MD

How does Kye Thomson maintain an average of 6.51?

One of the main reasons has been to protect the Premiership and its TV deal by creating demarcation between the two leagues i.e. diluting the CL. This year there are more big name riders than for a long number of years but there was a time just before and after Covid that some of the PL teams were just Championship riders.

Allegedly it was only GLA and Poole who voted against lowering the points limit to 38. It will rise next year as it has to, as many lower and middle order riders from last season will have upped their averages due to the overall lower standard of rider this year. So it'll largely be the same calibre of rider next year under the illusion of an increased points limit. Twice home and away would be much better, we can still run against the other Friday clubs on our alternate night.

Its definitely a factor but not the sole one, prior to last week we had no home meetings for 6 weeks and there are a further 6 weeks free to the end of August.

Which is followed by 3 home meetings then another 3 week break. Think I'd rather we ran all our fixtures and the season finished in July or early August when the weather is at its best than drag out this nonsense and suffer rain offs, slick tracks and poor racing in Sep/Oct. There is also freezing your nuts off for 2 hours on the terracing, not that the customer experience is ever a factor.

To have any chance of making the playoffs we need Leon to be outperforming his average especially at Ashfield. He seems to recognise he loses momentum running high and wide on the corners and sticks to the inner third at the kerb which doesn't always yield results. Better teams will be calling soon and we shouldn't take too much from tonight's scoreline.

I agree but having your TM leave you in no doubt before leaving the pits cant do any harm.

Glasgow were there for the taking last night and half way through the meeting it wouldn't have been a shock if Berwick won. The ht13 inspired comeback could have been nullified if Hagon was in ht14. Next week hopefully Cami can communicate to his riders to get to the tapes on time, and stay in the saddle. Ht8 was avoidable nonsense.

What about the TM, did he play his best cards every heat tonight?

Getting beaten by Jye Etheridge is a poor night but its an expected points return from Leon. He is exposed at 3 in a very soft middle order and despite no lack of effort isnt improving at Ashfield. Still lacks speed into turn 3 which kills the gains he makes coming off the second bend.

Hagon would have maximised his return in ht14 and likely won it IMO, he just got better as the night wore on. Putting him in ht13 was mental, he made a nuisance of himself initially letting Kerr build a lead but was never going to do anything against that standard of rider. He got zero points the same as Garrad would've. Its another Dickson spectacular and potentially cost his team an away win or at the very least gone into ht15 one point ahead.

Three lines top corner > Account > Ignored Users

Combined with a lack of meetings to make it worthwhile for any potential new signings.

Will be interesting to see the size of crowd for this one. Its been 6 weeks since the Tigers last home meeting and a defeat at that followed by three more on the road. Cash hasn't been splashed on new signings so its the same team who've struggled thus far, and the school holidays are about to begin. On the plus side it looks like it'll be pleasantly warmer.

With Tarasenko, Basso and Vissing that's perhaps understandable but we couldn't manage just Vissing this year I find hard to believe. If the above is true we've created a bottom three side to suit the admin of the team rather than whats best for the team.

Indeed, we have been left with a very soft middle order and inconsistent reserves where its going to be hard enough to win home meetings. I don't think Complin could have filled the gaps or made up for the low scoring of some. His situation is unforeseen and not the fault of anyone at the club. Some of the others not so. If we don't make changes over our now 3 week fixture gap, I don't think we will make them at all. Perhaps it is time to bring in an unknown from abroad and let them get used to the track and us get a good look at them. Heaven forbid it be a Dane.

He doesn't have the comfort of a gate first and win home track, and is lost on our racers circuit. Away from home has been very inconsistent. I think he will improve as the season goes on but still remain astounded we thought he was the right rider for Ashfield.

We need CabDirect to help us out with a few taxis on one way hires. On the plus side Starkey never had an EF tonight.

Edinburgh's mechanical issues saved us from a doing. 50 -39 has the face of respectability but its far from that. Broon summed it up in his comments after ht14 but FFS how did this team come to be put together by choice.

Not a single pass in the first 7 heats of the meeting. If only we could make a gate, the odds would be 99% on winning the heat.

We need to learn from it! How a club that could up to now pull good riders from nowhere when no one was seemingly available and play the average system to their absolute advantage, could put together this years' 1-7 is beyond me. There will definitely be some acclimatisation for the newbies who've only known success and perhaps a reality check for the long termers.

In a very short space of time, the self imposed no Danes rule looks completely ludicrous whatever its intentions were. Ditching Vissing for Flint was just mental. Brennan needed pastures new however Stevie W I agree wasnt the answer. I still think we would have arrived at this point of having to restructure the team, just the Complin situation sped it up a week or two. Some flawed thinking over the winter that clearly hasn't worked out. Thank goodness Pearson has exceeded expectations.

Agree, one more point from anyone further down the order would have seen us win. Fine margins this season.

Another one bites the dust! Our ht13 &15 conversion rate is rather poor this year. I think someone will be doing the numbers at Ashfield this weekend, we are distinctly average.

Then Glasgow isnt the track for him, you've got to be an all out racer at your level to win points at Ashfield as even if you gate you can be caught. I wonder what it is that Glasgow saw in him to prompt his signature. Perhaps they see value in his average or that they think he is a decent longer term acquisition. I don't think he is the right rider for us this season, with such a low points limit every point needs to work for us and there is no hiding place when it doesn't. No one can be carried.