mikebv

Which to be fair was always how it used to be in both leagues... Teams will always start building teams from "the top" unless no riders left are available of that level. These teams will then go for "strength in depth"... When points limits are reduced the middle level riders invariably become the ones that lose their places.. It does though mean better rider availability for replacements to riders of a similar level through the season...

A very solid team which should be play off certainties... Covers a lot of bases... A top class No1 so plenty of top class guests if needed to replace him.. A still improving No5 who isnt far off reaching the top level.. Charles Wright is more a natural No4 than a No3 but if he does drop anything off his average then the expectation would be Lidsey improves his numbers by at least the same, meaning always a solid back up to the top two.. And Brennan and Blodorn will no doubt swap places during the season meaning the Aces always will have a "very decent" reserve, meaning Mulford shouldn't be under any pressure to perform above his current level.. The Aces can score 50 plus against any team at the NSS so come head to head play off time they will feel very confident...

The way the majority of fans now watch it I would say... A great spectacle and can still be a great evening out, but best not to take the outcome too seriously given the often contrived nature of its operating model.. I attended five meetings last year in the UK domestic leagues, including both play offs, and they were great entertainment, with some good "old school" hard riding and plenty of controversy.. The fact the Aces won was "a bonus", but if the Tigers had won I would still have felt that I had watched two excellent sporting contests to rival anything else, entertainment wise, that I had paid to see in 2022... No point putting a club under financial pressure simply to try to win any Speedway league given the lack of financial reward and publicity generated by "success"... Only one team can be Champions at the end of each season, but all need to be in existence at the end of each season...

Wait till September.. The leagues dont start until then...

Because fans dont need to know these details... Just pay your 20 odd quid or more, and be quiet.... The BSP know best. .

Just like the hare.....

I remember it was quoted that over £100k was the difference between the "old rate" and the "new rate" for some top class riders at the time, and that some of them simply were not going to ride... Hence some got sponsored by "companies" that suddenly sprang up.... And then everyone got paid the going rate...

He mentions how getting 'someone' in the role of "leader" is an aim, but that 'someone'would need to have the money to properly "lead the sport"... His role as far as I can see is more a 'sounding board' for any queries that come to light rather than a visionary who sets out how the sport will evolve... His influence on the sport will begin and end with his own club Scunthorpe I would suggest, no more than that, similar to how every other promoter influences the sport... Great to see The Star doing such interesting interviews with those who are heavily involved in UK Speedway's "success", or not, as the case may be... And good to hear that much of what we often on here complain about is getting some focus on trying to improve.. More open information from those who run the sport would certainly help their image and maybe engage more support for them...?

Whether he is or not, you dont see a queue of promoters fighting with each other to take over from him do you? A thankless task I would imagine... I remember reading Jon Cook's summary of his time on the MC in the Star and the amount of pressure he got put under when being asked (often at the last minute), to make a ruling on a guest replacement for example... Promoters threatening to not run meetings, close tracks down, if they didnt get the result they wanted... Unfortunately so much of the issue all goes back ultimately to having a "subjective rule book" rather than a "specific" one... Meaning interpretation is often allowed... With the ultimate in fudge and cop out being the "in Speedway's interest" catch all caveat.... So many issues... Yet. So many are self inflicted...

Something Rob Godfrey alluded too as well... Semi pro standard for the majority (like it used to be), has to be the way forward... I bet there have never been so many "pro riders", looking for 12 months money for six months work, and at a time when there has never been so few fans to fund this desire and expectation... An equation that simply doesnt add up...

Another excellent read this week.. Part 1 of an interview with David Gordon being particularly enlightening... He mentions the Sky money and how it varied from £1m to £1.5m a year in total, and basically paid for "highly priced GP riders to race in the Elite League" which left no money over for investment in the sport.. A good interview with Rob Godfrey too, which details some of the background work being done re saving tracks and reducing costs... An excellent publication once again....

The Scenario we have is this... Speedway at a brand new purpose built stadium... On the same site that has showcased the sport for decades... In a well populated town where pretty much everyone will have heard of Swindon Speedway at some stage... With a great many of them knowing exactly where it is and will at some stage have visited.... And also got decent crowds which were some of the best in the country... Isn"t "viable".... Yet.. Building a completely new track "somewhere" within a 45 minute radius of this well populated town with a tradition for following Speedway in numbers, seemingly WILL be "viable"... All very "strange" isnt it? Are the dogs still going by the way? As wasnt that the issue Swindon Speedway wouldnt be viable..? If so, I presume the dogs will go with them "somewhere" within a 45 minute radius too, as they appear to be fundamental to Speedways success..

And they had Jason Doyle... More fans immediately went to watch in the 2nd Division at weekends than went mid week to watch some GP stars... Poole show that sometimes it isnt really the level of rider on show, but the night you run... And with only single GP riders going around, and not in every team, to make a change of night work at this time, (especially given the clear historical evidence they have), could still be pretty difficult I would think... Hopefully plenty of sponsors on board and it will be a success...

A very frustrating rider, if not THE most frustrating... Rides at genuine top level speed when in front, smooth and controlled... And when second to an opponent he will always look like he is "in the race" so hopes are always raised.. However. All he will be doing is following the line of the leader, at a similar speed, hoping for a mistake, never actually lining them up for a pass... And when last he has been known to "save his engine"....

And rode for a much inferior team than all the rest, meaning he pretty much carried it, so ended up with six rides most weeks.. With the more rides you have often being an average killer.. Especially coming out in virtually every race against one of the top 25 or so riders in the world.. If he rides over here at 75% of what he has done in Poland the last two seasons, he will hit at least an 8pt average given the huge drop in standard he will find in at least half of his races..

100% spot on... Which is why Aces fans must be so pleased.. They've been able to watch hammerings and great racing... Not sure the owners are too pleased about the hammerings though given the points money that gets paid out..!!

Always gives me the impression that his image and the fact he gets ""seen as a speedway rider" are the most important things to him.. Maybe he is just overly laid back in his approach but to be like that (or appear that way), you really need to be a "winner" or you will face criticism.. To be fair to these young lads who come through, the third tier isn't the greatest barometer as to their true talent, and people can easily get carried away watching a 16/17 year old kid winning plenty of races at that level, and raise unfair expectations off the back of it.. The Polish U24 league provides a truer picture of where these lads are in relation to their peers.. And if you are not in at least the top five or so over there then you are going to struggle to reach anywhere near the top given how many "over 24's" race at the top level consistently each season.. If you cannot beat your peer age group at U24, then you dont have much hope of moving on to the highest level... Be interesting to see how these young British lads progress next season given many are now "established" with quite considerable experience, therefore coming up to the stage where a season can pretty much define where they end up long term....

Maybe, but watching Holder ride in Poland over the past two seasons, he has definitely worked his way back into the top 20 or so in the world I would say.. And, in my opinion, is quite a way above the level of the likes of Musielak, Kurtz, and Zagar, and even above Fricke... I would say he would be easily vying for third in the averages behind Doyle and Bewley if he rode over here... Seems to have got his "mojo" back so would be a very good signing for anyone I would suggest..

Eeeeeee.. We were poo-er But we were 'appy....

There were 160 of us living in a shoebox in't middle ot road....

Presume the rider himself can just say "No" until the track he wants to ride at finally has a pick? If so, Bailey would be "ok" at the NSS as the RS... Very much a large track rider who significantly outperforms his overall average at certain specific tracks... Getting the aggregate bonus point, with large home wins, is the key so I am sure he will he able to help do that at the NSS...

Poland...?

Nice to see that the announcing of who rides where has this year been sub contracted to Poland...

Hopefully Dan Bewley is on it.....

Great news... Definitely will make the trip next season... Maybe when the Colts are there.... All the best to the "new" Workington Comets...