21st century heathen

If we chucked the towel in every time we had one of our riders out we wouldn't have competed in the WTC at all.

I think I can say with some certainty that we'd all have Mark down as a dead-cert. I have a better way to settle it. David Howe is a member, don't know about Ed Kennett. I say we invite them both to state their case, and then let the grand jury (or forum members as they're better known) decide who has madethe best case for a place in the 1-5. That's the way to do it then. Name as many as you can (is there an upper limit?), and see who looks best at the time. I'd like to see the young lads such as Lewis and James get a chance to be around for practice. Let them see what it's all about.

I agree that their league form is roughly the same from one week to the next at the moment. You will notice that I have given credit to Ed for his form this season quite a number of times. I can understand that opinion from anyone that doesn't watch him on a regular basis. He's good at home though, and we saw a different side to him on Monday at Monmore. It's not a track he usually goes well on, but he was quick and aggresive. (have you seen the clip on the BSPA website of his race with Howe?) His form is going the right way, and he should be on the reserve list. Howe is hardly an old fart though is he?!! I agree that the younger lads should be involed in some way. Are riders that travel with the 1-5 as reserves allowed to practice? Even that would be very useful experience. Y'see I knew you'd come around. Ed doesn't have a good record at Brandon, and Howe does. It has nothing to do with bias, it's just a case of 'horses for courses'. With that in mind I wouldn't be afraid to drop a rider if there was a better suited rider for the final (assuming we make it).

Fantastic contribution. Thanks for that.

Can't believe I'm actually going to rise to this, but here we go. Cov and Poole have tracks of a very similar length, but the shape and surface are different. Howe is averaging more than Kennett in the league. Howe scored paid 9 from 4 at Brandon this season. Match report. Kennett scored 4 from 4 at Brandon this season. Match report. Allen has a current CMA of 5.33 at Brandon this season. Seasons stats. At Brandon this season Kennett is behind both Howe and Allen in the pecking order. Hell, even Barker scored more than Kennett at Brandon this season. Convinced?

Class. Have you seen Ed at Brandon? He's certainly not an 8 point rider, or anywhere near it. If the 1st round was at Poole then he'd be in...no doubt. It's not, so take off your rose-tinted etc

I wouldn't name Ed in the starting 5 (although he's having a cracking season ) as it's at Brandon. David H has a better record than him at Brandon. Joe has a good career record at Brandon, although he was crap earlier this season for BV, so he would be my first reserve. It gets tricky after that. On paper you would probably have the likes of Ed and David N next in the queue, but Olly is another option. His form is good now, and he's another home rider that knows and (seemingly) likes the track. Olly can gate as well, which is not vital at Brandon but it always helps if you can get out of the gate. David N doesn't have a good record at Brandon, and is a self-confessed non-gater. So... Scott Chris Lee Simon David H Screen Olly/Ed

That would have been interesting.

I honestly couldn't tell you any more than that. '76 was my first season as speedway supporter, and I was only 3 months old.

The text below is copied straight from the Cradley website. He made the most remarkable rise to fame in the space of a few years, from making his British League debut in April 1978 to winning the World Title and every personality award on offer in 1981. He rode for us from '78 until he quit in '82. I can only assume from this information that he only ever turned out for Cradley. It could be that he was rumoured to be coming over earlier, and perhaps he was linked with Hull. It certainly not something that I've ever heard before.

And being such a bunch of drunkards, they'll be in there 'til about 2 minutes before tapes up.

You don't not select Chris this season, on a track he has a record, because he had a 'mare at the last WC. All the Brits I named down to Simon have good career records at Brandon.

Good idea to have a reserve. In fact I'd go so far as to say it's common sense. Having 'our' round at Cov is fantastic news. Only Floppy of the obvious names doesn't ride it particularly well. Scott Lee Chris H Mark L are dead certs if fit. Then take your pick from.. David H Chris L Joe Simon David N You could even add... Olly Lewis Deano as outsiders if we have an injury crisis. Whoever is in form should get the nod. We will be strong at home this year, but Poland will be tough unless we have our first choice big track riders on form.

or a gas mask, or a suit of armour. Y'know...just if you need one. Incidentally, I paid more for my Sparta Praha football shirt than I did for my Ceska one. Would have thought it'd have been the other way around.

No Kev, not a million miles away. Oh c'mon, you know you'd have done the same if I'd posted that. Ahhhh yes. Trust me give good advice the day after it's of any use. I understand BA have also stopped some flights. It sounds like it should get sorted out relatively quickly though. If there were any serious dangers there would be no flights at all.

I've only done Prague, Stockholm (although it was the one that was moved to Avesta at the last minute) and Copenhagen. Of the three I'd recommend Prague as a fantastic all rounder. It's the cheapest of the three. It's quick and easy to get to. The city is very nice. The track may be a little way out of the city centre, but it's not a problem to get to. Public transport is cheap and reliable. And as for the speedway itself, when the track is prepared well it can be very good indeed. Prices are certainly edging up, but it's a lot cheaper than here or Scandi. If you want to do it on the cheap then look for apartments to rent in the private sector, and check out flights from smaller UK airports such as those suggested. Just check the small print for add ons such as tax. Also have a look at Bristol. I have an Aunt and Uncle that go to Prague every year, and the last I heard they use it all the time. I've never looked myself as I'd rather pay extra for the convenience of B'ham just up the road/tracks. And as a footnote to all this, and a side step from speedway, go to Stockholm. Loved it, and I will have to go back there one day.

Had the same problem the firdt year. Looked into going down on the train, but couldn't get one back.

It peaked in 2002, dipped badly over two years, and has levelled off in the past two years. I can't see where you get "...increase again..." from?

Well it's not just peaked, it's dipped since 2002. I'm not expected it to suddenly rise by 10,000, but if there was a slight upwards trend that would be good. It would only take 1 in every 40 people to bring a mate the following year (for eg). Personally I think the cost is the biggest problem. How are you going to attract any but the 'biggest' speedway fans at this kind of prices? I love speedway )and Cardiff for that matter), and I haven't decided whether I'm going to splash out yet. The money I'd spend going to the Cardiff GP next season would pay for me to go to B'ham once a month instead.

I was talking about a general in dip in 2004 alone. If you at the past stats, there's a clear dip at most GP's that year. Attendances recover for 2005 and 2006. You're right that they've clearly been rounded up to the nearest sensible number. Too many rounds? It's about right IMO. The variety of tracks is there, sadly the track prep. is generally poor. You can hardly blame BSI for a rider being as good as TRick has been, and Crump last season. Not if you look at the stats. The SWC has been a huge success. With all the moaning we do about one thing or another I think that should be acknowledged more readily.

That's disappointing for Cardiff, although still by a long way the best supported meeting in world speedway. I too would have thought Prague would be higher. Certainly over 10,000. A strange pattern that's immediately obvious is a general dip in attendance throughout 2004. Why was that?

I noticed that. He'll bee a fully fledged Cov fan soon. There were a couple of times I was screaming at the tv for Greg to squeeze Crump out. As with the first GP last year, Nicki wouldn't have given Crump the room to just ride past so easily. Not sure if that was tongue-in-cheek, but Nicki is a much better all reound rider these days. He's calmed down since his early years. A bit like Gollob. He was a lethal weapon when he first came on the scene. We've been saying it's his last chance for years. I think it's too late for Leigh to win it now. He should make another top 5 in a solid season, but he seems to lack the extra little bit of something you need to take the championship. It's a shame that he's never really had a proper run at a title, because he's been one of the best league riders for a long time now.

He'll have a very good view of the other riders rear tyre wear. Give him a decent amount of dirt, and he'll chase anybody down from tapes to flag. He's fantastic to watch, but he has to improve his gating. If you're last out the gate in the GP you might catch one, or maybe two. You can't chase down all three like he does in the league though. I have my fingers crossed that he has a great season.

You meant it...it just didn't really mean anything.

To be fair you could state a case for virtually all GP riders making a final, then there's a 75% chance of a podium place. I see what you're say though, and yes he could grab a podium.