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You can’t say that you’ll have the tigers Mafia after you now. Nobody goes there for that reason apparently.

My long campaign to persuade a member of the SCB that linear regression should be used never really gained much momentum. 🫢

Starke even past his best is well capable of sticking a point on his average and possibly two. Vinnie may have fitted average wise but not with the club image. Big crashes, unable to finish meetings due to no machinery and the crowd incident are all not in keeping with the clubs professional outlook.

I thought gavan made an interesting point a while back that maybe matt ford didn't want vinys baggage,like a lot on here I follow moto gp and if he behaved like that to the crowd whatever the provocation he would have been punished ,the racing incident would have been dealt with separately maybe " no further action " or 'long lap penalty etc 'Regarding his father it happens in moto gp that if a parent behaves badly(usually the father!)they are banned from the team garage and the paddock,there have even been cases where team sponsors (admittedly usually major companies) have made demands on riders behaviour and even asked for their removal.Maybe matt ford just didn't want the hassle???

Yeah, and that’s half of the problem with speedway these days….too expensive for youngsters to get into. Everything’s got to be top notch from day one…..equipment and glamour wise. Gone are the days of picking up an old secondhand machine, strapping it to the back of a car and trying to get second half rides around the country. No mechanics, sponsors or fancy vans in them days and more people were able to have a go.

It was well talked about mid season that 2025 would be 40 pt limit So no way can anyone say it caught out anyone's team building plans

Which lies the issue with some of the youngsters of today not willing to put in the miles to gain experience and improve, hence why not many make it now all expect it given to them.

There’s a difference though. Poole have to make a profit or the Ford family doesn’t eat. Glasgow are virtually a loss making subsidiary of a multi million pound company.

Money is not the reason riders want to ride for Poole.

Speedway is not their sport then.

Crosses or snorts!

So Cairns would rather go to Poole, doubt it was anything to do with money.

It is frustrating for clubs who stick by a rider. They will walk if Glasgow and perhaps Poole come calling. It's a career for riders and they will go where the best offer is. Hard one to take for a good club like the Bandits.

That championship team was Workington. Before Poole came in, disregarded anything that had been agreed, and blew Workington out of the water with the money. Disgraceful.

That's a generous definition of "mid season". Decent first meeting, decent last meeting, basically crap in between.

Definitely confidence I would say, you look at the setup he has, sponsorship, three bikes etc etc and it all looked fantastic. He had an early season tumble in Poland and never seemed the same after that, was very cautious in first bend traffic and really looked a different rider from the one that turned up against Workington in the Border Trophy. The last few meetings of his season he definitely seemed to be getting back some of that confidence, it is just a shame as many have said that we persevered and game him the runway to work through it and he has repaid that faith by chasing a few more dollars. As disappointing as it is for us I don’t particularly blame him, we’ve all chased the money at one time or another, I just hope it works out for him as I can’t imagine the Glasgow management will have as much patience and it’s clear that the fan base expects nothing less than silverware this season either.

While some not too impressed by Starke think it's a clever signing, especially at Poole. I think he will do well at home against plenty of the reserves with a higher GSA due to his track knowledge (as evidenced last season in 3 meetings when Worky visited). Against teams with stronger reserves I think that Poole top 4 will outscore the other teams sufficiently to cover the shortfall at reserve. Factor in that Tobias could well end up at reserve with Cairns after the first GSA's end of June doesn't make bad reading. Also if Starke does bomb out they could replace maybe up to 5 points (based on first GSA if he outscores most weaker/inexperienced reserves) which widens the replacement possibilities. Assuming Cairns would replace the 2 pointer temp replacement. The important part is to try and stay in top 4. We shouldn't think too much about the brilliant treble season in 2024. We had to shed 6 points in team strength, but we are now in a weaker league after some good riders not returning. Still optimistic of a decent season.

JPB was definitely a natural on the bike but the biggest change he needed was attitude. Yes his bikes were rubbish but his preparation was worse. He was easily marketable to sponsors but the effort wasn't there so didn't even make it as far as Lewis Bridger.

Only James of those three would fit. It'll be a 2 pointer until July 1st when there may be more than one change based on GSAs upto 23rd June cut-off. With a later start to the season and careful management of fixtures from Easter to June, it'll be interesting!! I'm sure the Fords have all options considered.......

This time last season everyone at Oxford filled with optimism....stadium/support/money etc etc etc.... This season...looking sh#te....someone needs to take a closer look at the Team manager!?

Nor am I ,I said somewhere on here earlier in the year about Starke being not good enough anymore and was shot down so unless he has new rockets for engines he is not going to improve much at all letting Foord go seems ridiculous now but I don't run Poole speedway just a fan and I have always thought the Ford's get team building right mostly but this signing well let's wait and see

r/r and guest haven't signed for any one yet

to cut out any speculation on the subject Luke was asked at the last meeting of this season if he wanted to return. We felt that a different track would of benefitted him in his progress with oxford ,Leicester or redcar being the preferred options sadly none could fit him in thus leaving him without a space. This was a family decision and was fully discussed with Simon and Rob at Scunthorpe who were both supportive of the decision.

Hallelujah!

Of course it would Workington have a great track Poole don't, for a young rider looking to make strides in the sport Workington would be the better option unless ££££ come in to it.

Money wouldn't come into it for sure

You are spot on with Polish crash Some riders bounce back from falls sadly it seemed to knock his confidence completely Was a shadow of himself after a good start to season Berwick were loyal others would not have been

You have either got increased commitments or not to drop at a moments notice when required.

Would agree,but always finishes with a”handy average “.Bit like Doolan was with averages.🤔

I'm fairly sure I remember seeing an announcement about Ford stepping down as he had more commitments this year and he was replaced with someone but can't remember where I saw that and can't find it now. For Foord it could have just been he preferred Workington over Poole or Poole waited too long to sign him.

It’s no big deal who is signed on as a 2 pt rider.Especially when they are not an asset. Also they can be easily replaced.

Berwick to say the least persevered with Hodder. Will Glasgow be as accomodating time will tell.

The failure to secure VJ-F just doesn't add up? He was IN when limit was 38 points He would have FITTED in a 40 point Team We know that Danny boy spat his dummy out at the AGM to the degree some teams voted 40 just to wind him up! Now we get the "throw away line" from his Andrex sponsor and monitor Clive - that "Danny is no longer on the Management Committee" THAT throw away line needs EXPLAINING Clive as it does not appear to have been announce anywhere???... So the question is.. Why no VJ-F Was he pushed out? Did he pull himself out? Why no transparency ??.. Answers please

That's a rewriting of history. There was considerable doubt about the wisdom of running three teams this time last year. However I am disappointed that with more time to plan there is not greater commonality between the teams. As for the team manager sometimes a discrete silence is the best response.

i really dont think it matters who it is as the fixtures will no doubt be designed for cairns to be old enough for as many as possible, just like lynn & lambert in 2014

Looking around the Northern tracks, Kildemand is the young 'un! He replaces Rory Schlein, who's 40. Bomber is older than that, while both Troy Bachelor and Danny King are also older than PK. Indeed, he's not even the oldest Bandit.......

Is that because they changed limit from 38.00-40.00 and it caught us out as ideally I would of had Foord all day long,Starke isn’t a bad signing for a season of improvement can’t really go wrong should be hitting 4.50-5.00 meaning him thomsen at reserve do a decent reserve all season,but after that he won’t be at Poole in 2026 where as Vinnie it could of been more long term.

https://x.com/ipswichspeedway/status/1866943204500836621?s=61

I can imagine a double change happening, if Starke starts well and ups that average😉

Unfortunately all the ht leaders are signed up elsewhere unless we can pull a rabbit out of the hat,I expect the team will built with a strong tail similar to last season which could of been so much better had it not been plagued with injuries to nico,barker and dan t,despite that pleased we have made it to the tapes for 2025 which in its self is an achievement in my book. Yes we have our knockers but if nobody likes us we don't care .

I'd argue at this point Berwick need to do what's best for them. You've got Hodder who let's be honest, there was plenty of times where he could've been dropped, but Berwick stayed loyal and kept him in the side, and for what? For him to jump ship to Glasgow the following year. And again, offered Ablitt a place and he's shot them down because it's too far to travel. I don't think Dayle is the best signing. But at the same loyalty goes a long way. If he can score above a two point average and show some commitment to the cause then it's a much better move for them than to have a rider to leave after a year.

To be fair I did see him ride once on BSN last year and said at the time (on here) that it did appear he'd come on a bundle since the year before when he was a danger to himself and others on the track... still tracking a 30 year old Aussie in a CL reserve berth when there are young British riders of similar (and better) ability doesn't sit that well with me.

Don't think George Congreve has a British passport either, but he was still allowed to ride NDL in the same season as Pearson. I think (could be wrong) they allowed Commonwealth riders to ride in the NDL in that year (2023), but have since reversed that decision?

Thats Ashton for you.

I hear that the F1 World Champion, Max Verstappen, is to do Community Service in Rwanda for swearing during an interview. Where would it be appropriate for former speedway World Champion, Tai Woffinden, to do Community Service in view of his past tendency to use foul language, and what should he be obliged to do?

Great evening as already said, Anders was on our table and was great to hear how he is already prepared for 2025 and riding for Poole. Confident he will be end the season as our second HL. I'm sure some exciting news will be coming in the next couple of weeks with the final 2 signings.

That would always be my preference

This isn't just Ipswich the whole league is just overpriced IMO. So hard to attract new fans when you're charging £24-£30(if you sit in some grandstands) for 15/17 mins of action depending on track size.

Chris Louis has announced a series of speedway meetings to be held at Ipswich in 2025. “We know this motorcycle sport is quite popular in Poland so we decided to treat bike fans to it in this country by being the first to stage this unique sport. Believe it or not these bikes don’t have brakes” Louis continued. “Following our recent invention of the wheel we thought it only right to see them in action on a racetrack. We always look to innovate and this aligns itself with last year’s initiative where we had bears pooing in Foxhall Woods - a first for both bears and woods”.

Nobody else is? It happens every year. WTF is this fanfare nonsense. Run a junior team and stop trying to hoodwink gullible fans. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Under-19_Championship