Hunty

Branford won the under 21's last year, not sure why hes not got a ride. He was on a 8.53 average... Have i missed something?

Less meetings, more money! The SGP is in the same boat (sorry to relate to football) as the FA Cup, major competition but its not take seriously by Premier League clubs because the benifits from it are outweighed by another compeition. There are postives I can see and the major one is that at the end of the SGP you could become Speedway World Champion, if riders dont want to achieve that then they are not worth watching. Sayfudtinov is making a huge mistake in my opinion. You see what Woffinden has achieved since his sucsess and he hasnt turned the throttle in anger since. He has sponsers and awards galore, he has a choice of places to ride across Europe and will be stable finacically for a good 5 years now when it comes to his ins and outs of being a professional rider. SEC is a money spinner for the riders that gives them a short term boost in the world of money. Vaculik won it last year but what have you heard of him in the close season. Nothing. Im a huge fan of the SGP, I can understand the reasons why riders my opt out but as ive said before its ruining my enjoyment. SGP without the best riders is pointless, but riders who dont take part in SGP and giving it there all to become World Champion are not worthy of watching either.

Sorry i miss read my information...He is quoted as saying 'If the FIM decision will not be changed, I dont accept Wild Card to the Tournament SGP in Bydgoszcz this year!'

I dont know about anyone else but im seriously considering not getting my Cardif ticket this year if these riders of Emil Sayfutdinov's qaulity dont ride. Whats the point, its no longer a championship for the best riders as it is and now they are hindering my enjoyment of the sport why should they recieve my money. Gollob is also saying he wont take his wild card place in the GP's if they are not alllowed to ride SEC aswell!

Whoops, Lions! I dont know why I posted tigers!

Why don't Cradley just enter and use The Tigers track! I'm pretty sure you will get fans from Cradley travel up if I was a weekend fixture!

So will basically end up being a best of the rest side from the NL!

Can anyone please inform me if this has all been resolved?

I once stated this on another thread that i started about the Inside Speedway Magazine.

And much to your credit, the fact that the air fence is secured is one of the biggest achievements of NL has had to achieve over the past year. Loved it when I visited Buxton this year, was great to be that close to the action and the although the facilities are limited in proberbly enjoyed that away day the most all of last year. I'll be back this year to put my coppers into your jar because as the saying goes, every little helps!

The favorites will be top of the standings, everyone is level in the first meeting and anyone can go on to win the world championship. What number did Tai ware last year and Darcy and what will Holder ware this year if we still had 1-15. So that point is not relivent due to riders having injuries and being asked back as wild cards!

Yes he did come from scunny as many riders do, but that's only because they run track days and academys! Look at the EL clubs who just sign British assets after British assets from PL clubs but never create the next generation themselves! The money is at the top of the sport and that's what's is wrong! The money is not fed back into grass roots. As I said the Heathens have no way of helping kids at the 125cc level as we have nowhere for them to ride! We have a mascot who rides after every meeting and I'm sure we will have another this year but to say we don't develop riders is a bit of a mockery! We have a lot of fans who would like to win everything, I'm not one of them as I've said before watching the young lads come through our team and DEVELOP whilst riding for us is a joy to watch! We should see Williamson and Phillips and Greaves make big strides and maybe they could get a EL draft place for next season if it continues to run! Todd was proberbly the reason why as he rode NL level with Newport. Im not commenting on Matt Williamson because that issue lies with the rider.

But at NL leave level which Is the only possible contact for the heathens to have with riders we do help them develop by riding for a NL team who can support them in and off the track! In terms off the NL we do develop riders we don't have anything to help in place with the younger levels than the NL cause we don't have the facilities to! Don't understand you point that we don't when we have made a difference to this league in the last 4 years and many riders development over those last 4 years! Ash Morris is the prime example!

S So giving riders platform to sucseed isnt going to help bring them on. We have a fan base that supports the riders through the HSSC by the 50/50 that makes 170+ each week that goes back to the riders. We have start of season nights that are in aid of the riders with all money going to them and this years is nearly sold out. We all know how difficult it is to start off in speedway and as a club of management and supporters and sponsers we really give them the best opertuinty to push themselves to the next level We have bumper crowd which surely attracts more sponsers because they will be sponsering a young lad who is going to be riding infront of more people at meeting. Its not so much us 'Cherry Picking' riders is as much as most of the National League Riders would like to ride for the heathens because they are going to be managed well, supported well, given an opertiunity to ride a whole season cause its not often we have made rider changes. We really do devlop riders and I struggle to name any that have not left us on a higher average or moved onto bigger and better things. You quote that we have four riders from the elite league draft but out off the 23 that were in the elitle league draft 10 of them were Heathens or had riden for the Heathens over there short careers. We support our team away, we take our well earned money to other clubs and spend it at there tracks, some National League Teams look for our fixture because they are in for a bumber crowd. Over 300 we took to Kings Lynn for the final how many Kings Lynn fans came to the first leg, you could count them on your fingers and toes. We took a coach and more to IOW we piled into Buxton and Stoke on the double header day we dare I say it our fans the majority at proberbly both tracks. How we have done no favors to the NL is beyond me, I understand that we may have made the gap between PL and NL closer for ourselves whilst making it bigger for some other clubs but it happens in in all sports the better players go to the better clubs. Simple as that, you will say its where the money is, but thats only because we have a fan base and management that can support it. We are a big fish in a small pond, we are desperate for our own track to make the step up and then we might become the small fish in the big pond. Untill this happens the Heathens will do everything they can to sucseed but the development of the riders comes first. Not all fans will agree but I belive that and ive said it loads of times on here but the best moment of last season wasnt winning everything it was watch a young lad Max Clegg take his first steps on to very big things.

Has the league got more to offer? The fact is the gap between PL is getting bigger in terms of some teams and smaller in the cases of others, so I 100% agree with what you have said. The league should be and is aimed at development, it needs to have more links to the grass roots of the sport such as the MDL. I've said it a few times that if the EL draft works then I would hope there would be a influx of PL teams and EL teams having development squads. We are already seeing a trend towards that happening with the KL young stars, the Stags and Scunny running a second team. It needs to be competitive, it needs to have clubs who can bring in supporters to make it have that edge to it that the meetings really do matter instead of just having 7 riders just trying to improve lap times and technique. Lowering the average would suit one side of the coin in terms of having more rookies but them on the other where will there riders with the bigger averages ride is there a PL spot for them after there first year in the EL draft? Nobody knows until 2015 how it will pan out. It terms of the Heathens, we're in a bit of a situation where as soon as we get our own track it would be PL here we go, but until then we are doing a great job of bringing on talent but are in the situation of big fish in a small pond. Something's got to hive to balance it up. Fingers crossed that we get our own track and Mildenhall can make a push up too and that we get more second teams from the higher leagues.

Drumroll Please? The end of Eastenders Music Leaving us on a cliff hanger?

I fort they had to choose from 16-99 The 1-15 rule is out the window due to Pedersen picking 5? Bit confused now!

Utter joke that the BSPA keep making the English Channel wider and wider. They don't promote British Speedway they just hinder it, this event will be shown in over 70 countries to millions of people and yet the we don't enter. Why what's the problem of sending riders over there to compete at a very high level. We will be forgotten about soon, we manage to get a British Speedway WORLD champion and yet he's not allowed to promote our sport across the WORLD. Man words don't disgrace how disgruntled I am it this. This is the reason why our World Cup squad is lackluster cause we don't let them race together in meetings like this to gain experience. Yes World Cup is individuals but these events form bonds and partnerships and understanding.

Darcy Ward has changed his Twitter name to have the number #43 next to it!

I don't see it being that easy for Cradley. The home meetings can be a bit of a whitewash sometimes but individual heats can be absolutely fantastic to watch. Last year I saw the best racing all year at Monmore Wood on a Tuesday night. I go to EL fixtures all over the country and went to the Play Offs at Wolves and Birmingham and well Poole v Birmingham at Perry Barr was bland to the say the very least. The NL final second leg at Kings Lynn was only won by one point to the Heathens, ok that's an away meeting but come the end of the season we had some great tussles with IOW Kent Kings and the young Stars. I expect us to do well but it won't be the same outcome as 2013 let me tell you that!

Scott Campos is returning this year riding for the KL Young Stars

The national league fours were amazing for the rivalry. Nothing untoward but the way we won it was fantastic. It got a bit fisty on the track which gave us a point for I think it was a Mildenhall rider was disqualified for turning right on a stright against Morris! Was amazing!

Wishing everyone involved and the supporters on the island a postive outcome for tonight. Fingers Cross and Good Luck!

As much as people say on here that the Heathens are able to pay more and attract the better rider is true. However it could all be taken away from us in a finger snap. As stated above, Wolves ran there cubs before we arrived, whats to say that next year they will want it back due to the NL Draft being a sucsess? The management have stated that this is our last chance, after this season it would be down to the supporters to determine what happens to the club is a site for our own track isnt found. There are already 7 new spaces in the NL this with the introduction of the Stags being involved again. If IOW stay on then thats 14 new rider places. We have lost so many to the NL Draft but isnt that a good thing. The national league is the development league and as much as it was great to win the lot last year the best thing I whitnessed was watching Max Clegg take massive steps in his development and look where he is now. The reason why there is a lack of riders is because we have developed riders from all teams that are now too good to ride in this league not down to the new draft system but the PL points limit. From our team i can name that Blackbird Morris and Roynon are three names who cannot ride in the NL because they are too good. Paul Starke was very close to being over that fresh hold, and I dont excpect to see him in the NL next year. The lack of 'TOP' rider shouldnt be a complaint, it should be a postive as is showing the sucsess of this magnificant league.

I'm all for the branding of the riders and having there number over it! Great to have some Grin #45 merchandise. However I've looked all over the shop to find stuff these days and there is nothing. Some of the merchandise from clubs is terrible.