RobMcCaffery

The beauty of the first bend camera is that it is relatively static, so ideal for an alert promoter to put a well-paid advertisement on the fourth bend, and right in shot rather than being rapidly panned-past. It's the same way with advertising on the tapes, used already by a couple of tracks. In a similar vein, get your team sponsor's name at the top of the race suit or race jacket. That way it's far more likely to be caught during interviews....

I expect when we had to confirm a venue the future of the NSS was still in doubt, as it was up to March.

Regionalisation works okay for those well on one side of the splits but for those literally on the borderline they can be robbed of vital local derbies only to have to face extra journeys to long-distant tracks. Regarding the 1990s fiasco the problem then was that the amalgamation was on Division One's terms and the former NL/D2 teams were unrealistically expected to strengthen up whilst the D1 tracks refused to release assets to allow this to happen. The situation now is that this yewar's partial merger has been based on the old PL, as can be seen from the use of old PL averages or EL averages converted to 'fit'. The next logical step is a single league. Bringing the SGBC and SGBP teams level would take far less pain than twenty years ago. One aspect that has to be considered though is that inevitably the combined league would be dominated by those tracks with greatest fan and cash base. At present some of the less economically powerful SGBC sides have a reasonable chance of being in the fight for honours right up until the play-offs, albeit honours which carry less prestige. In times when people talk about seasons being 'over' once they can't win honours, and not simply enjoying the sport and looking at honours as being essential, not a lovely bonus, I worry that the lower teams will lose this fair-weather support once they decide that they can't cover themselves in reflected glory. To put it simply, a combined league will have too many teams without a chance of winning a title. Okay, in the past it worked but I believe supporters weren't so obsessed with their track winning the league back then and just enjoyed a good night's racing, whether league, challenge, individual pairs or the Easter Egg Cup. Intolerance for 'meaningless' matches has reached crisis proportions. We are starved of fixtures not just because of small leagues and rider commitments elsewhere, but because any extra meetings apart from league fixtures don't pay because the crowds won't turn up. Right now an SGBP track has a minimum of 15 home matches (14 league + 1 cup) while the SGBPC version has 19. Running a combined 18 team league will produce 18 meetings (17 league + 1 cup). Obviously the benefit would be greater variety of opposition but those halcyon days of 30+ home fixtures a season saw only a maximum of 19 home league fixtures (when the NNL briefly had 20 teams). The gap was made up of open meetings and I doubt many modern promoters could trust their crowds to support them now. I despise the word 'meaningless', it's cost us so much entertainment and left us just with the bare bones of league racing. Everyone has to be a winner or it's pointless. Attitudes need to change. Sadly I doubt they will now. Perhaps it's a spin-off from people viewing the sport as too expensive and insufficiently entertaining?

It is true, given I clearly qualified my comment with "when there's no alternative" - principally the need to stage a meeting, especially to plug a huge gap in the fixtures in order to salvage some cash flow.

I was surprised to see the Worralls turning out for Rawicz in the third tier of Polish racing, considering both ride for weekend tracks. Currently Rawicz only use them when they're free but what happens if the lower Polish leagues start to behave like their top level? Robert Lambert also turns out for Lublin in the same league. Obviously it's good for these riders to get experience abroad but this could also develop into a problem in due course. Yes we have become that unimportant for many, except for picking up pin money and practice time. We don't pay enough because our crowds are far too low. I am afraid I can see a small SGBP and equally small SGBC running on one specific night each per week with tracks running 7-10 meeting home seasons plus play-offs fortnightly, just as in Sweden, with fans still wondering why the 'stars' haven't returned. The rest will be running at NL level whenever their riders can get time off work. Either that or we make a stand, refuse to be bullied by the Poles and BSI any further, and put a league format together that will use only riders who will fully commit to British racing, whatever shape that may take. Of course the use of foreign riders means compromise with their federations wanting them home for key events. We've been there before since that was exactly how we worked in the 'glory' years. Of course back then the World Championship was one final plus a handful of qualifiers, not 12 Saturdays a year plus 2 more for the SWC and we didn't have the Polish League juggernaut. Sadly we do We can't live with them so must live without them.

It is still legally a very delicate area since one person involved in the case was a minor at the time and thus their identity has to be kept secret in the UK. No matter what you consider the rights and wrongs are the penalties for contempt of court can be quite severe, not just for the person writing here but for the forum owner, Phil, even if the name has been revealed outside this country. When people discuss Darcy Ward's career in speedway it is inevitable that aspects of this case, his brush with the law in Australia and his lengthy ban for alcohol use will inevitably be brought up, just as his wonderful racing and tragic accident will. It's all part of the story of his career. These matters have been argued to death before and while it's morbidly fascinating to see the Poole fans as usual brush anything critical under the carpet, it's unsafe territory and doesn't really serve any purpose.

If I was "instrumental in putting the sport where it is today" I'd be keeping very quiet about it.

British tracks generally run only when riders don't have more pressing (and profitable) engagements elsewhere, usually in Poland, or have to run with guests and r/r when there's no alternative.

Fits the Poole 'prove it' mentality. No loophole ever ignored. Their riders and management can do or say whatever they like, apart from fix a track it seems. Blind faith can be touching..... ...except in this case.

Rospiggarna v Dackarna (Full English version) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0gB-CRKApQ Zielona Gora v Leszno (English) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-GD95boN40

There doesn't seem to be a great deal of interest from Denmark either.

Until riders start throwing points to allow the joker to be used. I've loved the SWC and its predecessor the World Team Cup ever since I saw my first at Wembley in 1973. Some of the blatant attempts to lose points in recent finals have appalled me, hence my attempt at irony.

The two reserve system was introduced in 1969, replacing the old system of one reserve and a 'supplementary reserve' chosen from one of the second strings and used in case of injuries.

The programmes I worked on in the 80s used to have the mickey taken by some of the continuity announcers over the lack of spectators. I did point out that you couldn't see that many people at most of the minor motorsport events - and certainly not at the yachting they used to show ;-) The problem was there, even in the tail end of the boom years. The problem then, as now, was that most of the crowd was either below or behind the main camera so you had to rely on the head-on first bend camera to show the home straight stands. Well, we only had three cameras....I think today's crews would shudder at the budget we had to work to. Sometimes people notice the negatives if they're negative about the sport and vice-versa. Thankfully we had bosses who were looking at the racing, not the crowd...

Nice easy start given the abject state of Rzeszow this year.

I know it was one match but Wilkinson arguably won the match for the Scorpions on Sunday, scoring paid 15 and covering for two injured riders.

It looked to me that they'd given up. It was not the best start especially considering Poole's endless boasting about how perfect they are down there. Putting it in theatrical terms, "There we were on opening night and nobody could be bothered to check the stage".

I'm sure BSI will be broken-hearted

I no longer sleep in the car park....(it was a long time ago and only occasionally, honest!) I take it the box was moved when Len re-opened since it certainly wasn't in line in my day. In the 25 years when I was a regular visitor to the track I can't ever remember the car park being resurfaced - I suspect nothing's happened since, either. A few other things have gone......Mole Tours.........Tommy Combat...................Tearing up the losing draw tickets and throwing them at Tracey......after-meeting discos in the top bar...... putting people in the stocks at a certain hotel in Exeter.....scandalous behaviour in the Golden Circle in Bathgate.....Bob Garrad. Still Robo's back on the centre green ;-) Sorry, this the 2017 not 1977 thread.

Speedway For All have posted two of their short versions (just the 15 heats): Rospiggarna v Dackarna (Polish commentary) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57fjxSqQ9HE Poole v Belle Vue (again in Polish) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwX4WqOEMtI

The last time speedway was in the World Games ITV covered it in World of Sport which shows how long ago it was.....

I'm sure Dave's bosses at Premier Sports would love to see a request like that right under their commentator's posting

Do they still have Stuart Hall and Eddie Waring presiding over the SWC jokers or is jail and death getting in the way? Used to love Jeux Sans Frontieres - a proper use of Eurovision rather than that song contest. Obviously BSI and the FIM are out to capture that once highly profitable demographic

The block on US viewers is a new one. How it works is that where there is a deal with a TV company in place for the meeting to be televised in a given country the 'feed' is then blocked in that country so obviously the major speedway nations are covered by that. Until recently it was clear in the US so some station somewhere over there must now be taking coverage.

It's the difference between planning and just hoping for the best. Of course you can't just rely on absolute equality - otherwise you won't get surprises. Given your name I suspect you might remember the night Dave Morton, riding at number 7 for Hackney beat Ole Olsen at Waterden Road. The fact that I do might give a hint as to the reaction that night. All sport needs the element of surprise. I saw a very interesting example of rider grading at Scunthorpe on Sunday in an NJL match between Halifax (I think we started something back in 1999) and Berwick. Heats 1, 3 and 5 featured the same four riders, all on standard 500ccs with the even-numbered heats containing much younger riders on 250s. I understand it would normally have been 150s but those kids were riding abroad, yes riding ABROAD. It was a good second half match, no endless falls and delays and a last heat decider for the younger riders. To me you've got the team strengths right if a number seven can occasionally beat a number one, and not spend the meeting trailing round half a lap behind. That's one fault of the Polish system. While you do get some really talented kids come through their reserve berths there's a heck of a lot of kids whose only competitive race is heat two. The 'sink or swim' approach must be soul-destroying for the majority and prematurely put paid to quite a few careers. Still, with the money in the sport there they'll always attract the cream of young motorcycle racers there into speedway who will just soar through it like Bartosz Zmarzlik. I do get worried though here when I read of a rider like Parkinson-Blackburn averaging over 10 in the NL but can't make the leaep to the Championship. Anyway, those concerns aren't for the Premiership Rockets. Apologies for wittering on again - it's like writing for the programme again.......similar pay rates too.....