1 valve

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

Chris said at last Fridays meeting that he had invited Scott who had wanted to attend but had commitments in Poland.

Not a strong in depth line up. I guess its down to availability of other heat leaders and or the cost associated with inviting such riders. Such line ups become self fullfiling outcomes in terms of attendance which is a shame.

No rain due...or do you live in hope that it does?

Bad news.. Ben Morley will not be riding if as expected Simon Lambert is available to ride at reserve.

I think Fridays meeting will be very different with the Cov boys back on familier ground and some of the new Lions riders seeing the track for the first time or for the first time in a long time. Yesterday it was clear the Lions had benefited from the practice day (and prior days to that too) and it was great to see how well they all performed. I think Friday's meeting will be the meeting we expected on Sunday i.e a close run thing with the home side just nicking it. such a result should not be comkpared to any meeting with the Lions of last year who now have six new riders who rider for rider are noticably better than those they have replaced for 2015.

Good question although not sure why this should be on this particular thread (other than Leicester being multi cultural) mabe worth you starting a dedicated one as clearly Speedway like other sports should seek to attract supporter from across the whole ethnic spectrum

I don't think it makes too much sense to take speculation made by some folk on possible change of riders and convert it to the conclusion that it is a reflection of poor management. As I and I think many others see it, The Lions have 6 riders signed up and soon the 7th will be announced - and by soon I mean most probably prior to press day which is in plenty of time. I for one prefer silence until the deal is done, specualtion is only good for fueling those on here who appear to enjoy creating issues that do not exist...and needing one more rider at this moment in time is not a major issue, just a matter for the promotion to deal with, which they are indeed doing.

This thread is getting close to being political. which like most things does not mix well with speedway. Can we get back on track please...what about the Lions for 2015? Any news on the final rider yet?

can we get back on topic...LEICESTER LIONS 2015 not who did and did not ride in Poland Sweden Denmark etc....good subject but not here. Thanks. So does anybody have further insight into who 5th main body rider is likely to be?