Plymouth Gladiators 2023

[phillwhitewasmad 1,487]

7 minutes ago, HGould said:

would be weakest No 7 in CL if true, I know Gary May has a reputation for sacrificing riders but he's no where near ready and nowhere near the likes of Ablitt / McGurk who struggled on track for most matches in CL last year but who are much more mature too physically and off track.

I can see logic for Ace Pijper who looks a genuine rising star but at least a season, probably 2 seasons too soon for Trigger. Got to be better 2 point options

No idea if it's true but threw it in there as teams are building with 2 point riders and Ben is local and a 2 pointer 

[Gating tart 64]

57 minutes ago, HGould said:

Great for us if true, definitely got more get up and go than Morris and Shanes and steady improver.

No Shane’s next year 

[cinderfella 865]

56 minutes ago, phillwhitewasmad said:

No idea if it's true but threw it in there as teams are building with 2 point riders and Ben is local and a 2 pointer 

But is he capable of getting even 2pts at home?

You would like to think a 2pt rider is capable of securely beating visiting visiting reserves and even the occasional s/s and is not just there as a token to make up numbers.

If a young lad, with obvious potential, is given a team place too early he'll end up being dropped after a few pointless meetings and his confidence will be shattered and as has happened before he'll  walk away from the sport completely.

The NDL is there for a reason and that is the place to blood youngsters. I'd even go as far as saying any Rising Star should have to do at least one season at that level before doing CL or PL.

[foreverblue 6,096]

5 hours ago, HGould said:

Great for us if true, definitely got more get up and go than Morris and Shanes and steady improver.

How true is it likely to be considering who said it?

[torpointfanatic22 268]

8 hours ago, Gating tart said:

Alfie has signed for Birmingham 

Want him back at Plymouth as he goes well at home and was improving away. His starting average is also really good value. Would be a really strong reserve imo.

[torpointfanatic22 268]

7 hours ago, phillwhitewasmad said:

No idea if it's true but threw it in there as teams are building with 2 point riders and Ben is local and a 2 pointer 

Trigger will no doubt be a good rider, not ready for Championship yet though.

[crescent girl 1,907]

22 minutes ago, torpointfanatic22 said:

Trigger will no doubt be a good rider, not ready for Championship yet though.

Something l read -- more or less word-for-word -- when Dan Bewley, Tom Brennan and Leon Flint were introduced to CL racing as very raw, 2-point, 16-year-olds....   

All theee raced at the Cardiff GP this year, and one of them even won it!

[arnieg 3,644]

8 minutes ago, crescent girl said:

Something l read -- more or less word-for-word -- when Dan Bewley, Tom Brennan and Leon Flint were introduced to CL racing as very raw, 2-point, 16-year-olds....   

All theee raced at the Cardiff GP this year, and one of them even won it!

But Trigger has a sub 6 point NDL average. Brennan and Flint both averaged in excess of 8 prior to gaining a Championship berth. And nobody with decent knowledge of the NDL would have made such comments about Flint and Brennan. (Bewley perhaps because he was an unknown quantity)

Trigger is a promising youngster, but no way is he ready for the  Championship.

[HGould 2,213]

1 hour ago, crescent girl said:

Something l read -- more or less word-for-word -- when Dan Bewley, Tom Brennan and Leon Flint were introduced to CL racing as very raw, 2-point, 16-year-olds....   

All theee raced at the Cardiff GP this year, and one of them even won it!

It was a privilege to watch Leon at Birmingham in 2018, 15 years old, first season from reserve to heat leader. 

The same season I saw a bit of Brennan, heat leader all year in double winning team. 

I don't think Trigger will be as good as they were then in 3 years time. 

I see him more as a Danno Verge or Richard Andrews, a good NDL rider but not CL class. 

[crescent girl 1,907]

Now l agree a 16-year-old getting a CL berth isnt always going to mean he'll be winning a GP in five seasons or so (and in Dan's case he had a really bad injury and a Covid year to contend with, too!) but my point was, no-one should be written off as not being up to standard until after he's been given his chance......

[lewy 2,326]

If Ben Trigger is in Plymouths team at least you would have a local lad who is willing to listen  and learn,and will pick up the odd point or 2 just by the fact he doesn't fall off alot and he's a good gater,I know Ben and his father there will be no tantrums and sulking and bad mouthing the manager and promoter from Lee,Ben's father. They will treat it as an opportunity for track time and experience no expectation to be anything more than a no7 but unlike  Poole who to their credit stayed loyal to Ablitt and  imo could have cashed in on his experience gained last season and he would have upped his 2pt average this season i believe Plymouth will see ben as a long term project. Also the make up of the rest of the team will obviously dictate who you have at reserve anyway. Atkins, McGurk both had higher expectations than there abilities imo.Ablitt scored less than 20pts and didn't win a race in the league last season I think and Poole done ok.

[lisa-colette 6,035]

3 minutes ago, lewy said:

If Ben Trigger is in Plymouths team at least you would have a local lad who is willing to listen  and learn,and will pick up the odd point or 2 just by the fact he doesn't fall off alot and he's a good gater,I know Ben and his father there will be no tantrums and sulking and bad mouthing the manager and promoter from Lee,Ben's father. They will treat it as an opportunity for track time and experience no expectation to be anything more than a no7 but unlike  Poole who to their credit stayed loyal to Ablitt and  imo could have cashed in on his experience gained last season and he would have upped his 2pt average this season i believe Plymouth will see ben as a long term project. Also the make up of the rest of the team will obviously dictate who you have at reserve anyway. Atkins, McGurk both had higher expectations than there abilities imo.Ablitt scored less than 20pts and didn't win a race in the league last season I think and Poole done ok.

I think Nathan get a few paid wins but not sure about a race win. As long as the other reserve is experienced should be okay to have the other as a 2 pointer.

[daz9100 270]

27 minutes ago, lewy said:

Ablitt scored less than 20pts and didn't win a race in the league last season I think and Poole done ok.

I think you'll find that Nathan scored a lot more than 20 pts last season.

[lewy 2,326]

2 minutes ago, daz9100 said:

I think you'll find that Nathan scored a lot more than 20 pts last season.

Not in the league, happy to be proved wrong 

[daz9100 270]

I've been sponsoring Nathan since June and know that he scored about 40 points since then, admittedly I don't have a breakdown of league, KOC & Jubilee.