RoundTheBoards

You're spot on. In the early days of cinder tracks it was hard to produce a good starting area, as the back wheel spinning dug big ruts, worse than the ruts dug in modern shale tracks. Also electric cables to operate the starting gate etc often ran under the track and needed protection. In those glorious days before Health & Safety, the easiest solution was to concrete over the starts. Again, as you say, this was dangerous due to a lip being created which would act as a take-off ramp, and dangers due to the increasing grip on change of surface. (As previously discussed with riders hitting a concrete kerb and taking off - the coefficient of friction between a rubber tyre and concrete is much higher than that between rubber and shale). Also, as anyone who has looped a bike will attest, landing on a shale track hurts a lot, but landing on concrete hurts a hell of a lot more. As track preparation techniques improved, with better quality shale surfaces replacing cinders, concrete starting grids were banned.

LOL no. Seems I wasted all those years studying physics, back in the day. Not to mention the 50 years of watching speedway from both sides of the fence. Going to have to recondition my brain now, so that it thinks all those riders that I've seen hitting the kerb and picking up from the excess drive, never happened.

So a speedway bike sliding on shale, suddenly hitting a solid concrete kerb with the back wheel wouldn't pick up traction and be driven forward in a straight line? Well you live and learn eh?

Those averages are correct. Are you suggesting some kind of fiddle has been allowed "in the best interests of the sport"?

Correct. Klindt at 2, Kvech at 3.

Got to be the silliest post so far (and you had competition) No one said it would sell out in 24 hours. It will however sell out. Probably a lot of people hoping it doesn't sell out before next week, since a lot of people only get paid at the end of the month. p.s. Please tell me you weren't sad enough to count the dots on the seating plan.

Nothing has been announced yet. Could use the highest placed non-GP rider from the British Final for both or, since they are 2 separate GPs, could use the first and second highest, and let 2 riders have the experience of one GP each. Can't really make my mind up which I think is the fairest.

The back straight standing is showing a few tickets available for either night now. I suspect some people may have put tickets in their cart when they were released this morning, but not completed on paying for them, so they've been released back for sale. Other than that there's still some in the temporary seating. Looks like it is selling very quickly though

I see Birmingham's secret weapon has just turned up! (Not so much a secret, but he's certainly a weapon)

Klindt is at 3. Iversen at 4 Kildemand at 2 for Oxford. Riss at 4

I'm hoping that Birmingham can win this, simply because we don't need another season with a team cast adrift at the bottom getting thrashed every meeting. But I think Leicester will win. The Lions are generally reasonable around Perry Barr, but the Brummies have no home advantage with a team of practically all newcomers. Zagar wasn't over-impressive at Belle Vue last week, and Jeppesen and Jepsen Jensen will need time to settle. I think Birmingham will get dialled in ok in time, but the opening weeks will be tough.

Your comment was silly. And his analogy with Ferraris was a well-illustrated explanation of the ecomonics of supply and demand. Shame you still don't understand. Thankfully those at WBD/FIM/Belle Vue (whoever set the prices) had a better grasp of economics. Surprised you found the racing at Cardiff to be the draw rather than just the social atmosphere of the occasion. (although I expect you are trolling rather than admitting to having no social life). Racing clearly will be 10 times better at Belle Vue.

So basically we don't know who is organising the events. (Nor do we need to). Could be as it's always been, WBD (with or without BSI). Could be the BSPL/ACU. Could be Manchester Council as stadium owners. Could be the Belle Vue club owners. The only people who know are those who signed the contract. Everyone else is just guessing.

But hasn't the British GP always been promoted by the rights owners, not the stadium owners? Don't think the Welsh Rugby Union know much about staging Speedway.