TheWellBehavedWorrall

As I said elsewhere, we (Glasgow) do much so well, but the presentation is absolute God awful. The stadium announcer makes it up as he goes along (times, riders, scores, the lot), the presenter is like a character created by Ricky Gervais and now the commentator on tonight’s stream. Have you heard the guy who does the social media questions? English guy? His questions are longer than the riders’ answers! Yeah, it’s crazy. Harris had it in heat fifteen too. Three riders with mechanical issues in one night. Unbelievable. @THE DEAN MACHINE as a rider, what’s your thoughts on this?

Never mind. Just read there’s been an accident. Could only see ‘WITHDRAWN’ next to his name. Sending very best wishes. Hate hearing of bad crashes.

What’s up with Castagna?

More passes in the first seven heats tonight than in the whole of last season at Wimborne Road.

Astonishes me how many riders encounter bike troubles. Three heats, two riders (Lambert and Pedersen) on zero points due to bike issues. Pedersen - who has been outstanding - didn’t leave the start line in heat fourteen last week. I’m by no means a mechanical subject matter expert, but is it too much to ask a fairly non-complex motorbike to last sixty seconds?😂

Did Howarth slap Pickering about after heat nine?

I was speaking to someone about this at Shielfield; Hausl next season. I imagine we’re very generous when it comes to riders’ total package; we’ll likely throw in generous amounts of flights, accommodations, transport, per diems, etc. in addition to your traditional payment per point. It’s likely why/how we were able to attract Hausl and Pedersen, or Nagel and Tarasenko before them. So if we don’t resign them, do they now have an expectation for returning to the UK which clubs without multi-millionaire owners won’t entertain? Might be why Nagel isn’t back. Who knows? Interesting discussion while an old guy in a golf buggy did four laps of Shielfield on Saturday night.

Hopefully Cluff can complete four laps without falling, or at least avoid causing a 20+ minutes delay while eleven members of track staff try to repair the air fence his bike smacked.

This is brilliant mate. Thanks for sharing. Am I correct in thinking not one of these riders race in the UK in 2026? Incredible to think we bagged Nagel for the second part of 2025 and he’s sitting fifth.

Who are the top ten, out of interest?

There are two things for me with this perspective; 1. I don’t think anyone is expecting full maximums from Hausl, but the minimum expectation is looks even slightly competitive. He done well in heat one at Shielfield, but looked like he’s unfamiliar with a speedway bike for the remainder. 2. It’s a competitive sport; pressure is part and parcel of such environments. Nobody is pressuring him to outscore Harris and Howarth, but the minimum expectation is he’s competitive. I hope he comes good, I really do.

Oh, f*ck off.😂 It was an exaggeration; emphasised by the fact I also said Berwick dragged Reid Battye off a beach. Let’s not lose sight of the point though; he obviously has something about him, given his exploits Torun and Pardubice, so it’s somewhat frustrating he’s looked entirely uncomfortable and off the pace in 90% of his rides.

Let Grmek, like Ivacic, be a lesson to everyone involved in British speedway; never rely on a Slovenian.

I can assure you, I don’t rate him.😂

I can assure you, I don’t rate him.😂

We’re only three meetings in, but agreed; it’s concerning because he doesn’t look comfortable. Missing this weekend isn’t ideal. He needs as much track time to familiarise himself with these circuits as possible. Then again, we’re talking about a SON2 champion and winner of the Golden Ribbon, not a novice. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect a bit more than we’ve saw. Somewhat crazy to think Berwick dragged Reid Battye off a beach in Australia and in his first meeting at Shielfield, he’s bullying Kyle Howarth and scoring 15. Meanwhile, we’ve signed one of the hottest prospects on the international stage and he’s looking like he’s never saw a speedway bike.

Didn’t know Flint and Hausl were missing this weekend. Nightmare, especially Flint from a form perspective, but even Hausl in terms of getting track time. Hopefully those qualifiers are on a familiar track and a confidence boost for him, but missing an opportunity to gain exposure on another UK track isn’t ideal. Big meeting for Hagon and Hodder, I think. A disappointing night at Berwick on Saturday, so time for redemption.

What a lazy b*stard. Another mindset I absolutely detest. This is the exact thinking British speedway needs to get away from. It’s not about a bike being ”shiny and new”, it’s about professionalism, preparation and standards.

A fair question, but one that risks pulling you back into the ”your taste versus my taste” trap. It’s less about preferences or specific songs, but more about the playlist matching the intensity, pace and edge on the track. It’s remarkable how music can manipulate an atmosphere. We need to lean on that. This is where Richard Coleman’s comments ring true. He was interviewed last night and said ”I don’t think the product is broken; I think it’s fantastic, but the promotion of it isn’t what it should be and there clearly needs to be some changes”. He wasn’t directly referencing music or announcers, but it’s a small part of the promotion of the sport.

Heat thirteen, wow. Bewley is a joy to watch.

Great interview with Ipswich’s new owner. You can tell he’s of the mentality to make the necessary changes to save British speedway. Let him and the Facenna’s run the BSPL. We’ll be prime time next season.

Decent meeting, this. Some decent racing, including Bewley versus Brennan and King which was a great race.

I think there’s a misconception on this subject. It’s not about personal taste; it’s about a fit-for-purpose experience. I don’t mind a bit of Dancing Queen, but the playlist at Ashfield isn’t appropriate for that of a live motorsport event. They get so much right at Glasgow, they really do, but the presentation is where it falls short; music, announcer and presenter included. I introduced around eight people - friends and work colleagues - to speedway last season, including several hospitality boxes at Ashfield and the music was the butt of the jokes on several occasions from people who are new to the sport.

On a side note, I’d love to know what Nick Morris changed after his second ride on Saturday because he went from woeful to flying.

I think that was the busiest I’ve saw Shielfield. I arrived just before tapes up and I’ve never saw the car park so busy. The first bend was mobbed, as was the back straight.