New Yorker

Milik is really turning into a favorite rider of mine and I'm really pulling for him to make it into the GP. Also Lebedev this year seems to be turning a corner and I could see him riding in the GP in the not to distant future. Did he participate in the GP Challenge this year? He had some very exciting races in the World Cup.

Woke up in the middle of the night and thought I knew who he is.....Donald Trump. Then in the morning read a couple of his posts and realized that it couldn't be because he has a much better command of the English language than Trump.

I predicted Sweden in an upset and was wrong. But have to say on a neutral track it would have been much closer. The Poles really knew that track last night...I think it was Pawlicki who was racing in the first set of heats when he squared off turn two and just shot by Lingrin.(I think) That was the hint for me for what was to follow. The young Gleb was amazing not only in the way he rode but in his poise and smooth consistency under so much pressure. BUT the bike was set up right and I'm sure Emil had a lot to do with that along with lots of personal support. I don't think it was mentioned but Hample was busy in the pits and I'm sure helping with set up and moral support. Tia could have been instrumental in the same capacity and of course you have to think Hancock could have helped the U.S. sort a couple things out BUT... Let's hope that great heat for Worrell is a glimpse into his future!! One last take away....of all the heats and close racing I can't remember anyone on the ground.? Amazing testament to these riders. I thoroughly enjoyed the series....looks like they can't get rid of the joker now that they made the vests.

What a great time to be a speedway fan!! Last night was beyond all my anticipation and I'm thrilled for Russia. Seeing Gleb mix it up with some of the best we would say B.S. if it was in a movie. Want to say how much I enjoy Scott Nichols and his partner in the booth.....can't think of her name but she does an excellent job keeping the dialog moving. Both great. It's 7 AM here in the U.S......time to start popping the corn. Looking for some surprises tonight!

Hello hagonshocker. There was so much going on two nights ago that last night I watched the whole thing again. (I have no life) Denmark was not far off and could easily have finished second below Sweden. After watching the second time IMO Bjerre should have done the race off at the end as I feel he had a better night than Iverson. Also Going for the lead against Laguta Bjerre was run wide by a fair but hard move by Laguta and ended up last. Madsen was right in the middle of the famous heat 15 and actually led twice but ended up a very respectable third. Jepson Jensen was broke in turn one and had to retire. In a closer look they got beat up a bit and some of the breaks went against them. I think they have nothing to be ashamed of and put up a very good fight in a hard meeting.

I know that I'm going to be in the minority but with Lingrin on and looks like Lindback has come to ride AND as I stated in a previous post never underestimate AJ.So I'm going with Sweden to win it. All the pressure is on Poland and that's never a good thing.

Wow,I'm looking forward to tonight's meeting and even have some butterflies just thinking about it. IMO each team has at least two riders who could be on and really influence the outcome. Two riders to never underestimate are AJ and Grigory Laguta. I will be working while this is going on but thanks to YouTube won't miss anything......can't wait!!

I haven't heard anything about the Russian team on here unless I missed something. Seems in the past they have been a little less then passionate about showing up but with Emil and the Laguta brothers and the others on the roster having some good heats I could see some excitement from them.....?

I've seen Nick I in two or three YouTube videos from 2017 and he didn't seem too far off the pace. But I don't think anyone has mentioned his wreck last year with Emil. These riders seem to bounce back quite well after injuries but Nicki really took a hard one there and in my opinion that has made him a little tentative.I've watched the video a few times and the short distance that he moved after he hit the track testifies to how hard the downward force was. As tough as Nick is I would think there must be some remnants of that wreck floating inside that helmet.

Not sure that anyone mentioned this but three of the four finalists were the same as two weeks ago in Slovenia. Very interesting with this great lineup! Also having Freddie as a new rider at the top and the GTR engine seems to have added additional excitement to a great series. Would like to ask, what percentage of Freddies success is engine related. If any.

For all you guys (and girls) who feel violated because the track was a little damp and are complaining about the racing in general maybe you should try to put things into perspective. First of all after you wake up one morning and you turn your computer on and all of a sudden you find out that Donald (The Apprentice) Trump is the most powerful person in your country and also the world things like the track conditions at the Slovenian GP take on a whole different meaning. Mistakes were made but just like in golf everyone plays on the same course. Ask Martin Vaculik how he thought the track was or Freddie and Patrick. Sure Tai Tweeted about his eight points not being too bad and the track not worthy of the best of the best but apparently some guys hitched up their Kevlars and got the job done. It was a beautiful setting for a speedway track and you know what? I'm sure the guys that prepared the track thought that they were doing the right thing when they watered the track. We all make mistakes and in this case the result was not the racing that we wanted, nobody got hurt, and I bet the people at the track had a good time!

Yes it was bad track conditions (aren't there officials from the "main office" who over see track preparation for every GP event) and a very boring GP but there were a lot of questions answered about new riders and some hints of possibly whats to come from the old guard. To me the one person who really stood out was Freddie. I believe he passed more riders by far than any other, obviously had a good motor but also lots of confidence and commitment. Hats off to Martin Vaculick for a well deserved win and a heart felt interview. Looks like "Real Deal" Dudek has arrived and Emil was a welcome addition who also gives a great interview. So yes it was a terrible track but there was lots to see if you were looking.

I'm so excited about this season especially with the addition of Dudek and Emil. With this lineup I thought there would be a LOT of talk on this forum about the upcoming season and especially the first event. Was going to make a top three prediction but then looked at the link to the draw and decided the whole thing is a toss up. A very good thing for us!!

I agree those two would be the obvious choices on ranking. I think we all have our favorites and I was letting that influence my pick.

Hey dandelion. You kind of took the wind out of my sails. I was going to start a question of sorts (in the "Speedway Grand Prix" category) asking if they gave you a chance to fill the 16th spot who would you choose. I personally enjoy the different wild card at every meet which gave us Danny King winning the heat and I think a couple years ago Zmarzlic won the GP from the wild card. BUT if I had to fill the 16th slot it would be Vaclav Milik. I really like his riding style and he always looks like he's having fun. Right behind Vaclav I would love to see how Leon Madson would match up. Would really be interested in who others would pick if they had the chance. I do agree with you though....what a great line up! I'm sure everyone is chomping at the bit (I always like to include sayings that I feel have a British origin) for the first meet and I hope the tracks and preparation allow for some great racing.

I really enjoy the top twenty lists and thanks to you guys for putting the time in. I'm a big Leon Madsen fan and feel that he doesn't get a lot of talk about him. He came very close to winning the European Championship, had a good showing in the World Cup,and was very impressive in the Poland vs Denmark meeting. I don't watch much league racing but he usually holds his own when competing against top riders (from what I've seen). Is he improving, leveling off or on the way down? I see he is at #20 on one list.

Well no one can accuse me of having a life....I just read all 42 pages of this thread! As you already know speedway fans are a different sort and as a Yank and a huge fan of British "telly" I want to recommend a different kind of show to calm you guys down before next season. I'm sure most of you have heard of it and maybe even watched it but I absolutely love it....."The Dectorists" I've watched both seasons on Netflix twice and it seems to have a VERY calming effect! Even with Jason getting injured and out of the series and Greg being Greg we have seen some very exciting racing. Right out of the top drawer!!!(I do like those guys)I also thought the European Championship was a great series this year with a terrific mix of riders. Would love to see Milik in the series next year. Should have said MilIK in the GP next year.

Is there a thread on last Saturdays SEC ROUND 2? I thought it was a very exciting meet and fun to see some riders that aren't on the Grand Prix circuit. Milik always comes to ride and so glad to see Emil on top again. I can't remember a better meet this season (that I have seen). What's the story on Kylmacorpi....have only seen him one other time.

As a Yank that thinks the sun rises and sets on Emil I have to take exception to your post. Danny King is a good speedway rider, a very talented tv speedway personality and a gentleman. After a slow start (that many regulars had) he came alive toward the end and passed the third man on the podium Zarmlick like he was standing still for the heat win. I'm watching on youtube very excited and happy for him but just think what that race meant to Danny and also to the fans. A highlight of the GP for me in one of my favorite GP's of the season. Won't comment on Thai and his F bomb but my problem was his distracting from Zmarlicks response in the press conference. Here's a rider 21 years old (I think) who is in there mixing it up with the best, speaking in his second? language, IMO deserves to have the respect that he showed to both Woffy and Antonio when they were answering their questions.

Not getting into the rules I vote for Freddie finishing the season. Can't remember seeing many better heats than #6 in Prague. When he's running well he's exciting and I'm really happy to see him in the top eight. I no nothing about equipment (except dirt deflectors work well on the straits and not so much on the corners) but they mentioned Freddie promoting an engine and was very curious about that. Has speedway in general ever considered everyone using the same motors to keep the racing competitive....not in the GPS but on local levels. Here in the States they have done that in some stock car venues. Sorry for getting off topic....fascinating sport!

I have been keeping an eye on Leon Madsen lately. And he's been looking pretty good in my opinion. Last night on YouTube I saw some sort of SEC meeting and he finished second one point back of KK and looked really good. Seven points ahead of Lingren and well ahead of MJJ. My question is why wouldn't he be considered for a wild card or reserve. He seems like a clean rider and a good sportsman.

Thanks a lot for the info R+R. I will sort it out and let you know how I make out. Thanks rec for all that! I actually just found out about the track in Owego a couple months ago. Are you from the states? I only live about 90 minutes from there and it's quite rural there as it is where I live. Unfortunately I will be visiting my daughter over that weekend but I will be going in the future. Thanks again to you and racers and royals for all the help.

I'm in the USA and the only way that I watch speedway is on YouTube. It seems at the beginning of the Ekstraliga season there were races posted on YouTube but for the last couple weeks there's nothing new on there. Could someone please explain that. Also I just learned that there is a Nice Polish League which I will check out. Very new to speedway but love the sport and enjoy this forum when it doesn't get personal. Are there other ways in the U.S. to watch Speedway either live or rerun. Of course there is quite a time difference. Just wondering.

I love to watch the young poles ride. As far as I can see they are good sportsman and very clean riders as a whole. You mention Holder who I have a lot of respect for but in last weeks GP Dudek rode by him like he was a back marker to win the heat. These "kids" aren't intimidated and Dudek would have been in the semi finals with one better heat.

Hi Joe! I was wondering why you didn't post your prediction before but then came the Edward Jancarza memorial and the best pairs first round on youtube. I think you were wise enough to take a peek at these events before posting. My take away after watching both was that Dudek and Vaculic would be a great addition to the SGP series. Really glad to see Holder riding much better and I agree with you that Niki is teetering.