British Speedway - What does the future hold?

With the British Speedway Annual General Meeting (AGM) rapidly approaching I thought I would discuss the topic of British Speedway and what rules and regulations can be implemented to improve what is one of the best and yet most underrated sports in Great Britain.

So, let's start by having a look at the current Elite League Structure. The 2011 Elite League consisted of 10 teams:

• Belle Vue, Birmingham, Coventry, Eastbourne, Kings Lynn, Lakeside, Peterborough, Poole, Swindon and Wolverhampton

Each of the ten Elite League Teams had to declare a team with a minimum of seven riders that did not exceed 40.00 points with only one rider over a calculated match average (CMA) of 8.00 allowed within each team. Teams could also include two pairs of doubling up riders who to qualify had to be in a Premier League declared 1 - 7. A number eight rider may also of been included within a team's lineup however his average must not of exceeded that of the lowest declared rider's CMA and must of had a final previous seasons Premier League CMA of 9.00 or less.  The number 8 rider may only be re-declared once each season, except if replacement is due to long term injury or retirement and the rider has been removed from the Premier League Team’s declaration. Further details on Team Formats and Team Meeting Regulations are available via the Speedway Control Bureaus Website

RIP Marco Simoncelli - 1987 - 2011

Sunday the 23rd of October 2011 is a day I will never forget. One of the greatest upcoming talents within Moto GP Marco Simoncelli was involved within a fatal incident at the Sepang International Circuit. The incident occurred due to Simoncelli's bike losing traction on lap two in turn eleven and began to slide towards the gravel trap. However being the out and out racer Marco was he tried to correct himself and stay on the bike, unfortunately the tyres regained traction and resulted in Marco and his bike veering towards the middle of the track into the path of Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi who could do nothing to avoid the horrific accident that resulted in the passing of Marco Simoncelli.

Marco's larger than life character both on and off the track led to a huge following. I don't think anyone would argue that next season on the factory RC213V Honda he would of been challenging the likes of Stoner, Lorenzo and Pedrosa for the title and would of been a future world champion. His natural charisma added something extra to the pitlane and is something we have not seen since the emergence of Valentino Rossi.