lucifer sam

Scunny by 1 would be better All the best Rob

Danny Halsey in for the injured Josh Bates at Leicester. No update on Josh's ankle injury as yet, but in the meantime, he's ruled out of tonight. All the best Rob

Phil, he was going off to hospital for an X-ray on his ankle. Fingers crossed it's just bruised and swollen, rather than broken. Hopefully there will be a positive update tomorrow. All the best Rob

BUSY WEEK FOR SCORPIONS HENDERSON INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions are involved in three meetings in as many days this week, which will decide their fate in this year’s League Cup. In the middle fixture of the three, the Scorpions entertain Sheffield Tigers in a local derby encounter at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday evening (7.30pm). Sandwiching that home match are visits away to Sheffield on Thursday and Leicester on Saturday. The League Cup is split into four regional sections, with the winners of each section progressing to the semi-finals later in the season. The Scorpions won their opening fixture on Good Friday with a 46-44 victory over the Leicester Lions, while Leicester defeated Sheffield 47-43 on Easter Saturday. The remaining Sheffield v Leicester meeting takes place on Thursday, April 11th. Scorpions’ team manager Richard Hollingsworth said: “We will approach one meeting at a time. We’re more than capable of winning all three meetings; we’ve won at both Sheffield and Leicester in the last couple of years. “Ideally, to put ourselves in a strong position to qualify for the semi-finals, we need to beat Sheffield at home on Friday, and win at least one of the two away matches. “There’s also local pride on the line for the Sheffield clashes. “Up until last season, we always saw Sheffield as a big brother – a successful local team, who had been established for longer than us, had more success than us, and also held the upper hand in clashes between the two sides. “But we turned the tables on them in the two Premier League meetings in 2012. “For the first time ever, we went to Sheffield and beat them – it was a fantastic feeling because we have a lot of respect for the Sheffield promotion and we knew it was no mean feat to get one over them at their place. We ended the season as Premier League champions, while Sheffield only just avoided the wooden spoon. “Sheffield will want revenge this week, whilst we want to beat them home and away again!” The narrow win against Leicester last week was a real team effort, with every member of the Scorpions team coming up with vital points at one point or another during the meeting. “We just need a little more consistency”, said Hollingsworth. “All the boys had good races. But, apart from Josh Auty, each of the lads also had at least one pointless outing. However, I'm sure nearly all of them were from the middle gate positions. I'm sure, as we move to evening meetings, there will be a bit more dirt created and, in turn, we will get even more passing than we saw last week. “I was delighted by the performances of the two reserves, Ryan Douglas and Josh Bates, in the Leicester meeting. “The Premier League is a very tough league; every rider in the Premier League is a good rider. To come into the league for the first time is tough for a youngster. “But we saw real signs of what is to come from both Ryan and Josh. It was a beautiful ride around the outside by Ryan on the first lap of Heat 12, and once he hit the front, there was no catching him. And Lasse Bjerre put Josh under real pressure in Heat 7, but Josh fended him off for a fine second place. “With those two lads, we don’t put them under any pressure, we just let them get on with it and see what they can do. This week will be a new challenge for them, with their first two away meetings with the Scorpions. They will have the backing of the rest of the side.” Meanwhile, the Scunthorpe management would like to send their best wishes to Leicester’s Adam Roynon. Roynon competed in the meeting at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Good Friday. Both he and Josh Auty then travelled to Brandon for the evening Coventry v Birmingham Elite League fixture. Roynon took a heavy fall in Heat 14, and Auty found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, and was unable to miss the stricken rider in front of him. Roynon was rushed to hospital with a head injury. But the good news was that, within a day of the accident, Roynon was conscious and active on his Twitter account from the hospital. Hollingsworth said: “It was a shock to learn of Adam’s injury, just a few hours after he had been riding at the Eddie Wright Raceway. “Fortunately, there was soon some good news in that he was awake and posting on Twitter. He’s a nice lad, and everyone at Scunthorpe wishes Adam a speedy recovery.” Teams for Friday (English unless stated): Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions: 1. Josh Auty, 2. Thomas Jørgensen (Denmark), 3. Michael Palm Toft (Denmark), 4. Ashley Birks, 5. David Howe, 6. Josh Bates, 7. Ryan Douglas (Australia). Sheffield Tigers: 1. Simon Stead, 2. Facundo Albin (Argentina), 3. Joe Haines, 4. Richard Hall, 5. Ricky Wells (United States), 6. Damien Koppe (Australia), 7. Jake Knight. There is a six-heat Castleford v Milton Keynes Midland Development League fixture in the second half. Scorpions Info Thomas Jørgensen has now scored over 600 points for the club (605 to date). Michael Palm Toft has now scored over 500 points for the club (501 to date). Sheffield Tigers at EWR Ave Ave Best Name Lge M R Pts BP (no BP) (w BP) Performance Facundo Albin DEBUT PL MEETING @ EWR Joe Haines PL 13 57 83 6 5.82 6.25 16 from 6 rides (inc 4 pts T/R (2009)) Richard Hall PL 41 188 350 23 7.45 7.94 17 from 6 rides (2008) Jake Knight DEBUT PL MEETING @ EWR Damien Koppe DEBUT PL MEETING @ EWR Simon Stead DEBUT PL MEETING @ EWR Ricky Wells PL 7 32 44 7 5.50 6.38 8 + 3 from 5 rides (2012) Other Notes Facundo Albin 2011 Argentinean Champion. Riding in his debut PL season. Joe Haines Has ridden for the Scunthorpe Scorpions at both Premier and Conference League levels. Member of Scunthorpe's 2007 Conference League Championship, KO Cup and Trophy Winning Teams. Member of Workington's Premier League Four-Team Championship and Young Shield Winning Teams in 2008. Member of Wolverhampton's Elite Shield Winning Teams in 2010 and 2011. Richard Hall Has had two spells riding for the Scunthorpe Scorpions at Premier League level. Member of Peterborough's Elite League Championship Winning Team in 2006. Member of Peterborough's Elite League Shield Winning Team in 2007. Jake Knight Made National League debut in 2009 for King's Lynn. Riding in his debut PL season and will also ride in the National League with King's Lynn Young Stars. Damien Koppe Finished second to Steve Jones in an Amateur Meeting held in October 2012 at EWR. Riding in his debut PL season. Simon Stead Three times British Under-21 Champion (2001 to 2003). Youth Development League Riders Champion 1988. Has ridden in 4 GP's and 5 World Cup Tournaments including 3 Finals. League Championship Winner with Peterborough II in 1997. Member of Peterborough's Premier League Championship Winning Team in 1998. Member of Sheffield's Premier League Championship and Young Shield Winning Teams in 1999 and 2002. Member of Sheffield's Premier Trophy Winning Team in 2001 and KO Cup Winning Team in 2002. Three times Premier League Fours Winner (1999/2000 with Sheffield and 2004 with Workington). Member of Workington's Premier League Pairs Winning Duo in 2003. Member of Belle Vue's Elite League Pairs Winning Duo in 2006. Member of Belle Vue's Elite League KO Cup Winning Team in 2005. Member of Coventry's Elite League Craven Shield Winning Team in 2008. Member of Swindon's Elite League Winning Team in 2012. Named as a 'doubling-up' rider with King's Lynn for the 2013 Elite League season. Ricky Wells Twice USA Under-21 Champion (2007 and 2008). Member of Wolverhampton's Elite Shield Winning Team in 2011. Named as a 'doubling-up' rider with Wolverhampton for the 2013 Elite League season. Sheffield Tigers' Results at EWR 23 October 2005 CH L Scunthorpe 47 Sheffield 43 30 October 2007 CH W Scunthorpe 44 Sheffield 45 21 March 2008 PT W Scunthorpe 41 Sheffield 48 11 April 2008 KOC W Scunthorpe 44 Sheffield 48 15 August 2008 PL W Scunthorpe 43 Sheffield 47 20 March 2009 CH L Scunthorpe 60 Sheffield 32 05 May 2009 PL L Scunthorpe 57 Sheffield 38 19 March 2010 PT L Scunthorpe 43 Sheffield 33 30 August 2010 PL W Scunthorpe 41 Sheffield 51 18 March 2011 CH W Scunthorpe 43 Sheffield 47 10 June 2011 PL L Scunthorpe 46 Sheffield 43 04 June 2012 LC W Scunthorpe 40 Sheffield 50 17 August 2012 PL L Scunthorpe 51 Sheffield 42 Sheffield Tigers' 2013 Results 28 March 2013 CH H L Sheffield 30 Birmingham 60 30 March 2013 LC A L Sheffield 43 Leicester 47 (stats courtesy of John Eyre)

Match report now added to Scunny website. All the best Rob

I will be posting a full match report - including interviews with Rebecca Parnaby and Olly Greenwood - on the Scunny website in the morning. In short, the Saints recovered from a six-point deficit, with a fine paid maximum from Ryan Douglas. All the best Rob

What a shame!!! I was looking forward to the hundreds of pages of complaints for late-arriving tickets again, for those daft enough to buy their tickets in advance when there's always tickets on sale on the day!!!! All the best Rob

RETURN OF THE SAINTS THE teams have been confirmed for the second meeting of the Good Friday double-header at the Eddie Wright Raceway. Following the Scunthorpe Scorpions v Leicester Lions League Cup match (start-time 3pm), the Scunthorpe Saints will take to the track in the first of a series of National League challenge matches, entertaining a Long Eaton select side. Saints’ team manager Stuart Parnaby said: “It’s great to keep the Saints team alive, even if we aren’t running in the league. “It will give opportunities for riders to complete in meetings of a National League standard at Scunthorpe. Hopefully we can get in the odd away meeting in as well.” Parnaby praised Scorpions’ team manager Richard Hollingsworth’s determination in making sure the Saints took to the track in 2013 in one capacity or another. “When Rob (Godfrey, Scunthorpe promoter) made the difficult decision to pull the Saints out of the National League on financial grounds, it hit Richard the hardest out of all of us”, he revealed. “We were all disappointed – Rob, Rebecca (Stuart’s wife and Saints’ co-team manager) and myself. But Richard was really gutted. He co-ordinates the amateur meetings and practice sessions at Scunthorpe, and the disappearance of the Saints left a big hole. “I take my hat off to him, for putting together a plan which would enable the Saints to continue in challenge matches. This is Richard’s baby.” Parnaby - who will also be down the pits for Scorpions’ meetings as the mechanic for Thomas Jorgensen and Ryan Douglas - is looking forward to the Saints’ first meeting. “We’ve got a tremendous team out for the Saints. We’re at the start of the season, so both Scorpions’ reserves Ryan Douglas and Josh Bates will be riding for us, to get in a bit more practice. “Oliver Greenwood, Max Clegg and Danny Phillips need no introduction, as they all rode for the Saints regularly in 2012. Danny hasn’t got a National League team this season as yet, so this is a chance for him to go out, score a few points, and if one of the NL teams suddenly needs a new rider, maybe they will look in his direction.” The Saints team is completed by Adam Kirby, a member of the Scunthorpe Stags Midland Development League team in 2012, plus a new name – Matt Williamson. Williamson has already turned a few heads by qualifying for the final of the British Under-21 Final at Wolverhampton. Parnaby said: “Matt is no stranger to Scunthorpe. He’s ridden at Scunthorpe a few times already – in the amateur meetings. He’s riding for Buxton in the National League this year, and this gives him the chance of some extra competitive rides.” Teams for Good Friday: Scunthorpe Saints: 1. Ryan Douglas, 2. Matt Williamson, 3. Oliver Greenwood, 4. Max Clegg, 5. Josh Bates, 6. Danny Phillips, 7. Adam Kirby. Long Eaton Select: 1. Lee Dicken, 2. Lee Geary, 3. Shane Waldron, 4. Luke Chessell, 5. Ben Morley, 6. Nathan Greaves, 7. Conor Dywer. Double Header Admission Prices: Adult: £16.00 Student/OAP: £14.00 Child (10 - 16): £5.00 Child (0 - 9) Free (accompanied by paying adult) Family Ticket £37 (2 adults, 2 Children 10-16) Match Programme: £1.00

ALL SYSTEMS GO FOR GOOD FRIDAY DOUBLE-HEADER HENDERSON INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions are all set to beat the recent bad spell of weather on Good Friday. The Scorpions take on Leicester Lions in League Cup action (start-time 3pm) in their first meeting of the season at the Eddie Wright Raceway, before the Scunthorpe Saints take on a Long Eaton select in a National League challenge match in the second half. The heavy snowfall that has hit some northern and midlands areas has largely avoided North Lincolnshire. Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey said: “Friday’s meeting is definitely on. The weather forecast for the next two days poses no threat, while the track is in perfect condition. “Many speedway fans across the country have found themselves starved of any racing so far this season. This is a chance to make up for that. “Our meeting against Leicester promises to be a fantastic match between two of the leading contenders in this year’s Premier League. In total, we are putting on thirty heats of action for just £16 for adults.” Double Header Admission Prices: Adult: £16.00 Student/OAP: £14.00 Child (10 - 16): £5.00 Child (0 - 9) Free (accompanied by paying adult) Family Ticket £37 (2 adults, 2 Children 10-16) Match Programme: £1.00

EXCITING OPENING FIXTURE AHEAD ON GOOD FRIDAY DEFENDING Premier League champions Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions face a tough opening fixture of the 2013 season on Good Friday (3pm) with the visit of highly-fancied Leicester Lions in League Cup action, in what promises to be a cracker of a meeting. And there will be thirty heats of Bank Holiday action on offer, with the Scunthorpe Saints taking on a Long Eaton Select in a National League challenge match in the second half. Scunthorpe Scorpions’ team manager Richard Hollingsworth is cautiously optimistic of his side’s chances on Friday. He said: “It’s the first meeting of the season for many of our riders. As always with the first meeting, you can’t be quite sure what to expect. The riders are still looking to get into that groove and build up confidence, so there can be more of an element of surprise at this time of year. “Leicester have a good side this year, but so do we. I think all our riders have managed to get some practice in, and that could work in our favour. Michael (Palm Toft), Thomas (Jørgensen) and Ryan (Douglas) all arrived a few weeks ago and have been here for the good part of a month. “I’m sure what we will see on Friday is some high quality racing between two strong and highly-rated teams.” The Scorpions have retained five riders from the 2012 championship-winning side and Hollingsworth believes another exciting season lies ahead. “I am confident that we have a good team again this year”, he added. “I have complete faith in the riders. “Just looking ahead to the Premier League campaign for a moment, the minimum we want is to make the play-offs, and once we’re in those, there’s every chance of winning another league title. “We have a young team, with plenty of room for riders to progress. In particular, I look at the middle order of our team - Thomas Jørgensen, Ashley Birks and Michael Palm Toft - and each of those could substantially improve their average. “Josh (Auty) and David (Howe) will form an excellent spearhead, although of course David is returning from an injury; while we have two raw and exciting talents in Ryan Douglas and Josh Bates at reserve, who are both new to this level of racing. “I’m convinced some more exciting times are ahead for this club this season.” The League Cup is split into four regional sections, with the four group winners qualifying for the semi-finals. Scunthorpe have Leicester and Sheffield in their group. Friday’s adult admission price for the double-header is £16. It’s just £2 more than a single Premier League meeting at the Eddie Wright Raceway, for 15 extra heats of action. The circuit rightfully won the award last season for being the best racetrack in the Premier League, so a full and exciting day of racing is ahead. Double Header Admission Prices: Adult: £16.00 Student/OAP: £14.00 Child (10 - 16): £5.00 Child (0 - 9) Free (accompanied by paying adult) Family Ticket £37 (2 adults, 2 Children 10-16) Match Programme: £1.00 Teams for Good Friday (English unless stated): Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions: 1. Josh Auty, 2. Thomas Jørgensen (Denmark), 3. Michael Palm Toft (Denmark), 4. Ashley Birks, 5. David Howe, 6. Josh Bates, 7. Ryan Douglas (Australia). Leicester Lions: 1. Kauko Nieminen (Finland), 2. Jan Graversen (Denmark), 3. Lasse Bjerre (Denmark), 4. Adam Roynon, 5. Kevin Doolan (Australia), 6. Simon Nielsen (Denmark), 7. Lewis Blackbird. Scunthorpe Saints: 1. Ryan Douglas, 2. Matt Williamson, 3. Oliver Greenwood, 4. Max Clegg, 5. Josh Bates, 6. Danny Phillips, 7. Adam Kirby. Long Eaton Select: 1. Lee Dicken, 2. Lee Geary, 3. Shane Waldron, 4. Luke Chessell, 5. Ben Morley, 6. Nathan Greaves, 7. Conor Dywer. Leicester Lions at EWR Ave Ave Best Name Lge M R Pts BP (no BP) (w BP) Performance Lasse Bjerre PL 4 21 36 2 6.86 7.24 11 from 6 rides (2011) Lewis Blackbird PL 1 4 3 0 3.00 3.00 3 from 4 rides (2012) Kevin Doolan PL 8 39 63 2 6.46 6.67 14 from 5 rides (2008) Jan Graversen PL 18 79 88 24 4.46 5.67 9 + 4 from 7 rides (2012) Simon Nielsen PL 1 4 3 2 3.00 5.00 3 + 2 from 4 rides (2012) Kauko Nieminen PL 4 18 29 1 6.44 6.67 13 from 5 rides (2008) Adam Roynon PL 3 13 12 2 3.69 4.31 8 + 1 from 5 rides (2012) Other Notes Lasse Bjerre 2011 Danish Under-21 Champion. Member of Denmark's World Under-21 Team Cup Championship Winning Team in 2010. Member of Ipswich's Premier League Fours Championship Winning Team in 2010. Lewis Blackbird Member of Mildenhall's National League KO Cup Winning Team in 2011. Captain of Mildenhall's 2012 National League side, which won 5 major trophies at that level. Will also ride in 2013 for Dudley in the National League. Kevin Doolan Member of King's Lynn's Premier League KO Cup and Young Shield Winning Teams in 2005. Member of King's Lynn's Premier League Championship, KO Cup and Premier Trophy Winning Teams in 2006. Member of Workington's Premier League Four-Team Championship Winning Team in 2009. Member of Ipswich's Premier League Four-Team Championship Winning Team in 2011. Jan Graversen Former Scunthorpe Scorpion who won the Kenny Smith Memorial Trophy in 2010. Member of King's Lynn's Premier League Championship, Premier Trophy and KO Cup Winning Teams in 2009. Simon Nielsen First rode in this country, making his Premier League debut in 2011 for Workington. Winner of the 2005 Individual FIM Youth Gold Trophy (80cc), unofficial Under-16 World Championship. Kauko Nieminen Three times Finnish Champion (2009, 2010 and 2011). Three times Finnish Under-21 Champion (1998, 1999 and 2000). Member of Workington's Premier League Fours Championship Winning Teams in 2004 and 2008. Member of Workington's Premier League Pairs Winning Team in 2008. Named as a 'doubling-up' rider with Belle Vue for the 2013 Elite League Season. Adam Roynon 2006 Conference League Riders Champion. Member of Mildenhall's Conference League Championship and KO Cup Winning Teams in 2004. Member of Rye House's Premier League Championship Winning Team in 2007. Member of Dudley's National League Shield and Four-Team Championship Winning Teams in 2011. Member of Dudley's National League Shield Winning Team in 2012. A member of Workington's Premier League Pairs Winning duo in 2012. Named as a 'doubling-up rider with Coventry for the 2013 Elite League Season. Leicester Lions' Results at EWR 08 July 2011 PL L Scunthorpe 53 Leicester 40 16 September 2011 PL (Ph 2) W Scunthorpe 43 Leicester 50 16 March 2012 KSMT L Scunthorpe 46 Leicester 44 10 August 2012 PL L Scunthorpe 51 Leicester 42 (stats courtesy of John Eyre)

Well, I've made some poor predictions in my time, but I've never tipped a team not in the league to win it. Incidentally, where did you tip Scunny to finish last season? All the best Rob

... at tiddlywinks. However, he is a much better Speedway rider. Is that how your sentence ended June? All the best Rob

It would also be nice to try to work out exactly who won the league, as both Crayford and Oxford declared themselves champions. I think both teams beat each other at home, and don't seem to have dropped points elsewhere. I think it was an incomplete league table, so it might come down to who staged the most matches!!! All the best Rob

1. Per Sorensen 2. Jimmy Nilsen 3. Tony Langdon 4. Bob Kilby 5. Leigh Adams 6. The late David Smart 7. Kevin Smart All the best Rob

Any results for this event? Just checked the Short Track UK website and I can't see a result on there. All the best Rob

Scunny season starts with the David Howe testimonial on Sunday, March 24th. Confirmed dates so far: Sunday March 24th - David Howe testimonial Friday April 12th - Scunny v Newcastle (Premier Shield) All the best Rob

Surely one alternative would be to allocate the riders the best riders the better gates in order of the points scored. E.g. Gate 1 scores 40 points, gate 2 scores 32 points, gate 3 scores 18 points, gate 4 scores 30 points. Therefore in semi 1: 1st highest scorer from heats gets gate 1 (best gate) 4th highest scorer gets gate 2 (2nd best gate) 6th highest scorer gets gate 4 (3rd best gate) 7th highest scorer gets gate 3 (worst gate) Likewise with semi 2. Therefore the top scorers are still rewarded with the best gates, but without the delay of having the semi-final draws. All the best Rob

White Knight, you still haven't answered my question: who should have won the 2000 GP series then? Because whoever you think it should have been, he scored less points overall than Mark Loram. All the best Rob

So if Mark Loram wasn't the best rider in the 2000 series, then who was? Someone who scored LESS overall points points than Loram?????? Mind you, Lionel Van Praag was 1936 champion, even though Bluey Wilkinson scored a 15-point maximum in the World Final. All the best Rob

I didn't realise Jerzy Szczakiel was German. The ref of the '73 was Transpurger - also the ref of the '72 final (when Mauger took advantage of a rolling start or two). He was German. Szczakiel was Polish. All the best Rob

The ref (Transpurger) allowed shocking starts throughout both the 1972 and 1973 finals - he basically released the tapes as the final rider came up to them. Mauger himself used to his advantage at Wembley in 1972. I'm not sure why it suddenly becomes "the biggest stitch up in speedway history" when it's Szczakiel who gets a flier rather than Mauger. Fair play to Szczakiel who was the best rider.... on the day. The "dodgy" heats (the Poles orchestrating a win for Plech, plus the bizzare shennanings of Heat 19) did not involve Szczakiel, who earned all 13 of his points. In his fourth race, the Russian pushed Szczakiel to the back, but he fought back from fourth to second place. Szczakiel outfoxed Mauger and beat him TWICE in the same World Final. To highlight just one race where there was a dodgy start in the '72-'73 finals demonstrates you haven't watch the full coverage of these finals. If so, you'd have seen a number or riders using them to their advantage. Szczakiel beat Mauger at his own game... and deserves credit for that. From reading Mauger's autobiography, he has no axe to grind with Szczakiel. All the best Rob

It's questionable whether the Poles in 1973 were "seeded" or were "qualifiers". There was actually a qualifying criteria. Not an actual meeting, but based on results over a period. Szczakiel was fifth of the five Poles who qualified based on results. The Polish authorities weren't sure, and nearly replaced him, but in the end, stuck firm with the way they had worked out their five qualifiers... and the rest is history. Every final between 1965 and 1980 had riders from the home nation go directly to the final. The British Final was effectively a World Semi-Final in the years that Wembley held the final. All the best Rob

I don't know why you've got an obsession on races behind the Iron Curtain being so difficult. The western riders may have been intimidated to begin with, but then Mauger winning in 1970 and the Brits winning the WTC in '71 in Poland altered the situation. By the time Szczakiel won in '73, the westerners already knew they could go to Poland and win. Szczakiel would have had very little "home" advantage at Katowice (he rode for Opole), but he simply proved to the best rider on the day. Remember again he didn't beat Mauger once that day... he did it twice. Almost all the big names of the day were in the '73 final, but Szczakiel went out and beat almost all of them. He was the best rider on that particular day. All the best Rob

The Poles won the World Team Cup in the 1960s OUTSIDE of their own country... we didn't, even borrowing the likes of Briggs, Moore and Mauger. That's the point I was making. I didn't mention the seventies, just the sixties... I've had a bit of a google about and found an interesting statistic. The head-to-head between Mauger and Szczakiel between 1971 and 1973.... Mauger 7, Szczakiel 6. That's a fine record against the best rider in the world at the time. All the best Rob

So how come the Poles did much better than Great Britain in the World Cup during the 1960s - not just in Poland, but other countries too. Many the Poles were better than you give them credit for. Mid 80s at Exeter? So you're saying Colin Cook or Alan Rivett could have been World Champion? Give over. And was Katowice Szczakiel's home track??? I thought he came from Opole. Szczakiel is obviously a far better rider than a lot of people give him credit for. It's a shame so many have an arrogant attitude of "Well he never rode for a British League club, so he can't be any good." All the best Rob