TotallyHonestJohn

Yes but it will read like war and peace and some of it will be guess work so check this out and look at Sportsperson Visa (T2) and Frontier Worker Permit and you will get a feel for the issues faced by Promoters and Riders... oh and the answer you are looking for will be on there... Brexit has made it really tough for these promoters that's for sure... https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration/work-visas Regards THJ

Take the 2.5% reduction off IS its 3.03 for a foreign rider and I did qualify the numbers with "for a Brit" and "not including any reductions" but thanks for the kicking even if a little undeserved... Regards THJ

Think you are right however 6 man teams for next year (or 5) must be on the BSPL agenda for discussion at least; although we have been down this route before a few years back and 6 man teams was shown to work at a practice session but the reluctance to give up 2 reserves for the different format was a bridge to far for some of the old guard... it was time to change then and some promotions thought it was ok and wanted to give it a go and others didn't want to look at it and weren't prepared to look at it; so maybe not... however saying that there was just as much arguing over the tyre sizes at the same meeting and by dropping from a 19" to an 18" would have saved a fortune in tyres (long story) but this was kicked out because "we've always had 19" tyres" (which I don't think is true as I am sure I have read somewhere back in the day they used a 22" tyre and the 19" only came in around the mid 50's) so change is very difficult for some to take. (and very slow in the BSPL) Redcar wont drop out and they will pull in couple of riders; maybe they will have some success with Claus Vissing at 8.43 leaving 3.11 for a Brit reserve who knows but at the end of the day they have 11.46 to play with for riders (not including any reductions)… as mentioned earlier there is the NZ connection and they could even have a punt for BWD... if not James Sarjeant is available and a 4 or 5 point rider added to that; Chris Schramm was considering making a comeback and we have had one Compton in Benji going to Belle Vue what about Andre? could he be tempted back... Covid; Poland and Brexit (to a lesser extent) have a lot to answer for but Redcar have a good promotion and they will be at the tape's with a 7 man team this season that's for sure; just possibly not a strong as they might have liked; but surely fans understand these logistical problems due to varying circumstance and after all we are trying to cram a full season into just over 4 months... lets just get on with it get this year out of the way and look to something better next year. On next year I have a sneaking fancy that the Poles will be saying to their riders you cant ride abroad so where will that leave all these guys who are members of squads; will they be prepared to kick their heals for a season keeping a bench warm... think we might find a much larger rider choice (if not that much stronger) next season if the Polish clubs run to form... Just a guess that mind... Regards THJ

Nice that JD recognised the Newcastle situation and the similar difficulties that both clubs have experienced... unlike the Scottish Buffoon who had a pop in last week's Speedway Star... There isn't much out there with regard to 6+ averaged riders so Redcar may struggle unfortunately... unless the promotion can pull a rabbit out the hat with their New Zealand connections it may be a couple of 4 pointers or James Sarjeant and the eponymous A. N. Other... strange times indeed... Regards THJ

100% Correct...

The way things are panning out at Newcastle Ben Barker fits... Regards THJ

Yes it does make sense but is that not double standards... as far as I have been informed you replace your Rising Star with another Rising Star as they don't count on the team build as such at the start of the season as they get a star rating to start with rather than an average... so they cant carry over their points from their average to the rest of the team if injured... cake and eat it springs to mind... if that's the case when Pailin goes into the main body should the lowest averaged rider not be dropped for another Star Rated Rider who stays at reserve until he moves out of that position if each club has to have a Rising Star... it's a pile of Pony if you ask me... It's the Rising Star position that's protected not the rider or his average? Isn't it? Surely? Eh? Regards THJ

Definitely an option and never say never as in these current crazy times I wouldn't rule anything out to be fair Regards THJ

Yep; he could be hot stuff on the Curry Star Rating and have an 8 average and all you can replace him with is a rider of the same star rating or less; so if he was a 2 Star Rating you couldn't even get a 3 Star Rated rider to replace him even if one was available. So it will be swapping a Vindaloo for a Korma... This is only a guess but unless Rob can come up with something special; like a manipulation or bending of the rules to get someone to fit; Scunny will be running with a 4 or 5 point rider either Zaine Kennedy; Josh McDonald or Kasper Andersen then possibly Lasse Fredriksen; Ondrej Smetana; Nick Skorja or another new foreign rider who would come in on a 5; or there is always the option to drop someone from the team to bring in one high and one lower averaged rider however there are literally no options out there available so Rob is between a rock and a hard place whatever he does. Also the latest on BWD as to whether he will come over and do the UK this season is now he wont be coming over. (But that could change again depending on offers) Furthermore I doubt there will be any facilities allowed for missing riders as suggested who at least haven't ridden for a team; although there have been exceptions in the past it is frowned upon and European lockdowns and travel restrictions are going to be very interesting to see what happens under these circumstances... Newcastle have Claus Vissing in at No1 and intend to use him however if he gets stuck in Denmark would it be fair for them to use R/R for their number 1 when he hasn't turned a wheel for the club; would Newcastle get a facility? It has the potential to get really messy... Regards THJ

No Rising Star stays at reserve if his average goes up... they move into the main body of the team with their own average... if they get injured they can only be replaced with a Rising Star of the same rating or less... so if you have a 3 star rider and no other 3's or 2's are available you get a 1 star rider... so if ya 3 star rider gets up to a 5 average and ends up in the main body then gets injured you have to replace him with another Rising Star... Regards THJ

Connor wouldn't let anyone down and would be a good shout; but I think it will be a 4 or 5 point rider either a new Scandinavian or an Aussie; either one already here or an immanent arrival and I also agree where you state "we could be well under the limit" as that will be a given Regards THJ

Thing is the growth has to start somewhere and many tracks back in the day were in the middle of fields with poor access and the sites build and develop slowly as you progress... Rob Godfrey has developed Scunthorpe over the years into a good venue now and that didn't happen over night and remember back to when they first took over that site... it was pretty basic to say the least... The question is would the discerning fans of Workington be happy (at first hopefully) watching an NDL side perform along the lines of how Mildenhall or the Isle of Wight have done as we all know in this sport numbers are critical for running a successful team... there is always a break even point... Last time I had a look down just before the Christmas lock down there were tons of muck piled around the place that had been excavated out and just as many piles of shale from the old DP site ready I assume to go back down and it looked like a moon scape! well even more like a moon scape than it usually does if you could get gypsies and travellers on the moon!!! Good luck to them and if/when it comes back all they will need are fans through the turnstiles... the other thing is if they don't run a league team of some description there will be a fantastic training track down there to bring the young kids on... so a win win for Workington for me... Regards THJ

Sorry pal hose pipe only oot the back for a wash... bike, kevlars or kids as am down on the harbour side... mooring spot though if ya come in ya boat... Oh an bacon sarnies if ya not to early in the morning... or a fishy on a dishy if ya come by sea... Regards THJ

Steve Lawson apparently downloaded it from the inter-web... all clever stuff...

Yes Belle Vue/Redcar So slightly smaller than Belle Vue but same shape No it belongs to the council Yes there is the site itself is huge; they aren't using the Northside track its marked out separate from that one

As long as he wasn't polishing his helmet... cough cough... Regards THJ

This Rising Star thing is a joke; its just wrong... If they wanted to strengthen the top league all they had to say was that any rider must have attained an average of 6 or above in the Championship before they would be considered in the Premiership which would have resulted in a minimum average of 4 for a reserve in the Premiership keeping the conversion rate at 1.5... That would still leave scope to bring new foreign riders straight into the team on their 4's or 5's or whatever... Also that they had to maintain that 6 or 4 average in that respective league to be considered the following year for the Premiership and then set the build level for Premiership teams to 45 points rather than trying to drag young kids into a league that they may no be ready for... I would much rather see these young riders learning their apprenticeship with track time at a level where they will be competitive at and scoring points rather than the possibility of relying on points coming from other riders falling off or having engine failures... The same could done between the Championship and NDL where the rider must have achieved an average of 6 in the NDL before they could be considered for a Championship team with a conversion rate of 3.0 meaning the NDL rider would come in on a 2.00 to the Championship team and again that they must maintain those averages in either league before they can be considered for selection. Let Championship teams build to 40 points and NDL teams to 35... Newcastle have Barker and Vissing in their team and these two have been known in the past to be able to lets say "ride with some aggression and be rather physical in races" some may even use the phrase "dirty riders" but lets just stick with "Physical" and they also have Joe Alcock as their rising star and I hate to say it but he may be at more risk of getting injured off one of his own riders than one of the opposition. I don't want to see anyone get hurt but IMHO I think it could be a challenge to far for some of these younger more inexperienced riders who don't have the track craft or skill with the associated required track time to learn the skills to get themselves out of trouble... Hope I am proved wrong... However Regards THJ

Connor is on the Rising Star programme as a 4 star rider because of his average and Championship Clubs can only have a 3 star rising star or less Regards THJ

Nope... as Ruff pointed out earlier in this thread we had two places to fill and Conner was in and part of the team until the Rising Star programme was released... The only reason Conner got cut was down to this ill conceived idea and for no other reason whatsoever... the club didnt want to swap him out for sure... However his loss was a lucky break for Joe Alcock... let's hope Joe can grab it with both hands and he realises his potential... hopefully Dave Tatum has seen something in this kid at Stoke that others have missed... I would be pleased if he can achieve and score his average of 2 each week and if he could increase that by say 50% and end up with an average of 3 would be a fantastic achievement... Maybe wishful thinking again but I hope he can rise to the challenge and more than anything else stay fit and injury free... Regards THJ

It was soley down the the Rising Star programme that Conner got cut... it had been stated that he was to be graded as a 3 star then there was a change of tack and the rest as they say is history... Regards THJ

I have heard that BWD may now be coming over to ride so would be available for a Championship team if a deal could be done Brum have 9.96 for a Brit and 9.71 for a foreigner... BWD will be on an 8.21 average (if my sums are correct)... So would fit... Regards THJ

Come on Gaz you know the craic no one likes Glasgow... jealousy is a powerful emotion... so dont knock them for that... however there is one thing for certain Glasgow wont be bottom... although I don't think they will be top... but I think a play off place definitely beckons... Also that might work as a plus for the Glasgow team and the pressure might be off a bit when they aren't ranked as the out and out favourites to sweep the board... seems to me over the last few seasons a great deal of pressure has been heeped on the team before the season even starts because Glasgow have been able to attract the top performers in the league.... Maybe this year when they don't seem to be as strongly fancied as they usually are this may just work in their favour... Who knows but it will be interesting to see how it all pans out once we are up and running... Eastbourne look the team to beat for me then Leicester and Glasgow... then perm any one from 6 or 7 teams for the remaining play off place.... could go anywhere and then sorry to say this but Brum Plymouth any my lot will be fighting for the Spoon Spot.... Hope I am wrong and I would like to see that last 3 at least win the bulk of their home meetings... As ever the changes (if there are any riders availanle to swap in) come the first set of averages released could change a clubs season dramatically.... Not long now... Regards THJ

Lewis Bridger?

So... Scunthorpe have (I think) 7.92 (for a Brit) and 7.73 left respectively for their last rider... discus (or don't whatever) Regards THJ

Jesus that woman has got me going round the twist; why the hell is she posting about what Redcar have left on the Scunthorpe thread... My fault I suppose I should have read further back in the thread but a mean... Honestly... its a Scunny thread... Saying that I had found another small error on my Scunthorpe team so hey ho... Oh and yes I fully agree REDCAR do have 6.60 left... Back to the Scunthorpe team anyone? ffs I am ready to give up... Regards THJ