chunky

People can't differentiate. It all depends what you want, and everybody wants something different. And everybody ends up whining about something!

Then speedway isn't the sport for you...

Stop making sense. Doesn't go down well on this forum...

They speak funny there...

I think he wanted that!

Wasn't a bad final, eh? Still, there'll be a few whining that Cardiff is better. And Wembley...

That's it, you bloody complicate matters...

Absolutely. Total domination after his first.

So, you don't think he's trying to win? He's just trying to hurt someone? Gotcha...

For personal reasons, Barry Bishop has announced that he is stepping down from his position at Smallbrook. He said that he never intended to be there this long. Unfortunately, I never got to go there, but I had the greatest admiration for Barry and all his efforts.

They do NOT take risks for our entertainment. They have a job to do, which is racing motorcycles. Which is dangerous. The better they do, the more they get paid, and therefore, they take risks. It has nothing to do with entertaining us.

If you haven't heard, Tai was injured again at Ostrow today. His engine exploded and caught fire, causing him to crash. I heard that he had rib/shoulder injuries, but there is a photo of him supposedly with his leg in plaster. I'm sure more news will be forthcoming, but boy, does he have a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time...

That was why Gordon Kennett said he preferred solid fences. If it was just a glancing blow, you could stay on your bike, and steer it away.

Cast your mind back... Despite what many of the old fogies claim, the racing WASN'T so much better years ago; they were just as spread out as they can be now. What WAS better was the heart-stopping action when they would hit a patch (or mound!) of grip! That's what made it exciting. The bikes were far better suited to the conditions then, than they are now, and were far less likely to throw a rider into the fence.

I was just getting on here to report that. Very sad news...

I'd actually put him Top 8, at least - who can destroy anyone on his night. Plus, all these idiots bleat on about, "But we need new faces!", and then whine when these "new faces" can't compete at this level! And Doyle can be fun to watch...

Last season, it drove me crazy all the comments saying Doyle should be out. He is unlikely to win another title, but he is still a genuine contender.

How the hell did Woryna stay on there???

I did three in a day several times, and two on most holidays.

As I've said before, back in the day, speedway was very much a "city centre" sport, and most tracks were easy to get to by public transport. I'm sure it's not that easy now. Funny thing is, the sport was popular enough to have "speedway special" coaches laid on! Going to Wimbledon, we used to get the tube to Tooting Broadway, then the coach to the stadium.

I'm totally with you there...

Mine too. As I said, my parents met at Plough Lane, and I first went when I was three weeks old. Many of my earliest memories of life are speedway memories, like Olle "White Boots", Mike "Zoomer" Coomber etc. Even though I followed the Dons around the country, I would regularly travel around taking in random meetings, particularly multiple ones on the bank holidays. I went to several foreign World Finals, and I have a big collection of memorabilia. I spent most of my life playing top-level competitive darts, with 25 years as a full-time professional - yet speedway remains far and away my favourite sport. Nope, they can't take away our memories...

Sadly, speedway promoters haven't always been kind... I certainly don't put all the blame on the promoters for the sport's demise, though. There have been so many social and economic issues that have played a much greater role, but promoters have always had a tendency - perfectly natural, I know - to look out for themselves, rather than looking at the big picture. However, it's hard to criticise those who have poured money into the sport with little reward. I was born into speedway, with my parents having first met at Wimbledon. It was such a huge part of my life, and actually still is. I just wish that people still found speedway "cool"...

I miss the pork and stuffing sarnies, and pork scratchings... Worth the drive up there alone!

If only Jack Millen and Kelvin Mullarkey were in the GP's...