Sings4Speedway

Nobody at the cricket today would be on this forum.....unless you are an aussie . Who is actually going and is looking forward to meeting plastic pam the girlfriend?

Likewise this is a great opportunity for Widman to prove he still is deserving of a team position. Its often hard to be critical of the IOW promotion but team building is one area that seems to lack compared to other sides and entering August this could have been a good chance to look at potential new riders rather than pack the tail end with ex Warriors that have been offering little or no progression.

Have we reached a point where everyone is signed for 1 month only and has the chance to move around on the first of each month? Riders can step away or be replaced freely. Yes it will be a mess and burn the last of any loyalty shown but with credibility at an all time low is it better to make it an official practice and at least accept the sport is flawed rather than the deceit that shines through.

Looks a side that shouldn't trouble IOW for the overall result but a few riders that can mix it up a bit. Tedham getting another invite after failing to arrive previously and having not ridden all year is an odd choice. However the main thing is raising the profile of Oxford Speedway and every small step helps.

Move blocked?

Luke Barnes? Has Chris Hunt gone mental or are Kent totally out of touch regarding available unattached riders. I can concede that Wally is coming into a little bit of form and guests who will travel / are Northern based makes sense but choosing a rider from Suffolk to travel to Manchester and take 3 rides is just barmy.

i bet that's quite a listen.

BUt was that luck or judgement? Given the standard of the only two other riders capable of doing it so far id say the first. I fear Alfie needs to be careful, if he gains a reputation of taking riders down he will end up with his card marked and end up on the receiving end of some targeted moves by oppositions.

Shhhh don't let the cat out of the bag. All the results and league positions are decided at the AGM at the start of the season. #TrumanShow

£20 for a double header (Champs & NL) looks a decent prospect especially with 2 x good matches lined up. I would imagine the pits will be a nightmare though?

This season has been a shake up although Stormy Whethers, Stevie Worrall & Danny Phillips have all featured over recent seasons. If Stu Robson hadn't retired he would have been in the side also. Not saying its good bad or other just that the side has a very familiar feel to it over the years.

The problem on this occasion is that both absent reserves are still on 2.00 averages. Kent were in a very difficult position as usual number 8 Mulford is still suffering from the spill the previous week at Kent, previous stand in James Laker had already been booked when the late news that Gilkes wasn't available came through. That left the phone calls being made on Monday but late notice and lack of available locals plus Kent being an outpost for some made it a thankless & fruitless task.

I think there were plenty of options available to the however riders receiving phone calls on Monday lunchtime doesn't really give them much chance of being prepared/getting out of work and to the track in the necessary time.

Whilst you are quite correct the problem stil exists that the rule book states something different than the rules being enforced. Surely rules cannot be enforced by opinion, the word or a couple of people or how it was remembered when it was discussed at the AGM but never written down. By that merit the need for a UK passport could be a clerical error and it should read must not have a UK passport making every NL rider ineligible (of course thats daft but if the rules cannot be recorded properly they are not worth the paper they are electronically displayed upon).

Am i dim (don't answer that) but isn't Thursday a protected UK race day? so therefore has precedence and the Swedes can go forth and multiply by 1.4

So there we have it Gustix has his own personal opinion and will continue to bang that drum at every occasion (in all fairness we all have our own opinions / passions on things) What is clear though is Danny Ayres started out as a rag tag chancer, progressed through to talented but emotional clown and is now a National hero. If anyone know a film producer......just make sure the 70's moustache era gets edited out.

All this chopping and changing of team building averages is doing the sport no favours. As stated above the 42.5 number is king and what is needed to balance out sides otherwise it creates falsely high averages and then after one season riders get frozen out as a new crop of non ready riders take their places, no disrespect to any but 50% of the 2 pointers in the Champs are there because of their average and not ability.

so the rumours are true that said the Newcastle teams have become quite samey over the past few years and the results have been likewise.

covered in what?

Monmore whilst technical isn't the most difficult track to ride and yet the number of fallers during the Cradley matches must be up there with the highest in the league? Surely this cannot be helping the reputation of NL standard or is the track being prepared below par as its only NL meetings?

Whilst im certainly not saying that any injuries sustained are anyone's fault as ive not seen the incidents it does re-raise the question should 15 year olds be in league racing? The youth and enthusiasm is clearly evident along with some ability but is it a matter of time until there are issues? Its not acceptable (just entertaining) when there is a bit of handbags after a race or after a rider is brought down by a reckless move but if one of the riders is 15 it opens up a whole bag of trouble that it shouldn't as all riders on track should be equally accountable for their actions. The child protection laws are getting tighter and tighter, i assume the Thompsons and others all change separately to the main team or have appropriate adults present.

Out of curiosity why is the silly 2 point rule to blame? I would argue that not lining up a number 8 when running RR and knowing that Gilkes had taken a knock was issue 1, then Gilkes declaring he was unfit to ride on the Monday morning rather than the Sunday issue 2. The other question that remains is will Kent get into trouble for fielding an under strength side or does that not apply to home teams?

Whilst i think you are spot on an the rules haven't been changed it means that as they are currently in print its legal to do and actually reads as if you could replace a missing 2.00 with a 2.99 unattached rider as there is nothing about equal or lower MA in print. However an unattached 2 point something rider cannot be called a "guest" as per the below a "guest" must be in a declared 1-7. Its a good job people don't actually take the rules seriously. 19.11 A GUEST RIDER (G) replaces a regular Team Member subject to the following: 19.11.1 The Guest assumes the position and MA of the Missing rider. 19.11.2 The Guest must be in a current National Development League Team Declaration. 19.11.3 A rider may ride as a Guest (in an Official Meeting) at a Track only once in an 8-day (within that league) period unless he is replacing the Home Teams #1. 19.11.4 A Guest rider in a "double-header" shall count as one Meeting only. 19.11.5 The Guest’s own MA must be the same or lower than that of the Missing rider

my feet are hot today

Cruel sport at times although the riders safety is paramount. Joe Thompson & Sheldon Davies concussed on the same day but due to age and fixtures Davies misses nothing Joe is likely to miss 5 matches including the KOC semi finals however with his average going over 7 from 1st August there is plenty of guest options available.