Fortythirtyeight

My point being I struggle to identify it as a ‘league’ when there’s only two clubs in it. By all means keep the series of challenge matches going but you can’t take a two club challenge and call it a ‘league’. The clubs face the same challenges as the NJL in finding riders and haven’t adapted to include the 125 or 250 riders that are abundant in their catchment areas for some reason despite the fact they can’t find four 500 riders to fill the team spots, why haven’t they followed that model ?

A two club ‘league’.

Ask the promoters.

Except perhaps Leicester , who run Premier League , NDL, MDL, amateur meetings and practices .

Bears are hardly strengthened with Etheridge and Phillips .

If it’s not the same riders how can it be a ‘series’ ?, another speedway fiasco.

How can it be part of ‘the series’ and have a current ‘pecking order’ when this field is mostly reserves and very few have taken part of the other two meetings ?

Another reason I don't like qualifiers and a one off final. Two riders who score just two points each finish second and third whilst the clearly better rider ends up nowhere , but then there was only four anyway ! thats modern day speedway folks !

and pray tell which of Leicesters seven riders have been solely groomed by Leicester and not by other clubs at junior level or even ridden at other NDL teams ? Luke Crang ? Tom Spencer ? Arran Butcher ? Whilst they are to be applauded for running a team and have in recent times upped the practice sessions at the track they are not adverse to paying out a few bob to their riders and bringing in ‘experienced’ riders to strengthen their chances of success. Congratulations on the title , but don't get carried away with it.

No, I dont, they are all NDL level , some are more experienced than others , thats all, they are all in that league and have to race each other so no handicap required.

Some good ideas but there will be less riders around next season with the increase in machinery costs due to the FIM regs and very few clubs having ‘spare juniors’ as even the NJL has struggled and the MDL is a joke. Despite the promises from the top table there’s been a decrease in junior opportunities and less entrants in the youth rounds than ever before.

They are all NDL riders so why would you even think that ?

There isn't any, end of topic.

Well done to Berwick for staging it but it’s hardly a ‘tasty field’ when several of them are NDL reserves, but at least it’s a meeting.

Guest appearances dont count, hes only ridden for the Colts once, so no official average yet.

No, he hasnt qualified for an average yet so still a three pointer.

Let’s be honest, the ‘team’ was made up by the Chair and his sidekick to make the NDL worth running……just! They couldn't even be bothered to run all the fixtures at one track. Expect new sensation Cairns to be guesting again probably , but who for ? Have seen several fixtures this season and the racing is fine but its a division of two halfs, the ones splashing the cash and the ones who are trying to keep the NDL alive but have to bring in the odd old timer or even a ‘mature’ ozzie to make a side up. Is there a future for it ?

Ok, where and when was this advertised ? as I haven’t seen anything in the official fixture list.

Congratulations to Rachel Hellowell on becoming the new British Champion , I understand she won comfortably in wet conditions from last years champ, Katie Gordon , according to reports on Facebook ( haven’t seen anything official from the SCB ). Well done on the I.O.W. for staging it but, with only 5 entrants, what happened to the massive drive to bring more females into the sport? The FIM training school at Belle Vue that attracted all the hype had around 20-25 female riders yet the European Championship attracted around 10 and this championship only 5! Yet again, a lot of talk but little action from the powers that be.

Well done for getting a rule book but you now need to interpret it correctly ….a trick only very few team managers and refs have managed. The SCB said no facility , the ref said no facility ….so it was NO FACILITY.

The rider was missing for a wedding, no facility available for that, and therefore could only use a NDL rider, try getting a copy of the rule book. Phone calls were made and arguments had at the last minute to get a facility to cover Cooks absence.

As there’s very little interest in the NDL these days you can’t expect much interest in glorified amateur racing , can you.

Because they didn't know they needed one till 6 pm when he hadn't turned up.

Just to clarify….its the first time Redcar have done it this way as they have always given the youth their own meeting on a Saturday , letting the crowd in for free but it cost them too much with no backing from the SCB/BSPL and now they have to squeeze the kids in with a main meeting to cover the medics and insurance. The powers that be said there would be more opportunities for all this year…….think they told porkies.

As theres no funding for the kids ( they even pay for the race jackets ) , the clubs are reluctant to give the kids there own stand alone meetings now as the club has to fund it , hence them being mostly run as second half events . Redcars round had the next big star Will Cairns ‘racing’ against a kid who couldn't slide ! but the kid never gave up bless him. Smallest entry list says it all really, and they will have to spend more money on the bikes next season to comply with the next set of silly rules, thats the state of the sport sadly.