SammyR

Having had a great time with a group of Polish supporters at the Cardiff GP; similarly a good laugh with some Poles at the Swindon SWC round; and been served by a charming, friendly Polish girl at a (Chinese!) restaurant tonight, just to hear someone say that 'Poles are cheats' is something I find deeply offensive. OK, you might have a gripe about a referee's decisions, or a rider's tactics, but don't equate that with the person's nationality. That's how Hitler started out.

Indeed, it does look superb. Marvellous to have a very wealthy man plough his money into building a speedway stadium. Wishing the Croatians every success in this new venture. I wouldn't be surprised to see this venue hosting big meetings in the future. Sam.

Rabbit, This SC certainly does talk a lot of tosh !!

Everyone is entitled to his/her opinion, but it makes me feel sick when someone declares that "Poles are the ultimate cheats". What a disgusting, racist thing to say. Then someone else calls Pedersen "the posing midget" - pathetic!

I am devastated. I can't begin to imagine how much time and effort went into producing this site, but was very grateful nevertheless. To me, it was the bible of speedway racing. To be able to pick up, at the press of a button, results, averages and information from every speedway nation was priceless. Nothing else could compete. I logged on to this site to see how riders were performing in Sweden, Poland, Czecho, etc., and would have happily paid good money for that facility. Marcus, thank you for giving me access to so much information over the years, and best wishes for your 'retirement'. Sam.

The Czechs and Russkies should be no competition for GB and Denmark anyway, but they've both made life doubly difficult for themselves. It seems that George Stancl and Roman Povazhny are both out of favour with their federations or vice versa. It would have made the meeting a bit more competitive if these guys were riding. Sam.

Thanks everyone, great info. Will check it all out. Sam.

Can anyone suggest a cheap way to get to Wroclaw from Manchester? I'd like to go, but have overstretched my finances lately, and can't spend too much. And I don't really want to trek all the way down to Stansted either. Sam.

I saw the Fundin/Craven golden helmet clashes from 1960 onwards; I watched in awe as Ove won the '63 & '67 world finals at Wembley. I was there when Mauger had his golden years at Belle Vue. But TRick is winning the argument to be acclaimed the greatest speedway rider ever. Anyone who says they're bored watching this year's G.P.s, can't recognise sheer brilliance when they see it; it's predictable perhaps, but it's a testament to Tony's skill, ability and bravery.

See the weather forecast for Prague is thundery showers for today. What's happening; will the G.P. run tonight?

Alex Ferguson at Man. United had the money to buy the cream of the crop; ready-made, proven international players, but he invested time and effort to bring on the likes of Beckham, Scholes, Giggs, the Nevilles, etc. We've all seen the benefits that accrued to United, and England, as a result. It's time for British speedway promoters to make the same commitment to youth, to ensure that home-grown talent can flourish, and make the need for expensive imports redundant. I love watching the likes of Hampel, Lindback, Lindgen and Kasprzak, but these could be home-grown kids, who have progressed through a properly funded academy system, and fast-tracked into the type of red-hot competion which would ensure they had the 'killer instinct' in order to survive, rather then languishing in the comfort zone of the Premier League.

Andy's comments re lining our teams wall-to-wall with low-to-mid ranking foreigners has got to be the most worrying aspect of the situation. I know that a Dane, or even a Hungarian, has as much right to work in this country as a Brit (as we would in theirs) but, until the best young Brits are given incentives to move up to the Elite League which they can't refuse, too many are just treading water. The promoters should have an unwritten agreement that they fill EL reserve berths with young home-bred doubling-up riders. I reckon there are 15 British riders, plus a handful more doubling up in the EL; as there are over 70 places up for grabs, it's a worrying statistic that's been getting worse year by year.

No sign of a British world champion on the horizon. I'd give Scott Nicholls about the same chance as Hans Andersen or Bjarne Pedersen, but think the next generation of champion is more likely to come from the likes of Andreas Jonsson, Jarek Hampel or Toni Lindback. Considering that our lads ride in "the best league in the world" against the best in the world, on the most varied size and shape of tracks, the opportunity to reach the top of the tree is there, isn't it?

After weeks of fruitlessly searching for accommodation in Cardiff for G.P., I struck lucky today. I've booked my pal and myself into Cardiff Backpackers hostel, apparently very close to the stadium. Cost £20 each to share a 6-bed dormitory. Not ideal, but it looked as if we would have to sleep in the car, if I were to have a few beers after the meeting (inevitable), or face a drive back to Manchester. Anyone still without a bed might want to try there. Sam.

Hired a car, Treviso airport for 24 hours, 18th June. hire-car-italy £28.50 - can't complain about that price. Cheers, mate. Sam.