and the Brummies with their reputation for not paying riders, does not make an attractive proposition.

Very true. He's just bought into speedway as the BSPA plunge the sport into a nosedive. Reminds me of that Volkswagen advert, with the the man who put a million on black, and it came up red.... the man who married a Sex Kitten, just as she turned into a cat... the man who moved into gold, just as the clever money moved out, blah blah, I hope Alan Philips buys himself a VW Golf GTI - If only everything was as reliable as a Volkswagen.

It was viewed right across Europe and I think the story said something about being syndicated to other countries in the wider world too, so add the Polish viewers, to Danish, German, Swedish and the rest I suppose. It's as good as I can guess at.

Eurosport released their viewing figures, and it seems that more than 5 million viewers tuned in to the Speedway Pairs coverage. Great time NOT to have been taking part isn't it? Still, we're British, we don't need 5,000,000 television viewers to see our riders in action. Who needs a high profile in this country? Who needs their sponsors names getting out there? Who needs the World Champion mixing it with the best of them again? Well according to the BSPA, not us!

It won't come to it. Matt Ford will get the fixture rearranged or postponed on the grounds of it being an unattractive fixture without the star attraction being there. And if he can't, he'll find another way to get away with it.

I'm sure that Woffy, Harris, Cook etc would love a share of the prize money pot too. Darcy and Noddy are £8000 better off EACH thanks to their win. That could rise to £33,000 each if they win the next two rounds, Woffy, as World Champion gets nadda, nothing, ZILCH! thanks to the "wise men" of the BSPA. That's the thanks that the BSPA give to "their" world champion. Yeah right!

Last year's GB v Australia test series wasn't a World event, nor a FIM event, nor an event that would financially benefit SpeedwayAustralia. BUT Australia did the BSPA the honour of competing for the benefit of those who profited from it (you guessed it, the BSPA!). It's a shame that when the BSPA are invited to enter a team into someone else's competition they can't also be as gracious, and follow the examples of all the other national governing bodies that did send a team to compete, especially as it was a televised event, broadcast throughout Europe. It makes the BSPA look like what they really are - arrogant and pig ignorant!

It would be interesting to pitch a PL team up against a hybrid EL/NL team to see which really is the weaker. SB has always had an arrogant disdain for the PL so that disparaging remark about the PL being a rip-off is not surprising. I'd guess that PL fans are more content that they get better value from their £16 than many EL fans will get from their £17 The EL is the best (etc) league in the country...well. in what other country would it be? Do an international comparison though, and we saw that a falsely strengthened (and otherwise well fancied) Kings Lynn team couldn't hold a candle to a weakened Zielona Gora team...this "best" product of ours is still a poor product. "Without a top league no sport can be taken seriously" - I'd say that our top league is causing speedway to be the source of more ridicule and embarrassment than anything else. How can a league made up of riders that you can't be sure will be available, raced on tracks that no-one seems to be able to prepare properly, be taken seriously and be a good advertisement for the sport? "7 GP riders and the World Champion" - in other words 9 GP riders who have no interest in the EL, not to mention the likes of Emil Sayfutdinov, Janusz Kolodzeil, Martin Vaculik, the Laguta brothers, Antonio Lindback and a raft of other riders who would walk into #1 slots in British teams, all not being interested in the EL.

Are you arguing for the sake of arguing (some would say - "again"), or do you seriously believe that load of hogwash?

Thank you for that top tip Admission is £17 (Adults) for that line up of teams. Top value. No wonder the BSPA think that the EL is the best league in the world and worth protecting at all times and in all ways.

The point is that this "Elite" League used to have Nicki Pedersen and Chris Holder...it now has Benji Compton and Daniel Halsey...two riders who are simple make-weights. They've been on the PL/NL circuit for the last 7-8 years. If they haven't "made it" in that time, they're not going to make it. No way are they Britains bright hopes, which is what the intention of the NL allocation in the teams were for. How much is the admission price?

Benji Compton - Elite League rider! 'nuff said.

The commentary was awful. Eurosport should employ Dave Goddard. Simple as!