FAST GATER

In the mid 70's we sponsored a top NL(PL now ) rider for about 5yrs he doubled up at Halifax and Wolves in that time and we lost one engine,he held multi track records so the engines were being pushed to their accepted limits .Apart from a Piper conversion (2 valve) and a Street conversion (4 valve) any other engine 4valve Jawa and Weslakes were left pretty much standard IMO the fellow twisting the "throttle " is the biggest addition .

From memory 2 valves were always susceptible to vibration even nylocks used to come undone , the 4valve addressed this problem to large degree but I am sure that this could be solved if that's the biggest issue other than presuading speedway in general to change .

Excellent post but far too sensible for speedway change has to start at the bottom and work it's way up ,prehaps the like's of Dean and other ex riders could be given the engines and they be used in demo- races to give an idea of the how the they performto the speedway world as very often people need the visual experience to appeciate the product.

This appointment makes me think that Andre Compton may not be retiring just yet as he would have made an excellent team manager IMO,Newcastle prehaps for him or injury cover for the season for the Tigers.

He was one of the most complete riders that i have ever seen and a pleasure to watch hard but fair but I always say just a little too brave for his own good .One of those riders I could watch all day sheer class and riders like Joe are what is missing from the sport today IMO.

Gets my vote

I would suspect that Andre will retire for good this time ,nothing to prove and lucky to escape serious injury who could blame him prehaps management or young rider training maybe his best course of action .

Joe Owen speaking to Tom Owen "don't let Jacko gate YOU will never catch HIM" I was there and the diffence between Joe and Jacko was Joe was a little too brave for his own good .Would not argue with stats but it is not as clean cut as they may lead you to believe but that's just IMO.

John Jackson and Joe Owen not much between then in their day but more recent Stoney

Fiddling while Rome burns springs to mind nothing will ever change complete waste of time :sad:

Many thanks for the service you provide

Can't resist anymore although this subject has been done to death it is IMO vital to the sport that something is done about engine costs in the long term.I say long term because that is how it has to be tackled what ever is decided and unlike most things in s/way a yearly knee jerk reaction .IMO it needs to start from the bottom NL is the training ground and developement league of the sport so let be used to start the reduction in costs of engines what ever the solution is. The biggest problem with s/way is that those that make the decisions have vested interests and appear to have no vision for the sport ,the word "can't" is the most over used word when change is considered IMO.I don't have the answers because I don't know all the facts but I do know that you can't please all the people all the time so some where along the line there are going to be unhappy parties . For what is worth I would give the NL two years( subject to new engine units i e Jawa or GM stock engines or mods to existing units etc) notice that present engines would be outlawed ,this would give time for anyone who has invested recently to get reasonable use out of their purchase .The othe two leagues would have thee years (one extra ) and the GP's five years in total as IMO that race series and it's costs have no direct effect on our domestic leagues. Sadly nothing new just some personal thoughts but one thing I will say is that I have nothing against engine tuners or the present engine manufacturers .They may well be casualties but they are not doing it out of the goodness of their hearts at the end of the day and like s/way they may need to adapt and change to retain their involvement in the sport .Nothing stays the same for ever s/way may think it can but it is sadly mistaken IMO.

Joe Owen Neil Collins John Jackson Louis Carr Steve Finch Phil Collins Chris Morton

Might replace Compton don't think he will be back after that nasty accident and who could blame him at his age with nothing to prove either .

Wonder if he will ride again at all really nasty crash may feel he has had a lucky escape ,hope not he was really riding well at the time.

I think you are right the team suffered from points not scored in Comptons absence ,will he be back this season or at all after that serious spill I wonder , I hope so but would fully understand if he called it a day for good this time.

Think you maybe right there he has nothing to prove and it was a very nasty crash,pity because he was riding almost a well as at his peak when it happened .

If you see most riders just before race they enter a certain mode , because the starts in s/way are so crucial and they need some thing to settle their nerves and pepare for the race .How much use gardening is at the end of the day I am not sure but it is something to do while you wait if nothing else ,this is a highly charged time for riders the pressure is huge I can assure you. It would be almost impossible to go out and sit 3/4 inches off the tapes for what seems an eternity .Instead of moaning try and look at how different rider go through their routines it is quite amazing how they are all quite different I find it rather entertaining .

I just have no problem with gardening it is part and parcel of the sport and has always happened in the 40yrs I have watched it one way or another.We lost the tape touching and rolling it has not IMO made the sport better to watch the same riders win races as would if the rules had not been changed.I don't want a meeting going on for hours but I also don't want to watch a match that's over 45 mins either .

I have no issue with the riders gardening IMO it is a way of settling down before the start but I agree that they should go back to the tapes after false starts ,without stopping.

Sadly it would appear not

Depends on what you consider cheating IMO rolling at the start is not cheating ,many do not agree but where money is concerned then there is always an element of cheating that is going to happen.IMO S/way overall is a resonable honest sport the riders to point regulate themselves and collusion is always going to happen sadly.

Blast missed it thanks for the nod though

Great news about Andre get back soon and a special mention to Aspgren who did his level best to avoid him at high speed and close quarters ,these fellows earn every penny they are paid and more IMO.

Sounds like AC is not too badly injured which is great news ,when he was struck by the rider following( who did everthing he could not to hit AC) I thought the worst as everyone else did .Hope to see him back on a bike in the near future ,the way he was riding last night proved IMO he was right to return to the sport.