Sings4Speedway

No huge surprises but the capture of Henry Atkins is a very good move. Loads of potential & excellent equipment which could see him as one of the top 3 pointers this season. Walker has had 2 seasons at NL and is still barely above 3 so needs to kick on and may find life tough if he is the main body of the team. Andrews & Smart if fit will be very solid at home but can go missing on their travels but have plenty of race wins in them. Sadly number 8's are a bit pointless with the current rules and so is the signing of Saul Bulley.

Four riders and number 8 named tonight any guesses? I will plump for Henry Atkins, Callum Walker, Nick Phillips & Ellis Perks with the number 8 either Stevie Andersen or George Piper. Based on nothing other than geographic locations & previous links to the club/promoters.

Sheer lunacy from Len. A side with Bowen, Thomas, Hopwood & Shanes would leave 9.35 for the remaining 3 positions. The two reserves are likely to be 3 pointers anyway so another at no.2 is no real hardship. There will still be several teams built this way like Mildenhall. Unless Kent can pull out a big signing who will entertain and deliver its going to be a long year for the Kings.

Shocker if that is true. If Hopwood is on the list then a genuine number 5 is a must and the amount of feasible / available signings are dropping rapidly. Stoneman or Bacon could do a good job but im not sure there are many others available. Worse still is i could see other teams making changes to accommodate an available Shanes

Don't worry im sure it will pick up as the season progresses. Also team announcements make for interesting debate so as further riders are announced it should pick up. I can see the lure of Rye House but only if a decent team is visiting as whatever calibre of rider is there nobody wants to watch a one sided event. Personally i hope they are running on Saturdays as it means i will be able to attend Lakeside a few times over the season.

Where did you see/hear that? BIG shock if it turns out to be correct. Bowen is a big chunk of the team building averages but he is also more dependable than the other 2. I like them both but they are both prone to having a few off days which rarely happens with Bowen.

Given the current record where the words National Speedway...... are used as prefix i suspect it will be beautifully presented but end in a right balls up!

Oh 'eck! i was hoping to encourage him not make matters worse!

As a matter of interest have you considered watching NL? The double points rule has been scrapped there. Im not going to pretend that the standard isn't different because it is but the entertainment level is high as is the unpredictability of heats & matches. Not sure what NL tracks you would be close to though?

Top performers that immediately spring to mind are Jack Thomas, James Shanes, Connor Mountain & the previously mentioned Danyon Hume. These riders all certainly could have "made it" on their own however the training & backing of the Poultec academy must have helped accelerate the process and long may it continue.

I just can't see Shanes riding anywhere else. Monday night racing fits nicely with his longtrack adventures and he is sponsored by Silver Ski. Hopwood is the bargain rider this winter. I did initially think he would be at Cradley/Brum but rumours are gathering pace about his inclusion at Central Park. I love Danny as both a rider & person but always suspected he would be on the move over the winter as Len would never get rid of Shanes and Bowen is a consistent strong performer. Add in that Danny would most likely miss several meetings doubling up and its actually a sensible move. Im sure Uncle Len will make some strange choices at reserve to level things out though.

Actually i am. All good at most tracks and all can go well at Kent however "if" the Kent team includes Bowen, Thomas, Hopwood & Shanes then the matches at Arlington could make for some unpleasant viewing as an Eagles supporter. (FYI i didnt rate the 2015 Brum side and they still won the league so what do i know )

Given the "potential" lineups being mooted Kent would want to face Eastbourne every week as there is a strong chance of turning them over both home & away this season........unless the reserve picks are poor.......which they often are

Well Brennan, Jenkins & Lawlor are confirmed. Bickley is committed to Belle Vuentry & i would be staggered if Atkins isn't at Plymouth.

Luke has served his speedway apprenticeship and has the ability but unfortunately even in a part time league the excuse of below par equipment doesn't cut it anymore. Charley was learning speedway last season and at times it showed as he can look awkward on the bike, performed some poor moves and looked hilarious laying on the Kent track attempting to get an all 4 back when falling on his own. However he also had some good showings and seems to have better confidence/fitness than Luke. Im sure both will make decent signings for any team but they both come with baggage.

Such as? Think that most of the top talent has been signed but not announced.

It rings a bell but with the changes in rules / my memory fading i can no longer be sure about many things. Although a sensible rule being in place and then taken out does sound about right

Its the most probably side but i can't see the Dugards being almost a point under the limit Lucky you. I keep trying but it just doesn't happen.

Stoneman was excellent on his return last year. Raced unselfishly for IOW and upped his average considerably. Im yet to be convinced about Harris, he strikes me more of a gate and hold a line type of rider. Its a pity about the fine margins as for 0.01 more Dwyer or Powell could have been options. What about last years number 8?

13.54 left Dugard 4.28 + Cottam 4.70 + R.Andrews 4.26 = 13.24 ? Would mean one constantly at reserve which could prove powerful? Cough cough Brum

It was done a few years ago when Leicester ran a NL team in the trophy. Picked the best available/in form riders but still didn't top the group. Fingers crossed Swindon do get the support and NL comes to the tapes in 2018. As a side note who would be happy with this team this year? It was the Leicester line up for the first National Trophy Meeting James Sarjeant Dan Greenwood Tom Perry Max Clegg Oli Greenwood James Shanes Tom Woolley

Greaves is a very good signing but i didn't expect the Govier signing to be repeated. Looks like no room for Dugard or Stoneman and the latter may struggle on a higher average? Cupitt would make a decent reserve signing but Harris would have to go into the side at number 4 which could make life difficult.

Its a bit of a cop out? Either go 40 or 38. 39 seems a touch pointless (point-less geddit)

Surely a simple answer is all British riders get either the reduction (where applicable) or a point reduction from their averages at the end of each season making them a more attractive proposition than foreign imports.

Useful signings with plenty of options open to build the rest of the team. Bowtell i suspect was quite in demand so can be considered a positive gaining his signature. I believe both are mates off track as well which can be considered a bonus. Both also appear to have good equipment/backing which is a major bonus especially at NL level. Only downside is that they are both the rider you want for the same position number 2 / strong reserve. If a team can be built that way with them both switching then Lakeside are in a strong position but if they have to run at 2 & 4 then the reliance on the heatleaders will be pretty heavy.