Roger Jacobs

Why should a team be punished for having a successful Rising Star?

British Speedway has been shrinking to fit for a few years now ...

The British Final decision was not ridiculous, it was correct - they actually followed the relevant SCB Regulation.

Is 22 September the cut-off?

Bailey is the BV #8

The league is past the 75% fixtures limit for changes.

Safety isn't a cost?!

Even if the rules allowed a change, who could you find on a 3ish average?

Do they know where to aim any advertising and marketing? We all have an idea of the current main demographic, and who they would like to attract - but are there specific geographic areas they could focus on? Many, many years ago, ITFC did a survey and were genuinely shocked to find that the majority of their fans were from outside the Borough boundary. I'm sure that has changed a bit over time - especially with the ongoing population growth - but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the Witches fan base is around East Suffolk, South Suffolk and North East Essex. Anyone want to do a survey?

Sheffield would have already declared their line-up before KL was postponed, so they only had the choice of King, Tungate, or Batchelor, or one of the injured/CBA Peterborough riders (not including Harris).

Anybody bothered about this one? It’s on Eurosport as a reserve switch for the postponed KLvBV match. http://www.wolverhampton-speedway.com/_mobile/news.php?extend.3548

The concept of the BSPA’s ideas are often sound - it’s the actual product delivered that invariably doesn’t match the concept …

Would definitely be cheaper to buy the BSN feed ...

Well they have had more than 25% of the Pairs fixtures

It does seem odd though that Ipswich quoted the Regulation. They could easily have said that Tungate was unavailable, which probably wouldn't have been queried.

It's in the Regulations: 016.1.1 Qualifying Criteria 2 riders from the top 4 by MA from the green sheets of the month prior to the event will determine the Pair for each Team, with the Rising Star being the reserve. No updates have been published.

Apparently the next round of the Premiership Pairs is at Sheffield on Thursday night.

He was framed!

Good to know that every time a Deadbeet made the start that it was perfectly fair. If the sport is dead, that saves you a few quid in the future

The Prem is full of riders capable of beating each other - most of them blow hot and cold simply because of that (King and Batchelor have been perfect examples of that this season - as have several of the KL riders). KL have got riders with lots of Foxhall experience who ride the track well - so it was always going to be a tough match. Doyle will always be the difference in a match like this, because even he will admit that he shouldn't be beaten by any of the other riders on show. The Witches rode their luck, and got stuck with a bit of determination - something they haven't done anywhere near enough in recent seasons. An entertaining, although not great, speedway meeting, with a surprising result. KL will still finish Top 5, which is in the top percentile of their all time league finishes

I've also been saying that for many years. My first match, and although the racing wasn't great, there were some good close races and tactical riding by both teams. King and Batchelor arrived late to the party, to deliver a couple of vital rides, and Tungate produced two very good efforts - especially to join Summers for that splendidly unexpected 5-1*, plus his wide outside run to grab third in the last heat, and then see off Worrall with some intelligent riding. * I was standing top of Bend 1/2, so it wasn't clear why Klindt was excluded, but apparently he had an engine problem and pulled back from the tapes. Strict application of the regulations by Chris Gay. Doyle, as expected, is a class apart - passing with ease if he missed the start, but also tonight very much the team man, spending his last two rides looking behind him more than ahead. The Deadbeets are a solid team, but, like the Witches of recent years, haven't got an out-and-out #1 to win those vital late races. Pickering for some reason doesn't do well at Foxhall - everyone else had their moments. Jakobsen was smooth when he gated. Edwards' ride to hold off Hume was impressive. The crowd came to life at the same time as the Witches, so they went home happy, and looking forward to the next home match, whenever that might be ...

First appearance at Foxhall for the new-look Witches in the "Old Farm" derby against the newly changed Stars. Could be a close one, because the Deadbeets have riders who can ride Foxhall well. https://ipswichwitches.co/raceday-preview-kings-lynn-premiership-h-2/ I'm planning to be there ...

I think it floats the Belle Vue fans' boat, because they get good racing irrespective of the result. The Witches weren't below par, just beaten by a superior team. Poole fans have always taken great delight in seeing the Pirates thrash the opposition, and that's irrespective of the racing. Overall, a winning home team will get more fans interested.

And so British Speedway trundles on in it's minimal existence.

Interestingly, Sheffield's own preview of their match with KL indicates they're pleased there's no live coverage, and encouraging everyone to get along to Owlerton. No doubt whatsoever that cash flow from paying customers is more important than its ever been, especially with such a patchy fixture list.