Aces51

After all the rain the track was bound to be grippy and that does produce processional racing. However, the Met Office forecast was for no further rain until 10pm so therfore, no good reason to call it off. As I have witnessed on many occasions, the drainage at the NSS is exceptional and if the forecast had been correct the track would have been fine after the first few races.

I think we have two possibilities of running a full season next year. Either, a vaccine is available and a significant percentage of the population is vaccinated by the spring or, the tests that can provide a result within about half an hour are available and relatively cheap. The current project in Liverpool should provide some answers on the quick testing. If a vaccine is not the immediate answer then quick testing would allow lots of hospitality, entertainment and sporting venues to test customers and allow all of those with negative results into the venue. Currently, all is not going well with the virus in Poland, which may impact their plans. Their number of infections has risen a lot lately. Today the number of infections is 24,785 compared to 20,572 here and that with a population about 55% the size of the UK.

It can only ever be an opinion but from the many Polish matches and GP's I've watched this year and in previous years, I can't say that I have seen any tracks there that consistently produce better racing than the NSS.

Play off semi finals in Poland tomorrow now postponed and rearranged for Monday so no chance of Bewley in the British final.

The only genuine stream was the Sportcentral.tv stream. The other 2 that I saw were scams.

The early bird price of £10 for the Aces v All Stars Select live streaming has been extended until midnight tonight. Two decent teams on the best track in the UK. I hope that many fans support both this meeting and the British Final. The sport is in a precarious position because of the virus. We have been calling for live streaming for years and this is our chances to help the sport we love and to show that streaming is a viable proposition for the future.

The count was never intended to be when the samples were tested but when the test was carried out. It was explained that with the postal tests advice was taken and that was that they be counted when the test was sent out. That is reasonable as otherwise, a seperate recording system would be needed to record when the recipient carried out the test and then in many cases adding it to a previously announced total. In any event the total without the postal tests would probably have been close to or, have exceeded the target if, instead, as some seen to prefer, postal tests sent out previously but carried out by the recipient on the 30th April were included in the total for that day. Much as it may upset some to acknowledge it, It was a remarkable achievement.

Rohan was/is definitely a racer at the NSS. It was his away performances that were the problem.

The charge is £3 for both PL and NDL meetings. The increase reflects the fact that the club suffered significant losses on Colts meetings last year. They could have easily completely wiped out those losses by not running the Colts. I am pleased they didn't do that and instead recognised the importance of giving opportunities to young riders to gain experience and to progress. £10 was the cheapest NL entrance fee last year and the increase to £12 still means that no other NL venue charges less. The increase for an adult amounts to a maximum total of £16 for the year.

Often over before 21.15 but not always. 10 minutes from the stadium to the station might be pushing it but depends how young and fit you are.

Who would have thought that Albert Steptoe would ever have become a fashion icon.

That's pretty much how I see it although my assessment is that we should reach the play offs, not that we are necessarily the second best team. Potentially, I think we have two big improves in Bewley and Lidsey and Kurtz, Wright and Worrall capable of increasing their starting average. It's academic to the extent that, as we all know, it's not usually the team you start with but the changes you make later in the season and injuries that determine where you finish. As it stands, Swindon have the strongest top 4 but then 3 not very strong reserves. For me, looking at the Aces, there is a big question mark over Kildemand. We know what he can do but his form last year was poor by his standards. If he gets back to his best we have a solid team with Lidsey at reserve and if he moves up, Worrall to replace him. If that is how it works out then I think our overall team strength is as good as Swindon. Although they have the added benefit of a bigger home track advantage. If Kildemand continues his poor form we must act quickly to replace him. The difficulty could be finding a better alternative

A decent reserve may not even be a half decent rider, if Doyle and Fricke are the yardstick but could win you a trophy.

I am sure that Dan Bewley, like many other riders, is always aiming to be the best he can be. I think the point being made is that it will be a big step for him to become a number 1 next year. Not impossible, considering the steps he has already made and the courage and determination he showed in coming back so quickly from serious injury but realistically, more likely to take him at least 2 more years.

6 for starting the season full of confidence.

Good result for the 2020 Aces in the Phil Crump trophy today. Brady Kurtz 1st, Dan Bewley 2nd and Jaimon Lidsey 4th. Max Fricke was 3rd.

Crowds have been dropping since the 1980's, long before the top riders departed. That isn't to say that their departure hasn't had a significant affect but at the moment, we can't compete with the money on offer in Poland or even Sweden. That means, that in the short term, we are not going to attract those riders back in any numbers. However, there is much we can do to attract and keep more fans and at little or no extra cost. We can improve the credibility of the sport by having sensible rules applied fairly and consistently. Preferably by an independent body. We can improve the speedway experience by more professional presentation with meetings starting on time and a requirement to avoid all unnecessary delays during the meeting. There must be a greater realisation that speedway is an entertainment. Riders and team managers must be able and indeed encouraged, to express their reasonable feelings and opinions during a meeting. I certainly do not advocate violence but the antics of riders remonstrating about the actions of their race opponents or the referee and of team managers dashing to a centre green telephone to let the referee know what they thought about a decision, was often long remembered after the racing in that meeting was forgotten. It certainly added to the atmosphere and entertainment. Fixtures must be run on the designated dates unless there are genuine and valid reasons to make a change. Timely and sensible dates must be set for the completion of all competitions and every effort made to ensure that they are adhered to. Proper training should be organised for those involved in track preparation and regular inspections made at tracks to ensure that high standards of preparation are achieved. Promoters need to work together to find out what works elsewhere in the country to increase crowds and to improve the overall product and where practical, to implement those things. A working party of promoters, riders, referees and fans should be set up to devise and consider new meeting formats that could potentially bring a new audience to the sport.

I am one who believes that racing today can be just as good as it was in any period I have followed the sport, which is since the mid1950's. There have always been tracks that provided better racing than others, due either to the quality of track preparation or the size and shape. Hyde Road was acknowledged by many as the best racing track in the UK just as the NSS is now. On that basis I think it fair to compare the racing at both and my opinion is that the quality of racing at the NSS is as good as anything served up at Hyde Road. However, I don't agree with Grachan about not seeing races in the 70's like the Fricke race at the NSS. Collins and Morton served up many equally exciting races at Hyde Road.

Strength in depth and having Lidsey at reserve is a definite bonus. Kildemand is the unknown quantity. He has the ability to do well but there has to be concerns following his poor 2019 season. Overall, Kurtz, Bewley, Wright, Worrall, Lidsey and Etheridge are all capable of improving their averages. I would have preferred to keep Fricke and Bjerre but certainly not disappointed with this team and we should reach the play offs.

Dan's average last year was very much affected by his serious injuries in 2018. Remember that nobody expected him to be back as soon as he was. Even then the difference between him and Wright was about a third of a point. Given a choice between the two it would be Dan for me. He is a better long term prospect and he will do better than Wright next year. Fortunately, we may have both in the team. If we are talking about atm then Dan is doing doing better than Charles in Australia.

A lovely man and a gentleman. Never a star but an indispensable member of the Aces teams throughout his career. Belle Vue through and through. Always happy to talk about those he raced with and against in the 1950's and to discuss the modern day era. I enjoyed talking to him and hearing his thoughts on Peter Craven, Dick Fisher and his other team mates. RIP Peter.

I think he will improve again next year because a big part of speedway is confidence and his successes last year should mean he starts next season feeling very confident. However, it's a matter of opinion. I think I saw enough in him last year to think that he has not yet reached his peak but I've seen too many riders have a good season and then stand still, or even go backwards, to know that you can never be sure.

Last year, at the age of 30, he increased his PL average by 1.5 points. That shows he is still capable of improvement. He also showed in both the British Final and the Cardiff GP that he can now mix it at a higher level than he has previously shown. I would see him as a signing that could do well both at home and away. He isn't one of those riders who have a significant difference in their home and away averages. There was only 0.75 between them last year and I see no reason to think that any improvement this year will not be reflected across both of those averages.

He became British Champion at the NSS so he certainly knows how to ride the NSS. I wouldn't describe him as a steal on his current average but I think he is still improving and will certainly increase his current average.

I share the concerns about Kildermand. I hope we see the form he is capable of producing. However, if he doesn't, we must learn from the mistake we made last year in not replacing Wells before his average dropped and look for other options before that happens. Kurtz is not as good as Fricke but he should improve his average and do well at the NSS. A change of scenery and a consistent home track will also help. We will have a good season if we can build a solid side that starts with Lidsey at reserve and enough points for a quality second reserve.