Col

Batchelor & Chris Holder never seemed keen on each other. On second viewing didn't think the Howarth/Blodorn incident was quite as brutal as first viewing.

Ah, OK. Fair enough. Wasn't aware Pickering & Cook were close.

Think Aces visits to Beaumont Park have been fairly abject this year. Blodorn likes the place but even at the pairs event Belle Vue won last season Bewley & Kurtz couldn't get near Fricke. So... as I watched tonights action on EuroSport what happened to Cook? No chance he'll ride in the final? Well done Aces - Bewley was outstanding until he didn't need to be, but Kurtz set the tone with his heat 1 win. Hard on Tigers. Who knows what would have occurred if the playoffs involved Woffinden, Doyle & Sayfutdinov. Howarrth's move on Blodorn was unsavoury. And Pickering's issue with the TV presenter was?

Pardubice in 3 Friday's isn't it?

Have never been bothered by fans at Speedway except for the gang of Sheffield fans who turned up at Leicester for the pairs event last season. They did seem to be there only to provoke a response from anyone willing to stand up to them. But they have nothing on EIHL Steelers fans!

I think if anyone had offered BV a 12 lead to take to Owlerton they'd have taken it. I went to the KO Cup Tigers v Aces meeting, Lemon cost BV that fixture not swapping Bailey for Mountain in heat 14. I'm certain in terms of aggregate score the meeting would have been decided before heat 15 took place. The Aces reserve pairing are not as strong now as then & the Tigers pair have improved. That said Kurtz had a poor night. The league meetings have all gone Sheffield's way. The gates will dictate the racing, gate 3 is usually awful at the start of the meeting so winning the toss is vital. If Woffinden was riding I wouldn't give Belle Vue any hope but I think it is well poised. One thing is certain Lidsey needs to turn up. Which doesn't occur too regularly away from NSS.

Surely you'd only be looking to retain either Killeen or Boughen as RS, alongside a more experienced reserve.

Depends on averages & point limit. BV - Bewley, Cook, Kurtz In an ideal world I'd not retain any of the other current septet. I'd have Connor Bailey back as RS.

Thorsell hasn't ridden in UK for years and is way past his best. Hellstrom-Bangs is a pipe dream, he'd have ridden in UK by now if he was going to. At a guess... Lindgren, Z Cook, Harris, Ellis, Musielak, Lampart, RS

Lublin, Wroclaw certainly. Grudziądz & whichever team is promoted won't. Torun & Zielona Góra most likely will, momentum wise.

Who turned up least often Basso, Klindt or Musielak? Rowe, NKi & Kvech are the only ones worth retaining. Kings Lynn most consistent team for 2025.. R/R Harris (G) Iversen Kvech Lawson (G) Rowe RS

Bold statement but... Ipswich, Belle Vue & Sheffield will. Kings Lynn & Birmingham won't. Take your pick Oxford or Leicester! Every Polish team will make the playoffs except Grudziądz & whichever team is promoted. Pounds matter just much as Zloty to riders.

Assuming Dudek is staying with Torun who is their second senior Pole next year? Who is replacing Woffinden at Wroclaw? Woffinden replacing who at Zielona Góra. Hampel?

Not comparing like with like - Torun couldn't replace Przepelski with Lindgren. Suspect Przepelski will be dropping to Ekstaliga 2 next season, be a big(gish) fish in a small pond. Is Janusz Kołodziej staying with Leszno following their relegation?

Let's hope Bydgoszcz get promoted then, else Lublin will walk the league again. To back up what I said earlier about the bottom 3 being where Lublin are miles in front of the other teams... The Torun top 3 are stronger average wise than the 3 Lublin heat leaders... but the bottom 3 of Lublin are in a different stratosphere to their Torun counterparts Lublin. Zmarzlik 2,420 Kubera 2,074 Holder 1,960 Przyjemski 2,089 Cierniak 1,694 Banbor 1,019 Torun. Lambert 2,269 Sayfutdinov 2,269 Dudek 2,088 Lampart 1,115 Lewandowski 1,000 Kawczynski 0.576

There are restrictions. 2 Polish seniors, 2 Polish juniors, 1 U24.. It's the junior recruitment where Lublin are so much stronger than the other teams, surely that should be applauded!

Yep.. 25 points after heat 12, Lambert has scored over half of them.

Heat 10 was the penultimate nail in the Torun title coffin. I'd suggest heat 11 will be the final one

The conditions for Leicester v Ipswich are a far cry from those in Lublin tonight. Enjoying this more already. Lambert is on fire. Someone suggested Przedpełski needed to score 6. It'd be a miracle if he did. I assume Lampart is injured? Heiselberg is out of his depth, was Rowe unavailable. He'd be better.

Orlean sponsorship is recent. Lublin have been able to attract riders above the level they operate at for the last 5-6 years.

Great race heat 7, not sure Lindgren will be keen to follow Kubera's pointed instructions again.

Must be. It's not exactly a track you'd think riders relish riding. It's also probably the smallest stadium in the Ekstaliga so I can't imagine the atmosphere is on a par with some of the others.

Utterly futile until the final averages & team building limit are known. I guess almost everyone will be fitting Janowski into their team considering his low average! If I were Lemon I'd not be retaining Lidsey at the Belle Vue, he doesn't offer much away from home. Would try to get Brennan back. Is Milik on 4.11 for team building?

Woffinden to Falubaz Zielona Góra in 2025 I've seen somewhere.

Whenever the meetings occur, Aces won't take enough of a lead to Owlerton to progress!