mikebv

Tom B is probably the bottom No1 in the league... A league of just six number ones... Meaning he rides against his opposite number three times per night, if he takes Ht15... Out of those six Number Ones, three are World Class GP riders, and one is a Polish top tier HL... And then you have No5's like Bewley, Doyle, Kvech, and Pickering with C Holder at a three.. Both Brennan, and also Lidsey, made great progression riding at No3 with two World Class HL's at one and five in their teams.. With just five teams to race, and three of them having top level GP riders at No1, being a non top level GP rider, and riding against them several times a night, can be both an average and a confidence killer.. And Ryan Douglas as the other No1 in the league is a very solid rider... With so few teams you won't be getting too many "easy" rides to increase your confidence should you need to... And not riding in Poland regularly won't help... Can a Championship side fit him in?...

He can simply miss some matches over here... Several riders have signed contracts with clubs who know their riders will be unavailable for Wednesdays and Saturdays... And even Thursdays in the Premiership...

Just seen the scores... Why didn't Jeppesen have (at least), six rides?... At least two riders didnt deserve four...

19 paid 20 for Klindt and Batch... Northampton, once again, not too far away...

They were brought in to stop riders underperforming, and then suddenly improving again once their reduced average had allowed a significant strengthening up for the team... So, a laudable idea... With so few meetings though, 20 is probably too many now for the top tier, as it is almost a full season for a team knocked out of the KO Cup in the first round, and zero chance of a PO place.. (Does the KO Cup even count to the averages?). Maybe 10 matches, (half a season), would be better and, as an add on, the team with the highest collective average becomes the new target? Struggling teams, (who we will all accurately have agreed who they are going to be before a wheel is turned) always stay struggling when they can only replace a rider with an equal or lower average, or still have to run with the team average decided for the season.. Eg. If 42 is the season average and the top team is running at 45, then the struggling team will still be well behind the one at the top if all they can do is reset to 42, meaning their season will continue to be one of struggle, (and hardly worth the changes).. Letting all teams match the No1 team, at say the half way stage, would mean a very competitive second half of the season, rather than the usual "game over" we regularly have as the PO teams stroll into them.. And a half a season contract may attract more riders who see an extra 10 matches as something they can work around..

"If" there is someone in the background looking to run the club next season, as was alluded to pre season, (as long as the club is a viable venture), then I would imagine a "GP rider" would stretch the budget somewhat... And "If" as was suggested, the crowd was 1000-1100 for their last meeting, then paying out £7k and maybe more, for a GP rider (for a home and away meeting), could leave the venture looking less appealing come the end of the season accounts.. You also have to ask "Who" was going to come over and ride? Who isn't already doing three leagues?... And, of those only doing two, would they want to potentially ride Mondays and Thursdays over here in a single week? And Doyle loves riding at the NSS so maybe could see more scoring potential for him (and thus, more money), than riding a brand new circuit to him.. Maybe those saying that Northampton should get a bona fide No1 could suggest one that doesnt "break the bank"....?

Sharing track equipment, air fences, and hinges...

Can't Buster fix it?...

Perfect timing for them Phil... Crowds are (as expected), levelling off, so... I would think the crowd would be one of their best over the last few meetings, given Brady is there.. Which you expect will be advertised locally.. Meaning a "last gasp" victory would generate some fresh impetus at a key time of their development, and maybe boost the crowds up again for the next few matches, and a decent turn out when the Aces visit again... It won't make any difference to the Aces Play Off Qualification and it would be good to see a very close meeting on my visit....

Thanks for the detailed honest resoonse.. All you need to do for next week is prepare a track that let's Brady Kurtz win his first four races from the back... And has him then just failing to pass Jaimon Lidsey on the line in Ht15, as Jaimon secures a 46-44 victory for the Foxes... Shouldn't be too difficult to do that should it??... We'll leave it with you...

Wasn't one of the major aims of the season to show a potential purchaser that Speedway at Northampton was viable?... They were not going to commit blindly but were prepared to come on board if the venture proved itself...

And a last heat decider, with a Northampton win, wouldn't be the worst result in the world for UK Speedway....

Excellent Post... From exactly the type of person that Northampton need to 100% listen to... A keen, glad to have Speedway back on his doorstep, passionate fan... If the track was poor then the club tell everyone why, not via a PM to individuals, and, more importantly, what they will do to resolve the issue... Yours and Iain's feedback should be "Gold" to any new business wanting to succeed... I used to spend the first three months of any new store I opened receiving as much criticism as I could get, as I could then review it and, if accurate, make positive changes.. The danger is they go down the route of many others who simply haven't listened (refused to listen?) to an ever disenfranchised fanbase, a fanbase which many of still closely following the sport, and even attend individual and overseas meetings, but don't see UK Speedway as being relevant enough for them to attend.. One of the big advantages they have is to NOT do what so many others have done, and use the obvious mistakes of others to guide them in their decision making.. The whole "we should be glad Northampton exists" attitude is complete nonsense, as that is as low a level of expectation as it is conceivably possible to have, (and almost then gives justification for things not going to plan).. If the sport ever wants to be taken seriously then its the professionalism of it, and its off and on track infrastructure, which will determine its success, not whether it just exists.... Hope you and a seemingly decent number of others who attend can keep interested enough to make the season overall a success, and also keep constructively criticising where required.. They seem to have done a lot of things well to get themselves open, so now need that feedback from you and others to improve their "night at the Speedway".. Looking forward to going to watch the Aces there to tick another track off the list...

Iain's comments were very fair I would suggest, and given his opinion is based on facts, very relevant, and should be seen as constructive, especially given so many tracks seem to have lost the Quality Control that Phil Morris brought in.. To be honest, he came in and made changes that were, for me, quite embarrassing in their basic nature... Why Promoters needed some Quality Control checklist which included starting meetings on time, having the centre green tidied with the sponsors prominent, and riders ready for the next race as soon as the last one ended, was as low level as it could be... Never mind "grabbing the low hanging fruit" he was picking it up off the floor!!! Yet, this season, without him, we are seeing some of the "old ways" coming back.. Given the nature of the sport, incidents can easily happen which elongate the evening, therefore, starting on time has to be a given to ensure punters get home at a reasonable time... A new venture in particular should strive for excellence in everything it does, and all adverse feedback is often what it needs for longer term growth..

Those within the Speedway Bubble are often a part of the problem... They become "Three Monkeys" like, and, worse, make excuses on behalf of those they volunteer for, or work alongside... I have been impressed with the Speedway Star over the last 12 months or so, as they have constructively challenged much of the nonsense those within "The Bubble" believe to be acceptable and fit for purpose.... From what you say, the danger is, (once again)... "Any Speedway, is better than nothing".... Which is then seen as acceptable, and almost a measure of success.. As we know, crowds have dropped significantly over the last two decades or so, on the back of that "Mission Statement"..