Grachan

I didn't mean you personally when I said witch hunt. Just that is what it becomes as he is the one GP rider who has stuck with the UK.

I don't get this thing about banning GP riders. There was only due to be one GP riding here this year anyway, and he has never, as far as I can recall, missed a meeting because of it (unless you count getting injured riding in one). Now, with Swindon pulling out, there won't be any. It just turns into another witch hunt against Jason Doyle, who has always shown loyalty to the UK anyway. I don't see why any club should not be allowed to sign a top World Class rider who wants to ride here if they want to. How does this effect other clubs? If anything, it gives them an attractive opposition when Jason comes to ride.

He was. I have programmes from Bristol and his photo is in them.

Indeed. A statement by Clarke Osbourne that must set alarm bells ringing. For years there have been excuses for the stadium not being built. Will we, from 2022, be seeing excuses for the sport not returning, with the same statements about the stadium being built soon and that speedway will be back once it is built, and these statements going on for a few more years? I think that in Rosco and Lee Kilby we have a promotion who would bust their balls to help find a new location for the sport if it was needed, but they can't do that until this one is finished with. I hope that speedway will be back in Blunsdon next year, but there has to be doubt from that statement. To quote directly: "we do not anticipate any public attendance until the new customer facilities are in place." Think about that. How long ago was it that they all sat on a digger in the car park and indicated that work was due to start?

Nothing wrong with gardening if it within the 2 minutes. No worse than just sitting there waiting for the clock to count down. Why do people have such a problem with "gardening"? I don't get it.

Jason Doyle rides with an England flag on the leg of his kevlars. Sure, it may be partly down to his family life but he is still loyal to this country and, thankfully, Swindon repayed that loyalty when the BSPA tried to get rid of him by giving him an average of over 13. At least there's one GP rider who is keen to ride here.

The problem with this team is the same problem as we get with the under-21 rule in the Speedway of Nations. Riders who start off as raw juniors and start to progress beyond that, such as Steve Worrall and Adam Ellis (and Bewley in the SON), get no chance to improve on the progress they have made.

They are, yes. The green sheets do not include bonus points. I can't remember exactly when this started but it's been quite a while now.

They still aren't.

Easy way to recreate the modern smell of speedway. Get someone you know to have a plate of chips with a load of ketchup on the side, then leave it near to you with the ketchup still on the plate.

Quite possible. I'm sure they have valid reasons. Those who will succeed, though, are probably those who put their ambition ahead of these valid reasons and go to Poland. If someone as green as Anders Rowe can get a team spot in Poland I'm sure there are others who could.

I think we can see who has genuine ambition this year, with the GB season scrapped. There are some riders who just decided to leave the season and didn't even compete in the British Final, while others upped sticks and based themselves in Poland. Those, to me, are the youngsters looking to succeed, just as, in the past, riders who came to the UK were most likely to get anywhere. For me, if British speedway has a future star it is likely to come from the likes of Bewley, Ellis and Rowe, and I think that, with Ellis injured, Rowe should have been given the third team slot because of his showing this ambition.

I don't see how this is good for young riders. What will happen to Dan Bewley next year?

Unless Kemp reches World Class by the age of 21, he will be "on the scrap heap". I think the under-21 reserve rule is a nonsense. What happens to Dan Bewley next year if Woffinden and Lambert are both fit? He's out of the side while Kemp or Rowe remain in it. Riders like Ellis and Worrall are also out of the picture. Ellis may not be fit, but if he is he showed his mettle in the GP Challenge and should have been in the side over Kemp if he was able to. But then, he still probably wouldn't have ridden last night anyway. I think this pairs system and the under-21 rule does restrict a number of good riders for taking part.

Quite probably, although never say never! Hopefully the strong sporting ties to that particular piece of land will eventually force his hand.

I used to love trips to Wimbledon speedway, but, lets face it, the sport was finished there. When I first went there, the football ground was on the left as you turned into Plough Lane, and it was quite exciting to see it as, although they were non-league, they had made a bit of a name for themselves with a bit of a run in the FA Cup. I always liked Wimbledon as a football club, probably because of that and the way they pushed their way up the leagues. I haven't been to that many football matches, but did go to watch The Dons once, when they were having to ground share with Crystal Palace. Wimbledon were, effectively, shut down as a club and had to start again from scratch. The fact that they are in the Football League now is, in itself, something of an achievement. If Wimbledon Speedway had been forced to shut down by this move, I may have been less charitable about it, but on balance, I think it's a good thing to have the Football team back in Plough Lane. Amazing how quick it was built. Swindon Speedway's new stadium still hasn't started!

Bewley is the under-21 rider according to the SON website. Ellis may not be fully fit, but if he is I would have gone for him as Wright is presumably not available this year.

Would that not have been the same for Adam Ellis, who is much closer to appoint in his career where he might benefit from the experience? Riders like Ellis and Steve Worrall have indicated that they are able to perform well at this level. I think it's riders like that which should have been given an opportunity here, and at least they might have been in contention for a place when riding.

I know that the under 21 has to have at least one ride. Do both seniors have to have at least one ride or can Bewley replace Kemp in every heat?

Is Drew Kemp really our best option here? I don't know too much about him, so maybe he's better than I'm aware. This seems, basically, to be giving up and just going for experience. Possibly the right move, as we've no chance without Woffy anyway? But I see Adam Ellis is riding in the Peter Craven Memorial. Could he not be used if he's fit? Richard Lawson perhaps? Is Kemp our most promising youngster?

That could happen is every kind of speedway World championship. It could happen in the Grand Prix. Second in all the heats. Second in the semi-final. Second in the final. 18 points every round. It could happen in the old one-off World Finals too. I remember a topic coming up a while back, and I went through a programme to see if it could be done. It could. So, it's nothing new.

If they can break even at £10, then presumably the extra 2.95 is the profit. Do we really begrudge them that if it is? Three quid per person? If people want a good quality stream then they need to pay for it. I certainly would and will probably buy this one, too, if it happens. With regards to Berwick, what sort of feed are they offering? Has it been announced? Is it a proper programme with commentary and interviews or just a single camera with no commentary? For me, if watching on television I want good quality. I could probably cope with Swindon matches with a lesser quality of production, but nothing else.

I wondered that. I've never heard of the lad, and looked him up. He's only 16. He may well be a good prospect though. Rowe has shown good dedication this year by riding in Poland. I was impressed that he did that.

If it's nationality that is required, can we have Crump for Woffinden?

I haven't watched Eurosport for a good few years, but I hope their presentation has improved. I'm not so sure this is good news if it hasn't. We could well have many a minute staring at a picture of a tractor going round with just background noise.