Leaderboard

Hopefully lessons have been learned but there is not a promotion out there that have not done this at one point or another. Sooner or later the penny will drop that it is an entertainment business and not win at all cost business to the detriment of the paying public. Or will they as they don't seem to care about the paying public. I was at Berwick last week and the track prep was spot on , gave both teams a chance to attack it result being a fantastic speedway meeting it is not rocket science.

While you are looking for that, could you please do my ironing.

That was an absolute privilege watching The Brummies at Loomer Rd this evening.I even bumped into the legendary Potters supporter,Vog!

Well if that doesn't liven the thread up nothing will

Beating Glasgow one week and losing to Newcastle the next - Berwick Bandits in a nutshell.

It would be a nice touch if "Falkirk Bandit" got a mention tonight, and even better with a hard fought victory in a spectacular meeting that provides a suitable memorial ! I well remember his weekend ramblings on the forum after a few jars, they would put a smile on anybody's face. Thoughts are with FB's family and friends at this unbelievable difficult time. RIP Falkirk Bandit

Max impressed for sure. He has all the qualities needed to make a success of things . Very disappointing that the track surface was so poorly prepared, and it appears it was deliberately so too. Ricky Wells confirmed in an interview last night, repeated in the local paper report today, that it was how they had asked for it. Problem was, of all 14 riders, only Erik Riss looked truly comfortable on it and even he is quoted on the website as saying that conditions were tough! When you have your biggest crowd, for your best derby match, along with lovely weather, the last thing you should do is prepare a track that proves so difficult to race on. Massive own goal by the promotion.

Without being disrespectful to our guests thus far - it has to be said we are a better team with Stevie in it

I think 5 away is better than 3 at home but I wouldn't use a score in one match to try to prove anything. I appreciate that you haven't had the advantage of seeing Worrall this year but those of us who have could see the marked improvement over his performances at the NSS last year. That coupled with knowing the efforts he has made to be in excellent physical shape and to lighten and improve his machinery is why I feel confident that he would have had a good season. Nobody has predicted he would this year develop into a GP rider, a PL No. 1 or an international star but the signs were there that he would improve significantly on his starting average. That is why it is so difficult to replace him.

And Brady only dropped one point and looked brilliant away in the extraliga. Means nothing though for Wednesday.

He's not the messiah, he's a very naughty boy.

Found a good story about the former German Champ,Hermann Gunzenhauser,whos career started pre-war and ended in 1955.In German and tells of the tragic crash he had with Austrian rival Martin Schneeweiß in Graz https://www.teckbote.de/lokalsport/lokalnachrichten-lokalsport_artikel,-profirennfahrer-in-der-hitlerzeit-_arid,87636.html Also,and this is what got me looking,found some old footage of Gunzenhauser winning a meeting at the old North German Ebstorf dirt track in 1951.Footage of the meeting is right at the end https://www.filmothek.bundesarchiv.de/video/585968?set_lang=de Gunzenhauser was of course a two time winner of the Zlata Prilba in Pardubice https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Helmet_of_Pardubice

I visit Devon frequently and the plight of Torquay United obviously gets a great deal of media coverage there. For those who don't follow the lower reaches of football Osborne runs that unfortunate football club which has during most of its existence played in the bottom tier of the Football League. For the first time in its modern history they are on the brink of relegation to their lowest status, National League South, two tiers below their traditional level in the Football Lleague. All kinds of promises have been made which will sound familiar to speedway supporters. There's the purchase or lease of a stadium in a prime development area, the running-down of the venue amidst talk of a shiny new replacement stadium. Recently his business has taken back control of the pub adjoining the ground. The newspaper report refers to Stadia UK's 'record in running leisure facilities'. Funny, to the outsider it would seem their principal activity, rather like the GRA is to groom stadia for highly lucrative redevelopment. One of the promises is to sort out the Gulls' training ground, which apparently is literally bogged down by poor drainage, again a familiar concept to those familiar with the tattier end of the Abbey Stadium car park, once also a planned site for development.The football club itself is supposed to move from residential Plainmoor to a new site further out of town. People are getting a touch suspicious in Torbay. In some ways I'd respect them if Stadia UK came out and admitted that they simply want to redevelop stadia and stop putting up smokescreens. Hopefully Torquay United will prove to be a step too far. Despite their status football matters to communities, and not just the local market and will get noticed well, outside their area in a way that speedway has never been able to. I suspect that serious journalists, and not from the sports desk, will be taking an interest in the business as the situation in Torbay worsens.

Of course it matters if the away team get a point or not,all points count towards getting in the play off positions.The point Poole got at BV could be crucial come the end of the season.A point away from home is a good result.

not too bad for a rider who isnt the rider he once was and has had his day

I agree about the scoring system, it was one of British speedway's best ever ideas which worked really well, then they went and spoilt it by giving the home team three points for any win. Hopefully one day they'll put it back to how it was.

Peter Kildemand was the only rider to pass outside of 1 and 2 on the first laps (and even then it was only in the first heat after grading and track staff pulling all they could onto the outside line). If 13 out of 14 riders can't pass, then there is definitely something up with the track. The live updates are definitely misleading. That's not to say that Swindon wouldn't have hammered us either way, they were the riders to beat, in particular Nick Morris and Troy Batchelor were very fierce and the Swindon lot were gating like champs, but to pretend that the track was decent and Poole just couldn't get to grips with it is fantasy. There was 1 line and the gaters had first dibs on it. The Poole riders were all over the track looking for grip, but any slight deviation from inside-middle to middle line were huge "no mans land" speed scrubbers. I'd rather lose every meeting and have unpredictable heats, than 52 and a half laps of follow the leader every meeting.

We will never know what Vaculik would have produced unfortunately. Although a GP rider, how committed to the UK would he have been in terms of bike priorities for this country? (I think that there will be a few people looking closely at the current World Champion's UK performances this season). My impression is that the management want to make a real go of it this season and today's changes are positive. Sorry to see that MPT has to make way (loved watching Toffy at BP), but we do need an established No.1. Past seasons have shown that so called great signings with no UK experience have not delivered and either jump, get injured or are pushed back to where they came from. If KB has a season like last year, I do not honestly think that MV would have performed better. With the current race format, it seems that, providing a team is no more than 6 points adrift by Heat 13, you are in with a shout regarding match points if you have some clout with your top two riders. The Lions have fallen away many times at this stage of a meeting in recent times (sorry DK but you seem to bottle it in Heat 15). Kenneth and Hans in 2 out of the last 3 races would seem to be a match for anyone in this league. I hope the situation regarding Josh Bates is correct, in that team re-shaping is not based around his average when he becomes fit/available and that family connections are put to one side. Nothing against Josh, but if he is in the seven, it has to be on merit.

Quite agree, as some folks don't have the time that others think everyone else has. There are two threads on Ivan Mauger, but has anybody been hurt by this rule breaking ? Some folks need to grow up and get on with their lives.

Personally I think it's wrong/unfair that swindon are allowed to race Thursdays. If anything happens to any of the riders (hope it doesnt) and they need to have a guest they will have a bigger pool of riders to choose from unlike the rest who are limited because of set nights. Tnoughts

we bounce back, always do

Same old same old? By the time we get started again, in a fortnight's time, most teams will have completed their Shield fixtures and begun racing league instead, we on the other hand will be behind the eight ball, our usual start of the season position........... some thing's never change??

Almost got the points difference correct , but not th way I expected. Fair play to The Diamonds they where the better team on the night The Bandits couldn't get out the gate and where never in it to be honest . IMHO the scoreline slightly flatters Berwick. There will be a lot tougher tests to come especially next weekend and we'll need to sharpen up

Yep

Craig Cook?

Two crap teams battling for the wooden spoon this season

So when will the management realise that we should have our strongest riders at 1 and 5.

He'll bring it over here, don't worry yourself too much.

It looks like the sun has proven to strong to allow tonight's meeting to be rained off, and we're edging towards start time. So instead, we'll have to play "Guess what time the generator fails / the airfence deflates / or the meeting is abandoned for other reasons"

Cmon Ippo u can do this..

I would like kilderman and holder in the Poole team

Question foe Steve Shovlar. Do you practice at being a prat or does it come naturally?

Nothing wrong with the Lakeside track, riders just need to learn to adapt better, not every track should be fast flat out racing. Watching Mark Loram wind it on on the big Polish tracks and Peterborough and Exeter but then also proving to be a master of Eastbourne and Arena shows riders can adapt

No guarantee Hougaard would hit the ground running as Stevie had done either, add to the fact Stevie has always been much better away from home and Paddy does not fit the bill, Steve has far more potencial, Hougaard has stood still the past few seasons.

I live within a 10 minute level walk to Torquay United. I warned my friends about Osborne right from the off. There is a very strong element that want only one thing....Osborne out! There has been talk about a takeover from the Truro City owner. Sooner the better. The council are being very objective to Osbornes plans. Thankfully, they can see straight through him. The suggested site for a new ground is pure pie in the sky. The ground there is swampy and will never drain properly.

Edinburgh are trying to fill their next free date 18th May but nobody seems to want to fill it. About time the rules were sorted out, forcing teams involved in a rain off to fill the next available date.

I'm not sure when, or if, your interpretation was the case, but for as long as I have been interested in Averages, it's been all rides in a meeting.

Not the strongest opposition but impressive first appearance in Sweden for Dan Bewley in the Vetlanda Team Cup. Vargarna – 371. Kim Nilsson – 12 (3,3,3,3)2. Viktor Bergström – 8 (2,2,2,2)3. Dan Bewley – 11 (3,3,3,2)4. Johannes Stark – 5 (1,0,1,3)5. Dennis Fagerkrantz – 1 (0,R,0,1)

Puting aside my allegiances. Having invested time and effort, via Social Media, etc, to bring newbies to the sport I cannot understand why there was no effort made to rectify the obvious issue with bend 1 and 2. For a neutral, or unfortunately any newbies, that was a detrimental advert for our sport.

I was there and I totally agree with you. we also left before heat fifteen. don`t know where that bloke on updates got it as an awesome meeting.

Not around for late afternoon/evening- big greyhound meeting at Towcester I`m going to. hopefully you tube streams around today Gdansk v Lublin will be here( I use Mozilla firefox) http://v4.ustreamix.com/stream.php?id=eleven-sports-3-polska

Believe it or not it does.

I must have been at a different meeting to everyone fawning how good the racing was. For me ,much was from the gate and over by bend 2. From heat 11, Scorpions self destructed and hugely disappointed so much so I was on the Parkway by the time heat 15 started .

No doubt like the 3 Kurtz scored at home against Swindon shows where he is?

Early day's how many times have you seen a rider unable to ride Armadale in the first few meetings, i wouldn't write him off just yet.

No need to worry when you are unbeaten. I worry about all others teams as they can push us out of a play off place. That's why we have a forum to comment on other teams too.

Why can't those who don't want to watch and enjoy just switch off the TV. I'm lost why anyone could be upset about money coming into the sport, riders getting paid to race, a good crowd and those who enjoy watching having a nice time.

Have you checked Hougaard's 2017 average? 6.09. Inferior to Stevie. Case rested.

Quite agree that there is some pathetic statement on here from folks who should know better. Many like me, still think he was hardly innocent, but a powerfull expensive lawyer employed by his then girlfriend and now wife's father, managed to get the decision they were after. Money still talks eh.

That is what it say's in the forum guidelines!! DOn't like 'em,join a forum that fit your requirements or start your own........