And sometimes outside the rules ! I have firsthand experience of this the MDL was such a friendly bunch. Young riders learning track craft, experienced riders using it for practice etc etc ! One team manager’s approach was when fielding an illegible rider “your points won’t count but they won’t get them” once people like them got involved the MDL lost its charm !
Not sure why, maybe Godfrey wasn’t getting the numbers in his amateur days an “SCB MDL coordinator” got involved (can’t remember his name) and hey presto killed the MDL as we affectionately knew it !!
Just to correct your comprehensive list. The Long Eaton invaders didn’t close during the 1997 season. All the fixtures were fulfilled and planning had started to run in 1998.
But there are new promoters and new money ! After all and although it’s amazing what they are doing up there this is the MDL TM knowing full well that my son was didn’t qualify for the league said to him, at KL ‘you ride, as although your points won’t count, they won’t get them either and we’ll win”
I’ve just listened to RB’s drivel (I know he won’t mind me calling it that as he told me so on the interview) and I endured it to see if he mentioned the NL ! Thanks to Rambo who asked him he mentioned it once, briefly.
To save anyone the trouble he thinks they’ve got The NDL 2026 just about right