mikebv

Would be great for UK Speedway to have Woryna riding over here.. Plenty of "bums on seats" when he visits. .

They had plenty of opportunities to not allow what eventually appened to actually take place.. Journeymen after journeymen, coming over and taking up places, using a revolving door and a short term outlook, whilst UK riders, who could have been developed, gave up.. What we have today, ie not enough UK riders, started there, but, even though it was glaringly obvious as to the end result, it never got rectified... Where once riders doubling up was used as a development tool, it is now used to fundamentally keep the sport going in the UK... An amazing lack of leadership and capability shown down the years .

File with King, Brennan, Pickering, Masters, and Lidsey, and possibly others.. Strong at No3 with two top level riders above them.. Ryan Douglas made the "leap" last season to become a No1 ride in name and, more importantly, performance...

That would give Ipswich three of the seasons top eight riders in the averages, inc BP.. Not a bad top three at all..

I presume they would want to keep possibly five from last season, given they will have built up home track knowledge, whereby other teams will still be unsure as to set ups until more visits .. An out and out No1 would be the target you would have to think to try and protect Heats 13 and 15 better.. Finishing bottom in Speedway is an opportunity not to be missed the following season, and "second season syndrome" can make or break a team as the novelty has worn off and fans have less patience if their team struggles again.. Hopefully a top four team at the very least ..

Doyle is very much "old skool" for me... In any era he would be top level simply due to his drive and desire... From UK reserve to World Champ in five years wasn't it?.. No drama, no BS, just 100% commitment to whichever team he rides for... The teams in the UK who get him usually have a very decent season...

You can see this the way Sweden and Denmark are filling up their places.... Get to Sweden on Tuesday, then drive into Denmark on Wednesday.. Home Thursday morning and job done, ready for Poland, SEC, FIM qualifiers, or the GP's at the weekend.. Logistically, much easier, and you are not racing overseas on a Thursday and flying home Friday, which is either a highly pressured raceday or a day you would want free to sort out your highly pressured weekend fixtures... You also have to factor in the money earned by "young lads" these days in Poland... Whereby "veterans" of the sport, (top level riders), had to travel, often doing four leagues, inc UK, to try and earn as much as they could, whilst they could, in what is a dangerous career of maybe 20 to 25 years, (tops), to ensure a "good retirement"... Nowadays, even non "top level" riders can earn some tremendous money riding in Poland, meaning they can top up their earnings by cherry picking which other leagues to do, and do it on their own terms.. A very different landscape than even just 20 years ago...

The AGM used to be where many of the following seasons' rules and regs were actually put together.. "Like a bear pit" was one description from an old promoter.. With horse trading going on to get your wish list through, as you might have lined up a great team if the team average selected could only match it... And the AGM was several days to accommodate the agenda... Now much of the work is done throughout the season and the AGM mirrors what an AGM should be, ie a signing off of the previous year, and an inform session to shareholders as to the vision for the next twelve months and beyond... Not an operating model planning session... "Why don't they then put out info to the public as and when things like points limits are agreed through the season?".. I suppose it would be down to how Speedway in the UK is in somewhat of a "parlous state" where teams can, almost in an instant, pull out of the sport, or need to change leagues to keep operating, or even new teams coming in, hence averages would change too. The U21 ruling will no doubt have impacted an already agreed figure for example... Dan T's vlogs mentioned several times that there were "plans for next season" without going into detail, which shows that the planning process is pretty much ongoing and the AGM is nothing more than a communication of them... A much more professional looking set up than it used to be... Making several fundamental major changes for the following March, in November, certainly didn't used to give that professional impression...

The best part for me was when Neil Vatcher said in the "clarification statement" that what they actually meant by the first statement didnt come across like they intended.. Brilliant!!! There's some fair old reasons for the last two decades of decline in Speedway isn't there??.. And it certainly isn't just down to Poland, the GP's and developers is it?... I am looking forward to next weeks Speedway Star where we might read the "clarification of the clarification statement"... The sport definitely needs an "emotionally intellectual dictator" who signs off, as professional and fit for purpose, pretty much every bit of communication that comes out, and strategises the operating and business plan...

Tate Zischke is looking like a busy lad next year... Riding for about seven teams so far...

It was done for development of riders to ensure plenty of UK ones were available for the top league as riders retired, or dropped down and saw their careers out in the 2nd Div.. Giving them a "taster" as to what the top level was, without putting undue pressure on them by losing their other role... Now it is done simply to share costs of riders who are 20 years and more veterans of the sport... Hence restricted race nights for the top tier.. Hence Poland kept the weekend to themselves... (And now added eight Thursdays, plus rearrangements)..... "How not to run a sport successfully" would make a decent book title...

Good sentiments, but hard to police though I would think., Many of these riders would also be riding in the Championship, or maybe the Premiership.. Running a "Colts" team could see them doing less matches than for their other teams, so who should benefit?... One of the many issues with Doubling Up/Down..

Is that the rule?.. I thought it was now both wheels over the inside line?.. But then again, I always did think that was the rule given it was always quoted on TV when it came close to happenng, or actually did.. In the piece in the Speedway Star, Neil Vatcher said he didn't want to disclose those on the panel who said Cook had "breached the rule"... Why not? If it had been me who had decided he had done it, with zero other evidence than the ref had, then I would want my "vision superpower" to be known to all..!!

A lot of it goes back to it being a hobby for many... They are enjoying their afternoon at the Speedway so "no rush".. Supporters however may have a fair old distance to cover to get home, and some will rely on public transport at non peak times.. Maybe there should be a timetable of events published each meeting to help keep the organisers, and referees, focused on delivering a decently paced event?... I know some tracks have done it in the past, and maybe some still do?..

42 is the "perfect" average figure you get when all seven riders have 4 rides each.. 14 heats x 3 points per race per team.. A utopian situation that has so many variables that deliver so many inconsistencies, it becomes almost ridiculous to keep working out a new figure each season and changing it years in year out .

Wasn't there some "issues" that season, (one with Charles Wright springs to mind), that may have helped influence the decision... PTA will have more recollection than me I am sure.. FWIW I have always thought of Tom as a Steve Worrall level rider, ie capable of beating the very best, but not consistently enough to reach the worlds top 30 or so... Someone who will be a solid scorer in both UK leagues, but not an out and out top two HL in the top league.. He does look to be on a bargain average next season for any team who have a genuine top level top two, and can fit him in at No 3 or as a Second String.. You would have to think Ipswich wouldn't miss out on such a potential "cheat code" if they can use him as a second string in particular..

Spot on... All the tracks are really doing is providing track time for these young lads given they are never going to be assets... And they can ride in both leagues over here, and, at least, two overseas, and more if they don't do Poland.. Therefore to say one club "nurtures" them, and has some loyalty call on their services, is stretching things to a fair old distance... Getting a contract in Poland is the absolute aim for so many, and the UK provides a stepping stone, as do other leagues around Europe.. The aim for the sport over here, and in other non Polish leagues, is to have a conveyor belt of riders coming through to replace those for whom Poland becomes their "main home"...

Are the team averages actually set yet?.. Or is the AGM delay down to possibly a seventh team coming into tier one, which will mean an average change to accommodate them?... And, I presume the overseas U21 riders have an assessed average? If so, is it based on the usual Polish League riders assessed rules?... And if so, if they don't ride in Poland eg Sweden, Denmark etc, what will their assessed average be?.. Lower than Poland? Or the same???

A JCB couldn't keep digging so far down... A compounded load of tosh, on top of a load of tosh.. Embarrassingly out of their depth some people..

Both him and Tungate combined would be a decent way under 12... Not a bad engine room should they add Kurtz and Bewley to the top of the team, around 30 points in total for all four?... Would leave a fair few points for the fifth rider and two decent U21's (which you presume the Aces will get), and it would be another decent team.. Winning at home by a good margin is obviously key to overall success and track specialists at the NSS can pretty much guarantee that...

Run it like a bona fide business then?.... And not an "anything will do" hobby?... It will never catch on...

In the Speedway Star, Rohan Tungate says he is open for a UK place next season.. 5.89 average... The Aces must be interested I would imagine..

Every year it's the same bollox isn't it?... Averages changing, eligibility changing, rules changing, no doubt prices changing, (and not going down)... There must be literally hours spent on this nonsense instead of hours spent on creating a product which provides you with a great nights entertainment... "Does he qualify for the 2.5%, 5% or 25% reduction or increase, and is his mam English and left handed?"... So much minute detailed planning each season to ensure a competitive league, and instead we always end up with, at least, one team being highlighted as complete cannon fodder before a wheel is turned, and have their season pretty much over by June!!... Edit. Having read the interview in full, it is clear that Phil Morris does appear to have a clear vision of how he wants the UK version of the sport to evolve, with much of what he is seeking mentioned ad nauseum on here down the years . Hopefully with him, Richard Coleman, and Mark Lemon involved more influentially there is a better future.. It is clear that they want an obvious demarcation between the top two tiers over here, so hopefully their ideas come to fruition and the top league becomes something to aspire to be in...

That's why a highlights package would be the best course of action.. Using BSN and the clubs own streams.. ITV could pay them to use their footage which keeps their own production costs minimal... And those having their footage used get credited on screen so hopefully pick up more business... All the best races of the week cherry picked with studio discussion around that weeks racing with a preview of the following week.. Short, sharp coverage, with the odd "live" meeting at play off time..

The two U21 positions they must now have would have influenced that decision I would think..