E I Addio

Pedersen is a disgrace. The reserve slot is for EDR riders to learn their trade, not for over-the-hill Danes to trundle round looking for easy money for their pension fund. Fortunately he will be off to the knackers yard at the end of the season. Not before time either.

Tomas's Jerdrzak came over in 2008 did one practice lap the scored a paid maximum in his first ever meeting for Lakeside. He's getting a bit long in the tooth now unfortunately.

When I started going as a schoolboy there were lots of old timers who were were always moaning yhat the sport wasn't as good as when they started going, years earlier. I didn't know what they were moaning about because I loved it, and I thought they were just old buffers who wanted to turn the clock back to when they were young. Now my love for the sport has cooled off because like the generations before me my outlook has changed as I have got older. I still go but it's not like the old days at 'Ackney. If I started trying to chat up 14 or 15 year old girls at my age like, I did in those days I'd get locked up (and divorced probably). The point is, the world moves on, and nothing is quite so exciting as you get older. Unfortunately a lot on this forum want the old days back, but in my old days there were a lot of old moaners who wanted their old days back. Sometimes we have to accept its ourselves that change, not just the sport.

That is excatly the point. Of all the riders that have guested in place of AJ in the last couple of years the only one that wasn't total rubbish was Scott Nicholls. None of the others even scored six points let alone anything approaching the average they were on. It's all very well for people to keep on about having a big name but who are you realistically going to get that knows the track, could give a toss whether Lakeside go through of not, as long as they get their guaranteed payment. , and most importantly, brings his own equipment. At least Kasprzak has his own bikes over here. I woukd love some big name star to step into the breach, but I don't think there are any that would fit the bill at this end of the season. You only have to look at the way Nicki P took the P last time he did a few late season meetings for Peterborough.

That's got nothing to do with your claim that they sneaked in by the back door. If you take the No 1 rider out of any EL side they are more or less made up with PL riders.

You are the only one that has ever described him as "Motivational Coach ". The programme describes him as Team Manager, along with Jon Cook. We get it that you don't think much of Kelvin, we get it that you don't think much of Jon Cook. We get it that you think Neil Vatcher and his wife are suitable targets for insults and abuse, but there is no need to over egg the pudding by quoting falsehoods instead of fact.

Yep. Off you go.

On Bombers two visits with Coventry this year he scored 4+1 and 3+1. Hardly want you want from your guest No1. Then we have the horror of last years guests when AJ wad injured. We had Lindgren, Doyle , Schlein and someone else (I forget who). I think they scored about 12 or 13 between them !. The only visitors that have racked up decent scores at Lakeside this year are either too high in the averages (I.e. Doyle and Puk ) or they ride for Belle Vue. It's very difficult because at their best Kennet , Bridger and Nilsson are all capable of very good scores on their home track and Lawson is OK, but what is needed is someone who can raise the team and team ride the way that AJ can, and there aren't many who can simply walk in from abroad, never having ridden the track before and perform too play off standard. 2008 all over again !

No. They lack a No 1

That's not what he said in the Lakeside programme. So your grounds for that assertion is ?

Kelvin Tatum raised few eyebrows in Speedwáy Star recently when he expressed uncertainty about whether he would return to Lakeside next year. He said he wasn't saying yes and he wasn't saying no, he just wants time to think about over the winter. He expanded on theses thoughts in Friday's programme and the problem seems to me, from what he wrote, is the way the sport is being run. He wrote:- "As for my own role, it's one I have thoroughly enjoyed most of the time and it's been good being so heavily involved in a different capacity once again. This in my opinion is the biggest AGM coming up for a long time. There are plenty of big, key decisions that need to be made regarding league and team structure and only once that has been done only then will I make a decision regarding continuing my role here next year " I don't want to read more into it than what is there, but combining those comments with what was reported in Speedwáy Star, it seems to be that for a variety of reasons, not least the EDR system, it seems to be in line with my own view that the league is not a level playing field and some teams have built in advantages over others. That's just my impression and I could be wrong. Any sensible thoughts ?

I woukd have said KK, who will at least have the incentive of wanting to see BV out of the way so Poole can meet Lakeside In the final. KK at his best is a smart kookie around both Arena and BV assuming he has the right head on. The problem is KK can win races but he is not a team man in the way that AJ is, plus, of course, he is, as others have said somewhat hit and miss at times, but then again they nearly all are.

I have heard that Mick Bates has retired . Anybody know if this is true ? I hope it isn't. The sport can't afford to be losing blokes like Mick.

We've heard it all before from Rosco. It seems that almost every TV meeting we have Rosco bleating about the track when Swindon are losing. Everyone knows the amount of rain that fell early afternoon. The entire top surface was scraped off and replaced with dry material. Not as good as a well settled track but as others have said, perfectly raceable, The truth is that Kelvin had his side fired up to deal with it and Roscoe didn't. Doyle's win in heat 13 though was probably the best ride I have seen since Darcy Ward was st Poole. It's almost as if he is already World Champion in his mind and is suddenly looking like he has a real chance of doing it.

The website said a couple of days ago there are plans to deal with the weather. The forecast has been changing every few hours for the last few days. Do you expect a bulletin everytime the weather forecast changes ? I am presently about 15 miles North of the track. I took the dog for a walk at 7.30 this morning and the ground in the woods was rock hard so there has obviously not been much rain overnight, we have had a shower an hour or so ago and the roads are drying out now, What people overlook is that for everyminute covers are down there is no track prep going on. If the weather at the track is like it is round here I would guess Gerald is getting on with the track prep while he can rather than sitting around staring at track covers. The problem is different forecasts are saying different things right now, The track staff just have to do the best they can when they can to have things ready.

Change in Lakeside's riding order due to new averages:- Nicholls , Bridger, Kennett, Lawson, Nillson, Morely, Kerr. Swindon stay the same Doyle, Sedgmen, Tungate, Graj, Morris, Wright , Neilson . Whoever loses is going to kick themselves for throwing away silly points throughout the season.

Exactly. When Andreas Jonsson returned to the E L after a break of 7 years he was given an assessed average of 9.03. The reason given was that as a GP rider he should be able to reach the average of the top rider in the league who at that time was Niels Kristioan Iveson on 9.03. Why does the same ruling not apply to Lindback who is now a more experienced rider , riding in a weaker league than when he was last here ?

Dave Watt.

No news one way or the other on the Lakeside site so possibly a late fitness test which is not usually a good sign. It will be devastating to the Hammers to go into the meeting with R/R for Ed in view of his form over the last couple of months,it will mean a reserve taking at least one of his rides which is not good. Swindon already in the driving seat since Lakkeside lost AJ , if they lose Ed as well, it will be a near impossible task

This is the A fixture that was rained off months ago. Rider availability caused the delay in restating. Both sides had a rider committed to the GP's and SWC, and Swindon have a number of riders committed to PL clubs that race Friday's. This has to change next year. If there is a rain off and it can't be restaged within say two months the clubs will have to go with what they can muster

They should join forces and field a combined team in the Play offs Doyle Lawson Kennett Tungate Nilsson Sedgmen Bridger. Hmmm... Still not the team you'd put money on to win.

More chance of stevebrum becoming a Coventry fan !

I totally agree. The whole report was poorly written but going by what the reporter wrote it's difficult to see what the ref did wrong. Amazing that Paul Ricket blames the ref for enforcing the rules, when he should be blaming above all others the team managers. Incidently, the follwing report of the NL match between Isle of Wight and Eastbourne, written by the BSF's own Bryn Williams is an excellent unbiased report that tells the reader what he wants to know. Wel done Bryn!

Agreed. I see that loud mouthed half wit Muddlo has been sounding off in Speedwáy Star this week about Craig Ackroyd (that's Dans long lost cousin Starman) . Under the headline "Middlo Fumes" The Wimborne Windbag haurrumphs " That was disgraceful, some of the worst refereeing I have ever seen in my life " Was it really that bad ? Hardly got a mention on the BSF thread. Foreverblue, one of the more fair minded Poole fans, concedes he was not saying the ref got it wrong. The Dean Machine says one decision was 50/50. The texter on Speedwáy Updates says one decision was debatable but in another one that Muddlo bleats about the texter says it was an easy decision to exclude Newman. So at worst we have the referee calling it as he sees and Motormouth seeing from a totally different angle and a less advantageous position claiming it was "absolutely disgraceful". It seems though that it was not disgraceful enough to protest or complain to the SCB. The point is not who is right or wrong, it's a team manager going off crying to Speedwáy star with OTT accusations against a referee who, because of his position can't answer back. No wonder referees sometimes feel they have had enough. Strangely the only person that seems to agree with Muddlo is ....er ... Starman !

What a stupid post. What Bryn was alluding to if you bother to read his post properly was the track checks required prior to a meeting, for example making sure the airfences are securely fixed and the safety fences are in good condition. People might not realise this when they are sitting back looking for something to moan about but there are clubs running on a shoe string where some equipment is close to borderline and the ref can at times be under a lot of pressure from the promoters to turn a blind eye. Another thing is calling a meeting off mid way when rain makes it unsafe, often a controversial decision and frequently the ref doesn't make the right call but IF a rider was seriously injured the referee, as the person with overall responsibility could be called to account. There are a myriad of other things people don't think about like making sure track staff are correctly positioned. It is a job that requires quite a high degree of concentration.