SCB

So they're loyal unless you choose to ignore a year or 5 to suit your argument Brilliant. they were not loyal, they chose not to ride here. Loyal would be always riding here and putting us first, like hell did they/do they. Even Darcy Ward got a ban in 2009 for riding for Torun rather than Kings Lynn! They're "loyal" (as in they ride here) because the Poles and Swedes don't bloody want them when they start out. Holder is back here because it suit him. I've no problem with that. He owes us nothing, we owe him nothing.

But in the past, when a rider failed to make his assessed average it was increased back up if they qualified by other means - the argument being if they were good enough to finish top 4 of a state final they were good enough for a 7 point average. It's only since Chris Kerr that this rule was ignored. Davey Watt and Scott Smith both had averaged reset to 7 (from 6.5) when changing teams circa '02 - '03 and I'm sure there will have been others that I just can't think of.

It's a work permit (well technically a visa) which is awarded to the highest calibre of candidate to help improve the sport at the highest level. Not a "training permit" to allow a foreignor to have a few years to learn to become a decent-ish rider. You have to meet the criteria to get one and then continue to hit it, there no 3 year grace period - ask Mason Campton! If Manzares didnt get a 7 point average. The only thing I can see going in his favour is the 7 point average pre-dates the removal of bonus points. Gino averaged 7.13 with bonus points so it could be argued he is eligible. While Wethers and Campton at Workington didnt ever hit 6 with bonus points. The including of bonus points pushes a few Aussies over the 7 point figure and may be a concession the UKV&I have given for now. If Wethers is not allowed in it raises questions about Cam Heeps and Christian Henry

Thank God for that. Mason Campton does nothing for British Speedway. He is the kind of crap coming over that we don't need. Told you all this would happen but no, he has potential, he need to earn a living and all sorts of crap was posted. Turned out he's not good enough after all!

Surely the next step is for them to apply and be accepted. What happens if they're not accepted?

Would almost certainly mean all other Aussies are affected then too. Watch them all squirm Or Poole would have been found to have been hugely negligent in the past and banned from employing work permit riders - possibly even better.

As they live in the UK most of the year there primary residence will be one in this country. Now if they stay in a hotel for a night they can claim that back but I'm not sure 8 months of rent would be allowed If it is, all self employer people would claim they live in Spain (or where ever they went on holiday that year!) and so their mortgage/rent could be deducted!

And so much for Matts, "last chance" after the drug fuelled police evading a couple of years ago. Also, So the drug thing on the bike was ok as he wasn't putting anyones life at risk on track. But suddenly, when he was willing to do just that, Middlo changes his tune. It's an ok thing to do.

Another, "very harmful to British speedway" to will make no difference to young Brits getting place. Kick out the 22 Aussies and Americans here now, lower the points limit by a point or two to reflect it and you're telling me that promoters will then replace the 7 pointers, with 2 points lost, with, 7 pointers?! and not the 3-5 pointers stuck in the NL? As for Aussies being loyal, like Holder last year? Or Sullivan and Crump in their latter years? Or North who wasn't going to bother with GB speedway last year until something clearly changed. The Aussies are as loyal as any other nation!

Accommodation and "living expense" are surely not tax deductible as you need to pay them whatever job you did. The exception being any hotel stays while away from your home.

Yeah but they don't turn up with made up teams though do they? And that is why it's a farce in speedway.

But Wilson-Dean doesnt need visas either but he's not a 3. So what is the rule?

I always thought speedway changing around of fixtures was a farce too. Until I went to football a few weeks back and heard the moaning about how fixture are dependant on how teams do in the cup, what Sky chose to do etc. Seems all sports move fixtures around with little notice!

TBF, thats is UKIPs policy too. It's not so much no immigration but they question why the Romanians and Poles can come over freely but the Americans and Australians are so limited. They want the same criteria to apply to everyone not British.

Well fancy that. They're going to have to stick to the rules that have been in place for years

Im guessing Glasgow started to splash their cash and Workington saw the buy back clause as a great way to get an OTT price for Lawson fro Glasgow.

TBF, when Kelly was 23(?) people were saying eh was a sure fire thing to be a multi-World Champion. But he loved a drink and sometimes a few drugs. He enjoyed being "Kellly Moran - international speedway" to the ladies and having fun. He never achieved anything like was expected of him. He also then, as a result of his partying ways died a slow, horrible death at a very young age. I think the point being made is Darcy could end up like Kelly (all the talent but none of the commitment) or he could end up as a multi-World Champion. He could end up somewhere in the middle. But carrying on as he is he is heading for the Kelly Moran route BUT without the personality and charm that endeared Kelly to everyone he met - even Kenny Carter who hated anyone foreign loved Kelly!

Sheffield Peterborough Somerset Edinburgh Ipswich Glasgow I'll go with Redcar to make a possible inclusion. If Sissis can make half an impression on the league I can't see past Sheffield for the title. They're going to be scoring 55+ at home every week, only need a hand full of decent away results and in the play-offs they'll win it with good home performances. Peterborough have a few riders capable of finding a point and no weak link. Somerset just seem to do well whatever is thrown at them these days, Edinburgh similar to Somerset but Wolbert is a bargain, Cook is a wonderful #1 and if Riss can do anything at all (and to win any motorcycle World title at 17 suggests he will) they will be decent. Glasgow are solid, don't see them winning the league but they'll not be bad and Ipswich are very similar, just a tiny bit better due to Cam Heeps finding a point or two.

But we do. We know it takes 45 days.

I'm not claiming Bomber is some mechanical guru but lets not forget at one point last season he went 26 out of his last 32 heats unbeaten at Brandon If I was going to get someone to set up by bikes for Brandon for me he'd be a good choice. Now if I was going to ask how to get bikes working for the GPs, he'd be down the list a little He's also got Chris Anderson back in his team and Brian Andersen as engine tuner - when that 3 (Chris included) worked together in 2007 Chris was, IMO, the fastest rider in the World - his only handicap was his gating! If that 3 can do the same for Lewis, well, who knows?! Bomber and Lewis could both has brilliant seasons!

Well said. Making himself spokesman for Ward and then making stupid comment after stupid comment doesn't reflect well on Ward.

Well Chris Harris' bikes managed to help him to 5th best rider in the EL last year, suggesting there are only 4 other riders better equipped to help him!

Apparently Chris Harris and his team are helping him get bikes sorted.

But didn't the non-speedway incident where he was hit across the head effect his speedway? And what if the Aussie police evading incident had happened in the UK? He'd have probably been in far more trouble and would have stopped him riding. And the sexual assault case, it meant he couldn't ride in Sweden that week. These things can and do have an effect. Also, by him getting away with them, he possibly thought the drinking the night before a mid-day GP would be something else he could get away with?

TBF, this is one place the BSPA/British Speedway has improved dramatically in the last decade. Fair play to them.