foamfence

I think if you accept the draft you have to abide by the draw. The principle of the thing is to give riders with potential more chances and experiences. What you describe will create opportunities for trickery, eg 'you stop at home sonny and we'll get X rider in for the day,' I know there has already been abuse of that kind but this seems to make it even more likely.

I'd prefer the situation where ALL the riders involved still had improvement potential. Surely that's what it's meant to be about?

Carl Wilkinson FFS! They might as well pick Boocock, Boothroyd and Younghusband. On the other hand, if you enter the draft you are declaring your availability.

If you listen to the link I posted, it does say that riders such as Lawson and Richie Worrall will be on much higher rates than draft riders and any draft rider offered a place in a main body, is free to take it.

Others move up! The list won't exist until they have all accepted, they don't go on it until they have been asked. http://www.speedway365.com/archives/11851

They either accept the offer or they don't.

Worrall is already in the draft and won't be forced out. Brits under Auty's average might well get the offer, you do have to be invited.

According to that, ten riders will be in the top group of the draft, hopefully that doesn't mean that two of them don't get a place. The facility for guests in place of riders with overseas commitments, seems to have been increased (bad move?). I'm pleased they are sticking with the draft and tweaking the format though.

Have you been drinking?

If Darcy Ward was a board game you'd have to down a bottle of wine every time you threw a double six.

12pm is noon.

A better idea would be for the top average reserve to have rides against heat leaders as well as second strings, that would allow for a better format and if it were too big a step he would probably soon be the number two reserve for a month. Some of the better reserves were already starting to beat heat leaders when they came in as a substitute. I wouldn't give up on British reserves after just one season and with fewer teams likely next year, it will eliminate most of those who did less well this year.

I pick you.

Some people would always find something to moan about.

Most promoters (not ALL) are self-made successful business persons who obviously have a good idea what is worth throwing money at and what isn't. We have the freedom here to criticise and make suggestions but I fail to see what use insulting promoters and likening them to idiots will do. I remember the Ham brothers at Bradford regularly had a whole page with action photographs in the local newspaper, riders would visit schools, show their gear and a bus load of kids with free entry and souvenirs would arrive at the track on a regular basis, they had a very successful team staffed mainly by top British riders and they put on top events every season. It still went belly up! There might have been excuses that the stadium was to be redeveloped but I went to every meeting (it was a poor substitute for Halifax) and believe me it was totally dead by the time it closed, it was embarrassing when riders paraded round waving to empty terraces. The Provincial League took Speedway back to basics and after two or three years the sport was on a much sounder footing. Maybe keeping up with Poland and Sweden (or trying to) is the wrong thing to do?

Great to see everyone in agreement (is this a first?) Crazy Sue and her gang are obviously appreciated greatly and deservedly so... .. Thank you all!

I just hope we get ALL the information from the meeting instead of condensed highlights. It's really bad when you start learning about new rule changes, three weeks into the new season.

Having one league and no facility for riders missing due to overseas requirements would cure much of that and probably allow more part-timers into the teams. People seem obsessed with comparing us to Sweden or Poland, why bother? Just go our own way and do what's best for us.

So I hear. It used to be great for the Internationale in the late 60s early 70s.

Wimbledon.

Well I like it, it does need a few tweaks for next year though. I should think Phil Morris already has a plan.

What exactly is the point of this thread? We all know about poor facilities and we all know that the stadiums don't belong to the speedway promoters. It's highly unlikely that anyone is going to put their money into a purpose built stadium, especially as they are unlikely to make enough to pay expenses, let alone make anything back on their initial investment.

It looks really interesting and should be of help to many different riders. http://www.sitrauk.org/

It's just a regular meeting with a fancy name. http://www.speedway.co.nz/pdf/Forms/2014-15%20Solo%20Grand%20Prix.pdf