iainb

Belle Vue is one of the safest tracks in the world, there wasn't a single fall last night and nobody really looked like they were getting into much trouble, yes visibilty was an issue and the track was pretty much shot by heat 14. If we're going to wait for perfect conditions, especially in Manchester, we may as well shut up shop now.

It's alright, Fricke will be at reserve soon and then watch us go!

1. Can you imagine him as your team captain getting in your head all night long!

1. I've seen him single handedly getting a meeting abandoned at Peterborough a few years back when there was absolutely nothing wrong with the track, and listening to him over the last few meetings I can see exactly why. 2. He needs a ladder to get on his bike

Credit to all the riders for getting on with it, it wasn't pretty but at least it's a result

What a pathetic display from the Lions... has anybody seen the panic button?

Will there be a happy ending to this meeting?

Especially with the crowd it's attracted

Listening to Schlein on commentary it's easy to imagine how he talks himself out of riding when the track is anything other than perfect. He'll be trying to get this one called off from the commentary box!

Fricke started last season like this, he really should be doing better, especially around BV!

Is there anywhere we can view the data from these transponders?

Mine was for less than that, only a minute I think, I watch on the Internet browser on my Samsung TV though

I'm not so sure you can pause it and then pick up where you left off. I've tried this in the past and though it did pause, when I pressed play again it just picked up the live coverage... of course this could have changed since I last tried it and it may depend on what platform you're watching it on. I know you CAN do the pause and restart with the Discovery+ app on android platforms and also start watching that as live at any time. Up the Lions!

Riders are self employed are they not? If they're a limited company they are employees of the company they are a director of... nothing to do with the club

I'm sorry, I just don't get why we're punishing the team and the paying fans for something a rider has done and only on that 1 single night. A club can't be responsible for what a rider does, much in the same way that they're not responsible if a rider gets injured riding for a different club and sometimes in a different country. Take Charles Wright getting injured riding for Wroclaw last year, should Redcar have had a facility? Of course they should, I fail to see the difference. What if a rider had drugs in his system from "partying" with a different club? Should Poole not have had a facility for 1 match when Darcy Ward got busted at a GP a few years back? I agree with your last point, can't see it myself though

I'm not sure if it does now, but didn't R/R allow 1 rider above the rider it's replacing to take a ride? For a reserve, It's not rocket science, you just allow the next highest rider to take a ride, if that is a reserve in heat 2 and obviously the other rider is already involved, use the next highest, maybe at the expense of being able to use a TS in the riders ride later in the meeting. It is entirely possible to write rules to cover such an eventuality. There seems to be a rather large hole in the rules as it currently stands. As for Plan B, why are you continuing to punish the team with all the handicap starts?

A rider doesn't necessarily need to be replaced with another rider, there are other facilities RR and IRR for example. There may also be a rider in attendance in the pits who might want to step in I very much doubt the implementation of this rule has been thought through, why would you want to punish the team for something a rider has done of his own volition? And especially when they've not even been proven to be guilty! The rulebook does stress that the rider is not guilty after the first test, so why the punishment? And again I ask what would happen, if the meeting was abandoned, for the restaging? I'm glad you can see that it is inconsistent though, whether you agree with it or not. I don't know why you'd want to see a team penalised just for one night though?

In my time I've seen plenty of crap meetings on "perfect" tracks and some belters on so called crap tracks. A "crap" track can often be a great leveller

I don't have an issue at all with the testing procedure it is tried and tested, while not wanting to see any riders test positive, if they do they must face the consequences. What I do have an issue with is the inconsistency with the rules regarding the replacement for the not innocent rider. An inconsistency that was revealed last year and still seems to be in place for this year.

You're right of course... but they can't even think sufficiently about themselves let alone anybody else. Either you should get a facility or you don't, I don't know why the clock passing midnight should make any difference.

Is that right? I've had a look through the rules... but it's a heavy read! Couldn't see anything, that's not to say it's not there. The only thing I could see was that the excluded riders rides can be taken by a reserve or TS 08.2.2 z

I'm looking at the bigger picture not specifically just last night. Last year at Birmingham, when Nick Morris got busted, from memory it couldn't/wasn't announced to the crowd and they had to compete without him, at the time Brummies were going through a particularly tough time, especially with their crowds and it's not inconceivable that events like this could lead to a clubs closure, especially if a few that are turning up say stuff this for a game of soldiers, I ain't coming again. Then the very next day they are granted a facility to cover for him, well, why not on the night, what's the difference? Like I've already said, what if the meeting was abandoned and had to be re-staged, do they go into that with no facility? Even though the rest of the team may be different and they've probably been riding the previous meetings with a facility, where is the consistency?

No, I agree, I can't see the 2nd test of the same sample returning any different result, I just hope for the sports sake it does. I just don't like this no facility nonsense... when the day after the meeting the club are granted a facility, for the top 5 anyway.

If his 2nd test does come back negative, and like you I hope it does, it'd make the fact that Glasgow were forced to ride with 6 even more of a mockery.

James Hunt was a legend... I prefer a Jeremy Hunt, now he's a real cu...