Blackadder

I totally agree. If the intention is to go with Simon and Adam, plus 2 or 3 from Andre, Facundo and Damien, it is important that the remaining places go to the likes of Bjerre, North, Lanham etc., and not to riders who have not come up to expectations previously. Aside from the sale of the club, the most important things are signing the correct riders for the remaining places in the main body of the team, returning the track surface to what it was 3 years ago, and smartening up the presentation.

For the last time, the decision has come from the SCB, not the BSPA.

It was announced in the spring that the SCB had sent a letter to all British promoters that APDs were to be compulsory at all British meetings from 2014, whether they were FIM meetings or not. To my knowledge, the contents of the letter have not been made public. My guess, and that's all it is, is that it has been done to prevent future litigation.

Some good points there. I was told that the track surface has not been topped up for about 3 years, and in my opinion that has contributed to the many defeats and processional racing. Presentation also needs refreshing. As for Damien, from my viewing angle, he has not yet mastered how to enter the first bend at Owlerton, a problem that Simon Lambert used to have. Once Simon sorted that out, he was a different rider and his general scoring improved. If Damien can do the same, he will improve no end.

Depending on the rest of the team, and I would like to see another Sheffield-based top scorer in Ty Proctor, it might be worth adding to the asset base and taking a punt on one of Facu's colleagues Facundo Cuello or Jonathan Iturre. Probably too much to hope for though.

According to the Speedway Star, Mr Hoggy is thought to be talking to Facundo and Damien next.

Simon Stead signs for Sheffield, http://speedwaystar.net/News.aspx

I think the air fence proposal came from the SCB, not the BSPA.

Roland Benko rode in the Top Gun Individual meeting at Sheffield in July. From Sheffield's website:- Club owner Neil Machin gave four new riders the chance to impress club bosses and they had varying fortunes. Argentinian youngster Itture looked impressive with two race victories and Roland Benko was solid to end on seven. Scores; Roynon 12+3, Newman 13+2, Albin 12+1, Worrall 12, Douglas 12, Itture 10, Chessell 10, Hopwood 8, Benko 7, Koppe 7, Payne 5, Priest 4, Sims 3, Williamson 2, Anderson 2, Phillips 1.

Exactly. Sheffield had to pay a loan fee for Simon Stead this year.

You are correct there. Over the last 2 years or so, a combination of poor weather, low crowds, inconsistent fixture lists, injuries and the attitudes of certain promoters and riders have all taken their toll. Then the air fence dictat from the SCB stirred things up even more. I think things have just got stale and he doesn't want the stress any more, and who can blame him?

I had to look back as far as 2006 to find Kyle's last season at Sheffield, which also featured the league debut of a young chap called Tai Woffinden. Sheffield Matches C.M.A. Comments / Grades E.L. C.M.A. 1 Andre Compton 36 9.65 N/E/R 2 Ricky Ashworth 40 7.74 3 Emiliano Sanchez 40 7.38 4 Ben Wilson 38 7.08 D/UP 3.00 5 Kyle Legault 36 6.75 6 Paul Cooper 39 3.79 B 7 Mark Thompson 2 B D/UP 7 Tai Woffinden 1 C D/UP . Also Ridden Benji Compton 35 3.10 B D/UP . Guests 6

Plus Benji Compton and Kyle Legault.

Off the top, I can think of Ben Wilson, Hugh Skidmore, Richard Hall, Emiliano Sanchez, Jake Knight, Facundo Albin, Damien Koppe, Andre Compton, and Klaus Jacobsen.

That is a good lineup, apart from Tyson Nelson who is too erratic for me. The promotion spent lots of time and money in trying to get him his first visa only for him to walk away to a better offer, so I don't think he would be welcome at Owlerton, even if he was available.

PL. Positives: As seen in the televised meeting between Somerset and Edinburgh, Speedway can be very enjoyable to watch on a good track featuring 2 well balanced teams. Negatives: Actions from the sport's governors have stagnated in recent years to an alarmimg degree, with too much fire fighting instead of being pro-active. You need to progress these days just to stand still, and generally, Speedway has not done that.

Sheffield had to pay a loan fee for Simon Stead this year. I don't know about any of the others, but definitely for Simon.

I have now seen that the directive to install APDs from 2014 has come from the SCB, not the FIM, and applies to all UK tracks. What is puzzling me now is why this directive was issued by letter and doesn't seem to be available on the SCB website. I am not arguing for or against APDs here, I would just like to know who can decide that established tracks could be forced to close if it wasn't financially and/or logistically possible to have one and why this information does not appear to be in the public domain.

I know that rider safety is paramount, but take the case of Sheffield, where their safety record is as good as anyones and better than most. On the basis of an apparently non-existent directive from the FIM they could be required to install an APD, close or change to Sundays. No-one knows what effect that would have on attendances. I don't think they have access to the track until 4.00pm on Thursdays, so they would have until about 6.45 to get everything out from storage and installed ready for the referee's inspection. It would all then have to be removed after each meeting. Would storage be an extra charge on the rental? There are also labour costs. As a new fence would not bring extra people through the turnstiles, the cost will have to be taken by the promotion and/or riders' points money decreased. Sheffield have had a terrible season for injuries, but not one of them happened at Sheffield. The source of the instruction to install APDs and the effect it could have on UK tracks is still puzzling.

That's what I thought, as I had a quick look around the FIM website and couldn't see anything relevant. So, who started all this off then, and why?

Has anyone actually seen a directive from the FIM that air or foam fences should be compulsory for non-FIM meetings in 2014?

As I understand it, the 8 day rule for guests does not apply to the home team.

Sheffield. Richard Lawson, Andre Compton, Ricky Wells, Danny Maassen, R/R, Oliver Greenwood, Facundo Albin. Ipswich. Ben Barker, Ritchie Hawkins, Morten Risager, Rohan Tungate, Leigh Lanham, Cameron Heeps, Adam Ellis.

BBC weather forecast shows the possibilty of the odd light shower for a couple of hours from about 5.00pm, so hopefully the meeting will be on ok. As for the result, I think a lot will depend on which engine Facu brings.

Initial report on Mitchell Davey was a badly broken femur after colliding with Oliver Greenwood's back wheel and going over the fence on to the dog track; hope you make a full recovery Mitchell.