SCB

A current average is basically last seasons. If Toft had signed for an EL this season and rode a meeting, he would not longer have a current PL average. Once Sundstrom started his 2nd EL season he no longer had a current PL average. Steen Jensen only ever had a PL average (he does actually have an EL average from circa-2003 but it would not be relevant as he has raced 2 PL seasons since). His parent club (Eastbourne I assume as they were his first club) could have applied for him to be reassesed and the BSPA could have reassessed him at any figure they chose, as can be the case for any rider missing 3 complete season - the average can go up, down or stay the same. Toft has only raced 1 EL season so still has a PL average. This isn't a new rule, the rule has been around since 2001 after Kokko, Cunningham and Compton were screwed over that year. moved up as 8 point PL men, average high 5s in the EL and were either forced to retire, drop down on 11 averages or go to another EL club and get their average down.

Surely gating 2nd and passing for 1st is better than gating 4th and passing for 3rd?!

The rule has been in place since 2001. It was brought in because Petri Kokko, Glenn Cunningham and Andre Compton all moved up, got higher averages and then dropped so in Petris case he was forced to retire and Glenn and Andres case they had to drop back down on unrealistic averages. It's a reasonable rule. I'm not sure how anyone can possibly think Toft is anything but a 5 point rider. His averages in his 4 PL guest bookings last year was on a par with his PL averages of the PL seasons he did before that.

Linus doesn't have a current PL average He last rode PL in 2010 and has had more than 2 seasons in the EL since then. If you just dropped back down on your last PL average someone needs to sign Cam Woodward in 4.5 - OK he got that average in 2004 but it was his last PL average

TBF, it didn't look like it. I agree the content was pretty good but it's design and lay out looked like a school project and as a professional web developer I'd be ashamed of it - and I know my biggest weakness is making a site look good.

The rule about having a season in the EL and being allowed to move back to the PL on your last average has been in place since 2001! So it's hardly some new loop-hole. Incidentally the double figure score at Somerset was R 1 1 1 = 3. He beta Paul Starke twice and a rider who fell off (Christian Henry). Hardly making a mockery of his 4.9 average. What about one of his other PL bookings? 1 1 1 0 = 3 for Glasgow at reserve at home vs Rye House. He did get 8+1 for Plymouth at Redcar but still not Earth shattering, 8+1 from 6. He did score 13+2 at Rye House for Glasgow though. 4 PL meeting for a 6.1 average. Thats not even as good as his 2012 figure and barely any better (5.8) than his 2011 figure.

Any chance of Andrew maybe having the odd NL outing if needed?

C'mon. You don't think the average speedway fan is a stubborn, miserable and dull 60+ male who drives a Ford, watches pointless and longs for the Bill to return? Sounds pretty spot on to me

They're often stubborn, miserable and dull Our favourite TV show is The Bill - a program thats now been on tele for 4 years Thing truely were better in the past for speedway fans it seems

So as you just pointed out, Justin Sedgemen rode 3 heat with Craig Cook in the PL. Yet last year he rode 2 heats a meeting with Zagar and 2 with Nicholls. Yet there very little in it? So you're suggesting there very little between Zagar/Nicholls and Justin Sedgemen? Thats without looking into which opposing riders he rode against. Pull the other one. If there was nothing in it, why was his EL average only 6.2? Yet he managed 9.2 in the PL? That suggests Cookie found the EL 33% harder. And until any rider is averaging 12, I'd suggest he has something to learn from the league. Yes Poland and Sweden are places' he'll learn more but he'll learn more chasing down the likes of Iversen, Andersen, Janowski, Harris, AJ and Lindgren in the EL that'll he'll learn riding within him ahead of the likes of Wilknson, Franc, Lanham, Wilson, Graversen and Boxall. I guess it depends what he wants, nice comfortable living or to see how good he can really be. All I know is that as a speedway fan it frustrate me to see him seemingly happy to make a comfortable living rather than seeing how good he could be.

This is what i don't get, clubs expecting fans top pay up front with no guarentee of discounts generally for season tickets before a team has been announced. At leats once the team has been announced you can decide if you think you'll save money due to KOC and play-off meetings. Plus speedway season tickets rarely result in any discount, compare them to other sports and they're terrible value for money. Then you find out in June that they're going to run a meeting or two on a random day of the week at a random time and you can't go so suddenly you lose money as a season ticket holder. Speedway fans are mugs!

Surely there is no way they're not going to run for the sake of £5,000? Ask fans to set up a direct debit of £5 or £10 a month. That only needs 50ish people to do that and it'll work. People won't notice £10 a month direct from their bank account like they're notice £120 now.

The two 5 pointers I thought of were Sissis and Castagna too. They don't seem to be linked anywhere either.

Fair enough. If Lambert has messed up then tough.

If he'd already signed then he shouldn't have been allowed to be picked by Leicester. Riders last year had signed for teams before the draft and a couple of them had this year (admittedly Garrity was protected). If you already have a team place the EL team can't pick you. If I was Lambert I'd still sign for Workington. PL takes priority anyway. Leicester will have to use guests ever week or drop him then

Them figures suggest speedway promoters are doing a good job. The average Premiership football attendance is 36000 so about 150% than in the YouGov Poll. The average Aviva Premiership attendance is 12500 so about 95% of the youGov Poll, the average 2020 cricket attendance is 7000 so about 50% of the YouGov poll. The average Super League (Rugby League) is 9000 so about 190% of the YouGov poll So with there being 70 speedway fans, even if you matched ti tot he best performing sport (Rugby League) there should be about 130 people at the average Elite League meeting in the UK. But promoters manage to get 10 times that (1300 is surely not an unfair average for the EL right?). So well done to the individual members of the BSPA who actually manage to geta greater % of their fan base to meetings that any of the major sports in this country!

Sheffield to Glasgow on a Sunday is not the most onerous of journeys. Especially as meetings will be over by 5-6pm, he'll be back home and in bed by 10pm! I'm sure he'll cope - imagine eh should ever become a full time top speedway rider having to ride in Sweden, Poland and UK?!

One pretty good season and about 10 pretty naff seasons. I'm with you, could list 20, going on 30 better number 1s.

Replace 1 and 2 with Grazjonek and Todd Kurtz and you could be onto something, I think.

It just doesn't add up. They had 30k. Readypower come in to sponsor the club and now they have 33k. Is the Readypower sponsorship only for 3k then?

If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck....

Correct. And for that a few of us feel sorry for you and a few others in Workington.

Grajzonek maybe?!

NO. The old rate was 0.6 not 1.6, how many more times? 5.5/0.6 = 9.17. The 1.6 is made up, not real, never happened. Anyone who tells you otherwise is either confused, wrong, stupid or repeating something they heard from someone who is confused, wrong or stupid.

There is no method for working it out with 1.60 is is 0.60.