Aces51

Forecast now looking a bit better. No longer heavy rain all day but now light rain during the early hours and during the day possibly until 7pm. Obviously, still not promising but plenty of time for it to change for the better. Fingers crossed.

I hope you're right about Richie. The likelihood is he will soon swap with Steve which will give him a false average but he has started the season well for Glasgow. I'm sure every team hopes their 4/5 riders are really 6/7 point second strings but that is part of Coventry's problem. Not many thought and now think that Woryna is going to do that well and Garrity is going to struggle to do the same.

Email sent.

My intention and understanding is that 4/5 refers to 4 or 5, ie. any rider averaging between 4 and 6. If I had intended to exclude those averaging between 5 and 6 I would have said 4 to 5 or 4-5. Regardless of that your argument is plainly lost because as I have shown, this year, under this format, 7 riders have been signed with an average of less than 5 to ride in the main body of the teams. That is a fact and proves there is a need. To argue otherwise is to claim they were signed despite not being needed. As for MPT, Belle Vue needed him under this format and he improved his average and was one of the most popular riders we have had in recent years. The only way teams will not need 4/5 point riders with the present points limit is to sign five 6 to 7 point riders. Obviously, nearly every team has chosen not to do that and to try to sign as many decent heat leaders as are available, leaving 4/5 point vacancies for the second strings. Which is why they are needed.

I've said it before, I can't see it working if EL clubs run one team with the top riders with a few meetings and then a PL level team. However it is sold fans will regard the PL side as their second team and fans never turn out in anything like the same numbers to see what they will regard as second best. Another difficulty will be that those clubs with only a PL team will still want to run the number of fixtures they now do. How are the EL clubs going to run all those PL meetings plus 7,8 or 9 EL meetings.

Very difficult to estimate but I thought there was about 800 there. Difficult to say how good that is. It was after all a third division match but against that, the first meeting at the NSS but people also knew the Aces would be at home less than a week later. Crowds were extremely poor the last time we were in the NL so overall, I think it was a very good turnout. That was the best race but the overall standard of racing was good. In any event I think we need to have a few more meetings and let the track settle down before we see how good it is.

This video from heat 13 last night shows what the track is like. Brilliant ride from Jon Armstrong. http://www.speedwaygb.co/news.php?extend.30426

First EL meeting at the NSS. Difficult to predict as Aces will have virtually no home track advantage apart from a few practice laps. I'm going for 49-41 but will be happy regardless of the result if the weather is kind and the racing as good or, better than last night's NL meeting.

Heat 13, a brilliant race, well done Jon Armstrong.

I was in the process of replying but then saw SCB's post. He says pretty much what I would have said but he probably said it more succinctly.

Is it just me.

Not at all. If you read my original post and quote it accurately I said 4/5 point riders, not 4-5.In other words riders averaging 4 or 5. Hence my reference to riders averaging between 4 and 6. However you try to twist it, the facts are that virtually every team signed a 4 point rider this year. R Worrall, Woryna, Jakobsen/Huckenbeck,Tungate, Sedgmen, Swiderski, Klindt, effectively 7. How long they last is immaterial for the point I was making, which was that most teams need, because they sign, 4/5 point riders. I also said in that same post#3141, that I wasn't suggesting that Palm-Toft is the answer to Coventry's problems, simply mentioning him as a 100% trier because of the references to him in the preceding posts.

Wolverhampton usually does produce good racing, although it seems to me that it has not been as good the last couple of years. I have not been to Lakeside but have seen some decent matches from there on TV and read good reports about other meetings from people I respect. However, in my opinion a good big track produces a better overall racing spectacle than a good small track. Having been brought up at Hyde Road, like any track it had poor meetings with processional racing but the overall standard was arguably the best I've seen. Kirkmanshulme Lane was capable of producing good racing and the standard the last few years wasn't bad. However, the point being made is that given the opportunity a big track is the way to go. Having now had the opportunity to watch the racing at the NSS last night highlighted what I have been missing since the demise of Hyde Road. It's early days and it will take time for riders to discover and learn all of the racing lines but I am convinced that the promotion made the right decision in going for a big track.

A most enjoyable meeting with a good crowd. The stadium is fantastic with excellent viewing right up close to the action, and the banked ultra fast track produced some good racing with passing both inside and out wide. Dan Bewley was very impressive particularly so considering his very limited experience.

It isn't part of it. If he can ride for any non Friday PL club, which is what Godfrey said, then away matches played no part in their reasoning. Whether it should have done is an entirely different argument but you can't make up reasons for them.

That wasn't the reason given. It was because both are Friday tracks so the objection relates purely to home matches. Godfrey goes further and says he can sign for any team other than a Friday track so it seems the BSPA are quiet happy about away clashes.

It tells us a lot that those who make stupid decisions like this then dig the hole deeper trying to justify themselves. Surely, if you are going to apply fixture clashes as a justification then it should apply across the board. How many meetings are those who ride in foreign leagues and the GP's going to miss?

The link does work. 576 signatures already. It really is pathetic to see the further reasons given by the BSPA for their decision. Belle Vue and Peterborough are both Friday tracks, there are 3 clashes, we had many more than that when Cook was a d/u last year. Belle Vue had no authority to give permission for Peterborough to talk to him, obviously both clubs thought that was within the rules, as did many on here, perhaps there's been a late addition to the rule book. In any event that could soon be remedied unless Edinburgh are objecting to the move. Strange that isn't mentioned though if they are. All in all, Chapman has been in office for 6 months, his promised openness and transparency seems to have been put on the back burner and this decision tells us more about support for British riders than any useless rhetoric.

Disgraceful. The BSPA have an opportunity to enable a British rider to earn money to overcome his present financial difficulties and then hopefully be able to improve his machinery in Poland and by racing abroad move on to the next level. We are crying out for world class British riders, the rules allow Craig to double up but somehow the management committee have decided it is not in the best interests of the sport to allow him to do so. They have also denied another, Brit, Tom Stokes a team place. The BSPA need to take an objective look at themselves and see how ridiculous they look making nonsensical decisions like this.

It would appear that teams do need 4/5 point riders. Not counting reserves there were 14 riders with averages of less than 6 points in EL team starting line ups this year. 7 of those riders had averages below 5. Fans staying away from Coventry will not achieve anything to help the club survive but it could play into the hands of the present stadium owners. What fans need to do is show the the local councils and media that there is significant support for the club to continue either in a new stadium or the existing stadium if planning permission for housing is refused.

Wasn't part of the reason for its introduction the reluctance of PL riders to move up to the EL without the safety net of PL. That problem has now been made much worse by the reduction in EL matches. How many would move up if they had to rely solely on EL matches for their income. As Craig has shown it is not ready to break into the Polish market.

Calm down. I wasn't talking about comparisons with an 8 point rider. I was simply making a point that MPT is one of those riders who is enjoyable to watch and reliable in the sense that you know he will always give his all. Every team needs 4/5 point riders and I would always choose one who always gives his best. I wasn't suggesting he is the answer to Coventry's problem just making a general comment in relation to the posts above mine.

He was very popular when he rode in the 1-5 for us because he is one of those riders who always gives 100%.

I enjoyed it despite the result. A deserved win for Lakeside an impressive performance from Steve Worrall, Jonsson a delight to watch and hope Cookie is ok.

We all know most of them would be back if the EL said we are not changing our race nights but our pay rates are going to be 20% higher than the best on offer in Poland. I am not saying that the objections they put forward are not genuine but, like most of us, money is the main reason we and they go to work.