linus

The reward is an extra race and the chance to score more points!

With no disrespect intended to the memory of Kenny Smnith or anyone mourning him, it's not as if he was a major figure in the sport. He was a team manager for a junior side, and only stepped up into team management in the second tier in the past couple of years. His passing is sad, but really not worth noting at a meeting of such stature of the SWC, which should be reserved for riders who rode on that stage.

One thing I would like to see is, if Rob Lyon is going to stay as both British and Kings Lynn team manager, for KL to build their side around young English riders on the way, much in the way that Rye House traditionally do. It just looks silly to have the British team manager in charge of a side with just one British rider...

The future looks alright - with the squad from last night, Nicholls still not finished, Allen hoping to stay injury-free, and Ben Barker back from injury soon - good times ahead.

Considering the race-off and final are in Poland, and I have too much time on my hands, I thought it might be interesting to look at the Polish League averages for the competing nations... Great Britain: Lee Richardson (Włókniarz Częstochowa) 7.67 Tai Woffinden (Włókniarz Częstochowa) 6.18 Scott Nicholls (Atlas Wrocław) 5.30 Lewis Bridger (Włókniarz Częstochowa) 4.00 Chris Harris (Lazur Ostrów, D1) 8.00 Daniel King (Lazur Ostrów, D1) 5.82 Edward Kennett (not riding in Poland in 2009) other options: Olly Allen (GTŻ Grudziądz, D1) 7.15 Simon Stead (Lazur Ostrów, D1) 4.00 James Wright (Unia Tarnów, D1) 4.00 Contrast that with the other teams... Denmark: Kenneth Bjerre (Wybrzeże Gdańsk) 9.00 Hans Andersen (Wybrzeże Gdańsk) 7.00 Niels-Kristian Iversen (Falubaz Zielona Góra) 5.20 Bjarne Pedersen (Unia Tarnów, D1) 10.13 Nikolai Klindt (Lazur Ostrów, D1) 6.72 Sweden: Andreas Jonsson (Polonia Bydgoszcz) 9.21 Fredrik Lindgren (Falubaz Zielona Góra) 7.67 Antonio Lindback (Polonia Bydgoszcz) 6.19 David Ruud (Stal Gorzów) 5.23 Jonas Davidsson (Polonia Bydgoszcz) 4.28 Australia: Leigh Adams (Unia Leszno) 10.36 Jason Crump (Atlas Wrocław) 10.20 Chris Holder (Unibax Toruń) 8.70 Ryan Sullivan (Unibax Toruń) 8.38 Davey Watt (Atlas Wrocław) 4.96 Russia: Emil Sajfutinov (Polonia Bydgoszcz) 8.36 Renat Gafurov (Wybrzeże Gdańsk) 3.25 Grigori Laguta (Lokomotiv Daugavpils, D1) 8.37 Roman Povahzny (Lokomotiv Daugavpils, D1) 5.88 Denis Gizatullin (RKM Rybnik, D1) Poland: Tomasz Gollob (Stal Gorzów) 8.87 Piotr Protasiewicz (Zielona Gora) 8.84 Krzysztof Kasprzak (Unia Leszno) 8.17 Jaroslaw Hampel (Unia Leszno) 8.16 Adrian Miedzinski (Unibax Toruń) 7.78 Rune Holta (Stal Gorzów) 6.89

MORE "BRITISH" BRITISH TEAM ON THE WAY TeamGB manager Rob Lyons last night sensationally named an all-Scottish team for the SWC Race-Off in Leszno, Poland on Thursday night. Lyons - who, despite being Team GB manager, employs just one British rider in his Kings Lynn Stars team - had been spurred into action by the criticism of keyboard-warrior Snyper1010 on the well-regarded British Speedway Forum. "He's not called Snyper for no good reason," laughed Lyons. "He really hit this one on the head. Of course it's a Britishteam, it says it in the name, so I immediately realised the error of my ways and picked a team which balances things out nicely, I think." TeamGB, utilising just about every rider with haggis in his veins, will line up as follows, with a massive Premier League CMA of almost 30 points, putting last night's selection (with an Elite League CMA of almost 40) to shame: Sean Stoddart Derek Sneddon William Lawson James Grieves © Ross Brady In future Lyons will endeavour to reflect a more British feel in his team, and will pick one Englishman, one Scot, Phil Morris or Tony Atkin, Andrew Tully from the Isle of Man, and Benji Compton from Tenerife filling in until the BSPA can impregnate an Ulster girl with suitably speedway-friendly sperm. Lyons added, "Wait, New South Wales doesn't count, does it?"

True, I think it'll be Kennett & Woffinden dropped for Thursday - any chance of gettong Zagar to do a Rune Holta before then..?

I think you'll find that the FIM awards it to a country who then decide which track to award it to. Certainly none as good as Claus Vissing, Ales Dryml, Henning Bager or Rene Bach. No, none at all... But then again, when was the last time Peterborough were interested in a top Brit? Ian Barney? I guess I must have missed the water truck that came out after I posted. But then it's a Buster track...

It's right about now that the big questions echo round your brain... 1) Why choose the biggest rack in the Elite League when there's a good chance you're going to face riders who thrive on tracks that big? 2) Why keep it at Peterborough when they made it pretty clear they were not supporting British speedway this season by not including a single British rider in their team? 3) Why not water the damn track??? Incidentally, the Crump/Hampel third bend clash was almost a a carbon copy of Saturday night's clash between Pedersen and Laguta - Crump, however, knows when to shut off his throttle....

Must be something sensible in the water at Brandon - I wrote this is December: