Al Stewart

Nobody watching on TV can blame the track because the incident was out of camera. The Sayfutdinov crash a few weeks ago was a different matter, that was caused by the need to ride very wide to use the dirt at the fence, with both Emil and Jack Holder going for it. "High risk but high reward" is exactly the right description. I think Sheffield are using it to intimidate the opposition and it should be discouraged as strongly as possible. It's not the kind of speedway I want to watch.

Does anyone know who the Live Stream commentators for Scunny are? I always liked Dan's enthusiasm but the two doing it now also seem very fair. One of them seems to be an ex-rider.

Thanks for the info. Can't travel far these days so I would have liked to see the Academy match as well, never mind.

I've heard it suggested that both parts of the double header will be streamed but on the website it is only the Championship match at £11.99.

This is a misunderstanding of the rule. There is no reason why Berwick should not get IRR for an existing injury. They could have had a full rider replacement had they not allowed Kerr the chance to ride, so they are not gaining anything through IRR.

The match is still a contest but it becomes about taking as many points as you can from the good gates, and scrambling for a few crumbs off the bad gates. The course of the match is pretty much pre-determined. The narrative appears to be, on Friday and Saturday, that the home teams started well but Poole fought back. The true story is that the home teams started on the good gates and then had to cope with the bad gates. Individual riders are unlikely to score maximums because they are almost certain to be beaten out of the gate at least a couple of times. How the match would have been had gates been even, no-one can say. It’s not how it should be, and I presume it is accidental, down to weather or other occurrences. It would be a truer test if the gates were even. In both matches the home team had the advantage of choosing in heat 15, Edinburgh taking the win and Berwick just failing to get a draw due to Lawson’s effort.

One of the most under-appreciated things I believe is the huge difference that unequal starts can make to a match. Most of all if it is either gates 1 and 3 or gates 2 and 4 which are dominant rather than eg gates 1 and 4. I quite often check to see what the balance is and the trigger for having a look is when matches swing one way then the other. Tonight at Berwick was an example with Berwick going 10 ahead then finally losing. I checked the gates over heats 1 to 14 and found: Gate 1 29 pts, Gate 2 11 pts, gate 3 27 pts, gate 4 17 pts. In other words gates 1 and 3 totalled 56, gates 2 and 4 totalled 28. I can’t remember seeing a more unbalanced set of gates and it explains almost totally how the match went. Berwick should have capitalised on having gates 1 and 3 in the last heat but they fell just short. Last night at Edinburgh gates 1 and 3 totalled 50, gates 2 and 4 34, and again it explains the course of the match. Usually the gates at Edinburgh are more even than that. Generally matches will be close when gates are uneven because both teams get an equal chance at the favourable gates. That is NOT the same as saying “It’s the same for both sides” because unequal gates work against the stronger team, the one likely to win if gates are even.

Unfortunately it has now had to be postponed until later in the season due to rider availablility.

For any supporters wishing to back the Ben Fund Bonanza here are the supporter packages. Individual Rider Sponsor £250 · Admission for 1 adult · Souvenir programme · Your sponsored riders race jacket at the end of the meeting · Opportunity to meet your sponsored rider before the meeting. · Name in souvenir programme Email benfundbonanza@yahoo.com for payment details and your name for the programme Tyre/Fuel Sponsor £50 · Admission for 1 adult · Name in the Souvenir programme Email benfundbonanza@yahoo.com for payment details and your name for the programme Rider Mascot £40 Admission for mascot plus 1 parent/guardian Souvenir Programme Walk out on parade with nominated rider. Memento from the meeting Opportunity to watch the first race from the centre green. Opportunity to watch the final race from the centre green. Email benfundbonanza@yahoo.com for payment details please include the mascots name & age. Track Walk £10 donation. Opportunity to walk the track under the guidance of a current or retired rider. £10 cash will be payable on the day to the track walk coordinator. All track walkers will be emailed on or before the 14th March with details of where and what time you meet for your walk Email benfundbonanza@yahoo.com with the name of who will be taking the track walk. Work alongside the meeting referee –auction The winning bidder will gain Admission and programme. Designated parking You will meet with the meeting referee and take part in the referees pre meeting track walk. Be part of the rider briefing Spent the meeting in the referee’s box working alongside the meeting referee. Have the opportunity start a race(s) under the guidance of the meeting referee. The winning bidder will be contacted on 8th March with payment details and a time & place to meet our referee for the day. We are asking for bids to Start from £100 Email benfundbonaza@yahoo.com with your name, contact details including telephone number & bid amount.

Josh has told us he will not be riding for any team in the Championship other than Edinburgh. He is looking to move up not sideways.

Here are some comments that might be relevant to this discussion. 1. In considering a rider I believe the factors Edinburgh would take into account are: Quality, Cost, Availability. Nationality would not be considered. 2. Danny Phillips and Greg Blair were mentioned as possible alternatives to Dayle Wood. Meaning no disrespect, I would back Dayle to beat either of them currently at Armadale. 3. In my opinion we have not tried hard enough to replace Dayle and we have done him no favours by asking him to step into that role before he is ready. He is a good, entertaining NDL standard rider who has improved over the season. 4. HOWEVER it is not easy to find a really good replacement. We tried right up to the signing cutoff to bring Luke Killeen into our 1-7 but he preferred to remain a guest only. I think he was mistaken and has therefore had fewer bookings than he might have had. 5. Anyone else we might have asked, such as Sam Hagon, Max Perry or Max James, may or may not have wanted the job but possibly might have cost quite a bit, ridden better but not scored much more, and would be very unlikely to become an Edinburgh rider. Geography is always a problem for us.

OK

But he did, according to the updates, and won the heat.

Has anyone quoted this yet: 4.2.4 A chain guard/cover that becomes inoperative or detached during a heat will not be subject to disqualification

But not the Berwick v Armadale from 22/7, does anyone have those?