BarracudaAce

Max will come good, though he never really dominated at the NSS last season. He had a slow start to 2022 and, whilst he was at no. 1 early doors, we often saw a visitors 5-1 in heat 1.

Might be a bit late to let folks know, but I arrived at the South Stand Car Park and its full of caravans. There's no one here at the gate to let you know what to do, so I've come round to the St Peters School Car Park and been admitted here. Just a shame Belle Vue couldn't have emailed those of us that have bought South Stand parking to let us know in advance!!

As I mentioned a few posts earlier, Wolves are already coming to the NSS in the league on the Bank Holiday at the end of May. And Wolves' other league visit is in July, so maybe too late in the season for that to be swapped to a KO Cup match.

We've now got two consecutive home matches v. Wolves anyway - and both are Bank Holidays. Take your point re: the KO Cup match not being very attractive though. Have spoken to a chap today who bought 4 tickets for his family for Easter Monday. He's now not bothering with the KO Cup match but swapping those tickets for tickets for the league match on the next Bank Holiday.

Looking at the latest updates on a couple of other different weather apps, they now show light rain until 10.00am, turning to heavy rain from 10.00am onwards for the Gorton area of Manchester.

Well, I received a very prompt and informative reply from Martin at BSN in which he explained the situation with TV browsers, and how the old website did not work on many at all. They will take a look at the points I raised but he did say "Our biggest issue with TV browsers is making it work on so many different types." Martin also mentioned:- "However, we do have a nifty new feature on the new website. As you'll see, below the video is the results. For 2023 meetings, if you click the heat number it will fast forward to the exact point that race begins. This could help with your issue also. We have it set up on the meeting below for you to see it in action." https://watch.britishspeedway.co.uk/watch/524e0bc1-1302-404f-9293-6f8809cd751d

Have you had any response from BSN re: your TV issue? I can watch the content on my Samsung TV, but have lost ‘full control’ of the stream since the ‘new’ website was launched - and I’ve just emailed BSN asking if these are known issues and can be rectified. On the ‘old’ BSN website I could watch on both my PC and Samsung smart TV with ‘full control’ of the stream. As I’m often unable to watch the matches ‘live’, I was watching them ‘on demand’ a few days later. This meant I could ‘fast forward’ between races if I was short of time and ‘rewind’ to watch races/incidents over again. And, if I couldn’t finish watching the match in one viewing, I’d make a note of where I was up to and then I could go back (usually the next day) and ‘fast forward’ to start watching again at the point I’d reached the day before. As I said, I could do this on both my PC and Samsung TV and, obviously, I much preferred watching on my TV. With the ‘new’ / relaunched website, though, I can only do this on my PC. I have no control over the stream whilst watching on the Samsung TV. I only found this out as I started to watch a match I’d not seen before the other night, and had reached heat 5 when the ‘phone rang. Rather than hit ‘pause’ I exited the stream. Going back into BSN after the ‘phone call, I found I couldn’t ‘fast forward’ the stream to heat 5 and was faced with watching the first 1 hour and 10 minutes all over again!! So I started the stream for 5 minutes or so and then tried to ‘rewind’ to listen again to something one of the presenters had said – but I found I couldn’t. I then went to check my PC and found I could indeed move to start the stream at 1 hour 10 mins and watched the rest of the match. In all honesty, though, if I knew I was going to have this problem when trying to watch on the TV, I might well not have renewed. I'm hoping, therefore, that BSN will reply offering a way of restoring watching on the TV to how it was on the ‘old’ website.

I'm just on the Bolton side of the Bolton/Salford councils border, and today we've had our first mail delivery since 13th December - including FIVE editions of the Speedway Star!! 3 Dec; 10 Dec; 17 Dec; 24 Dec and 31 Dec. Plenty of reading to catch up on now.

Agree completely

........ and also a balcony at the other end of the Grandstand on the entry to turn 1.

Indeed. Just been messaging a friend who is less than a half mile up the road from me. It was dry and the sun was trying to break through with me, but bouncing down with rain at his place.

Thank you for the full explanation. My obvious 'misunderstanding' came after discussing it with someone involved in the day-to-day running of a speedway club. (Not Belle Vue!!) I'll have to email him your reply!!

So here's an example of the reader interpreting something different from what the writer meant - speedway regulations anyone? When saying 'no facility was granted' I was referring to the quote I'd included of a Daniel Smith post re: Jake Allen's 28-day contract not being granted facility status. I wasn't referring to R/R.

So, I presume here that if no facility was granted, and Jake decided he didn't want to ride for Belle Vue after his 28-day contract expired, then the Aces would just be left with Rider Replacement as their only option. I'm thinking that they couldn't use the No.8, as he is only able to be used to cover the absence of the Rising Star?

Are we sure? If it is, then two clubs will have an extra two fixtures in their schedule as opposed to the other four. Four clubs will have 20 League & 4 League Cup fixtures, and the other two will have 20 League & 6 League Cup fixtures. 25% of 24 matches = 6 matches, and 25% of 26 matches = 6.50 matches. Surely, even our governing body, wouldn't base something on all clubs not having the same number of matches and, also, ending up with a non-whole number as the 25% figure. If they have then will they ‘round up’ or ‘round down’ the 6.50 – if the former then four clubs will be able to change their line-ups after six matches and the other two will have to wait until seven matches are ridden. So, if League Cup fixtures are counting towards the 25% as Daniel Smith suggests above, Belle Vue couldn't sign Matej Zagar until after six completed matches, four of which have already been ridden. So, they couldn't use him for Peterborough (H) on 2 May and Ipswich (a) on 5 May. He could then be brought into the team starting with Peterborough (a) on 9 May.

That seems to be the exact crux of the matter, given the differing views of how this particular regulation is being interpreted on this forum. As another poster has said, though, it is only the SGB Premiership Ruling Authoritites' interpretation that counts and how they want to enforce it. If Matej Zagar's signing is permitted then we'll know a few on here have interpreted it differently from the Ruling Authorities.

I couldn't agree with you more on your last comment, but it is being weakened for 3 clubs (yes, only 3 clubs - but that is 50% of the league) and they would have had to release a rider(s) without the retirees and Dan's situation. The point I was making was the fact that one rider to lose his job because of team building limits could well have been a reserve (if Bjarne had not been retiring and Peterborough chosen to replace him than someone else) and just seems plain daft to me.

And that just about sums up British Speedway!! Never mind the fact that Bjarne Pedersen himself is retiring anyway and the Peterborough 2021 team was built in a very specific way. The team building points limit is raised, yet one team is still set to replace one of the season-ending reserves with a lower averaged rider!! Not their No.1, but a reserve for heaven's sake!!

There's probably someone sat at a desk at British Speedway HQ that has read this, and right now is thinking 'Now that's a cracking idea, why didn't I think of it?'

My local weather app currently shows any rain in rhe Gorton area clearing by around 1.00pm and not returning until around 9.00pm. I'm actually 10 miles away from Belle Vue, it rained here earlier but the sun is trying to peak through the clouds now. Not too successfully though.

Taffy was in the very first race I ever saw back in August 1970 on the opening night of Boston Speedway, and he helped the Barracudas to a win against local rivals Peterborough Panthers. Taffy's passing means the two riders that represented the 'Cudas in their first ever heat 1 are sadly no longer with us. Taffy was guesting for the injured Arthur Price, and he and the late 'Jolly' Jack Bywater raced to a 5-1. On the wishes of Boston co-promoter Cyril Crane, Taffy eased up to allow Jack to pass him and take the chequered flag, as Crane told Taffy that he wanted one of Boston's own riders to win the first ever race at New Hammond Beck Road. There was an Aces match at the NSS in August a couple of years ago just about on the 49th anniversary of Boston's opening night, so I spoke with Taffy in the Peter Craven Suite about it. He remembered the night vividly and talked about all the pre-match media attention reporting on the opening night, and mementoes given to the riders of both teams. He was quite taken that I remembered he went onto notch up a paid maximum and ended the night as the track record holder. His contribution to opening night meant he was then always a popular visitor to Boston as an opposition rider. RIP Taffy and thank you for the memories.

An email hit my InBox about 25 minutes ago advertising tickets. On a quick look at the Grandstand availability, there aren't many seats remaining in Block D but still quite a number across all the other blocks. Doesn't show the remaining availability in the South Stand standing, but you can still purchase tickets in there.

Yes, Wolves' Leon Flint - and, with all due respect to Jack Smith, I reckon Wolves will be happier with the postponement than the Aces. With Leon in the team – and the way he rides the NSS – I reckon Wolves would have had a much bigger chance of winning than with Jack. Yes, they’re both ex-Colts, but Leon has already had a 15-point maximum in a National League match at the NSS this season. With the grippier conditions that there would have been had it gone ahead tonight, it would have suited his style of riding the NSS to a tee.

Thanks Rob, and that makes it all sound very logical. More so, as I now have found out that of 5 of us sat in various locations within Block D on Monday night - and had checked in via the QR code - just 3 have received the message from the App. However, I'm now thinking I'm not fully seeing the wood from the trees here!! If it is the App's Bluetooth monitoring ability that detects and notifies you to isolate e.g., after it has detected that you have been near someone in a stadium for at least 10 mins and that person later tests positive - then why is there a need for checking-in via the QR code? The QR code must do something else I presume then? I'm presuming too that those attendees who don't have the App, don't check-in via the QR code, and have their details taken by the NSS staff that these details must include their seat locations?

A friend of mine who was at the NSS on Monday has just told me that he has just had the NHS track & trace app message to say he has been in contact with someone with Covid, and must now self isolate. He has only 'checked in' with the app at two places - the NSS and one other place - and, as I haven't had the same message, we are assuming it will be from his visit elsewhere. However, just to see if the app is working properly, has anyone who was at the NSS on Monday had such a message?