Mylor

Careful Kevin. You run the risk of alienating supporters in Cornwall, North Wales and two thirds of Scotland. Sky/EL and the SGP's are effectively all we have within striking distance. As far as 'local tracks' are concerned you are rather spoilt for choice in the Midlands but don't fall into the trap of thinking it's the same for all of us.

Are you trying to tell us that speedway's in trouble because we don't care much for sidecars?

Didn't know there was one! Perhaps I could have phrased it better though. When I go to speedway I want to see speedway and when I go to football................. Where did I say football fans can't watch speedway

Different planet I'm afraid spiderweb. Speedway fans go to see speedway, football fans go to see football. Same with all the major sports. We'd only see sidecars a unnecessary padding. We'd much sooner see more speedway. Sidecars don't attract any sizeable following here. I think they restrict themselves to grass tracks.

Racer X, perhaps you would like to re-read my post. 1) I suggested 'The nominees could qualify on their league averages?'. There would be nothing to stop BSI and others from nominating who they wish, the idea being to get 16 world class riders competing for the remaining places, a much better system that that employed now. 2) See the answer to 1). Riders of Chrzanowski's calibre may find it difficult to get nominated. 3) One, possibly two meetings at the most and play-offs are rarely scheduled for weekends when these meetings would probably be run. 4) Can't see where I said Matej can't beat top riders. You must admit though that a PL rider, any PL rider would find it difficult to get a nomination.

Sorry to put a dampner on this ww but I think you'll find there are more ex-speedway fans than current ones. I stopped going when I took on a mortgage and got married in the '70s and only returned a few years ago. Unfortunately that revival was effectively cut short by the closure of Trelawny. I pay my Sky subscriptions but expect my meagre contribution to be used effectively for the future of the sport, not to line promoter's and rider's pockets. If the sport doesn't take full advantage of this god-given opportunity and doesn't improve and grow I and a goodly number of West Country fans will be lost to the sport permanently.

Should we examine the world's premier motor sports series for a second? Nobody ever qualifies for F1 and a goodly number actually pay to be included!!

Very sensible idea Joester! BSI, Can we have a GP Challenge meeting with the bottom 8 from the GP's and 8 nominees? Even better, an extra meeting where 16 nominees to battle it out for 8 places in the GP Challenge. The nominees could qualify on their league averages? I like Matej but I think he'd have found it difficult to qualify under a scheme like this as a PL rider. You really must pit yourself against the best week in, week out to stand a chance.

Many hotels aren't taking bookings more than 6 months in advance so it beats me why they should be all sold out. I could have sworn I booked mine earlier last year but those I've tried just told me to try again in December.

The latest motor racng series seem to tackle the machinery problems by contracting single suppliers for chassis and engines. GP2 cars are Dallara/Renaults and the new A1GP cars will be Lola/Zyteks. Presumably these were the best value suppliers. Now Zytek will only be building 54 engines in the first year. How many speedway riders are there in the world and how many engines & chassis do they buy each year? Surely there's a case for the sport as a whole awarding a contract to a single frame and engine supplier. A monopoly in exchange for a fixed low price. I could have started a new thread but seeing as Andy brought up the subject of machinery costs............. I still might! I don't know who would fly the technical committee for the FIM but how about inviting Ole Olsen, Tony R, Ivan Mauger, Barry Briggs to lay down specifications for a cheap but fast...ish bike then invite tenders? Implementation for say January 2008?

Andy, this seems to say that the top riders have creamed off the Sky money, which I can quite believe as we see little else to show where the Sky money goes. So who will be brave enough to sign top riders at current rates if/when Sky do pull out and pass the full cost directly to the supporters? Not many methinks. That leaves us with the third and most likely scenario: Following a year or two of top riders taking the pain we return to pre-Sky days. Promoters will shrug their shoulders and we'll all be wondering what might have been if we'd got our house in order. You pays your money and the BSPA takes your choice!

Good posts guys. It really is time the BSPA and the individual promoters took time out to answer at least some of the dozens of valid, constructive suggestions posted on the biggest fans forum around. Even an acknowledgement would be a start but methinks they'd see this as the thin end of a wedge which may force sweeping changes to the way the sport is run. Some will say it's the promoters who take the risks with their own money but lets face it, it's our money they're taking and if we ever became properly organised they'd find it increasingly difficult to ignore us or our ideas to bring credibility to the sport. The really big sponsorship money won't roll in while the sport presents itself as it does now. Our act needs cleaning up. Events like Cardiff show the way forward in terms of presentation. How many well televised UK tracks still have even a centre green worthy of the name? Speedway squeezed between a dog track and a kart or practice track doesn't cut it with even modestly budgeted advertisers and sponsors. A clean and tidy televised event would be a minimum requirement for a company wanting to project an image any higher up the marketing ladder than Fred Dingles Skip Hire. Speedway has been a circus for as long as I can remember. The circle must be broken at some point and real money invested in stadia and facilities if that's to change. Lots of ideas for achieving this have already been raised in posts but all to no avail as they're not listening..................or they're pretending they're not. After 45 years of putting up with this shambles I quite firmly believe that, in the very dim and very distant future................ everything will be exactly the same!

As someone's already said, mine cost me £7 as part of my ticket..............but what really bugged me was that I paid for Mrs Mylor's ticket too. Now what am I supposed to do with 2 programmes? I may be buying 3 tickets next year..............PLEASE BSI, drop this idea before I go broke and disappear under a pile of glossies!!

If that's the criteria to be applied, what would non-GP riders have to do to qualify as their replacements? If a national champion's name was put forward for nomination what would happen if that name was Scott Nicholls?

I could have sworn the steering wheel was in the middle!! I really should have gone to Specsavers.

Too late for this year I know but I did speak to a couple of Weymouth supporters who use the trains from Newport every year. I too was a little worried about the number of trains out of Cardiff after the event. They told me not to worry as they always organise some specials and to look for the guys in yellow jerkins who'll tell us where to go. Spot on. We all piled on to the 4-coach 11.00 special....Job done. Thanks Wildcats.

The sponsors will love you Julie!! As you will be well aware, in most sports photography they keep the aperture wide open to get the background out of focus but you could sell stuff directly to the sponsors for their marketing campaigns, no trouble. The very best of luck in the future.

It was wonderful to see the amount of preperation these lads had put in. They were beautifully turned out, both bikes and riders, looking every bit as professional as the GP guys. Friday practice must have been awsome for them, mixing with the likes of TR, Adams and Hancock. Wouldn't it be nice to know who gave them the most advice? I do hope that BSI invite them again, and yes, a couple of heats and a final would be just about right.

Thanks SCB, much appreciated.

I'll try that this time CedarMan, thanks. One question though........I've got the train times from National Rail Enquiries. They show just 2 trains after 10.00pm from Cardiff, 22:20 and 23:30. Are they putting on more? We may need to catch the 23:30 as Mrs Mylor's lung problems slow her down somewhat. PS........long stay parking, is there some within easy walking distance of the station in Newport?

They did indeed. Customers who suffered the debacle of the Swedish GP in 2003 were offered free tickets to the GP of their choice. Did anyone on the forum take them up on the offer and did you choose Cardiff?

Take a look here: http://world.speedway.org/. You can click on Italy in the sidebar to the right.

The FIM .pdf is broken guys so I suspect they're re-writing it in response to your queries?? Some hope! Anyway, if they're not too long can someone consider posting them on here?

Looked at another way, Poole get a discount when crowds are low..........seems like a good deal to me. How many other stadium owners do that? On the attendance front, I first went to speedway at Wolves in 1961. Attendances were reckoned to be about 7000 then. Well, it was open all the way round! Ahhh..........Graham Warren, Tommy Sweetman........later Dave Hemus, James Bond, Airey and Guasco, a visit from Fred Priest (did he ever stay up for 4 laps??), not forgetting visits from Ivor Brown and Harry Bastable and of course the mother-in-law's favourite Jimmy Squibb. God bless ya Ma, tell Jimmy to have one on me!!

Too true, we are still here!! We started a new thread................... http://www.speedway-forum.co.uk/forums/ind...?showtopic=5006 All went quiet after that, probably because I'd got on everyones nerves by then. End of Year 1. Not a lot of progress but that was expected. Exponential curves and all that. Have fun.