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Think the Lynn manager should have planned the rides out better. Not using a tac sub when 6 points down, meant no extra ride for Harris, then giving Klindt the first r/r outing left Harrison taking 4 rides. From the updates Harrison was competitive, but if they want to challenge for the play-offs, need to be more ruthless / tactically wise!

The league / play-off scenario makes it easy for clubs not to care. In this case Belle Vue will have less points money to pay out, one less travel expense to pay out, doesn't hurt their home crowd & even a 70-20 tanking wouldn't hurt their title chances in the slightest. Get rid of the play-offs & clubs would care more!

I don't think that's a rules just something clubs put in their contracts. What would happen if a top rider put his foot down & didn't agree with having to pay back his signing on fee? Zmarzlik for example, you can't tell me if Lublin weren't gonna sign him in his terms that there wouldn't be another 7 Extraliga clubs after his signature. But no rider ever stands up to the Polish clubs tbh

Well I appreciate there being a reason for using r/r at 2, as opposed to the usual "everyone uses it at 2 logic". I still wouldn't want to use Fricke at 8 against a "rising star" though. If Douglas & Howarth had to ride together, I'd then put r/r at 5. Use Howarth in heat 4 (meets a reserve) Use Fricke in heat 7 (against opposing number 1) Use Douglas in 11 Use Masters in 13 (as usual) Swap Douglas & Howarth around (Douglas at 4 means he avoids two-on-the-trot with his r/r outing). Still have a heat leader racing with a reserve (except heat 4) in r/r outings, plus 3 extra strong heats when Fricke & Masters are paired together?

I'd put Howarth at 2 & r/r at 4. Don't think it's the best use of your top rider (Masters) getting an extra outing against Blodorn & Mulford when he's capable of beating all the opposition riders.

I wouldn't say Killeen was "thrown in the top league" he was on the RS list & obviously agreed to the position. I don't understand the reasons why they did that, it weakened their team to secure Killeen for this season (when the rules would've allowed them to pick Jenkins instead). For Boughen it seems like he's tried to force the first 5 years of his career into half of that time, rather than conquering a level & moving up, he jumps up straight away, wether that's his thinking or advice from others I don't know? It's hard to believe he's still only 17 as he seems to have done so much. Boughen only had 1 full season in the NL, then left it behind, he was only a 7.51 rider, so while that's a fantastic first full season, he obviously had room for improvement / more to learn. Then after less than 10 Champ fixtures as a 16 year old, signs as a "rising star" for Oxford, doesn't even get a full season before he's moved up to number 6. Was there a need to rush up into the top division, would he have learnt more if he tried to progress more gradually? Every rider is different, what works for one may not work for another, but when I read a great many people talk about him backing off on tight first bends, it does seem that something went wrong in the route he took up the leagues. Finally, was Glasgow the best choice for him, they are a team that wants to win & will make changes if it's not happening, so their riders will be under more pressure (same as at Poole) than at other clubs. As much as I criticise Schroeck for his awful tactics, he does tend to give riders more time, rarely strengthens them team (to the detriment of their chances of success) and if you're a struggling second string, you'll still get 4 rides as higher scoring reserves don't get used properly. Sounds like a good team to go to to progress!

Ta for the correction, I remember thinking why return for the International "friendly" but he got injured again before that. I remember him saying he rode because he didn't feel any pain, but I wonder if he considered "what happens if I fall again"? Obviously riders could crash on any meeting, but if it happens when you've not fully recovered you can keep putting yourself out for longer. I guess Doyle doesn't think about that? Tbh not many riders do.

2 years ago, he was falling down the rankings, but last year was challenging for the title till he got injured. So can understand him thinking "what can I do with an injury free season" of course we'll never know now. If he can get fully fit & have a good last couple of rounds, may feel he's good enough to challenge for the podium / title again next year.

Mickie Simpson signed to replace Matt Marson (on official green sheets). But I haven't read anything about than on Plymouth's socials?

I agree Workington are poor, I agree Workington should look to strengthen up. But that doesn't mean sign a rider who's been going worse than your current 7.

The SCB usually announce any bans, so I wouldn't believe it unless they've posted about it.

I'm not saying he's a good replacement for MJJ, but if Birmingham aren't willing to look abroad, there ain't a lot of options. Barker? Batchelor?

I can't see any reason for signing Steve Worrall at all, apart from the "principle" of wanting a full team. Think Leicester would be stronger with r/r or Prem guests, there's always a chance Worrall may take a guest booking or two when every Prem club is riding (bar one) and options are limited, but when they have other options could pick a stronger guest than Worrall. I don't think the rules encourage teams to make changes, as in this case Leicester look stronger keeping Becker in the 1-7. If Becker drops down the teams averages, then guests will be more worthwhile, but at the moment r/r should work.

Just as long as it doesn't happen in the play-offs

His 2025 average is below every one of the Comets, can't see how he would strengthen the team.

I totally get your point, but I was thinking, what if after the GP he thought like you "that was a bad idea, I shouldn't have ridden" then pulled out of Monday's match. Then the aggro would've come. I think his biggest mistake was his first comeback for the Poland vs Rest of World match, that was the most unnecessary fixture he's ridden in imo. Then had he listened to his Polish club & not ridden for them that weekend (thus not suffered another crash), would he have been fully fit now?

When Tolley said it was a. 100% trier, Bachelor doesn't come to mind, that's why I went with Barker.

I'm gonna predict Ben Barker will be the replacement for MJJ. If so, team will be 7.12 below the points limit. Tobiasz Musielak 7.31 Matej Zagar 6.67 Keynan Rew 5.98 Paco Castagna 4.97 Jonas Jeppesen 4.30 Ben Barker 3.65 Sam Hagon RS Total 32.88

Yet he keeps getting heat 1 as the R/R option.

Can you imagine the grief Doyle would've gotten on here, had he come through the GPs unscathed & then not turned up tonight? Did he ride in Poland yesterday?

Thought Tolley's interview was pretty embarrassing, blaming the track & seems oblivious to the fact his team isn't good enough. When he said they couldn't water the track the previous day due to work on the start line (transponder cable) couldn't they have still watered the bends, back straight & part of the home straight. The MJJ replacement who will give 110%, doesn't excite me. Can only see it weakening Birmingham even further. Really feel for Brummies fans & hope Tolley doesn't bankrupt himself by seeing out the season.

When I look at the Birmingham scores, none of them look particularly bad, which I guess just goes to show how weak they are.

Hume's 2025 figures 5.39 (6.26) are better than his 20 match rolling ave 4.99 (5.55). I don't think Hume will ever be better than Champ second string level, but he's more than doing his job for Berwick this year imo. Although stats don't tell the whole story as Hagon's 2025 figures 3.85 (4.30) are actually higher than his 20 match rolling ave 3.63 (4.09), but that's due to him dropping his high scoring reserve points for Poole last year. He seems a rider who finds the jump from reserve to second string harder than most. Jack Smith is probably a similar rider in that respect, so if they swap places in the team Berwick will still struggle at second string level. Really should looks at using the spare points & strengthening up if they have any aspirations of a top 4 spot.

Four of the 6 have been riding for other clubs, so should be "match fit". With so few fixtures in the NT, maybe Plymouth are going about it the right way, racing in (hopefully) better weather & not having months between meetings?

I can't see any reason to make these changes. By all means allow rider(s) from the SGP2 (winner only imo) a spot in the GP Challenge, but not a straight spot in the GP series, just because you're the best U21 year old, doesn't mean you are GP standard. Think the U25 Extraliga idea is even worse, what if the top 30 riders are all 26 or older, you'd be seeding riders near the bottom of the Extraliga into the GP series! I don't think over 35s shouldn't be allowed wild cards, a rider could be challenging for the world title, like Doyle was last year but miss out because he's "too old". If the "same old" are qualifying from the GP challenge, then they deserve to be in there, but Huckenbeck (last year) and Kurtz (this year) were added to the series, so there was some new blood if you're looking for that. To me the best way to get different riders (if that what you desire) in the GPs is more qualify places & less wildcards. If the top 7 GP riders, SEC Champion & top 7 qualifiers make it through there's a chance of some different riders making it through, there's more chance the exciting young rider you'd like to make it in could finish in the top 7 of the qualifiers than the top 4. That may not guarantee the best riders make it, but if that guarantees riders can only qualify & not be seeded, I'm ok with that.