TheScotsman

We need to find a spot for Smokin Joe yet so Agent Kevin may have to wait a bit longer unless he can get his average to around the 5 mark!! Does Joe get a reduction next year if he is out for this season?

Great result for Plymouth. Somerset No.1 not living up to it again?

Fair enough. We'll put it down to the weather!

Actually it wasn't me that brought it up. Would be nice to know the answer though.

An Ippo fan? Never been so insulted! I am the total opposite of an Ippo fan. I support the smuggest team in the land. I went along expecting to see a close match and thought Somerset would probably Nick the points. Instead there was hardly any opposition, especially from your No. 1. Does Charles Wright have a better away average?

I think he was 20 last month was he not? And he has a lot of track time under his belt given that he started when he was young. The point is that his away displays since April have not been at all good. I'm sure Somerset will definitely be in at the death this year. Just odd that can't hack it at Ippo.

Sorry Jonny - it's taken me this long to get over the shock!! I think I was one of the very few who were not calling for changes so I feel vindicated now. However I did expect Somerset to win and win comfortably. I obviously made the huge mistake of overestimating them. Apart from a few odd rides they were pretty poor really. Especially Nick Morris. Charles Wright deserved more for his performance, especially his double pirouettes on the 3rd bend!! Brady, Pontus, Ollie, Todd had the occasional moments but not enough to worry Ippo. Starke was none too great. Everyone in the Ippo team did a decent job and were generally sharper from the gate. Risager was pretty entertaining in heat 3, doing a bit of grass tracking after coming off the bouncy castle on bend 4. Too many falls and ef's for both sides really. Great gesture by the management to let kids in for free during the summer hols without having to have an adult with them. Also good work with the track in keeping the dust completely away. None at all is a first for me on my travels but it generally seems to be that way at Ippo. There seems to be a bit of dirt around too though not enough tractor time to get it away from the fence. So a good win for Ippo, a poor performance from Somerset and not the best racing I have ever seen. Bit short on atmosphere too.

Don't think riders not being missing due to commitments is down to luck. It's down to using your own assets and getting others signed on before they signed for anyone else. And not using commuting foreigners.

Please remind us then. My memory is shocking nowadays.

Yep Morris is pretty rubbish tonight.

Think Alex Ferguson.

Tough going watching on the Updates site. Small plus is that we nicked the last 6 heats by 2 points. Well done Berwick - but all to play for still. #-2

If it's that long ago, Len must still be using some of them.

Exactly. Well said Mr Mungo. Too much talent in the Ippo team to just kick some out on the off chance of making it better. I reckon they will come good. (Even though it pains me to say so!)

A box of decent fish for the fish & chip counter would be a good deal.

Fishing rod's away now. But I genuinely expect to see Somerset come out on top of this one. So much so that I might even trundle over and give my few quid to Mr Louis so that I can see it with my own eyes.

Never said it was the track's fault that we lost. Far from it. Lost because Panthers were the better team on the day. Just saying that bends 1 & 4 were a bit motorway-like on the inside after a few heats and piled up with mud on the outside, especially when the rain started. And querying whether this being the more important event, should it not have been raced before the other 19 heats, accepting of course that the 19 heats were not full on shale shifting 500cc racing. And yes it was an entertaining meeting but the racing wasn't half as good as when Newcastle were down. Still don't know where the fish and chip stall went to though - I suppose my self imposed exile since the H&S event cut their takings too much!!

What more is there to say? You deservedly won. We deservedly lost. Track wasn't great - should it not have been the first match on, rather than after nearly 20 races? Weather was spectacular. And there was No fish & chip van (fitting I suppose with The Fish being injured.) There ya go.

All sounds pretty harmless, even to me as a Rangers supporter!

I thought it was every week!! Don't often not get a bite!!

Maybe a lower EL average will help get him a place abroad!! But he certainly needs more finance to do it.

I think this will be a big revenge mission for Somerset. Can certainly see them picking up the 4 points.

Wasn't actually aimed at Steady but now you come to mention it...........!! There are a few others like it though. I'm not too sure why people keep coming up with this lack of big track experience blah blah. He spent a fair while at Worky which is longer than anything in the EL and goes well at Berwick, which is longer still, and goes well at Sheffield too. He rode very well at Peterborough on Sunday and also there last year in the 4's. He also had a good meeting at Lynn when he was last there. So he certainly can ride the big uns. His least effective track is probably Swindon which is not ideal when their boss is picking the GB team. I would have to confess that I don't think Cookie has kicked on this season as much as I would have expected but I think a lot of that has been down to his more inconsistent gating. However I don't think that means his career has stalled, it's just consolidating, Doesn't do him any harm having to do a bit more overtaking either. But it does suggest he may be needing some advice and guidance to help get to the next level (some more sponsorship would obviously help too!!). I don't know whether Cookie will ever become a regular on the GP circuit. However that is a pretty seriously high standard to reach and there are a hell of a lot of very good riders who haven't made it there Doesn't mean there isn't still a lot more improvement waiting to happen for him though. Bear in mind he hasn't really been riding that long - about 5 and a half years. I tend to agree that a spell at one of the bigger tracks again next season wouldn't do him any harm.

I think he has said previously he needs a good coach and advice on setups etc. He is a very smooth rider, not like some who think they have to throw lockers on every bend. Smooth can mean very fast but his gating has been pretty patchy this season, though it has improved his overtaking!

You really believe that?