BigFatDave

Well Done Chris Holder!

Ricky Wells?

http://www.motorcycle.com/events/speedway-grand-prix-in-america-91293.html certainly makes interesting reading.

A well-deserved Victory to the Young Aussies, but huge congratulations to the Brits, and by extension to the Darren & Sharon Boocock Scholarship. Without the experience provided by Marcus & Bev Williams British Speedway would be in a parlous state indeed; the experience gathered by the young Brits riding in Oz has served them well and will continue to do so with YOUR backing.. I urge anyone with the desire to see Speedway in Britain become great again to support the Scholarship. I'm sure Main Man will be able to assist you in making every effort to improve our sport.

Well Done Freddie! A great GP and a deserving Victor!

I thought it was more along autobiographical lines.

I'm pretty sure TravelPlus are running an organised tour, but you'd be more than welcome on my own personally-escorted Disorganised Tour, incorporating several visits to Wineries, Hostelries and Houses of Ill-repute, complete with complimentary Perving Lessons.

Those of you planning a January sojourn Downunder can start checking out the costs of Flights, Accommodation etc as the dates for the Australian Senior and Under 21 Solo Championships are all but confirmed. While they haven't been officially released yet my sources lead me to highly recommend investigating a Campervan Holiday, starting in South Australia - the home of Gillman Speedway - on say the first weekend in January (Jan 5th), then a leisurely drive across South-East Oz to Undera, near Shepparton, Central Victoria, timing your arrival for Wednesday 9th, and a quick hop and a step up to Kurri Kurri for the weekend of the 12th. Of course it's always a good idea to do a bit of touring around Northern NSW including Coffs Harbour for the Big Banana, the Big Blue Heeler at Muswellbrook, the Big Bowl at Lake Cathie, the Big Cherry at Young, the Big Bicycle at Chullorah, the Giant Gold Guitar at Tamworth and many many more Big Things - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia's_big_things - or just cruising around the Wineries of the Hunter Region, taking in the delights of Maitland (widely accepted as the Birthplace of Speedway) and returning to Kurri on the 19th when with a little bit of luck, if all goes to plan, you could catch the Australian Under-21s, always one of our best meetings. Mildura has the Under-16s, no dates available at the mo. Naturally this is all extremely hypothetical, but if you get the chance to visit a Bookies and lay some wagers down on these dates you could be pleasantly surprised! The timing of the Seniors, over an eight day period, is designed to minimise the costs for those riders wishing to compete, while the return of the Under-21s to Kurri after their successful staging of the event this year is designed to maximise the field - 75% of our under-21s come from NSW. Next Year's Sidecars Championships return to Gillman around the end of March/start of April, with dates dependent on the Auckland SGP in NZ and the Australian V8 Supercars Clipsal 500 weekend in Adelaide. Anyone wishing any free assistance in planning accommodation, car rental, immigration or general information about our Wide Brown Land is more than welcome to give me a shout at dave.puxley@bigpond.com or check out more news on the Australian Speedway Forum - http://australianspeedway.com/forum.php

Not too sure of the figures, but they must give away Pit Passes in Cardiff by the thousand, judging by the procession of people through the cavernous PIt Area. Overseas GPs pit passes are far more limited, and of course the trick is to score a Media Pass; much more enjoyable. Was the bar in the pits open at Leszno this year, or have they banned alcohol in all major Polish events, similar to last year's SWC at Gorzow?

Keep up the good work, Jack.

I managed to avoid Facebook and Forum to enjoy the GP yesterday arvo - what a ripper. Great to catch up on the thread and see very few complaints about the racing or the track, while those who did whinge got it wrong - as usual. Quite simply this was one of the best GP's I've ever seen.

A lot of us made it a long weekend but I know of several who stayed for up to two weeks, hiring cars or campervans to tour the North Island. By the time you take into account accommodation, taxis, meals, liquid refreshments plus 'entertainment' expenses I'm sure each O/S visitor would have spent $1500-$2000 plus - a nice boost to the economy.

Doubtless those who can find nothing better to do than denigrate the great man's achievements by bringing up spurious references to prior events which may or may not have taken place will complain about this as well; says a lot more about them than about JH.

For those who haven't seen it yet: Bill Buckley was swimming in praise and drowning in debt after promoting the opening GP of the world solo speedway series at Western Springs. Now the enigmatic Buckley - father of seven and grandfather of nine - has refocused his considerable powers towards saving Western Springs as a speedway venue. The 69-year-old machinist-turned-entrepreneur doesn't shirk a fight and this rescue mission is a passion. Outwardly low-key but with a high-powered CV, Buckley has a love of the sport that is impossible to miss. He even drives the track grader - although once racing starts he plants himself in the stands. Buckley talks about the GP, its future, Western Springs, his life in the sports and business fast lane ... and takes a swipe at some effects of the Rugby World Cup. Your verdict on the GP? We had issues with spectators in the stand unable to see the edge of the track - there's no money in the kitty for a refund so I hope people aren't too stroppy. They haven't lost as much as I've lost and still saw a good show. We'll put a screen at each end in future and the announcers say they would have done a better job if they weren't dictated to by the music. The feedback is extremely good - most riders rated it the best track they'd raced on and everybody is telling their mates they should have been there. Your meeting highlight was? Race 20. The lead changed three or four times. A fantastic race. Losses? In the high six figures ... hundreds of thousands of dollars. I subsidised the spectators at about 25 bucks a seat. Hopefully we can get bigger crowds. I've signed up for two more years but if those meetings don't pay it won't go past that. I need more from sponsors and the council. It all works through Ateed (Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development) and I reckon we met the formula but they didn't put anything in. This was a really big deal but I feel they let me down although we may not have done the paperwork properly. Rugby gets public money okay ... Rugby is definitely part of the old boys' network and drained a huge amount out of Ateed at the cost of other sports. It's one-sided. All rugby has to do is ring up. These riders are bigger athletes than people realise. They don't just sit back and flick the throttle. You raced in the 1960s at Western Springs ... I was only ever B-grade in the solos. My highlight was winning the Auckland junior champs. I was lucky it was the first night a friend of mine Geoff Perry rode. If it had been his second night I wouldn't have beaten him. He was that good. Sports heroes? Not really ... although Barry Briggs and Ronnie Moore in particular. Barry Butterworth and Bob Tattersall in the cars. Bruce McLaren of course. I always appreciate good sportsmen. Te Kauwhata is your home town ... Yes. Auckland was the big city to come to and Western Springs was a magic place in those days. Speedway was the first night sport, the first promoted sport ... it always gets the rough end of the stick and the media doesn't support us. Yet we carry a gate on an absolutely local night when a guy from Henderson races a guy from Remuera. Other sports can't do that. Te Kauwhata is in the news - do you know Trevor the Lotto multimillionaire? Yes - he's from a dedicated speedway family and his father raced at the Springs. They haven't missed a meeting since I've been promoting there. They actually live in Henderson. He only moved to Te Kauwhata three years ago. They are very nice people, ordinary people, and this will be a challenge for them. What is the future of Western Springs. I'm worried, of course, and my promoter's contract runs out in 2014. It's been a political scapegoat. They put that much pressure on they thought I'd go away. But I've changed them [the council] around a bit - they can see it's a venue attracting good crowds, a good clean sport. Is there any aspect of the noise complaints you sympathise with? Not at all. They were completely unfair. They weren't happy in their own lives so they wanted to take it out on someone who they thought was. If someone outbids me for the stadium I don't mind, but that stadium is our stadium. It was given to speedway in 1929 and we've run continuously apart from when our riders were fighting in the war. Tell us about your company Buckley Systems, by the numbers. The design work is done by a consultant friend of mine - I was a fitter and turner who learned a bit about electrical and physics. We make the machines which implant a semiconductor in silicon chips. I can brag that at least 80 per cent of chips in the world are made on one of my machines. We do research, flat panel, medical. All those display panels for iPhones, iPods - most of their screens are made on another machine I make. We export about 800 tonnes of machines a month. Turnover is close to $100 million. We set up in 1978. Yachting is also on your CV ... I made 12 keels for our America's Cup boats when they raced here. I built my own maxiboat, Maximus, and won the transatlantic in 2005 [on handicap]. I sold her and she went on to win the Sydney to Hobart. Disasters? Running meetings at a loss. During the last big downturn two years ago my company was bleeding an average of half a million dollars a month for 10 months. That took a bit of stomaching - a few of my advisers were saying "pack it in". Things have turned around completely now. By Chris Rattue

So you're not going to back up your latest remarks slagging off this GP and the people who attended, I take it? Maybe not everyone can follow your train of thought, Trees. Nothing new there, eh?

Bit of a cheap shot, sidney, and also a bit off-topic. We're talking 2012 here: I'm sure all of us share your respect for our heroes of the past, but why should they intrude on the GP programme just because they live in the host country? ....and do you tell them how to run their show too? I don;t know how much BSI/IMG pay for satellite time, but if you're willing to contribute towards their running costs I'm sure they'd be more than happy to take your money/suggestions on board.

You keep introducing 'em, I'll keep bagging 'em, Cyclone - why should anyone even bother to choose to answer your constant carpings? Why don't you stop and smell the methanol for a change - Johnnie Hoskins is accepted by the vast majority of Speedway Fans as the Godfather of Modern Speedway - FACT. The paucity of your argument becomes even more evident every time you post - you can't back up your argument so you try to turn your failings on to everyone else.

Oh I'm sorry, Trees. I fail to to understand why anyone would expect a parade of past champions at a current GP - I've been to a few and never seen it before, so what makes the difference with this one? Perhaps you'd like to explain your reasoning for those poor misguided simpletons among us who actually attend and enjoy GPs and obviously aren't as clever as you, rather than responding with a snide remark?

I take it you'd like to see the holes in their hands, Cyclone? Quite why you continue to belittle anyone with the temerity to disagree with you escapes me: it must provide some personal satisfaction to you to be the only person marching in step.

None of us go to GPs for a stroll down Memory Lane, sidney, we go to see the GP. One of the aspects of attending is that if you go to the various gathering-points and watering holes around the city you'll get to meet plenty of former and current stars of our sport. Quite why the stay-at-home viewers should demand to have a say in the programme of events escapes me. Bit like Mildura, eh, Humphrey!

Cyclone, I wasn't implying anything; I was stating a fact. Now I see you're trying to denigrate Bill Buckley. Obviously personal abuse is the preferred method of the Red (Herring) Brigade.

It's just another red herring from the "Denigrate Johnnie Hoskins' Achievements (at any cost to their own personal credibility) Brigade", Kennylane, and should be treated as such. I see it as the usual forum posting of someone who desperately wishes to be seen as 'In The Know". Who gives a stuff anyhow? As has been proven on this thread time after time, these people will argue Black's White in order to prove their own twisted agendas; they attempt to rewrite History to suit themselves and are not to be relied upon as a source of fact.

A very astute man, Bill Buckley, with a great knowledge of Speedway, which is as you'd expect from someone who owns his own Speedway Stadium and finances his own country's GP, whereas how many of our amateur historians on here simply rely on a collection of dubious anecdotes culled from the internet or publish fatuous commentary designed to grind their own personal axes and denigrate the real heroes of Speedway's past in order to self-aggrandise, rather than doing the on-the-ground research that's required? Have you seen our plaque, Humphrey, or even travelled to Maitland? Oh so easy to pooh-pooh anything from the comfort of your own lounge-room.

Boxer Price played first grade Rugby for Penarth while in his sixties.

Couple of interesting quotes from the programme for the inaugural NZGP; naturally Johnnie Hoskins gets a guernsey since he was born in Kiwiland: Here's one about him that's indisputable - "The man who arguably invented Speedway as we know it today". Couldn't agree more, since we've been arguing about it for months! Here's the opinion of Bill Buckley, the man who put his money where his mouth is and brought us the show: "Speedway has the 'Kiwi Brand' stamped all over it; it was invented by Johnnie Hoskins, a New Zealand-born Promoter, who started Motorcycle Speedway promotion in Australia in 1923". That's Bill's opinion, and I'm sure he's entitled to it, and I'm equally sure that our amateur historians and self-aggrandisers on here will argue against it until they're blue in the face; much good may it do them.