*JJ

The fact is, that you can't just go into the NL these days: it is far too advanced, as many have found out (Harvie Banks, for one). A rider has to serve his apprenticeship in one of the (even) lower leagues before making the step up unto the NL - and it is a big step up. (I expect that someone is going to say 'Wot about Zach Waitknecht, then?' But he came up through grasstrack and the junior speedway system). I have spent the last three years helping a young man who wants to be a speedway rider. He has not done any grasstrack or any other racing, solely speedway. He had done a year in amateur racing and this year the MDL; perhaps if he keeps making the same progress next year, he may be ready for a try at the NL next autumn. But he, like most riders, has got a LOT of learning to go through before he is good enough for even semi-professional league speedway like the NL. While the NL is a development league in that riders have to enter it before they are ready for the PL or EL, it is certainly not the first step in a rider's development.

No - the NL is a fully-fledged professional league. The training leagues are the MDL and NJL (although the time I went to BV for an MDL meeting it was cancelled because a BV rider had a temper tantrum and delayed everything).

For not paying the rent when he was Birmingham promoter, apparently.

You obviously weren't at the last match at Mildenhall

Most MDL riders have ridden for multiple clubs, six or eight in some cases,; hardly any club had a fixed team, so the league table is neither here nor there, really. Is anyone going to publish riders' averages for the end of the season?

Not true. These days, riders have to serve their apprenticeship, going from amateur racing to development league then to the NL. The latter is a big jump - as big as the jump from NL to PL. As Tony Mole said last night, 'the National League is not a development league, it is a professional league'. I can assure you that managers do NOT 'chuck NL places' at riders who can only just 'get round four times'.

NL/DL riders are usually on second-hand equipment; not many could afford to buy new engines!

There was a rumour that Birmingham were offered BIG money to re-join the EL. However, sanity has broken out; once bitten, twice shy!

Never any danger of the Brummies losing; Cradley kept it close by a couple of 5-1s against the Bummies second strings.

Their parents aren't married, so they double up their surnames. In answer to the original question, very, very good indeed!

Whenever I was in the Cradley pits, Perry was there. I expect that he will replace Clegg next year.

I remember something similar being tried at Birmingham years ago - it was a thick rope which was placed behind the back wheels. The result was that the riders fought and struggled to get the back wheel over the rope to do their backing and filling. Whatever method is tried, the riders will have to be forced to co-operate, by means of exclusions.

There are actually any number of riders coming into the sport: see Richard Hollingsworth's 100-heat amateur racing! Where you are right is the almost total lack of help, advice and encouragement from nearly all promoters. Which leads to your second paragraph ...

Um ...Brummies have better heat leaders, Raiders have better reserves and second strings. Depends on who has extracted digit! The Brummies usually succeed by hanging in then winning heats 13, 14 and 15.

Posted on Brummies website: BIRMINGHAM squad member Robert Parker has escaped serious injury after a horrific looking incident at Monmore Green on Monday. The 20-year-old was riding for the Wolverhampton Wolf Cubs in their Midland Development League fixture against Scunthorpe. In Heat 2, Parker slid off and was run over by Luke Whitehead. Medical staff were initially worried about Parker's neck and back and also diagnosed him with a suspected broken jaw. Parker was taken to New Cross Hospital where thankfully x-rays confirmed no bones were broken or fractured and that he had been very lucky to just come away with severe bruising. The Northamptonshire racer is now back home where he has been advised by doctors to rest for a few days.

I don't know about 60, but the Brummies' top-end strength should seem them win in the last three heats.

You mean British. It is quite permissible for Welshmen or Sweaties to ride in the NL!

Quite right. Last night, Perks scored a 7 ride maximum! Obviously, Cradley would have preferred RR for this reason, but they would have been nearly as strong if he had been in the team. As it was, it was a rather boring match.

They also had a much better team spirit: they were cheering and encouraging each other in the pits, while the Wolves pits was silent!

I don't know ... no-one at Perry Barr has got near Jason Lyons' track record (56.4 sec.), set with the pre-2010 silencer; the later ones have slowed the bikes down a bit. This includes the top EL riders.

I was in the pits; after heat 2, Garrity was complaining loudly 'They are rolling it like...!' At least the junior team won!

Don't worry about it; they will just keep on about We wuz robbed, The ref was against us, We would have won if if if if ...

which

I was there; the best team won. Deal with it.

You don't have any choice about buying new kevlars, unless your team gives you a team-colours suit. Even complete beginners have to cough up ~£550 for a current-regulation race suit.