Sings4Speedway

Not sure where all the no interest in Speedway has come from? Shanes has been riding NL since 2013 so covering plenty of UK miles along with his Grasstrack & Longtrack commitments. Poole obviously would be a benefit to him as it would make local sponsorship easier to come by but with new bikes being built & 10 engines on his work bench id say its likely he knows he has a Premiership berth somewhere.

Fair point probably more valid to compare Zmarzlik with Kelsey Dugard.....oh wait Layne could easily up his average if Speedway is his first priority and not trying to become a music star but if he continues to spread himself thinly over several fads he will remain a 4 point something rider. As for why are the Poles so good......thats a whole other topic

Ties with Holder? Either way its not a positive start from Lynn or Lambert. He is going to really have to deliver this year otherwise there will be serious questions asked about his commitment and the promotions decision making.

Much depends if he used his bikes in the Prem & Champ last season or had separate? If he used the same bikes they will be 80? meetings old and in need of decent investment to refresh them. If they have only done one season in the Prem then with a little TLC they should be fine for another year. Im surprised that promoters don't have conditions regarding the amount / quality of machinery that a rider uses at the top level? Either way it doesn't sound like he is a happy camper so id expect this saga to continue along with some dubious sick notes.

I personally like the approach of picking 7 riders up front rather than picking the form riders at the time that fit under the points limit. I guess it kind of works to Cradleys advantage if they name a team up front built to 39 points and then they all up their averages before the NT matches are completed? That said if a rider is unavailable for any reason Cradley had better be able to use a guest as if a team that can pick from a large pool of riders still has to use RR then there is little hope left for the sport.

Trevor Heath? In fairness his replacement only lasted a little bit longer and was then replaced with a Mr James Shanes.......

"Notable" riders without a released team place include Dwyer, Halder, Greenwood, Halsey, Armstrong, Hunter, Bowtell, Knight, Wilson & Harris although not sure any combination would keep pace with the teams already announced.

From my perspective its all about value for money and being entertained. Even following NL at the cheaper end of the scale i picked my meetings this year at Kent as i was becoming bored of big home wins with limited entertainment. Im not going to visit every week just because a meeting is on i want to be entertained. Its also down to false economy as i didn't think twice about the fuel in the car going to Peterborough just the entry fee but i did receive good entertainment with the racing in return however i couldn't justify it every week. Speedway fans are no longer happy to blindly hand over money whenever any team visits they want a two sides of equal quality on a track that can produce decent racing and they will be happy. The formula is simple and yet its still often messed up.

Not seen any NL racing at Leicester since the National Trophy days but with positive comments from the NLRC i suspect there is certainly some good value entertainment to be had viewing the revised Coventry team. With Peterborough & Mildenhall potentially running on the same Sundays it might have an impact on a few undecided travelers but if Stoke were running on the Saturday night before a Leicester/Coventry match it could certainly be a tempting weekend.

Does anybody know if/when these are scheduled to take place? Or if they have is there any information coming from them?

Will be a good indication this year where GB is on the world stage with drodz wroyna and co in the premiership. If they set things alight its a further worry.

Given the riders signed so far all fit into Mason's well maintained / well presented machinery ethos Layne would definitely be the exception however i think the numbers stack up too nicely for him not to be included. Whilst its a risk with Layne & Callum at 2&4 to start with it does ensure a good reserve all season even when Leon moves into the 1-5.

Very true but perhaps it's long overdue to make some radical changes and nurtre uk rider's

It does seem farcical that British riders do not get the nod over new untried imports. Ive been saying for years that i would like to see all British riders get a 1 point reduction on their average at the end of each season to make them more attractive signings

That was my initial thought but have since heard whispers to the contrary and with limited roles going it certainly points Brums way

Strangely enough the past few season' I've questioned why Walker kept getting a team place over others but I finally think he is on the verge of a breakthrough and looks like one of the few bargain average riders this season. I suspect Rodgers the Dodger is nailed on as TM now

Not back for Aces only or Colts also? In fairness most sides are lining up stronger at reserve this year than the previous season. It might be a benefit for Jack to focus on the lower 2 tiers for another year and avoid burnout. I have little doubt he will be back at the top level again soon.

Which is why Kents success fluctuates as the knowledge of emerging newbies is vastly limited. There are obviously some who appear under the promotions nose like Danny Ayres or Jack Thomas and prosper but Kent will always struggle to attract the likes of Kemp / Flint / Brooks as by the time they even know who they are they have been signed up elsewhere.

Careful posting the contents of your dreams on here. Especially if they include 7 Kevlar clad men

Its not a mind blowing start but it could be a lot worse. If Buxton could land Ben Wilson , Luke Ruddick & Shelby Rutherford they could be well on the way to a reasonable side. If they could tempt Wallinger back the wins should start to flow for the Hitmen

True but heat 8 will still involve a switch (happens at almost every meeting now). There is so much pressure on heat 2 at the best placed reserve not only gets the early additional points but also the ride in heat 8. The other reserve is often left downhearted and knowing they will only get 2 more rides that night before the meeting has barely begun.

Flint at reserve will fill his boots early on which should hopefully keep his confidence up when he slots into the 1-5. I think much depends on the riding pairings as i suspect the make up of the team will change with Davey @1 soon. Flint @2 Bacon @3 Cupitt @4 Hume @5 looks like a very capable main team but unless the reserves can manage 6 between them i can see a few close loses at home and desperately important with that side not to throw points away.

Cupitt on a 4.00 looks one of the cheap averaged riders this season and if Brum don't haven't got him signed up i would be very surprised. Roberts is a possibility but don't waste the time or points on Govier there are far too many issues there for the Masons to be dealing with. Im surprised Connor Locke hasn't been signed (or announced anywhere yet) and with the Lakeside connection could see him feature along with another new 3 pointer like Dan Gilkes to complete the side. Sadly as pointed out its a very long tail and will see Flint move into the side very quickly which nullifies his scoring powers but as Birmingham are coming to the tapes this season thats the important factor.

Only riders who could sensibly fill the position need to be NL heatleaders at a minimum. Best bet is someone like Rob Shuttleworth. Blacklock might be worth a go if he can get a NL place or Jack Thomas/Connor Coles otherwise it looks like a very well built side could become unstuck.

Not sold on the Stoneman selection but that' already been mentioned once or twice. I hope the number 7 is selected/notified soon so they can properly prepare. Too often a selection of riders are invited to battle it out at P&P and have no time to prepare for a full season of racing