FAST GATER

If NP has come to top his pension up then I would agree if not I think that there maybe a few fireworks ,Doyle will always have one eye on the GP's when he may need both on NP at all times .

Well I believe a 48yr old has signed to ride in the Champ/L for next season and a 50yr old will be riding in the GP's so you never know ,I think PK should stay where he is

I always say they all look the same with their helmets on all the best to Rob ,he made a fist of it last year and I hope he proves the doubters wrong next season

Well done Tigers Nicki is not the rider he was but you don't win 3 w/champs for nothing ,I will be please to see someone pushing Doyle round in the PL for a change and the clash of their robust styles should get the punters in !

No one can argue that Doyle is a class act and should have two world champs to his name ,IMO he is making hay while the sun shines and in reality has 3/5 yrs to do so .His past injuries and style of riding ( robust not dirty ) dosn't lend itself to a Greg Hancock career span .

To be honest the GP series has grown into a huge part of the sport and British sp/way just faded away for a multitude of reasons all have been debated and little has been done .The social landscape has changed dramatically and we have to face the fact that the only thing to bring top riders is money but they are not guranteed to bring the fans through the gates.IMO all league s/way( particularly in this country ) is long term a feeder stream for the GP series . I genuinely believe had Doyle enjoyed success much earlier in his career at the top level of the sport he would not be riding in the PL .He has come to the party late and is making "hay while the sun shines" not least of which because of the many serious injuries he has collected along the way which will impede and curtail his career ultimately .

Is there actually any prize money for winning the league or just enhanced earnings through gate receipts for extra meetings ?

I don't see how anyone can't include Doyle( personal feelings about him aside) in their list as he is the outstanding rider in the league 2019 but then I feel the standard of riders in The PL is nowhere near what it once was .I am not alluding to dreams of the 70's but even over the last 5/10 yrs sadly the level of top class riders has evaporated at an alarming rate due to money and the increasing demands on top GP riders . I have said before the SON real brought home to me the true level of of how far the standard of riders in the PL has sunk. Back Topic Doyle Adam Ellis R Jensen luke Becker

Well done Swindon worthy winners solid team from top to bottom Ipo just never at the party but I don't think any team would have beaten the Robin's on their recent form would just say good job there is no longer " rider control " in place .

It has to be said (as a neutral observer ) Swindon were in a class of their own last night with all of the riders coming to the party, non of the Ipswitch riders were sadly up to the task and I would single out is Iversen .He should of had the beating or almost of Doyle but IMO took his pay under false pretences , the stand out man for me in the whole match is Adam Ellis a real star of the future.Believe me I wish Ipo had won and wiped the smirks of Doyle and Rosco faces but they have all done the business and set up what maybe painful walkover tomorrow night . These matches do the sport no good from a spectator point of view I would love Ipo to prove me wrong I am sure they will do their their best and I hope they leave with at least their pride intact .

Sadly after watching this years SON I have to concur with you

I actually switched the match off last night after heat 10 ,watching s/way like that is not a pleasure in any shape or form IMO, Swindon did what was needed and no one can say otherwise .I felt sorry for NP/KT for trying to paper over what was a less than impressive advert for the sport itself. Wolves have never looked that great all season to me and squeaked into the playoffs,IMO there needs to be a root and branch clear out ,sadly I don't think that Morris is going to be the rider he was Thorssell is not and never will be a PK ( will there ever be another) .Two new heat leaders at least are called for i don't blame Adams I think he can only work with what he has but i think they have paid a price for loyalty in the past and have certainly done so this season .

Well done to the Robins the best team on both nights ,it helps to have the best rider in the league in your team( I would have dearly loved Fast Freddie to have been there to wipe the smirks off his and Rossco's faces)but it is what it is as they say . I think that the Robins will go on to win the title and after the issues with you track and stadium it is no more than the fans deserve,as for Wolves 4/5 taxis are in order I think

My own take on the sport has changed over the last few years and in some ways I am amazed that it still functions at the level we have now. It is said there needs to be more shale on the tracks but mean promoters won't buy it but the truth is that modern s/way engines are too powerful and perform in such a way that riders cannot control them under these circumstances .Efforts to change this are always meet with resistance to say the least ,riders hate change and there is the cost implications as well.Just look what has happened with the the GTR ,love or hate it IMO it typifies the attitude of riders to change in the sport about anything. Bring all or many top riders back to the league is a non starter (IMO the quality of racing is what matters they all look the same with helmets on) because the very top riders are GP oriented and their demands are too great on the whole for the league to afford . The GP'S were the death knell of top league racing in this country definitely at weekends and probably as a whole if I am honest. I think the ruling bodies missed a trick in not running the GP's or having a large rake off from day one but maybe they thought it would not evolve into what we have today. The sport must work with what it has got and make the most of it I sadly do see the top two leagues merging into one and maybe a merging in part of some Champ L and Nat L making a true semi/pro nursery league. The sport needs to work with what it has got I still love to watch s/way think the racing is as good as it has ever been on it's day , the ruling bodies need to work together have some form of collective planning even foresight ( love or hate him Mr Olsen certainly did) try and act like professsionals at least once a year!

A bit harsh but I must admit that it had crossed my mind whether Woffy will be the rider he was big injury ,3 titles ,young family ,plenty of kite in the bank and coming up to 30 yrs old( not that old but some riders just seem to go off at that age ) but he deserves his w/card IMO.

The one thing that I feel about Greg is he has not retired( taken a certain mindset ) and comeback he has just taken timeout for a very good reason ,because of the type of rider/style he has I think he will carry on where he left off.The big question will be if he can still commit 100% to the first bend ,that usually tells me when a rider is done ,I am sure he will be fit and raring to go in 2020!

I do think in Doyle's case he is making" hay while the sun shines " late developer at this level and not in the first flush of youth plus a shed load of injuries that will come back to haunt him I am sure .

The numbers just won't add up due to the limited capacity which there is nothing that can be done about from a practicial point of view ,typical we have " gem " of a track limited space all around it !

Not read all the thread but one big factor is the roof at Cardiff ,temp tracks may not be perfect , the NSS just will not hold enough ( I would love it there just 40 mins away) so I think that there is little or no chance of moving the British GP .I was not thrilled with last weeks offering but maybe that's because this year we have recently had a number of exceptional GP's and a new wave of riders coming through as well ,still hope Greg gets W/card though ! .

Have to say that to come back at 50yrs old will be a big ask but if anyone can do it he can and do love that style of his which many moan is boring but IMO merely super smooth armchair style makes it look easy .

I do hope that is the case as IMO he deserves to go out of the sport with his" boots on " as it were .

Got the impression that we may have seen the last of Greg Hancock as from what he said or didn't say tonight about riding again but was good to see him back even if it was as a pundit .

Well just like to say i am very sorry for the loss of the Potters just like my own Gunners and the Kings we will never sadly see the the likes of them again ,they were all IMO victims of a changing world and culture .There are things the sport can do but I do feel in this day and age many extenal things have/ are conspiring against it and there has never been the robust support that football and alike have enjoyed from outside parties but has been seen as a blight and antisocial activity by non followers . I think that the NSS will be the last pupose built track in this country and the best we can hope for is that demise of the remaining tracks can be avoided for as long as posssible !

I remember Jack once taking Ivan Mauger's carb apart at B/vue while Ivan was getting changed to see any mods he had ,when Ivan returned someone informed him of what Jack had done to which he replied at least he will have put it back together properly !

Once a riders head goes normally that's the end of it for them as in any sport a strong mental attitude is vital and the last thing you need is to be distracted or not fully committed ,you just become a danger to yourself and others.IMO( other than phyiscal injury) this is the main reason for riders retiring from the sport you see it so often when they are no longer committed at the starts ,they are almost frightened to make too good a start preferring to see how it pans out IMO this what has happened to Scott Nicholls watching him on TV recently .