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Scorpians won't win anything ,however Scorpions might.

It's not too hard to defend a lead at Saddlebow these days

I wish all Clubs well in making a profit. In the case of Kent who have a lovely stadium and decent support, it is a shame that they have seen fit to raise admission prices to above the level of some CL Teams and provide a track that is in desperate need of some TLC and attention and in the case of the 2nd turn downright dangerous. If Len could see for to employing a proper track man for a few hundred quid a meeting I'm sure the majority of kent fans would love it.

To be fair to Bellego he had scored 4+1 after three rides, the same as Rory and the match was pretty much won. I would have thought the lad needed races at Foxhall tbh. Seems that Hawkins golfing buddies are getting preferential treatment, not sure that's good for team spirit...

You like coming on here blowing smoke out your arse every time you get a prediction right, be nice if you came on saying how wrong you were every time you make a wrong prediction? For an ipswich fan to go on how you do is embarrasing, when was the last time Ipswich won a major trophy? Its a shame you dont spend as much time on Ipswich threads rather than Pooles .

Speedway seems to be a sport where you seem to find your true level, regardless of age starting, after about five years.. Not many ride for five years or so then clearly go up a level... Jason Doyle and David Norris are two for me that I remember becoming 'very good' after a few years of 'average' performances... Not too many others I can remember doing the same If you have rode for 8 years and are still an average NL rider then that is pretty much where your ability level is I would suggest..

Just in case there may still be someone who hasn't seen Jack Lee's 1949 movie, there is a showing on Talking Pictures TV today at 16:20 (CEST). Freeview HD & SDTV: channel 81, Virgin Media UK: channel 445, Sky: channel 328, Freesat: channel 306.

I'm special,, my nurse told me

As Jordan Palin is only 15, he can only ride NL this year. As has been said, he lives fairly local(within an hour) & has been at the EWR some 4 or 5 years now under the tutorialage of Wane Carter so knows the ins & outs of Scunthorpe Speedway & the family. Once he turns 16(in 2020) he will be available to ride for both Scunthorpe & Belle Vue but I would, personally, let him develop for 2 years, at the least, in the NL for the Colts.

What the flaky Pole Woryna who put a few points on his average? Did you predict Poole would win the league when they were riding poor early doors and you were taking the mick out of them? Thought not. Guess they had the last laugh ey!

I always allow extra time and most meets am there in stadium an hour at least before tapes up. As I have said a few times in this thread, it took me 2 hours longer than normal to arrive at Stadium from south of Birmingham. I and many others and a fair few from Birmingham arrived later than we normally would due to M25/M23 issues. I spoke to fans from London (ex Dons) outside who had taken 4 hours to get there; from South London. Please give the Club some credit for thinking of fans who are late through no fault of their own. There are a good 80-100 people outside there at 5 to 3 who would probably would not have come back if they had not delayed start by no more than 10 mins to let us in, if a few inside have an issue with that I hope they are never delayed when they come to see their Team at Birmingham. Good customer service should be seen as being thoughtful and considerate, and that's what it was. Good Friday was a great day for Speedway everywhere with big crowds at all venues, I really do wonder if some actually want it to die just to preserve their illogical preferences.

'Plenty of dust' is what they had at Poole on Friday and Sheffield on Sunday. It means that spectators clothes were covered and viewing was obscured. With the possible exception of heat 15, that simply wasn't the case at Belle Vue on Monday where it was minimal at worst. It is certainly indicative that there is not one single post on here, the Belle Vue facebook page or anywhere else complaining about it. As a hardened speedway fan, I think meetings should be finished in two hours. Had this been a midweek match on a freezing night with work the following day I would have been the first to complain, but it wasn't. The thing is the time taken to run a meeting is only relevant to the sport if it deters any paying customer from attending again. Given the overall package offered by the Aces on Monday - the quality of the racing, the superb presentation, pricing etc - coupled with the excellent weather, I don't think one single person would have been put off. In fact, I'd say quite the opposite. Taking also into account the excellent Colts meeting on Friday, I'd say Belle Vue are getting close to Isle of Wight standards for customer focus and that's a massive step in the right direction. All this compares sharply with the comments on facebook about Sheffield on Sunday (a meeting that took 45 minutes less) and the anger displayed on the 3rd/4th bends where I was standing. The dreadful standard of that meeting plus the appalling state of the track will be a disaster for them where future attendances are concerned.

As an Aces fan, in the same era as me, you probably didnt see him ride much. He missed the 1981 Poole BL meeting, and also the 82 Eastborne meeting. He had a couple of rides in the 1981 test match at Hyde Rd, but missed the 1982 test. So the only full meeting (well, nearly) I saw him ride was as a guest for Reading in 1982, where he scored 3 points from 4 rides i think. I did always rate him though, as his high average in 1982 meant had a high grade in Speedway Scene board game, in which I endlessly replayed the 1982 season as a speedway mad child! Wiki states he retired due to the death of a friend, which I assume may have been Denny Pyeatt? In world championship, seems the closest he got to making it out of the Amricn final was in late 1979 (1980 qualifiers) where he fnished 4th after finishing last in run off. Not sure why he didnt ride in it in 1981 or 1982. I didnt realise he was part of the 1980/1981 WTC squads where US finished runners up, nor that he should have rideen in 1979 world pairs but got stranded at heathrow (according again to wiki).

You have a "PM" John.

Don't talk rubbish, there was virtually no dust. The tiny amount of dust in the last couple of heats due to the delays was normal for any track starting to dry out. Complete over exageration saying riders couldn't see.You can't find anything to criticise about the racing so make this crap up. The 20 minute delay wasn't ideal but I can't believe such a big deal is being made of it. Instead of writing about the great racing lets all complain about a 20 minute delay .As others have said, it wasn't raining, it wasnt cold, it was a beautiful sunny day.

asking for a friend is jenga becoming as tedious as odsal boy

Despite the injection of the 2.00 kids, 10% of the NL is still made up by 30 somethings & tired old faces that have been knocking around this league for a decade & a half. Ledwith 47, Wallinger 35, Priest 33, Wilson 33, Ayres 32, Halsey 30, Campos 29, Widman 29 etc.

Round Armadale Starke is probably your 2nd best rider behind cook.

This is the thing I don’t understand!! How can a club own a riders contract and loan them out or sell them if they are self employed.it would be like a self employed builder working for a building company A,then moving to Company B Ona self employed basis and company A selling him or renting him for a fee...don’t sound right .surely they should be able to go where ever he chooses unless he is being paid while not working/riding for the company/ club ..

Maybe we could start a list of riders who didn't ride under their real names. Igor Baranov and Kid Bodie come to mind. Raymond Arthur (Billy) Bales, Edwin Vernon (Chum) Taylor and of course Squire Francis (Split) Waterman are others.

I thought that was over the transfer fee. Redcar agreed to sell him and we agreed to buy him, but Redcar wanted more than we were prepared to pay so a tribunal set the fee, which I assume was somewhere in the middle. In my example above Redcar would have refused to sell him point blank for any amount. Something which a tribunal couldn't force them to do.

Bravo to all at Swindon....241 for the BT meeting. http://www.swindon-speedway.com/news.php?extend.3237

Its very easy to be wise in hindsight. A rain off with riders at the track costs thousands and no promoter can afford that. As such, they simply have to trust weather forecasts and we all know how unreliable they can be. There are a few occasions when the weather is used as an excuse to call off a meeting, but most of the time no club should be blamed for postponing a meeting on the strength of a forecast that turns out to be wrong.

Always worth a view.

Swindon’s top four will need to score 40 to give us a chance anywhere on the road. The Ipswich reserves should carry them to a 6 point win.

Cruel Blue, Cruel Even if it’s true

I think he is on a 6.00 point CL average, still think it would be unfair on Morley at this stage of the season, even though it would make Eastie stronger, so he may end up at Birmingham or elsewhere. I know this probably should be on the Eastie thread, but if Morley is a Lakeside asset which I'm not sure , think it more likely Eastie will stay as they are.

There's a thread about this meeting already, in the "Testimonials & Individual Events" section.....

This is where the crazy rules tart to kick in again as if current Prem average is used x 1.5 he would be on a 7.90 BUT because speedway is wonderful in its rules he will probably be available on his last season finishing average of 6.00.

I believe they use the average.

Think it’s Cook issue not Busters. Buster would sign him in a heartbeat so long as it was on a wage that suited him. If Cook wants to price himself out and lay down his own terms then it’s only him that is doing himself out of a top flight place. i can see him in somebody’s line up soon once the averages allow. My guess is it will be the team that pays him the most.

If nothing else live updates here on Saturday https://sportowefakty.wp.pl/zuzel/relacja/95372/2-runda-el-sec-w-poznaniu

I agree, i was there for the Somerset meeting last week. The racing was great, but the crowd was poor considering the good weather and the school holidays. I don't blame the Mason's for pulling the plug tonight. When it rains, the fans don't come

Depends on busters influence at Ipswich...can you really see cook getting a ride at any of the east Anglian clubs now? Lawson showed last Thursday he can beat good riders at Foxhall but he’s got to up his game away from home. i thought it was hard on bellego him losing his ride at home Thursday - hadn’t done much wrong and we’d effectively won the match. He needs to improve away from home also as does king. He never should’ve been in ht15 at Swindon Jake should. impressed with Krystian so far seems to be learning fast and not afraid to mix it.

It is a tricky one to try and keep everyone happy with keeping or delaying the start time, as I normally get there an hour early to get a decent place near the start line a late start is annoying, although normally Kev Coombes makes the wait entertaining , but travelling 50 miles along the A27 to home meetings, I have on occasion encountered an accident or detour arriving around start time where the delayed start had been a blessing. Suppose it does have to be fluid, but if there isn't a queue outside needs to be bang on time, intros done and first race ready to go at the start time to deter the regular late comers.

It was a pure mistake on my part I thought I clicked onthe New Cross memories page and did not that it was the Wembely one.

Going same era, but omitting anyone who rode as a reserve 1. Mike Bast 2. Bobby Schwartz 3. Ron Preston 4. Mike Faria 5. Preben Eriksen 6. Bob Kilby 7. Andy Grahame 8. Steve Bastable 9. Peter Ravn 10. Peter Nahlin 11. Bobby Ott 12. Gary Guglielmi 13. Marc Courtney 14. Andrew Silver 15. Neil Collins 16. Joe Owen Really wanted to fit Buzz burrows in as well.

Why would a rider pass loads of tracks when he gets the same offer from a track that's closer to his home

I do. He's a professional sportsman. No other sport would hold up proceedings if one participant was late, why should speedway? I can't see football delaying the kick off because Messi or Bale or Kane was 'held up in traffic', F1 wouldn't wait for Hamilton, Moto GP wouldn't wait for Marquez. In golf you are disqualified and can't compete if you are late on the tee. He needs to get his act together and the management should tell him.

There certainly was not enough dust to obscure anyone's view, I sit in the grandstand and could see perfectly. It is ridiculous to suggest that riders could not see coming out of bed four, simply ridiculous. Really can't understand your comments.

1 point at home against an average Lynn side is not a night ending well.

Let's hope panthers end up with somebody after hearing Johnson on mic last nite he commented he just needs to get them all going at same time trouble is they have there averages because there in consistent panthers look like wooden spoon winners with there line up

I agree that Kerr should be at two but I can’t imagine this isn’t something that everyone has agreed on. Also agree about being a little disappointing after being eight up but in mitigation the two strongest looking Premiership teams have lost at Peterborough this year and both Riss and Jorgensen were way below their usual standard tonight for various reasons so I’m not going to worry about it too much. The bigger concern for me and speedway in general is that one of the best racetracks we have hasnbeen altered and doesn’t seem to offer that outside line any more. One line round the inside is no good to anybody.

Seems that speedway 2019 is no different from speedway 2018 in respect of timekeeping. Even the home riders cannot get to the track on time, let alone the spectators! There are enough reasons (excuses) for delaying hte meeting once it has strated without delaying the start because of late arriving spectators and riders. I always thought the referee was in charge of the meeting , not he home promoter. Shouldn't the 2 minute warning have been sounded at 15:00 hours for all 4 riders for heat 1 ? Still a mickey mouse sport ... although the promotion at Eastbourne do seem to be trying. Maybe the Speedway Star should publish the ACTUAL start and finish times of each meeting and run a " league table " of tracks who manage to complete their 15 minutes of racing in 90 minutes (thats 5 minutes per heat and a 15 minute interval after heat 10 to buy a cuppa. )

It's unfair to criticize the GRA over bar prices at Perry Barr. They also think that these are too high but they have no option but to charge what their London masters say that they have to charge. The GRA now only operates Belle Vue and Perry Barr as has been said, but they are not an independent organisation - they are owned by a larger London group called RCP, but as far as Perry Barr is concerned, the GRA management and staff have been more than helpful and co-operative towards the speedway club in every respect. Perry Barr Stadium is owned by the City Council but leased to the GRA. Part of the grandstand is a Grade 2 listed building and there is a covenant on the stadium which states that it must be used only as a sports venue. The stadium was a gift to the City made by Lord Alexander in 1888, and it's original name was The Alexander Stadium and was the domain of Birchfield Harriers Athletic Club until the late 1970's when the City Council constructed their present home - originally styled "The New Alexander Stadium." The Council planned to sell the old stadium to Sainsburys at the time, but were prevented from doing this because the Alexander family would not agree to lifting the covenant. The old stadium, then derelict, was leased to The Perry Barr Greyhound Club in 1985, and the Greyhound Club was sold to the GRA in 2002. The original speedway/Athletics track was 402 yards slightly shorter than Belle Vue (Hyde Road) and Norwich but very similar in shape to both of them. The new dog track constructed in 1986, covered the home straight and the two bends of the old speedway circuit, but extended further over what used to be concrete terracing on the back straight, and the new speedway track, laid in 2007, inside the dog track of course, was of a very similar shape to the original although with much shorter straights. For anyone with an interest in local history, at the high point of the rear of the central part of the grandstand can be seen the leaping deer emblem of Birchfield Harriers surmounted by the club's motto "Fleet and Free." Here endeth the history lesson!!!

Lowering the points limit didn't exactly help matters, all it has done is water the product down even more meaning teams are introducing young riders or in Luke's case an injured rider returning who are not ready for this level. They are given team places based on average rather than ability , it will do more harm than good in the long run.

So after all the hand-wringing and gleeful doom-mongering from people only taking a passing interest in what has been going on with the Abbey Stadium saga, believe it or not the opening night on the modified track went pretty well. Not that that would be of much interest to some of the idiots on here. Firts half of the meeting might as well have been on the old track it was so dull, but in the 2nd half the racing got better and better. Crucially, there were no signs of it cutting up or becoming tricky to ride at all. Credit to Ron Russell and everyone else for putting in the hours to get it ready, especially as it sounds like Tuesday’s test didn’t quite go to plan. Particularly pleasing to see it go well in front of a huge crowd. Proof that there are still plenty of people out there who want to come out and pay to watch speedway. Hopefully some of the more casual attendees last night were sent home happy after watching a great few last heats racing, a tight score line and a tense finish, and are planning to come again soon based on the evenings entertainment. Thankfully this forum barely represents 1% of most speedway crowds. Reading some comments on here you’d think everyone would be avoiding the meeting for fear that the track would be unridable, and those that did attend would have been sent home disappointed after watching another National Stadium disaster unfold. Thankfully most attendees don’t think like that, they just want to turn up and watch some blokes bang handlebars for 4 laps at a time with a close score line and hopefully a home win. It’s not that complicated. The big crowd did create its own problems with getting in which the promotion really need to sort out. The car park was full by 10 past 7 (not a lot they can do about that admittedly), but the queues for the turnstiles were huge, with only two of them open, and there was no signage (that I could see) saying where people should go. I assumed as with previous years, pre booked tickets should go through the cabin at the top, but that apparently wasn’t the case, and it was being used as a normal turnstile, which I assume everyone queuing up for the main turnstiles didn’t realise. They were also telling everyone in the queues that they would be delaying the meeting by a few minutes to get everyone in, only for the tapes to go up 30 seconds later. Thankfully it sounds like Lampart got a late memo about the situation and decided to lay the bike down to buy everyone another 5 minutes. That aside though it was a decent evening. It shows that with some decent weather, the crowds are still there and not everyone has been put off by the daft rules or politics of the sport, we just need to try and make them come back as often as possible. Again, it backs up my theory that as long as the club is running with healthy attendances, it’s much harder for Osbourne to come up with excuses for not sorting the stadium out and trying to get rid of us completely. Well done to the club for getting the meeting on with their hands effectively tied behind their back until the very last minute.

Good to see this seasons predictions are as accurate as last seasons.

I think you may of been caught out here pieman little bit sad really . So you went last year but a week ago you was enquiring what the facilities were like hmmmm.

Surely it is right that the club holds the cards, they are after all the employers? Club supplies Kevlars and covers. Hans’ van is not supplied by the club, it is provided by a sponsor who sponsored the club when I was involved. Points money hasn’t really changed in 15 years, but crucially the cost of flights is lower than 15 years ago. With regards colours of sponsors logos, it’s nothing new we did it in 2006, white on a red background stands out much better than any other colour, surely the aim is to get sponsors logos to be seen, having them white achieves this better than any other colour. I don’t see the issue.