Technik

Line-up near completion now only a single gap left that I suspect will be filled by current champion Patryk Dudek or ZP regular Rune Holta

It will be disappointing mainly for the Czech fans not to have their top two riders present, But Czech speedway is growing it's rider base up to a higher level . For years the weight rested on the shoulders of the Dryml family but now with Milik & Kvech leading there is Chulpac & Klima close behind in SGP2 & others fighting to improve the nations position. The Czech people will be proud enough that they have two riders involved in the top leagues of World speedway

At The Stadskanal circuit they have a memorial headstone at the entry that Vaclav Verner presented. I think Milan Spinka also rode in the ice & speedway finals. He was World Champion on Ice in 1272 I think

Many have used belts in the past. It is a more efficient drive train when it is correctly aligned. However there is little or no warning prior to a failure. The belts do not stretch & show very little signs of wear. I know Simon Wigg used them on the long track with great success but he did use a new belt for each race

The dog track has done well to hold on this long. But with nothing moving in the redevelopment of the stadium I'd say the Council will be getting itchy feet & no shortage of pressure from developers for a large piece of land. The writing has been on the wall for long enough & the history surrounding GI, Stadia UK & Clarke Osbourne is not to be overlooked. It is a sad day but unless a new site can be found & financed then speedway in Swindon is finished

A racing incident would be the obvious answer. But as I have stated before a lot depends on the riders involved teams home or away it's a catch 22 situation if the race is stopped & sometimes we need to look at not who is to blame for the incident but why the race was stopped. We have all heard a rider after an exclusion crying foul that "He had nowhere to go" in this case I often think so why did you continue to try & go there! This has been mentioned many times but comes down to manpower & money. it's hard enough to find people who want to be Referees but to find linesmen or assistants would be even harder. They would need to be independent & paid for their duties also they would have to be placed in a position with an unobstructed view & where they cannot be influenced by supporters or competitors.

The main issues with any decision is that the Referee is often in the same position within the circuit, that being at the start line so they will always get the same view ie looking at the rear of the riders entering turn 1 & the front exiting turn 4. The Referee is at a disadvantage when any incident happens on the far side of the track as the inside rider blocks the view of the outer riders. Sometimes TV cameras are on hand with multiple views & then a more involved view can be considered. But lets put this in a match with no TV just the local cameraman with a single camera, on this occasion it would not be worth looking at the playback. In short for any move towards changing the current situation from the single match Referee to anything else will involve a lot of money & manpower. So as I suggested before you might not like one decision but the next might just favour your team.

Will there be a reunion this year?

If Clarke Osbourne, Gaming International or Stadia UK are not involved then there's always a chance. Just ask at Swindon, Reading or Milton Keynes. If the ground is still vacant there's a chance, Oxford was left sleeping for 14 years but has returned for racing again. I'd say the council would be happy with the crowd figures showing that it is an asset to the area. Lets hope they can maintain that status & continue past their current 10 year lease.

At times some crashes could be declared as "A racing incident" where no fault can be decided. To call all riders back for a re-run maybe acceptable if it is the two lead riders but what if it is for 3rd & 4th place then in the re-run one of them wins. We have to accept that we make a rule & stick with it, that rule should not be adapted to suit any one of a number of possible scenarios. The scenario must fall within the rule & currently that rule calls for the primary offender to be disqualified. My overall view is that a large percentage of spectators support the home team & only want to see all 4 re-start if it is their rider that is missing where if it should be a visitor then they are more than happy with a three rider race

It's taken a good while but some of those names are making their name within the sport

I've not attended the Cardiff SGP for some years now. The town is over expensive & Hotels are able to make up phone number prices for the weekend. The racing has been poor most years but that can be said of many GP venues. But most disapointing is that Britain has not seen a World Champion crowned. In more recent years I have been to Pardubice, Czech Republic for the weekend of the Golden Helmet. I have seen terrific U21 finals on the Friday night followed by an international U21 event on Saturday with 6 rider races OK the flat track I could miss then on the Sunday the Golden Helmet itself with all the glitz & glam you would expect at trooping the colour & if your still keen on the way home on the Monday The Tomicek Memorial meeting at Prague. I go with a friend & we normally pay under £400 each for flights, Car Hire, Hotels & Tickets, With food & beer maybe £500. If you've had enough of 2 nights in Cardiff & 16 riders in 23 races try 3 Nights in Pardubice 76 riders in 74 races plus the Flat Trackers. go for longer & spend less money.

Just the simple fact the SCB have announced a hearing in September it's not looking good

I might be speaking out of turn here, But as I see it Adam Ellis was signed prior to practice & received an injury after an on track incident. The result is that he is signed on for the event & can only be replaced by another that is signed on which would be either of the track reserves. I don't think the SGP reserves would be eligable as they are not signed on for the SGP event only SGP2. I understand that Ellis wants to be in the GP but I don't think it's a good idea to ride with such an injury. I would hope he withdraws if it is a fracture & allow another young Brit the chance of a full 5 rides at Cardiff. I don't want to see him come out & do half a lap & collapse in pain on the back straight & the reserves share his remaining races or worse that he has another crash & possibly hurts others

Another British Championship event with a lack of the teams top riders. I understand some are injured or suspended & there is known reason for them but this event has been in the calender all season. How many more drop out prior to start time? Will the BSPL Chairman be at the gate offering refunds to the public for the below advertised standard of competitors?

In those years gone bye it was the British Promoters that called the shots. The British were the ones that introduced demands upon riders one way or another, An off shore rider had to commit to the British club & if they should decide to race in their homeland then the British club would only be able to cover with a minimum average rider in their position. So really it's a case of the boot is on the other foot & someone else has the pot of gold & built their own empire.

I always think the British Final should be after the British GP & the wildcard & reserves go into next seasons SGP then they have a whole year to get ready & gain extra sponsorship, Not just a week to prepare. It might be the only chance that rider gets to be in a GP round let them have the best chance to be ready. If for instance Drew Kemp were to finish British Champion he could write another book on his years build up to his GP debut rather than a half hearted message on social media he would be able to write on the way to a meeting.

I can't see Speedway ever returning anywhere within the M25. The councils are doing their best to make it a pedestrian area with all the extra costs for congestion & now emissions. Back when Speedway was great in London with racing from Romford to Stamford Bridge Congestion & Emissions were free & stadiums were full!!!

I hope that all it is a a proscribed drug & all this can be put to bed very quickly. I understand that procedures have to be followed & the testers are asked to find certain substances at the time & their time & equipment at the trackside is limited. A friend was once an aspiring cricketer & had an injury in his shoulder that affected his batting & he was warned off over the counter drugs & told to consult the pharmasist & ask for something that was not on & did not contain anything on the IOF list. The best he got was "I think this is OK". He continued to play with the pain. It's easy to see how people can get into trouble quite innocently The Scottish Skier & Kyle Howarth are prime examples of Sportsmen that rely on their own decision making not being a heavily paid member of a national sports team or club. On the other side of the coin if it is recreational drugs then everything the offender gets they deserve.

It was announced he was medicaly unfit to ride & just before the start he left in his van going out the gate at the 4th turn. He looked sick in the passenger seat holding his head. I understand Paul Starkes Father was also ill during the meeting so maybe there's an illness going around.

During my time I have been one of the merry band of volunteers at a few tracks for pre-season duties & then throughout the season & yes my reward was free entry for myself & usually a programme, At one track there would be a tray of sandwichs & a fruit cake for us after racing, The biggest problem in recent years as the single volunteer still gets their entry & often a programme or at least a race sheet. But greed has become a factor & many expect to be able to bring a group of family & friends in with them & if one volunteer brings 5 people in for free that works out to be £2K+ by October. You don't need many of those before you have a big dent in your budget.

Speedway & Greyhound racing have always worked well together. The race circuits are the same shape & with the speedway on the inside the greyhound track offers a safety zone to protect the public from low flying motorcycles. the safety zone is required in the speedway rules (2M minimum). In current times it is difficult to finance any arena to host a single sport more so when the sport is seasonal. Greyhound racing can opperate all year & several times a week & even practice or trial in the daytime with little or no noise. Maybe we loose a massive amount of dogs after their racing careers are over & that is a sad situation & in a pet friendly country it should never be that bad, I know there are organisations that rehome retired greyhounds. I think racing dogs are some of the best looked after before & after they race they undergo a medical examination by a vet, All the dogs must be registered, I know in the 80's this was a number tatoo in the ear but I imagine now it would be a chip. After racing is the issue. But what if there were no racing.... What would happen to all the dogs already in training?... What would happen to this breed? No racing would equal no need for the breed... Would the greyhound fall so far out of favour that the whole breed would dissapear or become so small in numbers that the breed would become a single mutation carrying any abnormalities through its gene pool.

I don't mean any disrespect. But I feel putting this issue on an open public forum is not going to help you at all. Can I suggest that you make contact with the BSPA and/or Oxford speedway direct as they will be the only ones who can possibly assist you with this.

I fear for the future of the World long track Championship as year on year there are less riders wanting to take part. I remember in the past 8 rider races then 6 & now 5. The Polish have a round on a speedway track but there seems little interest from any Polish riders to compete outside their homeland. The Germans are nowhere near as keen to watch after many great years with Muller, Maier, Lausch & Riss. Tracks are closing for many reasons, I understand it's a massive undertaking to hold enough land for a 1000 metre circuit to host 2 meetings a season when it could be used or sold for development.

Between 5 foot 4 & 6 foot 2!!!!