Fourentee

In pure economic terms, I suppose the answer to that would be the cost involved in research and development. For a regular games player (and I'm assuming you wouldn't count yourself in that group) it's the concept and the gameplay. My personal favourite card games -- Battleline, Condottiere, Red November, Caesar and Cleopatra -- are all in the £15-20 group. There's certainly not much to them in terms of equipment, but they're the ones with depth of gameplay that draws me back again and again. I'd cheerfully part with the £18 if MCS proves to be in their league, though I accept that in a speedway forum I would be in the minority. Edit: As MCS said that Arcana (not a game with which I'm familiar) is produced by the same manufacturer, I followed the link. The manufacturer turns out to be Fantasy Flight Games, whose reputation is first-rate; they are particularly strong in the card game area. For what it's worth, two of the four favourite games I listed are from their stable.

Without any details of how the game plays, it's hard to assess. I'm assuming it to be a light strategy/hand management mechanic, so I don't think the Top Trumps comparison is really valid. Production values look good. I think the major problem will be falling between two markets. Board/card players would certainly part with £18 for the right game (it's not a cheap market) but are hardly likely to be attracted by a speedway theme. Speedway fans, I suspect, will just think the price is too high. MCS, is it possible to give a brief rundown on how it works?

Closer. http://www.abc.org.uk/Products-Services/Product-Page/?tid=20871

A good publication, IMHO, but for the record your figure is way too high.

Copy received and enjoyed, many thanks.

I rather suspect that you are due a whooosh here, my friend.

I think speedway fans worry about their sport and its participants perhaps rather more than they are concerned about the fate of supermarket employees and the global future of capitalism. I don't know what is or isn't sorted. That's rather the point. I'd like to find out.

Oh well, that's sorted then.

Difficult to be positive or negative about the prospect when there's so little information available on it. I don't think anyone's interested in knocking it down per se, but I can quite understand an air of caution. It would be good to know more about the series: Who will be involved and where, who are the organisers (on the speedway side), under what auspices will the events be run, potential fixture clashes, insurance, licences and so on. Clearly the MCF knows its way around these matters on a motocross front (which is where they started), but when they're dealing with a sport which is new to them then surely these queries are not unreasonable. I don't want to have a go, but equally I'm not going to be root for the concept blindly. Perhaps the bikerfm date will help.

I'll just wait until the spring. Racers and Royals will have sorted it all out for me by then!

I note your signature.

OK, we'll go the long way round. How would you describe the Motor Cycle Federation? Edit: This may also be useful. http://www.fim-live.com/en/fim/history/

What's in a name? The Motor Cycle Federation was launched by two motocross fans who were disillusioned with the way their sport was going. It basically sets up and coordinates motocross meetings, dealing with paperwork and insurance, etc. Interesting to see it branch out into speedway. But whatever the merits or otherwise of the organisation, it's not exactly the FIM.

FWIW I read it the other way round -- that the speedway would replace banger racing, running weekday evenings rather than Sunday, but to the current maximum of 14 fixtures. But clearly very early days in any event.

Stourbridge Chronicle today: Stourbridge speedway hopeful Emerson Jones has pledged to make his team’s supporters proud after doing a career U-turn. The motocross convert signed up with Stoke during the winter with a view to taking a place in the Potters’ line-up for the 2013 National League season. He then changed his mind and opted to stick with motocross – only to have another change of heart after talks with Stoke promoter Dave Tattum. Now he’s “100 per cent committed” to the shale sport. “It was just one of those things where you are stuck between two things and you don’t know which to go for,” said Jones, who turns 19 tomorrow. “But I’ve chosen speedway and that’s what I am going to do. I am going to be 100 per cent committed.” Jones admits the chopping and changing may not have got him on the best of footings with the Stoke supporters – but is out to change that. “They probably think I’m a different person than I am,” he said. “I will try to show them what I am about and do them proud.” Tattum said: “We were devastated by his decision. “But we feel he is an extremely talented rider and after leaving things for a few days spoke to him. “After some dialogue between us he has decided he wants to race speedway after all.”

That's a fair point, but surely there is nothing to beat instant advice in the pits from someone who is actually sampling the track conditions first-hand.

With a team of 30-plus riders, no. With a young, inexperienced and developing side, absolutely yes. Excellent team man, always ready to help out and pass on advice and also particularly good with the fans. I suspect Mildenhall supporters knew that already. Really good to see him back in the sport.

http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/110864/speedway-champion

Alternatively, you could read my post. I don't have "some sort of problem" and I'm not "encouraging them". Indeed, I have taken no stance on the issue. You, in contrast, have had a knee-jerk reaction. I've posed a question; you have confessed to being unable to answer it and had a swipe at me in the process. Good work. Carry on.

And should he be successful in gaining a British passport and an ACU licence, what "appropriate action" would that be?

No, he's far from it....

The two sides: Gary Patchett: “The referee had the best view in the house, called down to the clerk of the course's office and said blue (Nielsen) was out, although we saw no lights come on. “Chris Louis then entered the referee's box -- which he is not allowed to do, it's a sacrosanct area – and the referee changes his decision and excludes our rider in white, Adam Roynon. “It doesn't look very clever. The referee has changed his mind after he's been approached by a promoter from the opposition. And it's just not allowed." Dudley statement mentions BBC WM coverage: "You can hear the moment when Louis clearly influences the referee's decision in a face-to-face conversation by going to 2:50:00 and listening for approximately two minutes on the following programme: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00zhkjc Chris Louis: “I went through the referee's box because I had to get to the video and have a look at it. “At that point he hadn't made a decision. I came back down and there must have been another five or 10 minutes before a decision was made. “He (Dave Robinson) put his head through the door and said: 'I haven't made a decision and I will when I'm sure.' “There was discussion; it was pretty brief. “When Rob Henry got on the phone to ask if a decision had been made, he (Robinson) said he thought it was Stefan's fault, he was looking at the video and he was going to make his mind up when he was sure. “He wanted to make his decision when the track had been cleared. Both lads were still on the track. It was a very heavy impact.”

Just got back home; congratulations to Mildenhall on their victory and commiserations to Dudley. Well done to the Lynn promotion for somehow getting a track rideable (-ish) by 8.12 and raceable later on despite the elements conspiring against them. Particular sympathy to Adam Roynon for yet another bad injury.

Up to a point.

I think you're always going to get a few who do that anywhere. I don't go for it myself, but in fairness I don't recall any of the falls looking anything but relatively harmless apart, of course, from the one where Perry and Halsey got hooked up and ploughed into the fence and no-one cheered that. You might say it was because a Dudley rider was involved! I would agree that the referee didn't have his finest hour, with riders forced to pick their path around the fallen, but the only decision from recollection that might have affected the scoreline was the one to award heat three when Greenwood and Halsey were still hotly disputing second place. Oh, and Bates might have got a touch on the way to the fence and disqualification at the start of heat nine. On another day that might have been all four back. Anyway, all set up for a thriller tonight. Congratulations to Mildenhall on their cup success and well done to their travelling fans for some hearty support. Edit: I wonder if Bates might be a key figure tonight. Those points he got in the cup match, after a torrid first meeting littered with falls, will surely have done a lot for his confidence.