Sings4Speedway

Agree although much depends on how much Halsey still wants to ride & deliver. Clegg still has a bit to prove but at Monmore is awesome, Harris & Brennan are still on the way up. Downside is the tail and if McGurk gets going early he will get stuck in the main team while Whitmore languishes at reserve (again).

Whilst on face value it seems unlikely riders were all on £20 pp its still a decent wedge if your outgoings are small. Bowen & Hurry aren't daft and know that if engine servicing & spares van bills are being picked up its certainly worth more in the long run than a few extra pounds per point.

Luke Harris. But leaves the team half a point under the limit making todays announcements a little strange.

Think Whitmore has a GSA of 2.19. Last seasons record was retired or excluded in a quarter of his races and managed to score points in just a third of them. Not sure how many seasons Tom Spencer has been riding? 2/3? Certainly quick and brave enough, very likeable character and must get on well with the scrutineers . Probably as riders they are the polar opposites of each other but you do have one good signature.

Im not convinced on this one/two. Spencer has certainly got talent but (did have) terrible equipment, Whitmore has had many chances and taken zero (except on the score charts) and am just really not a fan of his in so many ways. However with such a strong team building start its a shame that Cradley have slipped.

Often the issue with figures is it is largely the louder personalities that share them as part of their bluster unless you are genuinely on the inner circles with them so not all are accurate but £35 for a number 1 has been paid to various riders i know of. Tyres are often funded by clubs in differing ways (raffles, sponsored etc) but a lot of riders get plenty along with fuel, oil etc Team Kevlars can also be a big draw for some as that is another potential rider saving. Points monies are often within £5-10 of each other but its the add ons that cause the biggest divides between the big spenders and the struggles to competes.

From any exposure ive had those figures are pretty close to what i believe to be correct for the Kent side. The monies are largely close at most other clubs that ive heard however its the perks that can swing things in clubs favours, engines, frames, spares van fees all make a huge difference to riders success in the NL. Even the difference between getting an away tyre and supplying your own can have an impact upon where riders sign.

The Birmingham team has been built on a budget & with assets in mind as the requirements needed for the bonds etc however as it has now been confirmed that NL sides could hold assets last season and moving forward it does seem like Brum missed a trick not getting riders on board sooner or was it simply that stepping up a league was not in the initial master plan but the promotion bowed to fan pressure?

100% agree with the above. The reason any rider should get a place is because they are quick/good enough not because they are young enough. There is an obsession at present with getting riders in as soon as they are 15/16. If they are good enough then i have no issue with it but if they require a little longer to develop then give them the time. There is also major issue with 15 year olds being included in league racing and the laws surrounding it that will only become more problematic over time.

Cannot argue with the fact that the Kent side has been finished with a flourish and as most have said very few weak links, Maybe Spooner starting at 4 but will likely be at reserve soon enough and still on a high average. This team is fortunate picking up the services of Ablitt being southern based but it also looks an expensive side? Can't imagine Gilkes, Jenkins or Kemp have signed cheap? Either way if Kent turn a regular profit its alright and it looks like with a little fortune the Kings may finally lift a trophy.

In my opinion every other side would want Ablitt in their side (Leicester apart). I think he has more to offer than Rowe and suspect he will end up in the main team soon having a Jason Edwards style debut season.

League or Play Offs?

But wasn't the track largely below standard last year? Heard several reports of riders unhappy with the surface (riders who had been happy with it for many previous years). Now it could have been the higher league influence, a whinging aussie influence or something else but Somerset is one of the best race tracks in the country and until last year its been rare to hear a bad word said about it.

I think the rumoured over 4 in the 2nd tier rules Bowen out? Think Baseby would have been popular at Kent initially but over the past couple of season his antics & associations rule him out with the fans. Personally i would say Josh Bailey is a good a choice as anyone available.

The plus side is that Kent should have any combination of Gilkes, Ablitt, Ledwith & Spooner at reserve across the season which would be very potent plus with the first 3 likely to make a mockery of their averages (and the reduced points limit skewing the numbers further) the overall team total will look much higher when the first set are released.

I suspect it will be the Lawson, Kennett & Morley combo that was initially "supposedly" lined up. Obviously there have been a few delays with Eddies average then Morris potentially became available due to his Polish team being refused a licence, thats now been resolved so Morris is realistically off the table and it will be the Lakeside Eagles rather than the Lakeside Eagles......

Huge signing for Kent as many would/should have been chasing this signature. Very talented young rider with good backing which makes a huge difference even at this level. As for the other rider absolutely no idea but the tail of the Kent side is very strong even if the heat leaders are not the strongest they certainly won't be the worst. Could have been wrong about this Kent side but coming in under the lowered points limit raises some alarms.

That would leave a 4 and a bit point hole, not really any riders around on that average...the return of Bradley Andrews? Can't help but feel that Kent have blundered the team building this year....

Can't have been the initial plan as Eastbourne are also running Saturdays. Josh Bailey would be a good signing but is another double upper.

The worst bit is that whilst complicated the above actually has documented rules.....it appears that the NL for 2019 does not as yet.

You are correct with Kemp having a Championship place at Sheffield. He has been signed on a 2 point average having completed one less meeting than is required to get an actual average. When that next meeting is completed his average goes up to 4.5 something. Then with the conversion rate of 1.5 between Champ & Prem next year he would become eligible to be a 3 point Premiership rider and take up a place at Ipswich.

Lost his Polish team though which will certainly affect his income and race sharpness.

Reason i asked is because if the lowest value a rider could have was £500 for example then Brum just needed 30 second half riders to be assets to cover it. Even if the gave them £50 each to sign on it would have cost them £1500 to get the £15,000 value required. Probably plenty of reasons why that wouldn't have worked but if i actually got it right for once please keep the Masons away from the Perr Barr flyover

Certainly a tough ask. Any combinations of Waj, Shanes, Morris & Newman looks good in the 2,3 & 4 positions BUT one of them is going to get stuck at number 5. I guess the benefit of higher averaged reserves is that its possible for any of them to drop down (providing Paco & Thomsen don't do worse) unless a healthy lead is built up before heat 12 i fear for this side.

Grajczonek needs to really deliver this year especially with his Polish team going down the toilet.