Sings4Speedway

Im not sold on the Mildenhall side i think Eastbourne & Cradley look the standout teams so far although i suspect Belle Vuentry will be strong also if they get Bewley, Smith & Bickley. Eastbourne look to be the only side that will constantly have a strong reserve pairing which is a proven winning formula.

Looks like a very solid line up. Extance was hot property before his knee? issues with Cradley after him at one point. He will either have his own good equipment or a deal with Eastbourne that puts him on good bikes so either way he will be well set and i think he will make a mockery of his sub 5 average.

Shane would be a good signing for anyone. Started to really get going last season until his horror injury but providing he is fit would be an excellent signature. Im not sure why Kingston is mentioned so often asset or not. He has proven time and again to be unreliable & temperamental. The talent is there but its very raw, his ratio of falls is high & number of times he poodles round at the back is higher. Ive only seen Gilkes a few times but he walks & acts every bit a rider who is due a future in the sport (which is not a good thing). Don't know how much assistance he gets from Revolution but every little helps. Im just not sure how much competitive racing he has actually done? He only competed in 2 of the youth rounds at tracks he knows & i would have though he would be looking to do more if he was planning to move up?

Appreciated. Although looking at this round & the previous there aren't a glut of unsigned/new riders ready to go. Unless riders are in the open class NL should be a big no no so apart from the Woodhull's & Ryan MacDonald there isn't really anyone else. Hats off to Kinsley who appears to be flying at the moment. Back to Cradley and i think the Dwyer signing is a better one than many might give credit. There are a few tracks where he had a shocker last year but for the most part he is a very capable rider who has gained some solid experience and is capable of scoring big points this year.

Very surprised that Ritchings is included as he was definitely the weakest link last year but his shortcomings were hidden as the rest of the team performed so well but will be exposed this season. Its certainly apparent that some sides are finding it difficult to build a balanced team and in reality Brum have 4 x 7 pointers (JPB marginally under, Bacon nearer 8). Still a frustratingly decent side being put together though.

With the Nl looking to bring in and develop young/new riders lets see how many progress through from the mini training track/ Oh wait that was bulldozed to make extra parking with the promise of being re-instated that never materialised. If they want to spring a Christmas surprise then the recreation of the youth training track would be one of the best for the sport but i won't hold my breath.

Agreed. Sadly Sam is often let down by his machinery and then starts to feel the pressure to score points and suffers silly falls. If he can find a serious cash injection into equipment i feel he has the potential to be a 5 point man this season if he can't its a place that should really go to somebody else. Of the others mentioned ive heard good things about Charlie Brooks but how much strong competitive racing has he done? Alex Spooner definitely needs another year in the MDL at least and NL racing now would do more harm than good.

Seems slightly strange that all the years Tom rode the Buxton track his best performances came as an away rider? Either way he should be capable of maintaining his average but im not sure if he will add more than 0.5 to it.

There's no doubt that doubt that Layne owes the Warriors a debt of gratitude however im sure ive seen somewhere that it meant he & his father were taking two days off work for home meetings? I guess there becomes a limit between where a rider would like to be & where they can afford to be?

No debating that however given the injuries the man has had its amazing that he still has an arm attached. I for one am not sure i could watch a meeting with him involved as whilst he may be sublime out front a couple of nasty first corners could have terrible consequences.

The problem is there aren't really and riders available near 5.21. Cottham on 4.70 or Terry-Daley on 4.55 are as near as you would get and would leave the team at least 0.5 under the limit. If you could tempt a rider out of retirement Sam Chapman 5.18, Mikey Neale 4.85 or Moggo Jnr on 4.94 changes the look of the side completely but the last 3 would be rusty.

Its a very tight limit to keep the reserves in place and even harder to keep them there. Think Harris & Dwyer look most likely and fit in the gap although perhaps Tedham for Harris is a possibility? Either way with the four lower order riders its going to leave two good reserves but two weaker 2nd strings all season unless one or two kick on.

Has anybody been banned for life? I remember Danny Bird getting a substantial ban but that's about it. Since then there have been on track brawls & silencer tampering that resulted in suspended sentences, small fines and some character defamation. Hall & Tungate received bans for violent conduct but they weren't for very long. As things stand punishments for foul play are not strict or harsh enough to act as any form of deterrent.

True although 14ish of those places are at reserve and will be filled by 3 pointers from this season but not on the list or rookies. Some riders will move on to do higher leagues only which is great to see Perks for example but there will be a few established NL names who are casualties. That said i think its a positive thing as i would much rather see competition for places than the issues faced last winter where there were not enough riders to go round so early indications say the 39 point limit is a positive move.

Agreed or make provisional signings. Its been said if the limit was 40 Shanes in, 39 Shanes out. Surely that deal would have applied better to Clifton and include Shanes regardless?

Would seem a little foolish if they do. Whilst promoting the future, young riders etc etc lakeside have started to assemble a competitive side and will need it to be both capable & competitive if they have any hope of winning over Premiership supporters

Strikes me that there were issues early. Danny turned down before the close of the season as he wanted more time to consider his options for higher leagues, Len doesn't like being turned down so withdrew the offer which isn't the first time he has done that. The first 2/3 signings were made before the agm and then finger off the pulse is surprised at the rule change. Ayres or Shanes could have fitted with Bowen, Thomas & Hopwood plus 3 x 3 pointers but not if Clifton had been included already so Clifton in Shanes out! Im pretty certain Hopwood is nailed on so it leaves 13.7 for the final 3. That means either 2 x 3 pointers & 7.7 for a heatleader. Problem is Len can't pick a 3 pointer unless he falls in front of him and all the heat leaders around that average are gone so i suspect it could be tricky to even build near the points limit and remain competitive.

Thats enough of a rumour for me.

You didn't see much of Connor Locke then On a serious note Basford seemed to get decent returns at home but struggled away whereas Burton seemed to struggle on his home track but did alright on the road. In fairness i don't know how many additional points threw away by falling & Burton is certainly not the only rider to struggle with the Buxton track.

A lot of clubs are asking that exact question. With the MDL being shrunken down last season meaning less rides for riders to develop & most of the rich pickings from the youth rounds taken the number of ready & capable 3 pointers is limited. Perhaps the academy at Lakeside can throw up a couple of riders but have they done any competitive racing?

Nathan Stoneman would be a perfect fit with 2 x 3 pointers however i suspect there could be a bidding war for riders like Stoneman or Smith? Based upon averages riders like Danny Phillips or Rob Shuttleworth must also be in the mix? Looking at last years green sheets there are a lot of riders who are going to miss out on a starting place this year.

Not exactly a surprise signing or one that is going to appease the Kings supporters after the loss of both Danny & James. It was pretty obvious that Luke was going to be at Kent or nowhere this season and whilst he will be a very solid rider if he can avoid getting beaten up with injuries again i still don't see him achieving much more than his average. I suspect most Kings would have preferred a lower averaged rider @ 2 if it meant Danny or James was included in the side.

Very true however i said the same thing about Layne last season and that resulted in him jumping from Kings Lynn before he was pushed, bombing at Cradley and only finally getting going on the Island. I don't doubt his ability in fact i think he has more talent than most reserves signed this season its just the confidence side that seems to let him down. IF Brum can unlock the best of him they have a very good signing.

Im yet to be convinced by Burton. Seems to lack some of the basics required which led to a few falls last year and ultimately time out injured. That said he was forced to ride most of the season in the main body of the team & has now seen most of the tracks so has the potential to do a job at reserve but my personal opinion is that Basford would have been a better bet.

I'm certainly not against giving new things a try, far from it but I just want thongs to be considered fully and documented correctly so everyone knows the rules and how they are to be applied. I just tire of new initiatives being implemented and not thoroughly thought through and then rulings made on the fly to cover eventualities that should have been foreseen.