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Can't see Cairns riding in the ExtraLiga, just the U24 league. He'll certainly get plenty of racing, almost wonder if he'd be better not signing for a Champ team, just ride as a guest he'd get plenty of match I'm sure & be available on a 2.00 average for 2026. Assuming he signs for a play-off team, I'm positive that'll turn them into Champions.

For a start his Championship average is above many riders who have higher Premiership averages, such as: Sedgmen, Kerr, King, Worrall, Z Cook, Howarth, Wright & Zischke. So if he can beat them in the Champ, he should be able to beat them in the Prem. Then he showed what he can do on his best day with 16 points at Sheffield. His 2024 average for Oxford & Leicester was 5.40 (from 14 meetings). The reason he has a lower starting average must therefore be due to having low scores in final 6 meetings in 2023, which is not so relevant when judging his form ahead of 2025. I also said "but with Cook, you can never be sure what he'll do" but there's plenty of reasons for Leicester fans to be positive imo

40.76, above the points limit. 2 x 2.00 riders at the bottom & it fits.

Sam Masters lol!

With Kerr, Rowe & Starke all heavily rumoured, it was a case of finding the best rider left under 2.96. Maybe one (or more) of those three, aren't in the team & it'll look very different?

I assume you mean Hagon? To fit him in means, Poole wouldn't be able to get Kerr & Rowe.

So how about this now? Richard Lawson 9.17 Lewis Kerr 7.76 Zach Cook 6.23 Anders Rowe 6.11 Tobias Thomsen 4.41 Paul Starke 3.36 Ace Pijper 2.93 Total 39.97

I'm surprised Thomsen is back, only because Foord isn't, looking at the rumoured signings I assumed it was a choice of Thomsen & Foord or 5 pointer & Starke. I wasn't expecting a Thomsen & Starke decision (I know it may not be).

Just pointing out this post is for confirmed signings, Boughen has been confirmed by Oxford, not Glasgow.

Average is too high. My sums say Berwick have 7.33 left for their final two riders.

Would be very good reserves, a strong top 3 at home. Much would depend on Bowes imo.

Personally I think Cook will have a good season, push Howarth to reserve, where Kyle's scoring will then pick up. But with Cook, you can never be sure what he'll do.

How about? Charles Wright 8.37 Danny King 7.88 Michael P Toft 7.80 Jason Edwards 6.18 Jake Mulford 4.27 Adam Roynon 3.46 Tom Spencer 2.00 Total 39.96

Ipswich had more points spare than Leicester, especially after the Dan T reduction, but they were a stronger team than Leicester last year (till injuries). Don't see how Leicester could've built a team to rival them, unless making wholesale changes.

Very solid top 5, but I'd probably try & strengthen at reserve. Replace Vissing & Coles with Fredriksen & Ablitt or a new 5.00 foreigner?

Because they were above the points limit. Not easy to strengthen up in that scenario. While they are weaker, I don't see any of the riders picked being particularly bad choices.

I noticed the Workington post announced the signing of Etheridge as having a "false average" I'd disagree with that, he has that average for a reason. But he certainly has the potential to improve that figure, even if it's only by a little, still a good signing, as I expect the improvement to come elsewhere in the team Zischke/ Vuolas / Foord.

To be fair there's not many 2 pointers who i'd expect to excell next season (apart from Cairns). Think they all may end up a similar standard. I'd say Jody Scott & Max James are two of the more promising ones, but there's not a lot in it. Hard to say if there's better options than Perry when you don't know who else has signed up 2 point reserves. Glasgow will likely miss a high scoring reserve, but their top 5 could almost do enough on their own.

I'm not disagreeing, I'd say Boughen does sound like a weak number 3, just pointing out that other clubs may also have weaker number 3s too.

Maybe there's no background story to that, just someone trying to think of possible signings?

My biggest complaint is making a prediction (for fun) and being told rider A, B or C isn't available for this or that club, to which I reply "they haven't been announced yet" - which gets the response - that doesn't matter, they've already signed, it's like I'm basically being told I'm not allowed to make predictions with certain riders because someone has told me there going elsewhere?

Vuolas would be a good signing of Brummies build to the points limit, but if they're under like last year, no point signing a 4 point reserve.

I think I'd go with a 2 point rider at reserve, means they'll always have a strong reserve partner. Kyle Newman, Lasse Fredriksen or Nathan Ablitt would be my preferences for the other spot.

Depends how the opposition run their team, for example Berwick, Edinburgh, Oxford, Redcar, Scunthorpe & possibly you could argue Workington too ran with a stronger number 4 & a weaker number 3 last year. Personally I'd put the weakest top 5 rider at 2. I do sometimes wonder why clubs don't switch around the riding order more often depending on their opponents or with track specialists away from home etc.

I'll have to disagree with the idea behind this comment "you could easily set it up so Leon had an easier role" Flint has a 6.85 average, which is 3rd heat leader standard in the current Championship era, if I felt I had to set up the riding order to give a "3rd heat leader" an easier ride then I'd have to question why he's in the team. I'd suggest, it should be Boughen who gets the easier role, a 17 year old in only his second full year in the Champ.