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In hindsight we shouldn't have declared our 1-7 and just signed Ulrich & Hans on a temporary basis until somebody better come along.

Thought production was as good as Eurosport to be honest and the commentator very good. BSN very good value. Plus every round of Premier pairs added.

That's exactly what Zagar did, and if it was track prep he would have said about the track being prepared poorly. He was quite specific about the problem being the material and I'd like to think he's been around long enough to know. Difference with Zagar is he doesn't care who he upsets by saying it

Josh Pickering is a pleasure to hear on commentary. Plenty of insight and extremely well spoken.

Add Berwick to those two teams thanks to excellent sponsorship, a supporters club that raises bucket loads of cash and a promotion that cuts its cloth accordingly.

Why do folk continually have a go at the Glasgow Promotion because they have successful business? I'm fed up pointing out that the Facenna brother financially support other ventures, such as junior football (equivalent of English non-league) and do lots for the community and charities. Folk seem to forget the help they have given to injured riders from visiting teams and support to Team GB. Too many green eyed monsters with tunnel vision. Maybe the teams they follow would have more cash to splash if the total product offered was up to the standard offered at Ashfield.

I assume that Pickering hasn't done anything like that before and probably doesn't know Kelvin too well either so I think he did a good job last night, certainly an improvement on Crump. Going forward I do think they need someone regular alongside Kelvin whether that's as the lead or co-commentator but it's pretty much impossible to replace Nigel and the partnership they had.

The NSS is the same when I watch the Colts... A great racetrack as shown when the Aces ride but the NDL racing is often brilliant... As you say, just a couple of seconds slower, but not that you notice when watching... The NDL meetings (understandably), seem to have a slicker track too from the off which on the big wide circuits means riders using lots of different lines to try and find the grip to pass.. There doesnt seem the same "riding on rails" around the inside that can happen on the deeper tracks when the top riders ride, which often means strung out (very fast) races.. And obviously there is the capability level which means a few more mistakes, thus passing opportunities.. When Belle Vue charged a tenner in total for me and my then 16 year old lad, we went many times to the Colts and didnt go to watch the Aces as it was around £30.. Basically you got your "speedway entertainment fix" for around a third of the cost.. Real Value For Money the NDL..

Anyone thought Josh did ok for a rider having stuck a mic under his chin

He just turns up and they take him on straightaway.

It is,but that’s Speedway for you.Just enjoy the racing the results are meaningless.

I think Alun Rossiter is the British Sam Ermolenko

God.

To increase the number of racing lines on the 1st and 2nd bends, we decided in about 2000 to widen the track by taking the inside kerbing in by 2 metres. The same kerbs stones were used to create the new kerbing, and you are right that the kerb foundation was left in place and the shale level increased by Tony Swales the then track curator. It was never thought to be a risk being deeper, and never showing until now when there appears to be a less shale covering. I remember in the 60's I think, that there had been an earlier concrete track under the 1st/2nd bends and it broke up and started to appear on the exact same spot as the present problems. The concrete block was removed and I think most people will have forgot about it. Looking at the photo, I would guess someone has spotted something and deliberately scrapped the groove out with their steel shoe to show the foundation. The track action would not have caused the shale to be divided and dumped in two straight lines either side of the concrete. Opportunist I think. BTW the 3rd and 4th bends had the same modification to the kerb line and there has never been a problem there, mainly I think, because it tends to be ridden out wider due to it being 2 metres wider, and also because the inside line of the 1st bend gets significalty more heavy traffic impact with all 4 riders from the tapes, hitting it in every race and more than any other part of the bends. The drainage has always been a problem with our track. We had some plans which showed a diagonal drain across the centre green, but tests proved they were cracked and blocked and beyond use. There was a plan with a previous stadium owner to instal some new drains for the dogs and speedway, but after looking likely to proceed, the owner backed out hoping we would still go ahead and we would pay for them.

I used to love going to Kings Lynn bank holiday Monday… Lynn vAces 1100…pm meeting at Rye house….evening internationale at wimbledon Always rated Lynn in my top 3 sadly in recent years the quality of racing has deteriorated such that I do not rate the track at all… often well prepared track with grip everywhere an no advantage whatever line you use.

If Poole win the league again it'll be because they have a better team than all others in the play-offs. Same as if any other team were to win it.

I understand that. I agree the track was crap. What i was getting at was that i didn't recall people moaning as much last season when you where winning the league on it. I admit i don't read the Panthers threads that much, and i could be wrong.. The AFA is much better since it was prepped slicker. The times ain't as fast, But fast don't mean nothing, it's about the racing. I'm not sure who did the track last night, but how hard can it be to rip the outside up a bit?.

theres going to be ayear when not even belle vue can screw it up lol

I’m not aware of any “successful businesses outside speedway” that Matt and Dan Ford have at Poole to “bail out the speedway side of things”. I doubt Matt’s chateau has covered its costs as it has had to be closed for much of the last two years, let alone been able to bail out Poole. Poole speedway has been a profitable business for many years now, bar a blip in their last year in the top league which was why they decided to drop down.

Or don't sign Ulrich on that average. They were loyal and there's not enough of it these days but there's loyal and there's almighty gambles

It would be simpler to just buy those same handlebars that Bartosz Zmarzlik uses... Then all riders would be as fast as him.. No idea why they all dont do it....

Shouldn't be rocket science. Assuming it the same stockcar-friendly, high clay stuff that's used at Lynn (it looks it) then you don't need much of it and certainly don't want lots round the kerb. The Lynn track has been slick this year and the racing has been much better for it. Same for the Play Off final 2nd leg at P'boro last season. Don't understand Busters obsession with grip, Peterborough has so many lines when it's prepared right.

Matej telling the promoters how to prepare a track for racing...

Speedway doesn’t need posh stands as grass banks, toilets, food & alcohol kiosks & a decent track that is already there. Got to have hope as rubbish seeing all our double winners doing well for other British teams

Who do you think you are kidding Mr Lyon, if you think Dads Army’s good. Mr Kurtz went off the start on VH21, and Blodorn with his gating left the others with his chum.

He probably had no choice but to put it right.

Again you seem to have missed the point. Planning permissions are public documents in the public domain so if there is anything granted in the last 50 years it should be easy to find. Secondly case law governing historic use where there is no recent consent leaves me pretty confident that Newcastle have established use planning permission. (And once established there is no requirement for continuous use)

I think they will make the playoffs. Are they the new Exeter with huge home advantage?

As has been said on many occasions .. You would think that the promotions would see it as a huge advert for themselves and the sport as a whole... Even working as a collective to showcase what an "evening at the speedway" could be.. Advertising EVERY track off the back of it... Last night it looked like "one man and his dog" was in attendance on the vast back straight and the third and fourth bends.. With the main stand (at the very most), 50% full (or empty depending on your outlook)... Not going to persuade the "non converted" to become "converts" to the sport when it looks so poorly attended... Two hours of coverage with not a person watching having a FOMO moment I would say...

Thanks Dave,,, so if the kerb stones are still there, they could be put back in they're original setting and the track would be back to the way it was in the (g)olden days?

Timi Salonen

This was discussed at the Pre Season Meeting with the riders and management and it was fairly well agreed that the Riders and team manager would like it less grippy on the white line. We basically get three types of track A - Grippy all over but including the inner and white - Fast times and a gaters paradise B - Slicker round the inner and white line and plenty of dirt out wide - Generally good or very good meetings with plenty of overtaking C - A mixture of A & B - Which sometimes produces a decent meeting but doesn’t always. Some of the problem last night was not enough watering in my opinion, but then we had the TV and they want it run to a schedule.

Yes he is sorry, don't know why I put Edwards in.

Nathan stoneman is in at #7 for Oxford tonight is he not? Not edwards. Match could go either way I’m going for a 50-40 gladiators win

spot on eck if anything the bailing out could be going the other way,maybe some of the big sponsors are involved in things ????

Buster ruined the track in 2019 when he added 30 tons of clay to the material and it gave him essentially the same top dressing as he has at Lynn. Go back over the last few years and this has been a common theme since 2019. Back then in order to get a slicker inside they ended up not grading till after heat 10 half the time, but the clay is in the material. the only way to get rid of it is to completely change the top dressing and that costs a lot of money. No one is going to bother with that as you're only going to be there for a couple more seasons. Funny, the track really hasn't changed much since 2019, sure some days it rides better than others, but a lot of that depends on the opposition. When you're winning the track is seen differently to when you're losing. But people see what they want to see

Was Peter Adams not there then if CVS was making decisions usually made by the team manager?

No we think it was to do with the cam we bought it as a brand new complete bike out MCN ,most bikes came through Briggo then .

John; why did you laugh at the post I made about Nigel Boocock?

Said it once and I'll say it again. Get on the phone to Krzysztof Buczkowski and give Kenny Bjerre a call too.

I don't think he is. I currently have planning permission for a rail depot in North Tyneside. It is time bound and I need to decide whether or not to apply to extend it. It should be academic as the site is pristine but I still have to do it. If I want to continue to operate the site. Likewise you can't just run a sporting event because there was a previous planning permission to do so. Isn't that why the potential new Coventry promotion/owners have had to apply for planning even though it's the exact same site the speedway previously operated on? I know they'll need to do some construction which isn't the same situation as Newcastle but they'll still need permission to operate motorsports there. That's the reality as far as I'm aware. Unless you can provide contrary evidence?

Good to see they finally realised don’t need to see Dave Rowe at other track and show some racing highlights instead.

Just looked at the Diamonds website and the next meeting according to the website is on Sunday 8th May against Glasgow! The latest news story is about over 65's getting in free on 22nd May which is the meeting that has been cancelled according to the Facebook message but still appears on the BSPL website as the next Diamonds home meeting. Left hand and right hand don't appear to know what the other is doing! It is good to see the promotion are using social media but they need to make sure that all platforms have the same message so they don't land up sending out different messages on different platforms.

I think nearly every speedway promoters are out of pocket with the exception of money bags Glasgow & poole

FFS can’t Eurosport/Discovery get r/r for Ermobollox.

I'm just shocked he didn't photo bomb the picture of the rut

Bit generous there I think 65 25

Be great in 2023 to av Swindon, Eastbourne & Northside operating no matter which league.

Just watched last nights Eurosport Gorican GP highlights show, and it was far better than previous Eurosport highlight efforts. Dave Rowe hosted it(off camera ) and commentated on the races and did a great job. The majority of the races were shown. Well worth watching if repeated over the next few days.

Great rider Scott he was a terrific rider, plough Lane suited him he conquered the County ground which maybe pushed him forward quicker as a rider .How many Americans could conquer the County ground he for me was up there with Ivan there ( maybe better what a compliment) .Ivan , Scott, Phil Crump( Snr) , Leigh Adams , Bob Kilby, Martin Ashby, were terrific at the County ground.