NeilWatson

Emil's final GSA for 2017 was 3.88 PL which converts to 5.04 CL for 2018

They don't

On 11th January you referred to Emil's average being 5.20, which I said was incorrect - which was correct! Emil was given an assessed average in 2017 of 3.88 as per the Green Sheets (http://www.speedwaygb.co/files/downloads/p17_issue_final_numerical.pdf). With the 1.3 conversion Emil's 2018 CL average will be 5.04.

That wasn’t the case, 39.00 was the status quo after animated discussion didn’t achieve a consensus for change.

COVENTRY’S line-up for their return to the sport in the National League this season is now complete. The Bees can confirm the signings of Luke Ruddick, Jamie Halder and Ryan MacDonald to finalise the septet which will take to the track at their temporary Beaumont Park home in Leicester. 19-year-old Ruddick has been associated with Mildenhall in previous seasons, spending the last two years racing alongside new Bees captain Jon Armstrong at West Row. Despite a mid-season injury absence, he proved to be one of the league’s most improved riders as he raised his starting average of 3.10 to a final figure of 5.31. Halder (18) is already a familiar face with Coventry supporters as he rode for the Storm in 2015-16, initially in what was effectively a job-share with Callum Walker and then as a full team member two years ago. Last season he did not appear in the league in the early part of the campaign, before various guest bookings and a July/August stint with Buxton saw him achieve a 3.49 figure. MacDonald, 23, is looking to take his chance with the Bees after a spell with Stoke in 2016 and, briefly, a team place with Lakeside last season before the Hammers changed their plans on the eve of the official campaign. The former Northern Junior League Riders’ Champion starts on an assessed 3.00 average and will join Halder in the reserve berths. Armstrong said: “I’ve ridden with Luke for the last couple of years, and he’s been quite unfortunate with injuries. But if he gets out in front he’s so fast, he’s unbelievable. “Last year he looked a lot comfier on the bike and it was all coming together for him before he had another bang, but he was such an improved rider and how he didn’t get snapped up I don’t know. I said straightway that out of the riders around that average, he was the one to go for. “I know Jamie had a tough time last year but when the pressure got taken off him he was able to add a bit to his average, and he should be able to step up at reserve this season. “When I rode with Ryan at Stoke to be fair I don’t think he was really ready then, and that was down to a lack of confidence more than anything. “He’s matured now, had a lot more time on the bike, and I think he’s gone a bit un-noticed, only normally coming down as far as Redcar. You can’t fault his machinery or commitment, and he’s prepared to travel anywhere in the country for a job. “In all honesty I think we’ve got quite a potent little side, and as captain I’ll pass on as much advice as I can.” Bees start their season with a Challenge match against Birmingham at Beaumont Park on Sunday March 25 (4pm) with the full National League fixture list expected to be released shortly. ENDS

A very fair analysis. What is also important to remember is that Mick has a 'place at the table' at the BSPA. Were he to cease running the Bees, any new applicant wishing to bring Speedway back to Coventry would be treated as a 'new entrant' requiring significant bonds etc, in the case of Premiership speedway that would be a very significant sum. Running at Leicester DOES enhance the chance of returning to race in Coventry, contrary to what some posters here may say. Watching the Bees at Leicester is certainly not going to line Mick's pockets, but would be a positive contribution to the Bees' future. If not watching them ultimately contributes to failure, that could make any attempt to return Speedway to Coventry more challenging for a new investor.

Utter nonsense.

http://www.speedwaygb.co/kocup18 I believe the draw was incorrectly reported in some places. Sunday 15th July is scheduled as Peterborough's home leg of the quarter-final.

Not barmy at all, it's wholly dictated by stadium availability.

Tomorrow 9am as far as I know

COVENTRY Bees are delighted to announce that Chris Simpson will be back on board in 2018 as the Centre Green Presenter. Chris was hugely popular with the fans for many seasons but he and Bees owner Mick Horton parted company quite publicly in 2015. But now both parties are keen to bury the hatchet for the good of the club. Chris said: "The past is the past and neither me nor Mick can change that. The future is what’s important now, and ensuring that the historic name of the Coventry Bees lives on. The Bees are in my blood and I hope this reunion will go some way to restoring any wavering fans' faith." This announcement will also see Chris’s son who many may remember from previous stories joining the 2018 Bees presentation team. Tommy Knudsen Simpson (a name many will recognise) will be supplying all the music and jingles for 2018 and bringing back the quality presentation that Brandon was always famous for. Additionally Chris will be hosting a Facebook Live Q&A with Mick Horton on a date to be confirmed - full details to follow in due course.

COVENTRY Speedway are delighted to welcome Martyn Macdonald as their new team manager for the 2018 season. Martyn will take charge of the Bees for their National League campaign with home matches taking place at Leicester’s Beaumont Park Stadium. Although this is his first appointment as a manager, Martyn will be a familiar face to many, as he has been involved in the sport for nearly 30 years – several of them spent at Coventry. He was a regular in the Brandon pits working with a number of riders – including former World Champion Greg Hancock, Stuart and Scott Robson, Martin Smolinski and more recently Kacper Woryna. Martyn was also a member of Steve Worrall’s pit crew when the Belle Vue rider appeared as a track reserve in the 2016 British Grand Prix at Cardiff. His active involvement dates back to 1991 when he was a member of the track staff at Middlesbrough’s former Cleveland Park venue, leading to him helping riders such as Jonathan Swales, Stuart Swales and Shane Parker. Martyn, who lists Martin Dixon and Kenny Carter as his favourite riders of all-time, is qualified in general and aeronautical engineering and has been working in NHS mental health since 1999. And he says he’s keen to establish a strong rapport between the riders as they look to make a success of the season. He said: “It will be different from my point of view because I’ll have to get to know people a lot more, rather than in the past it just being the ones I helped. “But quite often team management is something that people in the pits area decide they want to progress to. “That was what I thought myself, I felt I’d really like to do it, and the opportunity is there to see what I can do. “I’m looking forward to trying to bond the seven riders together to make a successful team out of it, and being more in charge of an overall outcome than an individual one. “We’re going to have a pre-season get-together to get to know people, and also hopefully have a few practice sessions at Leicester to get the winter cobwebs out of the system. “I’m also looking forward to working with Jon (Armstrong) as captain, and he’s been really helpful to both myself and Mick (Horton) with building the team, because he knows these lads first-hand. “The aim is for everyone to help each other, and there will be a briefing before and after each meeting, because if you have any issues the worst thing that can happen is you drive home with them - so hopefully we can get things resolved on the night, and all push on together for a good season.” ENDS

The team manager is in place and will be announced on Saturday. It’s someone with a depth of speedway experience who will be a great asset to the Club. The Co-Promoter will be introduced once the formalities of the appointment are completed with the BSPA.

FORMER British Youth Champion Jack Parkinson-Blackburn will take the No.1 position for Coventry’s 2018 National League campaign. The Bees have been confirmed as members of the sport’s third tier with home matches to take place on Sundays at Leicester’s Beaumont Park Stadium as they are unable to race at their traditional Brandon venue. Parkinson-Blackburn, 17, is regarded as one of the biggest rising stars of the sport and advanced rapidly from reserve newcomer to No.1 during two successful years with rivals Birmingham. He won all six rounds of the 2015 British 500cc Youth series before entering full-time league racing, and this year he also has a team place in the SGB Championship with Glasgow. At the other end of the experience range, the Bees will be captained by veteran racer Jon Armstrong, who remains a major force at NL level at the age of 43. Armstrong won a host of honours during recent spells with Mildenhall, and in fact had a spell with Coventry way back in 1993 when they were competing in the former British League Division One. Promoter Mick Horton said: “Our team is built, and we’ll be announcing all of the riders over the next couple of weeks. I feel it will be very competitive and the riders are all very keen to make their mark. “I’m delighted to be able to bring in Jack as No.1. He has a big reputation in the sport already, and deservedly so, and I’m confident he will be able to meet the expectations of his role in the team. “To have Jon as captain is also great news for the team. I’ve been in close contact with him over the winter so far, discussing riders and planning ahead, and this is a move which will also give him a new lease of life in the sport.” Horton has added his thanks to the speedway authorities who have sanctioned the club’s move to Leicester as a temporary home. The Bees had to sit out the 2017 season after a complex stadium dispute at Brandon followed by ultimately unsuccessful efforts to remain in the SGB Premiership by racing at Leicester. Horton said: “After all our troubles off the track, it is with huge satisfaction that both the BSPA and the SCB have given their full support to my quest of keeping the Coventry Bees racing. “I would also like to thank both Damien and Marc Bates for their help in allowing us to race at Leicester this season. “Until such time as a satisfactory resolution is found to re-home the Bees in the Rugby/Coventry area, it is so important that we all come together and support the Bees riders on track. “The riders representing our club this season are fully aware of the honour to put on a Bees race-jacket and I know they will not let us down. “Please come along on Sunday afternoons and enjoy the speedway. I am under no illusions that racing at Leicester will be easy; however, I know we must keep the famous Bees name alive and racing. With the fans’ support, we can achieve this.” Admission prices for the 2018 season have been set at £13 for adults with under-16s free of charge. A free racecard will be included with admission, with the fixture list to be confirmed in due course. Bees compete in a ten-team National League alongside Belle Vue, Birmingham, Buxton, Eastbourne, Isle of Wight, Kent, Mildenhall, Plymouth and Stoke. Additionally they are part of a National Trophy group featuring Birmingham, Buxton, Cradley and Stoke, whilst the quarter-final draw of the KO Cup has seen them paired with the winners of the first-round tie between Eastbourne and the Isle of Wight.

No, as the reduction in adult admission price outweighed the increase in senior admission as there was, contary to popular opinion, always many more paying adults than seniors. Increasing income wasnt the point of the exercise though, it was to encourage parents to come and bring their children, and it succeeded in that aim.

Dont forget that when we removed the senior admission rate at Coventry we reduced the price of adult admission as well as allowing all children in free. It did increase overall attendance.

Mick Horton remains the Club owner so is integral to the return of the Club to Coventry.

That’s not correct.

The confirmation has been given and Coventry’s place in the NDL confirmed by the confirmatory press release. What further confirmation were you expecting?

The full 1-7 is in place, and will be announced shortly I believe. Mick Horton and my successor will be ‘The Promotion’.

National Development League has been the official league title for as long as I can remember, but ‘National League’ or NL is often used in the vernacular.

8.00 or above

Happy Christmas Steve. The putative 2017 Bees team was built to include UK based riders only.

Way off the mark Steve! Even further off the mark

The most relevant party where speedway is concerned is the club owner of course,