Parsloes 1928 nearly

Hurray...: you finally got it right!! I'll teach you teen-speak yet!!! We can celebrate this break-thru' over that pint you're buying me on Sunday!!

Er, yes it was!!!

Didn't there used to be a pub here called something like the Speedway Tavern...: remember seeing it from the 'Outer Circle' bus in the city in the late '70s/early '80s..??

It's a simple point. Why, only yesterday I was talking to a father of a lad competing in the U-15s and he said to me (with zero prompting on my part..) how good it was that his lad was 14 in Feb and so will be able to have two whole years in the 500cc championship. His lad has, despite his age, NEVER ridden a 250cc.... Actually I think it's true to say that Marc only switched to 250cc coz he was forced to, early last year to compete... So that's from the horse's mouth so-to-speak... Have a birthday in Jan./Feb. sort of time, have two years in the 500cc championship. Have a birthday in August, have just one year...

Very harsh words Malcolm. I know both you & I are old Stalinists, but really you're taking your thought-police doctrines a bit far here... Richard asked for the logic behind my theory about expanding the championships to U-16 and so I explained it. You're welcome to disagree but to do so in such a way seems like you're not interested in any alternative arguments or theories being suggested. The ONLY reason I've suggested this change is because of the change relating to under 14 years olds having to ride 250cc. I won't explain again as you appear to think that I'm expressing some "biased" view. My only question: exactly WHAT is it you think I'm being biased for..??!!

The point I was making is how things have changed now that one can't ride 500cc until one gets to 14: a fundamental change from the days that the likes of Josh could compete for two or three years. Josh of course won it twice... If one has a birthday like young Kyle in Feb it's fine; but if - and the example I'll give is Marc Owen - one's birthday is August then this has an effect,I'd say.. Take last year, the Championship starts and Marc's only 13 so is restricted to 250cc. He actually leads that championship but come August when he's allowed to ride 500cc he - quite understandably IMO, for it's at 500cc he will need to ride to progress ASAP into the CL/NL and beyond... - moves up to the higher class. He actually wins his first round at that higher level but in the end it's inevitable he falls between two stools and essentially 2008 it was not possible for him to win the championship... 2009 is split in a way similarly for him. For in August he'll turn 15 and I'm not sure how many U-15 500cc rounds he'll have got through by then..; but clearly in August they'll be a big scramble among NL clubs to sign him up; one team will be lucky and then that'll be his priority: settling int this higher level of racing not being conducive to remaining focused on the U-15 rounds plus there being a chance of missing rounds due to clashing commitments.... So, essentially that may well adversely affect his chances of the championship.. Because of the decreased size of the 'window' for riders with birthdays mid-season since the new rules came in, my argument is make it an U-16s event and this gives a better chance for the best riders of each 'generation' to compete on a more level playing field for the title they deserve. Now I'm only using Marc as an example and I know that actually he and his family are far more concentrated on his long term development and progress than the transitory matter of winning this title; but I do believe that the way it is currently constituted is now a tad unfair on those with mid-season birthdays and I just feel that the simple change to Under 16s (with the 250cc class remaining for essentially the 14 year olds...) would improve matters...

Hmm, I could be wrong (it has been known... ) but am not sure that James Sarjeant still qualifies for the U-15s championship does he..?? Surely any riders able to take their place in a NL side at season's-start must by definition be too old for the U-15s..?? Which would suggest that Kyle's in the same boat.. I suggested a few months back that it would make better sense to change to an Under 16s championship giving better chances to youngsters to get a NL team berth and still give their all to the national junior championship (rather than the conflict that can confuse or divide...) but - quelle surprise! - I don't think one single person commented on that idea..!!

Poole have been around (as we know...) for over 60 years now.. And that basically means they've met at one time or another the great majority of other British club sides.. But can people help out letting me know if - in official competition - the Pirates have ever paid host to the following clubs: Isle of Wight Scunthorpe (I know briefly they competed together in the 1985 NL but Scunny closed early season and their results were expunged. Did the phantom matches include a visit to Wimborne Rd., does anyone know? Weymouth - surely they must've but they were in BL days in different divisions... Buxton :unsure:

These may well be the two (offending) typos...!!??

I thought you were holding on 'til they open a track in your home town of Widnes!!!

Anyone know who might hold the record for appearances all-time in the 'third tier' (known mainly as the CL over the years; now the NL..)?? By my reckoning Mildenhall's David Mason, Barrie Evans and Mark Thompson have all made something like 185-ish appearances each at this level. Which I'm thinking must be up there in the top five or so... By memory (often flawed! ), I seem to recall that ex-Buxton Paul Burnett may have held this record at one time and indeed he's got to be close to that sort of total. I can actually think of one other rider (once of that club I can't mention..!! ) with around 200 third tier appearances too but I suppose there could be other(s)..?? Am thinking old Swifty will know this - any help would be mucho appreciated!!!

Looking at the BSPA web-site tonight, no mention of the IOW round being on the 14th. April in the Fixtures for that date..???!!

Indeed sadly I DO have to stand corrected..: as have tonite been informed that sadly, after great hopes, that the track which WAS to have returned to competitive (and training..) action is now to be tarmaced and turned into a car park... Been a winter of very bad news and now this latest blow. . Full details will be in the Star next week...

QPR had more than one whole season playing home games there in fact... The last time being 1963 (I think..).. Anyone remember when Richard Greer's bike caught the running board at the base of the fence and he rode on with it trailing behind him..!! One of the first few Rebels' home meetings in '76..!!

Ah, I was saying my extensive knowledge is of EAST London!!! My Dad was the Sarff London expert...!! 'Southend' I'd say must've been in the Lewisham/New Cross vicinity...??!!

DKRA - I know East London VERY well and South London too, and I can assure you that I'd estimate there are four times (perhaps more..) as many place names in a 15 mile radius south of the river as there are east of the City!!!

I sincerely hope you're right and I will certainly be very keen to see Sayfutdinov ride... A one-two of Gollob and Sayfutdinov would be the breath of fresh hair the competition desperately needs...

One of the extraordinary things about south London (one which marks it out as totally different from East London certainly...) is the amazing number of 'places' there... There are just an prolific number of areas all with their own place names and all still used, all around Crystal Palace... Penge, Sydenham, Anerley, Norwood, Thornton Heath, Selhurst...: and as RKRA says, that excludes Crystal Palace itself which isn't really an area name at all...!!!

I agree. Speedway at Hi Edge (especially when the mist envelops the Peaks) is an almost mystical setting for the sport... Mystical at Buxton.. A mystery how so many of you can raise enthusiasm for the SGP...!!!

Interestingly, not only was the Berlin Olympic Stadium preserved (even throughout Communist rule, despite being in many ways a monument to Nazism!! ); but I understand that the much more recent and far less 'special' from an architectural point of view, Munich Olympic stadium ,though no longer in use, is also mothballed and to be preserved. Good on the Germans say I...

Are you sure..? I know Bromley is/was in Kent but I'd have said that Crystal Palace was more likely to have been (back then..) in Surrey..???

Too right..!! I remember failing to make it all the way home (to Orpington) from Hackney after the very long Warners Chase meeting they used to finish the season with.. Got as far (not quite sure how I ended up there!! ) as Kidbrooke station. Right in the middle of the Ferrier estate in the middle of the night is NOT a good place for a teenage lad to end up!! My Dad was less than pleased to get dragged out of his bed to drive to get me!!!

Yes but we're not talking about that are we; we're talking about the closed shop that is the SGP.... Nothing further away from a meritocracy can I conceive of in world sport...

But we're not talking about the NL are we... At the end of the day will the 2009 GP series be as dull as dishwater or will it be exciting..? Coz when I first started watching this sport the World Championship was so exciting there was NOTHING else in world sport to rival it... I'm sure NO-ONE would claim that about the SGP..: but come on, persuade me..: will ANYTHING exciting happen do you think..??!!

Alright...: so sell it to me!! Predict some excitement (ANY excitement...! ) that'll occur in the GP series in 2009 and we'll reconvene here at the end and see if your prediction came to pass...!!!