Steve Turner

Well I haven't seen many GP's on TV (I hate watching any sport on TV), but I went to, or worked at, every GP for the first 5/6 years...and I've seen a few since then - and I can easily say that was the worst meeting, on the most boring track, I've ever witnessed. Heaven help us if they go there again... Gimme an unpredictable, rutted-up temporary track over that garbage any day ! And sorry, but if you think all Polish tracks, and therefore Polish speedway meetings, are always "perfect speedway" then you live where only the visually restricted cuckoos live ! Speedway, no matter where it is, is sometimes brilliant fun and sometimes brilliantly not ! Looked like a perfectly standard Leszno track to me (and plenty of the riders !)...still, if you know better, go for it

Practice is complete rubbishe ! Best riders in the world...and they need to practice ?! Oh please.... Ban it, bin it, burn it...whatever you want, just get rid of it !

Ah good, seems to have downloaded okay, for plenty of people... Couple of things I noticed... i) The first semi has riders names filled-in (left over from a little test) - that would be miraculous if they actually fill those places, wouldn't it ?! Just replace the numbers in the grey boxes. and ii) Denis Stojs (Slovenia) now rides at number 18, replacing the sadly and badly injured Jernej Kolenko Good luck to Jernej with making a full recovery ! Remember to change the name in the rider list, and it will change automatically on the GP1 page. If you like, you can also add Damian Baliński as number 20, and Krzysztof Buczkowski as number 21 - the two reserves for Leszno (GP2).

I can't understand why it works for some and not others Can you please try the link again Shropshire Lass and see what happens ?

Okay, for those who want the excel file Click here, scroll down (twice !) and follow the Download route Let me know if you have any probs

Well they lost 7-0 without me !?! So for them at least, it IS an important situation They can't cope without the psychology instilled by the best coach in the league. But we're hanging on to top place still, with a month to go ----------- As for this thread - Thanks to all of you for playing and enjoying the game of previous seasons. Maybe it'll return one day, but for now...enjoy the new Forum competition

Team Turner Krzysztof Kasprzak Jason Crump Rune Holta Nicki Pedersen and the Wildcard Cheers Bertrand

Cheers for that Dave. Have to say, I can't understand why they've changed it. And presumably, they won't follow the same rule once it reaches the semi's A tie for second place...so a run-off ? Or a 5-man final ? Ta Shawn. That also sounds a bit silly, should just be three riders, or even two, but hey... I've added the race in at the end, in a simple form.

Despite the glowing reference, I'm guessing you mean mine I'll sort one out and let you know. I'm away for a while, but should get it sorted by early next week. Cheers I'll check elsewhere anyway, but does anyone know if there are any rule/points changes ? On the subject of the big race at the end... It's meant to be the winners of the four Super Prix (the GP's on temporary tracks) - but will it be a three-man race if one rider manages to win TWO of those meetings ? Or will a runner-up be used !? Heaven forbid... What if one of them gets injured before or at Gelsenkirchen ? I think I'll add the race to the spreadsheet in a simple way, just to complete the series.

Sean Barker - 30th April 1969, from Isleworth in Surrey Andy Buck - 25th May 1962, from Peterborough Andy Bossner (spelt Andreas Boessner) - 19th August 1968, don't know where in Austria, soz Is it definitely ADRIAN Baker ? Not AARON of Long Eaton in the 90's ?

Andy Carfield - March 24th 1970, from Bristol Rob Clarence - June 21st, 1981, from Birmingham

Dean Felton was born in Wolverhampton on August 18th 1969 Gary Flint was born in Ashington (Durham) on May 5th 1982 Dariusz Fliegert was born in Knurów (Poland) on March 15th 1969

Sorry no, I can't face it

Kevin Guy Jolly finished 2nd in the European Under-21 Championship, at Lonigo in Italy, in 1978. (Finn Rune Jensen won the meeting and Neil Middleditch was third.) He also rode for England and Young England, but I don't know how many times.

Oh Does anyone with the book fancy counting how many are listed ? I have it on good authority that there's been well over 200 And back to the question of whether there's an online list of them all then ? And whether between us we can uncover any more...

It seems there's been over 200 speedway tracks in the UK, during its first 80 years Does anyone know if there's a comprehensive list of them all, online ? (iris123, what's the address of that site you mentioned ?) Or shall we start our own !?

Sweden would be the best place for it ! No home advantage whatsoever...

Believe me here...if they had a vote at ZG to keep either Freddie or Niels, it would be goodbye Freddie. That's how it is...

I'm hoping Lindgren's off...

Excellent Holta next ?

Congratulations to Denmark then 2008 World Cup winners. ...next ! They are by a long way, the best team...so at least it'll be fair for a change

Oh of course I agree...as I said, I've always known the sport (at any level) is for those who are at the track, before anyone else. And it then means that every meeting is exactly what you make it... But for once I'm trying to see it from the armchair (even though, like you, that's not a place I sit in very often). Meanwhile...just to recap for anyone hoping to follow the thread ...the 4 wildcards for next year's series are Jonsson, Harris, Lindgren and Kasprzak

I don't blame Olsen, because I know a little more about how it works. Plus many tracks work best when slick, so just saying that slick=boring is wrong nowadays. Many riders can't handle grip. Look at the Poles...most of the new generation have come through their speedway schooling doing many miles of riding round and round on flat tracks getting slicker and drier. Now they use sand instead of shale as a top surface, because they simply have no idea how to ride well on grippy tracks. Even Wrocław, the last remaining 'deep' Polish track has changed tactic. Don't keep reading this expecting reasons and answers, I don't have them, I just think it's a bit cheap and easy blaming Olsen all the time, without knowing the full facts behind what goes on at every venue. If I had to start on some solution I'd say a better choice of tracks would be a good start, but there's so much politics involved with that one. By the way, two good GP's at Bydgoszcz in the last 5 years ! And I'm talking purely from a racing angle. Ultimately, speedway is for the people trackside and most enjoy Bydgoszcz whatever the racing's like. But as they're trying to appeal to a mass audience, then making the racing better should surely be the first prerogative. Not bigger stadia, bigger prizes, bigger sponsorship, bigger profit...but that's how it is

That's definitely the main reason, yeah...6 was so much better, more at stake with each one. Less disruption to the leagues as well. But also the selection/qualification process. The fact the top eight stay in...it's too many. Crap tracks...not because of the temporary tracks alone - I can enjoy them. Germany of course was awful, and despite the riders loving it, I thought Copenhagen was awful too. But then Bydgoszcz was the worst GP I've watched in full and that's supposed to be the best track ! Prague, Malilla...the list goes on I'm sick of pointless practice sessions helping to ruin these tracks. Reading about the directions that IMG want to take it, I don't like it. Not one bit. And it's sad because I love this sport and I don't want to be disinterested in the highest level of it. Or watch it ruin every level below. Ain't nothing I can do though... Jeez, that was cheery... soz