MARK246

Latest news on Rune Holtas possible signing for Kumla. http://www.na.se/artikel.asp?intId=1409900&insn=1

The Daily Express Spring Classic ,you could vote for your rider of choice in a national newspapper. and it always rained at Wimbledon, there's your sawdust "Iris 123 "

Team Exide keeps coming to mind whenever things like this get mentioned. The GP's got so bad they had to introduce regulations to stop the pairs racing. Did I imagine that, or did team Nilsen/Ulamek V's team Exide/America really happen

Speedway recordings originator " Wally Loak "

You don't need to hope for Ulamek and Walasek they're in the GP's for definite. It's only the two non qualifiers you have to hope for.

Ah. Mud at Wimbledon, back page of the Speedway Star. IMO speedway went wrong in the mid 80's, trying to move from working class sport to a YUPPIE one. You do have a strange mind if Sam Fox springs in it.

To add a bit more to this topic, Östermalms (Stockholm) will be used again this coming winter for the WC qualification round, but the one in Sanock, Poland is to be moved. Both are artificial circuits and it seems with the milder weather the only way to ensure these meetings can be run. Swedish ice racing tracks in general are naturally frozen,some using flooded speedway tracks, others flooded fields. The main exception are the Bandy ( a form of hockey on ice with a ball and larger pitch size than ice hockey) tracks, these are traditionally used at the end of the Bandy season (march) and are artificially frozen. The reason they get used at the end of the season is the ice thickness,Bandy isn't played on thick ice?

Strange that, only one GP win separates Holta and Nicholls, the World championship winner only won one GP as well. Gollob won three. The difference between Holta and Nicholls as riders is huge which shows what a sham the GP's really are. Holta has twice the amount of race wins. Nicholls only chance of staying invited is due to nationality,which luckily (for him) is the same as the promotion team. On any other criteria he wouldn't be there.The top 16 riders in the world? in whose eyes. Using the three top leagues averages, Poland, Sweden, Nicholls isn't in the top 16 in those two and the third the BEL is so diluted I can't be bothered to even look.

If you wish to compare the GP's to a World Final the 9th place rider on 77 points over 11 meetings would equate to an average of less than 7 per meeting (due to semi final rides) the same points that the 9th placed rider achieved in 1991,92,93,94. still in your opinion dead wood. The old system only had the advantage you didn't have to waste 11 nights to see the same result.

Thats a bit like the GP then the 9th placed rider won 5 races in 11 GP's

No one from Kumla.

The rumours about three years ago were that Sheffield was going to have a speed skating rink, prior to that it was Bradford. As with all sporting venues in the UK cost, useage and available land site's are the problem. To transform Stockholm's Östermalms Speed skating arena for ice racing takes about two weeks during which time it cannot be used. The biggest problem is the thickness of the ice, it needs to be increased from 25mm to 120/160mm. The weather plays a larger part than one may imagine. If the air temperature is high it creates a soft top layer of ice making it difficult to ride on,this combined with needing to know when to switch off the refridgeration plant means it's a far more involved job than it looks at first sight. Unlike, just throwing shale on a concrete floor

On the Gelsenkirken refunds thread, there are people who have tickets for Cardiff now. Does it matter if there is a British rider there? Not to them it doesn't. If you want to watch N.Pedersen, Hancock, Holta and Gollob ride against Crump, Jonsson, Anderssen and Adams in the UK you have to go to the GP.

According to Sky's own figures, the SWC final was watched by more people than, the SWC last chance qualifier which contained team GB. Therfore no it would make no difference, people want to see the best riders.

The main point being ... you live in the UK. Dryml and Zagar are more important in their GP's than any British rider. The reason it is called a World Championship is because it contains riders from around the world, if the British ain't good enough they shouldn't be there,as for the Czech's Slovenians ditto.

Using this logic Dryml and Zagar should be wild cards next year.

If that was true he should try to qualify. Would of made the top three then IMO Dryml is more value.

QUOTE (Rob B @ Oct 18 2008, 11:27 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Anyone get the impression like me that Hancock was saying in his speech that he was thinking of retiring. If that was the case Nicholls wouldn't need wild card. From the Swedish tv expert it seem's more about the Aussie GP

According to the stats white and yellow had won the most races, Pedersen is no match for Gollob, when he has a night like tonight. He knows that as well as every one watching does

Daniel King is a BRIT.

With the BSI/IMG people in charge anything is possible

But nowhere near with ability or charisma.

D. King is performing pretty well at Eskilstuna worth a try before Kennett.

I was reading this as a serious post, but when I saw this I knew it was a wind up.

At my age, if I'm in the beer stands too long I'll be in the woods as well.