mikebv

Maybe dropping averages to bring Bartek in...?

Matej will be impressed when he rides then... A big fan of the track last year wasnt he? Will it be "Taxi for Zagar" like it was for Nicki?

Ice Hockey seem to do "ok" with 8 teams in the league.. With crowd levels most Speedway clubs in the UK would suggest are "bumper".. Altrincham Ice Rink host Manchester Storm and over 2000 attend most matches.. And they are at the lower end of the crowd scale domestically... Dont know if they have lower divisions though in Ice Hockey, but what they do is push the top level that they have in the UK.. Speedway will carry on in some form in the UK... But for crying out loud, someone stop the nonsense operating model it runs with, someone bring some credibility and integrity to what it offers up, someone market the sport professionally and collectively and someone take charge of cost controls and set limits... Do that, and it may have chance... Don't do that, and the current situation which has been delivered by steadfastly not doing any of the above, will sadly continue to work its way to an inevitable conclusion.. Sadly, all that could have been written 20 years ago, and just like then, it will be completely ignored by those seeing more importance in wondering which ringer to get in as a guest this Satirday somewhere ..

Four team tournaments... Like Denmark used to do... Or three team tournaments with six riders each... Or Best Pairs with three riders per team with seven teams each night in attendance Or... Or... Youth Hosteling with Chris Eubank... Monkey Tennis!!!!!!!

There is no dount that if every track had just 5,000 (out of sometimes millions of people on their doorstep), and took circa £100,000 a match, 20 times a season, then they could pay a couple of hundred grand to the landlords per season which I am sure would be seen as something worthwhile to continue by said landlords.. The reality is that collectively the custodians have simply not been fit for purpose in putting the sport first before any self interest, and have never marketed the sport in any way shape or form professionally enough. Instead they have seen standing in a foyer of a supermarket with a table, or leaflet dropping car windscreens in car parks, as "promotion".. Yet they have spent literally tens of millions on riders over the past couple of decades in particular... And all to have what we have today... Mind boggling.. Best wishes to Wolves fans.. Who is next?

Ricky Kling?

Indeed it was..

Choosing to use Div One HL's (and plenty of them), in the 2nd Tier has no doubt bumped up the costs of the 2nd tier teams, hence Newcastle struggled to compete at an affordable level... With other teams getting propped up significantly by well meaning fans/promoters, with very deep pockets.. By targeting your most loyal customers for a significant increase you undoubtedly are running a high risk strategy... You only have to look around the stadiums to see the highest age demographic of followers and these people will have, in the vast majority of cases, been followers for decades.. Hopefully the right thing to do for their business...

At the very highest level it is, £29 to watch a GP is terrific value for money.. Not sure the same can be said about the lower tiers of the sport domestically when weighed up against that.. The top tier racing costs circa £20 to stand for a concession, and you get you see GP riders, so to charge similar for the 2nd tier is taking a risk I would say..

The 2nd Tier has caused issues for itself by running teams full of Div 1 HL's and SS's for the past few years. (They even had at one stage last season the Div 1 Number One rider in the averages topping their own averages too).. Even at a "reduced rate" v their top league money, teams will still be more costly to run than the standard team level from say a decade ago.. The added issue this year is that more top names have come back to the top league which you can only think will reduce the earning potential in Div 1 of several established double uppers, so I would imagine they will want a good deal in Div 2 to help offset that, and with a "weaker" Div 2, they could score more points than in previous years.. And once the Pandora's box of the majority of riders double upping and downing was opened you cannot suddenly shut it.. When you set your price position for what you sell, solely based on covering the costs of your operating model, rather than what your customers are willing to pay for your goods, then it usually doesnt end well..

But apart from that?

Undoubtedly... But it is straight line speed he mainly passes people by... I get weight to power ratio is involved and getting the power down on the track is key, however, he has such speed advantage in a "drag race" that it is quite ridiculous at times...

Zmarzlik has such an incredible burst of speed over 80m or so... He must be goingt least 20mph faster than any other rider some races down the straights as he passes his opponents... How does he get that speed out of essentially a similar power output unit that they all use?

But what a bend!!!!

The FIM had to run their meeting this morning so as not impact even 2nd level matches in Poland... That tells you everything about where the real power lies in the sport. .. And, if I am honest, I do see why. .. The money they get in Poland will actually go a long way to paying for equipment some of the lads use to ride over here, or in Denmark and Sweden, and also when following their own individual ambitions.... Therefore I get why Poland see all the riders who they give these huge contracts to as "ours".... And want to protect "their assets", and large investments...

They have signed MPT.... (For one night)....

Aces clear underdogs again like at Ipswich... Dan will be goosed given what he has done/still doing today and will be lucky to get five.. Lidsey hasn't ridden the track for donkeys, and Charlie and Tom are on each others backs... Brady may get 10 off six... An easy Panthers win in front of a 3000 plus crowd... Getting good at this Shovlar meeting review stuff...

Kolodziej... Love to watch this fella ride.... Great race.....

Blimey, left my Dad's and Rybnik were being hammered... Just got in and last heat decider..

Rybnik look like they are in fancy dress..... Pick a set of kevlars from a wardrobe...

No... Some of the Aussie ones are ran very early in the morning.. I know because I have got up and watched them..

Good lad Charlie... A bit of passion never went amiss.. You don't have to be friends to be winners in team sport.. Cole and Sheringham once won a treble not talking to each other...

I believe you may well be right, but let's follow the corporate line....

Always the issue when you go with two "big hitters"... It all pretty much depends on them when the engine room struggles.. And that then in turn puts undue pressure on the reserves.. Rew looks like the one who Ipswich may not be able to wait for, given Riss and King are known performers at 3rd HL/SS level..

No one in double figures for the Aces.. A very solid team effort... Rowe will have the beating of most No7's, so worth a permanent spot I would say.. Mulford can then develop via the Championship and NDL..