Sings4Speedway

Some times speedway is secondary to what really matters. Get in touch with those who love you Danny. Get everything sorted and your many fans will be waiting for you when you return.

Hearing about tonight makes results between teams so insignificant. Best wishes to all injured riders and especially Mitchell.

Seems odd that the Scorps are going to pay out for Steve Worrall to be DBS checked and for his Officials licence for one meeting however i guess it might provide a better value return via PR / team bonding

Difficult to call although cannot disagree that £9 per meeting inc a programme is excellent value. For me personally i feel the NL should be £10 - £12 Max. It might sound like i am quibbling a couple of pounds per meeting and as i do not attend every home meeting i cannot cite that it adds up over the year etc (although for some it certainly does) its just about what appears to represent value for money in much the same way as i am less likely to drink in a pub where a pint costs £4.50 compared to somewhere that costs £3.50. Should the surroundings have received a major upgrade or the team on display be significantly improved perhaps an increase would be justifiable but as things are at a status quo at best / slightly down it feels like a price rise for the sake of a rise.

Im not going to debate the surrounding at Kent are certainly better than some but would certainly not carried away and claim they are superior. For my mind the money i spend requires two things in return entertainment & quality. If the quality of speedway is higher i will be tempted to part with a few more pounds and if the entertainment is high i do not generally question the costs. However Kent has become a bit of a fortress over the past couple of years and 14 quid for home sides drumming the away team is not for me so i will just pick and choose my matches more carefully. As for programmes that doesn't worry me as everyone has a choice if they wish to buy one or not, i choose not.

Heart says would love to see Wright or Hans win it gut says Brady or Morris.

The tiers two high flying teams meet tonight as an early marker of where each team is at and would say its almost too tight to call. The Fen Tigers heat leaders have all been performing well and Kemp at reserve has been hammering in points. The Brummies Heat leaders have been no slouches either and Flint has likewise got off to a flyer. Certainly not a bad move either by the Birmingham promotion to keep Butcher rested and bring in Sealey. I suspect the meeting is going to swing based upon the performances of the second strings from each side and who can avoid any silly exclusions. If i was forced to make a call i would think a narrow home win but not enough of a lead to see them through to the next round of the KOC.

Didn't go on Monday as the visitors didn't sound like it would produce an attractive enough meeting and glad i didn't given it was such a long drawn out event but what did shock me was hearing the admission has gone up again. £14 !!!! Four-teen pounds to watch NL speedway. Kent must now be the most expensive club in the third tier? Things are getting out of hand with admission costs.

Sounds about right although now i have a hankering for a few beers and a ploughmans lunch

Since when has only one rider been allowed to go off 15 meters ? I thought if a tapes infringement takes place you start in your original gate 15m back. If in the re-run another happens same thing applies right? There is no reason why all 4 riders couldn't start off the 15 metre line is there?

Personally ive never had an issue with the surroundings at Stoke. I find its slightly run down cobbled together look part of its charm (however much i would love to see huge investment into the stadium and turn it into a top venue). All ive ever wanted on my visits is the track to be in a decent state so that good safe racing can be produced and somebody to smile when they take my money on the gate sadly the first has a 50/50 chance at best and the second thus far has been 100% against but at least i do know where to head if i ever want some milk to be rapidly soured.

Think it's the MDL riders I feel most sorry for. Travelled at their own expense watched 15 diabolical heats and then told the 2nd half is cancelled. I would imagine they all felt so inspired and valued

Cheap guest / limited riders interested in doing it. Either way providing Lakeside go through the motions it should be job done.

Learn fast is definitely the answer. Personally i think its one of the smaller tracks that can handle grippy preparation. Far too many slick tracks these days which is why riders at this level can struggle as there is just not enough opportunities to gain experience on them.

will be interesting to see how the mood swings in the camp regarding Haertel? Will it be classed as a pure racing incident or something that was waiting to happen and create unrest amongst those who have to race with him? I have heard several comments from Longtrack circles that he is prone to taking out other riders.

Cross league guests allowed again then.....wonderful Plus side im glad its an indication the Ed is fit again.

Obviously there were numerous reasons for the Young Stars closure and finances paid a part in that along with availability of suitable riders. I definitely do not like seeing riders out of "work" but i equally dislike seeing teams who have built well at the start of the year fade away as one rider becomes injured and there are no suitable replacements available. There are also a variety of reasons why decent riders are not included in sides averages playing a part, distance & wage demands also being a factor. Ive always been a huge believer that if riders are good enough they will find a place but only if they want to ride. Either way this is getting away from the issues that the Warriors are facing at present and it appears that if it doesn't physically rain on race nights it rains points against them.

Another sad result for IOW last night. Campos & Hopwood still doing their jobs and quite likely Morley would have got more than Baseby. I would think Verge would score more running at number 2 rather than trying to protect Widman there? Tough on the reserves against decent opposition with Tedham's debut & Portwood just back from illness but 5 vs 20 from each sides bottom 3 tells the story.

Tougher tests to come for Mildenhall as most teams are thumping IOW at the moment but still very impressive. Like a few other teams Mildenhall will be hampered when star reserve Kemp moves up into the team but if Marson or Bebee can hit a run of form they will want some stopping. Wednesday will be a good marker of where teams are right now but for the season i would still give Brum the edge at present given they are more used to dealing with the pressure of play offs etc however a lot can happen before the end of the season.

With the greatest will in the world unless there was a limit to the amount of 3 pointers allowed per team they would still feature in most sides. If the limit was higher most teams would have a 10+ averaged number 1 increasing the wage bills and creating a bigger divide between rider quality in the league. In addition a higher limit and the half dozen riders out of a job included leaves a void should any riders get injured / retire during the season. Its one thing finding a suitable 3 pointer its quite another finding heat leaders and that ultimately closed Kings Lynns NL side and left several others struggling to build near the limit let alone over it. Long story short is that there are only a coupe of riders who would / could improve the IOW side and they would require multiple changes to accommodate which seems unlikely.

Given the nature of the track at Eastbourne teams will always come and struggle. Its not trick just takes a couple of attempts to master generally. Therefore there will be plenty of hammerings during the season. There are obviously some supporters who want to see constant 5-1's and others who want to see close racing. Ive often wondered if the Eagles could become a works team and affiliate with one engine supplier only like jawa/godden or GTR (remember them). Get the sponsored engines in and see what level of success they could have?

What are the options though? Mark Riss & Grondal? Would have said Starke & Gravesen but looks like Starke is now in the declared Belle Vue line up? Either way the team average has gone up and to make improvements it would mean chopping a point out of the side which doesn't make much sense.

The problem with those calling for Davey's head is who would be picked to replace him? He is one of the form riders in the NL and that is largely the pool of riders you have to play with given the averages. Hume or Mountain would be the other sensible contenders but both ride Thursday nights for Ipswich so virtually rules them out. Would need a double change and re-declare under the limit. Does switching Davey & Musielak for 2 x 4 pointers make any sense? Think the robins will have to stick with Mitchell and help him the best they can

The problem with those calling for Davey's head is who would be picked to replace him? He is one of the form riders in the NL and that is largely the pool of riders you have to play with given the averages. Hume or Mountain would be the other sensible contenders but both ride Thursday nights for Ipswich so virtually rules them out. Would need a double change and re-declare under the limit. Does switching Davey & Musielak for 2 x 4 pointers make any sense? Think the robins will have to stick with Mitchell and help him the best they can

Sums it up perfectly for me. Cockle is fading rapidly but even with half effort should get more than 5. RTD has never achieved what he has been tipped to do and is a perennial 4 pointer. The Colts are obviously strong at home but as pointed out once Woodhull is in the main body the reserves are going to be a huge concern. I see Bowen had a suspected dislocated thumb? If true could be a while for recovery and a catalyst for changes.