40-38

Sam Masters confirmed.

It probably should be something along the lines of having to use your no.7 plus AN Other rider. If you don't want to restrict to not using riders from Heat 15 then at least because the scoring system for the superheat is meant to encourage team riding, it's better with a heat leader trying to protect their no.7.

Howarth got 7 for Sheffield at Leicester whilst riding at no.2 which is the sort of score you'd expect a no.2 to get. Fricke is also a good team rider as shown by how well he rode with both Lawson last year and Sedgman the year before. Of course it's a downgrade of sorts and Lawson was by far the best Lions rider last year, but ultimately what cost us last year was 3-5 being so inconsistent. Masters and Douglas might be at their level now but Becker will be the key. If he can become the rider everyone thinks is there that could be a trump card. Also there's no guarantee that this years big improvers for other teams will continue to improve, so any team, even Ipswich, might not have it all their own way.

If that's the case then we need Becker to ride to his potential, if he does then that might be the difference.

I certainly wouldn't be excited if it's true. At No.6 I might be a bit happier with it, but I've seen nothing in his latest visits to make me think he's going to recapture great form. Having said that, if it means we get a good No.5 in for a weaker engine room? I could take that.

Think I'd sooner have Sedgman at 6, especially around BP.

I'd refuse to go if that utter arse Worrall ended up anywhere near a Lions jacket.

I'd be more inclined to thinking that we'll be getting a rider already in the UK but forced out due to points.

Is the laydown engine of today massively different to that of say 1995 when they were fairly new? Was the difference so great that it made the upright obsolete quite quickly?

As an under 40 (just) latecomer to Speedway I never saw the old 2 valves, nor indeed the upright engines. I have wondered though whether the narrow band of power put out by a laydown engine really is suitable for some of the smaller, narrower tracks in the UK. I'd have assumed at around a track like Wolves used to be, or say Edinburgh, then an upright engine with a better balance of throttle control would work better. I've noticed that a lot of riders tend to ride a diamond shape on a track as opposed to an oval, narrow into the corner and clattering the fence mid straight to enter the corner tight again, is that down to the engine or just the rider style? I've seen so many riders hanging on for grim death that you wonder if that's really not a terrible accident waiting to happen.

Who's available otherwise? Of the riders not theoretically signed up I mean.

You'd have to say that if we keep the same nucleus you'd need Becker to have the season of his life for us to repeat getting to a final.

Fricke and Becker going off the boil ruined any chance we had of winning on the night. Our purple patch only really happened when 1-6 were all firing at the same time, but we don't have the top end power to pull it out of the bag if they don't. I still think with the form of Bewley and Kurtz in the last few meetings it would have been close run even so.

It often works a it better than it did last night on B1/2, but it's not really an outside, as if you go too wide you end up in the fence as you come to the straight. That's why Bewley doesn't always go that well at BP, but his gating has got much better which makes a huge difference and I think his track craft has improved as well. I'd be interested to hear what BTFC Lion would suggest being the track man, because there is quite a large gap between the fence and the maximum width on B3/4 which is nigh on useless for the reasons suggested above. The banking on B1/2 hasn't seemed as effective as it did last year either.

It was completely unnecessary too, there was still plenty of time.

Belle Vue beat the two other possible title challengers convincingly over two legs, whichever way round people feel it should have been. Looking at the crowd it's hard to argue as well that the play offs aren't a star event in a season, whatever you feel about the validity of them for choosing a winner.

It was really impressive and credit must go to the track staff. It was still partly under water on Sunday so I'm told. Just look at how quick Bewley and Kurtz were, shows the track was really smooth.

No, nor do I think anyone outside will either. So what I'm driving at is this: the shape is poor, so is the racing, with some exceptions. So can we maybe move on and stop it becoming the topic of conversation, especially when a team have won the league and that's more worthy of conversation.

What do you mean truth? I know the shape is crap. I'd just like some of those on here to do something about it rather than keep moaning if it's so offensive to them.

I'd be surprised if he doesn't.

We suffered from some of the team not turning up tonight. Fricke has been poor, Becker was woeful tonight. I also think we suffered for having Kemp and not Kerr. For Belle Vue it really was Kurtz and Bewley who won it over both legs, they were imperious over both meetings and they showed what a good top two can really do to other teams. Makes the job of the rest so much easier.

Oh do bore off. That record is getting old.

I was talking about the track specifically, the riders have been dreadful but that's a separate issue.

If someone wants to pay to relay it and rebuild the stadium then go ahead. There's plenty on here who seem to be experts after all. Give David Hemsley a ring, buy the stadium, and it's all yours. I'm sure you'll all be queueing up. Maybe Manchester council will be interested?

Kurtz and Bewley have won the plays offs really, I'd say they ultimately have been the difference, same as Doyle and Sayfutdinov. That's what's winning teams meetings this year.