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Just continually trying to improve things , making it in such a way to enable us to enjoy exciting and thrilling speedway . The track was too one line last season , the aim is to have a track that riders of both sides can attack and give the paying public the type of speedway to do justice to it's surroundings . No point having Chris Harris and not giving him the track to entertain us .

Darcy Ward wins at 14/1 woo-hoo.

Lol! Poole team looks far superior to Swindons in every single department. You are kidding yourself if you think otherwise. Roll on our trip to Blunsdon.

Your sentiment is wrong. Clubs should do everything they can to encourage and keep British riders for the long term good of the sport in this country. Jacobs and Perks have both shown they can be good enough and it’s a travesty that neither has been signed.

Welcome home Chris. The usual trolling, bitterness about Chris and Poole, in general, is hilarious so keep it up, guys

I'l give it till end of May before hes gone. Signing s rider that doesn't want to be there. Can see another KK on the card. Surprised Ford has taken the risk. Nevertheless it' a GP rider in the league so well done for that

I'm trying to plan my life around it. Bit difficult when I don't know where it is, when it is, how many riders we need, how many events and how much $$$ I will need to raise to make up the shortfall!

I understand it isn't easy for those who have difficulty grasping facts but as Jacobs has said he needs to double up to continue racing it follows that Belle Vue couldn't have had him instead of Drozdz unless he was also offered a CL team slot. My opinion is that the culprits here are the BSPA who have abandoned the two Brits per team rule. They should've instead implemented it in both the PL and CL instead of encouraging teams to sign more foreign riders. That wouldn't necessarily guarantee Jacobs a team place but certainly helps British riders to get places and to progress.

Don't agree, usually when a track closes the majority of its fans are lost, when Sheffield closed I stopped going altogether as did most of the Sheffield fans I knew at the time All less tracks with less meetings will mean is less fans

Second week in June for the announcement,is leaving it very late!!!

Both are better than they used to be anyway . At one time you feared riders would disappear through the pits gate on bend 2 , and the third bend bump wasn't too much in evidence last season , nor was the bend as square . But you cant stand still and the track has plenty of improvement needed . The football club no longer calls the tune at Ashfield , so I imagine their pitch will be quite a bit narrower after the track work is complete .

Passing because away riders gate and don't ride in the right place on the track and the Wolves riders pass them. Better racing at Somerset and BV I suspect.

Lol Gavan you talk some real tripe sometimes. You've been making these nonsense analyses for years and you're never right. I've never known somebody so bitter before... I mean it's really weird. If Swindon has the better team, then Swindon will win. But that's not enough for you. You get some sort of weird satisfaction from making sure that you've shoved your opinion down everybody's throat. It's not about the sport for you, it's just about being right.

So why do the 3 main leagues in Europe(Poland, Sweden & Denmark) have rules in place for home grown riders. We had it in place & still riders like Jacobs & Nielsen could not get starting places in 2017, & now the rule has been thrown to one side. We, also, had the EDR system even though it was biased & flawed. But, we are not the only sport that dumps Brits for foreigners!

Just Another Vodka & Not A Role Model also in the line up - seems to be Darcy Ward themed race.

Holder is a steal on that average in my opinion. Lynn fans are bitter over his actions last season, but Buster was the person that bought cheap clay rather than shale, so must take part of the blame. Always found Holder very humble when I have been in his company, & with a good start, think he will end the season as number 1.

Josh G was one place below Musielek in the final averages last season having rode at number one all season in a struggling team compared to Musielak riding half the season as a second string for the title winners so fail to see how thats a no contest. Also Woryna over Ellis , you have to be joking surely. As I have already said, IF Shanes and someone like Sundstrom is the final signing this side will take some stopping IMO. Can you imagine Holder gets back to somewhere near his best, Sundstrom signs (he will average 8 in this league no question), Kurtz carries on improving, Woryna brings even half of his Polish form to Poole and the other Pole even just holds his average... lots of ifs but they look more than likely to happen. This Poole side is head and shoulders above the rest and anyone who thinks otherwise is either anti Poole, thick or both.

The trick in beating the points limit is getting a team of riders who can improve their averages. With the possible exception of Klindt, I can see the entire Workington team doing that. Having seen him ride many times last season and knowing just how good he is I suspect the biggest improvement will come from Bickley.

The track didn't seem to give him any problems when KL won at Wimborne Road last season!! ...and if all goes to plan with the final signings then Holder will start as a 2nd string!! Can't wait......

Chris Holder is back.......shocker that!

Sings is passionate about his speedway, I don't always agree with him but he does always make his points fairly and sensibly. And tbf to him, I would of had the same opinions as him 2 seasons ago. Since a family member joined the team in 2016 I have been more active around the pits and riders etc and have more of a feel for the work behind the scenes. I think because Chris and Len are not as active on social media as say Connor Dugard, or not as active on forums as say Jane Moss it's easy to assume all things outside central park are unknowns to the kent management but they are as proactive as anyone else. And riders like Rowe,Thomas,and even Shansie don't just fall into your lap. The problem is with youngsters is, that not only does the sport have to fit around thier schooling, but also around the parents employment. So riders will usually prefer thier local track or a track that races at weekends. Anyway looking ahead with the side we have so far. Luke Bowen - At this level as good a number 1 as is possible. And the last couple of seasons he really has grown into a proper skipper. If you stand back and watch him off track he knows which riders to put an arm round, and which riders who respond to a kick up the arse. Something pointed out to me at Stoke away at the end of the season was he was talking the the two riders as a pair before more or less every Heat. Always has Immaculate equipment. And interacts with the fans as if everyone is a lifelong friend. Jack Thomas - Having progressed so far in two seasons, Jack should be looking at this season as his final National League Campaign before jumping in with the big boys. To do this he will be needing to challenge Luke for the number 1 jacket. Comes on a bargain average really too, when you consider the number of mechanical failures in points positions he suffered . level headed, polite lad. And he interacts with the kids through to the pensioners so naturally and professionally. But with a joker in him as well. Nathan Stoneman - Mr excitement, you can never relax until all 4 laps are completed with Nath. 100 percent trier with bags of potential and the ability to go all the way. Needs an injury free season and could well make it a 3 way challenge for Lukes vest. Proper genuine likable joker, and him and Jack together are quite the double act. Came in last year with a bit of a rep for poor equipment but last year I don't recall any issues at all. Anders Rowe - Anders had a great first season and will hopefully continue his progression towards the business end of the speedway pyramid, it should not be forgotten that he will still only be 15 when the season starts at easter. Very quiet and shy lad and much like Jack comes with great, clued up, and level headed parents in the bits. Another with immaculate equipment, and hopefully will come back more physically developed. Taylor Hampshire - on a 4 point average this can only be a great signing. Came to kent towards the back end of 2017 with brum in a challenge match and scored a big double figure score and rode for us at Stoke at number 5 and gave a good account of himself. Most knockers of him say he has bad equipment but I can't see uncle Len allowing his equipment to be sun standard. Jacob Clouting - Somebody I ve heard has a good solid style but may lack a bit of speed initially but apparantly has good equipment. But to be honest I ve only seen pics and vids, so can't really judge fairly. So a proper number 1 and skipper, and 5 riders with potential to up thier averages, I think we look in good shape. Personally I d like to see James Laker given his shot at 7.

You could well be right and I don't think he helped himself having a year out a few seasons back but if a club invested some time and effort in him he may well be able to achieve more. He showed in 2016 at Belle Vue that in the right environment he could score decent points. Just doesn't sit right with me that there are British lads struggling to get a ride yet we seem happy to make is easy for foreign riders to get team spots, the Brits need to be put first.

A comprehensive section on speedway in Rhodesia, - Northern, Southern and UDI -, has been added to the Speedway-SA website. http://www.speedway-sa.com/rhodesia.php . It includes full Fixture Lists for the 2 periods of racing, in the 1950s and in the '70s, at the 3 tracks where league racing and individual competitions were staged, involving touring parties from the British League. Match results, League and rider points tables are included, as well as detail of Internationals and Golden Helmet MRCs, plus team, portrait, and action shots. . www.speedwaychampions.com www.speedway-sa.com

Great news, more opportunities for young Brits to get a team place.

On reflection, don’t you think it would be a better policy for clubs to do their utmost to foster British riders rather than to live by the mantra “we don’t owe them a living”?

The track is/was the biggest weakness in our set up. If we get this right it could transform the whole experience. Ftg speedway doesnt encourage new fans or some existing fans to return. Looking forward in anticipation

Watched the weather for the first time in 4 months. Looking good for Ytornio. Temp has been -3 to -15 or so and from now on between -5 to -10. So the ice should hold. First year they had problems with lack of snow, now they’ve been swimming in it. But no new snow anymore so shouldnt be a problem. Looking forward for the drive ... EDIT Should have stayed quiet. Sunny -19 for the meeting. EDIT2 ...and to the reason I dont follow forecasts anymore: its now cloudy -15 for the meeting.

It's fair to say he has been a full throttle merchant in the same manner as Joss Auty and Nick Morris. In the last couple of years, he has started to use his brain instead of his wrist, and the benefits are shown in his averages and probably a lot less big crashes. Like Nick Morris, he has also managed to get around the tight bends at Brough, and is now a more mature and safe rider. Nice lad as well.

Been in Poland for the week so not seen forum for a while. However, Pedersen bike was given to Buster by Nikki years ago. It’s been office corner since new office was built. I would guess - “ we need a photo of Buster and Robin to announce Robin as promoter, let’s use the bike as a backdrop” I wouldn’t read anymore into it.

Why not, they've never had one before?

I can't see Chris Holder agreeing to return to Wimbourne Road without Matt Ford offering a guarantee of a decent track surface for 2018?

Last season............. Poole will win the league at a canter, they have KK , a rider who only wants to ride for Poole and will be top of the averages, they also have the new turbo twins in Kurtz and Holder who will both be heat leaders by the end of the season, add into that they have Hans , a loyal club servant and solid number two. The other second string is Kyle Newman, another loyal Poole rider loves the club and this will be a big season for him. Then just look who is in reserve , Klindt , a number one at Leicester will be racking up big scores left right and centre and then the best young prospect in Shanes............as if a team like Swindon with Adam Ellis not deemed good enough by Poole, and riders like Bellego and the weak second heat leader in Nick Morris get anywhere near the mighty pirates...............hmm how did that go lol This season.......... A rider with massive potential in Kurtz who is so far ahead of Nick Morris its laughable, then we now have Holder and we all know he will add at least 5 points on his starting average now he is back at Poole......Josh G will be solid, and then well these 2 Poles will add at least 3 or 4 points on to their average, how can anyone else compete!!!

You do chat a lot of excrement DC2. Chris is one of the most sought after riders in the league, as well you know.

Bet they didn't get permission from Sky to use that footage haha. Glad to see Chris back. As if it was ever really in doubt. Not sure why people are saying that the majority of Poole fans wouldn't want him back, or even that Chris is past it. He hasn't been at his best but he's still capable of beating every single rider in the league so definitely worth taking a gamble on. Great signing.

I’m sure we can and personally I always find it interesting to read assessments by other teams’ fans. We can all get a bit gung-ho when rating our own outfit simply because we want them to do well. But if you’re going to voice an opinion that a team will struggle in heats 13 and 15, illustrating the point by naming two riders but omitting the guy who will actually start the season at No.1, you should probably anticipate a certain amount of scoffing in reply.

Don't be stupid. So every club that uses a rider one year is responsible for giving him a team place the following year or even two years later if nobody else does. If that is true then presumably Wolves have potentially ended Perks career.

It nearly makes us as bad as Poole, how dreadful. Still, 3 Brits at Wolves again this season. You can rely on Poole to not do their bit, as per usual. You can see why Howarth and Adam wanted out.

thought i.d help. points....................rides 7...............................5 2...............................4 7...............................4 9...............................4 8 +1..........................4 12............................5 11.............................6 8...............................4 7 + 2.........................4 9 + 3.........................5 not the kind of scores from someone who is no good. Think you and SS need to think again.

No, I would rather they stayed at their clubs, but the rules don't allow a successful team to keep their riders. And I'm afraid you're wrong... it is all about winning! It's a competition!

Think the biggest problem is that 260 foreign riders have been given assessed averages, some being reduced, to help them get a side in England this year, but Jacobs, Grieves & Perks are stuck with their old averages. What's happened to helping British riders ?

As a Bees fan of nearly 50 years and a staunch opponent of Leicester...... I will not be supporting the "Bees" this year and will be a Lions fans (but I will wear my Bees cap).

"A slag supporter is a man between the ages of 40-59 , who lives in a two / three-person household and actively uses the Internet" This comment/translation could be taken the wrong way!

I don't have a bad word to say about Rosco. The guy has boundless enthusiasm for the sport. Is a seriously good team manager and did a brilliant job with Swindon last year. The sport needs more like him and long may he continue in the sport.

Hmmm... Depends who's asking!

Exactly!

Bjarne Pedersen perhaps.

As others have said Eurosport certainly isn't free, it's just included in the cheaper packages. Sacrificing quality but still having it on a pay TV channel and one that has shown scant regard for speedway even after it has agreed a deal to show it is not progress. In the UK BT's highest viewing figures reach above 1.5 million, for football of course and that is a high, not an average. However Eurosport's best is around 1 million, and that is for the whole of Europe. It may be cheaper but despite its Olympic deals and significant financial backing (Discovery) after nearly 30 years it's still very much a minority service. I do wonder if those wanting speedway on Eurosport are those who already have it as part of their Sky package but won't pay extra for BT.....

Youd think THJ would be a shoe in at reserve on his average...

When there are positives then I'd certainly give those deserving a pat on the back. Last season really killed me though, took up a season ticket for the 1st time ever after feeling really positive. At the end the only positive was Thomas Jorgensen. The club has a lot of making up to do, get it all wrong in the first couple of meetings things could really turn sour very quickly. I believe the promotion do understand that 2018 is hugely important and fingers crossed they get it right for all concerned

Does the video of the meeting really matter? What is far more important is the experience of those on the night. And Wembley '81 was a magical meeting. The atmospheric was electric, especially during the Penhall/Olsen and Penhall/Knudsen duels. I would suggest anyone who doesn't like this meeting wasn't actually there!