Sings4Speedway

Worth flying a 28 year old half the way round the world to fill a NL reserve spot then.....

Anyone who thinks its a good idea to sink tons of their hard earned cash into a speedway club clearly isn't right in the head so i would note very little of what they say. Brum don't look as terrible as expected with Morris putting effort in, Pearson benefitting from the extra rides and season in the UK but there are cracks. Proctor was always going to be a disaster, Bowtell has great equipment but not always money well spent and needs more predictable engines. Paco guesting saved a few blushes but more home defeats will be on the cards and the racing will need to improve to see in 2024.

There has to be some correlation between race nights and a successful amateur league. The NJL operates on Fri/Sat and Sundays so weekend race nights are far easier to accommodate for many. A lot of the lost MDL sides used to operate on weekend race nights also but with the switch to Midweek for the Prem Clubs and disillusionment from others the number of teams has dropped year on year.

Can only go off whats been put into press rather than hearsays etc but its certainly bold and clear that IOW find the SCB responsible for the prevention of Nora action at Plymouth.....i also see there has been a rebrand to remove the association to Speedway.

Same track, same problems. When packed hard Mildenhall can produce some brilliant racing but when patchy its a processional venue blighted by fallers and injuries. The small nature means that races don't get too strung out and rider contact can and will happen. Its clear that on the grippy/patchy days it needs to be attacked and those who can get clear track and who have benefitted from deeper tracks at higher levels cope better but Morley has been around enough there times, Josh Warren knows the track well and Alcock and Ablitt aren't first year rookies. Nothing against Richardson on a personal level but every pound of damage he causes or injury as a result of his actions lays at the hands of the Mildenhall promotion as they are simply tracking a rider who isn't ready. There were fallers and injuries at Belle Vue recently so its obvious its a sport that contains plenty of risk but id wager that we are unlikely to be having such a discussion about the NSS again whereas it feels a matter of time before West Rows issues return. On its day Mildenhall is a brilliant place to watch Speedway but i have to wonder how many of the die hards will keep returning when the threat of long drawn out meetings hangs over them.

Complin is on an awkward average so only really Atkins available on a like for like guest booking. Then its lesser averages and clear that Harrison is a rider capable of much better than his 3.00 average. Mildenhall would have expected a bit more from Warren and Trigger who usually get more at Iwade. Kent are probably getting what they would expect from the 1-5 but reserves beating only each other and Richardson at home must be a concern.

Certainly gives Berwick a sniff of the aggregate bonus point.

Assume that 1-7 riders still have to complete thier minimum 3 rides though (unless withdrawn) so effectively an AR no 8 can only take a ride off a main rider once

Absent 6 or 7 Any rider not in an NDL declaration and whose MA does not exceed NDL 3.00

Certainly an interesting amendment. See how it pans out this year.....could be mega abused in some cases later in the season.

Colts to have enough to hit 50 even early in the year. Paid double figures from Hodder, Smith and Pearson as a minimum

Great shout i shamefully forgot about Martins involvement with Long Eaton although not part of the promotion. Buxton's withdrawal from the MDL was costly for them as it was a great brreeding ground for potential riders especially when competing against clubs with deeper pockets. I think riders would appear from everywhere for the chance to ride at Belle Vue even with midweek fixtures but any experiences with Stoke and speaking to many others is that the promotion treated the second half riders poorly and would be the most likely track to not stage the even despite being a weekend venue.

The only promotions i can ever recall giving a hoot about the MDL sides were Barry & Martin (IOW), Kevin Jolly & Rob Henry (Mildenhall), Dale Allitt (Kings Lynn) and Laurence Rogers (various) the rest as you correctly stated have bee run by fans/enthusiasts who gave untold hours for the cause and received very little back. The list of NL/CL & PL graduates through the MDL was vast at one point now that number is rapidly declining and the only real routes are NJL and youth rounds. Fast forward 5 years and the NL will consist of riders who still own a bike rather than who makes the grade.

A better question would be why have those who were involved previously stopped?

1. Bailey 8.86 2. Congreve 4.50 3. Pearson 8.00 4. Spencer 5.26 5. Hook 8.00 6. Alcock 4.36 7. Harrison 3.00 Total 41.98

I was really bad at getting my point across yesterday and apologies to all 125 riders. Often the 125 & 250 classes are the most entertaining during meetings my point about the spectacle was that the NJL has 3 heats of the same 4 riders in each class and that can often (not always) produce the same result 3 times. I think for the MDL to survive they need more weekend tracks to participate, those that do run meetings need to make a much bigger effort to get them on (a lot of wasted travel occurs due to curfews met) and as covered to make it sustainable consider the switch to include 125 riders and generate the natural progression. In its hey day there was a strong amateur scene that enabled riders to compete against a similar level, then progress up and into the MDL etc safely. Sadly over the past few years the gulf in ability has been vast and bordering on dangerous in places which certainly doesn't help the cause.

Thats the 3rd time yesterday i missed a single word out of something and completely changed the outlook. Home teams paid no no fees whereas ghost teams paid hefty entry fees. Its certainly easy to argue that the 125cc concept whilst less interesting as a spectacle (in my opinion) does generate a natural progression pathway. The NJL also benefits from more weekend based race nights which is more suited for travelling and the MDL has lost the majority of tracks that ran on those nights or the teams that do/did run weekends have become disillusioned with it.

They haven't exactly helped. Fee's for volunteers went up drastically, fees to enter teams were driven up, board members wanted nothing to do with the leagues and then ghost teams were driven out. Yes the chances of getting these teams back was slim but there were pockets of dedicated fans who attended meetings up and down the country just to watch the 2nd half. If the board have been supportive of the NJL then that is fantastic and its great that the league is currently flourishing (certainly better race nights and a progressive format helps) sadly though i don't see any way back for the MDL.

Speedway Fan has proof its not happening......sadly its just locked in his glove box

In the early years of the MDL it was a genuine competitive breeding ground for emerging riders and a genuine route to get noticed by NL promotions and gain opportunities as guests etc. However as the numbers fell so did the interest and there were much fewer graduates through the development league (and those that did were already on the radar anyways). At one point teams were well spread throughout the country so a good distribution of teams and riders and variety of tracks to race at provided motivation as lets face it the prospect of 3-4 hours travel at a riders expense on the hope that maybe they would get 20mins at the end of a meeting to hurriedly get 6 heats done was never an incentive. The league has been on a slide for a good few years and the ghost teams ban drove the last few passionate volunteers away. Its a credit to all those who got it off the ground and have continued to breath some life into it as long as they have as there has never been any backing/support from the BSPL and the steady demise can sit firmly at their self interest/no interest door.

Thin pickings there but to be fair it is most seasons if you discount the riders who do the hard miles themselves to get practiced, race sharp and in a position to make an impact on the NL. In terms of unearth id more go for riders that raised an eyebrow when signing but developed on like Hodder last year. This year Richardson could be one and its arguable that Leicester have given Max James additional opportunities so could be counted as another but thats about it.

Certainly looks a league this year where all teams should win the majority of their home matches and the top spots will be decided by who can find away points and they look a hard find for a couple of teams. I actually think the understrength Kent side will probably score ok on the road a couple of times but also look likely to have a costly home slip up.

1. Oxford 2. Mildenhall 3. Leicester 4. Workington 5. Kent 6. Belle Vue 7. Edinburgh 8. Berwick

Curse of rider power comes into play again though with many going i only ride in X brand so rather than 7 suits made by one manufacturer gaining both bulk discount and continuity (always looks ridiculous when the colours aren't the same shades). however as covered above its very rare that suits are paid for by the actual club and are sponsored the majority of the time. Sorry for the tangent Redcar fans......

For guest cover ive always liked the jerseys printed up to look like the race suit, which is why ive always been surprised no team has gone for just the jerseys. Im going big with £50 each and get 20 in as riders will lose, forget, ruin them. Still only £1000 and creates better unity whilst still allowing individuality of a riders own suit underneath.