rabbit

And I'd add that it certainly seems no more bizarre than a sportsman choosing/being eligible to play/ride for a particular country simply because one of their grandparents happened to come from there xx number of years before. If he's serious enough to have taken up a Polish passport then he must have met their criteria for that, so can't see the big problem to be honest - he rides as a Pole in the Polish leagues (rather than being their one foreign rider) so it's not a sneaky move done just to get him into the SWC team and if the Poles are happy for him to represent them, then who are we to object...

Ooh, I'll be round to your little hut on Wednesday then...

Haha Lanzilla...am seeing you in a whole new light now! Was there anyone there you didn't kiss? Oh, and pink is so your colour! Nice touch putting the fireworks after the shot of Lanzy and SCB having a quick snog...very metaphoric!

Bit of a harsh reply Bert...perfectly reasonable question from Tommy I'd say. Afraid I don't have the answer though for the Brit boys at least and these things are never readily available at this end! There must be a standard amount from BSI and/or the FIM - are the amounts you're quoting extra incentives from the Polish Federation maybe?

What you picking on me for..I was restrained in my comments before hand! Pah - I'll stick to Poole threads in future...

I'm dangerous with sharp objects, so watch your vulnerable parts!

Glad you added the jest part Bert...or you might have incurred my wrath. And that believe me, ain't a pretty sight! And my post you quoted wasn't directly aimed at you btw....

Nothing like sticking the knife in after the event eh? Can any of you rubbing it in now seriously say that you weren't worried about Richardson prior to the event because I certainly was!!! Sure he rode his luck, but then everyone needs that in life. He did well and scored 15 points and was part of a great team effort. But would some people be so sanctimonious against those who voiced their opinions before if he'd been the one who was the main reason for us not getting to the Final? So congrats Lee - you did well...just do us a favour and stick to the healthy lifestyle for the next few days!!

Yeah, but like me you were probably intoxicated!!

Eight pages before someone mentions us...was feeling neglected. Thanks Andy! After the first few heats I started on something Snob...first thing in the wine rack whatever it was! Cya on the 11th Aug! Congrats to Team GB and I will happily eat my words but I had thought we were cannonfodder for the Danes tonight but that was one gutsy display! Nice to go straight through to the final and some determined riding against a Danish team who seemed to panic and over-ride at various times. However...I do have serious worries about the weekend and don't realistically think we're going to make very much impact against 3 other first class sides. But forget that and I'm enjoying the moment. Hell, I'm even feeling benevolent towards Steady and he usually ranks high up on my most unrated riders list haha. : Roll on tuesday's meeting cos that one I can't call at all.... Oh and Sky...if you know what's good for you - get Floppy and NigelP back for the commentary again this week. Absolute class. More entertaining than some of the racing to be honest!

Firstly it's Team GB and not England (our Welsh and Scottish compatriots are able to ride in this team if selected remember) and secondly half of them looked so damn nervous at the start I expect the last thing on their mind was singing the National Anthem. And let's face it - the crowds at speedway hardly belt it out either do they?!!! Still, if that's the most you can find to moan about it can't have been that bad...

Don't think people would object so much to the prices if it wasn't for the fact that it's costing people around £8 in total to watch both the run-off on Thursday and the Final on Saturday! Plus, it's a couple of quid cheaper to watch the next round in Sweden on Tuesday. It is the World Cup, so it was always to be expected that prices would be higher than league racing, but come on, but they're taking the Michael making the first round almost 3-4 times the price of the final!! I'm another who will watch on TV. Might be many things but a mug ain't one of them!

And if he couldn't? Just don't think it's exactly top preparation that's all. Hurrying back and scrabbling to get his equipment together for such an important event within 24 hours. Maybe I'm just expecting too much out of a national squad member on the eve of a prestigious event. Just my opinion of course...

Am I the only person thinking wtf was he doing flying out on holiday, when he was in the Team GB squad and there were well known question marks over Loram's fitness? He must have known that he would be the next person to be called up if any rider picked up an injury? I'll be supporting the lads, but with all due respect think we're going to have an uphill struggle now. Still should be an interesting few meetings!

Just wondering why the Academy League results aren't appearing on the BSPA site under the results section? Seems a shame that these matches are going on and there's no official mention of the scores or scorers other than reports in the Speedway Star a week later. I hadn't realised until just now that they'd actually started already! Bet some of these kids would love to see their names on the site under the top scorers. Or is it appearing somewhere and I'm just missing it?

Calm down, calm down! No-one is slating Crumpy at all, just making the comparison between the two riders and how they approach things.

It's a bit of a lame excuse to be honest! Jason has had the pressure throughout his career and I can't see how interviews a couple of days before can have that much effect. During a meeting maybe but beforehand? The reason TRicky is the consummate professional is that he gives everything the time it deserves. Pre-meeting he'll do his interviews and press work etc then as soon as the meeting is imminent, he'll get into his zone and focus. That's why you never see TR give interviews during a meeting - he has a cutoff time and from that point on until the end of the meeting it's just him and his pit crew. He's like it in league meetings and GPs alike - you just don't interrupt him while he's got his race head on! Top mental approach and maybe Crumpy could learn from that. Sky might not like it, but at the end of the day it's these guys livelihoods and if it works then who are they to object?

TRick riding for Poole has nothing whatsoever to do with my admiration for the guys riding skills. If anything, I was one of the few hacked off that he walked out on us last year. Just appreciate quality where I see it. And where did I mention I don't support the Poole assets? If you're going to have a dig at least do it on what I've said and not what you think!! For your info (not that I should feel the need to justify myself) I support Scott and Lee first as Brits and then Anton and Bjarne. No Sullivan as I've never been a fan of his regardless of him riding for us. Whatever Tony does is just the icing on the cake.

Gem - I agree 100%. There has been some great racing, it's been awesome to watch and wonder each time if TRick is going to do it again in that particular GP, plus there are so many battles going on for the other places. The GP series far outweighs the enjoyment I get from watching mostly mediocre EL matches on Sky each week, even if it is a foregone conclusion.

Spot on FR...quality post! Couldn't have said it better.

Oh well excuse me for daring to interrupt lmao! Keep posting dear you're hysterical!

We've admitted he was out of order LT. What more do you want? Family forum remember! That was almost as good as the KK move on Bjarne the other week!

Full marks to the clueless comment of the year award!!! Classic. Well I'll say my piece as i'm obviously not a fan of the sport either. Tony is just awesome this year. His personal issues of last year are out of the way, he has determination to make up for a poor (in his books) series last year, he's cut down on his meetings and the difference shows. He is not only beating guys on the track but off - ever thought he might have let Crumpie win the semi just to let Jason think he had the edge and then unleash the power. Not saying that's what happened but who knows... As for the Penske frames, well both Havvy and Kelvin said it - they've had a look and there are differences. Add to that Tony's testing of them and his Schuamcher -like feedback to his engine tuners and mechanics and what do you get? Remember this was a private enterprise that is only now allowing the Penske name to be used with it. For a long time last year, it seemed like they were holding back until it was fully proven and tested. So congrats to Tony and great to see dependable old Bjarne get 2nd. As for Scotty - I'm gutted for the bloke. One day he will do it. As for Anton... Pirates rider or not - what the hell was he doing?!!!!!

You've just answered a question that had fleetingly whizzed through my mind Subedei. Wondered why he'd been replaced in every one of his heats! Still that's some replacement to have in KK. Would be good to have the rules of Polish speedway explained one day to see how they differ from the British leagues.

Robert Kasprzak was one name mentioned when I was told about the Young Guns Individual at Poole on the 3rd Aug. That was a couple of weeks ago and not confirmed but maybe he's looking to the EL at some stage - even earlier now if he's out for a while!