Wolfgang Amadeus

I was at Cheltenham racecourse yesterday for an event in their function rooms, and I had similar thoughts. There is a massive unused area in the middle. The attendance at the event was at least on a par with a conference league crowd, so why not?

I expect you're right about the Pedersen factor, Ozyace. I can't help wondering if there would have been as much tolerance of the collusion between Crump and Adams if it had denied third place to a British rider.

With a little help from Jason Crump in the semi-final.

Isn't the whole saying something like "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely"? Out on the track the riders all have the same opportunities and make split-second decisions. Similarly the referee doesn't have much time to deliberate over a decision. In many instances the referee must weigh-up each rider's proportion of the blame in a matter of seconds, even with the assistance of television replays (which aren't as conclusive as some portray them). It's not an exact science - the rider on the inside isn't always to blame, nor vice versa. The rider who is inches ahead can't simply do what he likes as some say - he still has to ride fairly and under control. I'm not saying I agree with the ref's decisions last night, but someone has to arbitrate, and it comes down to that person's opinion. The GP series was always intended to minimise the impact of a controversial exclusion or an engine failure. Pedersen can hardly claim to be persistently treated unfairly, and he'll get the third place in the championship that he deserves.

Over the last few years the riders been allowed to leave a larger gap between the front wheel and the tapes. Thus we've seen many riders roll back slightly and then creep forward when under the green light, and even some having to physically hold the bike back when they creep too far. If they insisted on the front wheel being as close as possible to the tapes without touching them - and remaining there until they go up - the riders would have to be stationary until the tapes went up and we'd see fairer starts.

The two pilot meetings in 1984 were very well attended despite the cold. I suppose the combination of going NL, the limited facilities, and not being in Perry Barr put many people off before they gave it a chance. A real shame, as Birmingham were granted a second chance that others were denied. I don't know anything about speedway in Brum pre-Bordesley, but it always struck me as odd that there were two supporters' clubs. Both ran coaches to the away matches.

25yearfan is on the ball, but I believe it was two meetings in 1984, a junior 4TT and the match against Oxford. Birmingham assembled a useful-looking side for the 1985 campaign, but the support was poor in terms of crowd numbers. A pity, given the strong calls for speedway to return to Birmingham both after the demise of Perry Barr and the loss of Bordesley Green. Perhaps many only really supported a return to the north side of the city? The track at Bordesley Green was excellent, long straights, tight-ish banked corners, and very wide. When it was well-prepared the racing was very good. Sadly, the track was too often a dust bowl, probably an indication of the poor financial state of the club. The inside line was moved in on the corners for the 1986 season, reducing the length of the straights by about 10 metres. However, for one meeting when I think the drainage failed, the former inside line was used. The "safety" fence consisted of wooden boards hung over the metal crash barrier. I always thought this was a serious fault, and I recall Paul Evitts and (I think) Chris Pidcock injuring themselves colliding with the fence. The track was tarmaced and now stages car racing, often to crowds no bigger than the speedway used to attract. The Midlands used to be a speedway hotbed. I once did three meetings at different tracks in one day, at Cradley, Bordesley Green and Wolves. It'd be virtually impossible to do that anywhere in Britain now.