Bagpuss

I think you see from that video how much better the Swindon track is going to be now. Have said for a few years that Lynn could benefit from being widened and made more circular, if Buster took the white line in a few metres all the way round and make the circuit 300m ish it could be fantastic with the right preparation.

Too many I’d imagine. Not having a pop at Poole only, this is a general point where speedway needs to get with the times.

Really surprised there are still any tracks not selling tickets or admission by card.

With the right person doing it I could imagine it working quite well but I can also see plenty of folk not liking the idea.

Wells scored paid eleven in your last home meeting against some people’s favourites for the league, if that’s all at sea I hope Lynn’s whole team can be from now on. In all seriousness Wells will be fine once he has a few more NSS meetings and gets into the groove for Edinburgh. Can see Aces winning this by more than the supporters cup clash, something like 54-36.

Swindon’s reserves will be their achilles heel all season but they faced the leagues strongest pair last night, probably better to judge them properly after a few more home meetings against the other sides. Swindon are hardly struggling as a team so far but one change if the opportunity arises could turn them into league winners.

More and more punters aren’t willing to risk going to speedway on anything other than a dry evening nowadays so you can’t blame clubs for making an early decision if the forecast is poor.

Not necessarily, if a manager wanted to protect a rider or riders for heat 14 he need not nominate them for the heat 14 vote. But he then risks a reserve or low scoring rider ending up in heat 14.

Exactly. Sonetimes I think riders would be much better off keeping their gobs shut and just riding their bikes.

Proper speedway Nige! Haven’t been to the Foxhole since they widened it and I really must make the effort.

Can see this being a narrow home win with Cook being in the big points but being beaten by somebody at some point. Edinburgh may not have fully got going yet but by the same token I’m sure Glasgow haven’t either.

Is anyone saying it is special other than you?

It’s a difficult one semmers, in the past he has occasionally not graded much and you end up with one line out by the fence at Lynn which is the worst of all. He bottom line is that the dirt used at Lynn is no good for bikes....I hope it’s not the same stuff at Peterborough now.

Why would you go in at 4:30 for a 6:30 start though? If a meeting takes two hours that’s four hours sitting in one seat, no wonder you got fed up. I recognise there is often too much grading but if that’s a trade off for no dust and (eventually) good racing then it’s a no brainer.

I agree that Kerr should be at two but I can’t imagine this isn’t something that everyone has agreed on. Also agree about being a little disappointing after being eight up but in mitigation the two strongest looking Premiership teams have lost at Peterborough this year and both Riss and Jorgensen were way below their usual standard tonight for various reasons so I’m not going to worry about it too much. The bigger concern for me and speedway in general is that one of the best racetracks we have hasnbeen altered and doesn’t seem to offer that outside line any more. One line round the inside is no good to anybody.

Excellent again from Kasper away from home, just need him to have a good home meeting or two to get his confidence up around Lynn. There is obviously talent there. Can’t be displeased with an away draw to start the league campaign. Both teams will probably feel they could have won it.

One suspects that’s what skidder is waiting for, the opportunity to hammer somebody else and take the attention off Poole’s issues.

Hopefully this is a Lynn performance more akin to Wimborne Road than the Foxhole. If we gate well we have every chance of getting the league campaign off to a winning start.

Quite right. It’s common to swap reserves in heats seven and eight. Clegg (or any other stronger reserve in any other team) should be in heats 8, 12 and 14.

Good race.

I’ve been to Peterborough umpteen times since my first visit in 1991 and would never describe it as gate and go. It wasn’t even before the widening in 2001. I’m sure all tracks would benefit from being wider but if you were doing a list of UK circuits in order of priority of the need to be widened then the EoES would be way, way down the list.

Odsal Boy keeps reeling them in

Quite agree, but there obviously wasn’t enough water put down before the meeting to soak the base. Tracks should be prepared and maintained for spectators not riders.

Three things are needed to keep the dust down and the track good on a warm afternoon; the correct equipment, the know how and the desire to achieve that goal. If any of those things are missing it won’t happen and you end up with the unacceptable situation which arose at Poole yesterday. As HT says it can be done.