Post by speedway_history on Dec 22, 2008 17:47:45 GMT 1
1..You've re-signed for the Ipswich Witches. Are you looking forward to having Jarek back, and how do you think the team is looking so far?
It’s great to be doing another season and I’m really looking forward to it. It’s fantastic to be riding with Jarek again and I know he’s really looking forward to this season as well. We first met in 2001 when I was riding for Pila in Poland and I was responsible for bringing him over to England so its going to great to ride with him again and see first hand how has progressed as a rider. It’s one thing to watch a GP and sit in the studio and talk about the guys but you cant beat being in the same team to really understand how they are getting on. I expect him to hit the ground running and be a real true number one from the off. Yes I think in the context of the league we are looking quite competitive.
2..Are you still enjoying your racing, or have you considered retiring in the near future?
I am definitely still enjoying my racing and to be honest I don’t think I could turn up every week if I wasn’t. I think once it becomes just a job or even a chore then its time to quit. I said when I came back to racing in 2004 that I would take each year as it comes so ask me in October and I’ll let you know about 2009.
3..What do you think is in store for you after racing? Would you like to remain involved in the sport, and maybe continue with Sky?
I am pretty sure I’ll continue to be involved in the sport one way or another. Initially it is my intention to continue to run Ipswich once dad decides to call it a day, although I don’t expect he’ll ever be far away! Things have changed quite dramatically over the past five or six years as far as running Elite League Speedway so I’ll be keeping a close eye on things through this season. Sky is something that I do enjoy doing especially at the big events like this years World Cup running around the pits and grabbing interviews wherever I could. I guess it keeps me in the thick of things and close enough to feel the buzz that the guys are getting.
4..What, in your opinion, is the best way to prepare a track for good racing?
For me the only way to prepare a track is start off with an even amount of dirt all over the track from inside to outside. I’m not a fan of ripping the outside of the track as part of the pre meeting preparation. It’s ok if you do that just to even the surface up as we do at Ipswich but in my opinion its no good if you start the meeting with more grip on the outside than the inside as is the case at a lot of tracks. All that achieves is giving the track one fast line and encouraging everyone to ride as close to the fence as they dare! I know only too well how hard it is to prepare a good consistent track every time from the odd occasion I have helped our track man Bob. I have to say though at Ipswich we are very lucky to have one of the best track men in the business. Bob will never shy away from a challenge when it comes to getting the show on the road!
5..I believe you worked on the promotion/relegation committee. Is there any way a PL team can apply to join the EL, other than promotion, during the next 3 years, or is the EL having a final total of 9 teams now?
The plan is to make promotion the only way to move up in to the Elite League, although if new tracks join the Premier League then it may be necessary one season to have the winning Premier team automatically promoted with the second spot raced in the play offs.
6..What's your opinion on the new points limit? Having seen how team building is coming along I'm convinced the league will be much more even. Would you agree?
To be honest even though Ipswich were cited as one of the clubs in favour of the very low points limit we were not. We thought that it would be set at around the 40 point mark but in all honesty that would not have achieved anything. The low points limit has certainly evened the league up and I think that was absolutely necessary after last year. The low points limit should only be viewed as a bandage to stop the bleeding the BSPA needs to set about putting many things in place to heal the wound completely.
7..My only reservation is that the world champion looks to have been forced out by the points limit. Do you think that will make a difference to how outsiders view the sport?
Whilst the points limit certainly would not have made it easy to fit Nicki in I believe he had already made his own mind up not to race in the UK. He had allegedly made very large wage demands and who can blame him - he is the best in the world and can realistically expect to earn big money in Poland, Sweden and Russia. It is and will continue to be a trend amongst some of the best continental riders to miss the UK and concentrate on the other three big leagues. Having said that you will still see most of the top guys here because the variation of tracks helps to keep them sharp. I am sure that it won’t make any difference to how outsiders view the sport, it’s not the first time the World Champ has not been racing in the UK and it will make him an even more valuable commodity as the UK fans will only be able to watch him in the GP’s.
8..Would you like to see a single race night in the UK, or do you think that's unworkable?
Yes I would like to see fixtures condensed to one or two nights but I can’t see that happening too soon. Each club has a different agreement with their stadium landlords and many of them have a minimum number of events they must run. I would not go as far as saying it’s unworkable and I do know that the idea is gaining support all the time.
9..You didn't take part in the world team cup last year, opting to give the youngsters a go. With the benefit of hindsight, do you think that was the right decision?
I was always available for the World Cup and Neil knew that, he chose not to use me. It will be the same situation this year but to be honest I don’t blame him for going with the younger guys. If I’m asked I will be there no question.
10..It's been said that we (Team GB) simply don't have the young riders coming through to compete in this tournament. Would you say that's unfair?
No I don’t think that’s unfair at all, in-fact it’s quite true and has a lot to do with the problems that we have in the UK. I think I’ve been talking about the lack of Brits coming through and the lack of structure to help them for about 15 years now! The sport is so expensive to run at the moment and a big part of the problem is a lack of British based riders whether they be British, American, Australian or New Zealanders. Over the past few seasons we have proven that we are still capable of making it to final four but we just can’t compete with those guys.
11..What help do you think we should be giving our youngsters to help them make that step up that the Danes seem to be so good at?
I think that a four league structure starting with an amateur league at the bottom would be a good start. The leagues would have slightly smaller gaps between them than we currently have now between the Premier and Elite leagues. We must have at least four area academies set up around the country to help the youngsters get started and get regular tuition. Obviously this would take some serious funding but absolutely needs to be achieved. These same academies could also be used to help the guys getting near the top like Eddy Kennett, Lewis Bridger etc to make that final step.
12..This must have been the worst year for people predicting the "end of speedway." How do you think we should be progressing, and what would you like to see happen with the sport over the next few years?
I guess I have answered this one a bit in question 11. There are many more areas that need investigating but I don’t want to discuss them right now.
13..Are there any rules you don't agree with, and, conversely, are there any you think add something to speedway?
My only bug-bear with the rule book is it is far to complicated and yet at the same time open to conjecture. I would like to see a card system at the referee’s disposal. I will be meeting up with a recently retired referee this week socially but I will be running the possibility by him. It would run much along the lines of football for instance if you receive more than three yellows in a 12 meeting period then it’s an automatic red and you have to miss the next two official fixtures. My aim would not be to make the sport too clinical just an attempt to stop the outright dangerous stuff.
14..And finally, would you like to see a governing body come in to shake up the sport?
Oh, the best question till last. I would love to see a board set up consisting of a promoter from each league and perhaps two more suitable people who have no vested interest in any clubs, the chairman and casting vote holder being one of those. It would be a dream but alas a long way off I feel.
It’s great to be doing another season and I’m really looking forward to it. It’s fantastic to be riding with Jarek again and I know he’s really looking forward to this season as well. We first met in 2001 when I was riding for Pila in Poland and I was responsible for bringing him over to England so its going to great to ride with him again and see first hand how has progressed as a rider. It’s one thing to watch a GP and sit in the studio and talk about the guys but you cant beat being in the same team to really understand how they are getting on. I expect him to hit the ground running and be a real true number one from the off. Yes I think in the context of the league we are looking quite competitive.
2..Are you still enjoying your racing, or have you considered retiring in the near future?
I am definitely still enjoying my racing and to be honest I don’t think I could turn up every week if I wasn’t. I think once it becomes just a job or even a chore then its time to quit. I said when I came back to racing in 2004 that I would take each year as it comes so ask me in October and I’ll let you know about 2009.
3..What do you think is in store for you after racing? Would you like to remain involved in the sport, and maybe continue with Sky?
I am pretty sure I’ll continue to be involved in the sport one way or another. Initially it is my intention to continue to run Ipswich once dad decides to call it a day, although I don’t expect he’ll ever be far away! Things have changed quite dramatically over the past five or six years as far as running Elite League Speedway so I’ll be keeping a close eye on things through this season. Sky is something that I do enjoy doing especially at the big events like this years World Cup running around the pits and grabbing interviews wherever I could. I guess it keeps me in the thick of things and close enough to feel the buzz that the guys are getting.
4..What, in your opinion, is the best way to prepare a track for good racing?
For me the only way to prepare a track is start off with an even amount of dirt all over the track from inside to outside. I’m not a fan of ripping the outside of the track as part of the pre meeting preparation. It’s ok if you do that just to even the surface up as we do at Ipswich but in my opinion its no good if you start the meeting with more grip on the outside than the inside as is the case at a lot of tracks. All that achieves is giving the track one fast line and encouraging everyone to ride as close to the fence as they dare! I know only too well how hard it is to prepare a good consistent track every time from the odd occasion I have helped our track man Bob. I have to say though at Ipswich we are very lucky to have one of the best track men in the business. Bob will never shy away from a challenge when it comes to getting the show on the road!
5..I believe you worked on the promotion/relegation committee. Is there any way a PL team can apply to join the EL, other than promotion, during the next 3 years, or is the EL having a final total of 9 teams now?
The plan is to make promotion the only way to move up in to the Elite League, although if new tracks join the Premier League then it may be necessary one season to have the winning Premier team automatically promoted with the second spot raced in the play offs.
6..What's your opinion on the new points limit? Having seen how team building is coming along I'm convinced the league will be much more even. Would you agree?
To be honest even though Ipswich were cited as one of the clubs in favour of the very low points limit we were not. We thought that it would be set at around the 40 point mark but in all honesty that would not have achieved anything. The low points limit has certainly evened the league up and I think that was absolutely necessary after last year. The low points limit should only be viewed as a bandage to stop the bleeding the BSPA needs to set about putting many things in place to heal the wound completely.
7..My only reservation is that the world champion looks to have been forced out by the points limit. Do you think that will make a difference to how outsiders view the sport?
Whilst the points limit certainly would not have made it easy to fit Nicki in I believe he had already made his own mind up not to race in the UK. He had allegedly made very large wage demands and who can blame him - he is the best in the world and can realistically expect to earn big money in Poland, Sweden and Russia. It is and will continue to be a trend amongst some of the best continental riders to miss the UK and concentrate on the other three big leagues. Having said that you will still see most of the top guys here because the variation of tracks helps to keep them sharp. I am sure that it won’t make any difference to how outsiders view the sport, it’s not the first time the World Champ has not been racing in the UK and it will make him an even more valuable commodity as the UK fans will only be able to watch him in the GP’s.
8..Would you like to see a single race night in the UK, or do you think that's unworkable?
Yes I would like to see fixtures condensed to one or two nights but I can’t see that happening too soon. Each club has a different agreement with their stadium landlords and many of them have a minimum number of events they must run. I would not go as far as saying it’s unworkable and I do know that the idea is gaining support all the time.
9..You didn't take part in the world team cup last year, opting to give the youngsters a go. With the benefit of hindsight, do you think that was the right decision?
I was always available for the World Cup and Neil knew that, he chose not to use me. It will be the same situation this year but to be honest I don’t blame him for going with the younger guys. If I’m asked I will be there no question.
10..It's been said that we (Team GB) simply don't have the young riders coming through to compete in this tournament. Would you say that's unfair?
No I don’t think that’s unfair at all, in-fact it’s quite true and has a lot to do with the problems that we have in the UK. I think I’ve been talking about the lack of Brits coming through and the lack of structure to help them for about 15 years now! The sport is so expensive to run at the moment and a big part of the problem is a lack of British based riders whether they be British, American, Australian or New Zealanders. Over the past few seasons we have proven that we are still capable of making it to final four but we just can’t compete with those guys.
11..What help do you think we should be giving our youngsters to help them make that step up that the Danes seem to be so good at?
I think that a four league structure starting with an amateur league at the bottom would be a good start. The leagues would have slightly smaller gaps between them than we currently have now between the Premier and Elite leagues. We must have at least four area academies set up around the country to help the youngsters get started and get regular tuition. Obviously this would take some serious funding but absolutely needs to be achieved. These same academies could also be used to help the guys getting near the top like Eddy Kennett, Lewis Bridger etc to make that final step.
12..This must have been the worst year for people predicting the "end of speedway." How do you think we should be progressing, and what would you like to see happen with the sport over the next few years?
I guess I have answered this one a bit in question 11. There are many more areas that need investigating but I don’t want to discuss them right now.
13..Are there any rules you don't agree with, and, conversely, are there any you think add something to speedway?
My only bug-bear with the rule book is it is far to complicated and yet at the same time open to conjecture. I would like to see a card system at the referee’s disposal. I will be meeting up with a recently retired referee this week socially but I will be running the possibility by him. It would run much along the lines of football for instance if you receive more than three yellows in a 12 meeting period then it’s an automatic red and you have to miss the next two official fixtures. My aim would not be to make the sport too clinical just an attempt to stop the outright dangerous stuff.
14..And finally, would you like to see a governing body come in to shake up the sport?
Oh, the best question till last. I would love to see a board set up consisting of a promoter from each league and perhaps two more suitable people who have no vested interest in any clubs, the chairman and casting vote holder being one of those. It would be a dream but alas a long way off I feel.