keepturningleft

We even had a burst of the Hyde Road meeting start music, was it Entrance of the Gladiators. All we need now is Tokyo Melody. And a funfair, zoo and amusement park!

Best stadium, best track (will be), best viewing - up close to the action, best facilities - quite simply the now best speedway venue in this country. Everyone involved in bring this venture to fruition deserves huge credit. Surprised the crowd wasn't bigger given the significance of the occasion and it could have done with some 'razzmatazz'. Being 'trapped' in whatever section your in is not great, but I guess you can't move around at footballstadia either, so what the heck. Minor niggles considering the overall impressiveness of this venue.

I'm just over the hill in Yorkshire and it's currently p*****g down.

Yes, this is a very good example of the the rose tinted glasses effect. I think there were only 3 good races and yet, as you indicate, this meeting seems to be perceived as an all time classic.

The best summing up amongst all the posts I would say.

I'm only 18 miles or so from Manchester and it's a lovely, mainly sunny evening with no rain at all. What is going on??

For the speedway fan tuning into speedway on the TV, the 10 most dreaded words must surely be, ...and joining me in the commentary box is Sam Ermolenko. Whilst watching the pairs competition on Sunday, it was quite clear that as a commentator, David Rowe is absolutely fine, but Sam Ermolenko is a total disaster. If I was as inept at my job as he is at his, I would be hauled up in front of a capability panel. Here is a word by word example from Sunday: "By the time he got into turn 3 for his brother and he did finally get there but I don’t think he sensed them or seen um I think he sensed em more than he seen um…" I could have picked a dozen more examples of such gibberish. His poor articulacy and command of the English language generally, is quite shocking for someone employed as a commentator. Half completed sentences and his arrogant refusal to modify American terminology such as ‘back straight-away’ which means nothing to English fans, just adds to the horror. His is not so much a commentary, more a dreadful ‘noise’ which appears after David Rowe has finished speaking. I can’t believe that anyone actually really listens or cares about a single thing he says. On the track this man was a talent of the highest quality. To the commentary box he brings no obvious talents at all. Why is Eurosport still employing him? There should be an exclusion zone around every commentary box whenever he is in the area.

Greg Rusedski the only 'English' tennis player with a thick Canadian accent!

I notice there's an advert for Castrol R on the back cover. Does the fuel have to be burning to get 'the smell'? 'cause I'm tempted to buy a can and stick it under my nose whilst watching speedway on the telly!

Andy Murray - British when he's winning on English soil - Scottish at all other times.

Much has been said on this thread about the the BF having been rendered almost worthless over the last few years. However, it must be said that there has never been a better time to 'up the status' of this event, a view based totally on choice of venue. I was at the aborted Belle Vue opener and it's crystal clear that this is going to be one hell of a venue. Brilliant stadium, incredible track (surely), a much higher profile venue than Wolverhampton and with good local media coverage guaranteed, in Britain's 3rd city. For these reasons it has to be disappointing that Tai has withdrawn.

Don't think anyone's mentioned Emil Sayfutdinov yet. One of the greatest riders in the world choosing not to take part in the sport's highest competition.

Ironic isn't it! No such thing as bad publicity and all that. Just consider how many people are now are of The National Speedway Stadium who wouldn't have been before. Bizarrely, it might even boost crowds by curious first timers!

Please assure us this is sarcasm

They will dry it out using Nicki Pedersen's hair drier

This is an observation not an opinion, but very few serious accidents have happened because of a "dangerous track". Injuries to Ward, Gundersen and many others were nothing to do with the condition of the track. Video of the 1975 World Final at Wembley reveals a track to be so bad as to be almost unbelievable, but the show went on.

I was speaking to some people who live in the houses being the back straight. They were very impressed with the acoustic barrier - they didn't hear a thing all night... behind the back straight, I mean

An insult to the memory of Peter Craven, his family and the 5,000 fans in the stadium. And why did the riders take part in the parade knowing they were' going to take the action they eventually did? Who was the rider who jumped up on the microphone? Couldn't see who he was from the back straight or hear a word he said because of the jeers. What did he say?

Mr Rising, do you know what type of floodlighting will be installed?

Another excellent book from the Chaplin/Summerville stable, except, that many of the the articles are merely reprints from Classic Speedway and Vintage speedway magazines. I would imagine that the target audience for the book would be pretty much the same people who subscribe to Clasisc Speedway, therefore I am of the opinion that we have been slightly duped here. There is nothing in the advertising blurb to inform potential buyers that many of the articles in the book are reprints (along with many photo repetitions), and this I believe should have been made crystal clear on the Amazon page at least. If you have never bought a copy of Classic Speedway/Vintage speedway magazine, I couldn't recommend this, and the other books in the series highly enough. I do/have, subscribed to those magazines however and have therefore seen most of these articles in the book. Subsequently and sadly, I have packed the book up and sent it back to Amazon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qv_oSG1TYyU This is quite interesting even if you don't speak Danish and are not an Ole Olsen fan. Good footage from the '71 world final and a move on Ivan Mauger that Nicki Pedersen would be proud of!

Pedantic!

Just received my copy of the speedway star special on World Finals of the 70's. It is an absolutely magnificent publication at an absurdly cheap price. Well done speedway star - now, how about the sequel, World Finals of the 60's??

Back in the day, New Zealanders Briggs and Mauger mysteriously changed nationality and regularly rode for Great Britain!

An anagram of Tai Woffinden is Defiant If Won. Mmmmm......