lucifer sam

A rider took highside off the wrong side of the bike and landed in a nasty heap - so what are you trying to get at? All the best Rob

Yeah, as I soon as I saw it, I thought he'd done his collarbone at the very least. If Zdenek has escaped with bruising and abrasions to his shoulder, it's something of a relief - it could easily been worse. All the best Rob

Lewy, that's fantastic news! Must be a huge relief to yourself and the rest of the Plymouth faithful. All the best Rob

I think you're mistaking the Danish, Swedish and US Finals of the World Championship, with the Danish, Swedish and US Championships. Separate events. All the best Rob

It's League Cup. All the best Rob

No, it was new last year. Glasgow used it to replace James Sarjeant with guest Nico Covatti at the EWR. All the best Rob

I agree the rule is poorly written (or should be included in 18.2.3 rather than 18.2.4), but it's been clarified. Scunny ended up using it, but likewise Sheffield could have done, had they been 10 or more points behind. All the best Rob

Best solution is for Rye House team manager to clarify the rules before the meeting. All the best Rob

Doesn't bother me personally. But publications and websites need 'em. All the best Rob

Cheers - thanks very much. Thanks also to Tigerite for answering, even though his time wasn't correct. All the best Rob

Does anyone have a time for Heat 10 yesterday? Thanks very much. All the best Rob

Final score: Scunthorpe 43 Sheffield 50. All the best Rob

Plenty of parking. If main car park is full, there's a secondary car park that can be opened. Food excellent at EWR - and value for money too. Get there in enough time, because Scunny normally start bang on time - first race will be at 3pm. All the best Rob

Wilko back in action, so Scorpions should be at full strength. Lasse Bjerre guests for the injured Simon Stead for Sheffield. All the best Rob

Unfortunately, it's often the case of how the Royal Mail operates these days. If they are busy or under-staffed, they simply hold back the larger envelopes and parcels for delivery. Our post was shocking for a while, but is now (touch wood) back to normal. All the best Rob

Yes I reckon you MIGHT get 25 now. All the best Rob

Getting away from the squabbling for a moment, is Belle Vue vs Cradley on Monday on or off? All the best Rob

Get off your high horse, the predictions are nothing but a bit of fun. Of course I didn't expect Chris Louis to say anything else. As for 'embarrassing', well if you try to insult other forum members with every single post, simply because they choose to be positive towards a club rather than join in with any mass negativity, then you're simply going to end up embarrassing yourself. Now, getting back onto subject, have spent most of the morning with my head buried in the Speedway Star. This edition is useful throughout the whole season - it's simply superb. All the very best Rob xxxx

The season preview is always a bumper and superb read. And the predictions are interesting, as usual. Chris Louis: 1. Ipswich 11. Scunthorpe. I assume he predicted those, before Scorpions turned over Witches at Foxhall Heath last Thursday All the best Rob PS Cyclone, you can't blame the Speedway Star for the shortcomings of Royal Mail. You'll be blaming them next for the late arrival of Monarchs' No 7.

A sensible early call off. If only the same had been done last Saturday. All the best Rob

Arnie, the Amateur League had 13 teams in 1997, but I think many of them were second teams; indeed there were four 'shared' teams, with two tracks sharing the home fixtures (Reading/Swindon were one of them, if I recall correctly). The CL had 13 teams in 2003 and 2004, but without looking it up, I'm not sure how many were standalone. But yes, with the addition of the likes of Eastbourne and Birmingham, the NL has never been stronger. And, if not a record, then 8 standalone teams is the most for a while. It is a pointer that this level of speedway in Britain could be the way it survives and prospers. You can't pay out what you haven't got - Plymouth are the most recent example of this going wrong. I just hope that, somehow, the Devils can continue. All the best Rob

Club legend Wayne Carter will be riding in second half 4TT for Halifax. All the best Rob

No worries. 1957 is quite often regarded as the blackest year, because of the closure of the Wembley Lions in February. The SAL operated from 1954 to 1957, never got off the ground in 1958 (lack of teams was always a problem for the competition), and was resurrected in 1959. As pointed out by both yourself and Tsunami, it's the formation of the Provincial League in 1960 that proved speedway's salvation and led to another boom period in the late sixties and throughout the seventies. Furthermore, the creation of a British League Division Two in 1968 almost doubled the number of speedway teams within a two-year period. The past can sometimes teach us a lesson. What speedway's past has told us is that survival can be gained from building from the grass roots up. Do we actually need the top world class riders to survive? Well, no. Many of the top foreigners were not allowed in the British League in 1965, but yet this year is seen as a major step forward. Speedway clubs need to build to a budget they can afford. As long as the racing is competitive, the league of the level is largely irrelevant. Birmingham and Eastbourne are very recent examples of clubs saved by dropping to an affordable level, and many fans have hailed NL racing rather than walking away from it. Let's get back to teams being build from (largely) local youngsters. All the best Rob

It's 1958 when it was lowest, because the SAL didn't run that year. Just a single National League. But yes any revival needs to be at grass roots level first. It's no coincidence that the league currently gaining in numbers is the third tier. All the best Rob

I wasn't around, but in 1958, only 10 tracks were left, a few years earlier there had been 35. All the best Rob