Hackett

Buxton were pretty poor and fortunate to have a guest as good as Danny Ayres. He has got better every visit around Arlington and certainly showed the Eagles the fastest way round the track. He deserved a full maximum but blew it on the last bend. Fair play to Ayres as although a guest was helping out and helping the injured Buxton rider. With Adam Ellis out for a few weeks I would think that Ayres would certainly be considered as a guest for the Eagles. Plus Baseby was good value for the Eagles too. Good to see Georgie Wood looking a lot more competitive too ....

Bridger was excellent last night. You just wish he can get his head right and knuckle down. Hopefully with Pro-revolution team dealing with the bikes all will be good + he can continue to score well at Lakeside and improve his away form.

Great result for Kent ... imagine most would of anticipated the much touted Brummies blowing them away. Kings are in the mix.,

Was the track that bad or was it just slicker than a stripper's bikini line.

A one armed Adam Ellis will score more than the Eagles reserves ..

All they need now is a new stadium !

Can see the lack of fixtures costing The Aces ... Hammers by 10 !

Live in Wallington, Surrey - So 75 min drive to Arlington each fortnight weather permitting. Lakeside is probably closest but Fri night on M25 and working in Central London that is never going to happen.

Any news on Adam Ellis took a serious soil sample at Monmore Green last night from all accounts !!

Masters has started the season in good form. I would wait to make any comment on Wolves once they have ridden against Poole and Belle Vue Aces at Monmore those two teams are stronger than Hammers who are notoriously poor travellers. But they look pretty solid throughout with Masters, Lindgren, JK, Thorsell, Bech and Howarth at reserve. Certainly wont be winning the wooden spoon this season.

Backed Swindon to win - Just couldn't gate until too late in the meeting .... Certainly think reason that Rosco let riders know the situation in the pits was that 4 points dropped by Swindon. Lions look like a team of 2nd strings and two decent reserves.

Could only get winner bet - and Swindons' gating resulted in no return from the bookies - Shame I couldnt of found the Doyle top scorer and Lions reserves to outscore Robins reserves to re-coup some money.

Looking for betting on tonights Sky sports EL meet and cant find anything - Looking at Sky Bet in play for tonight no mention of speedway. Ladbrokes , Paddypower nowt !!

If I can find a bookie taking bets on speedway - Swindon to win - Doyle to score double figures and Auty and Starke at reserve to outscore Robins reserves. SkyBet doesn't even have EL speedway ....

It is Woffy's choice. I wonder if the situation would be different if he was seeded straight to the Final ??? If he feels it would be more beneficial to him not to ride the British Final then so be it. The British Final is a grand title in prestige and history but little more. It is not as if the British Final comes with huge sponsorship and financial gain. Not riding in the UK it is logistically expensive. As for the SWC ; Rosco and Chapman have no option but to adhere to his requests as Woffinden is the only British World Class rider - without him there is no chance of Gold. With him comes every likelyhood of a full-house at Belle Vue.

Totally agree ... cam in at short notice last season and was excellent support for BWD ... hope that he gets fixed up to a club close to home and scores plenty of points. Most likely a game of numbers - how many #1's have the Eagles tried and been knocked back from - 6 riders they stated on twitter. Imagine that the Dugards have had little or no option. As for the Spillers they have school and undoubtedly will be considered later in the year if that can improve the chances of the team.

No fully understand that Go Speed and TRussell have the rights to the sport on VT unfortunately unless his pockets are lined he isn't willing to allow any footage. Cant remember which rider it was but they wanted footage of them racing to put on DVDs or presentations to wannabe sponsors and they were refused permission. #PATHETIC from Go Speed.

My two children are 6 and 9 and they love the sport but then I guess there is a fair part of "peer pressure" from the parents. Currently the cost isn't an issue as at Eastbourne kids go FREE - !!! They enjoy the chance to go into the pits and see the riders and look and sit on the bikes. Cameron Woodward was excellent advertisement for the sport and my daughter would draw him pictures for his pitwall. Hans Andersen was another that was good with photo opportunities with kids in the pits. The IT Eagles riders last year offered photo opportunities all the time. The moment Tai Woffinden took time to have his photo with my children at Arlington they were his fans for life ... Teams need to do more. Attracting new kids has to be all about marketing , visiting schools showing them the bikes , montages of racing, overtakes crashes with music. Better merchandise - track shops are generally an embarrassment. Proper merchandise kids size shirts and not at £45+ or looking like somebody has used a job lot of cheap tshirts or caps. The sport needs to be more pro-active - Get the Elite League or clubs to be allowed to put footage out on You Tube. Each club be pro-active and be allowed to put VT out there - Cleancut , Re-Run GRT Media all film meetings sure they could do some great editing to music and put it out on a clubs official You Tube page. SpeedwayGP, Greg Hancock, Tai Woffinden and SEC do a decent job - British Speedway needs to do the same ... It is not about lining an individual or a couple of peoples pockets it is about pushing the sport forward and promoting ... Kids will follow the races avidly when the bikes are on track or riding to the tapes BUT if the meeting is drawn out they are easily soon bored especially if a meeting takes 2.5hrs plus with limited entertainment in between races. Add on 80 minutes travelling time to and from the stadium it can be a long afternoon or evening.

The riders this year all have a chance of progressing if they can do so the Eagles will once again be competitive and hopefully the play-offs. Not sure how anyone can say this team isn't as strong as Eagles 2015 ... the Eagles that won the Cup treble wasn't the original team. As both David Mason + Danny Warwick were injured pretty early in the season and it was the excellent work Connor Dugard did getting replacements in throughout the season that was the deciding factor . Hopwood was excellent ; as were all the signings giving the team more impetus and strength. It is unlikely anybody could guarantee the progress that BWD, Andrews, Wood and Spiller would make when they were brought into the side. League looks as though it will be ultra competitive which is good news for the National League ....

Speedway Star - 3 spots remain - a new #1 and only one rider from 2015. Can see that being Mark Owen but Eagles and Connor Dugard seem to have the riders in place not announced yet.

BWD was excellent at Arlington last season - refused to give up and will give 100% every meeting. If he arrives with decent sponsorship and kit BWD will do a decent job for the rebels. Would think that he will certainly improve on that average if he gets time to bed into the team.

Agreed in his first heat Sunday he was gone after he gated. Then put in a great chase on BWD then found himself on the outside gate as track slickened off. He has a good style and never gives up. Perhaps a season at Eastbourne with Martin Dugard giving him advice on starting would be an option for 2016 ;-)

Should be a good meeting the Eagles hopes of a win will depend on Hopwood and BDW repeating their domination over the Coventry heatleaders - a tough ask. The fitness of Georgie Wood at reserve will also be important. If the Eagles reserve pairing can match the Storms then the Eagles may find the elusive away win but the 4s' form around Coventry would suggest this is a tough ask. Hopefully return to Sussex with a point minimum.

On Speedwaygb.co it states that Dugard is taking time out of the sport so the Eagles have moved for Cottham. Shame for Kelsey as yes he was prone to the odd fall and struggled away but scored ok at Arlington - but perhaps with r/r for Andrews over next couple of weeks they feel they need guarantees at reserve.

Shame on Howarth , I have been impressed with his attitude and riding skills since last season. Doubt he will be without an EL team for long - Wolves, Leicester and possibly the Bees could consider him.