Sings4Speedway

From a quick scan I can see 3 meetings that didn't get to ht15 this year. vs Eastbourne with the big delays due to the Mason injury, Cradley due to several heathen fallers & Harris injury and Rye House where everybody fell. Not bad really.

How far the goalposts move is anyones guess. If it was me running the show I would reset all the riders back to a flat 3.00 after their first season as it would be a learning / experience year then let them gain an average on year 2. Obviously those who flourished in the first year would be most desirable and those who struggled may be omitted for a new rider. That way it allows riders 2 years to see if they can make it & 2 years for the next crop to emerge.

All depends on your point of view. Personally I think the rule was brought in to aid the development of British riders (whatever age they may be) and give them a PL chance that many deserve but have often found hard to come by as they have been filled with either non progressing brits or foreign riders.

Of course it will. If the meeting looks like it might be very one sided or boring I wouldn't bother going for £13 but I would for £10. That said I would most probably go to Rye House on the Sunday before to get my £10 speedway fix with the beautiful ignorance of the additional fuel costs.

No question that Danny is a trier and has been through plenty of fences to prove it. However he is also made of solid stuff and doesn't make a fuss about being battered about. There are plenty more reserves that are a bit fragile and have been signed. Can 3 pointers from other teams be used as guests if a number 7 gets injured? Or does the replacement have to be unattached?

What odds on Leicester being voted best track 2016? In all seriousness though delighted to hear the changes are taking place of for the benefit of the club and the sport as a whole. Will have to put the club back on my midlands tour map now!

Question: which current Eastbourne rider has ridden at Perris? I reckon Hopwood? How comes Perrault is match race only? Are there restrictions on entry if you "don't have the balls"?

Ive been harping on about this for ages but what clubs need to do is set out a defined pay structure when looking to sign riders and stick to it. e.g number ones £5, heat leaders £4, second strings £3 & reserves £2 (obviously not realistic figures but scalable depending on which league/team it is). Then as riders move up / don the pay in/decreases accordingly. Clubs then approach riders and say this is the deal are you interested? There may be several rejections at first but there will be plenty of riders ringing the clubs come January when they do not have a team place anywhere.

Buxton sign an unknown who took up speedway in November? Although so did Bowtell & Hunter and they both did alright last year. Burton as a 3 pointer leaves the door open for Speight or another dual nationality Aussie with just over 5 points to play with.

Still think the riders are already picked. Harris is looking likely if he is there so often although has never done anything amazing at Rye House in the past and would need to show some improvement this year. I don't expect Couzins to be anywhere this year. Plenty of other riders that nobody wants though Banks, Laurence, Rumsey but if I was to have a little flutter I would say Sheppard or Farnaby as he seems to get a place every year for some inexplicable reason.

I suspect the wage bill has increased this year with the inclusion of Bowen plus Ayres & Shanes wanting an increase (I suspect). However I tire of these demands constantly being met and the shortfall being pushed onto fans. If clubs were to say we pay £XX per position take it or leave it there may be a few rejections at first but there would still be plenty of takers come January when riders don't have team places.

Very likely. From the true 3 pointers last year (Waj was a phenomenon) Only Wood, Dwyer & Kinsley cleared 5 points last year. Neale, Tedham & Dugard who all had plenty of laps behind them before stepping up managed 4.5+ There were plenty of tipped riders last year who didn't put a thing on their average so any team who ends up with a reserve on over 4 will have signed well.

I see the admission to Central Park has crept up to £13 for the 2016 season. Does that make Kent the most expensive NL track in the country?

Well good luck to him whichever class he chooses to ride in. A nice holiday & a chance to ride, sure there are plenty of riders who would love to swap places with him right now.

Can Tyson get a visa though? Great talent but been away for a while. Im sure somebody has a list of riders who have finished top 4 in the state titles but not signed in the UK yet.

Bulley as number 8? As all quiet on the Strudwick front.

Possible rookie misunderstanding? Do you want to be part of the Kent squad? Either way its a good record Rikki Mullins last year, Connor Locke this year..........its a risk that is always run when you sign riders with no proven level of commitment.

Hilarious! There are riders up and down the country chasing a full team place (many far better / more experienced than Locke). If he has a better offer elsewhere then fair enough if not its a lucky escape for Kent if he/his family have come in with that attitude. Does mean some other poor soul will get the pointless number 8 jacket now though.

Think Layne will/has to kick on this season. With a years experience under his belt and even weaker reserves this year he has to be looking to improve and think he will.

To make the most of the points either Kozza Smith or Ashley Birks would fit but are either riding this year? More likely options have to be either Victor Pavlova or Anton Rosen I suspect.

Pity if true as id have paid good money to see Boxall go round the EWR once dialled in........

Brennan and Bickley, The Thompson Twins, The McGurks, Anders Rowe to name a few. Not tipping these names to go on to world level but all capable of getting past NL reserve. Not all champions are ready at 16. Im fed up with the theory that if you haven't made it by 20 you never will. What is wrong with giving riders time to progress & learn their skills so that when the time comes to step onto the bigger stages they are fully prepared.

JPB looks a smart tip for that title this year. Cupitt & Andrews should put at least 1.5 - 2 points on their average.

Completely agree especially with the reserves and how the rides are unbalanced so the rider in the number 7 jacket gets an easier night. Often the weaker of the reserves gets stuck at 6 so struggles further whilst the stronger can prosper at 7.

All laps are good laps but MDL or amateur racing is what's needed to hone skills, get a decent marker of how good you are and most importantly develop the skills required when things go wrong, a talent sadly lacking in many new riders.