Aces51

Ford and Middleditch have achieved a lot and done an outstanding job for Poole. It is understandable that after working closely together for so many years that Middleditch may not want to continue when Ford leaves.

All that really matters now is who has a 1-7 to get them into the play offs and then the best 1-7 of those who qualify.

That's what Belle Vue do. It's available live on fb or to watch later.

So far as I understand it the segregation is because as a new build stadium it had to comply with the current health and safety requirements. These requirements do not apply retrospectively to existing stadiums.

I agree that we need a lot more people there. More also needs to be done to entertain fans but steps have been taken. Most meetings are now completed in less than 2 hours, Chase the Ace has been introduced and the music has moved on from the 60/70's. Fans were also segregated at Hyde Road but that is now a health and safety issue, which the promotion can do nothing about, as is the lack of facilities in the South Stand, which is a matter for the council.

Despite the continuing decline at virtually every track the crowds at the NSS have increased significantly when compared to the the numbers at the dog track. There are fans who stopped attending after the move to the dog track who have now been attracted back because of the quality of the racing on offer at the NSS and some new fans. Nowhere near enough of them but certainly enough to show that entertaining racing does have an affect.

I'm not aware of any problems at Belle Vue. In fact Rohan was very popular with the fans for his performances at the NSS. Maybe less so for his away form but that wasn't as bad as many suggest, he averaged about 6.5.

I'm not but aren't they targeted at your personal search history and interests etc.

What he said in thr Speedway Star referring to signing for Belle Vue was, "It's not a second option for me.Belle vue and Peterborough are both first options I could have picked from and I am happy to be with the Aces. My opinion, for what it's worth, is that riders say whatever is expedient at the time. I suspect that if another club had come in with a better offer he wouldn't be riding for either of our clubs. Just as most of us would work for whoever offered us the best deal.

He has.

It shows how times have changed. When the NSS opened fans sitting in the section of the grandstand closest to the first bend complained about being hit by shale. Notices had to be put up warning of the danger.

I didn't realise that Berge could be 5.5. If Phil is right about that then Berge and Wells could easily change places

I agree about the entertainment. Unfortunately, there's not many riders who could replace him and match the excitement he often created. I also think you have a point about starting at no. 1 although with Cook and Andersen in the team I don't think he will have the same pressure that he had at Somerset. The fans may also have to realise that, like Harris, he can have a slow start to the season but if he does, give him a bit of time and he will more than repay you.

I think you're forgetting that Bjerre said that it was Chapman who he was negotiating with about signing for Peterborough. You might think that on that basis he was doing or controlling all of the negotiations. Like others, I think Tungate makes a good Peterborough side even stronger. It's a shame we had to lose both him and Cook to get under the points limit. I hope both have good seasons, I think they will.

I must admit that I was also surprised about Wells. I have seen him have some decent races at the NSS but he has never really been impressive. However, I think he will maintain his average. It will be asking a lot of Lidsey to manage to average at least 5.5 and probably more to have a chance of getting into the top 5. It's possible, he looks to have the talent but very difficult when racing on tracks he has never seen before.

if you were right his average would be about 5. As his average is 5.77 he wouldn't be doing well at all if it dropped by almost a point. I'm not a great fan of Wells but I think he will maintain his average. Overall, I am more than happy with the team as a whole and can see increased averages from Fricke, Bjerre, Lidsey and Worrall and also from Bewley if he suffers no long term affects from his injuries. His recovery programme seems to be going well and I think he will be ok.

What went wrong is that Belle Vue had to lose almost 3 points from last years team. That is why we have Bjerre and Wells in place ofCook and Tungate.

I have followed Belle Vue since the mid 50's as have 2 others I go with and we all have smart phones and are on both Facebook and Twitter. Incidentally, can you get this Teflon wallpaper? Sounds a good idea, the dirt and stains could just be wiped off with a bit of fairy liquid. Would save all that decorating every few years.

The whole idea is yet another example of how those in charge fail to understand that any professional sport has to be credible to be taken seriously. However it works out will be farcical. If only those at the meeting have the password then, with 95%+ of them being home supporters, they will vote overwhelmingly for the away teams two poorest riders to be nominated. If it's more widely available the least popular team will suffer. In any event, good luck with keeping the password secret. My guess is it will be on social media before the meeting starts.

It's going to be interesting to see how it works. If fans from anywhere can vote for any rider to be included I can see one team in particular ending up with their worst two riders in the nominated heat in all of their cup meetings.

Bjerre said in the Speedway Star w/e 12 Jan that he was prepared to take a small pay cut but that there was no chance of him accepting what Chapman was offering. Belle Vue announced the signing of Bjerre on the 10th December so it would seem that Chapman was involved in the Peterborough signings before then.

It was Adrian Smith, CEO at Belle Vue, who came up with the idea of the National Supporters Group and put it forward at the AGM, I think with the support of Peter Adams. Adrian has only been involved in Speedway for two seasons and can always be found on the terraces during meetings talking to fans. He is always willing to listen to what they have to say and to explain his own views. He shouldn't be tarred with the same brush as some of the longer standing members of the BSPA. It's got to be an idea worth trying. Maybe the BSPA still won't listen but if the fans representatives put forward well thought through, sensible and practical proposals, they just might.

It was what Bjerre said in the Speedway Star w/e 12 Jan. He said he was prepared to take a small pay cut but that there was no chance of him accepting what Chapman was offering.

Kenneth Bjerre was not prepared to sign for Peterborough for the money offered but signed for Belle Vue, which seems to indicate that the Aces offered more. Chapman apparently toldhim he was no longer a heat leader in the UK.

I don't think the racing today is necessarily any better or worse than I have watched since the 1950's. In my opinion the racing at the NSS is as good as it was at Hyde Road. Good racing is produced at UK tracks like Peterborough, Somerset and Scunthorpe and also abroad, in the GP's and the Polish leagues. However, what has changed is that the bikes today are not as well suited to many of the tracks in the UK and that, together with other factors, such as track preparation and the quality of shale used, has resulted in an overall poorer standard of racing. I have witnessed it and many have commented on the poorer quality of racing now on offer at once great racing tracks like King's Lynn and Sheffield and the standard at Wolverhampton, a good little technical track, is not what it was even 7 or 8 years ago.