4thbender

Don't think so; Cook is bargain basement. Heat leaders are Holder, Ellis and Musielek.

Common knowledge - like common sense - isn't that common!

So ALL the team predictions on this forum are WRONG... because we'll be naming EIGHT riders!

The championship is surely the appropriate level for a rider of his potential.

The really good news is that Troy has gone to Cheetahs. Missing him already.

Confirmed by whom?

Howarth would be first on my team sheet every time. What he lacks in finesse he makes up for with sheer will-to-win-come-what-may. 120% committed and a great team man. He epitomizes everything that the Tiger spirit stands for.

No place for Adam Ellis? That's a mistake. Also looks like we've got three reserves in there, which is another mistake.

Are there any more riders lined up on the conveyor belt that runs through that sleepy French town? I'm sure there are a number of British promoters willing to stake a claim based on the evidence of past graduates of the Marmande machine.

Guess that explains the conundrum, but why, when speedway has such a powerful foundation locally, has it not spread wider in France? When I was there in my student days my raving about the joys of speedway were simply met by blank stares. It didn’t even have a name – I used to have to describe it as “les courses de la piste en cindré.”

Someone called "Ashie" mentioned on this Forum under the thread "Who Is The Worst Rider Ever To Ride For Your Team?" in 2006 "Thierry Hillaire... was billed as top French international, but his first race and he more or less forgot to turn to left at the first bend."

I could understand riders basing themselves in the town if there was a French National Speedway Stadium in the locality, but these riders were born there. What could explain that?

Speaking of which, how many French speedway riders do people know? I've been checking a few things.... David Bellego, born 15 May 1993, Marmande, France; Dimitri Berge, born 5 February, 1996, Marmande, France; Adam Ellis, born 21 March 1996, Marmande, France; Steven Goret, born 15 June 2002, Marmande, France. What is it about Marmande (a nondescript little town on the Garonne, 35 miles south east of Bordeaux)? In a country that has no cultural history of speedway - no league, no teams - how come four top-drawer riders should emerge from a complete backwater?... and all born in the first half of the year. What goes on there? It makes me wonder whether some speedway icon of the 70's and 80's bought himself a holiday home in the town after his retirement from the sport and spent the summer months in the 90's servicing the romantic needs of the local maidens, thus spawning an entire dynasty of top-notch speedway riders for the 2020's. Thoughts anyone?

Methinks that Bordeaux-based Jonny the Spud might have more than a passing interest in the welfare of Marmande's most famous speedway son.

It elevates you to the level of being demonstrably able to compete (and win) at the highest level in British speedway. Just the kind of rider any sensible team manager would want in their side.

Say what you want but I'd rather have him inside the tent pi55ing out than outside the tent pi55ing in.

Adam a decent rider? ... he's the British champ!

There are no rules that I know of which might prevent Sheffield from signing up the six riders named, plus a seventh rider whose average takes the total team averages up to whatever points limit is agreed. Perhaps some of the mathematicians on this forum might do the sums to tell us who that seventh rider might be.

How’s this for a principle: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The present riders (with a single exception) served us well in 2021. Why not keep that team together? There is only one rider who consistently let us down who needs to be replaced. The other six I would be very pleased to see retained. Remember – Sheffield is the only team that could go the eventual champions and beat them by 12 points. TB scored 7 + 1 on that occasion; replace him with a rider that can do that on a regular basis and we’d have a team that could threaten all comers. My team would therefore be: Jack Holder Adam Ellis AN Other Josh Pickering Kyle Howarth Stefan Nielsen Danyon Hume

Let's face it, there's only one rider we need to lose, and if we can replace him with a genuine seven-pointer we'll be a winning team again.

Ten points was exactly the same margin that Peterborough managed to beat us by at Owlerton a few weeks back.... but four days later we beat them by 12 on their own turf. It ain't over till the fat lady sings.

Tend to agree. However doing away with play-offs would leave a big black hole, with the season finishing for most teams in August. How about introducing an end-of-season trophy competition with all teams taking part on a knock-out basis for a big sponsored trophy (e.g. the Eurosport National Speedway Trophy)? All six teams go into hat to decide their opponents in the first round and race off home and away. The three winners then go into a pool and race off against each other home and away to decide the winner. I reckon this beats the play-off charade, whereby the team finishing fourth out of six can end up being crowned league champs. What's more, I can't see any reason why Eurosport wouldn't be willing sponsors. Other team sports seem to exist quite well with side-by-side league and cup competitions, why not speedway?

This conspiracy theory is on the same scale as COVID being caused by Chinese people eating bats. The fact is, however the track is prepared, both teams have to race on it. The team that adapts best to the surface (i.e. Sheffield) has the best chance of victory. If the Peterborough plan for becoming champions involves "sabotaging" the track, (your word, not mine), or getting opponents to "throw" meetings (your words, not mine), then you don't deserve to be there.

Sorry to burst your balloon. You'll be choosing Sheffield in the semi-finals will you?

In heat 8 Batchelor was well-placed after the first two corners but appeared to ease up on the third bend to let Pedersen through and then allowed Andersen all the space on the fourth to follow his partner for a 5 - 1.It just strikes me Batchelor doesn't have a fight in him; he just invites opponents to pass him. Two points from a rider who started the season as the league's no.1 is beyond pathetic. He looks like a man who's given up.