uk_martin

All the hidden secrets on how to build yourself one of those "Polish bikes" revealed here - https://sportowefakty.wp.pl/zuzel/wideo/29787/budowa-motocykla-zuzlowego-wideo Just follow the instructions...what could possibly go wrong?

With Coventry heading into the scrap yard Buster couldn't afford a second casualty especially such a high profile venue and a team with such a heritage. It would have been like football losing Manchester United.

You make it sound like there is something massively different about Polish tracks? Rybnik is 357 metres, barely 15 metres longer than Kings Lynn, 10 metres longer than Belle vue and smaller than Berwick and Workington. No excuses for British riders not having the right equipment for combatting "big sweeping tracks". Maybe the Polish riders did. Bully for them. The Australians, and Danes didn't. Explain how they were so superior to the Brits? Why didn't the SCB/ BSPA arrange for training for the British lads? Because they could have, just they didn't. So how long before the Brits learn a lesson off them and start helping each other too? First, you have to come out of this state of mind that poo-poo's the good things that happen elsewhere in the belief that the British way is the only way, and that the Poles are the enemy and wishes evil on them and can't wait for their leagues to implode, and then we might be able to make some progress.

Let's take a step back and ask ourselved WHY the Australian riders have "Polish bikes" at their disposal. Why have Australian riders gone out of their way to fix themselves up with places in Polish teams? More to the point, Lambert apart, why have the British riders NOT got themselves fixed up in Poland? And what's so special about "Polish bikes"? They all start out the same at the GM / Gerhard / Jawa factory...they all go to one tuner or another. They all conform to FIM regulations. Talk about workmen blaming their tools.

There was no shortage of BSPA money to buy a huge stock of Gerhard engines. Did they all sell out? Or is there a shelf full of unused engines that could have been tailored to suit Polish conditions?

And what exactly would that achieve? The Poles had home track advantage. Well, boo hoo. It happens every few years. Team GB has home track advantage in the SWC by virtue of Busters Back Yard, EVERY YEAR. See how Team GB would get on if SWC Event 1 was in Czech Republic or Australia, or Latvia...or Russia, or USA. We wouldn't be so certain of qualification to the next round then. I think that the context of this is the Under 21 scene, in which case he is. Cookie, Worrall etc are substantially older than even the Polish Senior squad that won the SWC. At u21 level, what you saw at Rybnik was the best that we have, and it's clearly well off the pace of other youngsters from around the world. I'm amazed at how the Aussies who have no financial advantages over the British lads are able to perform on the world stage. Kurtz, Jack Holder, Fricke, and even Justin Sedgmen, were all able to get places in Polish teams, whilst all we hear from British riders is "boo hoo, it's very difficult to get a team place in Poland, sob sob". Absolutely. That and a pressure from the BSPA to support British leagues above all others, including the prospect of a ban from international competitions like the SEC, the Pairs etc when these lads get older, a lack of opportunities from the BSPA / SCB to pit our youngsters against international competition in the form of test matches, and the "being average is good enough" comfort zone of being able to make ends meet by earning a decent crust by riding in 3 British leagues at once. Make those young riders NEED to ride on the contenent to earn their money, make British speedway a one-rider-one-team sport by abolishing doubling up and guesting, and you'll have a hungrier more determined rider who will have to suppliement their earnings abroad, and in the process gain experience and skills that will make them into better riders.

In another conversation I had a few days ago, I compared standing up for British Speedway to standing up for British Leyland in the 1970's. However you wanted to tart up and "sell" the Austin Allegro and the Morris Marina, they were just bad cars surrounded by better products in a competitive environment. So hats off to Speedway Star for being the modern day British Leyland Sales Brochure, extoling the positives and making sure that the sport is seen in the best light possible. (Even if some truths don't make it into print)

Alan Philips needed Graham Drury at his side and to sit in his seat at the BSPA table. That's why the Drury's couldn't be dispensed with during that time of the boardroom civil war. I've no idea who's doing the hand-holding for BV, although I'd suspect that the deep interest that Buster Chapman had in the situation there at the start of the year may point him out as being their fairy godfather. I could be wrong though. Oh, deep joy. The Birmingham B's, perhaps? Riding in yellow black and red, maybe?

Is it Mildenhall who have already announced their first signing for 2018...so I guess that unless the bailiffs come round to pick up on that court award that went against the club, the Fen Tigers will still be around next year.

BSPA rules will require a licensed promoter to be involved, so ex riders coming in out of the blue may have problems unless they get the Drury's to hang on in there for 2+ years til the ex riders qualify for promoters licenses of their own.

And what exactly is the general public supposed to read into that? Everyone's going to have a farewell to the season. In Birmingham's case, will the farewell be a "goodbye" or a "see you next year"?

With the play-off's being more of an off-chance than anything more probable, and with no new promoter/promotion in the wings, will the Kent meetimg be "it", as it were, or is anyone aware of a plan for a more grandeous event to mark / mourn the end of an era for Speedway in Birmingham? If nothing else, some kind of farewell meeting for Tony Mole would not be out of order, as his retirement beckons.

Maybe they respect his desire to finally retire?

If Google has translated this page correctly, it looks like the intention is that Rybnik will stay in the top flight and Torun, complete with 2 ex-World Champions in their team, will be relegated. All is still subject to confirmation though... https://sportowefakty.wp.pl/zuzel/707531/nie-bedzie-kasowania-punktow-row-u-ekstraliga-zuzlowa-jednak-poczeka-na-decyzje- Perhaps one of our Polish speakers can confirm Google's interpretation?

If it's a "free" service then my expectation will be that it will be to Premier Sports what Dave / Yesterday / Gold (etc) are to BBC / ITV - a reruns and "look what you could have seen" channel. I'm sure that the hope amongst speedway fans is to get something for nothing (as usual) but that's not how I see how the TV stations work.

Birmingham got a taste of their own medicine on Wednesday night. We've had loads of away wins over the past 3 years and this time the superior team and tactics that BV brought to the table was too much for a fragile Brummies team to cope with. And as for "designer injuries", let's us not be holier-than-thou after our milking of the Zack Wajtknecht injury, or the....(the list could go on...) for all that it was worth. And let's not forget that, er, I have forgotten actually, who is the Brummies real #7? Haven't we benefited from some "designer reserves" this year rather than persevere with the one that we were supposed to start the season with? Rather than blame one team or the other for these tactics, or the morality of the situation, you have to look at who sets the environment in which such things go on in this sport. If the league allows it to happen, it will carry on.

How about an answer to the 2nd part of my question? Are we in danger of being Robins-less next year?

Ant progress made? How long do the Robins have use of the current stadium before bulldozers replace speedway bikes on the track?

Surely the spirit of this league should mean that if both teams need RR, then both should promote their #8's. That way the paying public get to see two seven-boy/man teams and some young kids get some development rides and progress along their learning curves.

Could be shaping up for a Stal v Mickey Mouse final...especially if Wroclaw ride in the next 2 weeks like they did on Sunday. Got my flight booked for the 2nd leg of the final, so it may be another evening in "the cage" at ZG for me. Fingers crossed for a bit of luck in the semi-finals!!

If you are going to nit-pick on spelling and grammar, then at least pick up on ALL errors. There's one gaping error that you missed Have another go.

That assumes that anyone had any idea of his availability. If you ask the BSPA once and are told "no" then why expect anything different by asking again? In fact by that definition, ANY club could have signed Hall, and there are those in more dire straits than the Brummies. I'm sure that had there been a general awareness that he was "signable" many other teams would have joined the rush to sign him. Makes you wonder what deal was done behind the scenes to secure Cradley the favour of his signature.

Easy home win IMHO, presented on a plate when the BSPA allowed Richard Hall to be signed by Cradley. Imagine how different the landscape would have been if Birmingham had been allowed to sign Hall instead of Mason, and Mason ended up in the Cradley team. Yep, a home win, manufactured at BSPA HQ, thank you very much. No doubt all in the best interests of British Speedway, to boot.

14 day adjournment whilst Laguta gets crucial medical documentation written in Latvian translated into Polish.

Highly recommended...both at ZG and at Gorzow. I've been to ZG in the VIP stand (where foreign visitors are usually given their tickets if you request them by e-mail) and I've been in the cage with the Stal fans. Brilliant experiences. May end up being back there next month depending on how the play-offs pan out. Sad note though, the Mickey Mouse fans have let themselves down and their club could be in hot water - https://sportowefakty.wp.pl/zuzel/704936/zamkna-stadion-falubazu-za-race-jest-pismo-komendanta-policji