mikebv

100%... The big difference isnt the overall racing but the size of the crowds... An "average" meeting (of which most were just like today), didn't seem so average when you had decent crowd numbers who brought noise and a fair few away fans to add a bit of rivalry and increased the atmosphere...

Last season they would still have had to go head to head v the Aces... With a not too good record at the NSS, even with a full team... With the Aces having NKI instead of Cook too.... This year, if they can keep that team together it should be a shoe in.. But, given the injury record of several of that team, you never know... Should injuries strike though they will have some big averages to bring some very good guests in..

A fantastic issue... Scanned first time too... Well Done to all who produce the Speedway Star... Always worth the outlay...

With Brennan, Ipswich have two "number 5's" and with Ellis and King they have two more "number 3's" rather than having second strings... A fantastically well put together team, even more so when you look at their excellent reserve strength where you have a "second string" level rider and a top level RS... If they don't win the league this year, they never will...

But legally not a good thing to do.... If someone has a health condition, and is being supported with it by an "employer", no one else has a right to know what a) the condition is, and b) what the support mechanic is... GDPR failure is a growing litigation breach .....

Bloody rules!!!..... Surely on this occasion though it would be "in the interests of Speedway" to allow Bomber to ride? In fact, every time Ipswich race it would be worth letting Bomber ride at reserve against them... 30 - 60 is my prediction...

Must admit, it did seem to be a "gift horse" didn't it? If not 100% to ride then he, or the manager ,should have made the call for him to withdraw from the meeting.. And also, I am quite surprised the KL fans have been seemingly "ok" about the mechanical failures.. The Aces seemed to have working bikes.. Which is pretty much the most important thing..

Not sure a defeat by ten... Kurtz would have had a tac ride and Harris did take two of Boughen's rides, when he would only have been able to take one max otherwise... (Was that legal by the way as IRR wouldn't have been in place?) But, that is sport, and particularly in one that requires a level of mechanical capability from the competitors, you could counter argue that the meeting was lost in the preparation of certain riders .. All things being equal though, KL would have won I would say... But closer given one more ride for Boughen and a Tac ride for Kurtz, (probably with Lidsey)...

Thank you for the info.. Much appreciated.... Best wishes to Woffy....

Terrible news... Best wishes to Tai....

It should be good for the sport overall to have a "super team" in the league .. 1998 brought great crowds when Ipswich visited so let's hope for more of the same. A strong top 3, two good second strings who will push for the 3rd HL spot, one very good reserve, and one of the best (if not the best), rising stars... An almost perfect scenario from a team building perspective . Let's hope injuries don't wreck their season, as they will attract plenty of non regular fans to the other six tracks when they visit . Edit. A good job they have a fantastic sponsor given the money they may need to pay out!!!😁

The cost of paying for SON tickets did adversely impact the Aces crowds last season so it wasn't a surprise to see the crowd impacted on Monday.. BSN also covered Mondays meeting so it would be interesting to see if it was well watched.. It was though the KO Cup too which isn't always a crowd puller until the final... The good news was that the Aces at least reached the quarters....

I watch them on the telly though.... That must count....

And there is only nearly 3 months left to sell them!!!😀

Indeed... You only have to watch the podcasts with several "top" riders talking about how much more "fun" and "less intense" and how much more "social" it is over here... Mixing together in the pits for example being cited as an indicator of how so much more "relaxed" a meeting is over here... No point taking too many risks over here when your Polish team will stop paying you (and want their up front money back), if you get injured riding in the UK..

It will be Bomber.. (As always)....😁

If that was me winning the 100m title I wouldn't give a toss how I won it as decades of dedicated training and sacrifice had come to fruition.. Empathy for my rival, but delighted none the less.. However, comparing winning an Olympic Gold Medal to a UK Speedway domestic title victory is somewhat ridiculous... One is at the the highest level of sporting achievement, and the other delivers minimal publicity and awareness, hardly any financial rewards, and actively allows you to bring in a "ringer" at the end of a season... However, after a season whereby dozens of qualifying matches for those play offs have had their own "ringers" brought in, it provides perfect synergy for me, and is 100% in keeping with what has gone before... The year after Bomber was parachuted in for TWO different teams in the play offs... Presumably getting a winners medal AND a losers one!!😁

But this year, under the new semi final draw system... They will be pretty much guaranteed to face Ipswich in the semi....😀 So will get a massive crowd...😜

At least he rode for the Aces in both the semi AND the final... Rather than helping knock out the team he rode for in the semi, in the final!!.. With neither team actually being his...

Each year, it seems to take the Aces until the "warmer evenings" to really get dialled in.. For the first month or so, the away teams (no matter of overall levels), always seem to be "there or thereabouts" come heat 12... Then Kurtz and Bewley usually sort out a wider winning margin.. Ipswich look like a possible team that could go unbeaten all season, if injuries allow, (and they surely must be due some luck on that front this year!).. Great team building using the GB riders discounted averages with riders (like King) riding in their "true positions" which gives them great strength in depth... Didn't go last night as had watched Emil and Doyle the week before, but will definitely attend at least one of the league meetings ..

Or... Simply lose the RS position completely, and run six rider teams with riders all over 4 point averages... Having so many lads well out of their depth, basically beating each other, isn't good for them and the entertainment value on view, given so many finish half a straight behind the GP lads.. It would mean one less "contrived" rule too isn't required, and ultimately not followed, too... Let them ride in the 2nd Div and maybe be a "reserve" in the top league to come in if a rider gets injured during a meeting. Remaining in and around the GP lads, to gain experience on how they prepare themselves, bikes etc... The less "contrived rules" the more chance the sport has of gaining some wider coverage and publicity, and, if nothing else, helps keep the "regulars" attending... Many of whom have simply stopped attending over the years due to the nonsense that goes on through implementing regulations that are full of holes, or simply ignored...

Sixty quid spent on Monday for me and my lad to get in.. If there had been any likelihood of rain, I would have paid for the stream.. Very good value for money for those who decide not to attend in person due to weather concerns or distance to travel . I will definitely be using the stream in future for any other "big meetings" they cover away from the NSS...

Another decent meeting from the NSS, especially considering it was the first meeting of the season there, and was quite packed down just in case inclement weather was around, like March often brings.. Gate 4 was a bit of an issue but the canny riders cut back and used that piece of dirt at the apex of bend two at the kerb, which has appeared over the past season or so.. "Kurtz's Corridor" it is now called. 😁 Plenty of "from the gate" racing which is to be expected early season but even those races at the NSS have enough "close racing" to keep your interest... NKI was great to watch with several outside runs, and Bomber's last ride typified the man. A proper entertainer. The crowd looked very decent again this year (2500+?), so gate receipts must be pretty good at around £25 or so as an average.. Once again it shows that there is still some decent demand for "top level" racing in this country, the big challenge of course is putting it on more regularly... Well done Brady, hopefully an indicator of what is to come in the GP's for him. He has all the credentials, ie can gate, can pass, is very quick and smooth when out in front, and can mix it forcibly with others if required....

£50 a meeting in the "normal seats" in the Grandstand and £90 for both days would be the maximum expected I suggest . With £40 for standing per meeting and £75 for both .. No need to subsidise other meetings like the SON final had to do last season, so no need to charge the prices that they needed to do then.. When compared to Premiership prices, for a World Class event, those admission fees would be value for me, and a 5,000 crowd both days would deliver circa £400k..

"The Olsen Skid Lid" Being another...?