Problem Euros, Young Heroes, Good GPs & Aussie Zeroes

ITEM: The European Championships, promoted by the newly-rebranded FIM-Europe, got underway on Saturday, with the first qualifying round in Chervonograd, Ukraine, won by former Poole rider Leon Madsen. The meeting was to have included Scott Nicholls, but he was pulled at the last minute due to logistical issues with the timing of the four-round finals.

People have been quick to jump on the BSPA, who seem to have taken all authority from the ACU & SCB these days, and blame them for a British rider not being able to take part in what is - at least with the new TV and sponsorship deals - a major competition, and odds are you'd usually be right to point that finger, but the fault actually lies elsewhere for once.

Over the winter, the various federations, along with the FIM, agreed a calendar of events, with FIM events obviously taking precedence over any fixture clashes with those licensed by the national federations. The calendar was prepared as best as possible to also avoid fixture clashes between the national federations, and it was agreed that in the event of a fixture being rearranged from its original date to a clashing date, the fixture originally in the calendar would take preference.

Previously, if - for example - a Polish meeting was rearranged, any rider on a Polish license would have to ride in that meeting, regardless of whether he had a booking elsewhere. Under the new system, the Polish rider would have to honour his original booking, although it's expected the pressure put on any rider by his club is going to lead to some ridiculous episodes down the line.

What does all this have to do with the European Championships? FIM-Europe - previously the UEM - did not have input into the new calendar, and chose their dates arbitrarily. Some of their dates clash with meetings already approved in the official FIM calendar, and this is why Scott Nicholls was withdrawn from the competition, and why Hans Andersen and Peter Kildemand, amongst others, were refused permission to take part.

It may be, in future years, that FIM-Europe are invited to the table when the fixtures are prepared, although in an already-crowded international calendar it is difficult to see how league speedway can be completely accomodated alongside a new, senior competition with at least four "grand prix" finals as well as a number of qualifying meetings.

With big money - and the Polish authorities, seemingly - backing the European Championship series, it's not difficult to imagine a clash with the BSI-engineered Speedway Grand Prix too far down the line. At the moment, the BSPA seems to be sensibly sticking to the official FIM line, perhaps waiting to see who's going to win this particular fight (if I'm not giving them too much credit). Speedway's never dull, eh?

ITEM: So third-tier speedway returned to Brandon Stadium for the first time in almost a decade, and for the first time in a third division proper, the National League, when Dudley Heathens visited for the second-leg of the TravelPlus Trophy last Friday.

The first leg, at Dudley's borrowed Monmore Wod track, resulted in a thumping victory for the Heathens, but the Storm - as Coventry's new junior team have been named - showed enough even in that heavy defeat that the return leg would be a different affair. And so it was, with Dudley taking the match - and the trophy - with a last heat 5-1. Their fans celebrated as if they'd won the Elite League, but then they always were an odd lot over that way...

Perhaps the only disappointing thing about the night - which saw some close racing, a fair number of passes, and a couple of exciting (but ultimately harmless) falls to thrill the fans - was the crowd, which I'd estimate at around 700. Given that a good 300 of those were Heathens' fans, attracting just 400 or so, at £10 a go, has to be a little disappointing.

A sensible estimate for breakeven at this level in a rented stadium has to be around 500-600 fans. Meetings against Dudley are always going to help your average, but I don't imagine the Isle of Wight, for example, bringing many - if any - away fans. It's bewildering that only a third or so of Coventry's regular sport came out on a fine evening, for a local derby, at a discounted price, but speedway folk are odd and normal rules don't apply to them.

The next National League meeting at Brandon is home to Mildenhall on May 17th in the Knockout Cup. Hopefully the Bees' fans, who really should be eager for something to take their minds off a woeful season to-date, will turn out in good numbers. Weekly speedway - and support for young British riders - is too precious a thing to lose to apathy and penny-pinching.

ITEM: It was one of those rare things on Saturday night - a cracking Grand Prix. Unsurprisingly, it was held at a league track, not one of the Frankenstein creations that BSI like to excrete into "plush" stadiums in capital cities or a rarely-used raceway in one of speedway's third world countries.

The racing at Bydgoszcz was superb at times, and almost never processional, an absolute inverse of Western Springs, which disappointed for the second year running. And the next GP is a Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, once again on a plasticine creation, and I'm not expecting miracles.

The win for Emil Sayfutdinov was warmly-applauded at Speeding Motorcyles Towers, and the performance of Tai Woffinden has been celebrated by those who care about such things - both riders have started the series well, and it looks - at least at this early stage - that it'll be quite an open field for contenders this year.

ITEM: A common moan is that speedway doesn't receive anywhere near the press attention it should, and it's hard not be sympathetic to that point of view. There are times, however, when the general ignorance shown towards our sport by the national press is a blessing in disguise - never more so than last weekend.

If speedway earned anywhere near the column inches that football, rugby, or even tennis does, it's quite probable that the story of the reigning world champion, an up and coming young Grand Prix star, and another Australian "star" rider getting thrown out a nightclub, and which involved possible sexual assault, nudity, public urination, and fighting, would have made the front page of The Sun for a good few days, as well as some harrumphing from the direction of the Mail and Express.

As it is, even our own Speedway Star will ignore it, because that is what they do, and other than some stern words from the riders' respective promoters (you would hope, anyway) those involved with have gotten away with it again. Speedway is supposed to be a professional sport. Thank God the papers don't treat it as such.