mikebv

As it stands the league will be watered down given some of the more capable ex RS's will not get places in the top tier and some NDL level lads will be coming in... They desperately need some decent U21 riders from overseas as twelve GB U21's will mean a huge disparity in capability each meeting, from No1's to No 6's and 7's...

The only reason I can imagine for their reticence is that so much of the decisions they make, subsequently, and usually quickly, get highlighted as unfit for purpose, or better solutions get put forward, when they get scrutinised by the wider public... Within minutes, on here, usually someone states chapter and verse on why a decision made contravenes certain rules and regs, eg several times announced guest riders get changed due to not being eligible after it getting challenged on here.. ... You also have the caveat of "in the interest of Speedway" to add in as and when needed, which quite frankly is an embarrassment in a so called professional sport isn't it?.. I can't think of any other pro sport where "as we haven't made rules and regs fit for purpose in this instance, we'll just make something up" is allowed, and, fundamentally part of an operating model... It can't be too difficult to put out a database of riders, wishing to ride over here, with their averages can it?. Or maybe that would open a huge can of worms!!! Edit: You would really have thought something all sorted by last July would have been made public by now though wouldn't you?.......

It's on a need to know basis... And, it would appear, your punters obviously don't need to know.. That "Speedway United" marketing thing being put together has its work cut out doesn't it?..😁

His "low" average certainly is something that belies his capability, especially around the NSS .. And riding Mondays/Wednesdays would knock plenty of Thursdays off his schedule, as it would be away only he needed to ride.. Obviously if he signed in Sweden then it would be the only Polish meeting he had to do on Thursdays which may be more appealing..? I think the UK does have an issue given it's two nights a week structure, especially as Thursday is so close to the weekend "high pressure" meetings, which can start on Fridays.. GP/Top Level riders seem to start to pick and choose their schedule the more they get older, and if you have done a fair few years in Poland as a HL in the top league, you will have earned some serious money, so maybe not the same need to travel around Europe any more than you need to..? And the old adage of having to ride in the UK to be World Champion is well debunked, (unless those two races BZ did for Birmingham made all the difference?) 😀, so the best young foreign riders are not coming over like they were, with many of them also getting some incredible Polish contracts due to their capability and demand for their services.. The UK is almost being squeezed from above and below, and given so many riders are now at the "veteran stage" over here it does need some radical change ..

And they doubled down on having him on the podium, (thus treating him like he had been an integral part of a team that had just won the title)... By inviting him to the end of season dinner to celebrate the fact!!! Something must be wrong there... 😁

Signed for Slangerup in Denmark... Wonder if not doing a Thursday track will be in his plans?.. Or maybe Sweden also is???.

Doyle was though... Seemed to have a great time too, looking at the photos .. Obviously didn't want all that fun he said that he had riding for the Aces to stop....😁

"I am sure Tom would rather be at a club that will support his career rather than move him on quickly".. Was that bit true too?...😁 Two whole seasons... Have they retired his race number?... 😀

Chuckle Brothers Team Planning.... To Me. To You. To You. To Me... Going to be great though, not like last season in any way shape or form...

Didn't Ipswich sign the best RS in 2025?.. Even though they weren't entitled to given the regs?.. Birmingham should have had him, a team so poor, they had to sign a rider who couldn't complete a season just to look "competitive"... Was that "integrity"?... Ipswich last season also had two of the top eight in the averages, which in a league of 42 riders doesn't suggest they did too bad a job in getting a team together... In fact, it was only really Tom Brennan's unusual, uexpected poor season that prevented them from quite possibly being in the final.. And it was no ones fault but Ipswich why they didn't put their team together later than others.. It took several months, which were ultimately lost months... This season is looking like last with relation to the actual names of riders involved, and could actually be much weaker if NDL riders take positions held by Championship Heat Leaders.. Will that mean 2027 is a great season worth winning?..

He has quite clearly hit upon a system that works for him... Like Woffy who also gave the UK a miss when at his peak.. And becoming a father will also mean he wont be wanting to be away from home... If he rides over here, then great, if he doesn't, he just joins a long list of those who don't...

In the Speedway Star, Mark Lemon mentioned how he likes to keep as many riders as he can, which does make sense if they have improvement in them (like last season), as you have invested time in them and had to take the "not too good days"... It is much more of a gamble when coming off a season of good increases in averages, and for riders to move up a position in a team and even just keep the same average will be a challenge.. The joys of being successful in Speedway!!😁 The opportunity being of course, that a poor season from "the engine room" could see them having great averages for the 2028 team!!😁 Only in Speedway...

Will be a challenge with three riders moving up a position in the team higher than the positions their averages were gained at.. Blodorn and Cook to HL's and Tate to Second String... And the RS? Won't be as good as Cairns you would have to think.. Klindt at four?.. And ???? at six, probably needs to be a very decent level U21...

Surely nothing is stopping the UK doing this?... And if there is... They didn't think this through very well. Just by coming on here you could see how many lads were moving out of the RS scheme, so, surely, "someone" should have considered who were likely to replace them?... The foreign U21 riders better be good!!! (But I have my doubts as to their level too given how many of the best ones ride in Sweden and Denmark)..

This season is very much, completely different... As all the teams have much longer to pick from pretty much exactly the same riders.. Meaning it will be the best season, ever, ever, ever..* Even better than the seven team 2025, which surely will be talked about for decades to come... * (Unless Belle Vue win again)....

You would think that "the stock car tracks" would automatically run on a Thursday wouldn't you?.. Must be logistically so much easier to prep the track... That would be four of the six, with Belle Vue being the outlier of the other two left... If they went to Thursday's (could still do BHM's), then one meeting a fortnight would be doable, with all teams riding on the same night... Meaning No Guests!!! So that won't happen then...

If we get more top level riders over here then clashes could be inevitable.... However, if we only have a few top tier Polish riders, like currently, then as you say, hopefully they can work around it... Who knows maybe if will focus them on delivering some fit for purpose fixture planning across the season with home matches, weather permitting ,evenly spread out?..

Agreed, however. Just running on Thursday would mean clashes with Poland running on that night.. Eight meetings planned next year plus any rearrangements... And also would mean riders flying out on Friday to possibly race in FIM meetings or Polish top league matches that night.. Scandinavia has the advantage of "being done" by Wednesday evening, so the fixtures at the weekend have prep time...

Josh Grajczonek???? Game over with that on a triple word ..😁

Jason Crump born in Bristol... Our first three time world champ...😁

Hence, hate on the game, not the player of it ..😉

And Eastbourne are building to 30....😯😁

One of the most frustrating aspects of UK Speedway is the lack of these "engine room" type of riders.. Years of not developing UK riders has left many leaving the sport who now could be at this Second String/No6 level.. The very top level riders are a breed apart, but those in what I would describe as the "third level" ie "the average rider" make up the largest individual sector, and this country should have had many more riders of that level, which would have helped the sport in the UK enormously... Hopefully enough is being done to encourage that potential level of young rider to keep going...

Good for selling season tickets and to make a team not look like cannon fodder... Which they then invariably become.. "Look at our league, isn't it competitive?".. Whilst many followers of the sport will already know it clearly isn't, and be proven right, usually around the end of May....

Top tier teams are usually the ones with the regular four figure fan base... With some obvious outliers in tier two.. Hence they can afford to change nights and still, hopefully, keep enough people attending for the Speedway to remain at leasf affordable if not profitable. Eastbourne were not one of those regular four figure attendance teams, hence the Dugard family would put tens of thousands in some seasons, and running at weekend would bring in around 700-800, tops, I would think, (after an initial novelty period that may bring a few more)... Moving to a Monday or Thursday, from a weekend would then be a big risk, especially given the 30% and more increase in rider costs...