Interviews with the motley crew (that's you.)

[Deleted]

1..What was your first meeting, and where?
Poole v Milton Keynes Sept 89. First date with some bloke....who's now my husband. Celebrated our 16th wedding anny a week back and still going to speedway so must've been karma although i sat there and thought how boring speedway was at the time.

2..What's your most memorable meeting, and why?
Cov v Poole KO Cup Final when we were about 14 points down in 2004? Stood with LW and Gem and Co on the 3rd turn at Brandon having various amount of good humoured banter thrown at us...and we somehow came back to within a point or so. Total bemusement and a great night. ;D

3..Which team do you always hope to get one over on, and why?
Depends on the season and usually has more to do with the fans of that club rankling than the club itself. It was BV for a while, the Pboro and recently Coventry. totally irrational but great fun.

4..Who have been your favourite riders over the years?
Rod Colquhoun was the first, then Larsh Goonerstad, then Lukas Dryml. Barney P is the current favourite.

5..Which rule(s) would you abandon if you were in charge?
Allowing riders to repeatedly guest for the same team through a season...can't think which team I'm thinking of here

6..Who's your money on for World Champion this year?
No idea...I just sit and watch it all unfold although I do quite like AJ. I'd love to say Bjarne but reality says he's just not WC material.

[Genghis]

Nikki Sixx: Hello?

Chris McKay: Hey, this is Chris McKay calling for Nikki Sixx.
NS: [clearing throat] How you doing?

CM: Hey, I'm alright. I've been having a hard time tracking you down, man.
NS: Yeah, I was doing something. I was on-line checking this email and I got lost.

CM: No problem, no problem. So what's up? How's it going on the tour?
NS: It's going good, man except for this bit of a cold today. Everything's good.

CM: Really, well that sucks. Um, well the tour doesn't. I actually saw the show in Atlanta.
NS: Oh, you did.

CM: Yeah, I thought it was pretty rocking.
NS: Cool, man.

CM: The last time I saw you guys was about ten years ago, and I actually thought you were about ten times better this time.
NS: Really? [sounding genuinely surprised]

CM: Yeah, I really do.
NS: Thanks.

CM: I had a great time. So what's up with Randy? [Randy Castillo is the ex-Ozzy Osbourne drummer who replaced Tommy Lee, but was sidelined by emergency surgery just before the tour began.]
NS: Randy's coming back at the end of this leg which is over in... five days actually, and then we go home, and we're going to take just a little bit of time off because we haven't had any time off in about seven months. Yeah, and recharge the batteries and head out for Japan, Australia, Hawaii and then we'll be back home. We're going to start another U.S. tour, Canadian tour, Brazil, Europe... a lot of ground to cover.

CM: Wow, it sounds like a long time out. How long are you planning on being out there for this record?
NS: You know, we'll probably stay out until September of next year, and then at that point... um, we'll probably put the band on hold for a few years. We've been going really hard and just [need to] recharge and take the time to write the right album songwriting wise and stuff.

CM: So how long did it take to put together this record?
NS: Three months including writing it.

CM: Was it different working with a new drummer in there?
NS: No, it was seamless. It was amazing.

CM: Well, Randy's a pretty amazing drummer... but Samantha [Samantha Maloney is the drummer for Hole who is currently filling in for Randy Castillo.] seems to be kicking pretty hard, too.
NS: She's awesome, man, and she came to the rescue, thank God.

CM: She had a great energy up there; she fit in really well with you guys. I was actually surprised by how well she fit in. I hate to say it, but with a girl being in the band, I thought it might change the dynamic or something, but she was wonderful.
NS: Right, right. She's a rocker.

CM: Changing gears a bit, what would people be surprised about being on tour with Mötley Crüe?
NS: Probably by how much we work. I think people don't realize how much work we put into everything from the stage show to the radio stuff we do. You know, we play a lot of radio stations. We have very little time off. I think people would be surprised that at the end of the day we're just all so fried. People say like, "Hey, let's party!" And we're burnt!

CM: It's a pretty energetic show. The work definitely shows. You're out there every night, but if you look around there are a lot of people declaring that rock is dead.
NS: Yeah. [laughing]

CM: So what's your opinion on the state of rock and roll right now?
NS: Well, I know it's a cliché, but it's been said and said again... you can't kill rock and roll. It's always going to be there. It's the one music that has sustained itself through every fad. Whether it was disco, alternative, rap rock, it's still here. Maybe it's not as popular as 'NSync this week, but next week... we don't know. It's a mainstay for people of all walks of life.

CM: You guys were considered really "dangerous and controversial" 10 or 15 years ago. The closest thing like that probably now are performers like Limp Bizkit or Eminem. What do you think about those kind of artists?
NS: Are they dangerous?

CM: They're certainly looked at that way.
NS: Yeah, I don't know about dangerous... I've never heard Eminem before, and Limp Bizkit's pretty cool. They're okay. I've got to say that I prefer singers who sing over more growling rapping. I think that I was really excited about [rap-rock] five or six years ago, but it's just gotten a bit redundant. It seems like every album sounds the same. So it's a little bit difficult for me to make a positive or negative statement, because I keep weeding through record stores trying to find something that kicks my ass the way Queen did the first time, or the way Cheap Trick did, or the way Aerosmith or The Stones have. You know, that's what I consider to be something that people can listen to. If you're making a music that is really fad oriented, the problem is when that fad goes out, your life span's over. I do agree that there's fast food music out there, and it's just like Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch or The Partridge Family. All these bands come and they go, and do what they do. I think the real story is the ones that last 20, 30 years. That's a story. The story isn't two years and two records. It's sort of like when Marilyn Manson put a book out. And it was like, but there's nothing to write about. [laughs] He hasn't done anything, he's got, like, one album. To me, stories have to have depth and bands have to have history, and people have to have controversy. I think that some of these bands are starting, but whether or not they last... if they do, God bless them.

CM: Do you think Mötley Crüe is still "dangerous" or have you become good,
clean fun?
NS: I don't know what people think about us, and to be honest with you, I don't care as long as they listen to the music and go "I get it" or "I don't get it," but whatever they do, they listen to the music. You can't listen to a Mötley Crüe album and not go "Those are great songs." Whether you like the band or not, I have no power over that, but is it dangerous? Is it sexual? Is it sexist? I don't know, it's just rock and roll.

CM: What are you listening to right now in your CD player?
NS: Um, if I go through my... hold on. [sounds of unzipping] Let me see here... in my CD case I've got Aerosmith Draw The Line, Jeff Buckley, JoDee Messina, Guano Apes, first Aerosmith album, Physical Graffiti by Zeppelin, Imagine by John Lennon, Queens Of The Stone Age, Eleven, Skynyrd's Gimme Back My Bullets, P.J. Harvey, Hole's Celebrity Skin, Rasputina, Faith Hill, Mazzy Star, got some AC/DC High Voltage, Whitesnake's Slide It In, and what's next here? What is that? Aerosmith Rocks. [sounds of zipping] I listen to quite a variety.

CM: What makes Mötley Crüe stand apart and different from all the other bands from the '80s that are back out there now?
NS: I don't know. I always kind of never understood that '80s thing myself, because we came out before everybody else and we're still here. So that kind of doesn't make us an '80s band. Does that make us a '90s band, a new millennium band? We've been making music for 20 years, and we just do what we do. Whether or not anybody else copies us or doesn't copy us or is influenced by us doesn't really have any impact on us, because we're very narcissistic as a band. We really only care about ourselves. I really don't care about anybody else. I either listen to people's music or I don't.



CM: Who did you steal from when you were first starting out?
NS: The Stones, New York Dolls, Pistols, Ramones, Buzzcocks.

CM: Is there anybody out there that you think stole from you?
NS: There's this band. I forget what they're called. Maybe it's The Deftones, I don't know. Some band's riff to their single is the exact riff from "Starry Eyes" from our first album.

CM: That was back when I was into you guys, the first few records, before I grew old and cynical.
NS: [laughs] I think that you can't be in a band and not listen to a generation of bands before you. When you're growing up, that's what you're listening to. Now, those bands are out there doing their own thing. Let's see what they're doing in 20 years.

CM: What, from your entire history, would be your favorite Mötley Crüe song?
NS: I really like the song "Primal Scream" a lot. That song has a special meaning for me, a special feeling. I don't know what it is about the song. I really like the new song "Treat Me Like A Dog." It just cracks me up. It's so fun.

CM: It's almost Spinal Tap. When I heard that song on the record, I must admit I was thinking of Spinal Tap. However, in the live environment you managed to pull it off.
NS: There's so much humor with us.

CM: Yeah, I was chuckling in the audience at that and it rocked at the same time which is a hard thing to pull off. Speaking of the show, how do you manage to pick a set list out of all of your material when you've only got 15 or 20 songs that you can play at a given show?
NS: It changes from night to night songwise. We have a few times in the show where we just wing it, and basically we have some that we have to play. You know, I think the thing is that we've been touring so much in the last five years that for us it's about getting through this last bit of tour. Then when we go back to recharge, it'll be time to ask ourselves "What do we want to play live?" I mean Aerosmith's always going to play "Draw The Line." They're always going to play "Back In the Saddle." Mötley Crüe's going to always play "Girls, Girls, Girls." There's no other way around it. People would be disappointed. When bands come out and don't play songs people want to hear, at least those ones that are mainstays on radio and stuff, I think that's stupid.

CM: What about stuff like "Smokin' In the Boys' Room"? You ignored that one in Atlanta?
NS: We do play it sometimes. It's just like you said, there's only so many songs and sometimes we get burned out on songs, and don't play it. There's a certain amount of songs that we have to play.

CM: Honestly, if you're going to do a cover, I never got to hear you play "Helter Skelter" live before so I was happy to hear that one instead.
NS: Well, that's cool.

CM: It's been 20 years now. What's kept you going so long?
NS: I love it! I don't have a really intelligent answer other than that's what I do.

CM: When you're taking this break, how do you feel like you're going to be able to recharge?
NS: I'm going to completely disconnect, and try to do some of the things in life that we never get to do. That will recharge me in a way that when I come back, I'll be so full of energy. It's very depleting [being on the road]. It's very wearing, and it's very abusive to the body, the soul, the mind. I wake up and my fingers are bloody. My arms are bruised. I'm stiff and I can't move, because I abuse myself on-stage.

CM: Is it worth it?
NS: It's worth it because I love it, but it's like anything else. Like a race car, you can only run it at 250 miles an hour around that track for so long before you've got to stop off and get some fuel. It doesn't make the car any less valid. You know, bands like The Stones and Aerosmith, they take five years off.

CM: When you were talking about doing the things that you never get to do, did you mean family and a normal life or what?
NS: I mean, it could be everything from family to simply just decompressing and being able to write music not under a dark pressure cooker.

CM: I guess that explains 58. [Nikki's "glam-hop" side band with producer Dave Darling and Barry Gibb's son]. That's a great record.
NS: Thank you.

CM: Are you going to do anything with that or go any further into that area?
NS: I'm not going to tour. I have no intention at this time of doing any touring with it. I will make another 58 record. It's such a freedom. Me and David just get together and bang it out. We had a lot of fun doing it, but I was telling my wife the other day. I can't wait to go home and be able to just go into my studio and have her go "Wow, that's really cool. Who are you writing that for?" Nobody. To write music is sometimes the most fulfilling thing that can happen to an artist. To be able to go, "Okay, I'm writing the next Mötley Crüe record or 58 record, that just sometimes depletes you. You sometimes just put so much into it, and sometimes just taking a drum loop and some crazy outboard gear and just going crazy and having no intention of anybody ever hearing it [is what you need to do].

CM: Which is kind of the way the 58 record comes across.
NS: Well, it does. That's how that was done. That's possibly how the next album will be written.

CM: The next Mötley Crüe album?
NS: Who knows? It won't sound like 58. I'm just saying instead of being so geared towards "Okay, we're going to go write an album and then we're going to go record and then we're going to go tour." I'm saying I'm going to go home and do fucking nothing.

CM: Do you ever get the desire to write a deep, philosophical, introspective record?
NS: Who knows? I like the idea of not knowing.

CM: Bands like The Stones take off years and work on side projects and that seems to be the direction that at least you are headed for with Mötley Crüe.
NS: Yeah, that's definitely where the band wants to go. I think that by another five or 10 years people are going to stop having that little bit of doubt that they want to have for some reason with certain bands. You know, it's like "What are you going to be doing in 10 years, Nikki Sixx?" And I'm like "Playing in Mötley Crüe, what the fuck do you think I'm going to be doing?" [laughs] And then they go "Well, can you keep doing it?" And I go, "Has anybody else been doing it this many years that you can think of besides the greatest bands?" And the answers always like "Well, yeah, I guess you're right." I mean, do you think Slaughter's going to be doing this in 10 years? God forbid!

CM: Let's hope that in a few years bands like KISS and Alice Cooper will be in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which those guys have been shut out from so far. Do you feel like you're in there with those groups? You've got the show, you've got the longevity and you've got the material to back you up. Maybe some other people will realize that.
NS: Yeah, it's coming. In time it will happen.

CM: Do you feel "classic" at this point?
NS: Classic? Oh, God. [laughs] The band kind of lives our lives pretty close to the one day at a time theory. It (doesn't) really work so well to constantly be looking backwards or looking forwards. You miss a lot of moments that are happening right now.

CM: Use it or lose it, huh?
NS: Yeah.

CM: Here's one more for you. Who's idea was it to blast Frank Zappa's "Crew Slut" before the show. That was really cool.
NS: We've used that for years.

CM: I guess that shows how long it's been since I've seen you. I actually saw Donna [D'Errico, Nikki's wife and former Playboy Playmate and "Baywatch" star] beside the stage singing along with that one.
NS: [laughing] Did you? That's great.

CM: Well, good luck, and thank you very much for taking the time to talk to me.
NS: You got it.

CM: Maybe I'll get to talk to you again at some point.
NS: Okay, definitely.

CM: Thanks a lot, Nikki.
NS: Thanks, bud.

[Deleted]

Wrong Motley Crue Ghengis ;D - nice try though, you read the Heroin Diaries by any chance?

[Deleted]

schumi said:

Thought it would be fun (?) to see what your average Joe's answers would be to some interview questions, and would alleviate the boredom. So what would your answers to these be (guests can post too):

1..What was your first meeting, and where?

Smallmead's first meeting in 1975. Don't remeber much about it, was only a nipper at the time, but got dragged along by my Mum, and the rest as they say is history.

2..What's your most memorable meeting, and why?

Really too many to mention over the years, but the two that stick in my mind for the best & the worst reasons are the Bradford 1990 World Final. Seeing Per Jonsson standing on top of that podium and his Dad doing a lap of honor around the track stopping every so often to kneel down & kiss the shale was a night I'll never forget.

The worst, Hackney July 1982 where Denny Pyeatt crashed, hitting a lamp stand which ultimately cost him his life. Was still only a kid at the time, but knew is was bad. Remember my mum breaking the news to me on the Saturday morning, we were both in tears, and the following home meeting at Reading which was a very emotional meeting for the fans & riders.

3..Which team do you always hope to get one over on, and why?

Always used to be Swindon or Oxford, but with the clubs being in different leagues more often than not over recent seasons, I've always hoped we'd stuff Rye House - and still do. Some of their supporters can be right mouthy twats on the terraces - as are some of their younger riders.

4..Who have been your favourite riders over the years?

Per Jonsson, Jan Andersson, Todd Wiltshire, Bernie Leigh, Tony Rickardsson, Armando Castagna, Billy Hamill

5..Which rule(s) would you abandon if you were in charge?

The golden tactical - absolute bollocks. I'd keep the golden joker, can just about accept a team scoring double points where a rider has had to work harder for it.

6..Who's your money on for World Champion this year?

Tough one - would like to see Adams or Jonsson win it and both are capable.

[Deleted]

1..What was your first meeting, and where?

Summer of 1988, around the first week of July at Exeter... me and now ex hubby had got engaged the year before on the 10th July and we wanted a friend to come out with us for a celebratory meal (to celebrate one year engaged), he said he would only come out with us if we went to speedway with him. As we were on holiday at the time in Dorset, the venue he wanted to go to was Exeter (no idea why he didn't want to go to Poole, it was closer!). I loved it but other half hated it.

2..What's your most memorable meeting, and why?

Has to be Cardiff last year, still get a tingle when I watch the video of it. A close second is my birthday a few years back, amazingly, Ippo had a meeting on a Saturday which just happened to coincide with my birthday, so we decided to make a night of it. First was a dinner out with friends from all over the country who had made a speciall trip down, then a trip to the stadium, arriving in a stretch limo (complete with champagne), then a presentation of flowers and a GP break to Denmark (paid for by hubby) on the centre green by Hans Andersen . Loads of photos with riders later, we all jumped back into the stretch limo (should have seen the faces of everyone else....stretch limo at speedway!) and back to the hotel where everyone else was staying for loads and loads of drink... brilliant night.

3..Which team do you always hope to get one over on, and why?

Poole so I can wind Shovlar up.

4..Who have been your favourite riders over the years?

Sam Ermolenko, Mark Loram, Chris Louis, Floppy Norris, Hans Andersen and Nicki Pedersen are the main ones . A soft spot for Chris Harris and a grudging admiration for Scott Nicholls.

5..Which rule(s) would you abandon if you were in charge?

The constant messing about with team averages, you wouldn't see it in football (yeah I know I always complain about us being compared to footie but in this case it is valid), successful teams should be allowed to keep their riders and other teams should be trying to get upto that standard with maybe a upper limit put on transfer/wages (pipe dream, as teams will find other ways of boosting the money to riders)

6..Who's your money on for World Champion this year?

Hmmm....for the first time in ages, I don't have a gut feeling. My head says Crump or Nicki but my heart says AJ or Hans.

[Deleted]

schumi said:

Thought it would be fun (?) to see what your average Joe's answers would be to some interview questions, and would alleviate the boredom. So what would your answers to these be (guests can post too):

1..What was your first meeting, and where?

2..What's your most memorable meeting, and why?

3..Which team do you always hope to get one over on, and why?

4..Who have been your favourite riders over the years?

5..Which rule(s) would you abandon if you were in charge?

6..Who's your money on for World Champion this year?

1.. My first ever meeting was Berwick v Swindon May 1991, it was the night Jimmy Nilsen got the track record at the Lough.

2..Most memorable meeting was Berwick v Oxford Gold Cup Final August 1991, it was the Bandits first(and only) season in the top flight and we had got to a national final. Standing in our way were the Oxford Cheetahs ably lead by Hans Nielsen, Craig Boyce, Martin Dugard. Berwick beat the Cheetahs that night 50-40. After the meeting the victorious bandits done the parade throwing gold footballs into the crowd. Then i insisted on queuing for Hans Nielsen's autograph, which took about half an hour and to his credit he sat in his car and signed all the autographs for the kids. Also at that time a lot of the top riders had trailers instead of a van.

3..I always like to see Edinburgh and Newcastle and Workington get beat by anybody as i find it amusing to hear the excuses coming from their support, its comical.

4..Eh Hans Nielsen, Michal Makovsky, Carl Wilkinson, Mark Loram, Carlos Villar, Chris Harris, Jan O Pedersen. Anyone who is a racer and generally anyone who has donned the balck and gold.

5..I would like to see someone independent run the sport, not a promoter(s) of one club being in charge.

6..Nick P. He's got an edge to his racing, he wants it just a little bit more.

[Deleted]

1..What was your first meeting, and where?

Must have been 1975 at Foxhall, but can't remember the match

2..What's your most memorable meeting, and why?

Play off v Wolves, for sheer excitement/disappointment, one of the best meetings to be shown on TV as well.And the start of the falling out with Scott . Cardiff GP 2004, my first and I still can't forget the WOW factor...can't remember much about the racing mind ;D


3..Which team do you always hope to get one over on, and why?

That would be Kings Lynn then but now hmmmm....... probably Peterborough

4..Who have been your favourite riders over the years?

Billy Sanders , Our Tiger Louis, Anders Michanek, Terry Betts ( ), now Kim Jansson, Tobi Kroner, Adam Shields, Tomasz Gollob Mark Loram

5..Which rule(s) would you abandon if you were in charge?

Guests, any tacticals and in the WTC the damn stupid joker. And please make a long term plan and stick with it

6..Who's your money on for World Champion this year?

Hans Andersen

[Deleted]

1..What was your first meeting, and where?

Swindon V Ipswich April 1974

2..What's your most memorable meeting, and why?

Haven't got one really

3..Which team do you always hope to get one over on, and why?

O*ford and Reading

4..Who have been your favourite riders over the years?

Martin Ashby, Milan Spinka, Leonard Raba, Shawn McConnell, Andrew Silver, Ed Stangeland, Brian Leonard, Norman Hunter, Bo Petersen, Alf Busk

5..Which rule(s) would you abandon if you were in charge?

Guests

6..Who's your money on for World Champion this year?

Jason Crump

[Genghis]

goldmember said:

schumi said:

2..Most memorable meeting was Berwick v Oxford Gold Cup Final August 1991, it was the Bandits first(and only) season in the top flight and we had got to a national final. Standing in our way were the Oxford Cheetahs ably lead by Hans Nielsen, Craig Boyce, Martin Dugard. Berwick beat the Cheetahs that night 50-40. After the meeting the victorious bandits done the parade throwing gold footballs into the crowd. Then i insisted on queuing for Hans Nielsen's autograph, which took about half an hour and to his credit he sat in his car and signed all the autographs for the kids. Also at that time a lot of the top riders had trailers instead of a van.

Sounds like Hans. He always had plenty of time for the fans - the bloke was a credit to the sport.

I remember him at a fun run at Blenheim Park shortly after winning the 1987 World Final. Hans was presenting the trophies, and being on our doorstep, we went along. Hans was delighted to see some speedway fans there, and spent quite a while chatting with us.

After that, he always had time for us - I remember when he spotted myself and my dad on the victory parade after clinching the first GP series at Hackney and giving us a thumbs up.

A few years ago my mum and dad were over in Denmark for the World Cup. Hans spotted them at the airport, and came over to say hello.

[Deleted]

Got the memory of a goldfish so cant remember a lot of it but...

1.What was your first meeting and where?
Got to be at Kings Lynn in the early 80s about the time Michael Lee won the World Championship.

2.Whats your most memorable meeting and why?
Semi-Final of a cup against Ipswich, just for the final race where Shane Parker and Wiggy were against Rickardsson and Louis where Parks won the tie for us.Probably the best race I have ever seen.

3.Which team do you always hope to get one over, and why?
Ipswich.really miss the Good Friday meetings.

4.Who have been your favourite riders over the years?
Henka Gustafsson favourite ever, Parks, Lance King, John Davis and Jason Crump.

5.Which rule(s) would you abandon if you were in charge?
Guests.I would like to see more of a squad system used where possible.

6.Who's your money on for World Champion this year?
Would love to see Adams win it, but it will be between Crump and Nicki.

[Deleted]

schumi said:

So what would your answers to these be

What are your answers to the questions, schumi?

[schumi]

1..What was your first meeting, and where?
Can't remember exactly but it would have been at Canterbury in the early 80s.

2..What's your most memorable meeting, and why?
I wasn't at it, but Harris winning the Cardiff GP was pretty memorable, and the Rye House vs Hackney meeting where Andy Galvin was injured, for all the wrong reasons.

3..Which team do you always hope to get one over on, and why?
Used to be Eastbourne or Wimbledon, but not really anyone now, although after last year seeing Nicki beat Hans is always good.

4..Who have been your favourite riders over the years?
Andy Galvin, Nicki Pedersen, Damian Balinski, Paul Whittaker, Dave Mullett, Chris Harris, Hans Andersen, Tomasz Gollob, and more recently, Martin Smolinski.

5..Which rule(s) would you abandon if you were in charge?
Not keen on the guest rules. They should go and be replaced with squads.

6..Who's your money on for World Champion this year?
Hopefully Nicki, but Andreas looks good for a bet.

[Deleted]

4..Who have been your favourite riders over the years?
Andy Galvin, Nicki Pedersen, Paul Whittaker, Dave Mullett, Chris Harris, Hans Andersen, Tomasz Gollob, and more recently, Martin Smolinski.


Schumi - haven't you missed out a rider

[admin]

1..What was your first meeting, and where?
That would be a meeting between Berwick and Ellesmere Port during the 1982 season, Berwick's first at their Berrington Lough stadium. I don't recall too much about the meeting, other than Ellesmere Port won, in spite of Steve McDermott scoring a miximum for the Bandits and breaking the track record.

2..What's your most memorable meeting, and why?
Berrington Lough was such a super little track that there were many memorable meetings. Not, strictly speaking, being a Bandit, I always enjoyed the close meetings best and especially if the away team managed a win. There were some great meetings in the early days against the then all-conquering Diamonds, including Joe Owen. Later on, meetings between Berwick and the likes of Ipswich, Hackney and Poole were always good. If pushed to come up with a single meeting, I'll go for the meeting when Poole leaded north with a couple of assessed two pointers at reserve and should've went back to Dorset with a win. I can't recall how they managed to throw the win away, but they did. The reserves in question were Craig Boyce and Gary Allan - I think they each managed seven rides.

3..Which team do you always hope to get one over on, and why?
Not following a team, I'd have to say none.

4..Who have been your favourite riders over the years?
Well, my favourite rider at the start was Bruce Cribb. But over the years I've most enjoyed watching Joe Owen, Bobby Beaton, Les Collins, Steve Schofield, Martin Dixon, Mark Courtney, Andrew Silver, Martin Goodwin and so many others. Recently I'd have to go with Chris Holder (watch him take the EL by storm) and, naturally enough, the Weirdity.
On a global scale, in days gone by it would be the likes of the Morans and latterly Tomasz Gollob.

5..Which rule(s) would you abandon if you were in charge?
I'd just like to see a return to many of the rules that existed in the 1980s - there're just too many facilities handed out these days and they make a nonsense of the sport. As does the double points rides. There wasn't much wrong with the old tactical substitute rules as they stood and it gave the paying punter more opportunities to see the top riders.

6..Who's your money on for World Champion this year?
He was a huge disappointment to me last season, but I still believe Jason Crump is the world's best rider and that he'll be champion in 2008.

[schumi]

badge said:

Schumi - haven't you missed out a rider

Whoops. Now amended. Sorry, Damian.