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Totally disagree, common sense is often lacking in this sport but I think for once it has prevailed. A minor league sport where we should be doing everything we can to preserve and help the clubs within the system survive, I’ve been following the sport since the late 90’s and the amount of teams who have fallen on hard times and disappeared to then never return is staggering, to the point where the bare bones remain. Giving Plymouth no facility and then basically no hope of competing never mind winning would surely turn not only casual fans away but the fantastic loyal support that the club has. The last thing I as a speedway fan want to see is another club fall on hard times through in theory very little/no fault of there own. Why do you want to see Plymouth in a potentially bad situation? Is it so your own club does better? I’m a Berwick fan like yourself and I would much rather have as many competitive teams in the league as possible and teams being sustainable for years to come.

Get yourselves stood by the supporters club banner and make some noise!

I see Oxford have cancelled tonight's practice. Any conspiracy theories about that, or is it just Plymouth who aren't allowed bad weather I wonder?

Nothing like a conspiracy, and this is nothing like a conspiracy. Can`t we just accept that all the wet weather in and around Plymouth has beaten everyone.

Not if Cook Turns up in the mood. iMo.

Not sure why we need to bother about a superheat now there is an aggregate bonus point... For Brum, that could feel like a defeat, which, considering the challenges they face, gives a negative spin to the night. Which they don't need... After 15 heats the match ends in a draw. What's wrong with that? You may as well run just one heat and end the night, given the match starts nil-nil... Use the superheat for a tie overall maybe over the two legs, but let a draw be a draw... Neither team did enough to win in the meeting itself, team v team, so let that be the result...

Talking of free parking any free Easter Eggs ?

But Poole got 28 day facility for that Czech who never rode for us a few years ago, so unless the rules have changed since then, I don't see the problem.

At least hes got some spare hinges for the pit gate now, courtesy of the fence demolition at Peterborough

Hagen and Perry got better with every lap though we mustn’t expect too much from them. Tobias looked more confident than I expected and seems to think he will do a good job. Soon find out against opposition riders who know the Poole track very well. Roll on Friday night and let’s hope it’s a good entertaining opening meeting.

100%... And even a 100%+ guest like you have during the season could be used.. Bomber will no doubt ride, once again, for half the teams in the country, and Scott will make hay whilst the TV hasn't started, so it really doesn't matter to the credibility of the league if Plymouth use a decent guest... Whichever team wins either of the leagues won't resonate outside maybe 3000 to 5000 or so followers, many of whom hardly attending regularly, if they do at all.. And the mainstream sports media certainly won't disect Speedways "unusual" operating model and make comment... Therefore. Ensuring clubs like Plymouth and Birmingham survive and grow, has a far more positive impact on the sport than any of the others winning a title ever will... There will no doubt be the usual myriad of "make it up as you go along" decisions during the season, (although I believe Bomber cannot help any team reach a final then help beat them when they get there this year).. They make up so many rules to try and ensure competitive meetings, so one more won't matter...

It's usually Billy no mates. But well done!!!!

What a daft comment. The biggest south west racemeeting of the spring in the west is newton abbot easter saturday, it was abandoned a week before the meeting was due, completely waterlogged and they had another 2/3rds of inch rain monday. That plymouth track wont be raceable for at least a month looking at the state of it . You cant dictate the weather .

Bet your announcing is not free.

The track was very wet from overnight and morning rain, and although I was there before 4pm, I didn't see any water being added. It did seem a bit greasy and this probably made passing more difficult. I thought we caught Sheffield cold in the early stages and were able to twice build up a ten point lead, but Sheffield always looked to be capable of catching us up, and being able to use Tai Woffinden four times in the last six races (including the superheat) was hugely to their advantage - although fair play to their team manager for reading the situation rightly. I didn't think Birmingham's Team Manager made any blunders. He might have made a couple of late changes but these probably wouldn't have affected the final outcome. In my opinion, the superheat spoiled the meeting. What is wrong with a drawn match anyway? Both clubs and their supporters would have gone home happy with a draw, so why ruin things for half of them with a daft rule that very few people ever wanted introduced in the first place? (That's not sour grapes, and I congratulate Sheffield on their win which I think they perhaps just about deserved, but I was delighted with the size of the crowd which was a great relief and was well deserved by a promotion which has worked so hard to keep speedway in Birmingham, and by the enthusiasm displayed - made so much better by Sheffield's happy and noisy contingent. This I think, justifies the gamble to move up to the Premiership, and will hopefully lead to more entertaining meetings like this one.

Maybe there will be a raffle for one.

Correct lisa and I believe that there has been other examples of this aswell with other clubs. The precedent was set a while back.

I don’t think we will ever agree and I understand the point you are making. I just don’t want to see another club fail when things could be done and in my opinion have done nothing wrong. They signed Nico Covatti, he would/will ride for them as soon as he is fit enough and it is just extremely unfortunate that he became injured riding elsewhere.

Yes, numerous people have commented on this, but unfortunately, there is little that can be done to remedy this. When the stadium was restored from the wreck that the previous owners (Birchfield Harriers Athletics Club) left it when they moved out in the late 1970's, the new leaseholder Maurice Buckland was only interested in greyhound racing and laid the facilities out accordingly, removing the original terracing on the home straight and replacing it with a flat area for the bookies to use to set out their stall. Spectator viewing was confined solely to the grandstand/bar. When the operation was sold to the GRA in 2004, speedway was invited back and restarted there in 2007 and this was when the "temporary" accomodation on the first bend was installed by Tony Mole's promotion. Part of this later had to have the roof removed because it was blocking the view of a section of the dog track from one of the executive boxes, which the GRA would not allow. As the stadium now has only another 2/3 years before it is demolished to make way for houses, there is little point in trying to remedy this, which I agree is a pity, but its fair to mention that the view of the speedway track from the stadium's first floor bar is superb and uninterrupted, and is air conditioned on warm nights, and heated on cold nights, and there is no additional charge for viewing there. Personally, I'm not too keen on watching from inside, but even I have to admit that it does have its consolations on a cold or wet evening, and I'd say that overall, a visit to Perry Barr on a speedway night is well recommended.

Respectively I can`t agree, how can a team get a guest facility for a rider that`s never ridden for them. We either have rules that all clubs abide by or we don`t.

Wrong decision, sadly the SCB/BSPL just have the cahonas anymore.

Cracking view in the back straight stand but wrap up it'll be freezing , left my coat in the car once. What a mistake and that was later on in the season

My prediction is that Buster will be relaying the track at about 7pm

SCB now grant a 28-day guest facility to Plymouth to cover Covatti's absence,

What a weird observation. Not sure I'd judge a club by the age of a machine being used to do the track. I think you're looking at it the wrong way. I don't think it's so much about Plymouth being a 3rd tier club, more a case of the likes of Glasgow and Poole being top tier clubs. The reality is you're always going to get 'minnows' in every league, clubs that punch above their weight and on the flip side clubs that are fallen giants, that a bigger fishes in smaller ponds. I fully accept Plymouth in the past has been poorly run and I'm not a massive fan of the current promotion, but the facilities today are chalk and cheese from what they were in the past.

New race suits look very impressive

Ouch what Lawson said!

A lot of fractures don't get plaster casts nowadays. That's why you see airboots etc.

Maybe not but Plymouth is not owned by millionaires you clown.

50-40 home win I think Toby will go through the card

KL to win this by 10+, They've built a team of riders that are very strong around the AFA.

Yes quite a few of us were there

Why should Plymouth not be anywhere near the middle tier you clown, on Monday we had a months rainfall in 24 hours, tell me a track what could take that the promotion are trying to make the track better and there’s keyboard warriors like you giving them grief for it the weather down here for the last few months has been horrendous what are they meant to do.wind your neck in concentrate on your own team whoever they are and keep your nose out of something that doesn’t concern you.

Surely it'd be in "the best interests of the sport" to allow Plymouth a 75% guest?

They have just had the best of 15....

Absolutely, each to their own. I’ll bet my last Rolo though that those against it didn’t walk out after heat 15 and refused to watch it..

Then build top heavy? If not, you have 15 heats to avoid a “superheat”, if you can’t, tough. Birmingham were 10 points up, twice and still didn’t win. That’s their fault. Every club and every supporter knows the rules, if you finish level after 15 heats then it’s a superheat. I’m in the minority it seems reading the comments on here, I’ve no problem with that. I have my own opinion and won’t be swayed by others. For me it adds drama, you gain an extra heat with the 4 best riders on show for your money. OK it sucks if you’re on the wrong end of it, but if you’re on the winning end there’s no better feeling. A couple of seasons ago we had it twice at Ipswich and they were the lasting memory of the entire season for me personally. At the end of the superheats, strangers were hugging each other all over the place, you’d think we’d just won the title there and then! The place was buzzing. I’m all for anything that creates an extra bit of excitement. Birmingham didn’t lose their point for “drawing” did they? They still took their point.

Just read on British speedway that Plymouth’s first 2 matches are being postponed…perhaps the promotion are listening to fan power lmao

Toby should double his score from the Leicester meeting so if the rest of the team match their scores that will give us 48 pts which would be enough for the win plus the bonus point although I’m hoping for at least a 50-40 winning margin. Can’t remember when I last looked forward to a meeting as much as this one.

Nicholls isn’t guesting for Pawlicki, he’s a short term replacement and in the declared 1-7.

Looking at photos on Facebook it was more like major reconstruction to extend the track, well done Plymouth for doing this, but think the soggy winter has caught them out a bit, just hope it's dry in the next few days . Forecast windy and showers so hopefully the track will dry out before Saturday

The Superheat seriously favours teams with two big hitters and as it’s said when you have an aggregate bonus point up for grabs it isn’t necessary.

A look at riders who returned home to finish their careers. Did your favourites do this? https://classicspeedwaymemories.webador.co.uk/march-2024/the-prodigal-returns

Ahhh yes!!! 1964 - The year Sunderland 'Saints' got 'stuffed' by their own Promoters'. Never forget - never forgive either.

Wasn't Courtney banned once for failing a drug test? May not of been , it would of been a while ago. Garrity was allegedly into all sorts of drugs but that seemingly isn't the issue. Roger Lobb and Frank Smart were banned for failed tests yet came back and were successful - Smart's best season was the year he came back after he was banned. Its the crimes Garrity committed whilst under the influence of drugs that sit badly with anyone with any self respect or morals. Mugging OAPs is one of the lowest crimes you can commit. No excuses , drug addict or not.

What a strange response, twice. You put words in Steve Parks mouth, he only corrected what Mark Courtney was charged with, and you came out accusing him of saying one thing being worse than another. Now you’ve called it a bizarre take to trust a drug trafficker on a 60mph bike with no brakes, over a drug user?

It was a shame that no body really mentioned some of the great heats we saw last season such as the belle vue v Ipswich heat in the semi finals, the comeback by Sheffield in the final or some of the really good overtakes throughout the season, that’s what’s going to attract more fans and also get some positive attention. Yes social media does a have “click bait” obsession with stuff like fighting and that’s all well and good but not sure that’s going to bring more fans in, but speedway could certainly with the right content get more eyes on site with the overtaking, the crashes etc. However have to say much better presentation than I’ve seen before cant help but think with better personnel and financial support Phil will do greater things.

I'm of the older fan base, I hear swearing on the streets etc I don't like it but I accept its now part of life but when a Media day is to promote something as a sport for all to watch the excessive swearing used by Tai was unacceptable. His comments about punch ups on track and how they the riders should be paid/applauded as they put the viewing figures through the roof were also out of order. If there's an incident on track and in the heat of the moment riders resort to fisticufs it happens so be it, let the referee put it in his report etc but to use it to promote speedway is wrong. Phil Morris should hold more media days, with louder microphones, but have a word with riders/participants first about what is or is not acceptable, surely people can make a relevant point minus the bad language.

Stay real? Have a word with yourself. If that was the case then every Sky Sports interview post match would be full of expletives, especially this season with the state of VAR. There isn't, those professional footballers check themselves in front of the cameras, anybody with any level of common sense would. Swearing is not 'staying real' it's embarrassing in a professional media press day. As others have said, in the heat of the moment after crashing you forgive them to a degree if emotion gets the better of them when a camera is stuck in their face. But, in that setting yesterday no, and with Woffinden I actually get the impression at times he does it deliberately, which is also not 'staying real' it's pathetic. Now don't get me wrong, I swear all the time. especially at the City Ground, but I check myself when appropriate, i.e. kids around or I am doing media interviews (done a few).... it's not rocket science.