Just a general thought. The racing at Ashfield has went downhill since Meredith has been involved.  As the saying goes, if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it. No need for him to be here. Racing has been great for years without him. 

This week maybe. Last week it looked like Worky. Be an interesting run in to the play offs!

Ben Barker riding shortly after having his appendix out, charging onto the track with a replacement bike for Nicholls, directing track prep... meanwhile somewhere in Poland, Klindt is sat with his trotters up!

Well worth the trip up... The racing wasn't "great" throughout but that was due to the Bears consistently getting out of the starts regardless of grid number... And the track being too dusty and slick for the first half of the meeting at least . Never seen a watering done after just heat two before, but it definitely needed it... It looks like a track that needs a good soaking given the camber is big...... The 2nd half of the meeting was much better and heat 13 was a cracker... But why no lap of honour? Where I was stood, on the home straight with the Redcar fans, (a good number there too), it literally killed the atmosphere generated by the great race.. Atmosphere, driven by tribal opposition, is what they sport desperately needs... Paco (one of the guests), wheeled around after his win in heat 14 so I presume some riders know what is needed... The food van ran out of chips, (a disaster it appeared for some), and I must admit, trying to protect my burger from dust was a challenge... The place itself is fantastically well laid out, with the viewing platforms all round the track providing a great view.... And there must be god knows how many artics worth of aggregate used to make the pathways!! The track is great, with my only slight criticism being the wide outside runs on bend two and four seem to make riders lock up a tad rather than letting the bike run like the NSS does. Are the exits narrower than the very wide entrances to the turns? Or was it just a lack of grip meant the outside line wasnt working as much as would be liked?   The kids race attracted plenty, are kids in for free? There were plenty there... The centre green announcer is definitely one of the better ones I have seen... You can also hear what is being said around the stadium as the tannoy seems to work...!! And the signs from the town outskirts telling you that Speedway exists and, even more importantly, where it actually is, and when it runs, look professional... £20 a ticket? Value for money for me, I hope the crowd levels meet what is needed, it looked like around 700 to 800 tonight which I presume is better than break even?  If you haven't been, definitely give it a go, great set up, and very good track..

How come the winner of the "kids" race looked about 30!! 28 day ban 😂

Fricke’s R/R contribution was restricted to heat 8, against the opposition’s No.2 & No.7. Whilst it meant a nailed on heat win, its most likely that any of the main body of the team would win that race. Although Max is on fire at the moment, him taking one less ride is unlikely to have an impact on the outcome of the tie.