mikebv

Very early days obviously... But ominous... Destroyed a decent field...

A bit harsh on Norbi that. ..

Dan riding in Poland today, very good field assembled too... Good to see him get invited to this level of events, (even if only because 3 Russians were not permitted from being there), as it can only be good for him going forward..

Very "Northern"..... I suppose they are "North of Birmingham" so it must count...

The Northern League Cup? FFS... Who else is in it?... Or is it like the Boat Race and this is "The Final"?

100%. If there was a chance then it was worth pursuing... And, (whisper it gently).. It is only UK Speedway after all, therefore there isn't too much riding on it (pardon the pun). There won't be any wider media national recognition of success, nor will there be big financial rewards for any winners, And you cannot get relegated... And the worst they can finish is sixth, meaning only two places outside the play offs, so conceivably for most of the season they will still be there or thereabouts, meaning some interest will be maintained.. And the NSS provides great racing so, even if they have a few defeats they will still be worth watching. Crowds at the old place held up very well considering the extremely poor teams the Aces had for a fair few years, (with many consecutively), and the racing was nowhere near the level of the new place. And in Max Fricke they have a GP rider returning so that will add a few to the gate, as well as providing some real entertainment given his talent.. Jake Allen too is usually worth watching, so all in all the entertainment on view at the NSS will still be amongst the very best (if not THE best), that you will find in the UK and even wider afield... Best of luck to the Aces this season, win lose or draw... Oh hang on. You cant draw any more can you?

That's what a team sport should be about though.. Pressure for your place... In UK Speedway you do seem to get a job for life regardless of performance.. As even if you get replaced, invariably you walk into another team place somewhere else. In fact, perversely, the worse you do can mean your own personal gain in the long run... Having pressure for your place can only help the team in my opinion as it means team members have to perform consistently well to maintain that job...

Supply and Demand.... Amazing how much your value an increase when you are the only alternative...

At least they reached the last six of the cup....

I remember not too long ago that P+P used to get decent crowds in attendance, bars were open and plenty of food wagons were there expecting a good days business.. At the old track the car park was often very well used by Aces fans.. Shows by how much, and how quickly, interest in league racing has been lost in the last 15 to 20 years in this country.. Still plenty of fans follow the sport tough, so that is a positive to try and harness, which is proven by the FIM events held over here, the SON last year, and this years British GP being two examples, and meetings like the Peter Craven Memorial on Monday show there is still a decent fanbase out there if they could be enticed back...

If they were prepared to pay Woffy for the home matches, and Dan for both home and away, I would presume they can afford it...

Just like it used to be really, and the common sense solution.. It used to be that teams who didnt fancy paying out for top riders rode in Div 2. Teams that struggled to attract enough talen for Div 2 rode in Div 3, and the top league had pretty much the same traditional teams year on year. Teams willing to pay out for the top talent.. When Poole dropped down it showed just how much the Championship could offer as let's be honest, a large proportion of the riders that used to ride for or against Poole in the top tier still ride for or against Poole in the Championship... And, given how long the 2nd Div have had so many Div 1 Heat Leaders riding for them, I do struggle to see how things can move on, as any changes will have to be quite radical, (and as we know, Speedway in the UK doesnt do radical). Riders will want to keep the same money, and fans will want to watch the same standard of rider. Not to mention the Promoters who have had the chance to lead a fair few top tier riders without the financial requirements of Div 1. They wont be up for change I would think.. Personally for me it needs say an 8 to 10 team top league one you can truly promote as "Elite". Six man teams to ensure enough riders of the right levels, with the next two leagues below separated by finances, ie what you can afford, restricted heat leader strengths, and both having a clear development plan for riders to reach the next level..

Riders need two leagues to race in, and 2nd Div clubs (and their fans) are now used to having plenty of Div One riders making up their teams.. Why go up to Div One, (stretching out the TV money pot), having to pay out money to "top riders", when you can run with "the next level of rider down" who are happy to take what you offer as they have two jobs? The sport is now pretty much in the grip of the Div 2 clubs who have the best of both worlds. Decent Div One standard riders and not having to follow the RS programme at the bottom end.. I would doubt too many Div 2 clubs would want to change the current way the sport is ran...

Because having a strong middle tier of British Speedway will make thousands more attend every track, and attract millions more to watch on TV wont it? I remember when Speedway in the UK was in its pomp, hardly anyone tuned in to watch PC, DJ, John Louis, Malc Simmons etc etc blasting the rest of the world sideways as they lifted more world championships. Instead millions tuned in to the TV in the hope that there would be some highlights from the previous weeks' Crayford v Ellesmere Port match..... Thank goodness the middle tier of UK Speedway is doing so well...

The whole premise of the RS scheme was to have a steady flow of GB riders so reliance on overseas imports isnt required.. And this would also invariably improve the chances of long term GB success as no longer would we be training up riders from other countries, but instead providing track time to GB lads... Without the stepping stones to the top however it simply wont work.. And the middle tier of Speedway in the UK should play the absolute pivotal role within the overall system.. That is. Taking on those from the NDL ready to have a go at the next level, and also preparing riders to organically move up to the league above, as they out grow the level they are at... In any 3 tier system ran by any business or entity, which promotes development, the middle tier is vital, both to provide opportunities for those who excel at the lower level, and also provide opportunities for those who get out of their depth and need to drop back from the higher tier to regain confidence.. UK Speedway though has a better idea now after just one year.....

Put simply, the 2nd Div is too strong.. There is every need for that league to be the stepping stone to the top level in this country, and giving those NL heat leaders a chance at reserve.. Unfortunately the 2nd tier rules the roost and gets the best of both worlds, ie Div One heat leaders and experienced reserves... Without the cost of paying out for the riders the level of Doyle, Fricke etc..

The Aces fans would hope its Kenny I would think...

Another 3 tractors going around with Buster and you could be right...

Especially those RS's in Div 2 who will be getting that crucial opportunity to use that so important 'stepping stone' to see if they can make that jump into 2nd tier racing from a more junior level, before possibly moving on to bigger things... Oh, hang on a minute.....

He came across the line shaking his head in, I presume, bemused bewilderment as to how the race went.....

There should be a deadline well in front of the season start shouldnt there.? If nothing else so you can market the riders and also (if required), step in and not allow teams who dont reach a minimum standard, as this helps no one, especially the sport itself..

Different rules.. One is a one off individual event and the other is a "years" worth of employment by a non UK person..

I an sure a lot of it was "novelty factor" which gets brought on by some "big names" being there given it's been so long to have a domestic meeting with such riders, and the early season date will also have helped.... Woffy alone would have put a couple of hundred and maybe more on the gate I am sure... Personally having say 10 individual, well promoted, well sponsored meetings through the season of this standard of rider, would be much more beneficial for the track, and the sport, than running 20 league and cup meetings with adhoc riders turning up to help clubs win competitions of very little value.. Woffy saying he could ride every Monday for the Aces was funny, but had some resonance, as I am sure crowds with him there each Monday would be much bigger than the crowds the Aces will get.. As mentioned before, I never know why when tracks get "bumper crowds" enlarged by many "lapsed fans" coming out of the woodwork at the start of the season, or on Bank Holidays, nothing is ever done to get them to make more repeat visits more regularly.. Attracting new fans to be regulars is often like pushing water uphill, so getting those who already know about you, and follow you, to attend more regularly must be the easier option yet it appears not worthwhile for so many promoters.. A strange outlook..

Not the best ever meeting at the NSS by its extremely high standards but still pretty good, and VFM... Heat 20 was "WOW". One of those races that come along every 1000 or so. Brilliant... MPT was on it all night so a deserved winner with Tai taking the "interview of the night award".. If any promoters need to learn how to promote an event, have a word with Woffy. I might just book that flight to Poland for his testimonial..... Crowd well over 2000, and the 50/50 draw had a prize of over £500 which shows how many were there to contribute.. Couple of gripes. One being the constant music being played whilst the centre green person is talking. What with the bike noise when at the tapes in readiness for a race, and the music, you simply cannot hear what she is saying... And the second is the use of the 2 min clock. They used it for the first 10 races or so (a la Poland), and it was great. One race ended, another quickly started. Then they let the riders get off their bikes and do plenty of gardening for the last half of races and didnt use the clock.. The interviews in the pits were good, and loud and clear, which sometimes with a "roving mike" doesnt always happen.. Didnt see much promotion of next weeks meeting v Sheffield given the crowd was so big, (double a usual meeting I would say), which I always think is an opportunity missed, as many of the fans in attendance would have been "local" but infrequent visitors to the Aces league meetings. (I saw five lads who, like me and my lad, "used to go" but none of us will be there next week)... Maybe they could have knocked out some £15 or so tickets for the first couple or three meetings to encourage more of tonight's "locals" in the crowd to go back? Overall some pretty tough, hard racing for a "pre season" meeting, with plenty of passing (not always for first), to keep you interested, and if you get the chance to see Heat 20, then enjoy...

Visa issues still? If so, getting close to season start... MPT always good to watch so should be good for the entertainment level...