fatface

Well I've been mainly following Premier League speedway for the past 15 years or so...I've always headed to Cardiff to cheer on the Brits more than anyone else. Also been to a few GPs abroad in the last few years...I doubt very much whether I'd bother if I didn't have Nicholls, Richardson, Loram to shout for...

Neither's Cardiff - but a fair few of them make it there. Anyway, like I say, we'll see. I certainly have a lot more hope for this than I did for the Aussie GP at Olympic Stadium.

Well, none of us know, but we'll see. I was surprised to meet some German fans at the Latvia GP last year. Also, its pretty reachable for the Poles and Danes too. And it looks like cheap flights are to be had from the UK. I think it can be a success and I truly applaud the ambition behind the project.

Bad idea, but you're still going? Not big on principles eh? Personally, I think it's a cracking idea. I like the tagline "Motorsport's richest minute" a lot. The stadium looks great. It will guarantee a meaningful last GP. I was thinking along the lines of only taking in Cardiff/Bydgoszcz this year, but looks like I'll be raiding the piggy bank again.

Ha! Very sharp Gary! Not many will get that. I'm so pleased I do.

...then very fine taste you have my friend... another of my favourites: "Love is strange, you have to learn to take the crunchy with the smooth." He's brilliant live too

One bit of advice Gary - we stayed at the Monte Kristo in Riga. Ideally located and seemingly very pleasant. But all three of us suffered from bites there! Don't know if it was mozzies or bed bugs, but it was a rather pimpled triumvirate that set off for Daugvapils! And no, Riga is not dangerous at all - it's a lovely city. I recommend the building known as 'Lenin's Birthday Cake' for a rooftop tour. Fascinating. ps. Like the tag-line...Billy Bragg fan eh?

Phil Collins - great to watch, left behind his career when still a top rider for a new life in California Zenon Plech - a god to thousands of Poles and to a few thousand in East London too Dennis Sigalos - very classy rider, one of the best never to win the world title

I do. Did Egon do a cover? If so, please, please do not put that on You Tube.

So by your crazy logic that's Steve Johnston in one of the 15 spots then...let's hear the other 14..

OK here's mine... 1983 - What a stitch up! It seemed Muller was on a 600cc engine compared the rest. I think he was only one on a GM, it was when they first came out. As Kenny Carter said to the TV interviewer: "Ole Olsen's got summat fastest bikes in t'world and he's just gone past him like e's dropped a chain. Ee's makin' us all look stoopid! Get yer cameras on that bike!" Muller never looked like winning the world title before this and never after. I remember the track being soaked at the interval with Muller and Gunther Sorber keeping an eye on proceedings. Too much was weighed in Muller's favour for me to ever give him credit for this one. 1985 - Gundersen's dive around King/Moran in heat 20 was breathtaking. Sam Ermlolenko was also great fun that day - he was a rank outsider going in. Otherwise, racing not brilliant. 1987 - Atmosphere free. Nielsen dominant on day 2. My cousin trying to buy Roman Jankowski's body colour with "Ze English pounds" 1990 - Best final I went to. Gustafson, Jonsson, Moran all produced some superb stuff. It was good to be at a night time final too. 1992 - Couldn't believe Havelock won it. But he put together the starts and fair play to him. Racing wasnt great, but they did well to keep the meeting on. There was a huge deluge after about heat 4? I've never seen hailstones like it - some were the size of gobstoppers! The fire engines rode in and pumped the water off the track - very impressive it was too!

Jeez...just stumbled across this thread..that points system is absolute insanity. No matter what system you go for, the winner on the night has to be the man taking away the most points surely? I severely hope there is a re-think on this one. No matter how mickey-mouse some of the sport's rule become, I always felt the GPs retained a sense of credibility above league speedway. Not any more I fear. And if Scott Nicholls isn't is in the world's best 15 riders, then please tell me the top 15...

Hi sjw, What we did was get a train from Lljublijan to Krsko - lovely scenery by the way. but the last train back was going off just about the same time the A final was due to start, so we had aranged for a taxi driver from Llubljana to collect us and take us back. Think the taxi cost about 100 euros, not bad between 3 though. This way we got to enjoy a leisurely trip there and didn't have to worry about having a beer or three at the stadium too. Like I say, thoroughly recommended, I thought Slovenia was a lovely little place. Hope this helps, just give me a shout back if you need any more help. best wishes Falcace

Yup, I'd agree that Prague is probably the best shout. although I had a cracking time in Slovenia too. Ljublijana (is that right?!) is a great place to stay. As for Daugavpils, the less said the better...

Ta R&B. It's a bit shoddy that their site doesn't make this clear then..

Advice appreciated.. I'm hoping to visit the Bydgoszcz GP this year..but cannot seem to find available flights. As far as I can see, only Ryan Air fly there from the UK and they do not appear to have any flights available. The only reasons I can think of are: * They haven't scheduled flights for September yet * They are genuinely booked up * Travel Plus have block booked the lot - I sincerely hope this is not true Like I say...any info appreciated..

Hmmm good one.. TRACK: Hyde Road, Belle Vue CAPTAIN: Chris Morton OTHER RIDERS WHO HAD TO BE IN THE TEAM: PC, Shawn Moran, Richard Green, Kenny Carter, Bruce Penhall (love to see those 2 team-riding), Vaclav Verner PROMOTER: Charles Ochiltree (just for the programme notes. who was the forumite who was writing in his inimitable style for a while back - it was comedy gold!) TEAM MANAGER: Ian Thomas ANNOUNCER: Dick Barrie RACE NIGHT: Saturday, 7.45pm MARCH OUT MUSIC: Fanfare of the common man Mind you, nights out at the Shay, Owlerton and Brandon come close

Could've been better than Mauger, Fundin, Rickardson the lot you know...

Went to the GP on Saturday...enjoyed it...but doubt I'll ever go back. The actual track/stadium wasn't bad...racing could have been better...but could certainly have been worse too. The big problem was the town. It was miles away from Riga, difficult to get to and not a particularly lively place to be on arrival. Then again, I also got nabbed for speeding by those ever-so-smiley local police. 70k per hour limit!!! Maybe that's the real reason for Lee Richardson's poor showing. We all agreed on Poland for our trip next year.

Me too! Would've loved him to have won it. Didn't he test positive for some drug in the Overseas Final and it took the authorities months after the actual World Final to punish him?! On seconds thoughts, its probably best he didn't win it. It wouldve taken the sport to previously unchartered areas of farce had he been stripped of the gold medal. Still, I enjoyed that final. Jonsson/Moran, Jonsson/Nilsen and Gustafsson/Tesar were all cracking heats.

Maybe it is going over old ground. But whereas in the winter it was a controversial talking point - now it is a genuine concern for the ongoing interest of this year's GP series. There are not many riders who are capable of taking points off Crumpy on a consistent basis in this year's championship, maybe only Hancock, Rickardsson and Nicki Pedersen. I would've thought you could've put Hans Andersen in that bracket, had he been included. The excitement is ebbing away in this year's GP - I wonder how many people who might have considered going to Latvia/Bydgoszcz are now thinking differently.

What's this about national championships being taken into account then? If that was the case then Janusz Kolodziej would've been Poland's pick. He is their national champion after all... seems like you're suggesting there are different rules for different people... and i have to say, that certainly seems to be the case, with Hans Andersen the victim. FALCACE!!!!

I'd say the cases for Koldziej and the like have gained strength because of what they have done this year. But very few would have been championing their cause before this year's series. Whereas for Andersen, there can't be many who would have ranked him outside the top 16 in the world in 2005 and surely even less in 2006. You can't help but think he has enemies in high places. Somebody please tell me he has a wild card slot at the Danish GP - because this series is in dire need of spicing up.

Went to GP on Saturday - enjoyed it on the whole. But I can't help feeling that this year's series is seriously short on genuine contenders and the absense of Hans Andersen becomes ever more stark. Apart from Jason Crump and possibly Nicki Pedersen - who had a bit of a 'mare on Saturday - there are few other world-class riders, alongside Andersen, who anyone could convincingly argue is at their competitive peak right now. Rickardsson, Adams, Gollob and even Hancock have all seen better days. Whilst the likes of Jonsson, Lindback, Hampel, B Pedersen all have potential yet to fill. As for the rest, well they simply do not look good enough for a sustained challenge. I wonder if the organisers behind this year's GP can honestly say they got it right by ommitting Andersen at the start of this year. The title is virtually already won and the quality at the top end is looking somewhat thin. Even Bonnie Tyler seemed a bit ****ed off with it. "Holding out for a hero"? - I know what she means...

anything will do in Lonigo though - just for one night. They'll be staying in Verona most of the time, but would like a drink at the GP - as you do! All suggestions appreciated.