mikebv

Might change my bet.... What happened to NKI?

Be surprised if Ben was fit enough to ride... Let the lad rest up and come back next year... It's not like Poland with hundreds of thousands depending on the outcome.. Best wishes to the lad....

Wise words.. I am going to watch the first leg on TV... And... If Leicester have a lead for the 2nd leg, not attend that .. Kerching...

Worth a few quid on the Aces I reckon...

At the more technical, less high speed tracks maybe, but at Sheffield the inside slickens off after four or five races... Meaning all riders start to ride mid track.. Then further out as the meeting progresses. Chris Holder managed to creep around the kerb and use some "fresh dirt" to get some drive to beat Voulas .. It doesn't happen too often... When the likes of the Holder brothers don't put their back wheels into the "deep stuff" then you know it probably isn't too safe an option..

They are 100% right to raise the prices... The run of the mill qualifiers are over... It now means something... (ish)....

Naughty...

They could do (easily), £300k for a one off event. The SON final proved that at around £80 average a ticket.. The Marketa (and maybe those in Demmark and Sweden, won't take £300k I would think.. A one night GP at the NSS would deliver (even now with the current infrastructure), 5000 fans..

With extra stands the NSS could easily do a 6000 crowd for a GP at £50 average per person.. The issue with the SoN was shelling out for so many meetings that didn't have enough interest for "the locals", as expecting someone to travel and spend a week in a hotel, plus admission fees, was never a goer as a plan..

Or a 100 quid on twenty shovels to move all the dirt back to the kerb every fourth race?

The air fence has narowed the track since the 60's and also now collects most of the dirt thrown up which used to end up on the greyhound track back then, leaving a "bit of a mess" a metre or so from the fence.. They just need to sort that issue and the track will be fine.. Four heats in and riders are just using a mid track line as the inside is so slick so quickly.. Making an already narrow track even narrower... Which reduces again as the meeting progresses with the outside becoming the main line to follow.. Grading should move the dirt back to the kerb, not just to mid track like it does now..

They must be able to get a coach full at least? There will be at least 200 Aces fans I would say at their place,..

Leicester will have more there than Sheffield would have. Always surprised just how few Tigers fans there were over the past few years for both Semis and Finals..

And noticeably Chris stayed well away when he chased Voulas..

To be fair... It is Eurosport... And in most sports their production is pretty crap... "And now we to go over to" (advert starts)...

Lidsey definitely riding within himself this season, and now Poland is over for him you can see a difference in his riding. (Is it his Polish kit he is on as his straight line speed is tremendous).. On his average I would think the Aces will keep him next season.. His gating ability will be very important at Leicester... Kurtz must be the rider of the season if the Aces lift the trophy.. A proper throwback captain who fights for every point.. Heat 13 last night was truly an incredible first two turns, with respect given to Jack Holder too who left "just" enough room for Kurtz to get round safely.. Will miss the first leg as still away but will have the red smoke flares packed for Thursday... "You can't use them".. "I can't see now".. "Why are you making so much noise?".. "I stand there" "If you want to do that, go to football"....

Stay safe Brady and Dan... Maybe both breaking the tapes is worth a shout...

Simon's toys out of the pram yet?

Neither... Someone spotted a flaw in the cunning plan from last year....!!

I cannot believe riders want the ploughed field that develops at Owlerton three feet from a fence... Best Wishes to Ben, it sounds like a bad one...

But they never do.... That is the issue....

Can see it being a bit one sided given the home advantage the track brings... Especially the set up for the starts as when out in front at Owlerton you just ride two thirds track (just avoiding the ploughed field), at speed... 16-8 before heat five... 32-16 by heat nine... 54-36 the final score..

When your team invariably isn't made up of your own riders I can see the logic behind the outlook... As for the sport itself... "It's a family sport" must be the most useless marketing phrase ever dreamt up...

There is a noticeable lack of "it means something" at the vast majority of UK speedway matches.. Which is why the sport is dying on its arse... (In the UK).. Therefore. Every now and again, let's just pretend and collude with the promoters that it actually has some relevance...

"Sit down, I can't see"... "It's too noisy"... "I always stand there, can you move?".. "My favourite rider is Ove Fundin"...