Roger Jacobs

Two out of three ain't bad Update: Two out of four ain't bad 😛

I know that in the past, the advertising in the programme subsidised the printing - so there's no profit to be made.

Nicholls explained clearly that the track in the first few heats needed a bit of old-style nous and skill with the bike. The Holders, as usual, weren't interested. As soon as it slackened off they were happy. Ipswich should have put water on it - I wonder if Morris had an influence on what was/wasn't done with the track ...

Yes, because it's not on TV. Apparently he will also guest for the final home league match, and possibly the home KOC-Up Final leg?

Four, with King unable to beat riders he should be beating at home.

Unless it's dry and slick ... When J.Holder came in after Heat 1 he told them to blade it - neither of them are interested if there's a hint of difficulty.

Fascinating ... the track has now dried out and the riders seem to be finding it much easier to ride - and the winning times are slower ...

No, it's eleventy thousand Priti Patel.

Foxhall has had rain-offs, and some Thursdays are limited because of Spedeworth (who Ipswich rent from) combined with the restrictions on usage of the stadium, and of course the SoN nobbled another night.

Of course they are, and that's the saddest part - they react so rapidly to different surfaces, which makes them much more difficult to turn and control on the bends. The Holders will be fine now that it's drying out. Sheffield should go on to win ...

Exactly. Back in the day, Foxhall track prep sometimes resembled a ploughed field, and the riders loved it.

Shame that riders just expect a motorway - so many seem to have forgotten how to attack a difficult track.

Second of three home matches in 8 days, two of which on TV - several people of the Witches Facebook page said they wouldn't go to all three (couldn't afford to).

Bewley is enjoying it! The Witches know that the Holders can't cope with this sort of surface, so they might as well build up a lead ... When Tatum did the track walk, it looked much harder on the outside - perhaps they ripped it up after he had been out there!?

Tatum thinks Harrison could go off 15m after being excluded for a fall!

As expected, track looking drier and maybe a bit slicker than usual - could be much better for the Tigers gruesome twosome, who normally don't enjoy Foxhall that much.

Without Ellis, R/R is even more of a risk, so they should be looking at three guests. Whether Lindgren is available, or even willing to guest, is another question. Brennan has to be an option, or a Leicester rider (or two?).

He just is one 🤪

Any predictions of who will guest for the Witches on Thursday night? And, with three home matches in 8 days, can they book sufficient, effective guests? With R/R for Doyle and Sayfutdinov, the Witches could just about manage - but I can't see how R/R plus a guest would match Sayfutdinov's presence ...

But it's pathetic. No argument will convince me otherwise.

How can the Danish Final outing be irrelevant, when he had provided a sick note for getting out of GB commitments the day before?! I can understand riders having a try out before they come back, but trying to ride again a day after is simply extracting the Michael - it seems more likely that he didn't fancy returning to GB in advance of the Danish Final, irrespective of his injury.

The point is that the bike took off because of the heavy build-up of shale - that's how the current rocket-ships respond to changes in grip. It was an accident waiting to happen. Earlier in the meeting C.Holder managed to control his fall when he realised he was going too close to the edge. Sayfutdinov gave it everything, because that's what he does, just like Harris, and other fearless/bonkers riders. The simple point is that there's absolutely no need to let the shale build up like that.

That's not what has been said! There's no attempt during the match to recover the build-up of shale on the outside, producing a line which in theory provides an exciting spectacle, but in reality makes an already fast track much more dangerous for rocket ship instant-reaction bikes.

The Owlerton track prep should not allow the shale to build up so deep on the widest line. I've always thought it was a nasty accident waiting to happen on such a fast and relatively narrow circuit. We all know that the modern rocket ship bikes respond very rapidly to changes in surface - no matter how skilful these riders are, it can't always be "exciting".

It would be an absolute shock if they did. Deducted 2 points, riding without a #1, injured #2 & #3, mostly awful guests … Even if the postponements have been strategic, the bad luck hasn’t rewarded them - even Ipswich fans have sympathy for their plight …