enotian

I think Pearson said 1 home 1 away for the Championship in his "video"

http://speedwaygp.com/news/article/6238/hancock-takes-rzeszow-challenge Some interesting Lewis Rose news. In line for some expert training. Not sure what it means for his 2018 availability though, should there be a 2018 that is. (from a Diamonds perspective rather than existentially speaking )

Keep it simple https://app.box.com/s/fzngmofjdpxqb3ycqmkihyjmezg8mepe Most important thing is the standard of on track entertainment. Tracks which are conducive to passing, meetings planned to be completed in under 90 minutes, jump starts to be penalised retrospectively at the end of the heat. Promoters must understand that new supporters are likely to have been attracted by SGP so the product has to meet expectations whilst being financially viable.

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The point being that once the riders realise that they'll be penalised anytime they jump the start they'll stop doing it so there'll be limited instances of a to be excluded rider interfering with the outcome of the heat (check out 100m sprinting since they brought in automatic disqualification, greatly reduced the number of false starts). Also in most instances of a rider jumping the start they're off and away anyway, that's why they jump the start. Also, so what if they do! More controversy more entertaining. I sometimes wonder if people would rather speedway meetings be run on paper so the right result is always achieved. Ultimately something needs to be done to stop the number of false starts but we don't want to see numerous 3 rider races so lets just let the race continue and exclude the jumper at the end. Speedways equivalent of the offside goal. The scoring teams supporters and players celebrate the goal only to have it ruled out at which point the opponents fans celebrate. What's not to like. Same as a close finish. Just adds to the tension. Most fans will have spotted the jump start and will eagerly await the official result hoping that the jump start has/hasn't been spotted. Heaven forbid someone having to change the result in their program making it all messy......... Refs wouldn't make mistakes in this respect if they utilised the technology at their disposal. Heat ends, quick review of the smart phone footage, any jumpers excluded. The prize of avoiding numerous boring time consuming false starts has to be worth it. Unless you guys have an interest in selling clutch plates.

Spot on. The psychology of retrospectively excluding riders will remove any benefits of trying to jump the start (which rider would want to do 4 laps then be excluded?) and mostly eradicate it. And even if it doesn't the supporters aren't subjected to multiple re-starts. Additionally it will add controversy (which is a good thing in case you didn't realise) but the decision to exclude should be supported by technology to avoid subjectivity. Easily done (and I can't believe this isn't standard already) the referee's assistant/time keeper should film every start (and the whole race for that matter) on their smart phone. After the heat the ref reviews the start and excludes anyone who transgressed the rules, regardless of where they finished the race.

It would. Arguably making each heat more competitive? So even if you're 12 up (3 ahead after three 5-1's) you don't want to concede a 2-4 because you're then only 2 ahead as opposed to 10 ahead. The dynamic changes. The individual scores wouldn't be relevant it would all be about heat advantages.

I'd like to see a different match scoring system trialed. Maybe in the National League or KOC. Heat points would still be 3-2-1-0 but each heat win (4-2 or 5-1) would result in 1 match point to the heat winning team. 3-3's would result in 0 match points to either team. So a match could end 15-0 (if a team had a heat advantage in all 15 heats) or 0-0 (if all 15 heats ended 3-3) or any combination between (ie 7-6 or 8-5). I feel it would give the impression of much closer results which might attract some new supporters (if you come from a football background and see a 6-3 result you think "that must've been a cracking match" whereas 50-40 looks like a hammering and there'd be more chances of a draw/last heat decider) You could also change the riders payments to match. I don't know the current rates but for illustration each heat could be worth £1,000 (so £15,0000 total winnings up for grabs). In practice some heats might be worth more (heat 13 and 15) and some less (heat 2 and 8). A heat win earns the winners the grand whilst a 3-3 sees the grand split between both teams. Might this encourage more team riding and therefore improve the product? (if you're out in front and your team mate is last you stand to win £500 but if you can help your team mate into third you double your teams winnings - difficult to tell) As I say worth a trial

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Eeeerrrr on Sunday the member of the track staff went down in instalments in front of Lewis Kerr who took evasive action to avoid what could have been a nasty collision for both. I'm sure there was no intent from the track staff

Announced tonight that Worrall rides at Peterborough on Wednesday. King replaces Lambert and Newman replaces Robson. I think that was what was said.

You misunderstand. Check the sentence before the highlighted one. I agree a team made up of guests is not a team. It's a disgrace. But if all seven of your regular team turn up that's your team isn't it? So what if sometime someplace else they ride for another team. None of your business what people do in their own time. I have a permanent job and my customers don't complain when I freelance elsewhere in my own time. As long as I give them 100% they're happy. It's simple. If you hire a builder and they don't finish your job and go of to work on another job you can complain. But if they finish your job you've no right to complain when they go on to their next job. Guys (or Lady) got to make a living. The trouble with doubling up at present is it like the builder going to the next job before he's finished yours. Look, we'd all prefer there to be no doubling up (it's naff) but if we have to have it (so riders can make a living without asking the paying customer for more) then lets do it right and eliminate these fixture clashes so your riders are always available. If you always got to see your seven rider team it's just lame to say it's not my team because they ride for someone else also. Unless you're prepared to pay extra for the privilege of exclusivity?

But those Leszno riders don't ride exclusively for Leszno. Importantly, they don't ride for another Polish team (U21's aside) but some will ride for a Swedish team. But they are always available for Leszno fixtures and the fans don't turn up wondering if they're seeing a full team or a select team and that's the problem we have here. We all accept injuries are part and parcel of speedway but to watch your team without a rider because he's riding for someone else is unacceptable. Probably why the polish authorities are clamping down on this. All I suggest is that we should accept being able to see teams represented by their regular team members in the majority of fixtures and we shouldn't let what those riders do in their own time be of any concern. Even if that is riding for another team in a different league, even in the same country. It's not ideal but it's just a concept to get your head around. If they ride in all of my teams fixtures they're part of my team. What they do outside of that isn't my concern. Try it. Fixed race nights for the top league would enable this but I think there also needs to be a distinction between the standards. The promotion relegation concept is a joke. The gap between the leagues should be wider. That can only happen if the top riders are lured back. Fixed race nights, less fixtures and better tracks will help but is it affordable??? I suggest the Polish experience is so much better (having not been to a Polish fixture) because the on track product is far superior and that's what British speedway needs to focus on, whilst accepting that we're not as fortunate as the Polish in this respect. I guess the notion of team loyalty works both ways. We've all wanted an under performing rider dropped and replaced. It's harsh but also part of the fun. Where's your team loyalty then? If you said I won't support a team that is made up of different guests and R/R week in week out, I'd fully support you. But to say I won't support a team because some of that team ride for someone else is a fairly weak argument given the circumstances. I suggest that if the on track action was amazing week in week out you would be able to turn a blind eye to riders having two teams. My point being doubling up isn't totally to blame for the current state of British speedway it's the sub standard product. Especially when we all have access to seeing SGP's, SEC, SWC, Polish League etc etc. It's like watching an M&S advert then going to Poundland expecting to buy a meal deal but coming away with turkey twizzlers, having paid the M&S price. The fact that when you open your turkey twizzlers some of them have been replaced by chicken dinosaurs just adds insult to injury.

I also support Sunderland football TEAM but have absolutely no connection or affinity with the highly paid individuals who wear the shirt because the club offered them better terms than anyone else and will disappear as soon as a better offer comes along (granted some exceptions exist). Indeed a number of them play for another team as well as Sunderland, just not at the same time (loanees). I'll support Sunderland regardless of who pulls the shirt on (with the exception of Johnson, during which I had a time out for obvious reasons) because it's the club I've invested in since being a child. During which time there's been some highs unfortunately outweighed by lows but that's sport. I would say your average speedway rider invests more into the club(s) they ride for than the majority of footballers. Doesn't mean I don't still love my football. The decision point for going to a sporting event for me is will it be an entertaining contest. Football got its house in order years ago in terms of pitches and facilities and is reaping the rewards (although despite the pitches some of the standard of football played on them leaves a lot to be desired). This is where the speedway authorities have let the sport down. Some of the tracks are just not conducive to producing entertaining racing. In some cases it's unfortunate because the bikes have evolved beyond the constraints of some of the British tracks but there appears to be a notion that entertainment = home win so tracks are prepared for home track advantage rather than to produce the best entertainment. Add to this the fact that the majority now get to see (sometimes) top class entertainment in SGP or SWC the British product is mostly inferior in comparison. Get the on track fundamentals right and it really shouldn't matter that much who is riding for who. All sport is now business so the economics can't be ignored. Speedway does not generate enough income to employ the riders full time. That's why they're self employed and paid per appearance so who can blame them for wanting to maximizing that. Don't get me wrong I don't like doubling up it seems strange and guests are even worse for the integrity of the sport but giving the riders enough fixtures to earn a decent living is a necessary evil. And is Robert Lambert riding for Kings Lynn and Newcastle any different to him also riding for Masarna and Rybnik and a German team? If the structure was right to ensure that, even with doubling up, a team always lines up with their declared seven (injuries permitting) and scratch selects are avoided would it matter that those riders also ride in another league? As long as they're never double booked and are available for each fixture. And this isn't just prevalent in Speedway. There's now a T20 cricket merry-go-round of IPL, Big Bash, T20 Blast featuring a lot of similar faces and you'll soon see players signed to a county and a city franchise in the new T20 competition. If it improves the product nobody is bothered about monogamy anymore. Without having paid too much attention to the Premiership this season apart from a couple of TV matches it actually looks like an interesting league with unpredictability and away wins (Leicester @ Belle Vue??? who'd have predicted that?) apart from Swindon walking away with it thanks to Musielak for Gappmaier/Grondal. Other than that the teams seem evenly matched with reserves able to compete with heat leaders. Clearly the Kings Lynn Farces need to get their house in order but in general it seems a competitive league at a decent standard, just a shame so many matches involve so many guests. Fixed race night would surely minimize that.

So you want to be able to identify with and support your own team, just not financially. Bottom line is Pandora's box is open. A double up rider now has circa 70-80 meetings to earn from. You take that away and allow them to only ride for one team, that's basically halving their earning potential. What happens then? Double the riders pay rates? Pass that on to the supporter? Or riders retire further watering down the product? Not good outcomes. Get rid of doubling up and the crowds flood back to pay the higher pay rates? Nice dream. Plus we all want more competitive British riders and the additional track time can only help that. And it's not exactly a new idea. I seem to recall in the good old days the top National League riders would ride at reserve for another team in the British League. Agreed the current situation is terrible but structured correctly (i.e. fixed race night for the top division and/or different format) the positives of doubling up could be retained whilst the constant guests and R/R negatives would be removed. Going back just isn't an option so a new way has to be found.

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