Wee Eck

It most certainly was. A mixture of bad contractors and a promoter that believed in miracles!

The first PCMT? In 1967? I’d have thought with the ultimate winner, Ivan Mauger in the lineup it would have been anything but ordinary. Or did you mean the first at the NSS? I assume that was 2017 as I can’t see it having been run in 2016. Winner was Kenneth Bjerre but also featured Kurtz (x2), Batchelor, Fricke and Zagar

Ah. The good old days of rider control where the southern teams got first pick and could chose to keep whichever riders they wanted. The further north you were, the harder it was to build a decent 1-7. The likes of Newcastle, Edinburgh and Glasgow often had to look to Europe to sign relatively unknowns, mostly Scandinavians, otherwise they’d be completely uncompetitive. I’m not sure when the “10 years on one team’s retained list earns the right to a testimonial” rule came in but it must have helped riders compulsorily moved on by the rider control committee.

Any idea who Ipswich were also trying to bring in? Lambert for the play offs?

At least you don’t have to pay for this one!

Yes. I corrected it. Not like you to slip up!!

The SCB rule book? It’s been on the SCB website since 6 March (corrected for timing error)

Good write up in today’s Star. Hopefully the weather will play ball - it’s looking like only a little rain over the next few days so track should be good and racy!

Just a week away now with a line up of Simon Lambert, Klindt, Douglas, Harris, Jenkins, King, Iversen, Complin, Charles Wright, Masters, Starke, Lindgren, Flint, Howarth, Sedgmen and reserves of Freeman and Lyden plus the replacement for Max Clegg. Looks like a great season opener…….weather permitting

Back to the Colts - big change in the regulations to allow Commonwealth riders back into this league. James Pearson will definitely benefit from racing in this league. Only one per team but who else might take advantage of this change?

Whoosh!!

So the answer is no. The then Poole promotion would have known full well how financially close to the edge they were. It’s bad enough not paying “tradespeople and riders” but to bank someone else’s money in your account when there’s a doubt that you’ll be able to pay it over is unforgivable. In my view

Did Mr Fearman ever pay back Middlo for the testimonial money he kept?

Of that there’s no doubt. My only concern - and it may have been an error in translation - is him saying he had to prepare a bike for UK. Not bikes, just a bike

And they were right then - will they be right this time as well? I’ll admit it’s a signing that’s surprised me, and it’s definitely a gamble. But then, in my view, less of a gamble than Manzares.

“Past performance is no indication of future results”!

Gosh! How old is that? The “Young Guns” are now all over 30!

What is Dan Thompson’s average?

4.69 Shanes, 4.32 Bailey. Close to like for like but Bailey likely to do better over the season.

Shanes was always the question mark for me in the team. He seems to ride a speedway bike like he would a Grasstrack bike so down into the saddle rather than getting off it and he runs into bends on a closed throttle whereas for most tracks, riders are throttling up just as they turn into the first bend. It makes him difficult to pass if he’s in front, especially on tight tracks, but slow when behind. He is a terrific grass tracker, though accident prone, but unlike some of the top grass trackers of the past, like Wigg, Schofield, Screen, Morton etc, he hasn’t transferred that ability to speedway. It’ll be interesting to see if the move away from Glasgow helps Bailey. I suspect it will and he’ll make an already solid looking Redcar team even better.

Always look on the bright side of life, de dum, de diddly diddly dum (I can’t whistle)

I can only assume putting Plymouth first is an attempt at reverse psychology. Their strong 1-5 (very strong if Gilkes picks up where he left off before his injury last year) may well be undone by weak reserves - think Glasgow 2004. For me, it’s a year too early for Trigger, especially for the away meetings, and Turner’s route to a visa was via the weakest field for an Australian state championship since Cam Woodward (I think) had to go to Tasmania to secure his visa many years ago! Under Garry May’s guidance, they should certainly make top six but I’m not sure they’ll be first

I never thought Ipswich would pull off the signing of Sayfutdinov. Well done to Chris Louis for getting this over the line

Or Andersen and Worrall do even worse?

Spartan is such a lovely word!