Sings4Speedway

Or it could be seen as a way of keeping those who are unable / wouldn't be travelling in the loop and their desire to watch live speedway going. We all know that there is nothing better than he sounds & smells plus the rattle of shale against your face watching our beloved sport live.

To clarify in terms of the risk and entertainment involved there will never be too much money however there are far too many riders looking to earn a living out of speedway rather than a subsidised hobby. Its all too easy to forget that first and foremost these riders love to race. As for extreme its the increases in wages in percentages rather than pure value. For example in the NL 2013 Scunthorpe & Kings Lynn were paying £10 a point. Other clubs a bit more but not hugely. Last year i know there were number 1's on £30 a point. This season there are riders on £40-£60 a point and these are not heat leaders. Anyone who has recently got a 200-400% pay rise recently raise your hand......

Aaron Baseby would fit a treat?

Was a reason given why Perks wasn't present?

From my point of view if costs are to be reduced then pay needs to be reduced. Wages at all levels of the sport are getting extreme. If points money is reduced then riders will be forced into the decision of spending big with tuners or sourcing more cost effective engines themselves. Plus with the potential in reduced outlay gate prices might finally come down to sensible levels. Yes there will be riders who refuse to ride at a reduced rate but its their option to continue or pack up? Im sure there will be plenty who despite early reluctance will be ringing clubs begging for a place as the season approaches.

Nobody likes to hear news like that so close to the season. Not sure what happened but a big blow for Brendan and IOW. Fingers crossed the op is a success.

Ah completely forgot about Poultec phew that's alright then. At Eastbourne Clifton might struggle like several visiting riders but if rumours are true he will have the better of Andrews at home. It could be Verges year (like it could have been the previous 3) id be happy to see him succeed and prove me wrong but........

Think this should run out a close home win. Kennett should go near a max and the reserves should run riot at home. Rye has never been a happy hunting ground for Nielsen and i feel Perks may be out of his depth? I think the Rye 2-5 are a little under-rated and should all put in 6-8 every week and deliver the consistency recent Rockets teams have lacked. Excited to see how Gjedde goes though along with Kurtz & Holder Jnrs.

Think both teams are pretty well practiced for this one although the Eagles have the advantage of actually practicing on their own track. Looking forward to see how Hughes & Knight go round Eastie plus what damage Bowen & Clifton can do. Im going to try and be nice to the reserves this year although currently i only think Powell is deserving of a place. My only current concern is that ive not seen or heard of Shanes practicing anywhere?

Agreed. I will take a narrow away win as i suspect our reserves may struggle a bit at Eastie but i predict a bigger home win. Looking forward to see Magic back on home soil.

Atrocious! Its the NL teams that give the new riders a chance and have to endure as much failure as success. However the ability to sign the riders as assets and then profit from the few that make the grade is a fundamental element that belongs to the NL and preventing teams in one league from possessing assets its discriminatory and bullying. For me the whole asset and contractual agreements with riders is floored. Ditch all assets as they are not actually worth anything and sign rolling contracts e.g 4,8,12 matches etc at the end of the contract either party can decide to part ways or remain for the length of the next rolling contract. This would even out the power balance between riders and clubs rather than solely resting with the promotions as it is at present.

Whilst we all have our own loyalties to our clubs as supporters there has to be an understanding that riders have to look after their own best interests. If Zach continues on his meteoric rise this season it would make his average too high to be considered for the NL next year anyway therefore asset or not. The PL already has first call on his services over fixture clashes so in that respect having an asset is worthless. For NL clubs the best money spinner is to sign an unknown 3 pointer, watch their stock rise then cash in. As supporters all we can do is enjoy the time they respective riders spent with our clubs, wish them well for the future and hope the next crop can emulate the same success.

Correct me if im being a little thick but isnt that the same access road that riders use to get to the track? Could be slightly embarrassing if they cant get in!

The problem in my mind is that although a poster campaign is obviously good it takes actual footage to show how exciting Speedway actually is however that is expensive. What bugs me most is the venues that host Speedway & other activities dont even advertise. Walk into Kent on a night when the dogs are running and you wouldnt even know Speedway took place there. How hard would it be for a TV to be set up with footage of previous meetings being played on loop?

If the future is "standard engines" the the future is also tiny riders who have the smallest weight vs power ratio rather than who would have the most ability. For example Matej Zagar vs Josh Bates who is the better rider? Now put them on "standard" engines, the swing of power would fall to Bates yet Zagar the currently more talented rider would be penalised solely for being heavier. Also there is a safety element that nobody has considered? Bikes need power to turn, riders need confidence in the bike to turn, how often would there be occurrences of riders heading into the first corner, attempting to turn and because the bike characteristics are different end up going straight into the fence and taking all their counterparts with them.

Im not against any of the naming conventions but they are not the most pressing MDL requirements bright now. As it stands there are very few meetings for the riders to compete in plus the squad system (if adhered to) will limit those opportunities further. Why more clubs are not prepared to host / run MDL teams amazes me? It costs no extra for the host clubs and provides a bit of extra value to the paying public. If it wasn't for greedy referees there could be far more post match entertainment.

Scunthorpe Ipswich 1. Auty 1 King 2. Klindt 2 Sarjeant 3. Douglas 3 Kerr 4. Davies 4 Risager 5. Holub 5 Covatti 6. Wilkinson 6 Castagna 7. Bailey 7 Ritchings Head to head only Klindt & Wilko look stronger than their opposite numbers. Whilst Covatti, King, Kerr & Risager should better their respective opponents. For me this match will swing on how the battles between the 3's & 4's do? But if I had to stake my 50p it would certainly be on the Witches.

Luke Harris, Adam Sheppard, Adam Portwood, Rob Watts, Jez Pestell, Cam Hoskins, Connor King and even Niall Strudwick look better options and that's just from a quick scan of the MDL riders list from last year. Im all for clubs sticking to budgets but I feel this will hurt Stoke points wise and probably hamper Millar's progress throwing him in too early?

Just been looking at the Scunthorpe amateur results. If this is your Richard Hall in the results id be a little concerned now.... http://scunthorpescorpions.co/?p=4867

Sorry but this doesn't look a great signing to me. He scored zero in the NL match and got a single point in a poor MDL following it. Definitely looks like a cheap signing rather than one to kick on? Feel sorry for Sam Ward who goes to Stoke every week and I think would beat Millar 9 times out of 10. There's several riders from last seasons MDL who are without a team who would do a stronger job (I think) but this smacks of signing a rider on the cheap?

Ipswich, Newcastle and Plymouth would all be strengthened by the inclusion of Stokes.

Sad thing is that I think the below would have been a playoff team especially with either Pedersen, Bridger or the KenSon combo occupying one of the second string berths every match. It doesn't have the same feel with Nilsson in for me. Its also clear that Bjarne/Bridger were/are on similar deals that must be substantially more than Nilsson if costs were the issue (and assuming that Kim was the man to make way). Normally im all for being sensible with the spiralling costs but as its potentially the last year at Lakeside it would have been nice for the team to go out with a bang! AJ Bjarne Bridger Kennett/Lawson Swidders Kerr Mear

As a bit of fun and i do like my "predictions" i am going 1st Southampton 2nd The Warriors 3rd Exeter 4th Weymouth

In brutal reality the sport isnt cheap and the days where talent could outweigh top equipment are behind us. Whilst im not saying that riders who run on lower budgets can't make it the truth is that to be able to stay in the sport long enough to earn a full team place you need dedicated and selfless parents to start out with and then deep pockets yourself to stick with it. Its a sad fact that there are plenty of riders of varying ages that are lost to the sport each season due to either disillusionment or the costs.

Right you are.....who will be after additional funds first Andrews, Purchase or Kingston? Which team mate will Chessell fall out with first? (I betting Kingston). Will they remain loyal to Basford if he continues with his impressive NL scores? Discuss