Wee Eck

Can I change my mind?! Sheffield still remain an expensive team but I doubt it’ll now buy them the league. Still top four, but only just. I still like the look of Ipswich but can’t decide on second and third. Both teams have an element of home track advantage, Wolves slightly more than BV. Also, if you had to pick between Peter Adams and Mark Lemon as the “better” manager, then Peter wins that one. So, Ipswich vs Wolves final for me.....but then, getting it right would be a first for me

What is a surprise to me is the press release completely ignoring the fact that the two Scottish teams have been awarded grants, whereas English teams have been told that they might possibly perhaps get something or they might get nothing and it might be a grant or it might be a loan.....yippee!

Has to be 2021 only. Too rider of the year. I’d forgotten about Ryan Douglas tbh. Strong showing in Aussie over the winter so could be a good outside bet

I read a comment recently that someone thought that Charles Wright is the league’s number one, but is he a better rider than Craig Cook? And, if not either of them, which rider do people think will top the averages? Crump? Masters? Someone else?

My error - apologies. My knowledge does not go back that far. Was it 2002/03? And who was the promoter? I know Peter Toogood had wanted to move BSPA out of the ACU offices, but I think he wanted to buy an office on the same street, rather than wanting to shift everything to Brandon.

What money from Sky? Brandon closed in 2016, the last year of the Sky deal, although they bought themselves out at the end of that year. BSPA paid BT Sport to broadcast speedway in 2017, covering the cost with some of the buy out money. After doing that and having to support clubs who’d suddenly seen their tv money lost, how much do you reckon was left? My guess is low hundreds of thousands. Now, how much do you reckon the property developer owner sold Brandon for? My recollection is it was somewhere between £4m and £7m. Where was BSPA going to find that sort of money?

I don’t think Belle Vue look at all strong. The way to success is for riders to increase their averages but other than Dan and maybe Jye, who else will? Sheffield look nailed on for the title but it’s a very expensive team Batchelor, Holder, Ellis, Howarth and, erm, their rising star won’t come cheap. Wolves need their two Americans to score well if they’re going anywhere. Peterborough should pick up the “best endeavour” prize. Kings Lynn have some much rumoured team building problems but Buster will find a way through them. Which leaves Ipswich. My guess is that, like in 2019, they’ll surprise a few. Crumple has certainly been serious about his racing and Klindt is racing well. Add the experience of King and Heeps and the enthusiasm of Stewart, Rowe and Kemp - especially Rowe, and you have a team that might repeat their 2019 position. So, my order: 1. Sheffield, 2. Ipswich, 3/4. Belle Vue/Wolves, 5.Kings Lynn 6. Peterborough

Most definitely. Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Buenos Aires, Bradford. It has a ring to it

So much for equality. There are some crazily strong teams there like Eastbourne and Leicester and some shockers like Poole and Kent. Expect some major changes long before we get to May

Christmas Morton

On the topic of deflating tyres, I can only comment on what I have seen in the Premier Sports tv coverage and it was my guess that under inflation was the cause. I remember Sayfutdinov having a least one flat tyre, so it wasn’t restricted to juniors or inexperienced riders. As far as testing is concerned, I seem to recall reading that Greg Hancock has done plenty of testing in California at the track at Perris. I don’t have details of its size, but looking at videos it seems a decent size - not as big as the Polish tracks - or the NSS - but larger than Poole. Maybe Peterborough sized? He won’t have been changing tyres after each practice, and I’d expect he’d run them close to destruction. Speedway seems to be part of a brand awareness campaign promoting the name rather than a specific tyre. At the moment, if you were offered a choice of Anlas, Pirelli or Dunlop (to use your examples) tyres for your motorbike, you might prefer the brand you’ve heard of, which would be one of the second two. What Anlas want is for you to be confident about buying their brand. The last thing they’ll want is a perception that Anlas tyres don’t last or aren’t safe, so they’ll be carrying out plenty of testing. Although new to speedway, they’ve been making tyres for over 50 years so should know how to make good tyres.

I can’t find anything anywhere (other than here) on this. Nothing lodged as yet in Companies House. Can you post a link, please?

The GB team used Anlas tyres in the GB vs Denmark test last October at Kings Lynn. They also used Anlas tyres in the Team under 21 final this year. Certainly at KL, it was one tyre per rider. It was the 2020 tyre that caused the problem, but it wasn’t only used in the GPs - some of the Ekstraliga riders - Anders Thomsen for one - was using them. Judging by the number of flat (Mitas) tyres in the Ekstraliga this year, I suspect riders have been running Mitas tyres at very low pressures to try to match the grip that Anlas was giving. The soft nature of the Anlas tyre was the reason why the 2020 tyre was removed from homologation. British speedway have had a contract with Mitas for years which has been both for commercial and consistency reasons. This contract expires at the end of this year. The contract with Anlas follows the same reasoning. Anlas tyres are not in anyway dangerous and, as the pricing will be the same as with Mitas, and all riders will be on the same tyre, what’s the problem? Mitas have been threatening to withdraw from the speedway market for several years now, whereas Anlas (check them out - they are a huge company) are keen to use speedway to spread brand recognition. I don’t see a problem with what’s happening.

Wasn’t Cook invited to be part of the squad training before what should have been the start of the season - in Southampton with the Marines or something like that - but declined to attend?

Kiri Bloor’s best one was a couple of years ago: she went up to NKI after, I think, his third poor race in a row and said “Well Niels, you seem to be having a decent evening” Niels put her right by asking her what meeting she’d been watching. But, being a gentleman, avoided saying anything that the broadcaster would have had to apologise for

Who are the “dolly birds with no speedway experience”? By the way, Steve Brandon was being lined up by BSI this year before the schedule was changed.

I can’t see beyond top 10 - no one around to rival them. Too early for Lidsey, Kubera etc. For commercial reasons, the series needs a second Dane so Thomsen or Pedersen. It’s BSI’s last year so, will they go down the income maximising route and go with NP, or will they accept that he won’t be competitive at this level and go for Thomsen? Maybe Thomsen should get himself on the Monster gravy train because, regardless of what is said publicly, only a fool would think they won’t have an opportunity to give their view.

There seems to be so little about this that I’m wondering if “Bernie Persson” and “Brian Parsons” might have got mixed up? Was it not Persson - and certainly not Parsons - that Barry Briggs blamed for the accident that cost Briggs a finger?

Anders Rowe was selected but chose his Polish team ahead of GB. I think some people were disappointed with his decision but the days of riders having pride racing for their country seem to be passed. He’s earning decent money in Poland and decided that’s where his loyalties lay.

My first year watching speedway was 1966 when there was one league with 19 teams. Had speedway run in 2020, there would have been 7 Premiership and 12 Championship teams which I make, erm, 19. Add in IOM, Plymouth and Mildenhall, and that makes 22. Yes, we’ve lost many venues, and 10 of the 19 from 1966 have gone (and 3 of the remaining 9 have not only changed location, but changed it more than once) but supporters have greater choice now than they had over 50 years ago.

This is what I was referring to - no masks, no social distancing.

Looking at the lack of social distancing last weekend at Scunthorpe, I doubt they’ll be bothered about following any rules.

Was it ever publicised what the tyre problem was with Hellstrom Bangs in last night’s Masarna meeting?

For me, this was the first watchable match of the year after some pretty one sided and boring stuff - and the lights go pop. Grr! At least there was some excellent racing especially Zmarzlik who really attacks that track. I’ve sat on the exit of the second turn at Gorzow several times and always reckoned one big bump and he’d join me in the grandstand

I don’t know the Polish rules - I thought the reserves had to be Polish but didn’t realise there were other restrictions. And I’ve just read up about the new German lockdown - 1,500 new cases and 500,000 back in lockdown suggests that they have released lockdown, or certainly some of the lockdown rules, too early.