Sings4Speedway

Good guest for Zach in Clegg & i suspect Edwards will do very well providing he doesn't try too hard although i think he has been brought in to replace the wrong reserve as although often on the deck Locke does have speed and would be far more useful at Belle Vue as Cousins tends to get a nose bleed that far North.

Wrong thread i think

Lakesides resistance to try/change anything at the lower order will ultimately hurt them in the end. Connor will probably be better in the long run from the experience but Cousins, Laurence & Locke have all spent the season at a track with a strong home advantage and all failed to become anything more than 3 pointers. Normally i would suspect a mystery injury to bring in an unattached 3 pointer but all those who have been doing the rounds this season haven't offered a lot of inspiration. Who knows maybe one of the three will deliver a big performance?

The danger is that the North will be the Championship + Belle Vue & the South will be the Premiership + P'boro/Ippo. Whilst logistics would be a lot easier & attract travelling supporters there is a danger that the mentality of the stronger / more experienced at higher level clubs could strangle the other sides?

Would be a great upset but a big ask. Would need Morley to max out, Hurry, Bowtell & guest to get double figures and still need one of the tail to stand up. Belle Vue have consistently hit 55+ at home so Lakeside would need that as a minimum target to set up an exciting second leg

If i had to Hav a guess i would say you are not far away

Yes that will be very productive. A team that already has a dark cloud of uncertainty hanging over it really does not need to be pressured into making assurances or told its no go just because the matches may have affected your club. Ive no doubt that Cradley are hurting from the recent events and its certainly not something anyone is used to from a usually brash club. Injuries can affect any side and Cradley has been hit badly this year plus made some questionable choices/signings but there is no way there has been any intent to track weak sides (Mildenhall is notoriously hard to get guests for) plus teams in higher divisions have tracked far weaker teams. Whatever may have happened this season i for one just want to see Cradley back at the tapes again next year and hope whatever assistance is required to make that happen is made available.

Everyone knew Cradley were tinkling in the wind when they signed Govier or more accurately the other way around. Not sure what excuses Hall & Dwyer have put in although the latter seems to be picking and choosing meetings recently? Final word of best wishes to Danny Ayres, get well soon fella, stay strong and come back better than ever next season.

The problems were clear from the start. The number 7 wasn't selected from the countries offerings but from who was prepared to turn up to press & practice try out day & then face an immediate start with matches the next day. Fair play to Ryan Mac for making the journey down & it was a big ask to perform on a track he had barely ridden. There are still riders who could have held down a team place with better scores than those included but most would have needed to be in the side early and learnt the track, been race sharp etc the continual process of chucking a rider into one or two meetings halfway through the year and expecting them to be on the pace immediately is laughable and 90% of the time dents the riders confidence & chances of getting a place elsewhere. Having a 2nd half side, 2nd half match races or practice days would have offered the opportunity for 3 pointers to come & learn their way around the track before potentially moving into the side. By ignoring this Lakeside have failed & by scraping into the play offs has flattered their season.

If nothing else i must tip my hat to Buxton. To be the only current club to have been in the league from the beginning takes some serious staying power and for that i salute the efforts of everyone involved.

The tail end all boils down to how in touch the club is with lower league speedway & youth rounds. lakeside clearly were not and have struggled all year based upon recommendations from old mates etc. Had they bothered to enter an MDL/SDL team they would have had 8 riders at the track all looking to prove they could do a better job than the current tail enders and in all fairness if Nick Laurence and co were the top performers they had earned the right to stay in the team but if more promising riders turned up changes could have been tried/made.

In looking at it again the rider still appears to have hold of the throttle until halfway across the track after bouncing off the boards so if the bike was revving flat out i would expect it to travel that far as engine braking alone isn't going to slow it down with little weight aboard and could be that the cut out was fully operational? That said it could have been horrific had any injuries ensued as would the resulting lawsuit. Sadly it seems to be that accidents have to happen before any action is actually taken.

Don't think there is any rule about all matches being completed before the cut off just before the close of the season (with fines for clubs that do not host all their matches) so can't see how any team can be awarded points unless a team officially concedes. Chances are it will mean a terrible match late in the season with both sides out to lower averages and the crazy situation of Cradley finishing 4th in the table but not competing in the play offs or Eastbourne finishing top of the league but not getting to choose their play off opponents. Do i remember a similar situation with Rye House Raiders & Coventry last year?

In all fairness im not sure if Chris Harris knew what he was yesterday as he certainly wasn't a Grasstrack rider. 2 x practices & 3 x heats where he either broke down or was so far off the pace he retired. Certainly did more than enough to embarrass himself & to put his selection for the Longtrack rounds in jeopardy. Eddie Kennett on the other hand looked excellent but nobody could live with James Shanes so just goes to show that whilst similar sports pedigree in one discipline doesn't necessarily transfer to the other.

Unusually disappointing meeting at Swingfield yesterday. The track lay out with one sweeping and one very tight corner plus a soft surface from all the previous rain meant the solo racing was erratic and often survival rather than full on racing. The sidecars produced better entertainment. Sadly heats were cut to 3 laps only to save minimal time and the the 4th round of heats were still cut altogether. Delays between racing didn't help the meeting flow and panic about potential incoming rain / light fading meant a very dubious affair. However best men won both classes on the day but not a classic Swingfield meeting but then the bar is always set very high.

Looks a very open line up this year. Germany probably have the edge on paper but several other strong looking combinations. Will be especially interested to see how the Swedes get on.

Its definitely time for clubs to make a stand and state this is what we can afford to pay who would like to sign? Not as it is at present with riders making the demands and clubs having to buckle to them. Club A sets the rate for its number 1, heat leaders, second strings, reserves etc and as riders move up and down the positions the points money adjusts accordingly. Yes there will be clubs that can afford to pay more & yes some riders will strop that they cannot afford to race on X monies BUT the club will remain financially viable & the riders will come creeping back when they haven't been signed anywhere else plus the mercenaries that don't we are better off without.

Tricky one and certainly no definitive answers to why it was so flat? maybe the question marks surrounding the club dont help? Jack Parkinson-Blackburn & Tom Bacon have been solid all year but have struggled in the higher tiers and maybe a little fatigued? Layne Cupitt started the season so promisingly but has tailed off the past few weeks, Jamie Halder was just a guest, Taylor Hampshire isn't ready for NL in terms of equipment, mentality or speed and sadly David Mason has gone out and embarrassed himself again with another lack luster display (or is he dropping his average dramatically for next year?)

Bowtell would be a big miss for Lakeside if he is away at a higher level with zero suitable guests around his 6.5 average. Pantomime villain Danny Ayres is a great choice at number 1 though and along with Morley & Hurry should make this an entertaining match up but as ever the Hammers tail is just too long but there is an outside chance of sneaking a point. Big interest will be how Charlie Saunders fares as if Eastbourne can settle him in nicely at reserve he could prove a real danger in the play offs

Kent appear to be hitting form at bang on the right time for the play offs and the win over Brum does show the gulf of difference between the two sides as this season has progressed. Both sides have been hit hard with injuries / retirements but with very different outcomes as Kent have definitely strengthened Birmingham have struggled to cope with the long tail and finding a solid replacement for Ritchings. Certainly cements Kents play off chances whilst ending Birminghams run over the past few seasons. Whilst its nice to have a little variety at the sharp end of the league the biggest hope is Brum will be back and contesting again next season.

Find me somebody who doesn't / hasn't slagged off British speedway at some point? If everyone who had was banned every stadium would be empty of both riders & fans. There are plenty of Aussies who don't moan & plenty of other Nationalities that do. Its nothing to do with country of origin its all to do with the individuals. If riders don't like it then don't ride in the UK. If they continue to moan they will no longer be welcomed by UK clubs / fans.

Despite the tough run of fixtures i still think Eastbourne can finish top and get first choice of opponents / opponents to avoid. matches against Kent, Mildenhall & Lakeside who are the likeliest play off place finishers will give a good indication on who they may like to pick / avoid? Start time is 7pm for the Mildenhall / Kent double header hope everything runs smoothly as this looks like being a bumper double meeting and would be a shame for it to be spoiled with delays etc

Ive always admired the passion and determination shown by many to attend every week no matter what & travel to away matches no matter the cost, time etc just for the pure love of their team but sadly that just isn't me. Kent is obviously closer to me and therefore watch more of my speedway there but i am a fan of the sport first and foremost. I will travel to watch a decent match up between two teams who provide entertainment at what ever track that may be. I stopped attending Kent matches when the results became very one sided as i have o interest in watching the home team dominate each week and for that reason i have failed to make any of my planned visits to Lakeside this year.

Congratulations to matt tresarrieu excellent all year and fully deserved. Hartel an excellent close second and superb debut year for shanes. Special mention must go to hummel who qualified for next year after just competing in three rounds.

Worrying times really as flicking through the tables i would say 50% of the teams per league have question marks hanging over the regarding their participation next year for various reasons and that is ignoring those teams who may compete but at a different level. Obviously i am keeping my fingers crossed but it will be an uncomfortable winter for many.