mikec

For me the Aces pair in heat 15 had to be Bewley & Fricke, despite how well Tungate had ridden last night (& has done over recent months round the NSS). Bewley was carrying loads of speed all night & the experience he'll have gained from that heat 15 battle (& others he's been selected for this season) can only benefit his progession in the sport.

Have already tweeted Speedway GB suggesting that posting the video of that race might be a good idea in terms of showcasing how brilliant their product can be. It had everything - speed, skill, showing total trust in your rival - oh & having cojones the size of melons!

Just a comment on the late start. Heard Max Fricke was at the track on time, but van with his gear was delayed. Maybe Phil the Ace or Rob will know if that's true. Max wasn't in his racesuit at 7.30pm anyway.

Congratulations to the Stars. When it came to the crunch, hts 13 & 15, Lambert and Iversen delivered. Iversen used all his experience & trackcraft in heat 15 to check Bewley's momentum coming off the fourth bend lap 2 when it looked like Dan was gonna swoop round him again. He's a class act NKI, fair play. Just a mention too for heat 11 involving Fricke, Lambert & Erik Riss - heart in my mouth as they passed & re-passed - not to mention both Fricke & Lambert nearly coming off their bikes at different points, 100% commitment from all three, breathtaking action!

Well at least it was closer than I expected. Great to see the Pie-man rattle off those early wins, though he'll be less happy with the 3 subsequent falls. However he's showing improvement, long may it continue. Saw Drew Kemp late last season at BV & was impressed then. But was thrilling to watch his trackcraft in heats 13 & 15, phenomenal for one so young! A future star, absolutely no doubts about that.

Very tough gig for the Colts this one. Looking forward to it as there's some exciting young racers in action. Bright and breezy in Manchester right now, hopefully a decent crowd to enjoy the racing. Prediction 52-38 Fen Tigers.

Would happily take a 46-44 against a Rebels side who've given the Aces plenty of problems over the last two seasons at the NSS. Dróżdż & Etheridge really shone last Monday against the Robins, need them to again. Will be tough for them to repeat though, as Allen & Covatti carry a far greater threat imo than, with all due respect, Wajtknecht & Smith did last week at 6 & 7. Doyle & Holder were outstanding here in the A fixture which was a thriller culminating in a nerve shredding last heat decider which the Aces shaded (just!). Expecting similar again, can't wait!

Agreed, certainly on the evidence of the early stages of this meeting, really enjoying it!

Piotr Pawlicki 7 - 9 60 more Lambert 7 - 9 60 more Hampel 11 - 13 80 less

I commented on here a couple of months ago that the fixed race nights were harming my club, only to receive a snide tweet about my observations on the matter. No one is laughing now. If the news is true, hope Rye come back in 2019.

Had a wander through the grandstand before heat 12, looked pretty busy to me. Plenty staying in the Peter Craven Suite to take advantage of the air-con! Back straight stand looked ok too, not Bank Holiday Monday crowd level, but not terrible by any means.

Fair comment from Rob I would say. And what a heat 14 by the way! You will go a long way to watch a better speedway race than that anywhere.

Lambert 50 more Lindback 30 more Huckenbeck 20 more

Think Shanes is a great signing. Flint helluva prospect, Colts have nothing at reserve. Hope I'm wrong, but going 55-35 Brummies. Really looking forward to the return here in Manchester in Friday though - after the brilliant British Final I need my NSS racing fix!

No issues with website, 114zl inc programme, usual spot, top tier 3rd bend yellow zone (away fans sector for Polish league matches). Flights from Manchester & hotels sorted too, can't wait!

Couldn't agree more Phil, choice of race night poor too, should have been the Saturday night. Not keen on the format either. All that said, the prospect of watching the GB, Aus, Sweden teams & in my opinion dark horse French pair do battle on our track in what should be ideal conditions was too good to resist. Certainly should be better than the first semi final anyway!

Can only think King was carrying an injury?? He was dreadful, usually much better than that round BV.

Riss extremely impressive today, 4 rides 4 wins. A contract offer to him in the offing I wonder......???

Really looking forward to this one. Weather forecast looking good, even a bit of overnight rain to help the track. Great to see Kenny Bjerre grace the NSS again, would have him back in Aces colours in a heartbeat, top drawer. King & Andersen good round our place too, think we'll boss at reserve though. Prediction: Aces 50 Lions 40.

No massive expectations for tomorrow night from an Aces point of view unfortunately. Could do with Tungate carrying his speed from Monday into this one, great to watch, especially heat 15 v Iversen and Lambert. Not expecting much from reserve, don't remember Bewley scoring too big here either. Sorry to be a tad negative, prediction 52-38 Rebels. Will be delighted to be proved wrong though.

Phil's right, brilliant race.

Lemo hinted at the end of match press conference last Monday that using RR/guest for Steve Worrall might not continue to be the preferred option for too much longer. Big opportunity for Garrity tomorrow night to stake a claim for that spot.

Bewley is still a novice, albeit a brilliant one. I worry about him being fast tracked a, into meetings like this and b, into Polish League racing. Not because of ability, just give the kid chance to enjoy his racing relatively pressure free & develop naturally. And give him a chance in the close season to set up bikes & mechanics in the various countries that will give him the best chance to flourish.

Let's calm down on young Dan, tonight was only ever gonna be experience for him. Maybe concentrate on Lambert, he's really kicked on a level in 2018, great to see.

Was thinking the only way we might avoid defeat to the Stars in this one without Cook & Fricke was if K Bjerre was one of the riders available to step in, which of course he isn't. Await guest announcements with interest...