Sings4Speedway

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.

Add in the dubious secret ruling of only 1 rider per NL team who has a Champ level average of 4.00+ (or has achieved that at some point in the past) which i think all barring Belle Vue have already included its a very small window of opportunity for List. But things do happen and a club may be desperate for a long term replacement for a heat leader but with guests available for number 1's its a long shot during the season.

If he has a British passport / Is British i believe? Rules changed after BWD & the Spillers came over and cleared up.

Agreed although to be fair its closer than several teams are likely to get. As for gates whilst its really disappointing that there was such bias towards gate 1 it can't be used as an excuse as only Rowe & Thomsen failed to score from gate 1 (or at all) with everyone else from each side registering wins or seconds. The Oaktree used to be a little more favoured to outside passing so i hope that returns but Rory isn't famed for liking lots of dirt.

Well marginally quicker than i expected but better for the Cubs to be rid of Kelsey. I really don't get why riders who show little or no commitment and "retire" time and time again still get so many opportunities. Ryan Mac has had plenty of chances himself and is still to prove he can cut it fully at NL level but has shown slow improvement over the seasons so is probably the best suited replacement available at present.

I did wonder if the early tapes infringement would have unsettled Anders and hampered him throughout the night. Henry has probably done more laps of the OTA than any other rider on show and is wise enough to ask & get assistance with setups from the more experienced riders so i expect him to score well at home quite often this season.

Very alarming that the top spot is occupied by two teams who are not top flight. Plus a NL in third is equally disturbing. In fact throughout the list there is little to suggest that admission prices/attitudes reflect the levels teams compete at. It has to be said that everything for the £18 bracket down "seems" reasonable and extra credits to those who admit under 16's foc. Certainly not shocked to see IOW as one of the best yet again.

How far adrift were Rowe & Thomsen if they were? It has to be said that the number 6 rides are far harder than the number 7 so the disparity between Atkins & Rowe's scores are not always reflective of the match itself.

Who next Ben Hopwood? Don't get me wrong Phillips has had far more time at this level than many riders ever get and still shows no signs of making the step up but if a change is going to be made i would at least suggest a rider who could become a real asset but the ship has sailed on the majority like Jason Edwards etc. Luke Harris is a fair shout although also still a little too early. Would think the best opportunity is Jordan Jenkins as suggested and as a wild card i would say Danyon Hume would be a better option than Simon Lambert. However at present the diamonds issues are far bigger than who fills the number 7 jacket.