HGould

I don't think anyone should underestimate Sammy Hagon. Great pedigree, injury hampered his progress in 21 and 22,last year was his first really clear run. Hell do very well. Max Perry was head and shoulders best of his age group that included riders like Trigger all now 16 and provided those terrible injuries don't affect confidence he too will do very well. I predict both could be as good as the Cook brothers in 3 seasons. With luck of course

Anyone who saw Covatti at the OTA in 2019 will know what a truly spectacular and special sight he was in full flow. Him and Barker in 13 and 15 won't be pushovers and will certainly be entertaining Plymouth will have one of if not the best reserve pairings all season based of averages and form so strong in equally key heats It's really a case of Newman and Bowtell riding well to support top 2 and the other 3 progressing. It's clearly not the awful team some doom mongers are predicting and lots of entertainment Probable.

Reading what's been said about team spirit at Plymouth last season by management I can't see Gilkes being back there. Can't see Anders either, how's he going to get from Plymouth on a Saturday night to Poland next day? It's not like riding at a track near a decent Airport.. He'd have a 3 to 4 hour drive at least to Bristol or Birmingham or Luton Re winning heats Strong reserves give good chances in heats 2 and 8 and to a degree 14. Fair enough to be strong in 13 and 15 but if you're losing heat 2 and 8 just as important

Might be someone who hasn't ridden in UK for a while?

It's Ondrej Smetana. BSPL gave given him a 16% reduction as he's been locked in Bournemouth Airport Arrivals awaiting clearance for 30 months.

Never forget Workington won the League in 2018 with 6 riders between 7.5 and around 6.0. Plymouth will be a new track. If they have any sense they'll only allow home riders to practise on it. Barker was as good as anyone round old track, Bowtell rode like a 3td heat leader / top second string round there. If as rumoured they add Thompsons and Newman they can feasibly have solid second strings and always have decent reserves. They say Barker is 2nd highest average, a decent No 1 and a decent 4 pointer and a fully fit Newman, no one would feel comfortable going there. Fans desperately want to see home wins.. If they go to heat 14 or 15 so much the better. Excitement and not massive points costs a Promoters dream No 55 to 60 point pay outs at home, average 25 to 30 point pay days away.. In with squeak of play offs... What's not to like. Fair and not rigged local Cup and Shield draws would be good for them too, not Poole 3 times in first 4 matches. In fact surely no one would begrudge Plymouth v Worky as a Cup draw... Two Saturday tracks, and give both a crack at progressing.

Not likely to be Danish then with obvious clashes. May be a Czech rider, although the better ones may have too much POlish experience to be classed as a 4 pointer??..or real left field like Celina Liebmann - just imagine the publicity. Even the woke BBC might wake up!

I think Sam is a bit of window dressing to try to coax over a few more Wolves supporters and to get some soundbites off Sam on his various TV appearances. I suspect Chris Adams will be the real Team Manager in all but name. As for the Team, Flint and Brennan are competitive reserves and should hold their own, S Worrall would be competitive at 4 or 5 but certainly not at heat leader - unless we have a competitive 4 and 5. I could cope with S Worrall / Z Cook / R Schlein / T Brennan and L Flint IF we had a proper top 2 to compete with all of the other sides so far named e.g a current or recent GP Rider still competitive at that level. Finding those, enticing them over and affording them though is far easier said than done. Lambert / Vaculik / Lindgren surely out of reach, so you're looking at people like Michelsen / Huckenbeck / Wozniak / Kvech and I have to ask 2 main questions (a) would they be competitive enough and (b) surely they would be MORE focussed on GP status and ensuring they get back in for 2025 and not risking riding too much in between GP's other than Poland and possibly Sweden.

Very strange that everyone at Glasgow had planned without Brennan in 2024 based on what he'd told them at start of 2023. Peter Facenna invested in him and owns him so would hardly leave him out unless he believed unavailable or couldn't fit him in or both Good move for him to Poole but with Polish commitments on Sunday, Brummies on Monday and Thursday and Sweden on a Tuesday he's going to be very thinly spread equipment and time wise. Will he be second string in reality with Lawson and Cooks above him?

Anybody but Will Pottinger Nice guy but clueless especially at PL level. Whoever shouted Olly Allen hope you're right. Certainly he's going to get best out of Leon and Brennan.

Leon is a big lad. He's fit and he does all he can I'm sure but he has a big physique. In an age where the higher up the rider scale you go weight by the gram is like gold and every bit off is an advantage, he starts at a disadvantage. He has to find the balance between optimum strength and weight. I know Team GB work very hard on this based on a number of articles about sports science and nutrition.

Rossiter as TM Rasmus Jensen Rory Schlein Timo Lahti

That's a cracking top 6

Might be a blessing as he was allegedly mopping up big chunks of local sponsorship If that now goes to the Club and other riders it may make the overall Club package far more attractive. He needs at least another season in NDL.

Brennan is a fair start but he'd need to be 5th highest average so he can alternate between second string and reserve as that's his level in PL. If he could end with a 6 point average that would be significant progress. I'd love to see Leon back at PB where he was sensational in 2018 as a 15 year old but fear he'll be picked up elsewhere. Think we can either blow silly money on "has been" name at top of riding order or more snesibly pack top 4 with more workmanlike names? A more sensible marquee signing for me would be a Mickellson / Lahti or Kvech type .

Colin Pratt would have been Team Manager and in 89 and likely riding in 64?

Some harsh reality. Some teams fans will have to learn to accept some speedway is more important than winning speedway. The recent, mid and long term past is littered with clubs who have tried to buy success without the funds to bankroll it and failed. Good intentions no doubt, greedy riders possibly, not enough supporters prepared to turn up definitely. Supporters always blame owners and Promoters and expect winning teams. Normally and with only a few exceptions there is a correlation between supporter base and success or strict spending limits and realism. Poole have massive support in terms of people turning up. Glasgow have massive financial backing Scunthorpe have a great pragmatist who refuses to buy what he cqnt afford. Mark Phillips works incredibly hard, shoulders massive stress, spends more than he probably can. But. You can't make a silk purse of a sows ear. Fans have to be realistic. Speedway is it more important to have it or to win? Or maybe a few hundred more at many Clubs like Brummies and Plymouth could get off their backsides turn off the streaming and support the teams in the flesh... I'm guilty if not supporting as much as I used to but this Autumn has struck home... My club Brummies may not have a track after this season.. So support it whenever possible I will. If plymouth can't build a competitive team. More people need to turn up. Then they at least have a fighting chance.

Is that why he's set up the new Company? If Wimborne Road site is sold by Council for development, he could offer the ready-made nearest alternative site? at Ringwood.

Thats all great thinking. But! It needs investment and most Councils don't have the proverbial pot to pee in. Firesales of assets will be the order of the day.

Sadly the issue is way above speedway or even sport. Mr Hunt decided to give away 20billion he didn't have on Wednesday. That means he has to cut that from public spending to balance the books. All Councils already cash strapped will have to suffer more cuts. Assets will have to be sold. Parasites like Clarke Osborne will feed off this. Sports Stadia won't be a priority when money is needed for social care, education, refuse removal, pot holes etc Prime Real Estate will be top of the asset list.

If Poole go with Lawson, both Cooks, Brennan and the rumoured reserves, the addition of one of the better Aussie 4 pointers would make them unbeatable. All within the points limit so no one can complain.

Yes 3 and a half hours after I posted. You really do need to get up sooner.

Jesus wept Put up 3 hours after I posted. You really must wake up earlier.

The main problem is that people look at map and think it's a 30minute jolly from Wolverhampton to Birmingham. Facts are from North or West of Wolverhampton it's likely to be an hour crawling on blocked roads. From East Side or South not quite as bad but not a journey you'd look forwards to. Hard to see more than 100 regularly making the trip. Probably a few hundred may choose a few meetings or rely on bank holidays in May and August, possibly Easter.

May be a longer trip to deepest Cornwall for the Promoter from an Airport with service to Tenerife in November than most.??? No need for the sarcasm is there really? Whoops no Poole Speedway News updates since October 30th Very tardy