Aces51

You could have said exactly what you've said about Auty about a certain Mr Doyle. Not many thought he was going to be anything more than a second division journeyman. The point is that you sometimes can but can't always tell who might gain from such opportunities and step up their performance to the next or an even higher level. Perhaps it hasn't occurred to you that the Poles regularly produce world class riders because they give them the opportunities before they are world class. Not every rider given those opportunities will become world class but many will benefit and become genuine first division riders and that is sufficient justification for giving them the chance to do so. Let's hope that there is a misunderstanding and that we are still going to have the two Brits rule.

The Poles must be really stupid insisting on the reserves and a fixed number of Polish riders in their teams. What's it ever achieved for them? Any move to reduce the opportunities for British riders to progress is a backward step and shows a complete lack of forward thinking.

Why can't the BSPA work out a relatively simple formula for converting foreign league average for riders wanting to race here. If done properly that would provide consistency and stop any accusations favouritism or unfairness.

I know. I was confirming what you said that he was signed by Newcastle after he was a permanent GP rider.

Matej first rode in the UK in 1998 for Belle Vue. He first rode in the GP in 2001.

I must admit that when Chase the Ace was introduced at the beginning of last season my initial reaction was that it was the last thing we needed. How wrong was I. Chase is brilliant. He keeps the kids happy and even entertains the old foggies like me with his sense of humour, mimes and interaction with Hayley. He fills in the gaps in the racing, makes us laugh and helps build the atmosphere. Perhaps it's just my second childhood.

I would be happy with either of them. Lasse had some good meetings at the NSS last year and would fit within the 42.50. It's a shame we couldn't keep Kenneth Bjerre.He was our best rider at the NSS and clearly enjoyed riding there. Cook was our best rider away and being forced to choose between them it has to be Craig because of his long term commitment.

Zagar would undoubtedly improve his average, which was achieved at a time when heat leaders had more difficult races than under the present format. I am also sure that our present owners will only meet the financial demands of any rider if they make commercial sense. I agree that it is very sad that George Carswell also seems no longer to be seen at the NSS. Again, I can perhaps understand why but many fans will know what he has put into the club both financially and by giving his time and would be delighted to see him.

I don't agree with the only one 8+ rider but the new team average of 42.50 means that the overall standard will be slightly higher than last year if everyone builds to or, near to, that level.

My heart says keep Steve, he's an asset, a local lad and has improved considerably over the last few seasons. However, he always seems vulnerable at the NSS and some time away may help him make the next step up. My head says we are much stronger with Cook, Zagar, Fricke, Hougaard, Tungate, Bewley , Smith. 42.30 No matter what some may think Zagar was popular with his team mates during his time with us and a good influence in the pits. Hougaard was not as impressive at the NSS last year as in 2016. That may change if he was in the team as he has said it is a track he enjoys riding but I would be open to any better suggestions to fill that second string role.

1 in 5 of the total number of votes cast so far have voted yes. Yes= 20.3% No= 79.7%.

Bjerre said a few weeks ago that he may have to decide between Denmark and the UK but that living here would be a factor in favour of the UK. Good news about Zagar. I hope he signs for Belle Vue.

I agree with you. Cook, Zagar, Fricke, Hougaard, Tungate, Bewley , Smith. 42.30 Or we could replace Zagar with Woffinden and have 0.65 more to play with. It would also allow Tai to achieve another ambition having been turned away in 2016.

The only reason I can think of for the only one 8 point rider is a hope to cut costs. It won't because some riders below 8 will realise that their negotiating value has increased. Surely, each club should be able to build their team however they want providing it fits within the points limit. If they believe they can afford two top riders then that is for them to decide. Just seems an unnecessary restriction which deprives fans of the opportunity to see more top riders. Bjerre has already tweeted that it is a joke.

7 home matches plus play offs if you qualify and KO Cup isn't enough for me. Let's hope that with only 8 teams it is still two home and away. Disappointing that the hoped for increased in PL teams hasn't materialised and great progress with fixed race days doesn't sound to me like 100% agreed.

Every club should only be paying what they can afford but what they can afford varies considerably. Poole is a well run and successful club but has the advantage of geographically being a moderately sized fish in a very small pool. Some other clubs are very small fish in a huge pool. The Pirates also have the advantage of being in a holiday tourist area where many visitors are actively looking for somewhere to spend their leisure pounds. This helps not only with crowd numbers but also being able to attract sponsorship. None of that detracts from what Ford has achieved but some other clubs do face more difficulties trying to increase crowds and gain sponsorship.

I know that Chris has been very helpful to the new promoters and that they have made clear to Chris that he is most welcome at the NSS. Perhaps, understandably, Chris has not yet taken up that invitation. I hope that he is not in any way concerned about the reception he might get from the fans. Both Chris and PC have made a tremendous contribution to the club and I am sure that the fans would be delighted to see them and to show their appreciation.

It was because it was an issue and because it isn't a school night that Belle Vue changed to Friday. As both Wolves and the Aces have said, it is difficult to attract riders who don't want to race in a Poland on Sunday, UK on Monday and Sweden on Tuesday and you are competing against whichever meeting is on TV. I am in favour of fixed nights to get rid of doubling up clashes and if Monday has to be one of them I think that is better than no fixed nights but Monday is the least best week day option.

The averages have credibility by including only league matches because every team races the same number of matches against the same teams. Yes, there are problems because teams don't use the same riders in all of those meetings for various reasons but it is the best system available for making the averages meaningful. To add KO Cup matches detracts from the credibility because obviously not all teams race each other, so it is no longer a level playing field. In reality, if only round one is included, it is not going to alter significantly any individual riders average unless he has only ridden a small number of meetings but why risk any distortion of the averages. It seems totally unnecessary. They could and should then take them out again for the end of season averages.

I've no idea but I think we'll be looking at Zagar or Bjerre. No guarantee that Vaculik will be that good in the UK. Be interesting to see what average he has been given.

41 isn't lowering the standard by quite a lot. A point limit of 42 would maintain the standard at this year's level.

The total for the present team is 43.98 not 49. Clubs are presently losing money and if there is no TV cash it will be even worse, so it seems unlikely there will be any reduction in the admission charges next year if we want the club to survive. I'm more than happy to pay what they charge for the quality of racing we see at the NSS.

The last time you and I discussed this issue you were going to have a look at your magazines, I think you said when you were next in the UK and come up with some names. It would be interesting to have examples and the level of the teams involved.

It is true that during most of that time the World Finals were all at Wembley but they had to qualify for the final going through the various qualifying rounds. Those 5 riders also showed they were head and shoulders above the rest by their consistently good performances on all of the British tracks. At that time the best riders in the world rode here and not in the foreign leagues, other than Fundin and Knutsson who obviously also rode in Sweden. To suggest they only won their titles because they were Wembley track specialists ignores their superiority throughout the season.

The situation in the Craven, Fundin, Briggs, Moore and Knutsson era was that you had 5 riders who were a step above the rest to the extent that they introduced handicap racing into the league to try to give the rest more chance. Those 5 riders dominated the sport and I can't think of any prior since where as many as 5 riders have shown such dominance over the rest. They were all consistent and shared the World Championship between them until Craven's untimely death. It's also worth remembering that Peter was only 29 when he died and would probably have added to his two World titles.