Sings4Speedway

In all fairness Ellis could have fallen for a number of reasons, Batch may have never planned to take to the track so not all bad news although bit strange that they all only had 1 run each? That would probably be the most concerning part for me.

If the quickest way round currently is round the inside what benefit would widening the track make? Aside from the lack of scope to do it due to the showground etc it could be made half a mile wide but the quickest current line would still be the inside as that's where the dirt is. I look forward to seeing your suggestions for Stokes track upgrade on their thread and will make sure i put plenty of time aside to read them all.

Oh still no additional shale? I though the plans were to add quit a lot more and make the track far grippier? Is the lack of available shale the issue or the cost of it?

I certainly wouldn't bank on it as there is no way i thought Kurtz would get 5 so maybe im just jammy? certainly shows that on the good days a strong heat leader trio will win matches on their own but will always be close. Brum can feel unfortunate almost everyone is doing their job/exceeding expectations especially Paco who i was harsh about early on. Thomsen is the only one costing them points at present and has to be in the firing line soon you feel?

Big nights for Kurtz and Covatti. Should Covatti find 8 points then the rebels are in with a sniff, given his recent form should Kurtz find the track it might be considered a success. For the Brummies if Paco continues his 50/50 strike rate & Morris continues to be rider of the league then there should be plenty of points against the home side especially as Shanes is a different level of rider at home than he has shown so far.

I think Palin is going to make Danny Phillips look a bit daft at Belle Vue this and will form a very potent heat leader trio with Flint & Bickley. Both Thompsons should be in the main team in no time and the difference between them will only be slender due to Joe's slightly inferior gating. The more i look at the Kent side the more im impressed with it, if Jenkins is the rider least likely to progress and a potential reserve pairing later in the year of Ledwith & Spooner its only circumstances that look like stopping this side.

Any wider and P'boro will be able to run a second meeting on the inside at the same time....

I think the desperation of being the nearly man could be his undoing.

Crazy & alarming. Thought Gomolski has bikes ready to go in the UK and was desperate for a place? Kennett has virtually all his sponsors in white anyway so must have been slim offerings.

Eastbourne have been clever and built a solid tail that can all score points an even when a couple struggle you can see the others stepping up to support the very strong top 3. In contrast the Rebels are totally reliant on the heat leaders keeping them in matches as the 2nd strings are adrift of where they need to be and the reserves are nice enough but its too early for them Wouldn't surprise me to see a few teams including the Eagles turn Somerset over at the OTA aswell.

Minimum 6 weeks away, hard on the unlucky rider but some riders just cannot seem to stay fit. Always more galling when someone is injured practising rather than racing.

So with no minimum guaranteed earnings a night & no signing fee's, restrictions on sponsor logo colours, requirements to arrive with 2 good spec bike the clubs are holding the cards. Obviously Kevlars & covers are club funded, vans likely supplied but otherwise the riders have to rely on a substantial per point rate to make it worthwhile.

Funnily enough i said yesterday that i rated him to have a career along the lines of Scott Nicholls, namely be an strong figure internationally, capable of reaching the GP's and definitely got a British Title in the tank if he keeps progressing at the rate he does.

You have my apology and your well informed strike rate continues

Whilst normally very well informed on many matters if you expect everyone to believe that Hans turns up on solely a paid per point basis you are barmy. Of course he had expenses to pay out but like any sane rider of a much lower level will be turning up with a pay guarantee as a minimum despite not scoring a point.

I can see the watering as an issue although i could see the track being more even and giving each rider a fairer chance being a factor. What i was meaning re the second point is that now rides use their personal numbers but the SGP process is going to bring rider number picks to the forefront so to the fans who don't think that reading the rule book is excellent bedtime fodder its going to create greater confusion. Rider #88 has first pick of riding position so rider #88 picks position #7 cue question from another observer "why doesn't he wear number 7 then?"

So what does that mean when the 2nd halves take place as the club already stated there would be no interval on those nights?

Surely 5 rides after a track grade would supply the most consistent track conditions during the evening? However the bigger issue for making the rider draw a bigger thing is that riders currently use/display their own race numbers, at present the draw takes place behind the scenes and the program generated from there. By bringing it into the foreground we will have the beauty of rider number 88 riding at number 4, rider #25 at number 3, rider #3 number 14 and so on, its just going to look a complete mess.

Will be interesting to see how the meetings are viewed when the MSDL matches take place and there is no interval to accommodate them. Will the meeting flow better and be calls to be the norm or will the food and drink sales drop too steeply?

Despite the additional issues with proving individuals are under 18 i would definitely back free entry with the hope that if 1 in 10 remains a paying supporter that is still a positive up take from the numbers now. However battling society changes may be harder anyway, how many 17-18 years olds would rather sit in the car park of a drive thru fast food restaurant all night than sit in a stadium watching speedway with all the same commodities (poorly lit, greasy food, dirty toilets) even if it was free to enter.

Then he should be taking to the track after the meeting not flogging a dead lawnmower during it.

Very impressive performance from Jason Edwards on the IOW last night. Joint second highest qualifying scorer & winning the final beating Georgie Wood & staying upright which Morley failed to do. Going to be a big year for this rider.

In all probability he is going to end up at reserve if either Thompson delivers on their potential. There is a danger of course that Ryan could find himself getting 3 rides a meeting but its up to him to step up and make sure he doesn't.

Bombers ability on the bike has never been questioned its his brain that largely lets him down and the fact that despite many many years of racing he still has limited knowledge of how to get the best out of his machines. If Matt Read is now in his corner he can only benefit as he is a true hero in every sense of the word (although i thought he was mostly involved with progressing Adam Ellis to the very top).

Pretty much spot on except that Ben Wilson will be donning his finest tunic & sandals this year as a Plymouth Gladiator.