RobMcCaffery

Wash your mouth out

Of course not knowing the race format isn't the problem. Good lord I do wonder if some of you can actually read! The problem is coming up with a sensible format. Can't you understand that simple difference? Try understanding the problem before shooting your mouth off and trying to ridicule others, eh? It's clear a lot of supporters can't see the problem. I'm sure they'll be the first to bleat if they're watching awful meetings with riders being hopelessly mismatched. Mind you, as long as their team wins I guess they'll be happy....

Mikael was a lovely guy to work with at Rye House - which was probably the problem. Last I saw of him he was managing Rospiggarna in Sweden.

I sincerely doubt if he even reads the programme. He certainly can't grasp what's going on.

Polish speedway gets huge crowds and is awash with money, some of it 'clean'. In Britain we have to protect what's left before it is finally destroyed by the FIM and Polish greed. As for the young riders we do not have a proper training programme for youngsters so our junior talent is way behind yours. Also we don't have the money to invest in young talent like Polish clubs have. The 'protection' you decry is in fact segregation to make sure we don't have endless races with two riders almost a lap in front of the other two. It isn't a healthy situation and the state of British speedway is at a hopelessly low ebb. The last thing we need is someone attacking from outside who is fortunate enough to live in a country where speedway is much more prosperous. Mind you, it's about the only reason I'm envious of anyone based over there.

Cook's probably the poor old, er, chap who's having to write the new formula.

Exactly. It's deeply frustrating that people prattle on about minor issues just to prove their team's better than their rivals but when we come to something that is going to fundamentally affect the meetings we attend they totally fail to grasp the importance, whinge and tell people to shut up! Perhaps those who are unable to understand the problem really ought to stick to their own playground threads? The silence from the BSPA does suggest that someone is finding it equally tough to come up with a solution and perhaps it's finally being realised just how difficult it is going to be to make it work. If you shield reserves from heat-leaders while the reserves get easier rides the flip side of the coin is that heat leaders get harder rides which while potentially great for the fans won't go down too well with many riders! So it's not 'just a bleedin' racecard', it's making sure that the meetings don't constantly feature young reserves trailing round half a lap behind. If you don't think that's a problem then the sport's not the only one with a problem.

Well, it's a damn sight more interesting than the "My dad's team's bigger than your dad team" bilge that people try to pass off as 'banter' here.

In my case just trying to point out the scale of the problem and a possible way to deal with it in a structured way. Just trying to help people understand the implications of it all.

Very likely to be vetoed by Peterborough if any real plans were to be formed - just 23 miles away.

Many years back the Star ran a series of articles called 'Whisper It" which kicked-off with a detailed analysis of the then England manager's expenses, which I seem to remember wasn't happy reading in some quarters. It was fascinating readung but didn't last long. I take it the Star had its rights read to it. Of course the sport was far more robust back then and could take a few knocks. Biting the hand that feeds would be far more costly now, I expect. Of course those who read The Sunday People thirty years ago will be familiar with the risks of mixing speedway with investigative jiurnalism. You could sum it all up as 'the sport's just too fragile to take it now". I'd still like to know exactly how Whisper It actually met with its demise though.

You can of course have accounts that have yet to be audited and published. Most businesses have internal management accounts prepared monthly that are then adapted to meet the requirements of the Companies Acts, audited and published. The management accounts are usually far more revealing but obviously not for the public to see. (A broke accountant).

Monmore Green?

Just because there are imperfections in the current system it doesn't mean we should not be concerned by the far, far greater problems that the new system will create.

"Weather chaos to close railways for decades - if only Diana were here"!"

I'm saving up for a ride. Every time I get the cash together they put the fare up...

Certainly not with any I operated - always aimed to get the info out fast, headlines to get the main points out then a longer, in-depth call for those who wanted to stick around for more. . To me it was all about informing the customers. Better to have plenty of repeat short calls than one long call and a customer feeling ripped-off. Needless to say I wasn't that popular with those in charge but what's new there?

I mourn almost all of the lost tracks, especially Hackney, but at the heart of it all one loss for me dwarfs all others. Rayleigh - my first and only true love. Found her and lost her in just three short years.It really wasn't long enough.

Vwod-zee-meerz sven-drovski? Sorry, ....... old habits die hard....

As I mentioned earlier, assuming the reserves are not to meet heat leaders and rides will be spread as evenly as possible over 14 programmed heats, plus the nominated race we're facing this: Reserves - four rides, two against reserves only, two against second strings as well Second Strings - four rides, two with reserves, two with heat leaders Heat Leaders - this is where it gets tricky since there are three to be accommodated Four rides each - one heat leader gets two rides with second strings, two with heat leaders; - two heat leaders get one ride with second strings, three with heat leaders - then heat 15 will probably give them another ride with heat leaders. Many of the declared sides have the third heat-leader on about a 6 point average. The difference between being third heat leader on 6 or a second string in a more evenly-balanced side is quite substantial! One gets reserves in half his rides and heat leaders in his other two while the other gets no reserves and three races with just heat leaders. I do wonder what happens when certain lower-averaged heat leaders work out just how much harder their opposition's going to be in 2014. I've had a go at putting together a formula and the best I can get is this. They're not in meeting order - that's phase two. So, two heats of reserves only: 6 7 6 7 6 7 6 7 Four heats of second strings and reserves: 2 6 4 7 4 7 2 6 2 7 4 6 4 6 2 7 Four heats of second strings and heat leaders: 1 2 1 2 3 4 3 4 5 2 5 2 5 4 5 4 Four heats all heat leaders 1 3 3 5 3 5 1 3 1 5 1 5 1 3 1 3 Now, try getting those in a logical order, spreading rides out evenly with equal share of gates without hitting the bottle....

I have such fond memories of watching Joe racing at Czestochowa on Polsat in the nineties. It was like watching PC or Chris Morton on the old Belle Vue. It did make me wonder what a combination of Hyde Road and Joe in his prime would haver been like . Wonderful, I suspect.

I'd say the reference is to the Cearns family who were involved not only with Wimbledon Speedway but also West Ham United, and I presume from the above West Ham Speedway as well. I remember there being a Cearns family factory or warehouse in Carpenters Road on the way from Stratford to Hackney Speedway - don't know if that was also connected.

There's a heck of a lot of difference between correcting appalling mistakes and re-creating the past. Anyway, it's clear that I'm wasting my time here - the sport's doing fine and can carry on blithely as it is.with no need for change, just a bit of tinkering round the edges. Ignore anyone who recommends a tougher course, after all the world's moved on and nobody can achieve anything. The sport's trying to live on gates that would have closed any track in the not too recent past. At what point does anyone accept there's a problem - when the gates hit single figures? I listed ideals earlier that I still believe in. Obviously I'm very much in the minority so it's pointless to try to help. "Mr.Speedway, I have news, you're seriously ill and need to change your lifetstyle" "No, why should I? The world's moved on and I can't do anything about it. I was healthy once, no need to re-create that, it's in the past"

As opposed to the 'ignore the past, just stumble on and hope for the best' "brigade" (a perjorative term typically rolled out to insult those who have differing views) who have brought the sport to its current level of outstanding success and of course see both sides of the story but just conveniently ignore one. I've already stated my position - learn from the past but don't live in it. What I find staggering that those in control of the sport cannot see the appalling mess that they've dragged it into and myopically dismiss anyone who CAN see it as 'living in the past." Right now I see the sport as like a very ill individual who needs to change their lifestyle but refuses to on the basis that health was 'in the past' and nothing can be done to cure themselves - they have to plough on doing the wrong things and hope for the best. Who can argue that the ideals I listed earlier aren't desirable? Well then, why can't we even begin to find a way to find a way back?

A great rider to watch and a great person to deal with, albeit a long time ago.