Wee Eck

It’s my view that, at the moment, only one name needs to be found as Doyle, Hancock and Woffinden will get one. But, if Doyle out scores Zagar in Toruń, then that leaves two to find as Zagar is guaranteed a place through the GP qualifiers. I doubt it’ll be another Dane, but could well be another Pole, probably taken from Kubera, Smektala or Drabik. It would be good if it was to be another Brit but that could only really be Lambert and I think it’s too early. There seems no one of World class (other than Freddie) from Sweden these days This year’s series has been pretty weak and the 2019 champion, whether that’s Zmarzlik, Sayfutdinov or Madsen, should count himself lucky. I don’t think any of them would live with the likes of Woffinden, Hancock, Pedersen, Crump or Rickardson when they were at their peak. We can only hope one or more real stars emerge from the pack, but I can’t see from where.

Which is his “parent club”? Is it not Poole after they bought the Peterborough riders from Julie Mahoney and Rick Frost?

As is being picked by Leicester in the semi!!

Why?

But maybe helped by the money paid by Toruń to use Jack Holder?

Is it Dan Ford or Matt Ford that picks the team? They’re not looking like title winners now.

I wasn’t surprised when Poole were made favorites at the beginning of the season but only because I thought the original 1-7 would be drastically changed before play off time. They were solid but clearly built down to a price hence no Jake Allen, Kasper Woryna, Fredrik Jacobsen or Luke Becker. Their top two are hit and miss and May always be, Grajczonek, Klindt and Worrall are journey men who are unlikely to improve and NBJ was just there because his average fitted. Only Covatti looked like he was on an average that could only go one way. But, how wrong was I? The only changes have been because of injuries to Worrall and NBJ. Covatti has put a magnificent 0.1 on his starting average. And yet Poole are at the top of the league and may well hang on long enough to stay there. No one can deny that Swindon are the stand out team individually with Doyle, Bachelor, Musielak and the signing of the year in Jensen and, on paper, they should romp the play offs. But will they? Will Poole’s legendary team spirit see them through, or will their team of overachievers crumble at the last hurdle? its not been a memorable season, but the run in is starting to heat up

If that was true, then no one would complain. It’s the foul whiff of favouring one team over another that gets to Tigers’ supporters, who are getting cheesed off being sold bs when they can see that all that is happening is pre-sale profit maximising. At their expense

Goodness me. What does that mean? Plans afoot to strengthen by weakening. Proctor and Worrall out and Kemp and someone in? Luke Becker perhaps? Kemp has been very quiet since his “sacking” by Sheffield so maybe he knows something that we don’t. I feel really sorry for the loyal Sheffield supporters being thrown on the bonfire of the vanities that seems to be running Leicester. They deserve better and hopefully will get better once the current ruling clique is out of the way.

There also used to be an agreement with the US governing body, the AMA, that flights had to be provided along with a contribution towards accommodation costs. I have no idea if that still exists though

THJ? Just signed for Berwick so maybe he’s signed for two teams to make it worth his while having bikes here?

Since 2010: League winners 2010, 2014, 2015 KO Cup 2014 PL Cup 2014, 2015 PL Fours 2013, 2015

Alex Harkess?

I think that’s exactly what my comment “it doesn’t say why Vissing’s was rejected” implies.

SCB Press release says both appealed. It doesn’t say why Vissing’s was rejected. Maybe it didn’t follow the required procedure? Cook’s appeal against his suspension has been accepted and the case now moves out of the SCB co-ordinator’s hands to a full SCB hearing. He still faces a ban and/or a fine depending on the decision of the SCB. And he again had the right to appeal that

Blobby up and out too early to have seen this morning’s SCB statement.....

SCB have lifted Cook’s ban pending a full hearing

As Rory Schlien is eligible to ride in the British Final, would he also be able to try to qualify for the SEC?

There is one rider who seems to get very little noticed this year and yet he is doing well enough that, although not number one at Swindon, with his average, he’d be number one at Ipswich, Peterborough, Poole and Wolverhampton. Could Troy Batchelor be the Robins secret weapon that will spur them on the league success?

I was at Poole last week too and the racing was the best I’ve seen in a long while. Heat 12 is on the BSPA site and shows how raceable the track can be. The NSS is far and away the best track, but it was designed in this decade for this decade’s bikes. Many of the others were designed when uprights were king and it shows

I beg to differ. No doubt, he’d have been bigged up but, when it came to racing, he’d have been last in every race even if he made a fast start. He’s nowhere near the level of even the weakest of the GP riders. You just need to look at the job that other “entertainer” Jason Garrity did a couple of years ago to realise Danny would also embarrass himself and his supporters. He can be great to watch, though not if you were a Scunthorpe supporter last Sunday, and should be encouraged at the level he’s at, not way beyond his current abilities.

Returning to the actual topic - anyone hearing rumours about a tv deal for next year?

I’ve just read that Henry Atkins has stood down from Somerset. This used to be a rarity but is this not the third or fourth young British rider this year? Part of this might be caused by the reduction in the points limit at the beginning of the year, meaning that too many riders came into the league before they were ready but it doesn’t explain Zach Wajtnecht and Jack Thomas taking a break. The up and coming riders need all the experience going but maybe it’s time to bring back the protected races that the Elite League used when they had the draft system?

Was being dumped by Edinburgh and being deprived of making a living also “nonsense”? Why does “if you want him, you’ve got to buy him” work when Glasgow want a Leicester rider and not the other way round? And don’t tell me that Stewart Dickson didn’t know the score when he approached the rider. He’s been around too long to make a mistake like that. I suspect he publicised it first, hoping that peer pressure would let him get the rider. The Glasgow management seem to be working towards making Speedway viable in the city, so deserve credit not criticism from less well supported and funded teams.

Pointless competition with mostly processional riding promoted by a Polish company with largely second tier riders in front of a stadium less than half full. And people say Speedway in Poland is the future? If that’s the case, there is no future.