arnieg

1) Gerald Short on top form, passing all comers 2) Rickard Hellsen defeating Jason Crump in the last race of the season to ensure Long Eaton grabbed runners-up spot from Swindon (1992?) 3) Leaving the Oxford Suite the night Tony Mole announced it was all over and going to the stadium, standing in the car park and wondering if there'd ever be a return. ...and I'm still waiting

Yes - I saw him ride at Auburn a few years back and he was described as 70 year old Bill Thomas" There are quite a few 'hobby riders' in the second/third division programmes who would rember JFK being shot (JFK not JR) I think there were three generations of Bast on the programme too.

Also: Sam Ermolenko in 1993 and Tony Rickardsson (after a run-off with Nielsen and Boyce in '94

I'd go for Ivor Brown too, on the basis of Peter Foster's Cradley history which details their antipathy.

Very difficult to get hold of. I got mine from a secondhand bookseller down under through: http://www.abebooks.com/

Add Charlie Monk - he'd be second in my top three: 1 Arne Pander 2 Charlie Monk 3 Bobby Schwartz

Sports Pages in London (Charing Cross Road) has a wide range of Speedway books. I think I counted 11 titles (including the Craven book and some by a member of this forum - you know who who are Norbold ) when I was in there last week. Five years ago that would have seemed like an impossible aspiration

I suspect that it would be a fairly limited audience - but it would certainly include me. I have the Polish Encyclopedia. I've not seen the other two books, but the stats are on the web at: http://www.republika.pl/rlach/index.htm I only discovered it a few days ago, and it contains an extraordinary amount of detail. For league averages from 1982 try (click the links in the "listy ksm" column): http://www.jsp.alpha.pl/speedway/strona1.php?kl=kr&g=stat1l PS The most beatiful speedway book I've ever seen is one called "rot, bla, vit, gul" which is a history of Swedish speedway. For swedish stats go to: http://www.speedway.org/history/index.htm PPS For more detail on Ice Speedway World Champs go to the Novosibirsk site: http://www.sibirspeedway.boom.ru/statistics.htm however it is in Russian (I knew my Russian 'O' level would eventually come in handy)

Looks like genetic engineering to me A cross between Martin smolenski (German Junior Champ) and Radik Smolik (Czech - finished 7th in National championship))

What's happened to the 2.5% discount for British riders? It will make no difference in most cases but it could make a huge difference if a rider goes from bottom of one grade to top of the one below because of the discount. And how are riders who doubled up last year being graded. riders like gjedde and shields could be in grade 3 based on their EL average, grade 5 if 50% of PL average is used or grade 4 if the two are combined. Anyone know?

Absolutely As a general principle any rule change should be accompanied by a statement as to what defect it is designed to remove, how it is going to improve the sport... .. and a list of how many pages of supplementary regulations will be needed to counteract all the unintended consequences

Overall it doesn't look too bad to me. I don't think there will be much distress over the loss of the British League Cup Doubling Down was ludicrous and had to go Restrictions on doubling up seem reasonable as does the addition of PL riders as 'squad members' Guests were completely out of hand last year and I think that a cut back was badly needed. But have they tightened up too much (it wouldn't be the first time the promoters have over-reacted). I see a flood of special dispensations being granted (which brings us back to the problem of the lack of an independent management body) Golden Doubles - don't like them, but on the grounds that we've already got them I don't mind the no change. But Golden Tac Subs - adds nothing - it just changes the basis on which tac subs are used. I doubt there is a shred of evidence that GTS made matches closer than traditional tac subs. One plus is that it does guarantee more rides for tail end riders because they won't get taken out Retention of points limit - good for the PL. Not clear what it has been set at for Elite League, but with two new teams it probably needs to be about 42 otherwise there won't be enough riders available to allow Arena & Swindon to build decent teams. As already pointed out imposing another condition via grading can only be a restriction in the room for manouvre so calling it more flexibility is positively orwellian. Removal of bonus points - about time too. It has been tried before (NL in the early eighties) and the big advantage is that it more closely reflects the one thing that is the truest marker of team strengths - how many points they score in a match. However the press release is not very clear and I fear that grading (based on averages) has replaced a points limit in the Elite League - if so ... BAD MOVE I'm sure that much of this will all look very different in a week's time as more detail emerges.

Indeed - Grahame Reeve was the last person to do a proper job for the SCB. ...if only they'd appointed me instead of David Hughes :x

This is: a) what Lord Shawcross said in 1964 pretty obvious to all intelligent fans (like Star Lady) c) the role the SCB should be playing. As far as I can see the Promoters Assn seems to have repatriated powers from the SCB and taken on more of the administration - with little regard for the need to be seen as impartial. :-( The tendency of promoters to demand rule changes at the drop of the hat doesn't help. Before rule changes are approved there should be an impact assessment: 1) What change is the new rule attempting to achieve, and why is it desirable? 2) Does it work? 3) What are the unintended consequences(usually to make everything more complicated!) and are they outweighed by the advantages of the proposed change I am aware that each February all the referees get together and try and get there heads round how new rules will work in practice. :? :? :? More than once a couple of months into the season I have had conversations with a referee about possible scenarios for which a new rule doesn't come up with a solution. (eg Doubling Down)

You want Alan Jonses' book: "Speedway in Leicester: the pre-war years" It details both Stadium and Super (the largest ever track in England) and is the most detailed book on pre-war speedway (with the possible exception of Jim Henry's EDinburgh - Marine Gardens, and the book about speedway in Manchester 1929-1945)) Vol 2 covering the Hunters era should be out next year. Contact the author @ 24Purbeck Ave,Shepshed,Loughborough LE12 9HD or speedwayinleicester@hotmail.com Read about attempts to get speedway at Grace Road (Leics County Cricket Club) and the apparition of Roy Reeves' ghost to his widow on the first bend at Blackbird Road Did you know : Stadium met Super 5 times and won them all... ...that Stadium rode against Denmark in 1930 .. that Super re-opened in 1936 for a handful of pirate meetings (a fact not recorded in Homes of British Speedway)

Try: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0...0080610-1783806

You might also consider contacting Nick Barber who runs speedway memorabillia auctions. Try: nick.barber3@btopenworld.com

Unfortunately it didn't say anything on the giant screen :-o . All that high powered graphics and they miss the most basic requirement. As a result I now have a programme liberally covered in tippex

Ian started as a junior at Reading in 1975. He was Racers number 8 riding 39 matches between 1976 & 1981. He rode mainly in the National League - he was at his best when riding for Stoke (77-79). His 1979 NLRC victory was a huge shock as his average was too low to qualify him, and he only got to ride when promoted from reserve because someone else pulled out. After Mildenhall he moved to Oxford in '82 his average plummeted, and he retired. I know nothing about another generation riding. Probably Jack's maternal grandfather. so who would that be then?

How about Ian Gledhill winning the NLRC?

I think a look at the scores from golden doubles shows the problem with reintroducing handicapping. Simply it is too difficult to pass even when giving away only 15 metres. The few successful golden doubles usually come from heat 8 or 14 and involve a number one against a weak second string and a reserve. Mind you it works in the States and the Olympique is still a good meeting

Another vote for Ronnie Moore But what would Zenon Plech have achieved if he'd ridden in an era when there was some money in Polish speedway?

I used to make the trip to Blackbird Road every Tuesday when I was at University up the road in Loughborough in the 70's. Two of us used to travel on the Loughborough Speedway Supporters coach and we'd support the opposition every week. How many sports could you do that in and get away with it? Reminds me of when I first moved from Reading to Leicester in 1983. Seven of us from Leicester (5 Lions supporters and two Reading fans) went down to Wimbledon on the Sunday for a big meeting and then onto Reading. watched Racers v Lions on Monday (wearing Leicester colours!) and then on tuesday we all travelled back to Leicester on the Reading supporters coach. I then entered the stadium through the season ticket entrance wearing my Racers colours.

Martin Scarisbrick winning the NL fours title at Peterborough for Newcastle in 1983. Diamonds had a team consisted of Joe Owen, Bobby Beaton, Rod hunter and Alan Emerson. The first three all had league averages over 10. Scarisbrick came in as resrve after Beaton was injured and produced a match winning ride to thwart Mildenhall. It also ranks as the best televised speedway pre-Sky era. how about brent Werner's 19 (or was it 20?) points at Cov in early 2001 for Eastbourne?

But different national federations have their own rules. I think Ryan Fisher got dispensation to ride at senior level a year early in the States beacause: a) he was too good for the other under 16 riders and the nearest junior programme was 500 miles away at Auburn (Costa Mesa had no junior races)