IronScorpion

Last night the announcer/timekeeper at Belle Vue gave a time of 61.02 for heat 8 then immediately apologised if we had filled in our programmes as it was wrong. He then gave a time of 62.69. Where 61.02 came from I have no idea as wasn't a time of a previous race. Do they just make them up?

Where does Lawlor come in your plans for 2019? He was signed then dropped but kept in the background for learning purposes. Will he be groomed, elsewhere, for a return in 2020. Regarding the rumours(I have not heard them) of the limit being dropped to 36, still wrong in my eyes as it should be 42 based on 7 riders in each team riding 4 times equals 84 points, will this be due to 6 man teams with a possibility of a named squad/guest system.

This is similar to what I heard from people sat close to me but isn't that similar at most tracks where you have to wait for the dirt to sent to the fence to be able to ride there. It is not track prep, & that can be improved at most tracks to provide fair & entertaining racing, but, as others have said, track shape. GoFundMe is ok if you are on facebook but I am not & have tried numerous times to donate to other types of pages in different walks of life, so it is ok for buckets to be passed round. As has been said, it is your choice to donate.

I think all 3 have at some time. In one of my previous posts, I said the riders that we could chose from would probably have an average similar to what Danny has got in the NL. All we have done is released a lad, by mutual consent?, that has struggled all year, only having 2 2nds & 7 3rds in 48 races at home on a track that he has ridden on numerous times in the past for the Saints. Even Drew Kemp(what a prospect) came here after having 2 poor scoring, rough track, meetings & notched up 12 paid 14 from 5 rides on our "bowling green" smooth surface. It seems a logical choice to drop a rider, shot of confidence in the mix with other riders, for a rider that will give it a go. Unfortunately, the throttle works both ways & it seems he shuts off into the 1st bend 1st lap & then tries to race. Having extra practice on his starting was never the issue. These have been comments given to me by friends on the 1st bend as I am further round the track. To post on his website that we have stopped him getting another CL spot because we have released him after the cut off. He needs to look in the mirror & ask himself who would have signed him. Lawlor, Jenkins & Kinsley could be added to that trio.

As Josh was granted a testimonial at the AGM, I would hope he is a Scorpion next year after his improved form this year with his testimonial being the curtain raiser in 2019.

Bacon would not have been there if you could not have got Nicholls. It's a numbers game.

What has happened previously is if the GP is rained off & moved to the Sunday Poland immediately postpone the fixtures.

Have you checked what riders ARE available? here is a list taken from Top 20 in NL on Current Form Posted 5 hours ago My top 20 riders on current form as at 31.08.18 are as follows:- 01 (01) Tom Bacon-Birmingham-1150 02 (02) James Shanes-Birmingham-1140 03 (14) Danny Ayres-Mildenhall-1100 04 (04) Conner Mountain-Coventry-1035 05 (13) Georgie Wood-Eastbourne-1030 06 (07) Drew Kemp-Mildenhall-1025 07 (08) Ellis Perks-Plymouth-1010 08 (09) Mark Baseby-Eastbourne-1000 09 (03) Alfie Bowtell-Isle Of Wight-995 10 (11) Ben Morley-Isle Of Wight-990 11 (19) Josh Bailey-Mildenhall-985 12 ((---) Danyon Hume-Birmingham-950 13 (16) Jack Smith-Belle Vue-945 14 (15) Jack Thomas-Kent-940 15 (---) Anders Rowe-Kent-935 16 (---) Tom Perry-Belle Vue-930 17 ((---) Natham Stoneham-Kent-928 18 (---) Jordon Jenkins-Mildenhall-925 19 (12) Kyle Bickley-Belle Vue-910 20 (---) Leon Flint-Birmingham-905 From this list, 16 are unavailable through being in a CL team, having too high an average or underage. From the remaining riders, some have a similar average to what Danny has in the NL so it is about giving someone else a chance. Danny could have withdrawn his services because he is struggling & letting the team down. JPB & Shuttleworth did similar in previous years.

It is the top rider from each club & Cook is Glasgow's top rider. Then it is 5 of the 2nd best riders to qualify. But, to me & others have posted similar, it is not a team event as in pairs or 4's but an individual riders event which should be the top 16 riders using 2018 qualifying rides only.

Taken from NL Completing Fixtures thread the problem is that when there's call off's early in the season there's no effort by either side to get a restaging as there's so much of the year to go then when our usual 'summer' weather hits we get what we have now . the fact we are here again after the summer we had this year just hammers home that nothing will ever change . & Report post Posted 3 hours ago I have to agree. Berwick and Sheffield were the same in that they finished in August. Teams make excuses to move the cut off date and all it does is affect the teams that get on with the league meetings. It is mostly the same teams every year that drags the season out.

He has the money for diesel & ferry crossings though.

We do almost every meeting.

At home, there seems to be more people in the pit area so more hands make light work. For away meetings is the area where he has been struggling as mechanics, maybe, cannot give up their spare time.

R & R has said that Sheffield should not be using r/r but a NL guest as no facility should be given. Even practice is on the Saturday. Is Harris riding for Glasgow tonight as he is in the longtrack team with Wajtknecht & Ellis?

I have not fully read the SS but going by what has been said about FNR, surely if 7 or 8 teams come to tapes in 2019 then 1 league riding on Monday only( to avoid Danish leagues) leaving Championship to ride thur, fri, sat & sun riding once only. This makes Rye House possible to ride CL on Saturdays. There is also the issue of what is happening to lakeside or other teams moving up from NL to CL & if possible teams from CL to PL. Eastbourne & Kent come in to these categories. The likes of Rye House moving to Saturdays in the CL is what I would think is the norm but we need teams to move up to the PL for TV rights to make the 8 teams. Riding on Mondays twice avoiding Denmark but similar to Poland takes away some riders in two leagues bue making a larger PL riding home & away just the once. Other teams making up the CL could be Birmingham & Eastbourne making the PL about 7 or 8 teams & the CL about 13 or 14. This will also help in rider availability. We would just need to make a rule for British riders per team whether 3 or 4.

??????????????????? Heats 13 & 14 are nominated, heat 15 is top scorerers

It seems it is close to 2 riders. In the premiership, they have 1 top rider & in the Championship they have a NL rider( some have 2). Otherwise, most teams have 5 or 6 riders that are or have doubled up/down this year.

I think a few years ago Sittingbourne were in the NL & have now been rebranded as Kent. It could be because of where they race is not instantly recognisable so naming after a county gives them more exposure especially if no other team is close by.

Kent

quote So yes it is time to change the reserve riders back to their original reason for existing - breaking tapes or injury. But that could lead to a poor scoring rider touching or breaking tapes tactically to bring in a good scoring reserve. This, also, leads to longer meetings. Keep still at the tapes until they rise. Touching or breaking the tapes leads to a disqualification & no replacement. Rider suffers(lack of pay) & team suffers(1 team member in race). No advantage gained through unsporting tactics.

Should be ok as we are back to having only 3 meetings on a Friday . As some teams squeezed themselves into the Friday nights racing early in the season when not many riders were missing through one reason or another, the wet start to the season then the hot few weeks, you would have thought some teams would have tried to catch up meetings or re-arrange later meetings, if possible of rider availability, while the good weather was here. But no as they say fixtures were agreed at the start of the season & that's how it should be. Now we have had a period of wet weather & tracks have softened up a bit. It is reported on the updates that track conditions are catching riders out & there has been too many injuries this last couple of weeks through one reason or another. Best wishes to all riders that have been injured recently but shows that rules need changing, again, as they always do, to allow replacements for season ending injuries happening after the transfer cut off date. Happened last year with Wolves & Belle Vue & Poole suffered not long ago. If a rider does return through intensive treatment, whether here or abroad, then the facility of the replacement is withdrawn.

Another example of reserves winning meetings is now at Workington, a former no1 is now a reserve & beating riders that he couldn't do before. It is also about team building & Newcastle & Berwick are proving that you don't need no1's but strength in depth to win meetings as their reserves, between them, often score 15+.

Just a typical reply from some Workington fans as they see things one-sided. Even previous posters mentioned Workington were unlucky in heat 8 but lucky in heat 13. He fails to mention it.

........ and that is with only 6 teams riding tonight. Just shows that the BSPA(not Godfrey) made the right decision to stop the abuse of too many teams riding on 1 night Friday as was discussed at the AGM. Rules need amending sometimes if problems arise. I would think most people at work go through problem solving talks & issues & implement changes. Even the Premiership Fixed Night Racing schedule has limited options for guests as was proven earlier this week.

Maybe the showers can be worse than expected & the meeting postponed to preserve the health of the guests for their main teams. Even if it is a team sport, the riders are self employed & move from team to team, generally, every year.