Sings4Speedway

From early showings the addition of Stoneman & Cuppit make IOW a much different animal. Even if the Rye House dominate as expected i think the lower order will prove costly once again.

JPB / Smith then Bebee/Jenkins & now Whitmore/Hampshire lowered 3 times in a season isnt bad going. Long may the MDL continue & hopefully expand and prosper. British speedway would be in a serious mess without it.

With Whitmore & Hampshire starting at reserve tonight does this create the youngest reserve pairing ever?

Give Whitehouse all the RR rides to make things a little more interesting

In fairness all teams are built on the gamble that riders will improve its just more important when you build top heavy. Chessell has paid off but a returnee & and untried kiwi were always big risks and Kingston was an obvious disaster from the start.

Not sure i would call 1 rider an injury problem after all its the nature of the sport and Zac hasn't been as dominant this year (although i do wish Waj a speedy recovery). Brum would do well to book either Williamson or Knight as guest and you will sail through to the final anyway.

I think Boxall would come in on 9.56 so even dropping Chessell (8.70) & Purchase (3.59) to sign Boxall & a 3 pointer would not free up enough points? Not really sure where a Cradley saviour will come from? Maybe there is a rider that features well in the 2nd half matches that catches the eye or a retired rider gamble? Unusually Cradley have been slow to react when it comes to making changes and it could hurt them badly come play off time.

I would say that sadly Hunters injuries have been brought about due to being pushed to high in the team to early and over trying? Not sure that Danyon would have improved as much as he has if he had stayed at Rye either? All teams started with rookies this season but with the exception of Powell all had a reasonable level of speedway experience and he still did a reasonable amount of meetings last year. The other was Saul who struggled on the Island and was signed up by the Rockets. The plight of the bottom end is not down to the riders but the lack of contacts/knowledge by the promotion.

I can see from a Brum point of view why they would be annoyed however at the time of cancellation the injuries looked far greater than they were. That said i would still rather see a decent contest rather than the high flying Birmingham team against a not fully fit Kent side (Ayres, Clifton & Thomas are clearly not anywhere near 100% fit). With both sides looking like guests will be required at no.1 it might swing on who makes the cleverest bookings?

I think Clegg & Morris might have something to say about that........

Phillips is only averaging 6.70 in the NL. Riders in form that are averaging higher include Halsey, Shuttleworth, Wood, Kinsley & Bacon who did very well at Plymouth recently and is certain to be included in a 1-7 if the scheme continues next year. Riders available with higher averages still and are available are Knight as previously mentioned and Chessell so to claim that there are no other potential options is a bit off especially if the scheme is to continue next year it might be worth making acquisitions now?

NATIONAL LEAGUE PAIRS CHAMPIONSHIP: GROUP A: Cradley, Eastbourne, King’s Lynn, Mildenhall, Isle of Wight. GROUP B: Birmingham, Kent, Rye House, Belle Vue, Buxton. With the NL pairs groups announced there looks to be some very tasty match ups in store (providing all are available). I would expect Cradley & Eastbourne to prosper from Group A with Rye House & Belle Vue from Group B. Then its all down to who can avoid controversy & mechanical gremlins to lift the trophy.........

An excellent size crowd last night no doubt boosted by the summer holidays saw the Kings be below par in places and still comfortably beat the Belle Vue Colts despite the close score line. With the excellent guest Morley, Shanes, Thomas & Verge all scoring well it was enough to carry a clearly not fit again duo of Clifton and Ayres who threw points away whilst over trying but in truth was being outclassed at the time of each fall. The surface had been scraped slick after over watering pre meeting and that limited the racing action but there were still exciting moments. For the visitors Matt Williamson was excellent as was Dan Bewley who looks comfortable as a heat leader. Lee Payne was patchy as was Woolley but both had wins to their name and had the controversial Shuttleworth been able to travel it could have been a much more nervy affair. If the Colts can do something to strengthen their reserves they will pose a real threat come play off time & if the Kings don't get everyone fit and firing again the play offs may end up out of reach.

I think only Brum & Eastbourne are nailed on. Kent look to be wobbling but still doing enough to creep in. Think Belle Vue having completed most of their away fixtures and still being well in contention will see them storm into the top 4.

Agree with JD above. It was a good looking and slightly unconventional track layout that produced good entertainment but the viewing options were poor. The whole bacl straight at the top of the track should have been used creating a natural grandstand rather than forcing most onto turns 3/4 and round to the finish line as any further towards bend 1/2 the whole track could not be viewed. The racing was entertaining and there is always a little controversy in the sidecars however a rider not taking to the podium is pathetic. There were plenty of solos on show with speedway connections Shanes - Fully deserved Masters title, unbeaten all day and made the gate in the final when it mattered Kennett - From an iffy start looked excellent. Has brought his own bike and alluded to intentions of doing much more grass/longtrack Hurry - Rolled back the years and experience brought speed Hall - Dramatic all day but never really made an impression on the top bunch J.Wright - Quick all day but missed the gate in the final and fell whilst chasing P.Cooper - Fast but yet again mechanical issues dogged his day C.Powell - In themix early but faded and limped out in the semi's S.Boxhall - Super quick early in the meeting but a tendancy to retire when not at the front cost him overall S.Nicholls - Survived a first race flip at the start to mix it credibly after a 14 year lay off

Bit embarrassing for coventry scoring just 2 points on their home circuit. Well done to rye house. Could see them adding the pairs and NL riders to their trophy cabinet this season too.

The problem is that most of the time number 8s don't get used so it's not easy to get riders to turn up and stand there all night. Personally I'd like to see number 8s take 3 of the 4 rr rides compulsory like the other riders or be able to take rides in place of the reserves. Seems hard to me for fringe riders to come straight in and take 1-5 position rides

Good signing at that looking at the score charts but with a wrecked bike already i hope the pockets are deep enough for the rest of the season

I think Rob & Ben will feature well for the Raiders but certainly won't have it easy as Wilson is a strong guest choice, Williamson & Shuttleworth are in great form at the moment and Payne is no slouch. I don't see Woods or Leek having enough engine power to trouble anyone, Saul & Locke are hit &/or bust riders which makes it a bit alarming considering the speeds they will hit tonight that they don't yet have the full skill set required to cope with it. If the Raiders get 40 i think they will have done well.

I see a change at reserve tonight for IOW with Nathan Stoneman & Layne Cupitt? Are Govier & Piper on the injured list along with Phillips?

So with Waj injured & Hume on PL duty its 4 of the available top 5 on averages? Its another clever interpretation of the rules by Dreary. I wouldn't be that impressed if i was Ritchings being dropped in favour of a reserve however i do actually think it makes them stronger grrr

I thought there were MDL riders available to act as reserves? That said Brum are running both their reserves and they still look a good team.

The fours is as much about avoiding bad luck as all riders performing, one dodgy decision against you can cost. That said i think Eastbourne will get out of the tougher group along with Belle Vue who are my dark horse to win but the Eagles have an excellent chance this year.

Apologies im not 100% certain ive made my suggestion correctly. My thinking was to add a small amount to the base to keep it weighted to the ground, for example an inch max in the bottom of the panels? Like i said its just a suggestion but with rider safety it is utter madness to continue the way things are.

Potentially true however i also wouldn't want the water to part upon impact and hit the bottom of the pool either!