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Thoughts with everyone at Workington, it was all going so well.

He was probably the best available on that sort of average out of what was left . You can look at it positively, you have two ex-GP regulars spearheading the side in a watered down league .

Come on young man stop trying to fool the public it doesn't become you

if workington go through the season and it pays its own way i see that as a good season then the new riders will be club assets and be stronger for 2025 no one wants to finish bottom of league and get hammered at home but if they have good racing and decent crowd then ill be happy enough

Lets give him a chance i think a bit like craig he needs to have his head in the right place !

I hope you're right... we'll see

I think for as much good publicity as Liebmann has brought, it's left the team terribly unbalanced. A lot of pressure on 4 riders on their first season of championship racing.

Welcome to Workington Troy! Good for the team to have some experience in there and Troy has plenty of it as with Cookie. So we now have 2 former GP riders. In response to the negative stuff about batch that’s in the past he’s a Comet now and I’m sure he will get the backing of the fans. Only one more rider to go I can’t wait to see the new team on track! Scunny away is our first trip let’s get behind the team!

Depends on how he feels on race day if you’re going to get the good batch or the crap one.

I think this signing puts the Workington team in a new perspective personally it could be a long season if anything happens with cook and if batch has his poor days and with questions marks over liebmann and zisckhe seeing the tracks for first time… I fear they could get some pastings away but hope I’m wrong.

Low 7 I think maybe 7.10 or something…. Very frustrating rider he can beat the best in the league but also get beat by the reserves hope he does well personally though.

Troy Batchelor signing number 6

well i recon thats the first im not too happy about hopefully a full season can see batch improve and get back to near where he once was

When the sport was "very popular" it wasn't domestic speedway that stimulated the interest.. It was the very regular national success at both individual and team level, being beamed into millions of homes several Saturdays a season... Domestic speedway then lived off the back of that publicity and interest, and, with no social media, its "Mickey Mouse"' rules, and ad hoc last minute rider changes, which existed even then, didnt impact crowd levels the way they do today. (eg. You would find out PC was riding in Germany in a LT meeting, or that a team had four guests and RR, after you had paid to get in, now you would know well in advance).. Then the promoters started training up all the rest of the worlds riders, and reduced opportunities to UK riders, which had the inevitable conclusion that UK success on the international scene dwindled to virtually nothing... And domestic crowds therefore naturally dwindled off the back of it... As Italia 90 showed, and the England Rugby success in 2003, and the Ashes victory in 2005, international success stimulated each sports' domestic success by the interest it created in the sports' as a whole.. Maybe a test series against the Aussies might engage a few more to attend their local tracks..? (And, such is the relatively low crowd numbers, just a hundred more at most tracks would be a double digit growth)... You would think a 2,000 crowd on a BHM, a GF, or a Saturday or Sunday would be possible at several tracks wouldn't you? Max £25 a ticket and that's circa £50k.. Maybe a £25k prize money fund per test if that crowd size was possible? A "properly ran" speedway meeting/series ran with credibility and something worth winning, might also draw some sponsorship from others outside the sport too, rather than, as so often happens currently, much of the sponsorship coming from those who follow it, or benefit in some way, from being involved in the sport...

A gap big enough for Bastian Borke....

Think you would be surprised.

The only 2 I have reservations about are Liebemenn and batchelor the rest will be fine. Cook will be one of the best riders in the league

I have to disagree & say there is improvement in all 3 of them, Cook was going great till the crash that injured the photographer, Vissing averaged 7.07 for Glasgow but carrying his Birmingham scores, drops that to 6.24. Batchelor probably had the least improvement in him, but he's shown he's a ok "3rd heat leader" at Oxford & Birmingham, in a weaker league could be a "2nd heat leader".

You're right, I should have said all! 4 riders on assessed averages, 3 of which have not raced in Britain (regularly) before Cook, big question mark whether his head is still in it... and Batch for that matter. There's really no forecasting how that team will perform!

They might up their average in a weaker league, however riders from other clubs will also think they can up theirs as well. Riders like Batch and of his age/career tend to play the percentage game. Score 8 with no risk, don’t chase down the rider in front and therefore don’t get injured = regular pay packet. Push for those extra points =risk = injury and pain, no earnings and weeks out. Younger riders don’t think that way, take the risk and progress (or face time out injured!). Tate should be the rider everyone should be watching in that team, like Ben Basso was at Poole a couple of seasons ago. Might come up when Poole visit, though hoping BSN are there!

Ah yes 2010... When Tate was 5, Sam was 4, Celina was 9 and Antti was 11. Plenty of youth in the team Not a fan of Craig or Troy... Could both go either way but hopefully they can keep focused... Wide open track like that should suit them both, hope it's slick

Yep. Hans is the perfect signing. Just need everyone to climb aboard the De Lorean in back to the future, turn the clock to 2010, then you have a championship winning team. Seriously, Cook, Batchelor and Vissing, if he is the missing link, have no improvement in them. You have Antti Vuolas 5.0 and Tate Zischke 5.00 who look good prospects, and a team needs riders who can improve. I wish Workington a successful season with good crowds, good racing and goodwill. But the touted team won’t get near the playoffs. The inclusion of Celina Leibman is great for publicity but seriously? Would Englands best female player get a team place at Swindon Town or Wigan?

COULD be a decent signing,time will tell.Its a watered down league and still has the skills if he is in the mood.

The so called journalists at Swindon dont mention his shenanigans at Swindon

Turning up would be a good start.

I think Batchelor is a decent enough signing, average should improve with less top heat leaders about this year. Leaves enough room for Vissing as 3rd heat leader. If the the potential improvement of Vuolas & Zischke comes through, looks a play-off side to me.

Risky signing. Shown a poor attitude the past couple of seasons. Big question marks over which Cook and Batch turn up this season.

Oh dear.

Team spirit will be.... ... interesting!!

He's shown he can be unbelievably good or bad but usually in the same meeting. As a non Workington fan it feels a but of a flat signing after the promising additions and a bit of a gamble with him and Cook in the same side fingers crossed it will all work out though

7.16 I think.

Because they have to have 3 rides doesn’t give lot of options unless one of the main men are having an off night,but a good manager will work that out IMO.

nothing on website so far so ill wait before getting too excited

Josh Auty

Ah but you have Stewart Dickson, now in charge ,who loves swapping them around

Because most team managers don't swap the reserves round. Last year Poole took Ablitt out of heat 8 often & this year Redcar swapped the reserves more once Harrison signed, but apart from that, didn't notice much "swapping round of the reserves" happening.

Why can't people grasp that, no matter the number on their back, reserves can be swapped in every one of their heats after No 2?

I think Nielsen would be a bigger gamble, if his average drops to 3.00, far less alternatives available. Thomsen can't drop below 4.00, so I don't see that as a gamble really, if he's awful can sign another 4.00 rider (& repeat till 75% of the fixtures are raced) or even Nielsen then.

Good signing in Hodder he’ll only get better.

If Laguta is available NT simply has to sign him, okay he may cost a few bob but without a Top class No1 it will cost Nigel a lot more than what he may think, being without a true No1 will impact on his gates a lot more than paying what Artem will cost, Laguta riding for the Brummies against Sayfutdinov, Doyle, Bewley, Holder and the like should certainly create interest and bring people through the gates. Nigel says he is in no rush to complete the Team well in my opinion he ought to be, this will then give them time to get other things sorted out such as sponsorship deals and having a former World/GP Champion on board will be a good starting point, being the second city team may well have some drawbacks with potential supporters having other plenty of choices for there leisure pound, but it also gives the Brummies more opportunity to get some big name sponsors on board that wish to be associated with World Champions, his landlord and his businesses would be someone as an example that they could possibly target, another area could be house builders who are generally awash with cash etc etc. Incidentally I noticed in Nigel's new year message that while he mentioned Laurence, Chris (assistant manager) and himself being involved in deciding the No1 and No5 he did NOT mention Sam Ermolenko (Team manager) which I thought was rather strange, my advice for what it's worth (probably nowt) is to pull your respective fingers out get the team signed up then you can concentrate on getting potential sponsors on board, Good luck in 2024.

just the lotto numbers for next Saturday if thats okay thanks for helping me out Happy new year to you and all speedway folk in general l i know whats commong next .

All the best in 2024 to everyone (well almost everyone - you know who you are )

Wishing comets fans and any other clubs fans lurking on here (pirates and tiggers etc) a happy new year, hope you all enjoy the upcoming season, let's support the comets in huge numbers at home and away, win, lose or draw, hope we have some exciting speedway to watch at the northside arena UTC

Why would you now feel the need to rush it, when every other team has their 1-7 signed and announced. I’d look at it that Birmingham now is the ONLY choice for any rider looking to race in GB, and some who were not interested in Sept last year will now be looking at it. The announcements by other clubs will actually help encourage this, plus why would you announce a major signing in the run up or over Christmas when you would get zero publicity. They are more than aware they need a 1 & 5, just enjoy your egg nog

Wish they would just announce rest of team

Cheese Rolling.

No matter your opinion on it I think Workington will be the away side most fans will be looking forward to see. Some in hope to see Celina fail and say I told you so, others in hope she succeeds. Throw in Tate, the Finn and cookie it's the team I won't be missing when visit ashfield this season. Fair play to the promotion, will have more than the speedway world talking about this signing can only be good for the sport

While Max Perry gets dropped because he developed too much in a development league!