SPEEDY69

Apparently the end game is to turn Foxhall into Mildenhall!

It has. The 'new' Castrol R is not the same stuff that was used in the 70s/80s. Methanol engines require an oil that is suitable for them and the high heat of speedway engines makes Castor based oil the most suitable but the oils have been developed a lot.

Ah, but if that is the case it won't be the old Castrol R that most riders used in the 70s/80s. There's no way PJR would recommend the old Castrol R40 - he was astounded I used old style castor in the 90s. The name lives on but the product will be different.

Modern synthetic oils give out less odour than the old mineral oils and total loss systems. Castrol R has not been used by pros for 20 years or more. Shame.

As with every other season, more so in recent years, it's not how you start it's how you finish. Speedway isn't raced on paper or expectation.

This is about fairness. There is no rule about 6+PL riders being barred from the Championship, Cook, Morris & Harris are three examples. The rule is unfair because it makes an arbitrary decision on whether you rode in that league the previous season. All riders are out of contract at the end of one season and start again with finding clubs - if the points limit is set to make it fair for all teams then the eligibility should be the same for the riders. I don't think the rule was made to penalise certain riders but it's clear that that is how it has turned out. A Premiership No.1 and also a GP rider can rider CL but Kennett, for example, cannot. It's simply favouritism and positive discrimination for those who can. Effectively, we're progressing to one league and as some have pointed out, as a CL side could actually have stronger heat leaders than a PL one!

A rather childish attitude and in any case, there is nothing wrong with using old equipment, as long as it's maintained. So whose job is it to secure backing from sponsors? Maybe they like someone who has a positive outlook and the vision to look forward, plenty of heavily sponsored riders in the past who have only been moderately successful but have gone out and worked for the backing.

Riders do sometimes whinge about being owed money and I know it happens but even the rabble in BSPA HQ wouldn't let a promoter open at a new track without paying their debts off surely - maybe the debts are disputed. I think this is great news, another team to join speedway at any level is good. Although Cradley are not fully participating this year they have shown that operating at other tracks can work. Many people always seem to be so pessimistic/negative, but I think that's a British trait.

I'm not down with the kids, what does that mean? I think it's great to see a team supporting the British riders, some oldies but goodies in there. Now there's enough triggers in that line for people to start on the jokes again but it's a team I'll be trying to see, if only on the very odd Monday or Wednesday off work.

No geekiness required. I fill a programme in to add my comments on the races and then share that with a relative that cannot attend. They thank me for it , we don't all use the internet for everything. Now some might say forum contribution is geeky behaviour

RIP, at least there was no drawn out illness. Met him loads of times at meetings and he used to come to my meetings sometimes as well - even in places such as Linlithgow. Last saw him in his job at Kesgrave Kitchen where he served us a mean fry up.

There isn't any.

Good - but why can't they see the impact of a rule before making it??? This is primary school stuff.

Unless they've changed the rules again (which would be good in this case), those riders are not eligible for the Championship. Victimisation when you can have higher averaged PL riders such as Cook, Morris and Harris in the CL.

So GP rider Cook could do CL in 2018 and we know Morris & Harris also. Sounds like a great reward for the man given the outstanding contribution to British Speedway award this year. Sometimes the BSPA are astounding in their ineptness,this is British Speedway, start supporting British riders

Maybe they would attract some but probably only once!

No I wouldn't. I want to see close meetings, not one sided processions.

Have you read the last two pages? The thread seems to have been hijacked by the 1 over 8 is rubbish brigade (most of whom don't appear to be Rye House fans).

Is this the Rye House thread

Or maybe that they make proposals and vote yes or no much like other committees - much of their decisions for their own club will be revenue based and I don't know all the details of the proposals, alternatives that were discussed and not put forward or how all clubs voted. It's no good having sides that wallop others as this creates little spectacle and makes for rubbish TV so they have to try to equalise team strengths. The points limit is one way to do it, rider grading is another - as ever there'll be winners and losers and those who make the best changes as the season progresses will be the most successful. If we had the Polish rules in the UK, which some have suggested, a team could be Woffinden, Cook, Dudek, Doyle, Lindgren, Lambert and Bewley. Would that make for good league speedway in the UK, no, because not many others could afford a team like that.

Did I miss the news about the TV deal - I thought that was the main topic of discussion at the AGM? It's important because that's the only way I'll get to see any Premiership next year, now they're all Mon & Weds.

Not too much change this time around. Most significant for me is the fixed nights. That ends my planned trips to Rye House, Belle Vue and Somerset for next season. I think it will be a Championship year for me, especially with the doubling down making it likely that there will be some good riders on show. Shame they've done nothing about the tail end of Championship teams - last year led to really strung out races.

Some excellent ideas here, shame you are not a promoter!

Yes, but they would fear not making it through the challenge. I think Holder would have struggled and a year out of the GPs should have been what happened. I also don't see why 9th place gets a pick every year - just make it the top nine then rather than pretend there's any risk. I found the GPs to be the most boring they've ever been this season but lots of people seem to like it. Watching the Championship playoffs and KO cups was much more interesting.

This is becoming a bit to frequent to avoid the suspicion that Cook is simply picking and choosing his meetings, avoiding those he doesn't fancy.