Aries

I never said the promotors were lying. I’m just stating my opinion that riders being forced to ride somewhere because they’ve been picked is a farce that shouldn’t happen. Every rider should make the decision where they want to ride. He should have been a rising star by the way because he was on the list.

As they should.

Please, nobody take the bait and reply. It’s purely another hook dangling exercise.

Nothing whatsoever to do with money. Rew leaving Ipswich and joining Birmingham WAS due to money. Birmingham offered Rew a deal that Ipswich couldn’t/wouldn’t match. Jenkins makes no secret that his first choice was to ride at Ipswich for a variety of reasons.

Belle Vue will win as their top three should in theory be dominant here. Belle Vue have an issue at reserve however, one of the weakest pairings in the League so for that reason it should be competitive. Tate has started the season poorly and you have to wonder how much that crash has/is affecting him. Plenty of time to get some form back though but his early showings must be a slight concern.

Not sure they do tbh. Not many of the regular Witches rode there last year because of the injury situation, but those that did (King Thompson Jenkins) all struggled. Emil obviously the exception. Looking forward to the BSN stream. I know even you Birmingham fans are critical of the track and poor racing there but hopefully this one bucks the trend and we see an entertaining meeting. Just hope they get plenty of water down because that was an issue at Oxford and the racing was non existent. No disrespect to Erik Riss, but when he’s hitting a 20+ pointer you know it’s bad! Please not another dust bowl.

That’s Emil in a nutshell tbh very philosophical. People should watch it again, huge amounts of shale was getting caught up in his machine and it was like putting the brakes on and off around the third and fourth bend. We all have a pair of eyes and we could all see the huge collection of dirt by the fence. Why people choose to deny it was an issue is mind boggling. The Holders themselves even admitted there was an issue there that needed rectifying.

We need to accept that meetings at nearly every track are not going to be thrill a minute with passing in almost every heat. Was it ever any different though? I’ve been watching speedway for over 40 years and despite people saying the entertainment isn’t what it was due to various reasons, I personally don’t think it’s any different now to what it’s ever been. We all know the NSS is a cut above in terms of racing, but after travelling up and down the country watching speedway the last few years, the rest all seem to be very similar in what they produce. Mostly processional with a few really good heats throw in. But again, it’s always been that way in my experience.

A convenient spot of amnesia there!

A few walking wounded today apparently after last night. Dan the biggest concern, has a bit of an issue with his left hand but all expected to ride on Monday.

Exactly this. After last year if people seriously think we’re all confident of winning the title at this stage of the season and even getting to the playoffs offs injury free, then they’re living in cloud cuckoo land. We’re only a couple of meetings in and look what happened last night at Oxford! Five of the seven were involved in crashes, Doyle’s was horrible and I feared the worst for a few minutes. It’s a bit of a lottery at this early stage.

And for the millionth time, we don’t!!! It’s fans of other clubs saying that.

Once again why the sarcasm? You seem very bitter for some bizarre reason. You had a sly dig on the Ipswich Belle Vue thread also. “So much can happen between now and September” Yes we know, we’ve all been saying exactly that ffs 🙄

I’ll ask again, who has said that? Don’t be so salty 🙄

He looked better and quicker on Jenkins bike than he did his own! 😂 Probably just goes to show it’s not the machine, but the rider.

It’s literally a truck with two water tanks on the back and then two hoses spurting out water without any kind of even spray! Like you say it just isn’t fit for purpose. Poor meeting, non existent grip and a lot of the riders on both sides were struggling to get any kind of speed. Riss was fantastic and knowing him as we do having watched him at Foxhall for a few years, that track was perfect for him. On a positive note, great to have Oxford back all the same. Job done and on to Birmingham Monday.

Track is absolutely dreadful. Dust city! Literally have to pin your front wheel on the kerb and you’re golden. Suits Riss down to a T. Drift out even mid track and you spin up and go backwards

I’d have said the same last year when we were a country mile ahead in the league. The best teams over two thirds of a season don’t always end up “winners”

Fair point. There’s plenty of youngsters still on the rising star list that would I’m sure be grateful of that experience. The more you think about it the more it makes sense.

All things being equal and every club finished this season with the same 1-7 in which they started, I’d be almost certain Ipswich would be winning both trophies because it IS the best side put together this year. I’m not downplaying that fact or pretending otherwise. But the reality is there are always so many twists and turns throughout a season that can and often do, change the picture. Doesn’t have to be as drastic as last season either injury wise, an injury to a lower order rider can change things. An injury to Dan Thompson before he gets his official average without his 25% reduction would be huge. Who could possible replace him on his three and half point reduced average? That would weaken us badly. Same with Jenkins, nobody left on the rising star list could get close to replacing him. The chances of getting to the play offs with all your septet still in place is a lottery. You then have others who will look different come play off time through strategic changes when riders suddenly become available when the GP’s and Poland winds down. It’s small margins that can end up being very decisive.

Gone a bit over my head there. You and AceBelle one and the same?

Great idea about a number 8. Far better than my idea of allowing the opposition to also swap their rising star. The only issue with that is having a rider travel with equipment whilst not likely to get a ride.

We were all hoping for a more positive update than that sadly but the tone is a sombre one. Fingers crossed we get something much more positive in the days and weeks to come. Come on Tai we’re all behind you.

Correct Dan Thompson was up in to the main body of the side and as per the rules, Rider Replacement became effective. There is an argument that the rising stars should be protected and stay at 7 all season regardless of how well they do or what average they attain. The “main” six swap places as and when, dictated by averages. The sooner they bin this rising star stuff off in the top flight the better. I’m not a fan and never have been. The whole thing is a mess, from a list that contains riders of different levels and potential, to nonsense priority picks based on previous seasons table finishings. Then you’ve got the 25% guff when a rider comes out of it and it’s all a huge pile of crap IMO. Bin it.