Normally I'd agree with you, but in recent seasons it seems to be the same clubs with string top ends always near the top & the same strength in depth clubs always near the bottom. Could argue it'll make the racing better, with the top riders in the league riding against each other rather than with each other?

1) Top riders will be meeting the same top riders, it's just that they'll be spread out amongst the teams. 2) The following season, could just change the average, so the top 9 riders are spread out evenly. Could be 7.9 or 8.1!

Blodorn's favourite UK track is Leicester.  Aces only lost the fixture I went to see at Beaumont Park by 2 points due to an incredible ride by Fricke to split Kurtz & Bewley (after being passed Kurtz fell to give a further point away).

Not really, still stops a club picking 2 or 3 of the top riders in the league & sharing them out. Will this ruling stop the top riders asking for more money than clubs can afford? Once the 8+ riders get signed & spots fill up, the remaining ones will know it's sign for a "leftover" club or miss out, less options than normal.

Would it be so promoters doing early team building have certainty about riders averages? [Which would suggest a fairly high degree of confidence about next season's league format.]

I don't understand why they'd not count the last 2 fixtures. I'm guessing it's to stop riders trying to drop their averages once the play-offs start? But even if the matches took place before the play-offs, neither club could make the top 4. So what difference would it make if they rode before or after the play-offs? This is just an assumption obviously