Steve Shovlar

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All this talk about Poole being a crap track is utter garbage. If the racing was so poor there would be no one there. Yet Poole have the biggest crowds in the whole of the U.K. They wouldn’t turn up if it was follow the leader. Last night was an exception due to woeful opposition. Glasgow fans need to look no further than their team, rather than blame the Poole track. Wimborne Road produces excellent racing, but it needs two teams in the meeting. If Poole riders both gate over lesser opposition, what do people actually think will happen? Last night, heat after heat, Glasgow were found wanting out of the gate. People want passing but it needed the Glasgow riders to gate for the Poole riders to show how it’s done. Plenty of dirt on the outside but never really needed in anger as Pirates were away and gone. Pitiful Glasgow had no answer. It looked like they didn’t change their setups to suit the conditions after all having one ride. Remember Halifax coming to Swindon in around 1974 and it was something like 60-15. At Poole we normally get both.

Thought the track was excellent. Just the right amount of water, no dust at all, plent of dirt as well for those that wanted to give it a blast. Perhaps Berwick will show Glasgow how it’s done next week? Don’t think they will do as badly, that’s for sure.

Did they? thought it was 29 but I missed the meeting as out of the country.

Vissing took Cook and Zach got him back a lap later in heat 3. Harris passed Newman off the 4th bend and almost got Steve Worrall at the same time in heat 11. Vissing passed Newman in heat 14. Rowe passed Pijper in heat 8. Not a lot of passing but Glasgow seem to be a team of gaters bar Harris and they failed to gate!

First of all just got back and didn’t see that coming. Expected a 10-12 point win but it was truly men against boys. What do you get when one team is far better than the other? Gate and gone. A meeting needs the opposition riders to gate. Sadly tonight for Glasgow fans, or those rooting for the Tigers, they were outclassed in virtually every heat. Were viewers on BSN expecting to see Complin, Vissing, Nowak or Pijper to pass their opposite numbers? Never going to happen! There’s no doubt racing wise the meeting was laclustre on track, because there really was only one team that turned up. Heat after heat Pirates were dominant. Glasgow we’re all over the place and never got in a position where they could limit the damage through a T/R as they are disallowed in a final. At the after meeting press conference the Poole riders praised the track and said it was excellent. There was plenty of dirt on it and the Poole team had no issues whatsoever. No, it doesn’t usually ride so one sided but Glasgow have been far and away the worst team to visit Wimborne Road this season. Even when Poole demolished Plymouth on BSN a couple of months ago, the Gladiators managed to lose by less than the Tigers tonight. Not a single Tiger can come away from tonight’s meeting thinking they did a good job, perhaps with the exception of Ace Pijper how gave it a go and scored 5. Three heat winners out of 15 is abysmal. Non Poole fans can should and moan and blame any and everything but the truth is it was men against boys tonight and if the opposition hasn’t got what it takes, meetings like this happen. So bring on the second leg. You never know, Cami knickers might just get his team fired up. What’s the record for the biggest comeback over two legs?

Still a delay for ambulance as a police incident at Poole bus station at the moment. what has happened to Nowak? Shocking. Young Pijper far better than expected. The rest of Galsgow as predicted though this is far from over.

Looking forward to this tonight. A new team to see in 2023 and will be a close one. The boys need to be on it from the start with no half asleep until heat 12, and with no silly points dropped. A nice day in Dorset. Should be a good crowd.

No keep the Cooks together. Steve to 5.

A shame it’s off but the right call looking at the forecast and saving travelling fans a huge amount of wasted time and money. I don’t care for the first or second leg, as it’s streaming. We need to run our leg next Wednesday.

Zach showing far more experienced riders the fastest way around Monmore tonight. Well done to him on his first max.

Well Zach is on good form tonight! 15 point max at Monmore!

There will probably be a handful of Poole fans making the trip. But as it’s streamed many hundreds watching online with the BSN. Gained revenue as even if it wasn’t streamed there wouldn’t be many making the very long journey north. Especially with the dodgy forecast.

Of course we are going to get beat. In fact for the league to thrive no one team should win every meeting. It would be as dull as the current GP series if that was the case.

The size of the defeat is cause for concern, though in truth it should have been by ten but for the inept ref failing badly in heat 15 allowing the race to continue when Lawson was polaxed by Nicholls. But the size of the defeat is unacceptable. If a rider has a few meetings of very poor scores the management are not afraid of wielding the axe. Riders do know this and the pressure is on them to perform or face the consequences.

I think it will be fairly close. Within 10-12 points. Should be a great final.

Wow. How to absolutely throw away a home win. Shocking stuff!

Poole have no real weak links, other than perhaps Roynon at reserve and Kyle is capable of covering if he and Rowe are having off nights. The other 4 look after themselves.

Will he or his dad be moaning when he will only be getting 3 rides? Atkins has done well in his last 3 meetings and shows how poor Heeps has been to be booted to reserve. Heeps woeful at many away tracks.

First big final of the season and it’s the clash of the big two. Being streamed live on BSN so us Pirate fans who can’t travel the huge distance can actually watch it live. Will Glasgow build up a big enough lead to defend at Wimborne Road, or will Poole keep it tight? We will have to do better than we did at Oxford last week or the trophy is heading to Scotland! Hopefully the weather will play fair and there will. E no rainoff risk, though currently it shows being wet. Thoughts on this one?

The GP is about personal pride. All riders should want to be WC. Scoring I the EL is great for the coffers but becoming WC is the aim for any rider.

Trick didn’t make up the rules. But he was a more complete speedway rider than Zmarzlik has currently shown. And he won all those titles when the opposition was far, far tougher. As others have said, Zmarzlik gets an easy ride with others happy with second. Madsen laughing and joking on the podium when he should be gutted and very upset. Where’s the passion?

No. It’s totally boring. I don’t care who wins it. There’s just no characters unless you think helium has a personality. How I wish for the days of Crump, Pedersen, Hancock, Gollob, Trick (who would more than likely eat Zmarzlik for breakfast)

Utterly dire GP on what is meant to be a decent race track. Only decent race was the final but Zmarzlik just hasn’t got any real opposition. Turn the clock back 10-15 years ago and the event was far more competitive. Today it’s who can stop Zmarzlik, and the answer is no one. Especially as it’s so Polish based and raced on a tr5ck Zmarzlik knows like the back of his hands. Utterly, utterly boring to be honest and a real shame. I have always looked forwards to the GP series but frankly it’s hardly worth the time.

How strange to say that when there were at least a couple of hundred there and a large noisy contingent on the third bend.