Aces51

BSPA statement http://speedwaygb.co/news.php?extend.30446

Pleased to see we've now got a fixture this week after the two Bank Holiday postponements. Very good of Mildenhall to agree to the change of date at such short notice. Should be a good crowd for the opening meeting at the NSS,.

A jack of all trades but master of none, never ask his advice.

If it was guests they were worried about they wouldn't have approved Pedersen's move to Poole.

I think asking any print journalist for a plan to save anything is tantamount to asking a downing man for swimming lessons. The demise of the print media makes speedway look like a success story.

I hope there is some positive news soon. Presumably, the new financial backers must feel confident that the stadium will become a reality otherwise, I can't see why they would have got involved. Swindon are in an even more difficult position than we were. At least we could deal direct with the Council who were building the stadium solely for our use whereas you're dependent on private enterprise building what is primarily a Greyhound Stadium as part of a deal to build housing. I hope the Council and local MP will make sure it happens. I think it will.

That must account for all the publicity prior to the opening then.

For a minority sport competing with the major sports in the city there has been an enormous amount of publicity about the new stadium. On local TV, radio and the Manchester Evening News both leading up to the official opening and then continuing through the trauma of the repairs and the first meeting last Friday. There are also huge hoardings advertising the SWC.

Yes, my mistake, it is Cook, I looked at the wrong column. I agree don't think it weakens us a lot although bit difficult to know considering none of them have yet ridden a competitive race at the NSS.

According to the latest averages on the BSPA site it will be Nicholls, Richie Worrall and the reserves.

Apparently, r/r for Max Fricke. This is a recently arranged fixture so his Danish club have preference. I think that definitely helps the Robins.

How dare you be so disrespectful, stock up on Werthers Originals and Ovaltine indeed! My concession ticket savings are going towards my new BMW, I've already paid for the winter holiday out of my inflation proof pension. Surely, none of you ungrateful youngsters can deny me some pleasure. I also do quite well sitting outside the stadium entrance with my dog and a notice mentioning my children, even though they left home many years ago. I reckon Gemini has missed a trick there.

Forecast now looking a bit better. No longer heavy rain all day but now light rain during the early hours and during the day possibly until 7pm. Obviously, still not promising but plenty of time for it to change for the better. Fingers crossed.

I hope you're right about Richie. The likelihood is he will soon swap with Steve which will give him a false average but he has started the season well for Glasgow. I'm sure every team hopes their 4/5 riders are really 6/7 point second strings but that is part of Coventry's problem. Not many thought and now think that Woryna is going to do that well and Garrity is going to struggle to do the same.

Email sent.

My intention and understanding is that 4/5 refers to 4 or 5, ie. any rider averaging between 4 and 6. If I had intended to exclude those averaging between 5 and 6 I would have said 4 to 5 or 4-5. Regardless of that your argument is plainly lost because as I have shown, this year, under this format, 7 riders have been signed with an average of less than 5 to ride in the main body of the teams. That is a fact and proves there is a need. To argue otherwise is to claim they were signed despite not being needed. As for MPT, Belle Vue needed him under this format and he improved his average and was one of the most popular riders we have had in recent years. The only way teams will not need 4/5 point riders with the present points limit is to sign five 6 to 7 point riders. Obviously, nearly every team has chosen not to do that and to try to sign as many decent heat leaders as are available, leaving 4/5 point vacancies for the second strings. Which is why they are needed.

I've said it before, I can't see it working if EL clubs run one team with the top riders with a few meetings and then a PL level team. However it is sold fans will regard the PL side as their second team and fans never turn out in anything like the same numbers to see what they will regard as second best. Another difficulty will be that those clubs with only a PL team will still want to run the number of fixtures they now do. How are the EL clubs going to run all those PL meetings plus 7,8 or 9 EL meetings.

Very difficult to estimate but I thought there was about 800 there. Difficult to say how good that is. It was after all a third division match but against that, the first meeting at the NSS but people also knew the Aces would be at home less than a week later. Crowds were extremely poor the last time we were in the NL so overall, I think it was a very good turnout. That was the best race but the overall standard of racing was good. In any event I think we need to have a few more meetings and let the track settle down before we see how good it is.

This video from heat 13 last night shows what the track is like. Brilliant ride from Jon Armstrong. http://www.speedwaygb.co/news.php?extend.30426

Heat 13, a brilliant race, well done Jon Armstrong.

I was in the process of replying but then saw SCB's post. He says pretty much what I would have said but he probably said it more succinctly.

Is it just me.

Not at all. If you read my original post and quote it accurately I said 4/5 point riders, not 4-5.In other words riders averaging 4 or 5. Hence my reference to riders averaging between 4 and 6. However you try to twist it, the facts are that virtually every team signed a 4 point rider this year. R Worrall, Woryna, Jakobsen/Huckenbeck,Tungate, Sedgmen, Swiderski, Klindt, effectively 7. How long they last is immaterial for the point I was making, which was that most teams need, because they sign, 4/5 point riders. I also said in that same post#3141, that I wasn't suggesting that Palm-Toft is the answer to Coventry's problems, simply mentioning him as a 100% trier because of the references to him in the preceding posts.

Wolverhampton usually does produce good racing, although it seems to me that it has not been as good the last couple of years. I have not been to Lakeside but have seen some decent matches from there on TV and read good reports about other meetings from people I respect. However, in my opinion a good big track produces a better overall racing spectacle than a good small track. Having been brought up at Hyde Road, like any track it had poor meetings with processional racing but the overall standard was arguably the best I've seen. Kirkmanshulme Lane was capable of producing good racing and the standard the last few years wasn't bad. However, the point being made is that given the opportunity a big track is the way to go. Having now had the opportunity to watch the racing at the NSS last night highlighted what I have been missing since the demise of Hyde Road. It's early days and it will take time for riders to discover and learn all of the racing lines but I am convinced that the promotion made the right decision in going for a big track.

A most enjoyable meeting with a good crowd. The stadium is fantastic with excellent viewing right up close to the action, and the banked ultra fast track produced some good racing with passing both inside and out wide. Dan Bewley was very impressive particularly so considering his very limited experience.