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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.

Equipment nowhere near good enough, see Adam Roynon

It is providing the 15 year old signs & you get the parent/guardian to act as whitness. They key for any LoI being enforced is a clear action of if I do this you will do this in return. I have experience at academy & first team level of drafting such documents for a couple of Premiership football clubs.which have had to be legally enforced.

Generally no, but there are exceptions. They can sign a valid contract if the contract is beneficial to them...

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.

Can we take the Barker / Morris / Ward thing to another thread now?

Barker was well involved with what went on that night .

But the 'letter of intent' would have to be with Will's parent or guardian, wouldn't it? Surely 15-year-olds cant legally sign binding agreements?

As a retired High Court Barrister I can assure you that they are worth the paper they car written on and the strength come on the clauses. An example could be a rider is not allowed the sign for different club without the original clubs permission and a substantial compensation payment made to the original club. Although I have no experience of doing a LoI for Speedway I have done such agreements for Premiership Football clubs that have been found in court to be binding.

Depends how many meetings are ridden, I am sure there is a master plan and I expect some riders will not increase their average. We only need to qualify for the play offs.

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

Vissing is another rider you can't guarantee will deliver or even turn up on regular basis Often races own team mate more than opposite team Rides well as a guest mind

But probably in the weakest league for years,all relative

The old wooden fence days. I was in cow shed and Joe halved a panel. His wheel caught the white hare ring for the greyhounds and he catapulted off his bike onto the grass. horrific crash.

He was offered a place in the Bandits side, but chose to go for the money, after the Bandits promotion had remained loyal to him in spite of a quite unremarkable season. Let’s hope for his sake his new employers are as patient.

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

They are on 4.00 and 3.00 respectively so neither fit!

Have to agree on Andrew Silver. Probably my favourite ever rider, although I sometimes think he could have been even better if he'd changed his style. I sometimes wonder if he rode in that manner deliberately because it looked so damn cool! He was a sensation for a few years at Swindon. To see him deliberately miss the gate on lane 4 and then cut under everyone on the first turn was one of the best things I've ever seen. Another one at Swindon was Shawn McConnell. Possibly a degree of style over substance but well worth it! He tended to finish second or third in races. I once saw him about to win a race and pull a massive celebration wheelie that was so big he got passed. He came second.

Which one?

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

As expected. Didn’t realise he was 3.36. An absolute gift at reserve. He knows bike issues won’t be tolerated and what’s expected of him. He is more a 5-6 pointer. Should make mincemeat of many of the Championship reserves.

The biggest issue is having last year’s reserve promoted to third heat leader. whilst Joe had a very successful season that is a jump too far

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.

Why? Let's see...... He started speedway in Oz in 2022. Admittedly a late beginner, but that's when it was. In 2023 he came to the UK, a very raw rookie, raced NJL for Edinburgh and averaged 4.50. In 2024 he continued at Armadale, improving his average to 7.76. That's a big jump! With bonus points, this is a better CMA than Ace Pijper, Max Perry, Luke Harrison, Freddy Hodder or the much-vaunted Vinnie Foord. All of whom have been racing speedway bikes for a lot longer than Dayle Wood. Were he younger, people would be praising his progress, signalling him as one of the best 2-pointers available to Championship clubs. And maybe, with Berwick, he will be.........

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?

Paco Castagna, very 'exagerated' style on the bike, loves a bit of showboating. another one was a Polish lad at Peterborough, can't remember his name, wasn't there very long but definitely had a scary style

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.

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