mikebv

Surely they should keep the teams 'as per' for both legs? And forget the end of September averages? Edit. And it will be interesting to see how many attend tomorrow at Peterborough given it no longer matters whether they win or not.. And how many certain riders score if the averages do change at the end of the month..!!

As Vic and Bob would have said.. "That was my idea"....

I actually thought about this at the time I suggested it.. And, for me, if they follow my proposal it's a real win/win... As Kyle wouldnt need to prepare for two meetings, so less work required, and has less 'wear and tear" on the bikes, no need for new tyres, and less travel expenses, he gets paid 50% for the "other meeting".. The promoter of the "other meeting" then immediately saves money.. The obvious long term benefit for the sport is that fixture planning will become a doddle... No need for fixed nights as riders can now actually (hypothetically), be in two places at once... And in this example, think of the incredible excitement it would generate at Glasgow for all the fans as they wait, hushed, for Kyle's score from Sheffield to come through over the Tannoy (other public address systems are available)... One set of fans would cheer wildly and the other would groan loudly dependent on his score... A bit like Eurovision... "And now we have the scores from Sheffield"... Admittedly, if they all run meetings at the same time, some meetings may end up with no riders on show whatsoever, and all you would have then is the excitement of the scores coming through, but give me an hour or two and I will have worked on that.. Gold idea this. It really is..

Maybe they could run both meetings at the same time, and whatever Kyle scores for one team can be phoned through to the other meeting after every one of his races, and his other team then get his score added to theirs?...

The scoring and racing has seemed to be closer this season.. Probably down the same (top), 30 or so riders racing against each other for a variety of teams every meeting... Only Bewley and Holder could be deemed (almost), top level, with the rest of the top 5's all being much of a muchness.... And when one of them is missing then another similar standard rider guests, or similar riders take the RR ride if that facility is used... As virtually all ride in Div 2 as well this has kept many of those meetings close too..

Nice to see a final "town halls" of a start in Ht 15... In keeping with what has gone on most of the night.. And that's all we ask of referees.. Consistency...

Or at least keeps Ulrich in the top two..

Lucky it has worked out like that.. Who could have predicted that...?

28 years.... But who really cares?....

Even closer...

So close.....

Brilliant MPT.... One of those under rated 100% riders who provide tremendous entertainment....

Fantastic camera direction again from Eurosport..... Is the ref doing it?

The ref cannot spot a rider going early from a standing start... So he has no chance when they go past at 80 mph...

I think his five yard head starts when on TV helps...

What a crap ref.... Did he do VAR at West Ham yesterday...?

At this rate Ulrich will stay No1 in the averages... Or at worst No2... Luckily for Peterborough that would mean they could run RR for him and everyone could take a ride...

Kevin's track report showed how grippy the inside was.. And less so the further out you went.. I presume the logic is the grip will move out later in the meeting... Problem is that will then be follow the leader around the outside rather than the inside..

The refs in the UK are rubbish at dealing with rolling starts aren't they? No wonder we get so many... Why not try one when you get no punishment and can even win a race off the back of it... So much they could learn from Poland about professionalism without spending any money...

Don't Panic!!

KSF and KOTT can't make his/her minds up....

Again, it ultimately goes back to credibility.... I can 100% guarantee that literally thousands of Wroclaw fans wouldnt' be chanting Woffy's name if he had top scored the previous Sunday for Gorzow whilst covering a Zmarzlik injury absence... A performance from him which could then result in Wroclaw's omission from the play offs and Gorzow's inclusion instead.. That is really the bottom line as to the lack of atmosphere, and lack of crowds over here.. You cannot make any "emotional investment" into "your team" because, for many weeks of the season, it will just be an ad hoc hybrid of everyone else's.. With the ("your") rider doing the lap of honour potentially riding against you a few days later.... If Poland ran the same system as the UK, then they too would have low attendance levels, no major sponsorship of teams and leagues, and TV companies would be using their coverage as very much a second thought "filler", like we have, rather than by having to out bid each other to win the contracts to show it... Some people still believe that anyone who pulls on their teams' colours are "their riders" and will cheer them on.. Which is fine if some want to suspend reality and believe that... I would suggest looking at the numbers through the gates these days, that this is an ever dwindling number who are still prepared to "pretend" that what they are watching is "real", and actually has some purpose and relevance..

If only someone could invent track covers.... Perfect for meetings like today where a dry evening follows rain before the match... Would also give fans confidence to attend who may currently decide to stay away if there is the slightest hint of the meeting not taking place due to a wet track... Maybe one day someone will invent these track covers... Probably need someone from NASA or somewhere like that to get involved though....

All true, but the major reason for the lack of atmosphere is the lack of crowds... A chicken and egg situation.... I have no issue singing along at Old Trafford when surrounded by thousands of others... But would look a bit daft doing the same at the NSS surrounded by empty red seats..... Or stood on the back straight in a section with just me and an octogenarian spilling his teeth out while he sang... What happened to King's Lynn's great song they did....? If that didn't generate great atmosphere then nothing will..... In Poland (just like any sporting occasion), the crowd levels generate the atmosphere, as being within a crowd loosens your inhibitions.. They also though in Poland have a "proper" sporting contest to follow with some tangible meaning to the result, and can cheer on their riders knowing none of them will "stitch them up" a week later by top scoring for their nearest rivals and ruining their own chances of success...... None of the above that supporters over here can say..... "Racing was so much better in the past"... I would suggest it was similar to what we have today in the main... The difference being the crowd levels generated the atmosphere which covered the more mundane races (and there were lots of them just like today)... Nowadays a mundane race is met with silence, with good races generating no more than a muted response by "one man and his dog"... It has always baffled me why, when on TV, clubs don't just let anyone and everyone in for a nominal charge just so the place is packed and "rocking"... A free two hour advert for your club and business.... At the NSS you often see rows and rows of empty seats from the start line camera 15 times a night... Basically advertising "no one watches this sport".....

Sad news.... Had many an enjoyable evening at Stoke which was hugely delivered by Dave's hard work and love for the sport.. R.I.P. Dave...