mikec

Emil definitely looks suitably refreshed from his SWC break, impressive indeed. Bjerre gets passed by Strzelec, then beats MJJ, Holta & Grigory Laguta - never too sure what you're gonna get from little Kenneth!

Good afternoon gents. Agree that this Czestochowa 1-5 looks very solid, with young Czaja very decent too. Went to Leszno a few years ago & saw Holta get 17 against them, beating Adams & Hampel along the way - looks good again today too. Could be a long afternoon for the Bulls.......

It's true, I think the idea that you have to race in Britain to reach the top has been exposed as a bit of a myth nowadays. In the case of Cook, he's clearly too good for the PL & is progressing well for the Aces in the EL. As tonight has probably exposed, he needs experience on the international scene - initially probably a Liga 1 club in Poland, with gigs in Sweden & Denmark too. A mentor who's been to these places & done it - someone like a Joe Screen or Mark Loram - to help development at this stage. It'll be fascinating to see how Cook, Worrall, Ellis, Lambert etc develop in the next couple of years - & what assistance they get from British speedway in making that progress.

He's beaten some decent riders home & away in the EL & mixed it pretty well for a guy 4 years out of motocross - or maybe I just imagined it??

I've thought that myself in the past, over the last few years when watching most of the GB riders blown away on large continental tracks. It would be a brave move for young riders to skip GB to learn in a tougher school (e.g Poland) in order to make greater progress - though it does happen in other sports. For example, boxers moving to USA to get tougher sparring/training or tennis players snubbing the LTA to train/compete in a more competitive environment. I'm sure Morris & Vatcher are doing good work with the juniors/U21's etc. I'm just not convinced British Speedway has any thought out strategy as to how good young prospects make the jump to senior level. If I'm wrong then I'd be happy to be corrected. Far more exposure to continental racing at a far younger age has to be a start.

Well Cook's out for Thursday. I've no problem with Bridger, King or Barker - all much of a muchness really. Your point is fair about the competition on Thursday & if qualifying for Saturday's final is the sole goal then fine. However if British Speedway genuinely sees Cook & Worrall as future international prospects over a 3-5 year term, then surely you pick them & stick with them, through initial low return. Cook will be disappointed tonight but he should remember he's beaten some class riders this season & clocked some very quick times. He admits his riding style isn't as natural as some, due to his lack of speedway experience. I'll be really surprised if he isn't back on the GB scene real soon. Good luck to GB on Thurs, whoever they pick.

Cookie did struggle tonight, looked much more rigid & tense on the bike than he does when I watch him for the Aces - I'm sure Monarchs fans would also concur with that. Presumably nerves would account for much of it, as well as his sluggishness from the tapes - again fairly rare for Craig. He'll be disappointed with tonight, but can only benefit from the overall experience from tonight, as well as from Prague on Thursday, if Middlo sticks with him - which in my opinion he should. He's come a long way in the last four years, & I think with continued dedication, good advice & international experience he'll avoid the "glass ceiling" most up & coming Brits (Bridger, Barker King, Stead, Kennett, Howe etc) hit when they've reached a certain level. What is clear to all is that Team GB aren't "world class" & IMO need a medium term selection policy to slowly build & progress around Tai & Bomber. The selection of an out of form Kennett in place of an up n coming Richie Worrall makes me doubt whether such a plan is in place.

Thanks David. Another full points win for the Brummies, & with very winnable trips to P'Boro & Eastie I can only see them eventually finishing top going into the playoffs, closely followed by Swindon & Wolves.

What was Davey Watt unhappy at? With Bridger & little Kenneth falling out too, it seems like a lively night at Perry Barr!

I read that tweet, does that refer to something specific to tonight's meeting, or is it just his general opinion of him?

Certainly does seem quite technical, would be interested what others thought, including Ghostwalker. Happy mowing sir, enjoy!

It's not quantity, quality that counts! Was thinking, the Vargarna track seems quite British to me - smallish with quite tight turns. Trying to figure where it reminds me of - a slightly larger version of Lakeside maybe??

Got your PM, thanks very much. Won't comment on match as per above.

Another class race there in heat 12 too. Didn't think Czaja was gonna hold out Ward there, but he did - & the flying Holta finished last! I agree with both of you regards to Czestochowa & Bydgoszcz, they're outstanding race tracks. I'll YouTube Opole later as not seen any racing from there as yet, League II track I think.

The posts from him/her would be very enthusiastic after MJJ's last couple of rides, showing far better form now.

Wow what a heat 10!!! This track rarely disappoints - fabulous racing!!!

Thanks R&R, & Alan for the link too. See that Hampel & Dudek scored well for ZG again today. You're really risking the wrath of KKS/JJRacing etc Alan, though on a serious note MJJ looks a shadow of the guy at Gorzow a week or two ago. Excellent heat 8, how wide does Laguta race, amazing lines! Fine ride from Strzelec again too.

How many points for Woffy today R&R?

Some decent racing & surprise results so far, particularly in heat 1. Love watching Szombierski around Czestochowa, he's dynamite at times. Good to see the young reserve Strzelec keeping the old master on his toes in heat 4 too.

Laptop crashed, back up in time for heat 15 - looks like it got painful for Rzeszow (heat 15 excepted), Marta won't be happy!! Looking forward to the Czestochowa/Torun match now - with Holder missing I've been trying to decide who are favourites for the Gold Medal now. Up until Friday night I could only see one winner - Torun. I'm not so sure now. Thoughts??

Thanks guys, remember he was a serious talent in the early 2000's. Wonder if there's an English version of the documentary, will check later. It certainly does remind us of the danger these guys face. Hopefully the World Champ will make a full recovery & challenge for the title again in 2014. Looking forward to seeing how Torun cope later - step forward young Przedpelski??!!

Good to see Cegielski again on the tv, saw him score a fine maximum for Poole at Belle Vue several years ago, very classy rider. Who did he race for in ExtraLiga??

Must admit I saw Murray win 2nd set while the track work was going on...anyway for fear of upsetting anyone, back on topic - have Polish TV given any clue when the track work will be completed?

I almost imagined I was at Belle Vue with all that dust earlier - & now there's a flood too - only this one is real!! Anyway its 26C in Manchester today - while Tarnow sort the track out think I'll open one of these... Cheers!

Great effort from Sowka there on the line in heat 7 too - though Janowski seems a bit off the boil today.