redlead

I think the problem stems from the last day of last season, (which was going to be the final match at Newcastle) After all the fans turned up and did the final track walk, Rob let his heart rule his head and promised to bring the Diamonds back for this season. I hope things can be turned around for Newcastle, but it will be an up hill struggle. Redcar were almost in similar situations (wooden spoon 2 years running). So things can be turned around with good support. I hope Rob can turn things around.

All in all, a poor meeting with very little racing. I think the final was a case of giving the ref an option of putting all 4 back in the a rerun. No one really did anything wrong, Ellis was just left with no where to go. I hope other tracks can produce better racing.

Is ht14 a protected heat? No tac subs?

Then that's poor refereeing on two counts, ejecting him from the meeting for something that was relatively minor, and secondly for being talked into changing his mind.

A good match last, some great racing. Lions getting a point was the right result I think. Nick Morris is a true racer, as for his 'chat' with the ref, I see no problem with it, a stern word from the ref should have sufficed as a slap on the wrist. How many remember Geoff Pusey's visits to the refs box, climbing over the fence, stomping through the crowd, certainly got the crowd going. We need riders like Morris, racers who entertain. Both sides raced hard last night to make a great meeting.

Does anyone know the extent of BDW's injury?

Where did BDW pick up his injury, and what is it?

I thought the streaming was good over all. Commentating live isn't easy, I thought they did ok, but as has been mentioned a little more homework wouldn't go a miss. They will soon sort out the gremlins. Unfortunately the track was very one line, although it produced a few good races. I'm not sure what Berwick can take from this, Brummies are very weak, and against a stronger side, I think Berwick would have struggled. I wouldn't be surprised if The Brummies don't see the season out. All in all I enjoyed the coverage and am looking forward to the rest of the season.

Are averages still counted over 2 seasons? Might account for the increase if so.

I think 5+ for Kingsley at this stage in his career might be a bit too much to ask, but Sarj and Jenk are capable of doing that, and if the top 4 can all hit form together it could be close.

I do hope you're right.

Can't see a Redcar win, too many weak links, Poole are stronger throughout.

Plus there are 3 other riders all trying to avoid the bump!!

Absolute disgrace for a promoter to come out with a statement like that it shows scant regard for riders. When racing you can't always choose the line you want to take when racing close, if the rider hits one of 'bumps and bits' it could be carnage. If this was the only match where the track was in poor condition, then some of the comments would be fair, however, almost every team that's visited B'ham has complained about the dusty track and poor track prep.

In the 70's the top 20 riders averaged 9 or over. Today there are one or two riders who average over 9. With only about 3 riders riding Prem League exclusively, the general standard of both leagues is poor by past standards. In the 70's a heat leader in the 2nd division would be a reserve in the 1st div, today there is very little or no difference between the 2 leagues. So I think the standard in the 2nd tier, is poor by past standards. However just because the standard is lower, it doesn't mean the racing is poorer. At Redcar we see great racing every meeting.

Sad news that the Diamonds may be lost. As a Middlesbrough/Redcar fan we have had many many great meetings over the years. But I'm afraid no matter what the B.S.P.A. have or haven't done to help/hinder, the bottom line is there weren't enough fans turning up week in week out.

It will be better than R/R for Jordon, Having a full team takes the pressure off the others. Not sure how it will affect the reserves though.

The rule was brought in in the 80's (I think) because Duncan Chapman fell off on the parade lap and broke his nose, after that riders had to wear helmets. I guess if they did just do a parade lap, then helmets wouldn't be required, but nearly all riders do practice starts.

As far as I'm aware riders have to wear helmets on the parade laps, But I agree, leave them off until they've been introduced.

Of course, it would have been better to have our own 1-7, but what are the options when you have 4 riders out, fill the places with juniours, and then be criticised for fielding a weakened team? Speedway can't afford to have squads so teams can cover injuries with their own riders. The Guest system isn't ideal, but it's better than the alternative.

A marvelous gesture from The Bears promotion, one of the best (if not the best) promotions in speedway. I'll be happy to pay full price for the next meeting, what happened on Friday was out of the promotions control. I agree with the sentiment of Yearbyred, Jitendra standing down will be a loss to The Bears and speedway, although I'm sure the remaining promotors will keep to the high standard Ben has set.

Just one of those night where things went wrong, no ones fault. Rider safety always takes precedence, which would also include the ref not being able to see because of the sun. The electrical fault was quickly solved and if it had happened on any other night would have caused only a short delay. I took a newbie and she fully enjoyed it, and she understood that it is a rare event for all those things to happen. I assume both teams agreed to run ht 10 to get a result. Redcar has an agreement with the Council to go over the curfew on the odd occasion. The racing we saw was good, and the track good. I hope the injured lads aren't too badly hurt.

Bad night for the bears. Each rider failed to finish at least one race, (even r/r) 7 points given away straight away!

I can't see Jason Crump being anything but a success, the standard in the Premier League is relatively much lower than when he last rode. Great to see him back, he's a quality rider and great with the fans. When he rode in the Silver Helmet at Redcar, at 10 o'clock, he was still in the pits in his Kevlars, chatting to fans, having pictures taken. great gesture.

Devastated, such shocking news, Deepest sympathies to his family.