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Is it only me that feels a tad sympathetic towards Plymouth? They sign a 7 MSN team and through no fault of their own the number 1 is injured pre season. As a result of moving to Saturday race night there are few, if any, suitable replacements. I wonder if it would have been easier to get a replacement for Tuesdays? They do a load of work on the track, and are met with a very wet winter, meaning, perhaps unsurprisingly, it hasn't dried out in time. Who'd be a promoter in a sport that is not a great money earner if not a loss maker?

There was not many positives to take from that performance was there. Berwick moved out from the white line where the Comets riders bar Vissing were not interested in going out there. Heat 3 mind needs noted Comets on a 5-1 and stopped because Berwick rider had not cleared the track, staning on fate one !!!! He should have been fined for that.

If Workington are relying on the present day Cook and Batchelor then it’s going to be a very long and hard season for them.

I shall be buying the stream tonight. I live in Ipswich so there is no chance of me going to watch live but it will help swell Berwicks coffers by purchasing the stream. Every club should do a streaming service.

Really..I would like to think that most speedway fans turn up to watch good speedway and not fret whether they have guests or not and aren’t really talking about the championship being left behind..just enjoy the entertainment that’s on offer and try to be happy

Also good to see their NJL team wearing the same team suits really smart looking suits too

Newcastle’s track is smoother than this, awful.

Poor from Kemp just leaving his bike on track

I admit when we started the track work back in October, we had some nice weather and we were cracking on with everything nicely, then the weather changed and we've had to endure the wettest winter for 250years apparently. Definitely effected moral, then losing nico through no fault of our own was very disappointing however we have stuck to it and I reckon it will pay off in the long run. We might not be fancied for any success, but we won't stop trying.

https://x.com/glasgowtigers/status/1774024585924563210?s=20 Looks a bit better in reality thankfully!

After all the negativity he got on here, he deserves his plaudits.

Health and safety has now got to stupid levels of stupid. So for that reason it was probably H&S.

Transponders are only 99.9 percent perfect.

Rained pretty much every day for a week. The track was in good condition considering the battering it’s taken

there will be a lot buying the stream from workington who could not afford or have the time to travel 200 people streaming is good revenue for the club and money they wouldn't have got otherwise from travelling fans. I'd have been looking at £80 fuel plus admission so most away meetings would cost over £100. A lot of money for a speedway meeting

He comes across as a really likeable guy. was joking with the track staff before meeting.

The haters said he wouldn't get near to scoring 4 and first meeting too. So I would say that is a win. Only going to get better when used to the track imo.

It's the fruits of the nice Mr Russell's labours in playing the viability card and stepping aside to leave a clearer path. Removal of the covenant leaves the greyhound position in their own gift and leaves them able to cease them and leave the stadium to rot until the council relent - which they will.

Links for Edward Jancarz Memoriał: http://kergel.ucoz.lv/index/live_stream_2/0-12 https://vk.com/wall524629028_43 https://vk.com/video524629028_456239281 https://vk.com/wall-19139906_185026

What happens when you have two seven man teams, not even using RR, and there's a four-man pile up in Heats 1 or 2? It's then five a side.... And if they are using RR it then becomes four a side (exactly as it would with six man teams).. However, as four man pile ups occur once every Preston Guild, the vast majority of meetings would never be impacted.. And if it does then "tough luck, but guess what? That is sport"... And, if you run six man (I mean rider teams, sorry Celina) you would then have "subs on the bench" to come in and not need RR in the first place.. The issue facing the sport is too few riders being available at the right ability level that Div 2 want to race at... Div 1 are "just about" getting away with it by having only seven teams in the league.. Any more and they would struggle too...

Everybody's got a great plan, a superb solution. Until they get punched in the nose. What happens when you have two six-man teams, each using r/r, and there's a four-man pile-up in Heats 1 or 2?

Yes. It wasn’t a good look for us. Very rare indeed. the start Marshall’s were standing in as our normal ones were away regarding the track. And this is a massive bug bare of mine and this is my opinion why a lot of riders never make the step up from NL to premiership. that track was absolutely spot on yesterday despite all the rain we had. The premiership boys would have loved that. but because the youth system and NL give all these youngsters tracks like motorways they don’t know how to ride when there is a bit of grip. they then have to learn how to ride with grip in competitive action thus knocking there confidence and eventually being lost to the sport. so I dont like doing this but I blame the riders for not having the skill to race and not the track itself.

This didn't age well :-)

With a fit for purpose RR facility another to add to the solution.

Very disappointing travelling 180 miles for a rain off which was ultimately caused by a heavy shower about 30 minutes before start time. The second shower which came after 6-30pm only lasted a few minutes and made very little difference. These are my personal observations and thoughts : Hard to understand why the track was watered with dark clouds approaching. The PA system wasn't functioning properly so nobody had a clue what was happening, we just stood around cold in excess of 70 minutes after the advertised start time before people started walking toward the exit. Not a great advert for Rob who was just saying in the Speedway Star how they are trying to raise the profile of the sport. The track staff did a good job with the track to the point were I believed the track would come to the riders after 3 or 4 heats if racing had got underway. It was observed that the drain on the 1st bend was higher than the track, this contributed to the large puddle of water that formed there. We appreciated getting a refund quickly. It was made known to us at this time that the riders wanted to give it a go but the referee ultimately called it off.

I think Poole should have given Perry a 4th ride, surely it's more important to give him track time than to win by 32 points instead of say 30?

The Comets are against local rivals Berwick Bandits in Workington's first meeting of the season after the Ben Fund fell foul of the weather. Hopefully it will be dry and the racing will be good , oh and a home win too.

Worse gater than Bastien Borke

Freddie Hodder very impressive rode the 3rd /4th bend like he had been there for years.

Agree.It was a bad decision.

It was hardly causing an obstruction,it would be no different to a rider having an EF and touring round the inside of the track.No idea why the ref stopped the race.Poor Decision.IMO.

If that’s good, I’d hate to see it at its worst.

Not the result the us comets fans wanted but never mind. First meeting out of the way, half the team probably never even heard of Berwick let alone laid eyes on the place. Vissing superb, batchelor was steady, areas for improvement obviously but it’s early days. Hopefully nothing too serious with Cook, onto tomorrow.

Worrying…

Just received an email confirming the stream will be available to buy after the meeting. very prompt response, well impressed

Any sign of trackrat, he likes a flat white

Well, l disagree, but that's what a forum's for.....

Not forgetting Masters on a T/S scoring 0 points. I think with Poole's upgraded track prep, the Oxford riders seemed caught out with set-ups. Super night though. Live band (not to everyone's taste but then music never is!) plus some terrific racing in front of a huge crowd - many of whom I hope are back for our next tough meeting against............Plymouth!

Well having slept on it, that has to go down as the perfect, if unexpected first home meeting of the season. A huge crowd, a new look team, and an opposition touted as possible title challengers. The BSN format has no room for errors. A home defeat and you can virtually say goodbye to the trophy, so it was with some trepidation we faced our rivals up the A34. But any fears were soon dispersed when Lawson saw off track specialist Masters with ease and Tobias Thomsen leading Masters for half a lap. Killeen got stuck in to win heat 2, and was possibly Oxfords most impressive rider with 8 points. Best I have seen him at WR and he was quick and smooth, for a change! Oxfords 3 and 4 were woeful. 6 points between them but only 1 point scored against opposition riders when Heeps beat Max Perry. Boughen was tailed off on all his rides, as was Atkins. These riders though are a different kettle of fish around Cowley, and Wednesday will come around quickly enough for some retribution. Though they will need a miracle to pull back 32 points. The new Poole track was in great shape. Bends one and two are more banked and allowed two racing lines around the boards and up the inside. Same as bends three and four with Brennan’s charging under Heeps on bend three and Benn Cook around the outside off the final bend to pass Masters. An impressive opener from the Pirates. But a tough meeting awaits in the return and Oxford will be gunning for revenge after the humiliation last night. Get your tickets at see you there!

That oxford 3-4 pairing has crap season written all over it, one a complete homer and the other a good young rider but going to be under the cosh v good heatleaders 3 times a match

Enjoy. We got home about half 10 from scunny last night. Shame we can't make today but will be streaming it. UTC

Waking up in sunny Scunthorpe ready for our trip to Berwick! Hoping our guys get some track time today and it’s a good nights racings!

It is very much "rinse and repeat" on here isn't it when it comes to the same old issues being outlined... The comments made could have come from any meetings ran in similar circumstances over the past heaven knows how many decades.. The only real surprise I have is that some still seem surprised... It is UK Speedway after all, a very small minority sport, ran, in the main, by well meaning amateurs, who use the sport as an "expensive hobby", with very little skill set around leading "the customer experience" at a public event... So don't set your expectations too high, and that way you won't be too disappointed.. Any "newbies" may not go back again, but the "die hards" who persuade them to go there, will, so no real net loss to the business.. Maybe it's worth copying and pasting some comments on this thread, ready for the next similar occurrence, to save time.. Then just change the names...

Clown

Well, I'm glad the streamers were being kept up to date with proceedings because there was precious little being said in the stadium to the fans. All I heard was an announcement that it wouldn't be starting at 5:30 and then a load of horns blasting over the PA... what happened to the TV themes of the 80's?

Chances of the meeting going ahead with cook and batchelor present was always going to be slim. track staff did a excellent job but another shower made the decision. At least everyone goes home fit and well.

Really good to see some of the lesser lights seeing the the Witches to Victory - Keynan Rew already seems a much more confident rider to last season and I am sure he and DanT combining in heat 14 to mke the win secure will have boosted their confidence no end! Jason seems to have picked up last season at Foxhall! I knew Brennan would be solid for the Brummies - they just need a win as right now they are certainly competive and in meetings until the end! Credit to everyone getting the meeting competed before the curfew as well - there was some grumbling on the live updates forum about Ambulances etc but I am pretty certain if it was your releative that need to go to hospital you'd be more than happy to wait! and edit - Adam Ellis two great meetings at home so far!

Can I ask what your solution would be if you were in charge?…..not being funny……interested.

It’s a sad state of affairs for the league and speedway in this country, not a solely Plymouth issue when a team is starting a brand new season with only 6 of their 7 permitted riders. Guests are the bane of the sport and it just gives a complete unprofessional look. The fact that teams and rule makers havn’t already come to this conclusion in advance that in the event of injury, there isn’t enough riders to cover and go round is the biggest worry of them all. This has now happened for at least 2 seasons for multiple teams but instead of doing anything about it, just continue to plow on with the farcical guest situation. The Premiership has started to get its act together and is becoming more professional and things are being put in place to make an overall better product - The Championship is being left behind massively.

should go towards a basic literacy programme