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Wasn't it part of the contract that Sky demanded that the "top riders" had to ride over here? Speaking to one now ex promoter at the time, a rather large portion of the "Sky money" pretty much got swallowed up by his "World Class" top rider.. So much money dripped through so many fingers, with the end result? The World Class riders 'effed off' to more lucrative pastures new, and the huge Sky investment left zero legacy for the sport from which to grow.. Amazingly ludicrous really....

I think a lot of people are living under a cloud at the moment. When the sun breaks through, their mood will lighten. Hopefully a Covid free summer will bring some optimism back.

Its difficult to tell how far a rider can go. Rob was a useful reserve at Lakeside butfor some reason suffered a loss of form / confidence so gave speedway a miss for a while, and concentrated on continental grass tracks. Jon Cook then got him back to Lakeside as a British 3-pointer which seemed to be a steal because his average was down due to previous loss of form. However the comeback never really worked, he never really got back in the groove and retired for good. I think he could have dropped down to the lower league and done ok but last time I spoke to him he was doing happy enough doing continental grass tracks and apparently making it pay so had no real desire to return to speedway. The thing is Rob was never a full time speedway rider and always had another job laying gas pipes or something and its always hard to combine two jobs and still do well. I suppose on grass tracks he can do his day job then focus on his racing at weekends. If he was full time speedway I guess he could have been a useful top league second string or lower league heatleader but I wouldn't have thought international class, but who knows.

So pleased that they are holding this meeting. over sixty years ago when he came to Coventry he became my favourite rider from his very first meeting, he was unique, as I believe he was the first Polish rider in a UK team, he cheerfully signed an autograph for me, smiled at everybody and was a live wire on the track, and a brilliant rider. It was a sad day when he left the Bees but he has always been remembered. Thoughts will be with his family, friends and everybody in Poland today. Hopefully a Zyto style entertaining meeting as fitting tribute. A brilliant way to kick off the season

This forum is a hotbed for ex fans unfortunately .....

there certainly seems to be a shortage of optimists. Me, I think we're in for a good season and I'm pleased so many young Brits are getting a go.

KT and NP are employed by BSI to provide commentary on the world feed from the SGPs. Not by BT.

This suggests that he has withdrawn from his Swedish and Danish commitments to ride for Lynn and Brum; http://www.kingslynn-speedway.com/_mobile/news.php?extend.31057

With there having been a season hiatus I was thinking about which riders might make a massive improvement in average in 2021. Then got wondering about historically which rider has improved their starting average by the most by the end of the season. [excluding assessed starting averages] I recall Mark Thorpe almost doubling his average in c1991. He'd had two average seasons in admittedly average Diamonds teams, averaging about five and had even been dropped for one match iirc. By all accounts he was only handed a team place in 1991 because his average fit. Starting at reserve with Scott Lamb, I think, he was lightening out of the starts and never looked back, ending the season close to a ten average. Anyone else turned from reserve to #1 in the course of a season?

I don’t disagree with the sentiment but for some context Riss is a club asset who rode the previous couple of seasons, plus as Daniel says every other team has signed a foreign rider who fills a Lawson size hole. Plus do we even know if he wants to do PL after being let go by Sheffield? So not the greatest comment from you in isolation really.

I think there has to be a correlation. Wasn't it around that time, mid 80's, when there was controversy about allowing British riders to drop down into the National League? That's drop down not double down! So the likes of Gordon Kennett, Dave Jessup and Les Collins could all join NL teams despite having been world finalists (podiums) not much earlier. Imagine that. Going off thread, but it's why I've always said foreign riders should never drop below their assessed average for team building. And that assessed average shouldn't ever be as low as four as it is now.

Whinging bunch of Muppets....... As Statler & Waldorf would say.. (quoting Dickens) ... Speedway: It sums up the best of times and the worst of times! For me, standing on the spectator side of the fence it's a sport. Go the other side and it's a business and sadly not the greatest of business models. It's like selling diesel cars, the car works well but it's future is less than bright

Speaking personally when I re-located I had no close association with a track unless I was willing to travel 30-40 miles which I was disinclined to do. When living in Oxford I was within walking distance of Cowley Stadium which suited me. Never having subscribed to SKY or any equivilant service I lost touch of current affairs but the sport still holds dear and the thirty plus years I spent following my team gives me great memories...wouldn't have changed it for the world.

yes two pointers I guess. Then ending the season as eight pointers. That Poole era in the 2nd division was a convey belt for Australasians. plenty of examples of two point Aussies in the Diamonds ranks during the National League era. No need to develop local talent back then. Plenty went from assessed two to second string in their first season then heat leader in their third. Hunter and Bargh (and others) were just before my time and missed out on seeing Shane Bowes progress when the Diamonds closed.

ah yes I recall Dugard, Havelock and Silver emerging at the same time. He was on a steep upward curve. World Finalist by 1990!!! 2nd season?? Remember seeing him at Brough in his first season. Scary but quick. Was always going to be a massive talent. yes. What about that group of Aussies. Wiltshire, Adams and Boyce all around the same time after a lean spell. All massive talents For some reason I don't ever recall seeing Mear ride live. Was he mostly top flight at Essex? Didn't he attempt a comeback at one point? Could he have gone on to have been international class?

It is true of a surprising number on this forum, but not all of us.

He's ridden more than Craig Cook in the last 17 months, so perhaps Cook should get the reduction instead!!

You would think that in a global pandemic that can still restrict travel, it would have been the more sensible option too...

Link for today - 2pm UK time

IMO Leicester look by far the best side to me. I know its not done on paper but jesus compared to other clubs they look strong. Douglas, Morris, Howarth, Proctor and Bates is one hell of a top5.

It's a lot more justifiable than Jason Crumps average reduction this year.

Extract " ...missed the latter half of the campaign through injury and underwent surgery on his shoulder. Whilst racing in New Zealand he has still been struggling with the pain, although managed to retain his New Zealand Solo Title and the New Zealand Grand Prix championship" Doesn't seem to me he has missed a season and a half.... Rode in and retained his National title. So he made a successful return but subsequently decided to rest again. He has ridden since too No reduction of any amount is justifiable

Maybe there's nobody better.

The biggest missed opportunity British Speedway had was when Sky got involved in 1999. They had the perfect opportunity to put together a proper business plan to invest the money into a proper structure to give it a solid foundation to build on and take the sport forward. But sadly, self interest got in the way.

IN each of the past two weeks NewsTeam have taken over the delivery of around 2,000 subscription copies of Speedway Star. This move was brought about following a winter of problems with Royal Mail (often because of staff shortages exacerbated by Covid, a backlog at sorting offices, etc). NewsTeam had built up a solid reputation for delivering daily newspapers and were expanding their portfolio. By coincidence I have had my newspapers delivered by them for over a year and have not missed a single day. That said, around 50 copies have failed to reach their destination, for all sorts of reasons. It is a very small percentage but one is one too many. We take seriously the loyalty of those subscribers who have stayed with us throughout this difficult period. We are working closely with NewsTeam to identify those who have not received their copy or have found it in a less than acceptable condition. The cost of delivering SS to subscribers, whether by Royal Mail or NewsTeam, is borne by Pinegen Limited. An annual subscription saves £36 as against purchasing from a retail outlet and there is no delivery charge. But that does not mean that we do not shoulder the responsibility for delivering our product on time and without damage. There are some addresses that are not suitable for NewsTeam delivery and, as these become apparent, we will endeavour to switch them back to Royal Mail. Many subscribers have expressed their delight at receiving their SS as if by magic in the early hours of Thursday or Friday. Satisfied customers far outweigh those who are not but, as stated, we take each individual case seriously and will look to improve as quickly as possible.