tommy

Anyone know when the wild cards are going to be announced? my picks: AJ Harris Freddie KK/Hampel

Good stuff, thx Steve!

Yes, Walasek is apparently tempted by a generous offer from Cze-wa. I've heard the same about Harris and Holder. As for Wodjakow..we'll just wait and see ... Also sportowefakty.pl will keep tabs on who is going where HERE

Last Sunday the league wrapped up in Poland and although (some) riders contracts expire on the last day of October, teams have already began to assemble line-ups for 2008. For Zielona Gora there is still a question of weather Walasek will re-sign and who is the 5th senior that has signed (being kept a secret), the following have valid contracts... 1.Pepe (2 yrs.) 2.Lindgren GP rider..most likely 3.NKI (re-signed on Sunday) GP rider 4.Walasek ???? 5.???? 6.Zengota 7.Kling (re-signed on Sunday) Rumours: Bjerre, Dobrucki as the 5th senior and the talented 16 year-old Russian Artem Wodjakow from Turbina Balakowo (mulit-year contract).

It was a laid back meeting to finish off the season and celebrate the fact that e-liga is in ZG for 2008! Intar Lazur Ostrów 1. Mikael Max (2,3,0,2,0,1) 8 2. Mariusz Węgrzyk (1*,0,-,1,d) 2+1 3. Charlie Gjedde (1,3,3,1,0,0) 8 4. Łukasz Jankowski (d,0,0,-) 0 5. Peter Karlsson (1,3,2,3,2) 11 6. Emil Idziorek (2,0,-,-,0) 2 7. Sebastian Brucheiser (1*,0,0) 1+1 ZKŻ Kronopol Zielona Góra 9. Fredrik Lindgren (3,1*,3,1*,2*) 10+3 10. Niels Kristian Iversen (0,2,2*,2*,3) 9+2 11. Piotr Protasiewicz (3,2,3,3,3) 14 12. Piotr Świderski (2*,1*,1,2) 6+2 13. Grzegorz Walasek (3,2,1*,3,1) 10+1 14. Grzegorz Zengota (0,-,-,-,-) 0 15. Ricky Kling (3,2*,1*,2,1) 9+2 Bieg po biegu: 1. (63.85) Kling, Idziorek, Brucheiser, Zengota 3-3 2. (64.16) Lindgren, Max, Węgrzyk, Iversen 3-3 (6-6) 3. (64.37) Protasiewicz, Świderski, Gjedde, Jankowski (d4) 5-1 (11-7) 4. (64.16) Walasek, Kling, Karlsson, Idziorek 5-1 (16-8) 5. (64.25) Max, Protasiewicz, Świderski, Węgrzyk 3-3 (19-11) 6. (64.75) Gjedde, Walasek, Kling, Jankowski 3-3 (22-14) 7. (63.84) Karlsson, Iversen, Lindgren, Brucheiser 3-3 (25-17) 8. (64.69) Gjedde, Kling, Walasek, Max 3-3 (28-20) 9. (?) Lindgren, Iversen, Gjedde, Jankowski 5-1 (33-21) 10. (63.87) Protasiewicz, Karlsson, Świderski, Brucheiser 4-2 (37-23) 11. (67.66) Walasek, Iversen, Węgrzyk, Gjedde 5-1 (42-24) 12. (63.28) Protasiewicz, Max, Kling, Idziorek 4-2 (46-26) 13. (64.69) Karlsson, Świderski, Lindgren, Max (0) 3-3 (49-29) 14. (65.41) Iversen, Lindgren, Max, Węgrzyk (d4) 5-1 (54-30) 15. (64.16) Protasiewicz, Karlsson, Walasek, Gjedde 4-2 (58-32) sportowefakty.pl

What was the attendance? Any official/unofficial numbers?

Some inside info from Olsen... A HECTIC week of work at the VELTINS-Arena is almost complete - as one of the most spectacular football stadiums in the world turns into a motor-sport venue. The stage is being set for the VELTINS-Arena to host the dramatic climax to the world championship FIM Speedway Grand Prix series, with the winning rider taking away a $100,000 bonus, in what has been called 'the richest minute in motor sport.' Speedway requires a very special type of race-track and on Monday morning the first of some 3,500 tonnes of shale, imported from quarries in Denmark began to arrive. Three time World Champion and now FIM Race Director Ole Olsen, is the man responsible for the construction of the track. "When it's finished, this will be a perfect speedway track. It is the biggest one-off track we have built and it will fit seamlessly into this fantastic stadium. "We want to make sure we provide the riders with a surface that they can ride to their limits and provide a night of spectacular racing. When we used this shale at PARKEN Stadium in Copenhagen, the riders all said that it was the best track that they had ever ridden on, so we took their word for it and brought the shale down from the same quarry in Denmark." From the quarry, the shale was loaded onto ships in Copenhagen at the end of August and transported to Rotterdam. It was then loaded onto smaller barges and sailed up the Rhine to Gelsenkirchen Harbour, before competing its journey by road – 125 lorry loads. The marking of the track, the external fence, the inner kerbs and the fibre-tex base were all laid on Sunday. The shale was then laid on top with 15% banking on the corners, before the real track building craft began. The shale is rolled, graded, watered and broken up again. The trick is to get 6% moisture into the heavily compacted shale. "If it’s seven or eight per cent, that's too much and the track will break up, if it’s three or four percent that's too little, the track will be too slick for good racing," said Olsen, "We will have tractors grading it and compressing it and breaking it up again until we get it just right in time for riders' practice on Friday. "Once that is done, we then install all of the track equipment, like the electronic starting grids and the revolutionary air safety fence. Once that is done – if we have done our job well, the VELTINS-Arena will look like it was built to be a speedway track all along. "And then as soon as the racing is over on Saturday night, the fireworks have fallen to earth and the crowd is on its way home, we will begin to take it down, and by the end of Sunday, you wouldn't even know that we had been here…apart from the memory of a fantastic night of racing." speedwayworld.tv

I never said that my source is not reliable, I said it's not the official source. So make of my info what you will. The madia have named the rider who was approached by Ostrow (and yes it was Ferjan) so if anyone is destroying reputation of a rider it's them. Anyways Ferjan should praised for not taking the money so how is his reputation online?

An update, yesterday police took into custody Ostrow coach Lech K. and Jan G. who is one of the bigger sponsors (Mercedes) of Ostrow team and the father of Marcin G. the first suspect in the case. They'll be questioned by the prosecutor today. Not looking good for Ostrow at all...looks like there will be more arrests made too.

I think what'll happen is Ekstraliga will get together in a month or so and expand the league to 10 teams for 2009 season. A big problem is that there's not enough quality riders on the market these days and by adding two teams to e-liga so soon would create havoc as teams would try and out-bid each other even for the mediocre riders...i think ekstraliga has to think things over and perhaps put into place CMA.... or teams will go bankrupt.

That what I heard too, should it should be a cracking weekend. I just hope the weekend doesn't clash with polish league fixtures.

Zielona Gora won at Ostrow in play-off for a place in E-liga. Return meeting at ZG this Sunday. Intar Lazur Ostrów 43: 9. Mikael Max (2,2,2,0,1,0) 7 10. Zbigniew Czerwiński (0,0,-,-) 0 11. Charlie Gjedde (2,1,2,3,1) 9 12. Łukasz Jankowski (1,2,1*,0,-) 4+1 13. Peter Karlsson (3,3,3,3,6,2) 20 14. Marcin Liberski (d,-,-,0,-) 0 15. Daniel King (2,0,1,0,0) 3 ZKŻ Kronopol Zielona Góra 50: 1. Grzegorz Walasek (3,3,2,2,3) 13 2. Piotr Świderski (1,d,1*,1*) 3+2 3. Fredrik Lindgren (d,2,3,2,2) 9 4. Niels Kristian Iversen (3,w,1,2*,1*) 7+2 5. Piotr Protasiewicz (2,3,3,3,d) 11 6. Grzegorz Zengota (3,1*,1,0,1*) 6+2 7. Ricky Kling (1) 1 sportowefakty.pl

Looks like Schalke are playing at the moment, wonder what the refresh rate is on the webcam.

They'll probably end up giving Pavlic the WC again to bring in the fans from Croatia...and in a couple of years we might see a Croatian (Gorican) GP.

IMO If Nicholls and Harris stay in the top 8, Poland will get 1 (Hampel or KK), Sweden 2 (AJ and Lindgren) and Slovenia (Zagar - if BSI wants to have a decent turnout at Krsko).

Apparently the rider was Ferjan, and the sponsor is a well known car dealer in Ostrow. Please don't treat my info as official tho..just what I 've heard from a source.

Shame...but there is hope for next year. During the BEL final on monday Polish commentator for Polsat mentioned they spoke to someone named Ejeborg(??) from SVT and Eliteserien will be back on air...

U19 - Czech Rep. Championship

Whats happening with Ricky Wells? Is he planning to have a go in Europe?

should be helluva meeting...i know it won't be televised but maybe it'll be recorded and sold..any chance??

Taken from zlataprilba.cz Lindback takes Lindgren's place. Not sure whatsgoing on with Andersen, on his website it says he will ride for Wroclaw on sunday...plus he rode the whole Polish league meeting on GM engines so I'm not sure JAWA official's are too happy about that.

Yeah, sounds too good too be true...was hoping to go again this year.

Heard some rumors that the Golden Helmet might be postponed to 20-21 October? Not sure if there's any truth to it since its less then a week away. Anyone know?

29.09.07 1. Patrick Hougaard - Dania 2. Sebastian Ułamek - Polska 3. Nicolai Klindt - Dania 4. Manuel Hauzinger - Austria 5. Mariusz Staszewski - Polska 6. Christian Hefenbrock - Niemcy 7. Ales Dryml - Czechy 8. Tomas Suchanek - Czechy 9. Matej Ferjan - Węgry 10. Zbigniew Suchecki - Polska 11. Sebastian Alden - Szwecja 12. Henrik Moller - Dania 13. Denis Gizatullin - Rosja 14. Kenneth Hansen - Dania 15. Jurica Pavlic - Chorwacja 16. Lukas Dryml - Czechy R1. Daniel Jeleniewski - Polska R2. Eric Andersson - Szwecja source: sportowefakty.pl I'm off to Austria tomorrow, anyone going?

A bit off topic, but is Krsko in the GP calendar for 2008?