Sings4Speedway

Worried what Kent did? Win away on a shocking track. Anyway i do not dispute that the Eastie promotion are far more active and connected when it comes to sourcing riders as has been proven once again this season. You will find no arguments from me that we are fortunate the gamble on a very erratic Danny Ayres has paid off, that Danno has grown a pair and that Jack Thomas dropped into Len's lap at a youth round despite being around for a season or two before but Len was completely unaware he existed. In terms of connections and willingness to listen to the advice of others the Eagles are head and shoulders above most in the league. I have the deepest sympathy for Eastbourne and the injured riders as i rated your initial line up (barring the reserves who had been set up to fail in my opinion). Looking forward to Saturday and as long as everyone stays safe and its an entertaining meeting the result is 3rd in my list of priorities (4th depending if i get food or not).

Oh? Scorecard on Speedway GB has it as below? 1st Mickie Simpson 2nd Jordan Pailin 3rd Harry McGurk 4th Joe Thompson

Probably because riders with a little experience and around that average are not available / taken a year out. The bitter irony that Kelsey on 4.49 would have been a perfect fit!

Perhaps as good a time as any to go up against Brum when the team are rusty and get it out the way? Not really able to see past a one sided thumping but will be interesting to see which Buxton riders put up a fight.

Congratulations to all who took part. May it prove to be another valuable step in your developments whatever the results may have been. On a side note any idea why Dan Thompson didn't contest the 125 final as he appears to have gone through the heats unbeaten?

No arguing that Ellis (Adam Ellis not Perks too many Ellis's/Ellisi...) is a cracking signing but Eastie are going to be very reliant on him having a cracker every meeting. He is more than capable but as proven last year he can lay on the track just like any other rider or suffer mechanical gremlins. It leaves this Eastbourne team very much reliant on Perks, Woods & Knight all having consistent good meetings too and/or Powell, Phillips or Harris stepping up and showing a significant level of improvement (my current money would be on Phillips). As last season showed with vastly different results (Brum/Kent) a strong 4 but weak tail can provide very differing results but i still think Eastbourne have a lot to do if they are to get near the haul of silverware they achieved last season.

Very disappointing day yesterday for all concerned. The Mildenhall promotion looked as upset as anybody regarding the events and whilst there has been a history of preparing grippy tracks against teams who traditionally race on slick surfaces i think the majority of the issues derived from having a very limited time to prepare given that monster trucks were trampling all over the track the day before. I was impressed with the way that Danno & Jack tackled the track with a controlled approach but stand out rider on the day was Armstrong who made it look effortless. As for the rest most got caught out once, irritatingly one Fen Tiger continued his reckless approach all day. I have seen plenty of excellent racing at this venue to ensure i will be back and write this off as a very bad day. Best wishes to all riders for a speedy recovery especially the unfortunate Connor Mountain.

Will be interesting next Saturday when he makes his debut. This week you will have to rely on Dan Greenwood keeping the Kings quiet. Couldn't have come at a better time for the Kent team . I guess you must have released Andrews to fit Ellis in also so can't run R/R? Either another signing or unattached 3 pointer i guess? Strudders?

Well flip my biscuits i didn't see that one coming. Outstanding signing. Ok he isn't going to put a lot on his average but he will deliver solid point in all but a few meetings. Thought he was just doing EL and continental stuff this year but perhaps the offer was just too strong? I would say that makes the best top 4 in the league now? (ok 2nd best) But who will replace Andrews?

Didn't know clubs could charge for junior events? Hats off to all the organisers and riders for getting these meetings on. Still think the refs have got a cheek with their generous offer of only changing normal rate. For the benefit of British speedway they should do one each for free (less travelling expenses). Good luck to all competitors have a fun and safe weekend.

Did the MDL match take place after the meeting?

How was the racing? From the look of the results the IOW team appeared to perform alright with Cockle, Baseby, Smart & Dugard all scoring where they should do. Govier besting Saul & Saul besting Piper appears that you have the right reserve combo in place? Slight concerns of Comptons equipment? But to be fair he hasn't had long to prepare. Hope the crowds improve when the season gets underway properly.

Does seem a little odd that you have Dan Greenwood booked as a guest for Saturday and are making an announcement today? Perhaps its a swap for Andrews? Definitely get the feeling it will have a slight shock factor to it?

From what i can see even if Rye dropped Priest, & Woods + the leftover points they still couldn't fit Branford & Hopwood in the same side. There were rumours previously that Branford was due to feature in the Rockets team before a change of heart by the promoters? Perhaps this is just his way of sticking 2 fingers up at them?

If it was me i would abandon the search for an out and out number one and strengthen with the riders available and points you have to play with. Hughes(8.67) plus remaining = 9.78 + Andrews(5.18) = 14.96 I would grab Aaron Baseby (6.37) and beg Marc Owen (7.25) to sign for a few weeks as cover = 13.62 It would leave you 1.34 under the limit but you could use the extra to resign Hopwood when his stint with Rye House is over in place of Owen?

I never get the obsession with age. By all means sign riders that will improve but not too young and when they are clearly not ready. It's not like clubs or riders are loyal anyway so it's unlikely a rider if any age will be around for more than a few seasons. Danny Ayres started in his late twenties for example and continues to improve. The issue with woods ( poor machinery aside) is that he has made no progression regardless of what ages he is.

From what i can see its a straight swap Hopwood for Branford with Morley moving up to number 1 and Hopwood slotting in at 5. I suspect it will only be temporary until Branford comes over. From the Brummies press release Banks comes in for Bowdrey at reserve so solves part of the issue with your long tail.......

Would it be in Eastbourne's best interests to have 2 key riders missing every time there was a fixture clash? Either way it isn't going to happen. As for the Kings Lynn meeting it will require Bowen, Knight, Wood & Perks all hitting double figures to secure a result. Whilst they are all very capable it is still a big ask especially with Greaves, Kinsley & Bailey all in form and out to spoil the party. Id be very surprised if Branford doesn't slot back in to the Rye team when he comes over. I think the Hopwood signing is a short term deal to plug the huge gap the Raiders currently have.

A sensible solid signing and saves on having to continually source guests? I figure Branford will slot back in when he finally comes over but he should offer Morley & Priest some back up in the interim.

Added points for Rye House with the addition of Hopwood however it seems a little strange to persist with R/R at 4 rather than 2? Has Bowdrey been shuffled out already? I see a busy night ahead for Banks but even if the Brummies suffer a selection of mishaps i cannot see anything other than them battering the Raiders and leaving the second leg a bit of a non event.

Shanes was flying last night and well clear of the rest. For me the other top performer was Mountain closely followed by Bailey. Kinsley & Greaves also did well barring Greaves comedy exclusion & Jack Smith was very determined i was amazed he walked away from his horror crash. For me Phillips didn't impress but did enough. Id have concerns if i had signed Ruddick or Dugard as both looked way off the pace and Kingston was slow and generally gave up after 3 laps. Oh and a special mention for Danno who dug deep and pulled off a last race win to secure his final place after his centre green mishap.

With the points Belle Vue have left over the could drop Shuttleworth and fit Hopwood in.

I was the other side of the track but from my angle it looked as though BWD dived at a gap that wasn't there and was at best a hard unnecessary move. Ive seen them given both ways and will again. That said i thought both were excellent and long may the entertainment continue.

In regards to training / development i think second halves should be mandatory for all tracks. The MDL / NJL do a great job but there are very true tracks that actually include them. The more accessible and affordable training becomes the more riders will pick up the sport, the more riders that pick up the sport will therefore make competition for NL places greater and therefore only the higher standard of British riders will graduate. This higher standard will in time resonate up through the leagues and eventually we will see a procession of top British riders competing at the top level. If the sport is to flourish and prosper in years to come then it needs to be addressed from the grass roots levels upwards.

Ouch. In that case it makes his performance all the more credible.