Grachan

Maybe Ipswich will propose a really low points limit and only allow teams to have one rider with an average over 8.00 like they used to do when Swindon had a good team.

I just checked the Eurovision Song Contest website and he definitely is.

If that was an unsatisfactory start then why didn't the red lights come on straight away?

As long as they continue to block the Russians it's pretty much invalid as a World Championship as far as I'm concerned. I wonder if they should put in some sort of legal challenge against this, seeing as Russian competitors are able to tale part in other individual sports under a neutral flag. Look at tennis, for example. The recent US open had a Russian in the men's final and a Belarussian in the women's final. Even Wimbledon relented this year and allowed them back in after their points were removed from the World ranking the previous year.. I even remember a statement being made by the Russian federation a couple of years ago stating that they had banned Laguta from competing for Russia due to comments made about Putin. There is no valid reason to exclude them any more than there would have been to exclude Hancock and Loram because of the Iraq war.

I agree that Holder looks the most likely to emerge from the pack as the main challenger. Bewley has it in him though. He has so much natural ability, but you can actually see him stiffen on the bike whenever there is a bit of tight racing and he inevitably ends up behind everyone. He can overcome that, though. Needs a good mentor in his corner, perhaps, to get him to the next level.

Interesting you choose Sayfutdinov but not Laguta considering Laguta is an undefeated World Champion. I think if you have one you need both.

I'm not saying they are better. I'm saying they need to be there so that Zmarzlik can prove he is better than them. I do think he'd still win, but without proving it we cannot be sure. After all, he didn't win the last time they were in it. Yes, I see what you did there. You mentioned issues that were speedway related or down to the riders themselves. That is not the case here. I mean, suppose Rickarsson and Pedersen were banned for some reason. Does Jason Crump then become the best rider of all time by default? He would, after all, have probably won 8 world titles. Ekstrliga is irrelevant. That's league form. Erik Gundersen failed spectacularly to show he was better than Hans Nielsen in the British League. When it came to World finals he had his number.

Even with the ban in place, Emil and Artem are both Polish citizens and had already stopped representing Russia in the Speedway of Nations. They should be in it. It undermines Zmarzlik's titles that they are not. It makes no sense. Look at Tennis. Plenty of Russians and Belarussians compete. Wimbledon banned them for one year, had all their points removed, and allowed them in this year. Zmarzlik can never be seen as the best of all time unless they are included, because last time they were in it one of them won it. I'd like to see them in alongside Bewley, Woffinden. Either Fricke or Dudek for the other place - not really bothered which one.

Needs to prove it against the Russians though to secure his place in history. Great final from Zmarzlik. Well done Freddie too. I thought he might buckle tonight but he never.

Me too, although it's not HD, unlike Discovery+, so still frustrating.

Richie doesn't exactly come across as a motivator does he!

The thing is, this would have been known when he signed up for the Polish league. "That's speedway" actually sums it up perfectly.

It's amazing the power that Poland holds over everyone at the moment. Just look at what happened with Tai Woffinden yesterday. The problem is that one day the sport will probably decline there too and there will be nothing left anywhere else.

Didn't he ride at reserve for Wolves and have 007 on his race jacket?

Don't know the whole situation here, but everyone knows the Poland get priority on Sundays. It's why the Premier League ride on Mondays and Thursdays, as these are the days we get priority (or at least it was last time I looked). So I guess he would have had no choice.

Oh right. Swindon have got one of those too.

Why didn't Mountain use it then?

Seen replay now. Bad decision. Rowe was knocked off.

My first perception was certainly that he was wiped out but not seen a replay.

They just said on BSN that there is the possibility of Cradley Heathens returning next year.

Looked like it. Where's the rest of the air fence?

Imagine if they had just let it go, and stated that they decided to do so because the rule only says "may". A lot more of a corrupt looking decision than the one they made, which applied the rule as written. Besides, the rule said they may and they did. So where's the issue?

Bearing in mind that the rule is clearly stated, they had no other option but to disqualify him to be honest.

So, there are now no riders who have ever won a World Championship riding in this meeting.