Technik

As much as I want the young guns to progress there is no place for them in a team that I need to win Bavarian has picked possibly our best 8 based on known records. For me the inclussion of Kemp, Brennon, Gilkes or the Thompsons is just letting the kids have a go. They have to earn their place & we need to build into them that we have to win. I'm sure some will improve & earn their turn but for now they need to continue their path by taking on open meetings in Europe & meeting better riders there.

I knew he had been very sick in the last few years & had to loose a leg at one point. But I understood that he was in fair health last season, having lost a lot of weight he was working with the PZM assessing the performances of Polish Referees & was involved with the running of SEC events in Poland. He will be a great loss to Polish speedway.

The first thing they need to do is agree to start on time. I get really annoyed turning up for an advertised 19:30 start time then not seeing heat 1 before 20:00 then leaving the stadium after 22:00. That's far to long to run a mere 15 minutes of entertainment.

My own personal view is that an Easter start date is a very bold claim. I don't think there will be any chance to get the public into sporting arenas before the Football season is over in mid May. Some events for 2021 have already been cancelled ie isle of Man TT & Glastonbury.

How many riders read a contract in full before signing it?

My SS has arrived & I have read the Castagna piece & I'm in full agreement with him. The FIM cannot rule over any domestic league & the FMN of each nation has to do what's best for their own ideals as the Poles have shown with their tactics. They maybe unpopular with everyone else but this is what suits the Polish clubs & we all must find a way to be happy with it & work around it. If I were a young British rider my ideal would be to get as much racing in as possible whilst I developed my skill levels, I would race in both British leagues try Sweden & Denmark maybe take on some open meetings in Germany, Czech Rep, Holland, France & Italy. Only when I was sure I was at a level that would be good enough would I take on the Polish leagues. So far as the rule that restricts riders that race in Polish teams to only one other league I am under the understanding that this is an agreement between the rider & each club when a new contract is agreed & not a rule from the PZM. Also I wonder if riding in more than one of the Polish leagues counts as well. Adam Ellis has mentioned that he might have to move away from one of his British clubs if he races in Poland. Then there is the situation the the Holder brothers were in last season where they were in one side then operated as a guest each week for another will this count as two leagues.

make me an offer but remember to add postage

I have a copy complete with all the official scores from all events

I still think there are other sports that are not named in the list that may be higher up the list than speedway. Cricket, field Hockey, Cycling, Athletics, Snooker Boxing & Swimming to name a few.

A true 100% speedway man. always looking to help the kids find the right path in their career. He will leave a big hole in in the heart of speedway.

I am aware of Greg Hancock testing the tyre & his reports.( just for your records the circuit at Perris California is a small oval less than 300M.) Mr Hancock reported that the tyre was good for one race on each side but was reserved in his comments about it's life span after that. Now I have no doubt that Anlas make a good product & yes they are as you say a company of long standing with a good reputation that is not in question. What I am questioning is the amount of testing that has been carried out on British tracks under British regulations? to date I have one meeting at Kings Lynn where some riders used the tyre & two events at Scunthorpe. Now I really don't think that anyone can claim these tests over 3 events at 2 tracks to be extensive. The BSPA has a history of jumping into these things before they have been properley tested lets remember the fiasco of the positive cut out that was only used in British speedway where all riders had to use this new product that was wholely untested. We had riders getting shocked whilst racing & the unreliability when it was supposed to work. It was quickly withdrawn & riders had to go back to the old system. All at the riders expense. My view is to let any new product be used in the first instance by the FIM & in the Polish & Swedish leagues first, These are the big brothers & have the finances to carry out any testing whilst we can bring the product in as an option mid-season if reports from these places are in favour. This would allow time for an extensive test & collection of data. It would be easy to establish if the product was advantagous as more riders would be using it as their preferred option.

I thank you for your reply. However this really fails to answer the question of how much testing has been carried out on British tracks under British regulations. Testing at Kings Lynn is fine but this is a track that history tells us is kind to the tyres & tyre wear is very minimal, To such a degree that worn tyres from a meeting at KL have been questioned at events after when presented as a used spare. Then there is the U21 team final held under FIM regulations in Denmark. What are the tyre regulations for Eksraliga racing? I would suspect that only inexperienced riders would run a tyre at such a low pressure that would cause it to deflate. As riders progress they understand that a lower pressure only works in a straight line (Drag racing) but when you need to steer the machine the tyre may flex when sideways & spinning but the foot remains on the track not the sidewall as would be the case with an under inflated unit. I have not suggested that this tyre maybe dangerous, My doubts are regarding it's ability to last a whole meeting of upto 7 races on British circuits. I'm sure Anlas are a big company but equally so are Dunlop & Pirelli both used to make speedway tyres with the former being favoured by top riders for many years & the Mitas brand is still part of the Barum brand. For any company to be involved in making a product for speedway is a labour of love as most of the machine cannot be used anywhere other than a speedway track.

As recorded above he has had to undergo a "Random" drug test more often than most. Now whilst I will never defend an offence that is proven I don't believe he was using any form of drug whilst he was racing. I will agree that he is hyper & over active giving the impression that he might be a user but his tests have been clear & he was never the only one tested but he was the one most often chosen at "Random". Given the results I will happily say he is not a drug user & lets be fair he is not on trial for drug related offences.

I can't believe the powers within British speedway have taken on this new tyre that has yet to be tested. In fact it was only re-homologated this week so has yet to be track tested. The previous Anlas tyre was only used at SGP where it is permitted to use a new tyre in each race. What testing has been done with this tyre on British tracks & under BL regulations where you can race upto 7 times on a single tyre. As I understand the Anlas tyre is more expensive than the Mitas tyre it is replacing & the mould pattern looks exactly the same as the Mitas. I can see that when racing restarts in the UK this will blow up in the BSPA face & we will revert to the Mitas tyre & I suspect Mitas will match the price of the Anlas tyre

I used to like the old place. The depot was on a slope using garages as workshops & the run to the track was over cobbles & with a right turn onto the track the turn was very interesting. I was at a few meetings there in the mid 90's. The old East Germany had many tracks at one time sadly most seem to have gone.

We have all heard what our so called experts say in their Sky commentrey. But the one thing they have all negleted to spot is that the rules state that all riders must line up a maximum of 10CMs from the tapes & remain stationary until the tapes are released & there is only one person in the stadium that knows when the tapes are released & that is the Referee. Transponders would be a good idea for start line discipline. But like in F1 Moto GP & Drag racing all competitors would be required to line up at a staging point prior to the tapes are released, This could be difficult as in the other sports the cars/bikes are staggered or within a controlled lane. Drop gates as used in Moto X could not be used as the race has to go over the start line every lap & it would cause delays as the gates would need to be cleaned after each start. You also have to factor in the tractors & the equipment they pull going over them. The thing's that really annoy me is allowing the race to go on to its finish then warning a rider that moved at the start. But worst of all it's Messers Tatum & Pearson saying a rider has not gained an advantage, The whole idea of the sport is to accumulate as many points as you can so if a rider moves at the start & is in a point scoring position he has gained an advantage

Take your result from the official FIME release

The Final looks very competitive. I must rate Jan Kvech as the favourite & the Poles always have an ace in the pack. Drew Kemp will be in the chase I'm sure, The Dane Basso was coming good last season & if the track suits him he will do well. Petr Chlupac will open a few eyes. I also hope that young Jordan Palin can make a mark after his late call up he has been outstanding

I don't know for who sure but I know the quote "The more I practice the luckier I get" I believe it's Jack Nicholas

I was at the World Long Track final at New Plymouth - New Zealand & went along to Ivan Maugers pre-event presentation at a local hotel. From my understanding of his statements he was not a fan of the GP series & much prefered the one off system. He said he liked the idea of waking up on new years day with a motor cycle, a licence to race & a dream to be the World Champion at the end of the year & that would not be possible in the GP series. He also dismissed finals saying that if you score full points in your 5 rides beating all the other racers in the event why should you risk loosing the title in a winner take all final. This statement was to carry a heavy weight as Kelvin Tatum led the championship going into the final, He was leading the final until his bike failed entering the final lap & he was passed by his greatest rival Gerd Riss who went on to win the race & the title while KT hunched over his machine on the infield.

ITS THE PICK SIX. Drew Kemp should make this with ease, his gating ability alone should see him home. Jason Edwards has little experience on big tracks but his Championship racing should get him a place in the final. Ben Ernst is stepping up from the 250 class & he was superb there he will be in the fight. Petr Chlupac will have more knowledge than most on this track. Steven Goret another gater & hard to pass & Finally the replacment Jordan Palin he has been at Pardubice with the 250 series & now will have no pressure I think he will be top 6

Laguta is at 30/1 because that's what the bookmakers think his chances are given advise from their staff Speedway is a very small sport in the world of bookmakers & has very little history in gambling. And Russian speedway has had minimal involvment at world individual level since the 60's/70's eras. with all the SGP events now taking part in Poland & Czechia I think these odds are even more generous

indiscipline & an I'm all right Jack attitude are the biggest danger to all of our future. it's easy to blame any number of things but when you are advised to stay home how many of us found an excuse to go somewhere we didn't need to be & qualified it with "well it's only once" I'll be OK. Look at our own Prime minister stood outside Number 10 telling the nation to stay indoors, The Queen gave the same advice from her study. Days later Boris is in a Hospital bed but 94 year old Betty from Windsor is doing well.

I guess that shows the difference between private medical treatment & NHS standard practice. You can't just walk into your local A&E & expect a CT scan. they take time & cost a lot of money & man hours.

At present I think there will only be amateur events. However should we get the go ahead to allow limited paying public within a stadium I believe there will be restrictions such as pre-booking of tickets to be in allocated seats which will be in a permanent stand at upto 20% capacity & no standing spectators. Riders limited to a single mechanic & only one team manager with the minimum of pit staff. If we can show discipline in this regard maybe there might be hope.