Twowheels

Buxton have done a lot for British Speedway, I take my hat of to them.

I am sure that Buxton did all they could to get the meeting on.

Something fundamentally wrong when you have the same rider number 1 in Cham/Prem.

Yes Bloom89 Jake signed for Sheffield and was told no pressure, we will give you plenty of time to develop, only 6 weeks into to the season Jake was dropped. He started well but then had mechanical gremlins, did not get chance to ride through this and was replaced. He has had a stop start career as always trying to juggle work and Speedway. Looks like he will not be the only young Brit lost to the sport.

Unfortunately British speedway is not consistent, The N/L should be made more competitive, how many promising young brits do we have that will go on the ride on the world stage, I am afraid that to many will be lost along the way, we are happy to bring over young oversees riders and give them team places in the upper two leagues, (nothing against this) but we need to limit the current numbers. A young rider trying to make his name in the sport needs to ride at least twice a week, he will also need to give 100% to the sport if he wants to get to the top. We know that not every rider has the natural ability, but with the right help and support he could still make it to the top. When I started out I raced and worked for a couple of years, after a while it became to difficult, getting home from a Scottish meeting and then working the next day, took its toll. This was how most riders started out, we were all in the same boat. Trouble now is we have a lot more riders coming over from overseas that are just riding and we expect our young riders to match them from the outset. So let’s look at this scenario:- Young Brit in the N/L riding and working, he is number 1 and is doing well, gets a call to guest. He has to go into work and then drive straight to the meeting and ride. Gets a last in his first ride, maybe he gets a point in his next, what happens next he is taken our of heat eight. He goes home only 3 rides and 1 point. Back to work the next day and slim chance of another selection. We must give more young Brits full team place’s from the start of the season and fast track them before we lose them. Sink or swim, I was told by a promoter that I would not make it, but hard work and dedication got me to the world final. Riders are actually penalised for doing well. Richard

Great news, more opportunities for young Brits to get a team place.

Moleman, Jake has always put in the effort behind the scenes, funding has been the biggest blocker, he had offers from both Cham/prem this season but the time off and travel did not make it viable. No work no speedway as this funded his riding. Sponsorship is key to all successful riders, this has been unfortunately the missing ingredient to Jake progress. Regards Richard

Jake is a racer, and always goes out to win. He did not thrown away points when a match result was at stake. Always push as hard as you can, riders make mistakes in front and you need to be in as position to capitalise. As you get older you get smarter and are able to do this as second nature without making mistakes. All part of Speedway. I watched Jake a lot this year and have to say that his passing ability was top draw. His 15 point max at home to Brum was stunning, and not all from the Gate, As a ex rider I applaud Jake, he has always just got on with it and done the best he can. As his Father I am proud of him, always worked and raced and can hold his head high. Very unfortunate not to get picked again for Eastbourne, but hey that's Speedway. Richard

There will always be disparity in league speedway, not all teams have same agenda or resources. Total combined ave of all NL teams for 2017 was 43.13 with the highest being B/V 50.40 and the lowest Buxton 39.11 To lower ave and you will lose riders who are not able to find places in the higher leagues, to high and you will make it tough for the lower clubs to complete. The N/L is more than just a development league, it is a very important part of British speedway and is where our future GP stars would start out. Young 3 point riders coming into the sport need to race against the best they can. Making the league weaker will only have a negative effect on their speed of progression.

Can't believe we are nearly at the end of November and only 5 riders announced across the whole league, and they are all in one team.

Increase the limit to 40 and make the league more challenging, not such a gap up to the Championship. Reducing it is not answer as there are not enough youngsters to fill the lower end. Must say that I have seen some great meetings this year with all riders just getting on with it.

Travel and time off work is the biggest problem for the semi pro rider. Agree with JC, 2 leagues North and South that would reduce travel costs. Riders taking time off work have to give notice, problem is when meeting is cancelled day wages lost and no meeting, to many meetings cancelled at the slightest hint of rain. Would love to see more weekend racing would attract more kids and away fans. Put on a regular show that both riders and supporters can enjoy and the same Severn riders each week, barring injuries would be a good start. Interaction with fans and basic entertainment are both fundamental to the success, not rocket science!!!

Foamfence, yes if you are lucky to be vat Reg, that would reduce the start up cost for a GTR. Servicing is very dependant on many factors, track that you ride, how you look after the engine etc. Riders at Freddie's level will certainly know when the engine is ready for a service, be it GTR or GM. With my comment on second hand GM, I would say only a few riders in the lower league would be able to afford anything more that a good second hand GM, probably around £1500-£2000. GM's around £1,000 make a good starter engine for those coming in to the sport. I would love to see the GTR make an impact in the sport.

Making the engine work for the rider is the biggest challenge, there maybe a place in speedway for the GTR but unfortunately at circa £5000 it is an expensive risk, as a perfect set up would be 2 complete bikes and a spare engine. Like any racing engine they need regular service's to get optimum performance. I am sure Freddie has his checked as soon as he feels it has gone off, and I am sure that he has a spare waiting to go straight in while another is away being serviced. GM has got it right with the design, good maintenance and regular oil changes a GM will do 50plus races before a major service and you can pick up a good second hand one for around £1000. I would love to see more competition from engine manufacturers and the GTR would certainly be a good start.

For your info, Jake has 2x complete bikes, would be great to have a spare engines but this is unviable at present. Unfortunately as stated Jake had sized engine in first ride and had metal in oil on spare, all parties were notified the night before in Manchester. Jake was gutted that he was going to miss meeting,with no time to get anything sorted he felt best to let all know of his predicament. Ban has now be fulfilled and he can move on. Richard