Sings4Speedway 3,231 Posted December 17, 2018 Smith was just a victim of not progressing and the club looking to freshen things up. He managed to put .21 on his average all season which is pretty much treading water. Whilst he may have the benefit of family ties with B.V (which many do not have the luxury of) he was starting to stagnate and a move on will benefit him in the longer term rather than rely on the protection of a legacy. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
acef 795 Posted December 20, 2018 I don’t think Jack has developed as quickly as he would have expected. It could go either way him being absent from the national league. Sometimes if your form is poor in the league above you need that assurance that you have some easier rides below to bring some confidence back. Equally it could be the best thing he’s done. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
teaboy279 1,038 Posted December 20, 2018 I agree with that, for many riders the removal of a safety net aids their development. Would Jason Doyle of become World Champion had he not had the visa issues restricting him to top flight action? Personally I think not. Lambert rejected a fast track berth in the Elite and opted to go in the main body and thrived. Bewley went into PL at the start of his debut season and look how he has come along. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
acef 795 Posted December 20, 2018 46 minutes ago, teaboy279 said: I agree with that, for many riders the removal of a safety net aids their development. Would Jason Doyle of become World Champion had he not had the visa issues restricting him to top flight action? Personally I think not. Lambert rejected a fast track berth in the Elite and opted to go in the main body and thrived. Bewley went into PL at the start of his debut season and look how he has come along. Bewley is the rider I look at when I think about jack and his own development. I know dan is a rare case and people develop differently, but watching them in the same team really highlighted the difference. I actually think it’ll help jack dropping the national league. Without that assurance now it’s even more important to thrive in the championship 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gunner85 603 Posted December 22, 2018 Dan is a once in a blue moon rider....riders with his talent at a such tender age are an absolute rarity. i agree Jack has not developed as much as he or the supporters would have wanted... being dumped by Sheffield so that they could sign Broc Nicol did a lot of damage. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bigred 187 Posted December 22, 2018 On 12/20/2018 at 8:02 PM, teaboy279 said: I agree with that, for many riders the removal of a safety net aids their development. Would Jason Doyle of become World Champion had he not had the visa issues restricting him to top flight action? Personally I think not. Lambert rejected a fast track berth in the Elite and opted to go in the main body and thrived. Bewley went into PL at the start of his debut season and look how he has come along. Dans been riding speedway bikes long before he started racing them,he didn’t just turn up one day and take to it just like that.hes probably done more laps on a speedway bike than even bickley.he is though an incredible talent on a motorcycle and I’m sure he will go to the top of the sport . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mac101 1,187 Posted December 22, 2018 28 minutes ago, bigred said: Dans been riding speedway bikes long before he started racing them,he didn’t just turn up one day and take to it just like that.hes probably done more laps on a speedway bike than even bickley.he is though an incredible talent on a motorcycle and I’m sure he will go to the top of the sport . Dan was a young BYMX champion and never rode a speedway bike in his life until he started getting a bit of coaching from Steve Lawson around the October after the mx season finished and started racing the following year he was just a natural kid with great bike skills that had a great coach Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WalterPlinge 657 Posted December 22, 2018 1 hour ago, bigred said: Dans been riding speedway bikes long before he started racing them,he didn’t just turn up one day and take to it just like that. hes probably done more laps on a speedway bike than even bickley. You've got that completely arse about face. Dan Bewley was a very good youth motocrosser who had never sat on a speedway bike until Steve Lawson let him have a go round his farm during the winter. Belle Vue got wind of him and went to a few winter series meetings at Scunthorpe with him that winter, before signing him. When he lined up for his first NL heat of his debut season it was his first ever competitive race. In contrast Kyle Bickley had little or no motocross experience, but rode grasstrack from a very early age and came through the youth speedway route. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JCookie 753 Posted December 22, 2018 51 minutes ago, WalterPlinge said: You've got that completely arse about face. Dan Bewley was a very good youth motocrosser who had never sat on a speedway bike until Steve Lawson let him have a go round his farm during the winter. Belle Vue got wind of him and went to a few winter series meetings at Scunthorpe with him that winter, before signing him. When he lined up for his first NL heat of his debut season it was his first ever competitive race. In contrast Kyle Bickley had little or no motocross experience, but rode grasstrack from a very early age and came through the youth speedway route. Looks to me like he made his PL debut before his NL debut? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WalterPlinge 657 Posted December 22, 2018 1 minute ago, JCookie said: Looks to me like he made his PL debut before his NL debut? You're not making any sense Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
teaboy279 1,038 Posted December 22, 2018 33 minutes ago, WalterPlinge said: You're not making any sense I also thought he made his PL debut before his NL by virtue of Edinburghs season starting before the Colts. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mac101 1,187 Posted December 22, 2018 4 minutes ago, teaboy279 said: I also thought he made his PL debut before his NL by virtue of Edinburghs season starting before the Colts. Yes Edinburgh were looking for a reserve and had invited riders that were interested to there press day and Dan got the spot Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WalterPlinge 657 Posted December 22, 2018 (edited) 16 minutes ago, teaboy279 said: I also thought he made his PL debut before his NL by virtue of Edinburghs season starting before the Colts. No. He made his NL debut by winning his first ever competitive race (heat 2 for the Colts). He went on loan to Edinburgh in 2nd division very quickly afterwards. The following year (2017) he made his PL debut with the Aces. Edited December 22, 2018 by WalterPlinge Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JCookie 753 Posted December 22, 2018 46 minutes ago, WalterPlinge said: No. He made his NL debut by winning his first ever competitive race (heat 2 for the Colts). He went on loan to Edinburgh in 2nd division very quickly afterwards. The following year (2017) he made his PL debut with the Aces. Looks like he actually made his PL (Premier League, at that stage) in April while his NL (National League) debut was weeks later. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WalterPlinge 657 Posted December 22, 2018 2 minutes ago, JCookie said: Looks like he actually made his PL (Premier League, at that stage) in April while his NL (National League) debut was weeks later. Like I keep saying. (See above). His first competitive ride was in the NL. He won his first ever competitive race in heat 2 for the Belle Vue Colts. He did then go on loan to Edinburgh (second tier). His top flight debut was the following year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
