Col

It looks as though it's stopped raining but it's still dull outside.

Final lineup from Wolves website: Tai Woffinden, Billy Hamill, Freddie Lindgren, Chris Kerr, Peter Karlsson, Chris Louis, William Lawson, Daniel Nermark, Scott Nicholls, Jason Lyons, Ludvig Lindgren, Casper Wortmen, Kenneth Hansen, Nicolai Klindt, Adam Skornicki, Chris Harris. Reserves: Joe Haines, Karlis Ezergalis. Certainly an improvement on recent lineups with Nicholls, Harris & Louis.. Be interesting to see how the youngsters go. I reckon there are 4 guys in the lineup who would win it; The two Bees & the two Swedish Wolves. Skornicki replaces Shields.

I thought he was injured. Anyway, I'm not sure any racing will occur at Monmore Green tonight, it's drizzling, looks wet enough to have been doing that all night and the sky's are a murky grey - it doesn't look like its going away anytime soon.

Where do you want me to start... The taste or smell.

Looks like they're continuing their form of Monday. A smidgen of cromfort to Swindon fans, Ulamek & Chrzanowski weren't disinterested last night just rubbish.

3rd & 4th in the final yet no mention I'll get ... ummm... 6th. Mark my words.

Also... Good to see Kerr & inparticular Barker get up after nasty spills!

Just got home, really enjoyed the meeting. Couple of really good races in the second half. When I got there I was thinking, jesus this is big! Too used to Monmore Green these days, sadly. I have no idea how Complin fitted between Freddie & the fence but well done to him. 21CH, you can now refer to Freddie as the "dirty, not quite brave enough to win at Sheffield, Swede" Hope Hall & Mogridge are OK. What on earth have the council done between Owlerton and the M1? I went past 'The Ship' pub 3 times trying to get home, stupid roadworks! I think I spent longer in some dingy area of Sheffield than I did on the M1 itself.

Have promised myself one trip to Owlerton this year, looks like this could be it.

Swindon would give any team except Vastervik & Dackarna a run for their money.

From what I can gather the gap between the "Haves" and the "Have nots" is far wider in Sweden than it is in UK. Västervik & Dackarna = Man Utd/Chelsea. Kaparna & Indianerna = Wigan/Charlton. I'm pretty sure Stead & McGowan wouldn't be at reserve if they called a different track home.

Man you must love gate n' go Speedway.

Cheers DW

I assume Lindback isn't riding. Is AJ? Iif not Sweden are not gonna offer much resistance to Poland and Australia. Have to wonder why Magnus Karlsson is in the team. Surely Nermark & Zetterstrom would be better, more experienced options? How are Ruud & Ljung doing? Magnus isn't even one for teh future at 25, if the Swedish team were taking that into account wouldn't Alden or Kling be as usual?

I thought the team was spot on last night, I was slightly worried about Kennetts form at Brandon but he more than pulled his weight. The riding order was spot on, with Nicholls & Harris always having the last two rides. And Richardson always out following a track grade as he's generally the quickest from the tapes of Team GB. I guess it's easier when you are the team where every riders heats are equally spaced out, but full credit for making use of that advantage.

Yeah it was all a little too easy tonight. One has to wonder if Scotty missed the gate on purpose in heat 25. Jonas Davidsson puts in his greatest ever performance in GB but "Belle Vue's shining beacon" Lindback was dreadful, the two sibling elder statesmen were poor and Lindgren wasn't as good as I expected him to be. Hancock ploughed a lone furrow for USA, Janniro was awful, Kerr a liability. The Russians were good value spoilers.

What an absolutely awful track for a big event. So glad I didn't waste a night watching it live, I watched most of it *8 on the DVD player.

I hate Chris Harris, how dare he overtake Hampel on the final lap of the Semi when I had 2000+ points on the Pole and 2000+ points on Hancock. I'd not be winning now but I'd be fuggin close. I hate you Bomber. I am of course joking, I got a sore throat fro cheering so loud when he won.

And it was great to see the diving Danes get nowhere with their Semi Final antics!

My throat is a little sore! Well done Chris.

My dad taped the GP for me as I was in Belfast on a Stag Doo this weekend, my partner and the DVD recorder are not on good terms. Nicki Pedersen is one lucky fella, is all I can say. He owe's Lindback a pint or four. Loved the way Gollob let the ref know he touched the tapes in his first ride, Sportsmanship at its best. Gutted for Andersen (a rider I don't generally like). Harris was unlucky, I don't tend to look on Brits with rose tinted specs like some folks. He'd have made the semi I reckon without the EF, Bjerre & the "GP Chicane" Bjarne he'd have beaten in that heat then the luck of the draw was against him with the three experienced GP gentlemen inside him: Crump, Hancock & Adams. Could there be a worse time to be off gate 4? At least if a Jonsson, N Pedersen, Andersen, Lindback, Nicholls or Gollob are near the inside they'll cause some havoc in the first turn. Gutted for Adams too, looked the class of the field.

Rather like the early 90's when Screen, Havelock, Loram, Louis & Dugard came through to challenge/overtake the likes of Tatum, Doncaster & Wigg.

Woffinden has ridden at Monmore before, albeit in the Olympique. He wobbled around slowly. Going by that I'd not expect a great deal from him tonight.

I believe that was the plan. The top 5 guys that want to be in the GP qualifiers get the spots. Whether Nicholls or Harris would take those spots I'm not sure. That's something for the likes of King, Kennett & Wright to aim for, because IMO it's between Howe & Stead for the spot at Cardiff. Richardson the only other one I think could grab it, but his usual Monmore form means it's unlikely.

Writing off Norris? He's held the track record at Monmore, I'm pretty sure none of the others have ever done that. Though if it is decided by a 'Final' i.e. one race at the end count him out, he tends to fade towards the end of meetings at Monmore usually. Kennett is or has been way to erratic at Monmore to really have a chance of a rostrum finish and the Wildcard. Nicholls & Stead were both absent when their teams visited Monmore this year while Poole are yet to visit WV2, Kennett did however guest of Eastbounre. Perhaps that will be a factor, I dunno, but the track has been more tightly packed this year than previously, the wide dirt line hasn't developed as it did in previous seasons. I can only assume this is down to the make up of the Wolves team. PK, Howe, Lindgren & Lawson are all adept at riding the inside line, whereas IMO Hamill (& maybe Magnus Karlsson) has/ve suffered due to the lack of the dirt line developing - Billy has to do all his work form the gate these days. This could IMO benefit Stead who is capable of blowing anyone away early on in a meeting as he proved last year.