Fourentee

Good point. Having ridden SWC the night before, I guess he almost had to turn out today. Although I suspect that he would have raced even had the team event been scheduled differently. Tough cookie.

Tatum, even by his own dismal standards, has been woeful tonight.

I had a good night all-round. Admission is so quick with pre-paid tickets, crowd looked sizeable (programmes sold out!), fans enthusiastic (if you're the gentleman with whom my Australian mate in the Oz rugby shirt and I chatted, it was a pleasure to meet you) and, above all, some of the racing was excellent. It is so good to see Oxford revived. I wish them well.

Fair enough. That would rule out Masters' winning tac sub ride at Scunthorpe, of course...

Thanks for the replies to my parking query. Much appreciated.

Hi, apologies for what may seem a silly question. Which road do I use to access the Unipart car park, please? There seem to be at least three contenders on Google Maps!

Thanks, much appreciated. And with reference to an earlier post, I have now bought tickets and parking online.

Excellent, thank you. Will sort that now. Anyone with suggestions on where to eat locally, please? And is there pits access for supporters either before or after the match? I dragged an Aussie mate to Workington for his first ever speedway match last year. He had such a good chat with fellow countryman Jacob Hook afterwards that now Hook is in business again he wants to get to this fixture!

Planning to take in Oxford/Scunthorpe on Wednesday, which would be my first visit since racing resumed. Would welcome any input on parking, food etc from supporters. Thanks in advance.

Indeed. He's just hopeless.

Agreed. I wonder what the verdict might have been had the incidents happened the other way round, i.e. the basic bunching one before the somewhat more questionable "off"? Still probably all four back.

I should add that Kemp, IMHO, seems to be settling to the circuit and rode a couple of very shrewd races, adjusting to where the chasing rider wanted to be.

Yes, good point. Ht 15 especially you could see him riding wide to allow Kemp free rein on the inside line, checking his position repeatedly. Nic's always been about speed and flow in his racing. The track could have been built for him!

I think TMs are sometimes, understandably, a bit reluctant to throw someone in who hasn't been on track since heat 10. FWIW I would have gone for Thomson, but we never know what goes on behind the scenes and what the reasoning is for selections.

First time for me, too. Very impressed with the set-up -- well-marshalled parking, friendly staff, good infrastructure with food/drink/merchandise etc all readily availableand an interesting programme. Problems with the new material on track led to a loooong delay, but communication with the crowd was good and the racing afterwards was excellent. Interesting to see a lot of fans, both adults and children, in Foxes shirts. Encouraging to see this response as the club tries to build its own fan base and not rely on Coventry and Peterborough supporters getting their fix, welcome as they no doubt are. The blue/orange/white colours are striking and the fox logo is a very clever design, immediately attractive to children but with plenty of character and detail to swing adults too. Full marks on that one. If I have a mild criticism it is that the stadium comes over as a tad functional at the moment. Even the odd tub of flowers would help there. But overall a really good and very welcome addition to the sport. Special kudos to the very young and very diligent litter pickers in action on bends one and two, they were great!

Fastest time.

Kelvin as well-prepped as ever...

The now could also mean "in a change from last year", meaning the riders you mention were covered, but is certainly ambiguous and definitely needs clarification.

Danish U21 final. Jakobsen goes in heats 2,7, 12, 13 and 18 IIRC. Tidy style, decent trapper. Brave extended battle in heat 7 when on the outside. Big ask for a youngster to go straight into the main body of a Championship team and, on a five, presumably stay there. But best of luck to him.

Ha! I didn't know that. I know Jacob Hook had the 'on the doorstep tough meeting v epic trip easier meeting' previously, opted for the mega drive (successfully) and saw the nearby one rained off and not restaged.

Are they in the room with you at this moment? 😉

Plenty of people down the years have had a pop at Poole, me included. I don't recall any of them expressing satisfaction at any doubt cast over the club's operating future, though as in all things I stand to be corrected!

That did make me laugh. Underrated post!

Don't be absurd. Our sport is on the ropes and any fan worth their salt would be delighted that a well-resourced and stable club is securing at least its immediate future.

I'd take Dave Rowe or Dave Goddard as lead commentator in a heartbeat.