MrMungo

Ipswich voted to leave.

I know of one rider, who you know well, who had his contract terminated (ie, sacked), because he had to go to a presentation evening, and due to the distances involved was not able to go into work. Speedway and 'regular' work just does not work well together. The best a rider can hope for is to be either self-employed, work temporarily in the off-season, or to work part time (or ad hoc) and hope for a supportive employer!

PL pay. I meant reserves coming up from NL, ie 3 point reserves. Sorry for the confusion!

Reserves from NL generally can expect to get £40 per point, with very little in terms of add ons at many clubs (ie, methanol, tyre, insurance, etc paid for by the club) unless the rider rides for Glasgow. Top reserve is normally £50-55 with expected add ons. Second strings are usually a bit on top of that, but will sometimes depend on the team structure. A rider may accept a little less than normal if it is likely they will get a run at reserve. Heat leaders can range a lot - they tried to limit it to £55 p/point a few seasons back but that just resulted in some 'alternative' payments. Heat leaders are high end double figures, triple figures in some cases. As mentioned earlier, there are a lot of other things to consider, ie other payments, which often include additional travel money if the rider is based a long way from their home track. All figures are nett, so need to add 20% VAT if a rider is VAT registered too.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if Swindon start next season on the 'big' track, and finish the season on the 'small' track

Re: 4, Since many (okay, most) riders in the EL also ride (and have a 'true' average) in the PL, maybe it would be an idea to use the PL averages. For those who don't have a current PL average, which is not many, use the standard conversion rate.

Hope it all goes well Jonas

The draft may be binned, it may be altered somewhat, they are all maybes at this stage of the year. The league structure will almost certainly be changing or heavily altered though. Too many people are looking at 2017 line-ups through the 2016 format. Things will almost certainly change. It can't not do when you see so many other clubs seriously struggling. I have heard some very radical ideas put out there for 2017. November could be a very interesting month for British Speedway

I think many club/tracks have large crowds (as in the volume, not necessarily the size, although...) when they first open, but for one reason or another (and that's for a different topic!), a large percentage return less frequently. Whilst it is quite depressing reading at the moment, there are some positives. They announced their intentions at the right time, which will hopefully enable someone else/group of people (and I believe there are some interested parties) in taking over and making a go at it. I see no reason why someone couldn't. It has a lot going for it, and under the right people, I think it could be a successful club again, whether that be at PL or NL level.

There's no doubt Wolves are strong at the end but if Belle Vue can get 9 points in heat 11/12, then it will be very tight

Ouch, Woffy got smoked!!

Did the commentators mention he had a 1pt away average? With that in mind, I can't imagine BV expected much from him at Wolves. He has scored really well at home though, no doubt. Tactics could come into play here. if Wolves can get a TR on Lindgren/Woffinden, it looks omnious for the Aces. Apart from those 2, Wolves don't look too threatening based on the first 4 heats.

Really good ride by Fricke; gate 4 is very challenging round there more often than not

A good start for Belle Vue in the first few heats, and this has the makings of a cracker. Here's hoping!

Newman not a happy bunny, and won't be returning (by the looks of it) even if Plymouth do pull through this. Newman Angered At Plymouth Statement Posted on October 5, 2016 Plymouth captain Kyle Newman has today admitted that he has been left angered and frustrated at the imminent closer of the Devon club. Newman, who joined the Devils in 2014, insists the lack of transparency between the riders and promotion has left a bad taste in the mouth after yesterday’s announcement. The Devils skipper said, “I’m disappointed at what’s happened at Plymouth this year. It’s been one thing after another and as riders we’ve tried to put that to the back of our minds and get on with our jobs. “Yesterday’s announcement came as a shock and I only found out through a friend that they (Plymouth) had released a statement. “I’m very annoyed that the Plymouth promotion decided not to contact any of the riders regarding this situation before making it public. Riders should know beforehand considering money is still owed to us all. “It’s an extremely frustrating situation and I feel sorry for Lee Trigger (Plymouth team manager) in all this. He has acted as a middle man between the riders and promotion all season even though he has nothing to do with payments. “Lee has provided us with answers all year even though he’s in the same boat as us. The promotion has hung him out to dry which is massively disappointing. “I’d like to say thanks to the Plymouth fans for their support all season. It been an extremely difficult time, my hardest in speedway, but I think it’s time for me to move on. “I’ll be looking for a new Premier League club next season and I’m already looking forward to a new challenge, wherever that may be.” (Taken from Kyle's official site)

I think having weaker leagues is more likely, but who knows what surprises the AGM will throw at us this time!

http://speedwaygb.co/news.php?extend.31405 PLYMOUTH Speedway have this afternoon issued the following statement regarding the current situation at the Devon club. It is with deep regret that I have to inform you that as of yesterday (Monday 3rd October) Peninsula Promotions Ltd T/A Plymouth Speedway commenced formal proceedings to liquidate the company. The financial situation of the club has been well documented during the season. Unfortunately the necessity to liquidate has been brought about by another season of losses. In the previous three seasons the losses have been funded by the Directors & Shareholders, well in excess of a six figure sum and despite the best efforts of the “Plymouth Fanzone” raising a considerable sum of money which without, we would not have been able to complete the season. The arrangement with the investors, and with only two meetings left, failed to finalise and the takeover was not completed. Faced with operational debts which could no longer be serviced, the decision was taken by the Directors / Shareholders to put the company into liquidation. The Liquidators have been informed that there are interested parties wishing to put in a bid for the Track and all its fixtures, which had been created, born out of a Rugby pitch by the current and previous owner. Speedway returned to Plymouth in 2006 after an absence of 36 years and the current period of operation of 11 years has been the longest period of continuous operation in its entire history. Hopefully this period will not be interrupted and continue in 2017. Our thanks go to all the loyal speedway supporters of Plymouth and those that regularly travel distances exceeding distances of sixty miles and more to support Plymouth Speedway. Ashley Taylor Co-Promoter, Plymouth Speedway

After seeing Fricke at Lakeside the other week and tonight at Wolves, I'm thinking he needs to move to a smaller track next year. Maybe he's just been riding on the bigger tracks too much this year. Well done Wolves, far, far, far superior on the night. Disappointing match after last week's drama. Shame we can't have Poole on the TV every week....

It's a different kettle of fish entirely, but Jenkins has also been doing very well in the NL with Mildenhall too. I spoke to his old man @ King's Lynn regarding the engine a month or 2 back, and he was very complimentary about the engine. I think there'll be more riders switching as times goes on but £5kish is a lot of money for the 'bread and butter' riders to find, and I expect many riders wanted to see how it went with the GTRs first.

Jordan Jenkins?

- BSPA to create a role for someone knowledgeable and experienced to supervise track preparation. (Some places really need it!) - Drink/drugs tests before every single meeting (and don't allow a team mate to take it instead!) - Youth GB sides (U23, U21, U16?) to take part in (test) matches on the continent on a semi-regular basis. - Riders can not be sacked from a side if they have increased their starting average, ie only riders not 'performing' can get the sack. - Set race nights for EL/PL or League 1/2, thus limiting the need for facilities (guests/RR)

What a cracking and tense meeting this was, and I am a neutral! The Wolves and Poole fans deserve a long rest after the last few hours! Congrats to Wolves; if you can get PK going, the final should be 2 brilliant meetings on 2 fine tracks. Finally, well done to Kyle Newman; He's had a torrid year with injuries, but tonight showed how much of a class act he can be. If one performance was worthy of a PO Final, it was this one, but it wasn't to be

From what I have seen so far, heats 13 and 15 look a bit omnious for Poole

Poor call from the ref. I think Ellis picked up a smidgen entering the bend, but there's no doubt in my mind PK was the cause of the stoppage, and should have gone.

As a neutral, I'm really looking forward to tonight. The excitement of the Play-Offs is often something special. Last week I thought it was Poole's to lose, but it's been a bad time for Poole since then, and I reckon Wolves have the momentum going into tonight's clash. All it takes is one key performance to change that though. Key man for me is Holder; like the track or not, he is a world class rider, and he needs to ride like one. A good Holder showing and Poole should be safe. An iffy 4-5 points, and you can see Poole struggling for heat winners.