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It's nice to see a club show some loyalty to a rider (although I know that the numbers probably fit), a rider who has been a pretty loyal servant to the sport in this country... no nonsense with him, he turns up, puts in the effort, may not have scored the amount of points that people were expecting last season but at least he was here! I hope he can bounce back to better form this coming season

Not true though is it. "Box Office" isn't just winning races, to me it's someone who puts it all on the line when the miss the start. Lindgren & Pedersen both fit that bill

No you can’t be using that excuse. The bloke is in his 40’s and has been riding all tracks big and small for donkeys years! How many laps has he done around the showground? And you think riding a smaller track in the championship means he’s forgotten how to ride the Showground?

Agreed. Injury prone & coming back from a bad one at the age of 46 as of April 2. A great rider once (but not even then in 2011 at the EoES). Hopefully we've done better.

Didn’t have to turn any club down (although he did turn two down) as he signed his deal in November of last year.

Stockport now ride on the Offerton track... My lad rode for them for a few years until his football took over... A great sport which encourages fitness, resilience and a will to win... All valuable traits you would want to take forward in life...

All of the news coming from this venture is fabulous for the sport, the custodians of the sport need to recognise this and propel Workington as an example and maintain a position that encourages investment in the sport. To mire this club with the usual political self serving bollox will deter anyone from investing in this sport forever. BSPL this is your opportunity to nurture and promote investment in the sport, burn it and you have fukt Speedway forever

Last rider needs to be Laguta to give us any chance of avoiding the wooden spoon again in my opinion.

It's a shame the Poles choose to do this - poir form imo It's like the numbskull beefcake flexing his muscles in the gym......

It appears your forgetting that TTT has a degree in talking complete bollocks.

The thought that anyone of his standing and experience wouldn't know his own set up or work out pretty quickly that something isn't working is a bit of a stretch.

Andersen confirmed. One to go.

Well.... Once upon a time not so very long ago grumpy Scrooge McBuster had a little disagreement with big bad Mr Holder Snr Many days and many nights passed and each one Scrooge McBuster marked on his calender vowing to one take revenge Then one cold dark February night his chance came " shove it right up ya Holder , you will not go to the pussycat ball" he said The end

Jeeez they’ve secured the stand out performer for the last 5 years or more of British Speedway in Jason Doyle, Kenyan Rew who was highly sort after and I think will end up with over a 6pt average at least as he is that good…. And potentially pulled a blinder in getting Emil…. But you want them to push the boat out? Most people would give their right arm to have those 3 names on the team sheet. You could have the final 4 as 4 clones of Travis McGowan and I’d still be demanding they take my money now to see the other 3 on a regular basis!

That Polish article suggests Emil will be leaving his proper bikes in Poland during the week. I would be very worried if I was a Witches fan.

Pedersen, NKI, Basso, Doyle, Sayfutdinov, King looks like hell of a meeting in store first night.

I'm really sorry to the ipswich faithful,,, but ya gotta put up with my ugly mug for another year,,,,, I didn't wanna play snooker anyway

I live with one and the answers generally no

You better hope no Plymouth fans see that. I get told off for calling it a roundabout. Oh no, actually I say roundabouts are bigger

Flowery tw@ts

The Emil we’re signing is Polish

Tomorrows announcement bound to be the other rider & not the 2nd heat leader. I have thought the major signing will be held over to next week & if it's Emil they wouldn't announce a Russian on the anniversary or the Russian invasion surely?

White smoke billowing out of Foxhall towers!

Wolves are the new Rye House of the 2nd tier. Crap teams that always challenged with trick track advantage. Sam Masters will finish behind some No3's in the averages this season

Judging by the way they have treated the fans not certain the bosses know what box office means

“Pure box office” the final rider has been described as by our club sugar daddy on Facebook

If they signed pedersen he ain’t the answer

Apologies for going off topic, but does anyone have any ideas who the last rider will be ?

Interesting to note that Carl made no reference to Basso being in the middle order. But he did mention Worrall. Craig Cook for the last spot?

I was going to highlight that bit but you beat me to it. Problem is both of those two have had spells at reserve in recent years, but neither are likely to do that unless Ben Cook does much better than expected.

I guess it might depend on the wording of any ACU/SCB/BSPL Contract they sign beforehand?

“I think we have a strong middle-order with him and Richie (Worrall) there"

Speedway did get over a million a year from Sky, for circa 20 years.. And ended up with absolutely nothing to show for it.. And, as soon as the money stopped, the worlds best (who basically swallowed up this cash), all "Foxtrot Oscared" to Poland... As a follower of RL, there is a certain synergy with Speedway in the narrow minded, self interest that pervades at club ownership level.. With the "greater good" for the development of the sports organic, long term, general growth, often taking a back seat, (if indeed in the car at all).. Sports such as Cricket and RU realised that no team itself, no matter how successful, would generate national interest, but that a consistently successful national team would.. Hence central contracts came about, the teams became more successful and the domestic games prospered off the back of it.. In the 70's it was watching England's Speedway team on TV during the summer months on Saturdays, beating the rest of the world consistently, that hugely helped swell the domestic following... This country loves a successful national sporting success story, so let's hope GB can build on their current high performance levels for another five years or so, as that could really kick start wider media coverage, and boost the domestic product off its coat tails...

Me and my brother used to help out on practice days at Weymouth Cycle Speedway. I think it’s gone now, it was a nice outdoor shale track at the athletics track in the shadows of the old railway embankment.

Me and my brothers and cousin drew up a small track on some waste ground backing onto an allotment and even made a couple of race jackets...called ourselves the Cowley "Crusaders". Houses have since replaced it...nothing new there then?

Very good looking side imo, them, Poole and Glasgow are my top 3 for next year. As much as it pains me to say, I'll probably be visiting Redcar a few times this season, with the demise of the Diamonds So I am glad to see such a strong team of exciting riders out on the track. Redcar is actually my closest track anyway, 15 minutes up the road rather than the hour it took to get to Brough...

yes i was there.

Even I'm threatening to show up with my ugly mug too Baldy - will be like a Halloween party

It’s usually 6am. No idea why they do it at that time mind, but every team announcement has been 6am on the dot.

Why do you think Hans was so bad in 2022 then? I stick by my post, Hans Andersen doesn't turn into a 3+1 rider or worse around the Showground just because he's in his 40's. Getting too comfortable riding the crappy little Plymouth circuit almost every week that barely has any straights is an easy trap to get suckered into to a point where it can have a negative impact rather than a positive one.

Had a quick look on Facebook at a few comments …there seems a fair few who are realistic at how poor this team will be …I agree basso is a talent but I’ve seen far better riders than him when they step up to heatleader when pressures on they get found out …the only 1s I can see putting anything on there average are puk .5 if he stays injury free and cook a pt the rest will struggle to maintain anywhere near there average

Sound like a bitter spoon to me

Michael Tomalin is delighted with the signing of Hans Andersen so it's safe to say that Hans has the support of everyone on the management. Time for us fans to get behind Hans too now, I do think he'll up his average by half a point. Riding the Plymouth circuit last year couldn't have helped and it must have contributed to his poor scoring around Peterborough imo.

The only rider in world that's pure box office is Zmarzlik. Assessed 9 point average?

Or is it Fawlty Towers

There must have been hundreds of tracks made up just like that around the country, providing hours and hours of fun. I started racing on a quick made up track in Partington in the Manchester cycle speedway winter league 1963-64, a very cold winter as well. Then, for the 1964 summer league I signed for Belle Vue Gladiators in the very competitive Manchester League.. We raced on the BV speedway car park opposite the pits entrance. Full car park Saturday evenings, a quickly marked out cycle speedway tack on part of it Sunday afternoons. Wonderful. For 1965 (until I finished), I was with Wilmslow Hammers. That was a proper permanent track, again in the Manchester League. Derek Garnet and Vic Hinchcliffe both rode for Offerton Devils and were two of the very best riders in the country. Great days.

Oxforf used to have two...Horspath (still in existence) and Headley "Hawks" close to Oxford City's ground.

Local MP Jane Stevenson was raising the issue of funding for grass root sports and congratulated Wednesfield Cycle Speedway Club for celebrating 60 years of existence. She must be a bit of a fan I think.

Top Paisley man is Gerard was in Gabriel’s a couple of years back when he appeared for a pint out the blue and bought the whole pub a drink. Never forgets his roots unlike Paolo Nutini who wouldn’t give you the time of day when out and about.