mikebv

I presume the Captains no longer have to sign the pre match declaration that all riders are paid up to date?

They are the Birmingham of Sweden... Looking at the others, one team seems to get around 1000 but the rest look like they get crowds that UK Speedway would be pleased with... One match that the sponsors pay for is a great idea which hopefully can help generate some wider longer term interest. . Was that the sponsors match last night? Or did two good teams generate the 4000 plus?

Some very good racing... 4000+ crowd too... Seems to still be very decent crowds in Sweden regardless of what some on here seem to comment on about a demise... UK Speedway would certainly like 2000+ (and often many more), at most top league matches....

Completely one sided hammering but some excellent racing... A real advantage Speedway has over many, many other sports is the score doesn't have to be close to keep it worth watching..

Tom Brennan showing the aggression he needs to show more often there if he wants to make it to top international level... Showed Zmarzlik zero respect ..

Matias Nelsen beats Zmarzlik....

Kirky Lane delivered some very good racing until Air Fences came in and took away the wider outside run that the likes of Screen, Ott, Ermolenko, Adams, Hamill, Crump, Nielsen, Trick etc etc all used to great effect... It was designed as a "small track that rode like a big one", with very wide bends for its overall size.. When the Air Fences came in, it then became very much "standard UK fayre", of fill your programme in after bend three, lap one... Monmore went a similar way after they reconfigured the bend two fence to make the entry on to the track.. , As the equipment changed, these tracks of those shapes sadly didn't deliver the same level of entertainment that they once did... Anyone watching on TV would keep far more interested I would think if the racing had plenty of passing, rather than reinforcing the view that so many hold of whoever gets out of the start first always wins, no matter how close the rider is behind for four laps.. The devoted fans may love watching tight technical battles but the vast majority of any Motorsport followers, (and commentators), are very much in it for the passing that takes place, and the excitement it generates... Hence sporting bodies like F1 (a sport whose reputation was 100% "follow the leader"), keep making restrictions and changes to car specs to try and keep racing closer and more competitive, and use "gadgets" like DRS used to increase passing opportunities... Watching Kurtz, Lambert, BZ, Bewley, Doyle, and Emil in particular, all fly around the NSS, passing rivals just inches from the fence at high speed, is surely the ultimate in bravery and skill on a Speedway bike, and why people go to watch the sport?

A tough guy, obviously., wouldn't mess with him......

I much prefer those "technical" tracks where riders can ride sideways into the bends, blocking the track almost completely, meaning the rider behind has to follow exactly the same line... With him then hoping the rider in front gets some extra grip and gets fired "right" towards the fence, meaning a pass may then take place... The anticipation of waiting for some passing after bend two, lap one, for sometimes 15 heats in a row is simply breathtaking... To be honest, I am not sure the promoters of Redcar, Worky, Glasgow, Scunthorpe and the NSS know how boring all the passing that takes place there can be.... Edit. Forgot to mention the blue groove that can also appear on the "technical" tracks. For me, that "Azure Blue" hue adds colour and excitement to the event given all the riders use their throttle skills to constantly ride over it, never moving off it, and all skillfully keeping the same distance apart from each other for the entire race.....

I remember an interview with Hans Nielsen who said he weighed the same at the end of his career as he did at the start .. Vitally important to starting in particular was his view.... He was quite tall for a rider too, so made it his mission to be as light as possible... I also remember an interview where he got asked what advise he would give a particular young up and coming, talented rider to improve his performance.. "Lose 5 kilos" was his answer... Riders openly say they drop kilos in the days before a GP to ensure they minimise any possible disadvantage come race night... I would imagine for young riders today, their size could determine their success level... And, the taller you are, the more you will need to work at it....

At least he isn't booked for Kings Lynn in the 2nd leg....

There will be far too many passes too... It will get boring after the first ten or so...

Every sport ensures its National Team is as successful as possible as they know it has a direct positive knock on impact to the public interest, media coverage and domestic league... Hence, both Cricket and Rugby Union, who were struggling to compete with Football's cut through, went down the route of central contracts... They knew that the likes of Middlesex or Saracens winning their respective leagues wouldn't drive the sport forwards, but a successful National Team would... Speedway has a different idea than using a successful National Team to drive their domestic leagues forward.... A good idea....

It does take me ages to get away from OT... I have wrote to Sir Jim Ratcliffe and said that 70,000 every game is simply too much... And had he thought of reducing it to around 40,000 so I could get home quicker. . He didn't even answer my letter .. In fact, I have seen plans for a 100,000 seater stadium being built... They just don't listen do they?

Definitely one of the very few who won't let BZ take liberties.... He is quite happy to turn left on BZ, and risk contact, when he is dive bombing into bend 3 at ridiculous speed... Zmarzlik seem to know it too, given it has happened quite often, and he doesn't tend to launch at Woryna the same he does at others...

I thought the car parks (there are many), could be an issue getting out from... They had some very pleasant marshalls on the road in, upon arrival, but probably need them to direct people into the car parks further into the complex.. And have them after the meeting stopping and starting the exit of cars, at maybe five at a time, from the different car parks.. Someone suddenly came out of a field as I left that I didn't even know was a car park!! I got out early due to the drive home length, but could imagine that one lane being full very quickly.. The promotion are obviously trying to ramp up the "experience" of the evening so feedback on any tweaks needed always helps... And as such, the gents toilets on the first turn only had one basin with water, and that was only the cold tap working .. Best wishes to the promotion there, they are quite correctly targeting getting kids in, which is the way to develop the business as each kid will have a circle of friends (with their parents also knowing each other), so word of mouth is a key tool to use... A mithering kid can get his or her parents to take them places!! Especially if their friends are going already and the parents talk positively about the evening out... I heard that someone filmed the rider locked in the toilets, so, hopefully they will get that on in the socials and YT as that is the type of thing that goes viral and quickly... Write some context across the screen as to what is being watched, and add in some action from the racing, and include the clubs name, race night, and time... A small community can get phenomenal % reach from such opportunities....

Isn't that what happens now?... Having to use a 75% guest is a facility isn't it?.. If you were not allowed to sign riders who are needed elsewhere (either by another club, a country, or at an FIM individual event), then you would have teams full of NDL second strings and reserves... Running Saturdays will be good for crowd levels but also will mean home and away teams may not have their seven riders there... Much the lesser issue given that the challenge in getting numbers through the doors is the one to prioritise. Genuine reasons for guestfests, or non genuine reasons for guestfests? It makes zero difference.... Virtually every meeting has a guest, for a myriad of reasons, therefore just run them on the best night you can get people to turn up to watch.... Looks like Plymouth are doing OK out of Saturday Speedway...

Well worth the trip up... The racing wasn't "great" throughout but that was due to the Bears consistently getting out of the starts regardless of grid number... And the track being too dusty and slick for the first half of the meeting at least . Never seen a watering done after just heat two before, but it definitely needed it... It looks like a track that needs a good soaking given the camber is big...... The 2nd half of the meeting was much better and heat 13 was a cracker... But why no lap of honour? Where I was stood, on the home straight with the Redcar fans, (a good number there too), it literally killed the atmosphere generated by the great race.. Atmosphere, driven by tribal opposition, is what they sport desperately needs... Paco (one of the guests), wheeled around after his win in heat 14 so I presume some riders know what is needed... The food van ran out of chips, (a disaster it appeared for some), and I must admit, trying to protect my burger from dust was a challenge... The place itself is fantastically well laid out, with the viewing platforms all round the track providing a great view.... And there must be god knows how many artics worth of aggregate used to make the pathways!! The track is great, with my only slight criticism being the wide outside runs on bend two and four seem to make riders lock up a tad rather than letting the bike run like the NSS does. Are the exits narrower than the very wide entrances to the turns? Or was it just a lack of grip meant the outside line wasnt working as much as would be liked? The kids race attracted plenty, are kids in for free? There were plenty there... The centre green announcer is definitely one of the better ones I have seen... You can also hear what is being said around the stadium as the tannoy seems to work...!! And the signs from the town outskirts telling you that Speedway exists and, even more importantly, where it actually is, and when it runs, look professional... £20 a ticket? Value for money for me, I hope the crowd levels meet what is needed, it looked like around 700 to 800 tonight which I presume is better than break even? If you haven't been, definitely give it a go, great set up, and very good track..

Brilliant Heat 13.... All four riders in it for all four laps with King just holding on at the line .. And then they all stop at bend 2 an eff off into the pits instead of doing a lap of honour.... Give the fans something to get excited about and then take away the joy in an instant...

Never been to a meeting before where a heat got delayed due to one of its riders being locked in the toilet and unable to get out....... I won't embarrass him by naming him... (His initials are VF)...

First time mate.... Is it cash only? I think I have read it is on here, and is there a decent car park?

I suspect thier play off dream could be over....

Just looked at the forecast and it looks decent for today... Going to risk it even with Cumbria s "changeable" weather... Still might be tempted to stay over given I had a great night there a good many years ago after going to watch the Comets v The IOW, with Danny Bird riding superbly all evening... When I asked the landlord of the pub we were in what time he closed, his answer was "when everyone has finished drinking"... Which was around 4am if memory serves.... Taking my lad today though so maybe just coming back might be safer!.... With some the riders on view it should hopefully be a cracker on that track...

He has a higher average so is scoring more points.. Hence will cost more...

If they don't win it this year they might drop down a league again.....