1 valve

Sure 17 teams could be made up from the number of current riders around but that’s just playing with numbers. The Eastbourne promoter makes it clear that in terms of quality/skill/competitiveness/safety there are only sufficient number of riders to make a OBL of 14 seven man or 16 six man teams. The next question is what criteria should be used to establish which clubs are eligible to join the OBL. This could well be a more difficult subject to not only answer but also implement i.e stadium availability, race nights, financial stability, promoters being involved with more than one club? To name a few. Recent history had shown promoters tend to massively compromise on tough decisions meaning a watered down solution to most problems usually with self interest at the heart of the problem. So if speedway in uk is to be saved then maybe it’s not just a new league structure that is required but a new broom of fresh promoters who can see the wider picture of what is required to make a success of the desired and required change.

Some riders never learn it. As for Josh lets remember he can (and does) go fast to win many races, indeed fast enough to be the track record holder at Leicester. Time will tell as to what level & how quickly he will progress by learning how to funnel his undoubted determination to succeed in such a way that helps his development rather than hinders it. Meanwhile lets hope he makes a full recovery and is back on his bike ASAP.

Yep. And a nice concrete block as a safety fence with a doorway with no kick board to make it easier for a rider to get his footrest in.

Josh has had to have surgery to repair a bone in his neck/back which apparently took two hours to complete. This would suggest recovery will be longer than that expected for concussion.

Only One asset Connor Mountain. Who started the season at number 7 and rode there tonight - albeit very very well.

Crowd grew with latecomers delayed on motorway but still on the low side. Change of race night may also have something to do with it. That said some terrific racing with a number of passes and repasses great performance from the Lions. Congrats to the Eagles for squeezing through. Not convinced Kennet did pip Bomber on the line.

Track is 300m but long straights compared to the bends. Alterations past few years has created more space coming in and out of the corners with plenty of depth mid point. However it is “technical” in terms of riders having to think about their lines. Passing is now far more prevalent than pre alterations and the race surface being arguably the best it has been compares very well v others in the UK Definitely worth a visit.

Must be capable of learning. He is the current track record holder.

Those 6 riders contracted to ride in Poland and not being allowed to attend GP practice

Well done Lions. Some great examples of team riding and not always from the gate. Scotty proving to be a great captain. Hope Josh’s ribs not too bad and he makes it back fit sooner rather than later.

Well done Lions. Another valuable away win.

Given that the surface of a speedway track changes pretty quickly over a few laps there is a fair chance that those riders who go out after a track prep will gain more often than not some advantage. The purpose of the slowest from practice being first out was an an attempt to even things up but maybe this needs to be re thought so as to avoid deliberate slow laps laps. May also be worth considering grading after every four rides.

Tonight’s qualifying added something worthwhile to the GP weekend and the reward of skill/speed to determine gate positions during the main event is favourable to the random draw. That said it is a shame three riders were unavailable (not their choice) and clearly there was an advantage to those who went out first and after the mid session grading. There are most probably better ways qualifying can be formatted to create a fairer scenario but it’s s start.

Will Busters restrictive pay structure be able to attract Scotty?

Don’t think the promotion justified it by saying it was cold. But those who were able to go on Sunday benefited from the warm weather. So like me (who would have gone on Saturday) was grateful it had been called off due to the forecasted heavy rain. Is it forecast to rain this Saturday?

Just got home from a very enjoyable meeting. Sunny, relatively warm and all done well inside 2 hours. last night was near to stadium and it was freezing. Those who were able to attend today definitely benefited from the decision to reschedule The meeting Finally, congratulations To Ellis Perks on his 4 programmed ride maximum.

Fair to say that by anybody’s standards he has acted somewhat unprofessional & childish in a number of instances. That said, this year his riding had been very good and his demeanour appears to be that of a fast maturing young man. With a caring manager keeping him in check and focussed on learning his trade Josh could really step up this season. Good luck to the lad. Hope he stays fit and goes from strength to strength.

You are spot on especially as the NSS is based on the old Hyde Road track and to prove the point, the last time Woffy rode there he made quite a good fist of it v some pretty good competition in the speedway of nations with enough time in hand to help out his younger team mate.

The Aces of 1972 had a good spread of talent across the team who performed in depth v other sides in that year. However, at that time only Mauger was world class and if it was today he would be the only rider from that team who would be in the GP's (Note:he was the only "Ace" who made it past the British final with PC (the only other Ace there) finishing 14th on 3 pts, . Woffinden (given all things being equal) would have easily made the Aces team as like it or not, he is (and would have been then) worlds class.

Yes I was. Saw every world final from 1975 live. Yes including trips to Poland when Ivan won his 6th title. Today Poland has replaced UK as the home of the most competitive speedway. And different rules apply as well as formats tracks & equipment Do I think Woffy would have been as good as Ole or Ivan. Briggs or Ove? Back then? Frankly I don’t know. Similarly I don’t know how they would have coped with today’s competition. But I am pretty sure Tai would have given them a real run for their money because he actually is “that good” and do too are a number of today’s riders.

At doing what?

Guess your proving the point of the topic. Namely that it is indeed "an unpopular opinion".

Done. Hope everybody on this forum does the same so that as in previous times when Tai has been voted number 1 in this poll, speedway gets greater regular coverage in MCN during the year.

Absolutely correct. Having good reserves means Lions beat other reserves, but there is no certainty that they will get similar outcomes v opposition riders from the main body of the team hence a big need to anchor the top end and another high 7+ points rider is a prerequisite otherwise it will be a struggle to consistently gain an overall points advantage out of the last four heats.

No . Because his average at the time of being signed by Poole was the correct (current) average to use. It would have been incorrect to revert to a previous average.