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Great post! Looking at the averages in the championship the other day asking where are the next line of heat leaders coming from. Doubling up seems to have taken away the mid level riders in the lower division that step up once the top boys move on. The RS should have been at that level to push the riders we've lost over the last 5/10 years into the second string/3rd heat leader roles. Think you nailed it with the Simon Lambert example. Poland haven't seen many of their top level juniors kick on at the world stage as expected but they are still performing at a very good standard in their domestic leagues. From the u21 final 10 years ago, only Ellis, Howarth and Coles are still riding. Phillips and Mountain were meeting reserves and the only ones still with a league place from the qualifier. The Polish junior final that year had, Musielak, Pieszczeck, Przedpelski, Gomolski, Zmarzlik, Smektala, Woryna, Pawlicki, Wozniak, Gala and Cyfer.

Like the sound of your second team.

Yep, another terrible British rule,and RS should not be in the top league, helps no one

Unless it’s the NL where they added half a point on to the limit just so a rider could get a team after every other team had built theirs

Heard he was on an upright.....still could sell it to Barker if Ben is looking for an upgrade....

absolutely agree with the tight and or narrow ones, its no coincidence that the wider & faster sweeping tracks such as bv worky redcar scunny and glasgow provide the best speedway nowadays

Tracks in U.K. are too tight on the bends for the powerful engines, the bigger circuits are fine like Belle Vue. But we all know Belle Vue is an exception.

Presumably Glasgow bound although that might be just whispered gossip

Indeed - especially important before heat 2

Harris seems nailed on for Lynn

Winning in the top league against the top teams would be an even greater achievement.

The RS system was designed to find a good few riders to go into teams and replace overseas riders... Unearthing a supply of "Simon Lambert's" rather than specifically finding a "Robert Lambert"... Which is a very sensible plan... I am just not sure doing it in the top league is the way forward as the standard on show is too high for many of them to compete... They need to be nurtured, not disillusioned as they progress... And watching several almost a whole straight behind race winners last year won't be doing anyone any good, most of all the sport itself as it tries to keep crowd numbers at acceptable levels..

You come up with some howling teams 🫣

Agree don’t think many Berwick fans would want Batchelor.No doubting hie talent but his attitude can be suspect.

I for one certainly enjoyed watching speedway racing with the 2 Valve engines. Team riding was more apparent and riders seem to win races with track craft. Since the introduction of the 4 Valve, the bikes are too fast for today’s U.K. tracks resulting in less overtaking and poor handling of the machines resulting in more crashes and injuries. Your thoughts please, as I’m sure there will be lots of opinions for and against what I have outlined. So for me it’s back to basics. proving speed is not everything if it compromises the racing for the riders safety and the supporters for seeing exciting racing.

Haven't seen this news anywhere else on here so thought I'd post this link. Simon suffered a "serious stroke" last week and is currently starting the recovery process. The facebook page has been set up by his family to keep everyone aware of his progress. (13) Facebook

Sam Masters, Simon Lambert, Ashdon Boughen, Dan Gilkes, Cameron Heeps, Ben Trigger, Connor Coles is the Oxford team for Wednesday

That's a Diane Abbott calculation...😂

Thanks for your input👍

I think starke could be at Poole next season

Would prefer Poole to stick with Hagon over Thompson (if not having both) Hagon did have a very poor end to the season but had kept his average over 5 until the final GSA. Hagon undoubtedly has talent and good backing. Just a huge loss of confidence as soon as he started riding in the premiership. No doubt going to Australia should help him get back to where he was and I would be disappointed if he wasn’t retained. Certainly has it in him to up his average.

What makes you think that? Have you seen something I've missed? Other than his rather against the odds British U21 victory I've seen nothing to suggest that he won't be anything other than a Drew Kemp type. Hagon's got no real pedigree, his father wasn't particularly successful as a rider all I see is a rider being bank rolled by his dad with Martin Dugard spannering for him. At least with somebody like Boughen you can see flashes of brilliance from him and he's beaten some very big name riders very convincingly, yes he's going through a bit of a tough patch at the moment but I fully expect him to ride through this. Time will tell I suppose.

Or common sense!

That’s human nature, I think they call it easier survival😀

As an under 40 (just) latecomer to Speedway I never saw the old 2 valves, nor indeed the upright engines. I have wondered though whether the narrow band of power put out by a laydown engine really is suitable for some of the smaller, narrower tracks in the UK. I'd have assumed at around a track like Wolves used to be, or say Edinburgh, then an upright engine with a better balance of throttle control would work better. I've noticed that a lot of riders tend to ride a diamond shape on a track as opposed to an oval, narrow into the corner and clattering the fence mid straight to enter the corner tight again, is that down to the engine or just the rider style? I've seen so many riders hanging on for grim death that you wonder if that's really not a terrible accident waiting to happen.

It was announced at Iwade last week that Michael Grey and David Graveling have applied to join the NDL running at the track with a Sussex Kent team..

Would agree with you,but we know nothing will change.We missed the boat on that one in GB.Technology Rules I’m afraid.

I think his algorithms only use averages, not names.

You maybe correct re £2.50 being high and more likely to be early 80’s level. so using raw CPI data from office of National Statistics and weighted compounded inflation (more indicative than pure BoE inflation figures) £2.00 would equivalent of around £15.60 Also worth remembering that back in “77” Vat had two heady rates of 8% & 12.5% - Those were the days. Anyways - on Topic. Yes cost of attending speedway in 2024 is more costly in real terms than “back in the day” most probably because actual attendance has fallen meaning less number of fans have to meet the running costs of meetings.

I play cricket, so I am pro cricket - but, in that day's play ( which shouldn't take 7-8 hours unless you are including lunch and tea) for how long is the ball actually in play? 45 minutes? And a lot of that may not be 'entertainment '. County cricket is hardly awash with supporters attending county games. Value is a subjective judgement

Sadly the thousands that attended in 1977, but no longer do, disagree.

Perhaps he would rather do championship than Sweden

You are quite correct. The riders you mentioned have not gone on to be GP standard, but I would suggest all three ride in the hardest league in the world. Bar Bewley and Lambert, no other British rider is competing at that level. Of course you could say, " put them on a uk track and they would be pants" but the facts are they all ride in the main body of the team and don't if they are struggling get to drop back down to reserve. If they don’t perform they are then shipped off to the lower leagues. Out of interest, the Polish U24 league has a list of the top 100 riders. Young Aussie Keynan Rew is top. You have to go down to 35 Rowe, 38 Flint and 55 Giilkes https://ekstraliga.pl/en/se/classification-list/u24e/2024 So the above British riders should surely be a lot higher up that list, due to riding in our top league?

Cami did the maths 🙄

The 2valve/4 valve argument is largely redundant, it’s has no real bearing on the current state of the sport, bikes are no faster now in real time speed than they were 40 years ago, what has changed dramatically is the speed of the back wheel, engine revs now are ridiculously and unnecessarily high, japs revved up to around 6000, 2valve Jawa revved up 7500 revs, 4 valve weslake were up to around 9500 and upright GMs to around 11500, the modern GM can max out at around 13500 revs although during a race you would be lucky to hit 12,000 revs but as I said earlier overall times over 4 laps haven’t really changed, the increase in revs is causing the tyres to disintegrate and it’s causing the tracks to disintegrate and it’s also made the bikes flat out power rather than throttle control, the modern silencer has reduced the usual power down to about 2000 revs, anything out side that usable rev range and you will not go anywhere, imo the introduction of a 10,500 rev limit via the rev limiter, a better tyre and a better silencer would make the bikes easier to control, you could also do things like smaller cam lift or heavier flywheels or softer compression to reduce the overall revs of the engine, it’s not too hard to implement these measures but unfortunately the sport is run by the riders for the riders via the tuners so don’t expect anything to change anytime soon

i think its 2.5 %. 6.22 to 6.06. Edit Daniel got there first.

I’d take Ben Cook at 1 for sure if we had Bomber at reserve and Iversen, Kvech, Klindt & Lawson 2,3,4,5

Very nice photos

You pay £4 for the pie nowadays 👌

Poole rumours starting again are they ?🤷‍♂️

If it's a 40 point limit? Justin Sedgmen 7.92 Michael P Toft 7.80 Paco Castagna 7.11 Cameron Heeps 6.37 Lasse Fredriksen 4.67 New foreigner 4.00 Max James 2.00 Total 39.87 If it's a 38 point limit? Justin Sedgmen 7.92 Michael P Toft 7.80 Paco Castagna 7.11 Connor Mountain 5.65 Theo Pijper 4.43 Ace Pijper 3.00 Stene Pijper 2.00 Total 37.91

But what about the Polish leagues, their clubs have to include 2 x Polish juniors in all divisions, seems to work very well for them if you look at their success at junior level. The RS system is just a (much) smaller version of that. If anything this system should being riders on more as if they're good enough they'll move into the top 5 (Brennan, Rowe, Dan T for example). The Polish juniors stay at reserve all year. I don't think it's anything to do with lack of riders, just wanting to give young Brits a chance.

Edward’s has far the better style and still improving.Think Flint has stalled.

Bargain! Tickets still available range from £160 to £800. Had me running to the hills when I saw that!

But of both. Rider names were actually quiet easy to spot. last two characters are moved to the front with then capitalise the first letter only Used the function below in google sheets =UPPER(LEFT(RIGHT(A1, 2), 1)) & LOWER(MID(RIGHT(A1, 2), 2, 1)) & LOWER(LEFT(A1, LEN(A1) - 2))

Then pull out. The CL shouldn't be backed into a corner by one party, or a minority of parties.

Good then they can have 2H@2A lol

Think you've summed it up really well, and I've no problem with the situation as a number will stay, but it just confirms what British speedway is now really, a feeder for higher leagues here initially here which is good,but eventually a feeder for Poland for the really good ones we develop, never to be seen again until the final pay days needed when they're past their best in Poland ( apart from Jason Doyle , top man) .

its whats best for them as riders and i think doing other things would benefit them riders outgrow our second division all the time and new ones come in to take their place douglas and basso did it last year pickering following suit its just the way it is they will all be in the premiership so not lost to british speedway

Certainly won’t have a shortage of interested party’s if that is the case,Godfrey would be mad not to include him in Scunny Team guaranteed to increase his average the way he is improving.Some great racing from him.