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DON'T underestimate what riding alongside Crump, one of the great professionals, will have on the rest of the team.

I suppose you need to take my comments in the knowledge I have never been a Crump fan - indeed he once scored an 18 point max guesting for the Witches and I didnt cheer at all Even in his prime I wouldn't have been too fussed about him becoming a Witch such is my indifference to him - I just have just never warmed to him (admittedly this is partly due to him being the arch rival No1 who scored countless points against us) Now that's not to say I didnt or dont appreciate his talent. Infact despite my general view I would class him in the top 5-10 riders of all time However after 8 years retired following what was significant injury I dont see that he will be anywhere near the level some are predicting He looked decent in the WA matches and will through his natural talent and undoubted professionalism hold his own in this years PL but somewhere around 6 points will be it IMO His influence on others could be a great positive for the team and cant be underestimated. His commentary and punditry is excellent and insightful. His experience and knowledge is 2nd to none His signing is probably bigger for the league as a whole than it is for the Witches in particular and will generate significant interest which is much needed It will be strange and initially difficult for me to cheer him but at the end of the day he is now a Witch and therefore he will get my unreserved support. You never know I may even learn to like him

I hope Crump does well, would be a shame for a legend to come back and be a shadow of his former self. Looking at the standard of the league nowadays I think he’ll be ok given time, and people will pay to see him which speedway in the UK badly needs.

They didn't drop Harris,,, so I doubt they would drop Crump. Personally I've always wanted Crump as a witch,,, okay possibly too late,,,, but what's the saying,,, form is temporary, class is permanent. If he could be 80 percent of his former self, thats good enough for this league

Time will tell for both sides whether this is right or wrong but let’s enjoy the moment. I am old enough to remember another 44 year old Aussie who joined Rayleigh in 1973. Black leathers, old fashioned handlebars but boy could Peter Moore gate and with a style that looked so laid back and he managed an average of 8.30. His equipment was nowhere near the standard of today’s machines but he knew how to ride and was a fine example of someone who had honed his craft as a rider. Crump knows what he is doing. History says we should not write the older rider off, just yet.

I don't see how the track was perfect for him and yet nobody else could apparently ride it. If he was handed any advantage at all it was probably through his engine, rather than the track. Muller was a worthy champion though. And, yes, I was there. I was also at the 1976 final and Muller was pretty sensational in that one, too, coming close to getting 11 points. Hardly the form of someone who had done little to enhance his speedway reputation. Also, if you watch the Ivan Mauger documentary, Ivan's wife talks about how Ivan used to get very stressed about trying to do things that Muller was doing - so he can't have been that bad. He was also, perhaps, fortunate that his home country World Final fitted nicely after Penhall retiring and Nielsen/Gundersen still not quite ready for World domination. But, in that final, he was so dominant that you cannot dispute his legitimacy. Also, before the final, the general consensus on our bus was that Muller was favourite to win, and, when my friend got him in the sweepstake, everyone groaned and tried to swap with him. The venue itself was an odd one, though. Not so much the stadium itself, but its location. I went on a Speedway tour and, initially, we were put into people's houses, with the bus parked in a cul-de-sac. Some people (mainly Belle Vue fans as I remember) refused to leave the bus and insisted we were put in a hotel. Eventually we were moved to a town somewhere - I don't even know what town it was! - and put in a hotel, which, I recall, was a long way from the track.

George may have been the face of Newcastle speedway, but to say HE kept us afloat is a bit of disservice to some of those behind the scenes, who over the years have put thousands upon tens Of thousands in. Good luck George and thanks.

I think it's great that Crump is back. Ok, he and Nicki may not be the riders they were but these guys have an aura about them which no other rider here - with the possible exception of Doyle - has. Their signings will surely improve crowd levels at Ipswich and Sheffield, and hopefully at away tracks when they visit..I'll certainly be paying a visit to both tracks this year for the first time in yonks.

Words fail me

I think that this is a gamble on all fronts rider ,team ,he won't come cheap I hope he is something like the rider he was but I have reservations about that .I have been told that once a rider retires there mindset chnges this is usually why they are never as good as they have been and they lose touch with pressure plus bcome more aware of the dangers once they step away.I am certain this has happen to Greg Hancock( never believed he would ride again once he stopped ) he's probably recently did a few sessions and all of a sudden the reality dawn on him . The Pl is not the GP'S but the same risks exist in all racing and IMO that's what will defeat JC old riders lose their nerve and concentration hence they seem to fall off a lot more ,I witnessed this in PK in his last season for Wolves and he'd not been retired for ever .Sorry folks think this is a big mistake in all parts but I do wish the team and JC all the best and hope I am wrong !

Jason Crump's return, at whatever age, is exciting. He was one of speedway's last superstars (in my eyes). Luckily for British speedway, the other - Nicki Pedersen - is also showing his face again. These names mean more with their presence than the points they will score. The sport just doesn't have bums-on-seaters anymore. I'd disregard their tallies and just be thankful they've chosen to bless these shores again. Your team winning isn't always as important as the sport itself. And British speedway has received a boost with these two returning. All the best to both.

Why post something like this? Perhaps he's just tired, feels its time to sit back and is really pleased that someone has come forward to take over the reins. Take a bow Mr English for all you have done for the Diamonds and speedway.

The 8.21 average is way too high for a rider who has been retired so long and not ridden in the UK for even longer however it's largely irrelevant as we clearly had no other options once Holder's visa fell through. Feel for Kemp who has been thrown in at the deep end due to unfortunate circumstances. Struggled in the Championship last year and really needs longer before moving up to this level. Wish him all the luck.

Shhh it hasn't been yet. Still need to complete the crushing of the existing league before swooping in and saving the day.

Fantastic to see Rob involved again.

...which is important in my opinion.

Good night everyone - dont Tai yourselves up in knots fretting over which Dude will fill the last spot. Dont be grumpy if its Crumpy and dont smile too much if its the Grin And Geoff you know what they Za gar forth and multiply Once a Witch always a Witch - bring it on whomever it may be

A bit like Swindon?

Facebook and Twitter are great for one way output, people to input and say how triffic everything is and the ability/facility to not have to interact with anybody or anything that doesn't follow that path before moving on the the next story, so can't say that I'm surprised. Would have been more surprised if you'd have got a reply.

I always thought Crump was a points scoring machine and would have enjoyed seeming him ride at Peterborough this year. Having said that being out for 8 years will undoubtably affect his confidence, certainly at least until he gets up to speed and that’s without mentioning his age, his current weight and his fitness. He always had good equipment and I don’t see that changing but his assessed average is high and it’s difficult to see him achieving that. Nevertheless he will undoubtably draw the crowds but will his style suit Foxhall, certainly not as much as Alwalton, where he was always very good. His return is certainly a gamble and whether it works or not could determine the Witches chances.

Where does it say that their banner is going to cover up your plaque. Surely, given the length of that straight, it is big enough to accommodate both. Or is one of you looking for a fight.

At 44 yrs old with a fair few yrs out the sport I would imagine if he accrues a 5.7 - 6 pt average it would be a pretty good achievement

Was never a Huge Greg fan, Billy was always my favorite rider. However I got to know Greg when he visited NYC a couple of years ago and we have remained friends ever since. What I can say he is as nice in person as you see on the camera. Its not a front or BS. But he was fiercely determined to be successful without over stepping boundaries. Its fascinating talking to him on how he reinvented himself in 2010 to make himself a contender again. A genuinely nice bloke and whether or not you enjoyed watching him ride, deserves a massive amount of respect for the career he had.

When they both would have raced against him numerous times before.... It is a classic case of because he didn't take UK speedway seriously (probably to be far, speedway in general), the UK didn't take him seriously. People talk about Egon, and Jerzy Szczakiel being not "world class", but in my opinion, Les Collins, with every respect to the bloke, would have been a bigger "shock" World Champion had he done it in 1982. He was certainly an excellent rider at his peak, but not one of the very top averaging riders of that era.

If he gates then maybe. Can’t see him putting his neck on the line going for a gap and risking injury to himself

Taking their time to put the best possible line up they can together working within budgetary constraints and rider availability would be my guess.

Nah. He just said "I'll be back." And now he is.

If it is Iversen and Wells then that is a tidy looking team. Ive gone on record saying I just see NKI coming back, given his GP and other league commitments, but I’d love to be wrong. A league with him, Crump, Pedersen, Killer back etc. Perhaps the brightest our league has looked for a while.

I didn't say nobody else could ride it . If having the track prepared to favour the home rider and to allow maximum track practice isn't an influence why do countries, especially the Poles but apart from Britain do it?

Another case of short sightedness by the BSPA, as an example during the years that Cradley had no team i went to 2 meetings once to see Coventry including H & H beat Wolves at Monmore, and the other was Birmingham V Edinburgh, my allegiance is to Cradley not to any other Team, the point i am making is i wont go to watch Wolves Kids race against whoever, but i will/would go to watch Cradley Kids against whoever.. this is backed up by Wolves running in the 3rd tier for a couple of seasons watched by one man and his dog, then someone had the bright idea to name the team Cradley Heathens and we all know what then followed, crowds of up to 1500. With regards the Reading situation at Swindon, yes a few Reading fans would go to watch THERE team (Reading) in a competitive League, but they wont go to watch Swindon, so its Swindon that will lose our financially. There was and is an easy solution to all of this, what is there to actually stop Teams from track sharing if there is support from fans ?, I notice Milan were used as an example, however we could also use Coventry City FC sharing the Birmingham City ground this season, I sometimes wonder if there are ulterior motives when the BSPA make these ridiculous decisions which have NO benefit to the Sport. Then they avoid taking decisions which could and should be made ie end doubling up/down, and having new riders from abroad when our own riders such as Nathan Greaves cant get a Team place, I wonder what the UKBA would think about sponsoring Clubs requiring visas when UK passport holders cant get rides?.. Oh and while we are at it, Would Edinburgh have been as succesful being known as Armadale ?.

Stevebrum strikes again!!

What a shame we've dropped down a division this season. We're going to miss out on seeing the Dirty Dane and Crumpy ride at Wimborne Road. Both past there best but well worth watching all the same. Matt and Danny F must be at least a little gutted. Just saying

Given how long he's been out of (full time) speedway, an 8.21 ave seems very harsh!

Too busy helping out at the stadium, looking forward to seeing our season tickets, checking that our tigers jackets will last another year, planning our holidays so we can support our team home and away. I could go on, just excited that's not long before the season starts. Hope all speedway fans have a great time supporting their team.

Crump and Pedersen riding in England....who would of thought that! Personally I think it makes things very interesting,and be a crowd pleaser?

Not really, he left due to a fall out and is arguably better than what we have now so hardly a cast off. He was a major par of Lynn’s success through the noughties by generating team spirit and getting the best out of some previously ordinary riders.

This Peterborough promotion have missed a big opportunity to reignite peoples interest in Peterborough Speedway by not signing Crump, to have him back gracing the showground track would of most likely got alot of the old stay at home followers back through the turnstile, sometimes its not whats on track but whos on the track, business sense is something this promotion clearly havn't got much of

And don’t forget, Wolves have enticed back Masters and Thorsell.

Crump has no pressure... When was the last time a Witches no 1 maintained their ave... let alone improved it? See no pressure.... Jason will have top spec bikes so as long as he has his gating gloves will do just fine. Welcome to the Witches

Replacing carl as team manager is as good news as signing a top number 1. Finally we have a team manager that knows what hes doing.

Ipswich Sheffield or Sheffield Ipswich will surely be televised.

I'm absolutely delighted to see Drew wear the Witch that's the silver lining for me

Inter Milan & AC Milan? I respect your involvement in and opinions of our sport but would suggest that this matter should e taken on a team by team basis rather than a blanket ban. At Rye House in 1999 we had to overcome a great deal of official hostility but it worked. Both Weymouth and a certain Mr.Godfrey's Scunthorpe both ran as nomadic teams. I know, I presented a meeting featuring both one at Iwade ;-) With some it works, with some it doesn't. In any case these junior league matches are only a step up from after-meeting practice. If a track like Swindon is happy to allow Reading to play a very minor [part in their meetings then why not? A little colour has been lost and some competitive second half action along with it.

Close Photos from Marc Websdale Speedway Photos's post in Mobile Uploads Tag photo Options Send in Messenger Like CommentShare Quite an image.

Even a stopped clock is right twice a day

Peter Adams told us the tale when he was a guest at an NSSC meeting. Peter was driving Bruce and the World Championship trophy to Germany. When they arrived at the ferry Bruce realised he hadn’t got his passport. With no time to return to the Midlands to collect it, and the need to get the trophy to the final, they decided to hide Bruce in the boot and managed to get him through all the checks to Germany. As you can imagine that is a very short version of Peter’s long and very funny story.

As Carl Johnson now has a ‘wider role in Club affairs’ perhaps resolving the disabled parking problem will be on his ‘to do’ list.

Yet another Lynn cast off

Great weekend for Tim Dixon, debut meeting, and after his Bollnäs meeting a gold medal for being part of the ÖMK League winning side. Many congratulations Tim. He will now stay in Sweden to train, before travelling down to Berlin to ride in the German Championship

I would have Steve in any team I know he had a bad year last season, may have been the club he was riding for? But he is a top rider in the championship