szkocjasid

I don't quite get your point, if I as a neutral fan suggest Ipswich should score 60+ at every home match, I don't expect the riders to read my comment & say "oh we can take it easy because szkocjasid said so". Now if the club suggested that wins are a foregone conclusion & they only have to turn up, then yes, you could warn them of complacency. I think I fans who are expecting big wins, are being realistic tbh

Why wouldn't they? Ipswich are very capable of such big scores imo

In the pre-season Speedway Star Chris Louis still talked about Ipswich being surprised / fortunate Jenkins hadn't already been picked. Either Birmingham, King's Lynn & Oxford are really daft or Louis isn't telling the whole truth. If "rising stars" weren't picked in reverse order, why not just admit that?

One option to counter that, would be top 4 into the final & do away with the semi final. While I don't like finals feel 4th winning is preferable to 6th winning.

With Birmingham having "1st choice" of rising star & being well the the limit, they really should be looking to be stringer at reserve than they are. Imagine Sedgmen or Kerr in the top 5, pushing Jeppesen to reserve with Jenkins as "rising star".

That's pretty much what I was gonna say. How can anyone beat Ipswich when they get away wins in this fashion?

For a 6.5 rider away from home against Belle Vue's heat leaders, that's not an awful showing. However for a GP rider it's very disappointing. But he did nothing to warrant a GP return except be born in Czech Republic tbh.

Great effort from Mulford. Didn't think he'd do as well as this.

Since the second year of the RS system, the RS had to be at number 7 & couldn't be replaced in heat 8. Plus no tac subs in heat 8. The Champ is slightly different, no tac subs in heat 8, but strongest reserve can ride at 6 or 7, plus reserve changes allowed in heat 8.

All great points.

I think we need to be realistic, there's not gonna be a temp signing to replace Woffinden. Sheffield really need to look at a new riders(s) for the season. It's not even a case of giving Tai time to recover without the pressure of when to return, I'm sure both Sheffield management & Tai's families are only concerned with him making a full recovery at this time. When that does (fingers crossed) happen, then he can think about riding speedway again, if he wants to.

Well I don't like the GP scoring system either, but that's for another section of the forum.

My first instinct was "yeah that's right" but Boughen pulled out after 2 rides for Glasgow & was replaced by a reserve on his other two.

Like you said each to their own & I know many people like finals, but I don't get excited about them as I feel the meeting should've been won by Worrall. I guess I feel like Harris was winning a competition set up to give a second chance for people who weren't good enough to win over a fair 20 heat format. I don't get the logic of rewarding riders who were near the top, but not the best. "Finals exist to not only crown the most consistent performer, but also the person who can prove it under pressure" I can agree they may prove who is the better under pressure, but finals don't crown the most consistent performer, Harris was quite inconsistent. You make a fair point about the mental aspect of a low pressure qualifying system vs an all-on-the-line-final, but if there was no final, then there wouldn't be a low pressure qualifying system. I agree the final can make an exciting end to the meeting, however they do take away a bit of excitement from all of the rest of the races, fans know that the first 20 heats aren't so vital. In Worrall's last ride instead of being excited about watching the Championship decider, fans know it's just another heat. So is a final "creating" excitement or just "transfering" it from elsewhere? Finally I was a Rye House / Arena-Essex but now really a neutral fan. I like the excitement of every race counting, not one more than others.

Depending on the heat 8 rules, might be stronger if he pulls out mid meeting. I'm not suggesting Lynn would plan that beforehand, just that Lynn are the one team who will cope with injuries better than anyone else. Even if a top 5 rider is out, wether it's r/r or IRR, having a strong reserve allows them to cover or even potentially be stronger.

If Barker did in fact drop his average the most, then what did the BSN do wrong? I'm sure they also posted the biggest improvers. So just honest journalism really.

Anders wasn't eligible for the Pairs (4th in the averages) or the riders Championship (average too low). I guess the reason Paul (Starke) won nothing is because he wasn't riding?

I see that Klindt was missing because he was racing in the Alfred Smoczyk Memorial in Leszno. I would've thought the league riders championship would take priority for being an "official" meeting, rather than an "open" meeting? It's not like Klindt would get banned in Poland for declining an invitation to ride in the meeting.

I really dislike having finals after the 20 heats. I know all the riders knew the rules beforehand & officially Bomber is a deserving winner. I can't say that Worrall is "unlucky" as the top scorer has no "divine right to win" but I think any extra heats are unnecessary & that it should be decided over 20 heats.

Adam Roynon rode ONE match in the Champ last year, but didn't ride in the National league. Maybe they're using double his Champ ave as his "most recent average". That leaves 4.42 for Harris is he's been reassessed? Steelers Nathan Ablitt 8.33 Luke Harrison 7.66 Adam Roynon 7.10 Mickie Simpson 4.49 Luke Harris (4.42 remaining) Jamie Etherington 3.00 Harrison Rogers 3.00 Total 38.00

Adam Roynon has previously averaged above 6.00 in the Champ, does that not mean he's ineligible? Looking at how it was originally written when they announced the ruling Roynon is eligible. Any rider who previously (prior to the 2024 season) had achieved a 4.00 average in the Championship, and currently has a Championship average of below 6.00, and are not declared in a Championship or Premiership declaration would be eligible for the National League / Trophy in the 2025 season. No wonder fans easily get confused if the people in charge post differently worded rulings, which mean two different things!

While Ben Cook hasn't made a good start riding at number one, the NSS should be a track he can perform well on. Obviously racing against Bewley & Kurtz will make it hard to pick up a big score. If Cook beats everyone bar the Aces top 2, he could score 9 (5)

I like that rule tbh, gives the next batch of "rising stars" a chance to prove their worth. Nathan Ablitt, Joe Thompson, Luke Harrison, Vinnie Foord, Ben Trigger all have a Champ ave above 3.00. Plus Freddie Hodder as he will be used to the track.

I don't understand the silence. If Cookie has been to a doctor & been signed off work with a mental health issue, can they not just admit that? Would that not be a good way of letting all men know "it's ok to ask for help / it's ok not to be ok / mental health is nothing to help ashamed of" if Cookie doesn't want his issues made public, Berwick could simply say "Cook has a doctor's note & isn't fit to ride" I imagine that basic information isn't breaching any confidentiality laws? If I tell my work I'm unable to come in because of stress / anxiety / depression then that's acceptable, if I just didn't turn up then I'm breaking the rules. If Cook has simply not replied to any of Berwick's attempts to contact him, then I don't get why they haven't admitted that (and shifts the blame away from then). Missing the Pairs wasn't breaking any rules (Lawson missed the meeting too) so unless he has a meeting abroad (like Klindt) you'd assume he should get a 28 day ban for "withholding his services" now.

I was under the impression it was a flat fee all round, don't know if that is correct or has changed. Having watched the re-run of the final, Riss rode sensibly, even though he didn't need the win, it wasn't like he tried a crazy pass that could've cost Redcar the title.