Sings4Speedway

Out of interest what would 20% of the Coventry fanbase be? Im guessing full strength its 2000? So 400 for NL wouldnt be bad at all? Plus i strongly suspect there will be several Leicester based Speedway fans that prefer a weekend fix rather than week nights?

Huge signing for Brum there! Have to admit i did not realise Leon turn 15 just at the right time (ignoring my view that 15 is too young for league racing but thats another topic). Massive talent and very highly regarded in a lot of circles, from what i have seen and heard could easily be the top 3.00 pointer this year.

If Haertel makes as many mates on speedway as he does in the longtrack im sure he will be interesting to watch. However you don't need to make friends to win things

Hume will surely be back at Ippo? Definitely hot property at the moment though. Phillips might be a little under the radar being out injured for so long and there are always question marks over a rider when making comebacks from nasty spills. Definitely think Jacobs & Bailey could be a very solid reserve pairing

I have to admit i would be very interested to see what higher calibre riders would do around the Kent circuit? A British semi-final for example especially on a bank holiday weekend could be spectacular

Its horses for courses. I much prefer the NL and am glad Kent are staying put. I certainly wouldn't attend as much if they went Championship or above. The club still remains sustainable with good crowds at NL level and in the current climate i feel that is far more important than climbing the leagues for the sake of it.

Because the majority of hot 3.00 pointers have been snapped up i wonder if Brum will throw a curveball and look to use a stronger 2,6,7 combo like Cupitt, Verge & Kinsley/Halder? rather than the traditional 2 x 3.00's at reserve? If Brum go the 3 pointer route the current connections point towards Roberts, Leek, Hitchin and at present none of those are anything to get excited about.

With the number of doubling up riders & championship meetings moving to Thurs,Fri,Sat & especially Sundays the inclusion of riders like Bowen who is focusing on NL only is a major boost to any side. Whilst necessary for riders development i think promoters need to be sensible about the number of doubling up riders that are included in any one team otherwise we will be plagued with another season of relentless guests & RR

Personally as the first year i think the new management will go for personalities that are easier to manage which could rule Hall out. Hampshire looks expensive on anything over 3.5 so would desperately need to improve his equipment before his results improve. If Cradley don't feature i could see a return for Tom Perry, Cupitt must be a shoe in to return and the rest who knows? As stated above though unless you have at least one decent reserve you can forget challenging for anything major in this league.

Very true although Eastbourne always build cleverly enough that they always have a strong reserve. If the Mildenhall trio rumour is true the Kemp will be in the team very quickly and his scoring potential nullified a little (like Jenkins this season) leaving a lot of pressure on the returning erratic Bebee & Aussie Marson.

Lets not forget that the new owners will have their own opinions on riders they wish to work with and riders they do not along with a vision for team building. It might be that they favour a more strength in depth approach? There is also the consideration of the number of doubling up riders they wish to include as this is something that has hindered Brum in the past and if they are wishing to include Bacon along with Hume adding further doubling up riders means you will see your full team tracked a limited amount of times during the season.

I know the plan is to not rip the team up too much but im surprised that nobody has Kennett on their wish list? Could see him & Nicholls as a very strong spearhead?

Personally i don't like any sanctions upon how a team is made up. I like the variety in the leagues where one team could track 3 x 9 pointers, 2 x 4.5 & 2 x 3 pointers vs 1 x 8 , 4 x 7 & 2 x 3 pointers vs 1 x 9, 4 x 6 & 2 x 4.5 at reserve. For me its an added factor of which make up is better top heavy or strength in depth? When you limit what level of riders can be used it just brings it down to who can get the best riders on a particular average rather than who can build the best overall teams

Great news for the emerging SDL & development leagues in general. If only more clubs took a proactive approach to rider development and entered into the spirit of the leagues like IOW

Certainly something that NL promoters need to look at both at the AGM and when completing signings. It would certainly make any rider who signs for a championship side who ride regularly on a Sunday far less appealing but its certainly important not to stand in the way of riders who are progressing. Its down to the promoters who make the signings to judge id they wish to include doubling up riders in their sides with the risk of them being missing X meetings a season or not but i would say that an initial max of 2 per team is plenty?

Good Luck to Joe. As with several signings Stoke have made at reserve over the years i feel it might be a year too early for him but i hope his pockets are deep and he has a successful season.

Sadly thats a sight i have seen repeatedly at Stoke, Kings Lynn & Mildenhall over the years

With regards to the cr@p track from memory the comments about the NLRC were that the racing was good? Perhaps it appears poor at the higher levels because of the gulf in difference between the riders. More tracks does mean more riders but that can only be a good thing. If we expect anyone to take up the sport there must be viable chances of progression opportunities. Added to that the simple fact that if you throw enough at a wall some of it will stick, how many potential top class riders have already retired due to lack of opportunities.

Hope it works out for Coventry. Maybe they will pick up a few speedway fans that cannot attend midweek Leicester meetings? Would also be nice if an MDL side could be tracked be it Long Eaton / Mercia Vikings etc as it will be a prime opportunity to help develop up and coming riders.

Rowe will be at Kent & Hunter most likely at Eastbourne. Verge who knows where he will be? I do suspect one of the Eastboune reserves will begin with B though but not Bulley

As we have the rules aficionados gathered here what about helmet colours this season? The number of riders using a helmet that has some red on it has increased, likewise black and yellow helmet designs rather than quarters and in multiple meetings riders have come to the tapes with yellow only. Surely these are basics like making sure you ride in the correct race and should meet with fines if not correctly followed?

Having a quick look i would say the limit is bound to go up next year. Every team finished above the 39 point limit. Will be an interesting winter as ever with a few riders on bargain averages, several on inflated ones that may hamper chances of getting a ride and obviously a few that have outgrown the league and will move onto better things

Think for the Eagles Baseby & Brennan are certs for next years line up. Wood also providing his Championship team doesn't clash too much (assuming he gets one). Definitely don't think Kelsey will be included it just doesn't work for him at Eastbourne & a season ending average of 6.09 for Powell is probably his swan song as i can't see any team touching him on that number.

Drew Kemp has stuck within the rules as far as i am aware and should not be penalised with an average of anything other than 3.00 to start the season. Its clear he has a talent and he will achieve a true average over the season and quite likely follow the footsteps of Jordan Jenkins into the main body of the team at Mildenhall. If a change of rules is to be brought in for the future then fine but you can't change them retrospectively just because it suits/doesn't suit certain teams.

You are correct that im not Lens greatest fan but im equally happy to admit that he has done a huge amount for the sport over the years and in bringing speedway back to Kent. I generally find the racing and entertainment good st Sittingbourne and that is what i am looking for from my speedway so no complaints from me there. I was purely stating that this season he built a side based upon the 40 point limit then got caught out when it was dropped to 39 hence no place for Shanes and Stoneman was included instead as all the others had been announced. Could Kent have finished even higher with Shanes + 3.00 pointer rather than Stoneman & Clifton? We will never know......