Aces51

It was seen as quite different to the normal team changes made by most teams during a season. Belle Vue fans accepted that what Wolves did in bringing in Woffinden was within the rules. It wasn't the making of a change in the team that caused them to feel that it was morally wrong but that Woffinden was on an average which did not reflect his current ability coupled with believing that he was just using British speedway because his other commitments were drying up. Personally, I can't pretend that I liked to see the UK being used in this way but accepted the reality that many teams would have done the same given an opportunity to bring him in. Obviously, those in charge of the sport were concerned that a similar situation shouldn't happen this year and changed the rules.

King's Lynn appear to have been on a downward spiral for the last few years. The track, once renowned for the quality of racing, is now seen as gate and go, riders are unhappy about track preparation and supporters complain about poor communication from the club. Chapman is the man in charge and must accept his share of the blame instead of trying to put all of the blame on others. This same man is Chairman of the BSPA. It doesn't inspire confidence. Would anybody appoint someone not making a success of their own local business to run a national company? He promised by now to have delivered openness and transparency, a new rule book and a league sponsor but has failed to do so. There can be no excuse for not achieving the first two promises and this is a man who now admits to being petrified of rider power. The sport hasn't got the luxury of time to wait and see if he can eventually deliver what is required. Where is the plan to rebuild the sport? Is it yet another secret to be kept away from those who play a vital role in keeping the sport alive, the fans. Does it even exist? Speedway is on life support and fans are not seeing anything to encourage a belief that those in charge even know what many of the problems are, let alone have workable solutions. Perhaps it is time for Chapman to step aside and concentrate on rebuilding his own club. The BSPA need someone with the vision and ability to take the sport forward. If there is nobody within their ranks with those abilities they must acknowledge it and look elsewhere for the right person. That is what any sensible business would do. The basic concept of four riders racing on a well prepared track is as capable now of attracting fans as it has ever been. It is all of the other aspects that need action, the rules, the facilities, the PR, the publicity, the continuity of riders in teams, making fans feel valued etc.

They will now. The reality is that like most clubs they delay if significant numbers of people are still queuing to get in and start on time if the weather is threatening. Generally, they are fairly prompt and the first race is between 7.30 and 7.40. Apologies ABS, you posted while I was typing.

Last night Tungate was the NSS track specialist we hoped we had signed. If he can continue that form we should stand a good chance in the play offs.

I think more like 2,300 - 2,500. About 1,800 in the Grandstand and another 500-700 in the South Stand. I don't know how many of those were children, who were free but maybe a couple of hundred. There was extensive advertising in the local press and on social media. The question is could you get those sort of numbers regularly if you charged £10? They tried it a few years ago in the school holidays and the numbers attending soon fell after the first meeting and they lost money. Though that was at the dog track!

Well I was wrong. I expected much more from Lindgren, Schlein and Barker and hadn't expected the real Tungate to turn up. A decent meeting, with some good close racing. Delighted to to be able to watch Bewley as he improves week by week, what a talent. He takes me back to watching Collins and Morton when they were at a similar stage.

Not like Shovlar at all, it's being realistic. Wolves usually do well at the NSS and are now stronger because of Barker and r/r. The absence of Cook now further weakens us. Good to see a sense of humour from those who suggest it may be tactical.

Wolves are already a strong team and generally do well at the NSS. Barker for Howarth and r/r for Thorsell make them even stronger. BV have struggled against much weaker teams and Bjerre and Cook seem to have gone off the boil. It would have been close against their full 1-7 so realistically it's Wolves to lose. Anything less than a 6 point loss and BV will have done well.

Seems to me that Lambert was doing well until he he hurt his wrist again. It's the British disease to run down anyone who is doing well. The lad is 19 and could develop into a really good rider. I've not yet been convinced that he will be world class but let's give him a chance.

Wolves definitely stronger with Barker for Howarth and everyone able to take Thorsell's rides. Going to be very close. We need to dominate at reserve and Cook needs to put the SWC final and Cardiff behind him otherwise, we could be in trouble.

I note the smiley and I certainly can't think that many of the fans already disenchanted with the way their club is run will be sufficiently interested. They know the details will be published elsewhere. There needs to be a proper independent inquiry to look into this latest debacle. If Chapman is really concerned about the fans the very least he should do is to hold a fans forum where fans questions are properly considered and answered, that might be a start to rebuilding their relationship with the club and their confidence in the way it is run.

King's Lynn Twitter, Chapman: "I've written one final column about it which supporters will be able to read on Wednesday and then that’s it, it’s gone." Does he live in the real world? Clearly he is not interested in what fans may wish to say about it having read his column, you've had his thoughts and that's it. It is this attitude from those in charge which epitomises much of what is wrong with our sport. Would any business survive with that sort of attitude towards its customers?

There was a fair amount of rain but when I entered the stadium at about 6.30 the inside of the track looked relatively dry, the water bowser was going round and did so intermittently for the next 30 minutes concentrating mainly on the bends from the mid line almost up to the fence. You could see by the darker colour of the shale that the outside of the bends was much wetter than the inside. I may well be wrong that it is the watering which is contributing to making the outside line much quicker than the inside but it seems to me logical. The problem with pulling back the shale is that it is only pulled back over the outside racing line. What does seem to help is when the tractors pull it back by weaving accross the track on the bends.

Racing at the NSS seems to be better when it is slicker. However, it still provides good racing as witnessed in the Peter Craven and other meetings this year. My theory, for what it's worth, is that when we had the recent heatwave they were at pains to heavily water the track to prevent dust, which it did but that involved putting more water on the outside. The track can take it because of the excellent drainage but the result is more grip on the outside because it retains more of the moisture. I also think the change back to the old racing format has had an adverse affect because you get fewer races between riders of similar ability. The bonus is that it should provide genuine averages, if only we knew the formula they are using and the rationale behind it. It baffles me why they think they have to keep these things secret and only adds to the belief that the fans are best ignored.

The silence from the SCB is deafening. Is Neil Vatcher on holiday. Chapman is supposed to be the saviour of British speedway, we have seen no evidence yet that the sport looks likely to retain its existing fan base, let alone grow it and now we see yet again how poorly run is his own club. We need someone who really is committed to openness and transparency and who has the vision and ability to save the sport.

It was nothing to do with the cost of the stadium. It was because David Gordon and Chris Morton insisted that the stadium was built around the track and not just adapted to fit inside it and because they did lots of research on other tracks including the old Hyde Road before finalising their design. They even went to the quarry and chose the shale.

A well deserved win for the Robins. Not a surprise to me, we are very vulnerable at home, far too many riders enjoy racing at the NSS and we have been pushed hard by lesser teams than Swindon. They had no weak links and BWD was exceptional.I was concerned that Batchelor might further injure his thumb riding so soon after his crash. No excuses, we were beaten by the better side. Swindon were gating better and using the outside run to good effect. Bewley rode well and was winning heat 14 when Tungate fell, Fricke showed some determination as did Bjerre and Worrall but Cook seemed reluctant to use the wide racing line, had a primary chain snap in heat 11 and ended up coming out on Worrall's bike in heat 13. Tungate was signed as a NSS track specialist to give us extra strength at home but has not yet shown he can deliver what is needed.

Monmore Green has often produced good racing although in my opinion the best racing there doesn't compare to the best at a well prepared big track. Decent enough meeting tonight with a few good races. Wolves have a huge home advantage, as we did at the dog track, just look at their points difference Some are saying that every track has riders locking up. It may be my memory, it's not what it used to be but I can't recall anyone locking up at the NSS

Those comparing the track last night to Belle Vue perhaps missed Craig Cook explaining before the meeting that he had tried the set up he uses at the NSS during the practice and it just didn't work. He and others explained it was an entirely different surface and that they still hadn't found the best set up. Most of us knew that Team GB would struggle and that the Russians are far more used to racing on Polish tracks than we are. Having said that I agree with those who say that Cook and Lambert should have done better. Worrall and Harris did all we could expect from them and more. Craig Cook on Twitter last night. "Sorry to everyone who I've let down I'm really embarrassed, I've tried my arse off and changed everything but nothing worked. Sorry again." At least let's give him credit for acknowledging his poor performance and apologising. It was a bad night at the office but he is still the best rider we have who wants to ride for GB and nobody can deny his passion and commitment.

The NSS requires just as much skill to ride as most other tracks, that's why the top scorers are usually the better and in form riders. To ride it well you have to be very smooth on the bike otherwise you lose traction and because of the high speeds can immediately suffer for it. It is the shape and width of the track which makes it relatively safe and that, together with the numerous racing lines, is what enable the generally close racing. The problem with the small tracks is that they often have only one or two racing lines and that together with the significant home advantage they often offer can produce processional racing. Our many years at the dog track and my numerous visits to most tracks confirms my opinion. That isn't to say that they don't offer some exciting racing, they can and do and some are better than others but for me it doesn't compare to the spectacle I was brought up on at Hyde Road and now at the NSS as well as tracks like Somerset and Peterborough.

No problems with Fricke. He is progressing well for his age and those doubting his aggression need to see his occasional dive bomb moves into the third bend at the NSS.

If it is so easy to put right it raises serious questions as to why nothing has been done. The first match on BT was an excellent opportunity to showcase the sport, two of the best teams but a track that was potentially dangerous and denied riders the chance to show how exciting this sport can be. I doubt many viewers new to the sport will be tuning in in future. It was totally unprofessional and the authorities should take action, somehow I doubt they will.

Any team with our away record would be expected to be winning their home meetings easily and we aren't. The explanation is obvious, it is the lack of home advantage coupled with the fact that most, if not all, visiting riders love the place. Tungate was signed because of his previous outstanding performances at the NSS with an obvious eye to improving our chances of winning on aggregate in the play offs. It will be no surprise if King's Lynn win or run us very close.

You have only got to watch the racing at the NSS and I am sure elsewhere as well, Scunthorpe, Somerset and Peterborough for example, to know that given a well prepared track all riders are certainly interested in racing. Similarly,if they believe they have no chance of passing, it is usually an indication of a track that is poorly prepared or that has only one racing line.

Harris had his best performance at the NSS, Nicholls had his moments but Barker was ok but wasn't able to replicate his Monday night performance. For the Aces, Cook and Worrall looked slow and Steve did have machinery problems as did Tungate who ended up borrowing Bachelor's bike. Fortunately, three 5-1's in the last few races made the win look easier than it was but Rye can feel that their efforts in the first 9 heats were deserving of a point.