JamesHarris

Not very often I agree with you on here but as you say the guy giving the interview has absolutely no idea about speedway when he says he want's a GP in November or December. But when there's money to be made who knows what Discovery Sports will do. I personally think the bikes are too fast now for indoor or in Wembley's case outdoor artificial tracks. The racing is not good. it's usually first out the traps wins. I've been a bid advocate for a GP at the new Belle Vue as the track always produces flat out good racing but what do I know.

This is only going to last 9 heats

What actually defines a Longtrack these days? I always assumed it was the 800 - 1000m tracks

And how many of us watch the links for the Polish streams on here??

You can watch it for free if you know where to look

I remember you running in the initial MDL. You were one of the genuine ones. Sadly it was the minority running under the Ghost team banner that let it down for everyone else. I do agree though that maybe they could be allowed to run again but under very strict criteria.

As controversial as it may sound I do think the BSPL were right to pull the plug on Ghost teams. I agree it has had a knock on effect with regards to the number of teams operating in the MDL but it did need to be done. I speak from experience with my involvement in the early days of the MDL. There were several ghost teams back then. Some were run by genuine enthusiast who wanted to provide a platform for youngsters whilst keeping alive a not too distant name from the past. Sadly though there was a small minority of ghost teams run by unsavoury ego obsessed muppets who were far more interested in using the best riders within the rules to fill their own trophy cabinets. It was very embarrassing for the league IMO when one of these teams got a 30-6 whitewash and boasted about it - all too easy when you fielded 4 NL standard riders against 4 juniors. That said a couple of MDL teams fielded by the established clubs were run by unsavoury characters as well.

The MDL is still running though - albeit with 3 teams. But it is still running.

Correct. This has worked for the NJL and I have no argument against that. But this is the very same reason the MDL was created. The riders will not benefit if they are racing against the same 3 other riders in consecutive races. The result will more or less be the same and the crowd that have stayed behind to watch will soon get bored. The MDL provided a proper competition for those just below the NL. It was designed to be a mini-meeting with each team having 2 NL reserve standard riders and 2 Scunthorpe amateur open class riders. The highlight would be heat 6 where all 4 NL reserve riders raced against each other. Prior to the MDL most tracks just operated a few races billed as stars of tomorrow which were a dull affair comprising of the same 4 riders.

I think it will at some point return to a decent number again. Do the Premiership tracks still run a second half league because I've heard nothing about it since they "launched it"? Full credit should be given to Lawrence though for keeping the league running even if it is 3 teams. Some may not be aware though that when the league was first launched albeit "unofficial" in 2011 we only had 5 teams running out of three tracks (1 from Leicester, 2 from Scunthorpe and 2 from Sheffield).

To be honest I found the event to be a bit of an anti-climax. Without the Russians I was expecting it to be a lot closer but in the end Haarahiltunen completely dominated (well done to him by the way). As controversial as it may be the World Championship is missing the quality of racing the Russians bring.

Does anyone know if there is a speedway track being constructed in Grantham please? Drove near to the A1 north services there today and it looks like a dirt oval is being constructed in an adjacent farm field. Could be for banger racing but looked a bit too small for that. Thanks.

I think it's safe to say Nikita Bogdanov would have been World Champion this year had the FIM not kicked the Russians out.

Didn't Brian White go ** up at Weymouth and was bought out by Phil Bartlett who also went ** up?

Has it been decided who the other 6 riders will be for the final? I'm assuming Haarahiltunen and Webber will be two of them.

I probably am the only person then thank you

I thought he had been banned from riding in the Polish league along with Laguta? Sorry if I have missed something.

Has Emil been given special permission to ride in this meeting?

Well done to those involved. There's still a very long way to go yet thought. If speedway does return one day I doubt it would be inside the stadium as we know it know. It's too far gone. Surely the Main Grandstand would have to be demolished? It would cost a few million to re-instate it to its former glory and even in the final few seasons it was beginning to show it's age.

And yet again the powers that be that run British Speedway do their annual trick of shooting themselves in the foot. They will never learn. The league play-offs should be over and done by early October at the latest but our custodians of the sport still see fit to run it till the very end of October as that's how we've always done things here. Take a leaf out of Poland and Sweden's book. The last weeks of October should only really be used for novelty individual meetings or challenge matches.

New Cross are still looking for a new site - watch this space

Is this a simple lesson in don't announce publicly you are going to build a new stadium until it has been officially signed off? A clear case of McEgg on the Edinburgh promoters faces.

I thought it was a good little race track but I would imagine you have more chance of Boris Johnson telling the truth than speedway returning there.

I just don't get the obsession with having the Grand Prix at Cardiff. I get that its a glamorous stadium and all the events outside for the fans but it has never been a good racetrack. The track is too small and the races are over in a blink of an eye. I've been to two Cardiff GP's and can't really say either have been the best meeting I've ever seen. Why don't they move it to the new Belle Vue? It's not the Millennium Stadium but it's a proper British speedway track and we may even get some decent racing.

Reading this thread I've often thought would it be viable to hold a second GP in the UK as probably the Commonwealth GP at Belle Vue, Glasgow or even Osdal? Poland has three but can justify it with the popularity and the crowds. Sweden has two. Would it work - who knows??