Arch Stanton

It’s a demand at Ipswich, not a request so you’re quite correct. Emil to his credit took that on board. They may have to lower their sights and change the make up of the side from a powerful top end, to a more strength in depth looking side with just Emil as the big hitter. That would mean sacrificing a rider lower down unfortunately. The drop off points wise from Doyle’s replacement has to be made up elsewhere in the team. We’ll see.

That immediately rules out Lambert then

Think they’ll wait until both Ellis and King are back and prove their fitness. I know Ellis is back Thursday and King is aiming to be back Saturday for the British final, but if one or both suffer a reaction and are out again for a period then it could reduce the clubs options if a direct replacement for Doyle is already in place. They’re probably not sure if it’s one change needed, or two going forward.

Sedgmen as well can take a ride and he’s in good form. Sedgmen, Brennan and realistically two from Pawlicki is more than good enough cover for Worrall.

Ipswich have now done just that. Hodder now named as #8.

I’m glad he’s in the team it makes it a more interesting meeting. The Emil and Freddie battles should be a decent watch.

No, only for the opening cup fixture which was last week.

Siggy was spot on https://ipswichwitches.co/raceday-preview-birmingham-knockout-cup-semi-final-second-leg-h/

Unfortunately not.

If that’s the case tocha then Siggy may have heard correctly and it’s R/R for Dan. Should find out today anyway.

Joe seems the obvious choice I guess. Unless he’s been too close to his brother and struck down also..

Can’t use a guest rising star either. Belle Vue, Oxford and Leicester not riding, but Ipswich can’t use Bailey, Boughen or Hagon. They have to use another rider on the rising star list who isn’t part of another team’s 1-7. That was the rule last year, dunno if that’s changed this.

Agree Masters was disappointing on Thursday but the track made things unpredictable. He’s historically been excellent around Foxhall in the past so let’s hope for a dry few days and we see the usual Foxhall form from him. Harris seems to have picked up a bit for Oxford as well lately.

I’ve said all I’m going to on this GM otherwise I’ll just end up repeating myself. I don’t see a big issue, others do which is fair enough it’s up to them. Anyway uppa Witches! A result I certainly wasn’t expecting. Still a job to be done but if we can get over the line, it gives us a great opportunity to get the team sorted and have a good crack at Sheffield in September to retain the trophy.

Seems as though the racing improved after a track grade and water was thrown down after heat 11? Begs the question why that wasn’t done sooner. After the water went down Rew immediately found grip on the outside with a cracking ride in heat 12 and likewise Emil in 15 after he failed to gain any ground in two of his earlier heats when he missed the gate.

On the bottom bit, that decision might have already resolved itself with Worrall having health issues and depending on how long he might be out for. As for the Witches, thanks for the info Siggy, would be a big boost getting Ellis back and with King nearing a return, light at the end of a dark tunnel!

Needed him to step up and he delivered. We’ll need the same from him on Thursday. What a nice lad Blodorn seems to be by the way.

What other heat would you have given him Gav? I’m assuming by saying it should have been 7 and 3 rides so you’re taking out Flint for Pawlicki? That was done in heat 12. You could look at heat 4 and say there’s an opportunity, but only three heats had gone and Birmingham were 12-6 up. Would you take Flint out of his second ride that early in the meeting? You also have to factor in that Pawlicki wasn’t expected to be in heat three but was brought in when Cook went through the tapes. I’m not sure giving Pawlicki three on the trot and three of his potential seven rides by heat 4 would have been wise with nearly 3 quarters of the meeting still to run. He couldn’t replace Flint in heat 8, leaving his next opportunity in heat 12, which the manager took. Pawlicki had four programmed rides, a fifth replacing the excluded Cook, a sixth was to be a rider replacement ride and a seventh was to be a reserve replacement for Flint that was taken in heat 12. If Pawlicki hadn’t have been replaced in 14 then it would have been exactly as you said, a 7 and 3 rides for Pawlicki and Flint respectively. Now the whole issue here is Pawlicki being withdrawn for Flint in 14. Had Pawlicki won the previous heat then you might think he’d have taken his last programmed ride but he ran a last on top of a third place in the previous heat and he seemed to have tailed off as the meeting progressed and had just done 3 on the bounce, so a conversation between manager and rider must have taken place and a decision then made based on that. Was it fatigue? Machinery? None of us know the answer but you can bet there’ll be one. I’m convinced the plan at the start of the meeting was to give Pawlicki a full seven rides why wouldn’t you? But sometimes those plans don’t work during meetings for many reasons. I don’t see the issue here it’s no biggie from where I’m standing but we all have different opinions.

I know you say that tongue in cheek, but I wouldn’t give up on the KOC just yet, not until we’ve seen the team sheet for Thursday. Has Lindgren got his visa sorted and in the team on Thursday? We’ve been ringing around everywhere and are apparently struggling to get suitable guests. Hawkins has already said it’ll be Rider replacement and two guests again so much will depend on who those guests are and also whether Hodder or someone else of that standard replaces Thompson.

Everybody sees themselves as a managerial genius sat at home in their armchairs don’t they. No I'm not contradicting myself, szkocjasid. Lampart wasn’t getting final rider replacement ride in heat 13 on 4 points when Pawlicki on 10 points hadn’t yet taken one. Realistically Pawlicki wasn’t going to replace anyone else other than Flint once he got an unexpected outing early on when Cook went through the tapes. Pawlicki had six of the available seven rides, and heat 14 was his programmed ride which would have been his seventh and final ride. That is the only issue people are having here. But you weren’t there, I weren’t there, and nobody knows the reason Pawlicki was then pulled and replaced by Flint. Nobody in their right mind would willingly choose Flint over Pawlicki so there would have been a reason for it. That doesn’t mean the plan was always to pull him from that heat meaning a trick was missed not giving him an extra ride earlier. Perhaps having three on the trot and only scoring one point from the last two of those had a bearing on that decision that they weren’t expecting to make. If Pawlicki had replaced Lampart early on then his night would have been done in heat 13 regardless, having then taken the full quota of seven rides. I just don’t think it’s the major bollock that you and a couple of others are making it out to be I really don’t. It just seems to be fashionable to scrutinise every move Ermolenko makes and then jump in with both feet when a decision seemingly doesn’t look like a good one. You can be a manager in the pits looking at the programme pre-meeting and have the best intentions and have everything mapped out the way you think it’s going to go, but things can and often do change those plans during meetings. We’ll agree to disagree.

Disagree. The only rider Pawlicki was going to replace was flint. Yes, he could have used Pawlicki in heat 4 for Flint, but Pawlicki had just had two on the trot at that stage and it was still early in the meeting. He then replaced Flint in heat 12. I’m not sure many would have put Lampart in 13 for the R/R when Pawlicki was still able to take it, three on the trot or not. But after then running a last it’s no surprise Pawlicki didn’t then do 4 on the trot in heat 14. It is what it is, I don’t see any major bollock dropped by Sam here if I’m honest.

Think people are being overly harsh on Sam here. Pawlicki as you say had three on the trot, and seemed to look worse after a bright start. Third in heat 12 then a last in heat 13. Not a huge shock he was pulled from having four on the trot. Nobody here knows what is said in the pits either, maybe Pawlicki didn’t want 4 on the trot and asked to be pulled? None of us know.

https://x.com/ipswichspeedway/status/1797606377311154336?s=46 At least the admin has retained a sense of humour. Guess all you can do is laugh at this point!

We’re cursed. Never known anything like it!

I’m not sure Badge, the rule says “track within an 8 day period” not “Team”. Beerhut also quoted this to me the other day.. “a rider may ride as a guest (in an official meeting) at a track only once in an 8 day period (within that league) excluding Play Offs, unless he is replacing the home teams #1 or is ONLY declared in a National Development League Team” Hawkins said after Thursday that we couldn’t use him again this week because of the 8 day rule, has he got that wrong? If the above is correct, he can guest for Doyle at 1 but not for King or Ellis. I’m sure someone who is more clued up on these rules than me will soon clarify if that’s the case