False dawn

Isn't that what binoculars are supposed to do? lol

Apologies if I've missed something but is it the case that clubs will race on one given night at home (Swindon apart)? Or is the intention for teams to race on Mondays some weeks and on Wednesdays in others? I only ask because despite some speculation on here, I've not seen any club announce their official race night. Maybe I'm being selfish but I organise my social life around hobbies that take place on given evenings. Surely I'm not alone in this?

It makes it flippin' near impossible (I cleaned that up).

Knowing Eric, he was probably telling him where to go!

I won't talk about sidecars as an alternative attraction since I'm a touch biased.... As to post meeting entertainment, the most successful attraction I've seen in recent years was at Leicester. They not only interview the riders on the home straight in front of the remaining crowd, but the riders entered into open conversation with the crowd. This seemed very popular with enough of the crowd to keep a significant number entertained for 20 minutes or more. And we heard some news from the riders that would otherwise not be known.

As a Bees fan of nearly 50 years and a staunch opponent of Leicester...... I will not be supporting the "Bees" this year and will be a Lions fans (but I will wear my Bees cap).

And not a False dawn eh?

6-0 in every race!

Josh Bates riding in British speedway has got to be one of the best bits of winter news yet. We look forward to being entertained by this all action, 100% trying, British youngster.

What a mess. A stadium that could host speedway and stox just rusting away. A heritage compatible with any club in the World. A fan base comparable (in numbers) with many currently successful clubs. A fan base with few equals in terms of loyalty. A club in the hands of Mick Horton, Avtar Sandhu (?) and Brandon Estates. A club destined to run in the 3rd division in a different city. But..... We have a bunch of people with heart, faith and dedication who might yet wrench this club from the jaws of oblivion and give us back something we recognise as a force to be reckoned with in British Speedway. Say a prayer, write to Rugby Borough Council, let the committee know you haven't given up, despite all the crap (sorry). Do everything you can to keep the dream alive. You never know.

When Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia, what happened to the "O's"?

Just for the record, I was born in England. But what's that got to do with the price of bread?

Wow. A winter full of analysis! Seriously, data is great. Meaningful information is power.

Surely that's the point. We should have access to statistics not generate them ourselves. For example, rider averages. It is not difficult to imagine an online enquiry / app where you could look up your team's current averages, guest averages / eligibility, averages by nationality / eye colour or inside leg measurement if you like. The possibility for masses of stats, drawn from currently available data is only limited by one's imagination. For example, a rider's average at a given track. That could be useful when selecting guests. A second string's ability to beat heat leaders. A very good measure of his skill. The list just goes on and on. Get the raw data and you can create useful and interesting information.

I would go further. Turn up at Leicester with Banners saying "We belong in Brandon" or some other catchy phrase. What about "We're here under protest"?

Love it. KL used to show lap time splits a few years ago. You could have an award for the fastest flying lap.

This is obviously the season to be silly. So..... All 4 go to the tapes and the race starts. The ref puts on the red lights for an unsatisfactory start and one of the riders cuts across the centre green/black/grey (delete as applicable). What then?

In theory, yes. However the management committee has to sanction any facility do they not? They would, therefore, have to receive a formal application and give permission for such a facility to be granted before the referee could agree to the use of a guest or rider replacement. How did we get into this?

I think it could be a false dawn. (I've been waiting 15 years to get that one in!)

[serious head on] That can't be right. Say a rider is present, attired, with bikes etc. and then trips over his tool box and can't take part. Or he's called away due to a family emergencey. He didn't take part in the meeting by any sensible definition. I think a rider has to be at the tapes and take part in a race to qualify as taking part. Even if he's the innocent party in a crash in his first race and the race is rerun and he can take no part. If he starts a race, regardless of what happens next, he took part in the meeting. Otherwise it's a "did not ride" and does not count as a meeting in his statistics.

7:30? 7:45? When the sun goes down? Or when the ambulance arrives? Take your pick. Sounds like a Michael Miles moment eh?

This was a thought prompted by something said in the latest SWC thread. Why not run the GP series all year round? We could have a round in Oz and NZ in our winter as well as the indoor tracks such as Cardiff (also China and Taiwan for all I know). Then run the outdoor circuits, less often (less fixture upsets with the domestic leagues) in our summer. Greater coverage, more money for everyone and higher profile for the sport. Everyone's a winner.

I said the same about Swindon this year. In fact I said they would rue the day they signed Jason Doyle. Colour me red. I was wrong. Pity you can't whisper in print eh?

Ooo that's easy. The BSPA have invented a new branch of maths. 4x3=? 14.13 Ask Swindon

If a rider is in the declared team but does not compete in a race, he gets a wildcard for next year's World Championship