Arch Stanton

Harris himself gave a statement in October saying he wasn’t in Oxford’s plans and didn’t seem to be exactly pleased about it either. https://watch.britishspeedway.co.uk/articles/bombed-out

Excellent signing IMO.

It’s very close to being a team that will challenge for a play off spot and it probably would have if they’d managed to use all the points available for the last signing. I’d guess the uncertainty early on cost them options and left them behind the others in terms of planning. They’ve done very well considering, but it must be frustrating to be so close to an even stronger team that could challenge.

Well that’s turned out better than most expected. That’s a competitive side and will be a tough nut to crack on their own track. Might be found wanting away a little bit, but at home that team will win most of their meetings once they get dialled in.

Think people need to watch the incident again. He may well have broken his footrest, but that wasn’t what caused him to fall. He was simply being chucked all over the place by riding through the high dirt pile by the fence.

Uppa Witches 😁

I’m not convinced of that. Time will tell.

This looked the weakest part of his game the first season he was here, his gating was generally awful. But that improved considerably last season. The only downside for me with this years Witches team. Would have loved to have kept him in the side, super talent.

The only question mark around the inclusion of King was his fitness. Now it’s been updated he’s had successful surgery and is on course to be 100% fit by March, then he’s absolutely worth his place in the team. One had to go from King, Ellis and Rew, a fit Danny King is better than both of them currently. Some won’t like to admit that, but the stats don’t lie.

That was the plan but is now unlikely according to Adams in this weeks Star. They’ve had a couple of “setbacks” and he now concedes they’re likely to come in under the limit more than the other clubs.

https://x.com/ipswichspeedway/status/1866943204500836621?s=61

Not the point really. What is the actually point of an “official” website? Isn’t just a problem here, it’s pretty horrific across the board in British Speedway.

He’s literally just given an opinion on the Belle Vue team, that’s all ffs 🙄

https://x.com/ipswichspeedway/status/1863554307435413536?s=46

We actually coped very well without Doyle remarkably. We were still winning home and away even running R/R for him in a lot of meetings. Makes you wonder just how far ahead we’d have been if that hadn’t happened. We were still four points clear at the top I think when Emil crashed at Sheffield and that was the final nail in the coffin. Think we had 9 meetings after that and lost them all. We were cooked basically. You could argue but for appalling referee decisions at Leicester our patched up side should have made the final!

We’ll never know the ultimate result, what we can say with more certainty is that without the injuries the team was finishing top of the table. There is little doubt about that. So with Ipswich looking even stronger next year, and the two closest rivals both looking weaker, it doesn’t take a genius to work out Ipswich will be clear favourites. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll win the title though, obviously. The “strengthening” thing is actually irrelevant. No rider that rode for any team has a right or obligation to remain in that team the following year. When one season finishes, the slate is wiped clean. There is then an agreement for all clubs to build a team of seven riders up to and including an agreed points limit. Belle Vue, Sheffield, Lynn, Oxford, Birmingham and Leicester all build to exactly the same points limit as Ipswich. If their eventual teams end up not looking as strong as Ipswich, then that’s their problem.

It’s strengthening in EVERY way lets not try and play it down.

If you could guarantee that every team would stay injury free then we SHOULD be winning because Ipswich have the best team on paper but we had the best team on paper this year and look what happened. Speedway is a bit of a lottery in that regard. It isn’t like football where you have a squad of 25 players and bring a quality player in when one of your first teamers pulls a hamstring and it makes little difference to the team structure. All it takes in this sport is to lose one of your important heatleaders and it completely derails your season. Belle Vue had issues with Kurtz mid season, but were at full strength when it mattered and took advantage of other’s misfortunes. The same will be the case next year. You need a bit of luck to reach September when the pots are handed out with your full side still intact. IF Ipswich enter the play offs with the same 1-7 that starts the season, then we’ll win it.

Stadium rent will have gone up in some cases, the riders expenses would have gone up also, therefore so will their demands. Literally everything in modern day life has become more expensive. Can’t really expect admission prices to freeze and the promotions take an even bigger hit. A small increase is to be expected.

Superb signing.

Jenkins cut his teeth at Foxhall, doing many many laps after meetings before signing for Mildenhall. There’s a few reasons he wanted a return. Sharing the pits with a couple of world class riders has obvious benefits. Secondly, he started the season poorly and by his own admission, fully expected the old tin tac. He was supported, backed and helped through his early struggles instead of being discarded. That goes an awful long way with riders and isn’t forgotten. Thirdly, and the main argument put forward by the rider and club to get this move done, was sponsorship. He has gained some very good local sponsorship over the past 12 months that he’ll only receive whilst riding for Ipswich. It wasn’t a straightforward move because the only way Jenkins was returning to Ipswich was via the rising star role because the number 6 position was always going to be taken by Dan Thompson. There was uncertainty as to whether he was going to be eligible for a return to the rising star list but once it was confirmed he was, Ipswich and Jenkins himself, put forward their case to remain at Ipswich which was accepted. Once that was settled, Jenkins wasn’t going to be riding for anyone else. You can choose to believe that or not, but that’s the top and bottom of it.

The home riders know this also. They’ve also been critical of the track. It needs sorting because if riders don’t have confidence to ride to the max there, then the supporters are the ones who will suffer.

You’ve done this before, sorry but I don’t believe a word you say. I’m very comfortable with what I know regarding Jenkins. If you want to believe he’d rather be at Oxford, then that’s your prerogative, but you’d be wrong.

Jenkins never wanted to be anywhere other than Ipswich in the top flight. That was his only focus and in the end, got the move he desperately wanted.