Sings4Speedway

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

Apologies I was having an unusually upbeat day (Not sure what was wrong with me). I am delighted that Pipe has stopped dragging Buxton down from the inside but fearful where he will end up next.

Definitely a rider finally living up to his potential. I suspect he will finish the season as number 1 in the side.

Extance is certainly an interesting one. Obviously Eastbourne thought he was good value when they signed him pre season last year but it appears he didnt do that well on track and was released before the season started? Has he improved / resolved his knee injuries in the past year or do Stoke just have lower expectations of a rider than Eastbourne?

Bit staggering really as Leek doesn't do a great deal of competitive riding during the season and has no Plymouth connections as far as im aware. Missed trick really as i though Walker might be slotting in at reserve making a balanced team or if it was to be a 3 pointer Nethercott was a better shout?

Maybe JPB stands a better chance of landing much needed sponsorship going elsewhere? There is far more to being a speedway rider than the few minutes spent on the track. Perhaps a fresh track to go with a fresh approach is the best way for JPB to progress.

100% agreed. Keep forgetting about Flint probably because i didn't realise he would be moving up this year. I think Flint could emulate Zac Waj's first NL season

Id agree although his persistent tyre burning/rut digging gets on my wick. Wish it had been outlawed like in the GP's

Didnt see that one coming although im glad slugger is back. Going to be tough to maintain his average though especially if he starts at 1

John Sampford would do a very solid job. Jason Pipe has left Buxton so you never know???

Not so sure personally. I agree top end Mildenhall definitely have the edge but there is very little between the two tails. Yes Kemp has every possibility of finishing on a 6/7 point average but it will still take an exceptional season to do that. Bebee will have done well to finish over 4 although Marson is the unknown joker. However at Eastbourne id expect Dugard, Edwards & Brooks to all finish over the 5 point mark. With no disrespect to Mildenhall it looks like the Eagles have built a team that will be competitive at Belle Vue as well as at home.

With the points left Boxall is almost certainly omitted. If the Devils could get Walker in at reserve it would make a potent tail but i fear there wont be enough points to secure another decent heat leader. I feel for Plymouth as like a few clubs they are Geographically up against it when making signings

Was going pretty well for the Warriors. Maybe Danno can conquer his big track issues but feels like a big risk that could hurt the prospects of both rider and club.

Would be superb and the perfect addition to the squad to really help develop the youngsters but i fear it wont happen. Im not sold on the reliability of the others plus think Bowtell will end up doubling up which is always a concern. Stoneman is the obvious choice in terms of using up points? Back on the development front i hope/wish Andrew Silver could be lured back to the pits as he would be the perfect candidate to get the best out of the raw talent Kent has lined up.

Rightly or wrongly Hampshire needs to invest in his equipment if he is to improve. Not just financially but in time & maintenance also. Its a very common misconception with riders breaking into the NL that they will earn enough money to cover all their costs & that the two bikes they have that look good at the start of the year will last all season. Whatever the age of the bike they require constant work and if there is any item that might fail it almost certainly will fail. Bikes at NL level do not need to be new but they do need to be looked after thoroughly.

Completely agree. Feel slightly embarrassed that i haven't made more effort to visit. Perhaps a forum flash-mob would be fun. Pick a random IOW home meeting and try to get as many through the turn styles as possible? Wouldn't it be lovely for those who put so much effort into the sport to be repaid with one massive crowd during the season (and hopefully some inspired to return again).

Last season it was 4 x 500's as there was/is a shortfall 125/150 riders further south. Same setup as the MDL although with looser controls on the number of league riders participating.

Very surprised with that one. Don't see much further improvement in Powell, has a very awkward style and in fairness his average is inflated due to home track advantage over visiting riders. Thought Hunter was far more likely to take this place if im honest.

Id be surprised if Cupitt is not wearing a B next season whilst Halder could well be at Belle Vue with Armo. Dan Greenwood is very likely to feature but the rest will be lucky to get places anywhere sadly. Can't see Shuttleworth as a number 1, Ruddick on 5.31 is expensive and sadly Dwyer has stagnated over the past few seasons and shown no further improvement.

Whilst im not Mr Pipes greatest fan im just happy somebody applied to do it. Plus don't get your hopes up about it becoming a glorified M/SDL. That would require riders travelling the country for no payment just because they enjoy riding their bikes & want to improve themselves with only limited rule bending & corruption. National League speedway is years away from being in such a positive place.