szkocjasid

While Mountain didn't score so many points in the top 5 compared to riding at number 7, I'd hardly call a 5.4 rider weak! Especially if you consider Thomsen didn't reach 4.0 for Birmingham when he last rode over here.

Saw that & thought if he can reproduce that form for the Comets he'd be a steal on a 5.00 average.

How much does a team manager really have to know. There's not a lot of tactics needed, riders can give each other advice about equipment / track lines etc. Besides Cami Brown has shown you can make poor decisions & still win the league (as long as you can sign a 9 point rider on a 5 point average).

Certainly have to disagree re Ablitt. Upped his average from below 2.00 to 3.00 riding in the tougher reserve position (6). Think he did very well last year. Can understand an argument against Mountain, who scored fantastically well at number 7, but wasn't great in the top 5.

Tbf now the point limit has lowered, many teams look weak, or certainly week in some areas of the team. I'd say I've not seen a single team I would call strong, but someone has to finish top (even if they all look weak pre-season).

Interesting thing about the Scunthorpe team that Woffinden came through from was it was a very strong team built to win the league, but they were also young riders who developed well as a team.

This sort of thing has happened for years, Kolodziej doesn't get a wild card for GPs (despite his average in Extraliga, plus 2nd in Euro Champs) because of his age / nationality, Kai Huckenbeck gets a GP wildcard because of his Nationality, last year's GP reserves were all picked because of their Nationalities, Chris Harris dropped from the GB squad because of his age. Now gender has become another reason to pick someone along with nationality / age, ahead of ability.

I asked a similar question, hopefully not because she's female, because that's not equality!

Legally I'm sure she'll be allowed privacy, most likely get to use the changing facilities showers first or last. There's no way every stadium can build new facilities before the season starts. But this is something new, females race at Amateur / junior league / Nora level - they must have suitable arrangements.

I agree that it's good she gives fellow female riders someone to aspire too, but gaining a Champ team place has always been on the cards. If Katie Gordon had been scoring maximums every week in the NJL, then topping the NL averages, she'd have gotten a Champ place! No team will refuse a woman who is better than the men, if it helps them win. They just need to reach a certain level first.

Gilkes especially, improved every year despite injuries hindering him. If I was Edinburgh I'd pick him ahead of Fredriksen, depends if he wants to travel / have more availability at Weekends for Poland?

Why have a league table if it's not about winning, why have a points limit that rules out developing riders, why not have handicap racing so the better riders learn to pass, why have exclusions - could make every race all four (for the riders development), why not change the race format so riders meet their peers more often? To me having a low points limit, is the quickest & easiest way to say it's about youth development, without putting any effort in. Not saying the NL clubs aren't putting the effort in, more the BSPL / rulemakers. Especially if Joe T can do 3 leagues plus & individual series, when Max Perry could be blocked from the individual series for not having a NL team.

Unless he's in front of a teammate, then he tries to get passed lol!

Can see where you're coming from, for example they announced her as an SGP2 rider, but if we're being totally honest, she only got that wild card because of her gender (not her fault I know). She's could reach her average. Have to wait & see. Still great publicity for Workington either way.

Think Vissing would be a great signing & next best I can see is Batchelor.

I could understand Paco saying he was "disappointed" not to get a Prem team, but to me he's not good enough to be "angry" about missing out. For me someone like Josh Pickering could have said that before Lynn gave him a chance as he was a Champ heat leader, but was overlooked for riders not as good as him. Guess it's up to Paco to improve enough to get a chance in the future?

Connor Mountain (probably at Scunny), Anders Rowe, Dan Gilkes and Jack Thomas (if fit) all without Champ spots.

How about? Workington Craig Cook 8.52 Troy Batchelor 7.16 Claus Vissing 6.24 Annti Vuolas 5.00 Tate Zischke 5.00 Celina Liebman 4.00 Sam McGurk 2.00 Total 37.92

Assessed riders can drop below their averages, Vuolas & Zischke could drop from 5 to 4 (I don't think they will). Workington could have replace both H.McGurk & Crang, but we're loyal to them when they had high averages, then once their aves had dropped wasn't worth replacing them anymore.

Decent signing, should be able to reach her assessed 4.00 average, plus should generate loads of publicity. I do wonder how they came up with a 4.00 assessed ave though, seems to have similar foreign experience to 5.00 assessed riders?

Didn't notice how wide Sedgmen's home / away splits were until I was reading the Birmingham track review in Speedway Star. Last year averaged 6.93 at home & 8.59 away. So as long as he can ride Armadale better than he can ride Perry Barr, he'd be a great signing.

Totally agree with Bagpuss here, Paco is weaker than Lampart / Zach Cook & Birmingham don't need any spare points at the top of the team. Also he'd be on a 4.00 ave.

Not at all, if Newcastle hadn't closed Wethers rolling ave would have been 5.36. When they did close down he went back to his 2021 figure of 6.47.

Just seen it, embarrassing effort by Batchelor there, putting footballers to shame for their diving abilities. Shame the ref fell for it!

Just watching it now, I had put a win for Summers, then 2 heats later realised my programme was wrong.