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Better meeting than the score suggests. What has happened to Cookie? Hugely disappointing. Never looked like winning a race. Didnt understand him getting the TS, when at that point Nicol was far better. I said previously that I was impressed with Nicol when he guested here earlier. Same again tonight. Always in the thick of things. Unlucky to get excluded for tapes, when 2 others moved as well, including Cook. Winning Ht15 by a good 30 meters or so, when he shed a chain or similar going into bend 3 last lap and crashed heavily. Hope he is ok? Thank you to the Tigers fans who stopped us by the start after the meeting. They congratulated us on our victory and wished us well in the play offs. Safe journey to Leicester and then home to all of them. Gracious in defeat.

Dick keeps us all updated about what's happening at all clubs bar Berwick on here though.

Interesting comment but what do you actually mean and how often have you actually seen him ride this year? For example, do you mean he's not the same as when he was in the GPs when he got stick from so called British fans because he wasn't apparently good enough? Or do you mean compared to when he started out? Perhaps you say this just because his Championship green sheet average has fallen from a starting point of 9.93 to 9.32 in 2021? Yet funnily enough despite being 'nowhere near the rider he used to be' he's still performed better, average wise, over the current season than all of the Poole team and respected riders such as Richard Lawson, Nick Morris and Chris Harris. Ignoring assessed averages he is currently 4th in the league, behind Scott Nichols by 0.01, 0.05 behind Sam Masters and 0.12 behind Bjarne Pedersen (ironically another rider that for some reason attracts stick from some fans). As he has grown older he has become even more of a family man, his family comes first, end off. If this means he won't take risks on dodgy tracks - blame the promoters, not him. If he decides it is better to score a bonus point when in third place rather than go flat out to try and win - blame the promoters who brought in the rule that bonus points don't count in your green sheet averages. If he starts to think about next year and feels his family would be better off financially if he does ensure he has an 'attractive' average that will get him a team place AND lots of guest bookings like many other riders allegedly do - again blame the promoters. Just so you know what he can still do on a proper speedway track https://fb.watch/7NZibVvAUj/

You may need to lend him a calculator on the journey as a fully fledged witches fan hes not used to counting over 40 these days so the high numbers that the Panthers have been achieving may be a bit much for him at first but given a bit of tutorial he will be fine .

I've decided to become a Panthers fan for the play offs

Maybe instead of trying to standardise the engines just handicap the riders like in horse racing? Bike and rider weighed before the meeting and ballast added to the bike so that they’re all on a level playing field. Simple and effective, no flyweight will spend thousands on tuning if he has to have 10kg or more to his bike

Just looking at Isle of Wight Masters Championship. www.dirthub.co.uk/island-masters-shale-track-championship-schedule-entry-list/ You have to applaud the promoters for taking on meetings of this format. There's no reason why stadium racing of this type can't be run with both speedway and grasstrack bikes dependent on the size and condition of the track. I think individuals on this forum are too quick to dismiss this type of event ultimately who cares at least it gives UK riders an opportunity to race instead of applauding Wolverhampton with their plethora of imports.

I think that Sheffield have been unfairly treated by fans of other clubs re the inclusion of Bates as an RS.. I bet no one was more surprised than them to find out that within virtually every one of the criteria needed, Josh got in by the skin if his teeth... Wasnt their doing that this was the criteria used I am sure.. A complete coincidence, and, in keeping with so much of British Speedway, beyond reproach integrity and credibility wise... I wonder (for next year), as the riders will be a year older, and will have actual averages, if the age levels change alongside the qualifying average needed to be an RS..? And if so.... More 'coincidences' maybe to look forward to?

I used to love going to Sheffield Speedway… really enjoyed the racing. I went 8 to 10 times a year for many years. in recent years there has been a serious drop in the quality of the racing culminating in only going once a year…. Then a decision to not bother going at all. sad times

There was an MDSL match on after so plenty of options for a number 8 not taken by Poole

In 2018 I was involved in the purchase of waste land, probably big enough to build a speedway track on, from North Tyneside Council. It's in between a rubbish tip a motorway and a railway line and cost £1m. With all councils struggling for cash and planning for housing developments much easier I just can't see any public authority making a significant plot of land available for leisure, especially motorsports. There's plenty of grant funding out there to stimulate the construction industry but you've got to prove that your investment will benefit the local economy. They obviously did that in Manchester with the promise of National and World Finals attracting visitors to the city. Something like that would be great for an authority like North or South Tyneside or even Gateshead, to have world class sport staged in their area but the promise of attracting up to at best 1,000 people once a week for 20 weeks of the year for a noisy motorsport is a tough sell.

Jim Mcmonarch made sure that wouldn't happen.

The die was cast the moment that the professional league promoters, but particularly the British ones, failed to grasp the opportunities offered by the SGP and allowed the FIM to sell it off to a private promoter with basically no benefit accruing to them. The SGP affects the Polish and Swedish leagues much less - if at all - but even so it's ridiculous that they allowed a prime asset that basically utilises their assets for free to escape them. Very poor vision and even poorer politicking in the FIM corridors of power. Once the SGP got a foothold, the British leagues were screwed either way as the speedway-going public were used to seeing the top riders in Britain, so any stand against using GP riders would cost fans, yet by trying to accommodate the SGP they found they had to run on off-nights and/or not on prime summer weekends, and lost fans anyway. The GP riders dropped Britain once the wages dried up, not least because the fans stopped coming. I'm quite sure they'd still be turning up if the British leagues paid Polish wages, whatever other excuses they may have given. But the whole issue of insufficient riders is a wider one, and is another thing that wasn't well addressed over the years. Doubling-up is fine as a development pathway through the league structure, but ridiculous when it's just a way to make up the numbers. It just becomes the thin end of the wedge - reduce opportunities and you ultimately reduce the number of riders competing for those places.

Just a pity Lions chose such a rubbish guest

has he transferred to Peterborough then

Rising Stars should be kept as reserves even if their averages are preventing it. Like the Polish under 21s,

The official site really is very poor, twenty four hours before a meeting no preview, no team news, very poor. On the positive side for those interested you can still but a 2021 season pass.

He posted this in 2019 when the Stars visited Poole.

Sorry Bruv had to put a laughing like to this post,although being a Lynn fan I'm not use to counting over 35. If Peterborough happen to be at home in the play offs on Mondays then I will be there too.Don't worry though I will bring my abacus

Which song will you be belting out at your initiation , you will also need to kiss the badge and prove in a picture that you have completed this task

Your being ironic again!

We’ve got Poole riders so we can use their rule book. Simple !!!

He's getting a hair cut

One other thing I want to mention that I've noticed about other tracks is that the average age seems to be a lot older at Newcastle (and Birmingham) both tracks who seem to be struggling for crowd numbers, seems to be a lot older than some other tracks, such as Poole, Ipswich etc... Something to look at perhaps? There's an awful lot of young people seems to go to them tracks, which are the types who need to be attracted... What's so attractive about Ipswich and Poole that isn't about Newcastle?

If Scunthorpe are still unbeaten at home after tonight they'll have done very well indeed

Hopefully he will give it one more season. He has just started up links with 2 football teams, he will have season ticket money next year, and hopefully more sponsors will come on board. I just hope with the early statement it does not hinder the attendances for last 3 matches as we really need the fans to turn out in force.

Already in the play offs and Batch taking his chance to lower his average in the meetings that count towards it. Come the playoffs where the scores don't count I think you will see a different outcome..... Ben Cook can't replace Neilsen - Stefan is a 3 point rider and Cook would be 4. I know yoy struggle with these concepts but I don't think even Sheffield could get away with that one

There will of course be legitimate cases. But some of the sick notes used in speedway are laughable! What I'm saying is it's open to manipulation. "Overnight" in a foreign hospital can be written be anyone with a blurry business card pretending to be a doctor!

I think we should ride against Berwick instead

Please read https://www.speedwaygp.com/news/article/9206/sayfutdinovs-final-frustration When you read the whole article it is clear to see he is very frustrated in how speedway is run today . To quote he says "speedway is now like F1 I think,. Its just decided by the engines and not the riders. Even if you spend a lot of time training it doesn't help if you have had bad setups or bad engines. We are going the wrong way" Is it the engines, and if so what is wrong and how is it rectified? or is it something else, say the track material, depth, not enough on the inside, whatever? I can see Emils frustration that for the last 10-12 years or so he has been the Russian boy wonder, but he hasn't won the World Championship, and now, this year, Laguta is in with a hot chance of doing just that. Maybe though, Emil has a point. A standard speedway engine should be a winner. But it seems riders are spending loads of money on top of a new engine to get it to higher levels, What do you guys think, and what is the solution, if any is needed.?

Poor night for the scorpions no heat leaders turned up which eventually cost us. Must say I was impressed with Connor Mountain as the guest scored a handy return and well earned his place in heat 15 wouldn’t mind him in Scorpions colours in the future !

Surely not the grand monarch totally unheard of favouring the monarchs

Yeah, that is correct. I don't remember what it was but was but I don't think it's related since Artem participated in the 2019 British Grand Prix. I think it's more likely to be related to lack of support from the Russian Speedway federation. Both Laguta brothers boycotted the SWC a number of years ago for that reason.

You can't use the same rider to guest on the same track within 8 days. Speaking of guests, a question being asked on facebook is how can Glasgow use Luke Crang to guest for Sedgman when he is not in a current Prem or Champ 1-7? Alternatively, how many rising stars can a club track in the same meeting?

Because he was 'not available' from which I would infer that he wouldn't be available to Leicester either.

Why wouldn't he?He felt crap after his covid jab didn't he?When i had mine i felt absolutely awful the day after like i had the proper flu.But then the day after that i was fine.

And that is the problem,,,, but they are on those averages for a reason,,, and it isn't because they have been good. Personally I would get shot of most of them to. Ipswich don't help themselves by not having an individual to check out the latest young talent from around the world. It seems they are happy ish to just plod along,,if punters still pay. In fact, last nights crowd was very good indeed,,,, Louis is a lucky lad,,

With Lawson already booked to guest for Edinburgh the only riders available with a higher GSA than Summers are NBJ and Etheridge. (and of those I'd go with Summers having seen Berwick twice in the last week) It's even worse in the PL, with all six teams riding on Monday guests will have to come from riders not doubling up.

Is this the same team that manipulated the rulings to get Bates in as a result 'rising star'? I'm sure 4 into 3 goes if your face fits lol

Summers scored well for Berwicks trip to scunny!

This is going to cost Scunny, I would rather of had Busk Jackobson or Danny Gappmaier. with 2 riders out could Scunny of done R/R for Tero and a guest for Palin?

Pretty shocking by the majority of Ipswich riders this year, bar Danny King. He’s been absolutely fantastic in amongst a pile of pure sh!t. The likes of Jake Allen (the biggest culprit and at the bottom of the pile of dung) will come up smelling of roses though. Now on a very handy average of 4.Something or other, he will no doubt be a trump card for somebody. I hope that somebody isn’t Ipswich though. Let someone else benefit from his low average. If he lines up as a Witch next year, count me out. His efforts this year have been pathetic.

Was announced as Aaron Summers at the last home meeting.

It's no good having a big shop, if there ain't many customers.

LOL! James Shanes is a gating tart, that's a good one. Best one I've heard this year!

Do you not see the issues having 2 'leagues' with basically the same riders brings?

Don't kid yourself we have league speedway nowadays - we don't. What we have is a contrived circus where the same riders swap team suits and ride at different tracks that are thrown into 2 groups to give the illusion of 2 leagues... Many talk of the current situation being necessary due to lack of riders, another way to look at it is there are too many clubs. Let the weaker clubs close and create a proper, sustainable and credible single league to build up from. Of course, the poor little pampered, over-inflated rider egos will then complain they don't earn enough - because of course they couldn't get a real job to supplement speedway earnings, could they?

I agree it's a track for speedway bikes and 18" tyres. I noticed it was very deep. Zach did well to win one race. It was very well presented better than Kings Lynn which looks like a builders yard. I wish we had a track of that stature.

Just received the latest edition of Backtrack. As usual another super read! Interesting interview with Tony Lomas who is less than complimentary about Charles Ochiltree during his time at Coventry. Recall Tony's less than satisfactory enforced move to Cowley with Garry Middleton going the other way. Tony now resides in Reeth (James Herriot Country) and somewhere I visit regularly...if I bump into him will definitely have a chat. Also another good insight with another 'Rebel' Colin 'Joe' Gooddy....had an interesting slant about his one year spent at Cradley Heath. Chris Sear (SRA Secretary) discusses the eventual fall of the rider's union and how 'Gentleman' Hans Nielsen was always supportive of him and the cause. If you don't subscribe I couldn't recommend it enough for those interesting in reading about speedway's last 'Golden Age'...how I'm glad I followed the sport during that period.