wtf

Just because they are available doesn't mean they want to ride. I'm aware of several riders who Birmingham have approached to ride at Poole, but for whatever reason they do not want to take the booking. Maybe it's money?, Maybe it's going up against Poole at their track and getting a hiding, maybe it's what is offered, maybe they have other things to do. You can't just force riders to ride. Don't forget Birmingham will be receiving no income from this meeting with which they will be paying the riders who do take to the track. In order for people to ride it has to represent value to them and also the club. I know many people on this forum think riders should ride everywhere the fans think they should, at a rate of pay everyone that is less than many on here earn and should be grateful for the opportunity. Poole is a difficult track to get to, fuel costs are huge and clubs are paying travel rates that were agreed in January 2022, so you can imagine the costs to riders, overall it's a very disappointing line up, but I'm not exactly shocked.

Maybe not, but to be fair, every race he was programmed in was against either Worrall, Lawson, or king and he wasn't on his home track. Not sure you would expect him to beat those guys regularly anyway.

I think it's wishful thinking. The sport has never been like that. tracks have never provided perfect racing from heat 1 to heat 20, Not now, Not ever, not in the GPs, Not in Poland. And despite what we of a certain age would like to believe, certainly not ever in the past. The 60's 70's and 80's provided as many garbage tracks back then as we have today. and the racing wasn't over taking every race, despite what we might like to believe. It's a lovely thought and it's something to strive for, but are our expectations for the sport too high? Don't get me wrong. The track materials like the clay based shale is useless, but that is the best surface for the stock cars. Without the stock cars, at Lynn. There is no speedway, simple as that. One pays for the other

My mistake issue 10 only bomber has increased his average more since in the last month

If they do, they'll include his Maximum in the last meeting against kings Lynn

Not according to the greensheets for July 1st for the last month

Close meeting last night, Bomber and Leon were very good, Knudsen looks very promising, a really good signing I think. Berwick were very unfortunate to leave without something. The start marshal in heat 11 got himself sandwiched between two riders. Instead of crossing his arms and getting the referee to abort the start he levered drew kemp out the way by lifting up his clutch hand. Someone needs to have a word with him, because that was unbelievably dangerous let alone a major disadvantage to Drew. I think all the first bend incidents could have gone either way, the Referee clearly had decided that if there wasn't contact, then the riders went down on the own, at their own fault. He clearly had no concept of having "no where to go". Poor decisions in the main. But he was consistent The track was bit one line, with the inside offering very little after the first few heats. The threat of rain probably the reason for it being dry. tracks do dry out so quickly these days, because of the materials used, and with clay being added to the to dressing more recently, you cannot water it during the meeting as it goes like ice on the slick insides. just look at how a potters wheel goes when it gets water on it. So I do have some sympathy with the track man. It's almost impossible these days with cheap clay being used

It's all about perception, that's the thing. The averages would suggest one thing yet fans perceive something else. I just had a look at the averages for July 1st. Only one rider in the whole league has put more on his starting average than Troy, and that's Chris Harris. Yet the perception is very different. Sometimes it's not all about the numbers, but sometimes feelings trump facts.

TJ might kick on at reserve, it might give him an easier first ride to give him confidence at the start of the meetings, so he doesn't feel the desperate need to twitch or break the tapes every week. Until he can compose himself at the start line and stop screwing himself up every week, he'll be the same inconsistent self every week.

I guess it's the age old problem of where do you prioritise your spending. Generally there will always be the option of spending on riders or equipment/track/infrastructure. It's easy to understand why promoters spend on riders/wages etc as it gives them a better return assuming everything goes to plan. Until something like last night happens. My biggest bugbear about UK speedway is their total lack of spending when it comes to the tracks and equipment. they always seem to spend the absolute minimum, yet this is the stage the riders need to perform on. If they would divert a little more spending to wards the track and it's equipment, the show could be so much better. Patchy unprepared tracks and safety equipment on a shoe string, tapes that constantly malfunction, PA systems no one can hear. All these other things are part of the overall experience and they have an effect, but no, it's always straight out the door to get the top bidding on the best rider they can afford. They then have to ride on poorly prepared tracks with stuff breaking down left right and centre. The balance is wrong.

I think he's damned if he does or damned if he doesn't.

I imagine they are expecting Batch to perform how he did last year at Sheffield

I think the reality is that riders are only under threat when a suitable and available alternative is found. However poor or otherwise someone has been until there is something better, things remain the same I'm afraid

You are Mystic Meg

And that's why Poland don't want their top riders riding all over the place running the risk of getting injured.

The final nail in the coffin for speedway in many ways is "the digital age". Speedway since it began was a "Cash" business. Lots of cash swilling around and very little auditing of payments and attendance figures etc etc. For decades large amounts of cash were "washed" through speedway, enabling things like large signing on fees of the 60's 70's 80's and 90's. Over recent times with more auditing, and waning crowd numbers, there have been fewer hiding places and it's become less attractive to all, as it shrinks in size. Everything these days can be scrutinised much more easily. Things have to stand up on their own two feet. Is it really any wonder that many of the businesses that are surviving also run hugely attended cash based Stock car meetings? If speedway has to stand on it's own two feet and pay it's own bills without help and subsidies, it doesn't fare well as the state we are in today shows only too well.

No but they pay for their own teams away matches points, so they fund their own team away from home. You have say 20 matches, 10 home 10 away, you have 10 opportunities to create enough income to pay for 20 matches worth of points, all for you own team

There's a lot of truth in what you say. Unfortunately you'll never get the idiots running the show to agree. I remember 10 years or so ago when the so called Wage Cap was agreed at Championship level. all promoters agreed to a agreed maximum of £55 a point for the good of the sport. Then the exact same people who agreed to it broke it within hours of it coming in. You can't have them regulating their own rules, and they will never agree to someone else regulating them, so they will get exactly what they deserve. They will destroy the sport inside the next decade, probably sooner. As for Birmingham, I'm told their rent is now £2.5k a meeting, so they need at least 150 a meeting just to pay the rent. If your home meetings also have to cover the cost of your away meeting points money, so every home meeting has to generate income for eg 90 points at £50 a point which is £4500, that's another 250 people. Those two costs may well be your biggest, but the other expenses add up massively. Birmingham is a money pit of epic proportions. Tolley is going to lose his shirt, but the honourable man will pay the bills and take the hit. Fair play to him, but it's just not sustainable. Chances are we'll lose 5 clubs at the end of the season. Newcastle, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Poole and Peterborough form the 2023 calender. Speedway in the UK operates INSPITE of the people in charge, not because of. This is not aimed at Birmingham, this is aimed at the sports owners and operators. You couldn't pick a more backward thinking, clueless bunch of numpties if you tried.

I agree, this really could go either way, Nichols a big miss but Oxford have riders who CAN go well there. Summers and Heeps both very capable at the dale.

Redcar look a little vulnerable to me. They have a strong top 3, but need one of the second strings to step up and start performing to give them a strong top 4 like most other teams around them in the league. Only Poole for me have a similar composition and they are stronger overall with their heat leaders, and have a reserve with the potential to score bigger than Redcar. If one of Adam or Kasper don't step up somehow, then I can see Redcar scraping into the playoffs, but going no further than that

The Cubs team does seem to exist for one reason only doesn't it.

Hope you're right, speedway could do with a good news story. Oxfords return has been very positive, hopefully Workington can continue that trend

Riss blew his preferred engine in his first ride at Peterborough which would account for that. Hopefully a one off

Out of the frying pan in to another frying pan? Are you putting yourself forward? unfortunately those in power would much rather mastermind their own demise than do anything for the greater good

I agree, fully entitled to say how he feels. The problem for Jake will be that it will have been noted, and in a speedway career there will be far bigger disappointments than that to come.