manchesterpaul

That's an excellent insight 'Bavarian' i was aware of several meetings having mention of free admission for youngsters but didn't realize it was an actual widespread policy. Great to hear it has had the desired effect. Whilst promotions in the UK may see not charging as repellent there is the bonus of possible side purchases of merchandise and catering income (where the club receives it). Also paying adults attending because they can bring the kids in for free and would otherwise not have come to the meeting.

First of all let me be clear i wish American speedway every success in the world and great credit to those who have kept it going in the minuscule little pockets on the continent. I always avidly look for mention of good crowds in meeting reports and when viewing You Tube clips. I'm well chuffed if i see or hear of close racing taking place and hope that those present spread the word to others about the entertainment on offer. I do have to take you to task on a couple of points. As bad as GB are the mention of USA being ranked above GB is comical and just down to a SWC meeting result. Also take away Greg Hancock (nobody rides forever) and what would the USA have scored? Such calculation is similar to one of the meetings in the US this season where the hosts beat a Rest of the World side - did you see the line-up for the Rest of the World team ? lol. On the basis of that result are you are claiming the US riders are the best in the world? I take in your comments on throttle control but if these riders are 'immensely skilled', and even allowing for them being youngsters, why have the US touring team raced against National League (amateur/learner) tracks over here? Why does a US touring team not race against top Polish, Swedish and UK clubs with their immense skills? Top riders in the world can earn very good money so why are the immensely skilled American riders not at the top of the averages in the sports top leagues? It's not down to lack of money because as i say top riders can earn a good living from the sport. As for close racing i've seen many, many clips of these tiny tracks where despite the bikes barely fitting on the circuit a BIG gap can frequently be opened up by the leader and also the leading two. Often it's clear there is no way for a trailing rider to make a pass let alone shoulder to shoulder three or four rider battles. When you do see all four bunched up it's as if they are racing in slow motion and often they are only so close because the track is sooooooo small. They can't help but be next to each other! Going back to immense skills i'm sure you'll agree it's harder to operate or do something at speed, can i please ask you three questions what speed do the riders reach going around the corners (or seems like one big circle at times on the US tracks) and what speed do they reach on the straights? How do these speeds compare to what is considered as normal speedway? I certainly remember more than one US rider in the past saying the speed of standard tracks the world over took them by surprise. I stress again i am on your side regards hoping for success for the present and future of American speedway and sincerely hope that those who came to the first Monster invitational last year will come back for more. Indeed i understand that they are adding extra seating for this year's event which is fantastic news. Believe me i've spent many an hour Googling and searching You Tube for clips of American speedway and have been absolutely delighted whenever i see a good crowd in attendance, also one thing for sure Americans know how to put on a show and they truly embarrass UK speedway promotions in that respect.

Line up for this year's meeting: Darcy Ward - Australia Greg Hancock - USA Scott Nicholls - United Kingdom Gino Manzares - USA Billy Hamill - USA Chris Harris - United Kingdom Max Ruml - USA Edward Kennett - United Kingdom Maciej Janowski - Poland Hans Andersen - Denmark Charlie Venegas - USA Patryk Dudek - Polish Ryan Fisher - USA Ricky Wells - USA Tyson Burmeister - USA Billy Janniro - USA Whilst i appreciate the relatively large amount of publicity this meeting garnered for the sport i'm in two minds whether it is good or....wait for this....bad for the sport! Totally personal opinion and i'm sure lots will strongly disagree but i view it as 'toy' or mini speedway. In my eyes it's akin to the differences between a proper/real football match and a five-a-side game or American Football and Arena Football (mini version of that game).

Whilst the video isn't by the group themselves a very speedway specific song that received a fair bit of radio air play was 'Speedway' by the Kursaal Flyers' Some of the lyrics.. .. My bike is getting rusty now the one my fans admire The track is getting dusty and my agent just got fired And i don't think i can make it cos i'm feeling kind of tired I'm feeling pretty shaky and my hands are getting sore And i feel like i'm nearly eighty though i'm only twenty-four And i don't want to ride the speedway any more Where's my little siren now she ain't coming back We was going to marry but one of us just had to crack That's another reason i'm not out there on that track Last night i dreamed i was riding for the Aces I hit the bend i looked up i saw their faces Then i saw my siren's face through the dusty screen I hit the fence a wheel came loose...(???)...off my machine Riders were all flashing past i couldn't hear a sound I was lying on the dusty track a crowd had gathered round The doctors said there ain't no hope the agony just grew Then i saw my little siren's face i knew that i'd pull through

An actual 'bidding war' over speedway! Cool we are going up in the world lol.

A really specific thread regarding UK TV coverage of Swedish speedway as opposed to general discussion of the racing season. I notice that the Premier Sports website has removed all reference to speedway recently. It's no longer under the 'motorsports' tab or indeed under the 'other' tab. I do hope this isn't an ominous sign and that it means they've ditched the Swedish speedway It's a website that has often left legacy pages in situ and/or non updated pages but clearly someone has actively removed the multiple speedway pages and links. We've been spoilt rotten with the super entertainment that has been on offer over recent seasons. It's not just the fear of losing the coverage but even changing it to another provider would be bad news in my eyes. Whilst i'll still maintain my subscription because of their wonderfully extensive live broadcasting of NASCAR (and intermittent Mixed Martial Arts) i'd imagine most speedway fans who subscribe do so only for the speedway and will hot foot with their wallets and purses out of it. One final constructive point i'd like to make..... WAAAAAAAAH!

What happens with the football and ice hockey coverage when matches are staged in Vladivostok? do TV stations across Russia pretend it doesn't take place because it is on a far flung side of their nation?

Indeed nothing has changed, so, be it because they were 'hiding in the dark' ooooooh! or whatever the inane reason for the capes was - i can only say...... i've yet to see Manchester United or any top/professional sports team come on to the field in such a manner. Yes the wrestling pantomime in America will likely do it but i'm talking about actual competitive sport and not entertainment shows. Come back to me when you've got TV footage of Manchester United or Barcelona sneaking on to the pitch in the dark and then each player unveiling themselves from under a cape! Incidentally it doesn't make much difference AT ALL if the manner of unfurling the cape was done in the 'style' of emerging from hiding in the dark ooooooh! For sheer banality it was on a par with Jon Cook's pending announcement a few years ago that had fans waiting in excited anticipation as he had proclaimed....."The Lakeside Hammers Elite League Speedway Club will be making an important announcement tomorrow.... This announcement will not relate to team matters but is likely to result in a great deal of interest not only from the Hammers supporters but also from Speedway supporters in general." Turned out it was nothing other than a poor class individual meeting, i think a good majority of the field were second strings and Premier League riders....oh hey people!....so how is the resurrected London Riders Championship going since that initial great fanfare and claim of boosting and being wonderful for the whole sport??? has it gone from strength to strength? Have the attendances risen year on year? is it near the top of the best supported meeting of the year lists, well surely even if only at Lakeside? Has a world class field taken part every season? You know come to think of it i can't seem to recall who won the subsequent stagings? when were they staged? who won them? Surely it didn't go the way of the Knock-Out cup which underwent a fanfare due to a renewal with exciting changes? Those changes that had not only the fans but the riders not having a clue what gate, which RACE! or WHEN they were racing. Hmmm who was behind that farce? It certainly sounded the death knell for a competition that had lasted for years and through previous depressions in the sport. I did actually hope the LRC would be a success, but strongly doubted it but i struggled to think if i had ever been soooooooo annoyed and deflated at 'breaking' news in speedway. Like most i was on tenterhooks waiting with bated breath for this announcement that would have some sort of life changing effect on any speedway fan. What a total shocker....i genuinely laughed out loud when i saw what it was all about. I can picture 'litttle Jonnie Cook' when he was younger. "Mum! Mum! you must gather the whole family around tomorrow, i've got an amazing announcement to make it will affect everyone in the universe". "Yes mum i do know sis is an intensive care nurse but she'll just have to pull all the plugs out for one day only, she really needs to be here to listen to it in person" Cue next day....everyone gathered around excitedly....mum says "ok Jon please please tell us we can't wait any longer" and Jon replies full of pride with an announcement that is forever cemented in the annals of mankind.... 'you know when i woke up on monday morning....i yawned!'

Ooooh! be honest now, Jenny the Spudette won't let you out of the house lol. Got to admit i do think speedway does lend itself to gladiatorial music and displays etc, you can see that when video collages are set to music they look very impressive and appealing. Although the sport even messes that up as with the mortifying embarrassing Cardiff Grand Prix Dracula/Batman/Whatever cape thing. As i said at the time i've yet to see Manchester United or any top/professional sports team come on to the field in such a manner. Yes the wrestling pantomime in America will likely do it but i'm talking about actaul competitive sport and not entertainment shows.

I'm aware of that Philip but was totally ignorant that they don't have it screened in Russia, or are you saying they actually do have Russia listed?. There are some very 'strange' countries on one of the lists that i remember seeing and nations having no tradition or even knowledge of the sport. Of course though, broadcasting a programme in say 100 countries doesn't mean that it is even remotely being significantly viewed in those places. It's very likely stuck in an early Saturday morning or early hours filler slot as programmes such as Transworld Sport are. A great little programme but scant few get to watch it. At the end of the day there is potential appetite for the sport in Russia when one witnesses on the internet during the summer stadiums with hefty five-figure crowds for league matches and abounding enthusiasm and a great time being had by all. Shouldn't the SGP/BSI/FIM/WHOEVER be leaping to grab some of that? Interesting that the league is inferior to the Elite when it comes to competitiveness due to the mere five or four teams that make it up, yet you see fans with elaborate banners and bedecked in all sorts of team merchandise, they clearly aren't all casual first time attendees. Not disagreeing with your oft repeated mention of the bias/propaganda of One Sport's associates but clearly the same goes for the FIM's/BSI's cohorts and lackeys. Indeed, compare Russia to for instance the desolate terraces of Italian and Czech (Pardubice aside) when they stage domestic meetings. I remember earlier this year linking to photos taken from one of, or possibly 'the', opening league match of the Czech Season which resulted in a thrilling draw held in a very neat and clean stadium in a magnificent setting with world class riders. The stadium was deserted and from what i gather the various Italian team and individual championships suffer the same fate, hell! as do the GP's in Italy. Sadly speedway has a very narrow 'local' geographical base to it in more than a couple of countries. Don't know if they have it shown on TV, my observations was on the internet streamed meetings, some by the clubs themselves i think.

Was just coming on to post having seen a similar article in Sportwefakty but my main observation was the surprising mention that the SGP series is not shown in Russia! Don't BSI usually claim it's seen in something like 456,342 countries and 87% of all known galaxies in the universe lol. Strange they seem to be overlooking an attempt at marketing the series within that ever so miniscule population of 143,600,000* people *(according to Wikipedia). Incidentally, for those who don't want to visit the articles, Emil hasn't actually CHOSEN the SEC over SGP, but stated that he will if he HAS TO choose between the two. Reason being his sponsors get TV air time with the SEC. http://www.sportowefakty.pl/zuzel/400779/emil-sajfutdinow-znalazl-sponsorow-na-grand-prix-jest-jednak-jeden-warunek

I'm getting really confused now, not been keeping in touch with the sport much since the end of the season but a quick Googling gives conflicting line-ups from usually reliable sources. Incidentally, one Swedish report says that Sweden go direct into an event due to lack of teams registering to enter. I'm still not clear on who rides in the qualifier as Sportowefakty give the line-ups TODAY as; Nov. 25, 9:01 Recall that the white and red, as the host of the final in Bydgoszcz, in advance are guaranteed a place in it. In the semi-finals on the track at King's Lynn in addition to the British , the team will take part in Australia , the United States and winner of the qualifying round, which will be held at the track in Terenzano (in competition will drive the Italians, Russians, Slovenians and Hungarians). In the second semi-final will fight the Swedes , Danes , Czechs and Latvians . For the final promotion winners will receive semi-finals, and teams from the second and third places will go in the play-off. Will defend the gold medal Poles, who this year won him the track in Prague. World Team Cup Schedule : July 5 - Qualifying Round in Terenzano (Italy, Russia, Slovenia, Hungary) July 26 - Semifinal in King's Lynn (UK, Australia, USA, winner RK) July 29 - Semifinal in Västervik (Sweden , Denmark, Czech Republic, Latvia) July 31 - Play-off in Bydgoszcz Aug. 2 - Final in Bydgoszcz Germany suffered a shock knock-out last year have they thrown the towel in?

There is a 'Motorcycle Show, Birmingham' highlights programme on the Eurosport channels several times tonight. Likely to be repeated on other days too i presume. So who's volunteering to sit through it and let us know if Tai, the sport or his bike is featured or glimpsed! Actually having just visited the link from G the Bee, Tai is given prominence on the site and is scheduled to be on the stage etc so hopefully the chances of him being seen on the programme are quite reasonable.

How do Germany get back into the loop! Is there promotion relegation between the team that finishes 12th this coming season?

You've lost me totally on the 'with a full team' business. Anyway, the new points system, which HAS kept tons of meetings alive and does reward good performances, particularly away from home where previously teams would give up after going behind early or mid-meeting, is not complicated compared to several sports and competitions. Have you seen the points for a cricket match? Depending on what stage of the match it is there are a multitude of things to remember. Get your head around this... "The county championship works on a points system, the winner being the team with most points in the first division. The points are currently awarded as follows: Win: 16 points + bonus points. Tie: 8 points + bonus points. Draw: 3 points + bonus points. Loss: Bonus points. Bonus points are collected for batting and bowling. These points can only be obtained from the first 110 overs of each team's first innings.[8] The bonus points are retained regardless of the outcome of the match. Batting 200-249 runs: 1 point 250-299 runs: 2 points 300-349 runs: 3 points 350-399 runs: 4 points 400+ runs: 5 points Bowling 3-5 wickets taken: 1 point 6-8 wickets taken: 2 points 9-10 wickets taken: 3 points" I've been suggesting that for years and years and if we don't then maybe they should follow cricket's example and introduce a swathe of weighted bonus points to be earned on the first half dozen races and to counter the home track advantage more for the away team etc lol lol

From the clubs website; "Sheffield Eagles would like to thank all fans, old and new who have come out this season to support the Eagles in 2012. Ahead of our crucial play off clash with Batley this Sunday, the Eagles would like to announce that our average league attendances have risen to 1173 this year, a rise of 14% on 2011. This included our largest attendance at Don Valley Stadium since our time back in Super League over 12 years ago as 1,815 came to our winning opening league game against Swinton Lions and also experienced our excellent Carnival Day." And from Wikipedia which i quoted in a Sheffield thread a while ago; "Sheffield's record attendance at Owlerton was set at 3,636 for a third round Challenge Cup game against Oldham in 1989."

Regards the Riga staging of the Latvian GP there is currently no mention on the stadiums website at all. I think the track was installed in 1976, two years before that it possibly began as a moto-football pitch. I was going to post a link to a photo with fans in the 'stands', I had thought that with the addition of a temporary grandstand it would be barely passable, albeit far from representing the word 'grand' in Speedway Grand Prix. it was taken in 2007 so whether or not they've improved we'll have to wait and see. Our Finnish correspondent f-s-p might likely have links to recent pics? EDIT/UPDATE However, i've just had a quick shufty at Sportwefakty and OMG! truly shocking (absolutely no exaggeration) pictures of the place. I'm hoping Sporto have got it all wrong and surely this can not be the state of the place? Wow some speedy building and repairs need to be done. Check out the photos at the bottom of the article. http://www.sportowefakty.pl/zuzel/397649/gp-lotwy-w-rydze-bsi-zorganizuje-turniej-w-ruinach-czy-stanie-sie-cud A small excerpt from the article; "Do you know that in addition to the asphalt track racing and the nearby, now reconstructed Automobile Museum, the so proudly sounding name hides a dilapidated stadium with the outline of an oval speedway, without the necessary drainage, with a concrete slab off the inside track? This board is for competition rickety sport that is "motoboł" (most vividly - football on motorcycles). Rostrum with rotten benches, located on only one side of the stadium did not impress with his appearance." UPDATE #2 Apparently the rats and cockroaches are suing the stadium owners due to degrading and inhospitable living conditions lol. On the serious side if they do manage to do a good makeover job then plaudits and congrats indeed. UPDATE #3 Been having a quick trawl around Latvian Google! It seems that the two year cycle with Daugavpils is welcomed and the intention is to set up schools for young riders. It also looks like most of the infrastructure for the meeting will be temporary. They don't mention it below but i presume they may need temporary lighting too? Maybe Philip Rising is on the loop to provide us with more information? From the Latvian media; "The idea seemed interesting and exciting for our speedway drivers - why the Latvian GP -term changes could unfold in Daugavpils and Riga? Let us look further - arranging the race track, speedway track , to create children and young speedway school , as well as with the time command to Speedway capital not only every two years and that the involvement of young people . Who is intent on organizing the Latvian GP period is for two years and it is now a unique opportunity for the world's elite speedway bring to Riga. Until the first July is an opportunity to prepare mototreku so that it may already hold a contest . Nothing is not built from scratch , not reconstitute - carried out only elementary roadway reconstruction . Everything else - the participants shed , shower , toilet, including another tribune - can also be temporary , and offices for the race track, already . Road Race track owner shall ensure that before the first July mototreks will be fine and that it will be able to manage to play a first test or race with the best Latvian Speedway masters presence. Similar race (great influx of fans from abroad, Speedway GP time it would be up to 5000 - Race track could be here 10, 000 spectator"

Hmmmm....what's the weather like in Vojens in September! On second thoughts it's probably the same as it is whenever that track seems to stage a GP lol.

There would be the extra cost of hiring an interpreter if they decide to select Gary 'Mr Mumble' Havelock lol.

Late night news Tuesday from Sportowefakty has Emil Sayfutdinov considering withdrawing from the SGP series. Sabre rattling for more pay or is he serious? "Returning to health after a serious injury Emil Sayfutdinov considering to resign from competing in Grand Prix. - Riding in the elite does not come cheap, and there is no profit - explained the representative of Russia......On top of this came the policy still prohibits competing in GP and IME. I do not understand this. After all, these events can function side by side."

Late night news Tuesday from Sportowefakty has Emil Sayfutdinov considering withdrawing from the SGP series. Sabre rattling for more pay or is he serious? "Returning to health after a serious injury Emil Sayfutdinov considering to resign from competing in Grand Prix. - Riding in the elite does not come cheap, and there is no profit - explained the representative of Russia......On top of this came the policy still prohibits competing in GP and IME. I do not understand this. After all, these events can function side by side."

Thank you.

Apologies for simply losing track as to who is who and who does what regards the SGP but......what role - if they still do have one - do IMG have with the tournament? Only i notice that their sale has been scythed down to a mere five bidders and is being pushed to be completed by the end of the year. Would a change of management/company likely have any potential effect on speedway once current contracts run out? As i say haven't a clue right now what the contracts are concerning, possibly TV rights holders or just general promotion of the series?????

BSkyB have pointed out that European football represents only around 3% of viewing on its channels, compared with around 18% for the Premier League.

I haven't been following this thread due to presuming it would be mainly regarding the racing aspect of the '2014 European Championship' as historically other threads carrying the name of a competition have always done so. However, i see there have been some posts regarding the conflict between BSI-SGP-SEC-One Sport-FIM-FIM Europe. In view of that i'm copying a post i've just made in the thread that was created at the start of the uproar, as i feel it's important breaking information concerning the matter: An excerpt from a news story in Sportowefakty tonight and is now just starting to filter into the media elsewhere too. The content of the letter sent to the FIM Europe: We, as riders who have already received an invitation to take part in Speedway European Championships in 2014, we declare that we will insist that we were allowed to take part in the competition, despite the fact that we are also regular participants FIM Speedway Grand Prix. We consider a ban on anyone to participate in the continental championships, as a very bad decision, which reduces the popularity of our sport and wasted opportunity that was created to promote it, mainly because of television, reaching 71 countries. We believe that this decision is a limitation of our freedom. According to EU law, freedom of contract is one of the fundamental rights and not accept a situation where we are limited in such an artificial and unfair manner. As experienced speedway riders who put a lot of work to build the image of a world speedway, we expect more respect and comity on the part of managers of global and European speedway. We look forward to a fair solution to this situation and the immediate response from the board of the FIM-Europe. Signed: Tomasz Gollob Andreas Jonsson Nicki Pedersen Emil Sajfutdinow Incidentally the original thread on all of this (Sgp/Bsi And Sec/One Sport It Is War Now) is at http://www.speedway-forum.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=74441 Up to yourselves where you post the comments but is a little annoying to start to have to search numerous threads in different sections now on such a specific subject. No criticism intended as i often struggle as to which section to put threads at times due to crossover. Also, what's going to happen when the '2014 European Speedway Championships' actually start racing, i guess we continue to post in this thread on the actual racing, hopefully that is indeed the case. Also there were some very good points made by NIcki Pedersen in a large article in this weeks Speedway Star. Like most fans and riders he wants riders to be able to race in both competitions.