Sings4Speedway

Just like he was at Rye House and Somerset, don't know about Coventry, Trelawny, Exeter or St Austell but there is a pattern developing here!

For me it isn't the riding position thats as tough as being the transitional place. Riders at 2 have largely stepped up from reserve and the trick is to keep scoring and move into the main body proper rather than drop back down to reserve and run that yoyo performance life. It is a rapid evening though with 4 rides done by heat 10. If i was calling out the fairness of positions a number 7 rides against another reserve in every race whilst for a 6 it happens twice. Could shuffle those around a little better and switch the endless reserve swapping around.

I hope im wrong and batch decides now is the time to pull his finger out because if he uses kent to drop his CL average even further they are screwed. On paper Batch, Nicholls, Heeps and starke looks a strong top 4 but time will very much tell. Sadly forcing Morley up into the 1-5 might limit his scoring power and i think Mulford will find it pretty tough going at CL level but happy to be proven wrong

varied formats of racing that work best on the home circuit whilst utilising a selection of riders to give both diverse levels yet balanced teams, running on race nights that suit them within the peak operating window, with excellent presentation and value of their customers......that lot on the IOW are barmy and long may it continue.

one of the big problems with the sport is the tail wagging the dog.....tracks should be prepared to best suit the racing. Its down to the riders to use the best engine/setup for the surface. If its deep and grippy there should be short shrift for the complaints of those using super short stroke engines. Keep the prep consistent and let the riders work it out. Yeah Riss and Bomber are cheap pull the other one. Bomber ain't been cheap for donkeys years despite turning in donkey performances. It might not be the most expensive side built but its far from the cheapest either. Mis-spent possibly but the money is still going out. Its also worth considering that publicly acknowledging its not the most financially stable club makes it harder to sign riders at the start of a year and bigger demands from those that do.

Sky high rents do always amaze me. I guess the landlords know they have clubs over a barrel and charge what they like? There must be level of sense applied though as if Brum close and no Speedway runs thats a fair amount of income lost per month to the greyhound folks.

Taken from the club website "The club are especially indebted to Tom, who has arranged transportation to Germany immediately after the Eagles match v Plymouth so that he can ride for the Eagles." roughly translated as its possible to get to Germany after the Eastbourne meeting and we love Tom for doing it but Drew *doesn't fancy it/didn't want to/can't be ar$ed (*delete as appropriate)

His old bikes are already over here and its safe to say that Nicki would definitely tempt me back!

Whilst thats just false economy and won't solve the problem (paying riders more will mean even more supporters needed and its unlikely to magic them out of thin air). Birmingham have their limited crowd base and the chance of attracting a few new fans/neutrals/away fans so spending big on riders will only close the club quicker and produce even more gate and go racing (it will just be the home side doing it more often). Brum do have a chance though to build a team that engages with fans and provides on track entertainment. The likes of Harris, Shanes, Morris and Thomas are all racers who can pass but the track isn't there to provide the opportunities. Create an outside line that works, leave the inside line slick so there are racing alternatives. Speedway is a basic product and people will still pay good money to watch lunatics like Bomber and Shanes ride the boards.

Is it really a cracking team this year or a mediocre team that has no hope of making the play offs ? Its also a whole lot more than that, the 2019 team was tripe also with non stop changes and that is the last memory for those who have not returned this season. Then there is the question of how has the racing been over the past few seasons? I recall very few reports of entertaining matches packed with passes. Sadly Brum have run into trouble over a few years and not just 2021 and sadly the way back will equally take a few seasons and not just a call of use it or lose it for one or two meetings.

Not surprised as Edwards is clearly talented but confidence is down and lay off has done him no favours. I am shocked to see no more double headers as they appeared to offer great value but the stadium owners bang the drum. Bit odd that it includes the MSDL matches also as thats just a 2nd half of sorts. Ironic really that it was and Eastbourne rider and a Dugard who did all the falling in the last match which caused it to run on so long.

agreed and sadly not but is that because the sport has just taken these changes out of reactionary moves and necessity rather than thinking about how to improve the product as a whole. Laydowns could have been easily outlawed at the start, silencers could have actually been developed to produce a smoother power curve rather than the quickest whilst just sneaking under the db limit. Whilst all promotions are only driven by self interest there will be no future. Build a team with the best 7 riders in the world if you can afford it but there will be no spectacle as the opposing teams simply won't be able to match up.

It may well be the death of speedway but the same could be said of the move to laydown engines, short stroke engines, the move away from castor oil, the silencers the list goes on. The fact is that they are all "progress" and sports that embrace progress continue to evolve and thrive and those that cling onto the past fail. Even the same sport can be more and less successful depending on the approach it takes if you look at cricket or darts for example.

As stated above electric bikes are on the rise both in terms of production and popularity. Plus they will be far more utilitarian than a Speedway bike. Why are there far more moto x bikes and riders around than speedway riders? its simple and clear economics, why would anyone (sane) buy a bike that they can only use on tracks miles apart and when they are told they can (and often have to pay for the privilege) when you can buy an off road bike and ride it at a multitude of places. The future of oval racing is likely to be electric and likely to be a flat track crossover. Why anyone currently is looking at or developing new engines and engine parts for speedway is beyond me as its akin to making bodykits and engine mods for reliant robins.

Delighted to hear that first and foremost the racing at Central Park was good! Its a strange phenomenon that whats often needed is for the away team to be better to negate the home advantage or the 'lesser' riders to gate and let the 'better' riders chase them. Equally delighted to hear than Danyon had another good night and that Ben Morley rode so well. Both of these riders have been rattling around on the fringes for a while and seems crazy that Hume wasn't snapped up by a CL side sooner whilst Morley must be in prime spot for Kent rider of the season at present. Two hugely likeable riders and im delighted that the successes are matching their efforts.

IOW are providing different classes and competitions throughout the meetings but the Island Masters is still 500cc laydown engines. I do think that 250 speedway machines do provide good racing and better range of trackcraft to generate and maintain speed plus they don't pick grab drive as hard as their bigger counterparts. All this aside riders won't / can't just drop their existing stable of equipment if forced to use new/standardised/stock or whatever engines. The only way that will take off is running as a separate entity / class that grows in stature over the years until it becomes the dominant force in a similar way that laydown engines replaced uprights.

Have to agree with most whilst the frustration of the promotion is evident a public apology stating that riders have been told its not good enough doesn't smack of harmony within. The track was a little different to usual and the boys struggled a little but im confident they will all be suitably adjusted for our next home meeting would have sufficed IMO.

Genuinely can't believe Kents luck with the weather switching to Tuesdays was a worse decision than Kings Lynn signing Lewis Bridger. I wasn't expecting Heeps back but perhaps he is trying to make a point and not get replaced? I can't see any new mooted top level rider being added to the side without a double change?

Precisely and proving the point that getting the track right is the most important element to be successful. Its been argued time and time again which is/was better Scunny or Somerset? The answer is they are/were both great. Buxton also had all right ingredients to be successful barring a little extra capital to renovate the track surface. Frustratingly they had been calling for a lower points limit and wage caps for years and were ignored yet Berwick can get it pushed through at the first attempt. There is still a marketable option for Speedway at Buxton and should the Euromillions come up it would be my first place to call.

But why does speedway have to operate in stadiums? Internally its viewed as a sideways alternative to superbikes but externally its seen in the same light as stockcars and banger racing. So why don't / can't clubs run successfully on a lower glamourous environment? The basics to run a decent speedway event are track, parking, spectator viewing, toilets, food & drink. A Grasstrack has all of these bar the permanent track. Why not create more venues like Buxton? Lay a decent track in a field, fit fence, erect basic pit area and stick refs box on top of a shipping container? Everything else can be added at a later date, hired per meeting etc and all at far reduced costs than the thousands spent out on rent for tracks hindered by their Landlords because they feel they have the upper hand. Create an alternative and at least give the Speedway promotions some options on how they market the sport.

Sadly though that highlights the difference and value between the two clubs. £18 online advance ticket (£20 on the door) for a CL/NDL double header at Eastbourne versus £18 for just CL at Kent or £15 for just NDL. On that basis you either enjoyed the NDL match for free or paid just £3 more to watch a CL match. Different venue, same product but where's the sense?

I don't think NDL speedway is top of Jakes radar despite it being what has put his name out there. He was due to be at a grasstrack double header over the weekend, it turned into a single meeting with decent notice but still didn't fancy the return journeys to switch bikes. There is no doubting his talents at reserve but i fear the bonds between club and rider are becoming frayed.

Jake Mulford must be delighted missing the Eastbourne fixture and rocking the boat further. 1 race at a soaking wet grasstrack and didnt even get away from the start line.....definitely worth jeopardising his Speedway place.

Are the wheels / commitment starting to fall off this Kent team? Mulford can ride when he wants and chosing a grasstrack meeting tomorrow over speedway tonight, Dugard opted to pit at Eastbourne rather than previous meeting at Mildenhall. Kent made hard work of beating a 4 man Seagulls team tonight. Slip up like that could have meant no chance towards the end of season run in and no hopes of being top will do nothing but harm Kents crowds on already tricky September evenings

Any notes on how the crowd numbers were? Understrength Mildenhall side scared the leaders who still look to have a few passengers reliant on others scoring big. No way should Ryan Mac get beat my Muff twice anywhere but especially at home. Phillips did a decent job as a guest but you would fancy Jenkins to get more than the 7 RR brought for him. Would think the Bandits got away with it tonight.