1 valve

Lions will not finish bottom - unless they suffer even more injuries. will be ahead of Wolves and most probably Lakeside although tonight's fixture may prove difficult considering the strengthening of the Hammers via the guests from Coventry. They may also pip The Aces. so having finished bottom last year, they will improve on that result this year which will be a good base to plan for next year when hopefully Doyle, Walasek & Wozniak will continue as full time Lions. It would be great to see Masters come back too but I agree with the concept of trying to build a team around full time riders rather than double ups as clearly this does disrupt the flow of the team when PL fixtures interfere. two things we do need for next year 1. riders who do not quit once their domestic season starts, 2 a great reduction in the number of injuries. The backward step of going into PL gains zero respect, as there is no guarantee of the Lions being able to build a competitive team as all good riders are spoken for, whilst the intention of building on this year performance will see Lions competing for a play off position. So three seasons one an inaugural wooden spoon, followed by a mid tablei(sh) season two and then a play off birth is a better set of circumstances than retreating back to the lower divisions. I am sure the continued ambition of the promoters will be rewarded with both increased support and a winning team

The report which is a very good read refers to rumors of a "long lease" being quashed. I recall that mention had previously been made of the CO inserting a restrictive covenant in the sale agreement/title deeds. if this was the case this is far stronger than an extended intended use lease agreement. Or was this wishful thinking from the outset?

Does anybody know to what extent there is truth and scope of a supposed restrictive covenant placed on the Brandon site by the late Charles Ochiltree? If one does exist how is it being used to challenge the plans of the current owners?

If there was (or is) a land covenant applicable to the land the local council cannot overturn it. Such decisions are subject to the Upper Tribunal - Lands Chamber - based in London.

Coventry only scored 2 points from Robson's programmed rides. Good tactics by Havelock in switching the reserves around to make use of Garrity's form had a major impact on the final score.

I agree that things look tough for the Lions, but maybe the three Polish lads will take a liking to the track and provide backup to Jason D which will keep things interesting. Can anyone comment on how well the two guest reserves have done on recent visits?

Except for any individual and play-off meetings all Elite league clubs have more or less the same number of home meetings per season and of course the most significant cost for clubs are the riders who are for the most part a variable cost i.e. no meeting no wages to pay. Promoters will have taken this into account when planning their season’s budget. The big influencing factors on a seasons total attendance and thus actual income v budget is the weather, holidays other attractions and team performance which can be both positive and negative and in differing degrees of effect. Another aspect is the promoter’s ability to do their job and promote the sport. In the case of the Lions the extended absence of home fixtures cannot be positive for keeping the momentum going in terms of attendance but they do get the apparent benefit of Saturday night racing which appears to help the numbers turning up – and or DH does a decent job promoting the Lions. I for one prefer Elite league racing and would not wish to see the Lions drop down from the top tier and frankly as they have every likelihood of finishing above both Lakeside and the Wolves and maybe the Aces come the end of the season I don’t see any reason for the promotion to consider the notion, more that we should wish for a less challenging 2016 in terms of injuries & deserters, the return of Doyley and a play off place will be a real possibility.

No need to be so negative..it may have took a long while but eventually the Lions returned to the speedway fold and with the help of the local authority. When the Coventry situation first came to light last year I did advise all concerned, not to get stuck in protest but accept the fate of Brandon and spend all your energies finding an alternative venue. Tough task but not an impossible one.

Leicester will have recieved a fee for being the host of the televised meeting and so in all reality will have made more money than normal meeting. However, the point is a good number of people turned up who would not have normally attended which means the Lions have prospects of gaining more fans. This is a perfect example of using TV money to promote the sport. The other consideration is the amount to be charged and I think there is an argument that Elite speedway is too expensive and the possibility is that a reduced entrance fee could attract more fans. But will a 25% reduction attract 30% or more fans? I dont know but it might be worth a try/

On Monday Leicester lowered their prices and had their largest crowd of the season. Also consider, a) the match was on sky & b, Monday was not the Lions regular race night and without doubt some regulars did not go because of the next day being a school. so yes lower prices do mean higher crowds, if the event is promoted which the Lions did.

Intersting stat. Guest riders made up 29% of Lions and scored 27% of points. on a comparative note. Walasek's average for home meetings is 9+ and Lambert only scored 6. I am pretty sure Auty would have scored close to the same as Wilko (who rode very well) given the opposition. so whilst agreeing the guests had a part to play Swindon on this occasion were indeed just fodder. Howver, I think some folk on here would have prefered the Lions to have let the Robins pass them to make the meeting more interesting!! 7 Newbies to speedaway stood next to our group last night and age range looked around 20 - 25. All said they loved the night, couldn't believe the riders rode without brakes and thought it great money for 15 quid. i.e. for admission and cost of food and drink & a shared programme which we helped them to complete. said they would come again but not every week if it was £17 ...a lesson worth considering?

Is this a fact or something you think happens?. If it's fact, do you know the reason behind it?

No lets stay and support the efforts being made to ensure top flight speedway remains in Leicester and recognise that to make progress takes time to build a strong and reliable team. I remember at the start of the season the Lions looked strong enough to be more than capable of being well away from the footof the table. but as we all now know some of those riders were not in it for the season and we need to recognise it is just not that easy to rebuild once the season has started. throw in the injuries we have had plus the Bridger situation is there no wonder the Lions have struggled. but those matters are in the past and I applaude the efforts of the riders & promoters to come through all of the challenges and move on to more positive outcomes which dropping to the PL is not one of them.

what is the latest news on the future of speedway at Brandon and alternative venues for the Bees if they need to find one?

I guess you are a Coventry fan then. As somebody who isn't one (and have no dislike of the Bees) I think the statement a reflection from somebody who just does not want to accept what happened because he came out on the wrong side of what was a difficult situation. Poole (no I am not a Poole supporter) on the other hand got on with the task in hand, namely getting past heat ten and by doing so ensured they obtained a victory rather than lose the benefit of the lead they had built up both when the track was capable of being raced on and when conditions became less so. Contrary to Coventry promotions view that "Allowing Poole to retain the four league points gained in such unsatisfactory circumstances" should not be allowed, I would point out that the group of individuals who had the best chance of doing that were in fact the Coventry Bees...but they chose not to race...ah but they were behind anyway so now they need a plan B and I for one hope it does not pay off, they have had their chance and lost!

No they didnt because the meeting officials agreed that the meeting could not continue - and of course weather played no part because it was indoors

The officials are the only people who can call a match off. AKA pro football, the referee is the only person who can call off the match. Sky do not have the authority to call off a match although in the interest of the sport it would be good if televised fixtures could go ahead but as we have seen over the years sometimes meetings are called off before the scheduled start and also during teh meting itself. We speedway loving folk should treat Sky as our friends and not some dark murky bogeyman hellbent on ruining our sport.

The major crashes I have seen which have led to serious injury have occured on dry/normal tracks where speed is far greater than when wet tracks are an issue. In these wet conditions the riders ride slower and more careful, yes the racing is less exciting and yes some fall off and many slide down slowly and dont even get to the fence. yes safety is always an issue, but in this case it was used as an excuse in the hope that the meeting gets called off.

Whilst I agree with the point re the Lions doing well in avoiding a meeting live on Sky and suffering the consequences rain which brought about poor crowd and a controversial end to the meeting. I feel less comfortable about supporting the actions of the Coventry riders and anybody else who chooses to use the emotive “safety of rider’s” trump card, simply because the Coventry team did not want to complete heats 9 & 10 because they knew they were going to lose and wanted the meeting abandoned. It was a bad advert for speedway, not because of the rain but because of the actions of the Coventry team and fine is justified because like it or not the officials must have the final say and after consultation, where riders choose to go against a decision they have to deal with the consequences

Of the seven originaly declared riders 2 (both Danes) have "jacked it in" 2 are injured. In addition 1 (Bridger) did one meeting and retired (again) so I guess its more poor selection although I dont see that the promotion can be blamed for not having a chrystal ball.

This is no way a dig at anybody or anything....but....is there any chance that the sun will shine as last night and create a delay? or is it a known fact that by 29th June the sun will be on a sufficiently different path to avaoid such problems...I ask because I cant see Sky putting up with that type & length of delay. Just asking!

Which they are not...otherwise we would have a win or two under our belts or at least closer results and a point on the table. I have no problem with the owner and employer making sure his team get the message. Thats good management and not something to be critical of. Lets see what happens over the next few meetings. BTW I understand Doyley rates DH highly as a promoter so I do not think there will be too much harm done there...not sure he feels the same about the team manager.

Interesting although I see Harris had only 8 metings. Meanwhile from the stats it looks like Leicester have landed the best prospect in Wozniak who managed 8 points on Saturday in the ELRC as a late replacement not bad for a No. 4 rider. Could be heat leader material by end of year once he has seen all of the tracks?

Injured RR (i.e. need arrises during meeting) = riders with only same or below injured riders average can be used. normal RR (i.e. need known prior to meeting) = 1 rider above missing rider can be used, all other rides to be taken by same or lower average