1 valve

Whoops indeed "SD". - As for "being told" - well he had to work to a points limit and was given a budget to work to (and no more), after that the rest was up to him to deliver on and hence why a number of the riders who signed for the Lions had indeed previously rode for SD. This included Ryan Douglas who came back to the UK having missed a year and has openly admitted it was SD who talked him into riding for the Lions on a track which initially he didn't fancy. Also worth noting how astute SD was in the use of guests and changing the riding order to get the best match ups. As for 2020. Lions now have arguably the best 1-5 in the championship and two promising reserves who will deliver the required points and most probably on paper only Redcar come close to challenging Leicester. Edinburgh look strong in the top half of their line up and Glasgow will do better than current thinking suggests. As for Poole, well its great to see such a professional promotion having a team in the championship and as their past record shows they put winning teams onto the track so (yes only on reputation) they will be there or there abouts come the play offs.

SG was "allowed" to build last seasons Lions team which turned out a long way off from being a folly.

Hopefully the boys will stay injury free but if a stand in is required then as long as it is not immediately after the start of the season their averages could well be up at the 4 point mark thus providing a wider choice of guest?

Nick Morris it is. Well done to all concerned for getting this strong team assembled quickly. Looks like it will become the benchmark for all others in preparation for 2020.

When considering the overall average for the season you should take into account: - The boys started in the reserve berths and for the first four matches excluding bonus points their averages were Dan 4.79 Joe 5.39 - For the last four fixtures where the twins were in the main body of the team and again ignoring bonus points their averages were: Dan 6.08 (8.1 including BP) Joe 8.69 (9.8 including BP) Clearly as the season progressed the boys made measurable progress despite the oppositon in their heats becoming tougher thus it is fair to say that looking at their closing averages they fully desreve the chance to continue their improvements and the Lions management have yet again made a smart call re team selection and makeup. Although it has not been made clear if the club will continue in the National League next year, If they do then it would make sense for the twins to double up with the Cubs thereby continuing to help with their develoment as well as being a positive attraction for those clubs the Cubs will visit during the season. Just hope everybody stays fit so that the Lions success of 2019 can continue into next season - good luck to all concerned

Are Torun in the second tier of Polish speedway in 2020? if so does this offer better chances of UK based riders being able to ride Saturday nights in the UK or would this still be a "no no" as per the top tier?

Has Ryan indicated he will be available for next season or will he be looking at opportunities in Poland?

Shame if that turns out that way for the Lions but good luck to Ryan no matter what. if so then hope the averages allow Scotty back for both on track and off track contributions. great team guy who although perhaps in the twilight of his career in terms of top scoring he would be more than useful to the team overall team overall.

Well. What thoughts regarding the 2019 Champions as they set about defending their title? For me the number one priority is to get Stewart Dickson onboard with Perks & Douglas not far behind and assume Mountain given he is a Lion's asset. All three capable of increasing their averages next season which will be needed as it is safe to presume current team average total will fall well above what will be allowed for 2020?

Could be a good idea but you can have too much of a good thing. Maybe 2 home & 2 away fixtures v 1 club is more than enough?

I agree too! And to prove it I have edited original post. thanks for pointing it out. my apologies to Stewart - no offence intended.

Stewart Dickson is most probably the best team manager in UK speedway. The line up of the Lions at the start of the season was a mixture of known tried and tested riders complimented by those with something to prove or potential improvers. AKA the returning Douglas and the promising Perks. Then as injuries began to hit the line up, the guest he brought in did a great job as did the adjustments in the team line ups which not only took into account how riders rode together as a pair but also as a match up to the opposition none more so than in the final where the effect of the Tigers big guns was reduced by the more balanced Lions pairings ensuring fewer last places. Besides the management the tactical aspects he clearly can clearly build a great team ethic and the way he has got the best out of Ty Proctor (which SD admitted the "how to" had him perplexed when TP joined the Lions) is testomony tohis man managemnt skills. Maybe UK speedway missed a trick by not appointing him to lead the GB squad. Meanwhile lets hope he can be persueded to stay with the Lions for next year and beyond.

Nobody can surely dissagree that from a spectator and overall entertainment perspective the two legs of the Championship final were head and shoulders above that of the Premiership? Even though both Championship legs had clear winners at both meetings, the lower tier version produced far far more drama, tension and dare I say it hope on either side. A great advert for the sport and one which the large crowds definately enjoyed. Well done to both sets of riders and management for making it possible.

1969 the year I saw the Lions live for the first time. 2019 the year I saw the Lions win the league for the first time . 50 years! Thank you to everybody for making it happen.

Surely only a four point swing? Lions finished 1&2 so if Cook had won the correct assumption would be a 3 -3 v a 5-1 as Andersen was way behind after lap 1.

It was a great night and fantastic to see so many visiting supporters attending which really did create a superb atmosphere. The last heat 1 - 5 has definitely given Tigers hope in the tie and sets up the second leg perfectly. lets hope that whatever the result fans from both sides should show their support for their respective teams, riders and eventual winners in a manner befitting of the family sport which is speedway.

Yes that was waving with one and two fingers.

Responding back in similar fashion to Various hand gestures from the Glasgow support on Saturday night

with an additional .6 allowed for guests replacing home riders.

Cost of reasonable industrial strength tarpaulin with eyelets and fastening clips in suffient volume (say 80000m2) to fully cover a track would be circa £17500. Putting aside the length of time it would take for a team (of volunteers?) to erect and then take down and where such a large and weighty mass would be stored, it is questionable if such cost is justifiable v value of saving meetings from being rained off particularly since the cover would need to be fully removed a good number of hours before the meeting to allow for track preperation which would leave it open to the elements anyway.

Both Redcar & Leicester look set to be subject to heavy rain when the meetings are due to take place which more than likely will mean postponement of both fixtures. With Lions having almost unlimited availability of their track what is the situation at Redcar in terms of contingency dates?

Good luck to Scott & Ryan for tonight's Championship Pairs meeting at Somerset. Hope Scotty has managed to instill some extra power in his bikes as this season he has appeared to be short of the stuff on larger fast tracks which must be frustrating for the skipper but that's what's needed at the OTA.

Not so much "cost" more that from the outset of the season, riders were given the incentive of having a better chance of more guest bookings as (if) they arose from Busters three teams by being part of the pool and thus being possible prefered choice before riders from the other four were considered.

If he gets a ban then most probably Sam Masters will be drafted in as a guest which will keep Glasgow at full strength. Much better for him to be given a significant fine and warned re future behavior meaning that Tigers can field their true line up and win or lose - no excuses from anybody.

Stewart Dickson has done a great job this year and we can be sure he will continue to do so in terms of who he selects as semi final opponents. Obviously there are no easy matches come the playoffs but as League Winners the Lions will be the team the other playoff contenders will want to avoid. With SD ensuring zero complacency from within the team a case of respecting all and fearing none will barring a run of bad luck see the Championship come to Leicester. Now off to count my chickens!!