Arch Stanton

They have indeed. It's an ongoing process too with more work being done throughout the winter. If you haven't been for a couple of years then you'd be surprised at the improvements made.

I agree he makes an abysmal commentator, truly woeful. Great racing though as ever at Somerset.

Nobody has gotten "on his back" as you put it, just some have quite rightly, expressed their disappointment at his points return this year. Ben Barker has set very high standards in the Premier League and has been the top rider for the last two seasons on a near 10 point average. This season so far, he hasn't lived up to those high standards and that's by his own admission, both in the Premier League and the Elite league for Birmingham. the dominant performance you seem to have witnessed last evening, and the dominant performance the Berwick supporters witnessed the night before, we just haven't seen yet at Foxhall. Don't get me wrong, he's not been awful by any stretch of the imagination, he just hasn't been close to the standard we've seen from him in the PL with Plymouth these last few seasons. When you build your team with a number one on a near 10 point average, you need him to be a dominant number one and he's just fell short of that so far. Chris Louis commented that these last few nights, he's finally looked like the "number one that we signed him to be" and that his struggles have been machinery based and not down to his ability. Hopefully now he's got that sorted and he can continue to be that dominant number one we all know he is at this level. We'll need him to be if we're going to fight for the title that's for sure.

I bet Pete will be chuffed with you for this. You've basically just kicked him squarely in the gonads! Pete, you don't motivate the team mate...

Have you sent that cheque for Joe Jacobs yet? If not get a move on please

Best of luck to Jo he's a good kid and It's nice to see him doing well. Hopefully Glasgow come up with an offer Chris Louis deems acceptable. With Ipswich going for Barker on such a high average they were always going to need a 3 pointer, and they definitely made the right choice in Adam Ellis.

Only the supporters who were there can answer that with confidence but I'll have a stab even though I wasn't. With two falls and two exclusions in heat 2, and then a fall from a Leicester rider in a 2 rider heat against no opposition, I guess you could say the track was at best, tricky?

Aww come on it's a forum to discuss these things! Riders scores always have been and always will be discussed on here after meetings. Being disappointed in certain riders performances is hardly "sniping" either.

Indeed, I'd imagine Louis would be delighted if North gets the call as that would probably add numbers to the gate.

Does it matter also that it wasn't an "official" fixture? Probably should matter but I wonder if it makes a difference.

We'll see

Yep and the jungle drums would suggest he's on the radar of a number of clubs. If we want him, we might have to move quickly...

On the meeting itself, I don't normally like individual meetings like this but I really enjoyed the meeting. Some excellent racing at times.

What I find equally disturbing is the reports on here that North was congratulated by other riders on his actions!

Having a go at him?? Deary me

Here we go Dad I'm sorry but to me it seemed a little bizarre to exempt a rider from the "out classed" list who failed to score a point from 5 rides.

Risager is a strange one and I'm not sure where this notion comes from that he should be doing better. There were hopes early on in his career for Risager because he arrived in the top flight so young. But the fact is he's NEVER hit any particular heights. It's not as if he's been a 6 or 7 point Elite League man and suddenly suffered a fall from grace. I think people just need to accept what Risager is, and that is a middle order Premier League rider.

Why Adam aside? 5 rides and 5 lasts!

But you're not riding Sheffield tomorrow are you you'll be taking on a better side.

Isn't that two points from 6 meetings now from Makinen? Deary me enough is enough surely Mr Louis! Even with Barker still not up to the form he's capable of that's a great result. Not many teams will pick up points there.

I wasn't there granted but on the face of it that seems a bit harsh. Paid 7 from effectively 3 rides and leading for 3 laps before falling in his first ride doesn't seem a bad effort away from home really for a second string. The problem in these two meetings for Ipswich has been Makinen not beating an opponent and Ellis understandably feeling his way in to PL racing. Fairly solid from the rest. Speedy recovery to the 3 injured riders.

That's the problem when you make trolling posts like this one. You can sometimes end up looking a right prat!

It was pretty poor to be fair wasn't it. Not a great deal to get excited about in all honesty. Wasn't really expecting a classic either with the difficulties the track staff must have endured.

Not directly in front of someone sitting no! There is simply no excuse for that. Foxhall can hold 10,000 people and it isn't the 70's where the place was packed to the rafters. If you turn up and then go and stand directly in front of someone who is sitting in a chair blocking their view, no matter where they are sitting, then that is ignorant plain and simple when there is so much space around the entire stadium to stand without blocking someone's view. If you're standing and then someone comes and puts up their chair directly behind you and then asks you to move, then that is a different kettle of fish.

But Ipswich don't ride at Peterborough, they ride at Foxhall. I can never really understand your type of thinking. I come from Ipswich, and Ipswich is my team so I support them. Would I prefer Ipswich to be in the EL? Most definitely. But they're not so I go and watch them in the PL instead. I'm with you that I prefer to watch Elite League racing than Premier League, but only if my team is in it. I certainly wouldn't travel to watch a team I don't support on a regular basis be it EL or not. I get far more satisfaction watching my team at Foxhall and get much more emotionally involved than i would watching a team i didn't have any affiliation with. But each to their own!