mikebv

Correct.. If the sport wants to slavishly follow averages for team building with all the inherent inconsistences around how they get delivered, then no one can complain if they get used to bring a World Champion in on his current figure... Either use them, or don't. Cant have it both ways..

Or maybe have a transfer window set for half way through the season or SWC week where teams can bring in ŕiders up to the mean average of the EL at that particular time.? Would definitely help the lower ranked teams a) become more competitive or b. still push for a play off spot Teams in play off contention already would, by definition, probably be over the mean average so would more than likely have to release a heat leader to bring someone in but if they did it would have a spin off that lower ranked teams could maybe include the released riders in their teams.. It would keep the season extended for several teams that currently have nothing to compete for and maybe be tempting to the top names whose diaries are less congested later in the year. (Similar to Hancock when he went to Poole)..

Everyone can see Poole are still the overwhelming favourites due, in the main and deservingly so, to the significant advantage they gleaned from the rules regarding reserve picks at the start of the year.. However, last year they did let slip a large lead in the final at BV before just managing to scrape over the line on home shale, so when under pressure there is a precedent that they can wobble. (And who will ever forget Cov beating them?) And this year dont forget there is no Magic to steady the Pirate ship like he did last... Their nearest challenger I would suggest are the Aces but with still no clear home track advantage in what becomes effectively a home and away knockout cup they could be vulnerable in the play off.. Poole's to lose for me and would be a poor year for them really if they don't win it, especially when you put their team up against the others at the start of the season..

What's not true? Riders are allowed to miss EL matches to ride in the SEC. KK did it on Saturday.. Absolute nonsense planning any meeting when knowingly riders are missing.. Absolute nonsense the BSPA ignoring this competition and putting their head in the sand hoping it will go away.. This comp now has FIM backing so wont be going anywhere soon I would imagine... Might as well work around it and ensure that each team has its own riders appearing (injuries excepted) each week... Facility for this, facility for that!.. Don't plan half the bloody meetings when you know in advance that riders are missing and you wouldn't need facilities!! Seems to be a speedway thing that more time seems to be spent on making loads and loads of supplementary regulations for rules, than focusing on sorting why such things are needed in the first place..

Been a great competition racing wise since inception. Four riders of similar ability in each race is certainly the recipe for great racing as we know.. Shame the likes of Cook and Lambert don't get a chance to ride in it.. The opportunity to ride on more types of tracks with riders of above average ability must help their progression.. Seems crackers that the BSPA won't let them ride as they say it effects Saturday night meetings in the EL. Yet they allow Anderson, KK, Kylmakorpi to ride over here and miss EL meetings on a Saturday night when they ride in it!! British or European, it is irrelevant the nationality of the missing riders. The issue is that they are missing, therefore simply don't plan meetings against teams with SEC participants... (There's plenty of blank Saturdays to work with)! Also, we ban British riders from competing in the SEC because it may effect the Saturdsy EL, yet openly plan in and run fixtures on Fridays before GP's, GP challenges, U21 meetings etc. which mean some teams using four guests!! Strange priorities..

Agree about weak teams but the sport then compounds the issue by not letting a weak team improve to the level of the team with the highest average, (in sport the best should be the benchmark for the rest).. Poole start tonight approx 8 points higher as a team average, yet Leicester (if they wished) could still only bring replacement riders in using the start of season/contrived/best guess average which is much lower than the averages the top teams are now running on... Cant be good for their business, the home tracks business when they visit, and the sport in general to let the weak teams stay weak... Yet its done year in, year out by the sports own regulations..

Sadly tonight, it looks like even 10 rides each from the heat leaders wont help!! Ouch.... In Boxing the ref would step in about now....!

Ok with that rather than guests as it at least keeps some credibility.... However, where it unravels is that Lakeside should be able to use any of their 2 - 6 as many times as needed up to a max of seven rides for any individual. Eg The two heat leaders should be able to take two rides each of the No1's races it the team manager wishes.. Instead, four riders get one ride each meaning second strings or even reserves replacing a No1...

Really like Doyle, however he still is a little impetuous.. Part of why I like to watch him is his aggression, but he will need a cooler head when the pressure is on (as it certainly will be as he continues his rise to the highest sector of the sport). He is of a level now that he doesn't need to do 'first lap S or B lunges'. More than capable of beating anyone over four laps from the back. Especially on BV's track.. Pawlicki went down because he was contacted from Doyle. Could he have stayed on? Probably. But what would have been the point as his focus was to avoid the rider outside him and in doing so would have left him locking up and a distant fourth coming out of the turn... Right decision from the Pole to go down (safely) in 'instalments' and right decision from the ref to exclude the Aussie.. Nil points, played the joker, so double nil!!😁

Maybe next season the Sport could start the season with a HUGE individual event similar to the old BLRC at its 'spiritual home' of Belle Vue...? Put it on the calender pre Poland, get Tai, Nikki P, Emil, Greg et al over to add to the best of the EL riders... Selling tickets from now till say end of March/Early April would I suggest deliver a crowd similar to last night... £20 tickets would make good xmas presents...! You could effectively launch the British Speedway season off the back off it. Hold a big city centre event in Manchester to showcase the Meeting and wider sport in general... Maybe every British team putting in five grand each to deliver a six figure prize fund would get some wider media publicity too? 10,000 fans at £20 bringing in £200k of revenue would more than cover any outlay for the clubs and give them a huge opportunity to promote their Leagues... Confirm date asap and you would have eight/nine months to plan, get sponsors, let fans get hotels etc... Maybe even make it a two night event on the Friday and Saturday with eight riders (top eight in GP?) 'seeded' to the final and 16 other competitors racing for the other eight spots on the Friday? £30 a ticket for both events would deliver £300k!! The track can take two nights racing as we have seen so why not give it a go? It could become the BSPA's 'Cardiff GP'.. And what a start to a speedway season it would be..!

When one synchro swimmer is 'synchronising' for another team, can a 'guest' be brought in to replace them? If so, then it really could be a threat.!!!!!

Really? Am I being 'whooshed' as you must be making an obvious wind up? A truly GREAT Speedway meeting that cost me £45 in total (including race off!) for me and my 13 yr old lad... Watched the sport for over 40 years and watched thousands of races..... One of the best meetings I have ever attended.. No 'follow the leader till the track comes to them' nonsense... Great racing from heat one.. Loads of Poles generated a fantastic atmosphere, good natured but patriotic and we all congratulated each other at the end. Atmosphere and noise at a Speedway meeting? Whatever next? A truly GREAT night for Speedway in this country.... Lucky to have this fantastic track on my doorstep... Privileged to be there to watch sixteen riders use every inch of it trying to become World Champions.. PS (Shame we cannot bottle it and watch this every week in the EL. You would sell out the venues every time)....

WTF???? I'd be nice if I were you mate.... A couple of years from now, given what happened a few weeks ago, you may need one or two of us on here to put a word in for you to earn a few quid.... Be a good lad and wind yer neck in eh? PS well done on another gold medal...

Where are you????? Let's be having you!!!!!! Didnt see Delia there tonight!!!

Wow... A great nights Speedway..... This sport when done this well has no peers for me.... Let's hope the feel good factor can rub off on the Leagues in this country and floating observers of tonight's action on TV will visit their local tracks... Should Woffy ride for Team GB? Put that to bed tonight I would say.... Worth the admission alone that lad.....

Maybe the rest didn't get the email?😁

Free upgrade to the east stand seats available at the west terrace turnstile... You get a free union jack flag too😂

The track at the end of the meeting will hopefully be more akin to the one that starts tomorrow meeting.. Rocket ships in the hands of exceptionally skilled riders on a grippy track always puts passing at a premium. Still, great to see riders not usually on our shore riding in front of a decent crowd in a British venue truly worthy of hosting the SWC.. Best of luck to Tai and the lads tomorrow...

Plenty of 'material' down on the track.... Looks like a good bit of grip available.... Tetley Bitter in the bar though on the west stand Cant have everything...😁

Agree... Cannot wait to find out!!! One more sleep...!!!😁

Because even after 40 odd years of watching it and after seeing thousands and thousands of races, in some of the finest stadia in the world, sat alongside 50000 other fans.... You can still see something happen in just ONE race at somewhere like Buxton that simply makes you go... "F*****G HELL!!!" Even though you never usually swear.....!! No other sport does that to me!!

Cannot believe Belle Vue expect people to actually walk to the stadium and have to park their cars on adjoining streets out of the restricted zones...!!😀 I don't know, whatever next? They should have held the event at Buxton. Loads of space up there to park your car next to (and inside) the 'stadium' (Just watch out for the sheep shat)..!!!😂 It is probably a mark of where the sport is when situations like 'blocking roads' are such a novelty that people complain about not being able to rock up and fall out of the car into the stands/grassy knoll, like they do every week.. At sports events in residential areas, permit parking/restricted access is the norm, (ffs even Stockport County do it)!! Lets just be pleased so many are attending what is hopefully a great event and it can be used as a boost for the sport in this country.. And guess what? I would also get there early too as quite a lot of people are going to the same place and there might be a queue.....!

It is interesting how we seem to have a perception of a 'watered down' league yet the top riders averages are dropping year on year through at least two heat leaders often racing against their opposite numbers three times a night Take the EDR's out of the equation and I would say that most teams' 'one to five' actually delivers a reasonably strong league.. Maybe the Danish League model would be best for the EL?

Late change again... I believe Ashby and Briggs are now at six and seven for Swindon!! Rule 3. 1.18, subsection 6b, (modified 21/07/16) replaces subsection 8a of Rule 4. 3.12, (which no longer applies for matches run on a Friday)... British Speedway!! Hee Hee...

Sensible decision... Can only wonder why it wasn't delivered this way initially, anyway, well done to the BSPA for realising the mistake and sorting it... Strong, clear, sensible administration of the sport... More of the same to come?