uk_martin

Well, congratulations. I didn't see that on this thread, and I'm not going looking for it as quite frankly I don't give a toss. If scoring points in this one-upmanship fashion makes you feel big, or "da man" then fill your boots. I'm sure everyone else is in awe and admiration of your extra-worldly wisdom. I'm outta here.

Could be part of a great weekend of Speedway. Leszno v Rybnik on the Friday, Wrocław SGP on the Saturday and Stal Gorzów v Falubaz Zielona Gora on the Sunday.

Might need to turn the paraffin lamps up (or have they been upgraded to town gas yet?) to be able to read what it says.

https://sportowefakty.wp.pl/zuzel/858829/zuzel-grand-prix-w-togliatti-pod-znakiem-zapytania-mistrzowie-z-rosji-pojada-pod

Wow, how 1970's is that? No PayPal, no Apple Pay, No Google Pay, no credit cards, no chip'n'pin, no bank transfers. I wonder if the season tickets will be properly laminated or just given a coating of "sticky backed plastic" in true Valerie Singleton/John Noakes/Peter Purvis, Blue Peter style? No wonder young fans aren't attracted when speedway continues to pander to a bygone age.

"Russia" hasn't and couldn't compete as a team under a neutral flag. Individual Russian athletes, who had proven themselves to be "clean" did compete though, as individuals, with all reference to their country of origin removed (as far as possible)

"Russia has been handed a four-year ban from all major sporting events by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada)." So the question is...Is speedway, especially the SGP, SEC and SON counted as major sporting events that the ban applies to? Will Emil, the Laguta's etc be banned from international competitions and what will be the impact on the sport? Like most, I guess, I associated WADA's activities with Athletics, but the way that this article reads, ALL "major" sports are affected. I would imagine that speedway coming under the auspices of an international governing body (FIM) could be classified as a "major sport" (despite what some here may argue) and therefore the Russian competitors could come a cropper here, possibly? https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/50710598

Godfrey said: “One message which has come out very strongly from supporters is that they don’t want things tinkered with, and we’ve taken that on board So there you go. If there isn't enough in the action plan to save the sport, it's YOUR fault.

So you'll be right in the road works and diversion area when the flyover is demolished and the new road alignment is constructed. Plenty of time to come up with a Plan B if that area is shut off from the public. I use the bus stop there, and am resigned to having to walk an extra mile to the other side of the roadworks, in order to catch a bus that's fought its way through the delays and snarl-ups rather than getting on a bus that's got all the road works ahead of it. The point is, how things were, won't be how they will be. Might be wise to have a few alternatives planned and ready to use.

The compulsory purchase order notices have been posted. A corner of the stadium car park will be needed for adjacent road widening, so next year the stadium car parking capacity will be much reduced. On-Street in the area will also be curtailed due to road works relating to the building of transport links for the Commonwealth Games Athletes Village, adjacent to the stadium. So, like it or lump it, the One Shop Stopping Centre car park will be one of the even fewer options available to you next year.

Does speedway still claim to be the 3rd largest spectator sport in the country?

Just after those days when Ivan Mauger and Barry Briggs were "British" too?

Right in Jeremy Corbyn's firing line then

That was my first impression when I saw the video. Stuff like that Dynamic Balancing Machine will have cost a pretty penny, which has to be made to pay for itself, somehow. A lot of people think that engine tuning is all about a man in a shed, using "rule of thumb" a spanner and a hammer, doing what a rider doesn't know how to or can't be bothered to do for himself. It ain't that at all. And for as long as a speedway engine can't last more than half a dozen meetings without "going off" these guys will be needed.

And the latest signing is.... ...A new landlord https://www.arenaracingcompany.co.uk/media-centre/news/greyhounds/arc-acquire-perry-barr-and-belle-vue-greyhound-stadia Thank you GRA, it was nice knowing you.

Nah, but the right shade of purple, and you might....er because the speedway viewing public is of that chocolate eating age, innit? Perhaps a beige helmet colour to attract Horlicks over as sponsors, maybe?

1. An Electrician 2. Another Electrician, in case the first one is too busy wiring up a plug in Denmark 3. A Spin Doctor to explain why the electricians haven't done their jobs 4. A new team manager 5. A Rain Maker, in case the new spin doctor struggles to excuse the inefficient electricians 6. Arthur Browning - keeping things "in-generation" with the current fan-base 7. Who cares? He'll probably "take a break from the sport" before you've had a chance to learn how to spell his name.

Compare and contrast this to the verdict from the Rugby World Cup citing committee, over the Piers Francis high tackle. https://www.englandrugby.com/news/article/disciplinary-francis-cleared-to-play?fbclid=IwAR3sXcQsmrdiK-VIx_m7mWWPla7G7PSEOJbFcrreIiD49pe5Y9PDDHwnf-Q

Not right for who? It works for Poland. It could work for Great Britain if junior riders were "protected" more in the reserve berths instead of burning them out too soon. Just look at the number of young riders who've jacked the sport in these past few years. I've never known anything like it. All we're left with now are budding young British Champions blossoming to fruition in their mid-30's. It wasn't that many years ago that a certain Patryk Dudek and Bartosz Zmarzlik spent a few years at #6 or #7 for their respective teams. It didn't do them any harm, and when Poland won the last SWC with effectively an u23 side, it shows that it doesn't do the national team any harm either. As I said, it could work in this country, and I think it should be made to work in this country. If your club uncovers a British gem of a rider, then why not let that club benefit from their discovery, and whatever investment they make in that rider? That should be the team's reward for doing something in the national interrest. But instead look what happens. As soon as a budding young British rider starts outscoring an old foreign crock, then that crock gets the benefit of an easy life in the reserves whilst the young British rider gets a hard time in the main body of the team. And then you get the headlines about young English riders "taking time out" from the sport...(never to be seen again)

How do you measure "richness"? Capital assets? Revenue? Share holdiers personal wealth? As PolskiZuzel said, there's a wage cap that binds the clubs, in the same way as happens in American Football's NFL. So that then levels out the playing field for how much of a clubs "riches" can be spent on riders. How much more in the way of capital assets and/or revenue a club has or gets after that doesn't come into it. The biggest difference between who can afford which rider and who can't is in the addtitional sponsorship packages that they are able to arrange on behalf of the riders. And that comes down more to how good your efforts and abilities are to attract sponsors, not how big your bank balance is. And that's one of the major differences between Polish and British speedway clubs. Here, on the whole, the clubs look for sponsorship for themselves and leave the riders to get their own sponsorship. As PolskiZuzel says, in Poland, the clubs arrange a riders sponsorship for them to at least a major degree. Obviously, riders will get additional approaches by sponsors over there, but a good base line is arranged by the clubs, in order to make their contracts attractive. Another major difference is the kind of sponsor that Polish riders get. Piotr Protasiewicz has had a long term sponsorship deal with a multi national company Pentel. You've probably used a Pentel pen yourself at some point. A British rider would be lucky to get a sponsorship with Penny's Pen Shop in Penns Lane. That sort of thing makes a difference.

Neither of them ride for a team owned by the chaiirman of the BSPA though, do they? That's the difference.

They are investing a lot of time and effort into doing things to attract kids in, so in about another 10 years when all these kids are old enough to pay adult admission, there'll be at least another 15-20 paying customers every week. Many a mickle makes a muckle, as Glasgow and Edinburgh fans would say.

So Will Pottinger is out of the running for being a Yam Yam

Will Pottinger got his job as a result of him starting life as an active fan in the campaign to bring Cradley Heathens back into existence. So if one fan can do it, and do it well, why rely on any of the other established names? Why not let fans have a day in the hot seat? What have the Brummies to lose this year? So how about ProudtobeaBrummie being given the reins for one of this years home meetings? In fact, to all those fans who fancy it, wouldn't it be fun to see the management running a "Speedway Apprentice" event. Now that's something that I suspect Graham Drury would come out of retirement for, to play a Lord Sir Alan Sugar role, ably assisted by Denise Drury and Arthur Browning in the roles of Karren Brady and Claude Littner. That'll sort out those who have the questions for the forums from those who have the answers to put into practise. Lets see how the would be managers deal with real life events like the phone call from the rider who's van has broken down en-route, or the track curator who's reported that the track tractor has broken down or the shale supplier who's run out of shale.

Does anyone know why there's a black rectangle on the chests of the Falubaz riders? Was there supposed to be a sponsors name there that's been blacked out or is there another reason? Genuine question, as it looks odd.