1 valve

I like the idea of the same race night for all teams, but as this would mean a home meeting every two weeks instead of every week would it be possible to have two race nights a week which would alternate between home and away i.e. Monday & Thursday? I am sure the devil is in the detail but maybe it could work for the EL without cutting across PL?

Ok, so it appaears Tai didn't break any rules and thus was not cheating although I am surprised no such rule covering excesive gardening exists. So like it or not the other riders could have done the same, but chose not too. However, If they had been on track, then the ref would have put them on two minutes which would have restricted the possibility of them and Tai continuing to garden. All Tai did was take advantage of the time delay between restarts to improve his chances. Not sure if now the world champ has shown the way, it will lead to riders rushing out with their bucket and spades betwen heats, but hopefully following an unsatisfactory start some will head straight to the start line instead of the pits which hopefully will speed things up. Well done Tai on keeping your head and knowing the rules - and no I am not a Wolves fan, but I do love Britain having a World Champion!

This is spot on...I'm sure DH knows it too...the question is what will it take to help him see how he could have the best stadium/track in the country rather than the newest missed opportunity....does anyone have any constructive suggestions to make this possible? I ask because someone must have his ear and frankly I think DH has done a great job in so many ways in bringing speedway back to leicester...other than the track...and that is the most significant part of the whole picture.

Wait to do what? I thought first impressions were worth sharing considering some folk are making comments on the matter in other topics...

I've reignited this topic as I am aware that the subject is being discussed in other topics not directly relevant to the subject. Now that we have had a few weeks of the season It would be good to share thoughts and concerns on those lads riding at 6 & 7. It appears some of you have concerns on safety as these lads ambition may outway their current talent and fear some serious damage in the near future. Others have views on the actual picks and if they are living up to the expecation of promoter and fan alike. also, an interesting question is, what about next year? a new draft or stick with the guys we have, or are they promoted to main body of the team? I think there is a lot worth discussing now we have seen whats going on, so ...what thoughts or comments do you have?

FIM rules state that the start line needs to be approx mid way along the straight. Apparently “mid way” is termed as a suitable tolerance which should not exceed a bikes length (ish) one way or another. Vague I know, but clearly something that could not be accommodated within the (say) a shortening of the straights by 10metres. As for aesthetics v good racing, of course the latter is preferred. But also two good sets of corners, and if you can justify it at one end why not do it at the other. BTW the track would still be in the middle of the stadium as it is the inside of the track that would move not the outside.

Your "people in the know" need to consider that only changing one end would mean they miss the opportunity of making both ends of the track better for racing lines as well as ensuring the aesthetics remain. but more importantly, by changing only one end would mean the starting gate would need to be moved if it is to remain in the middle of the straight (need to move electrics for gate and green lights) which of course means the refferees box would have to move as that must be in line with the start line. which of course means the stands would have to be moved to make way for the refereed box. Of course we could have the start line off centre (not sure if that is allowed anymore and I can only remember Wimbledon having such a thing) which together with the one set of bends being far deeper than the other would sure make for a strange layout. The simple and most suitable solution is make the changes to both ends of the track when there is sufficient time to do so i.e. at the end of this season

On various posts I have agreed that the straights are too long for the size of the bends and suggested (as others have too) that the solution would be to take (say) five metres from each end which would mean less entry speed, deeper bends and a choice of racing lines . However, mindful of the drainage work and importantly the re configuring of the banking (entry through to exit) that would be required it is not a quick fix i.e. a weekends work as some would believe. So maybe we will have to wait until this winter to see the changes being made. Meanwhile, I don’t understand what the track preparation is all about (and no blame on Glyn or even the riders intended) because of the following: The surface v Lakeside & Coventry was not slick but tightly packed. This was obvious by the amount of material the cutter produced during grading and then getting packed down V Lakeside the riders requested the material to be moved to reduce grip – not sure if this same request was made v Coventry Yet by the 15th heat the riders were chasing the high (dirt) line looking for (and getting) grip So if they chase grip wide out, why not make use of it on the inside lines? To be clear, rather than this post intended to be a complaint, moan or dig at anybody, I genuinely don’t understand why we have what appears to be conflicting issues with the surface preparation and am just wondering if somebody could provide an informed insight.

YEESSSS A question about the team....well done Jimmy. To the rest of you - see how easy it is My answer to you question. I think the middle order looks good and all being well JD will deal with the other number ones more often than not. If the two reserves come up trumps then I can see some good results coming our way, but a few beatings on away tracks due to lack of an experienced tail..There are a few less balanced teams around so mid table a good possibility with some shocks in store for the fancied clubs.

lets get talking about the season ahead and suspend boring repetitive stuff about the track and the promoter until at least we have some racing to comment on. Meanwhile as there is no racing lets talk about how we think the team will do in 2014...I agree with TMW and looking forward to cheering on Stead, Hougaard and all being well JD - and not forgetting the other guys too. Now that we know the team & the race format, where do you think the team will finish in the league and why.

Can we close off the merry go round re the track and the promoter? after all this topic is supposed to be about Leicester 2014 Elite. I think we can accept that. the track is going to remain the same shape & the promoter is going to remain the same. So lets not spend anymore time on this particular aspect of LEICESTER 2014 Elite League. It would be great if somebody could please add something else that actually deals with the subject of the topic otherwise its going to get far, far,far more boring than the racing as claimed by some - if it has not allready done so! So to start, can anyone confirm that we do actually have 7 riders with valid work visas and if so how do we think the Lions are gong to do in the elite league 2014? Thanks in anticipation of some new stuff to fall out about

I think nearly all the points re volume of shale providing grip v slick surface reducing the opportunity for passing etc are spot on. The troble I have is understanding what the balance is between the two in conjunction with the shape of the BP track. We all have our ideas and opinions, but we are not exopert. To that end it would be great if a suitably qualified track biuld/maintenance guy could be found to provide his views. Any chance of thi shappening?

In another post, somewhere and a long time ago I recall a discussion starting on this point (or close to it). as normal on this forum very little was acknowledged just argued against, but I think the salient points re the track, standard of racing and the future of Leicester speedway were (at the time) 1. "The track is the wrong shape with the straights being too long in relation to the size and shape of the bends which are tight". Generally acknowleged as a valid point 2. "The lines leading in and out of the bends are limited" (the inside lines were altered to allow more room in and out and riders did say it made it better, though not perfect) 3. "If the track didnt change, fans will not come and the sport wil be lost" - (since then the Lions have moved on & upwards to the Elite league) 4. "It would cost very little to reduce the size of the track" (no figures actually quoted and those that did failed to take into account drainage, electricity and lighting cost. nor that both ends would need to be altered and that the bends themselves would need to be flattened and rebiult in order to provide appropriate banking - not a quick job hence adding to the cost. 5. "The promotion doesn't have enough cash to fund the changes" Maybe true and it makes sense therfore not to do it as the business would indeed go bust so perhaps we need to wait. 6. "Elite league riders" will provide better racing - we need to wait and see on that one. Bottom line, We all suspect the track could be better and DH didnt get it right first time out. cost to change is not a cheap option but maybe in the long run if and when the money is available it would be a good investment to alter the track to provide better racing and attract more customers. If in the meantime you dont like it, then decide if you want to go or not to BP you do have a choice. Meanwhile lets hope 2014 sees a succesful return to top flight speedway and wish all concerned, fans, riders and officials a happy and safe summer.

Trying to save speedway at Brandon will be a waste of time The only way speedway would have been able to stay at Brandon beyond three years from now would have been if it had been sold to a speedway promoter. But it hasn't. it has been sold to a developer who will develop the land into housing because thats his business. The only way Sandhu will be involved in providing a new stadium is if he is the developer... BTW Dont say no to that idea as somebody will need to do it..The qestion is who is going to be his or any other developers customer for the new stadium? .

Yes and with 15 minutes to go before the start of the meeting they had spaces to spare. I guess you should contact thte stadium in advance for further information. Hope this helps. I dont think anybody told messrs Cook, Morris or Pedersen about the none racing bit - even Bomber had a go. But overall I strongly suspect that for many of the riders, it was a pre season friendly and like such events in football the participents abide by the unwritten rule that "today is not for full contact do or die antics" - I think it will be the same at KL when the Polish club visits on the 19th. But lets not forget, the purpose of the meeting was to raise funds for BEN and what a great result that was. Meanwhile I will hold back from commenting on the quality of racing in 2014 untill the meetings where the result matters come along.

I am pleased you recognised my comments in context and I entirely agree with you that the loss of any speedway venue is bad news. To lose one with the history of Coventry/Brandon is one of the worst types. but it is not the death bell. However, Coventry & speedway fans need to face up to the fact that in three years there will be no more speedway at Brandon. I am pretty sure Sandhu will also move away from the sport - he already has distanced himself from actual promoting. what is important is that Coventry suppoters establish a workable & ethical committee to work independently alongside any new prospective promoters and maybe, there will be a new venue in place (which Sandhu may even develop for a fee) within the next three years. I am sure everybody at Leicester would wish to see you succeed.

As an aged Lions fan, the impending plight at Coventry would for many years have given me great pleasure to see the shoe being on the other foot & I would have been happy to quote “what goes around comes around” . This all due to the demise of Blackbird Road speedway being as a result of selling the site to developers and using some of the money to significantly upgrade Brandon to become (at the time) a truly fantastic speedway stadium in all of its glory. However, now with the Lions returning from the wilderness and entering the Elite League, I am truly saddened that the supporters of Coventry face the same heartache as we lions did back in the early eighties (I guess I am growing up in my more senior years!) and I trust a new home can be found for the Bees as soon as possible. If I could offer one word of advice. Don’t rely on the current owners or promoters to find that alternative home. Waiting for them to lead the way I fear will be wasting valuable time. Instead I encourage you the supporters to form an appropriate committee to take on the challenge, by all means involve current and future interested parties, but as they drop out one by one, you will need to have an ongoing team to carry on the search and deal with all that is involved until you find your new home. If there is one truth in speedway it is that fans care more about the long term future of our sport than most promoters do and therefore only the fans can ensure the Bees are not forgotten. I just hope it doesn’t take you guys as long as it did Leicester...We didn’t win many matches back then and I am hoping we can start to address the balance a bit for many years to come Good hunting and see you all at Brandon and BP during 2014.

No trouble reading, just understanding whats being said - maybe due to jet lag! OK so this means an average pay of 5k per meeting (the total excluding reserves divided by 16) but truth is that the top riders are rarely out of the top 6 so their average pay is more liekly to be around 7k and a regulat top 3 finisher is up at around 9k per meeting...well thats not too bad for a couple of days work is it...engines,bikes travel in most cases sponsored. Not saying its the best, just that its not too bad.

Thanks for the clarification. so if I understand matters correctly the list is best descibed as appearance money that each rider recieves for each round rather than prize money. The total being around 80k if the rider avoids injury etc.

Are we sure we understand what is meant by "Prize Money"? is this the list of cash up for the winner, those on the podium or something else? I appreciate the 12000 is an initial payment that each rider recieves but I find it hard to believe that the final 1000 is all that is paid. What is paid to riders in terms of start and point money?

I mean I dont know the answer but suspect things wont change - even if we win every match and BP is voted by all riders as the best and the race track Carlsberg would build if they built speedway tracks.

So, for now things seemed to be set for 2014 tapes up. Team line up - check Team Manager - check Team sponsor - check An international for the first meeting including World champion - check World Champion at Leicester for first league meeting - check Guaranteed good weather - possibly not Season without injuries - most probably not Happy Lions fans - watch this forum!

there are not many promoters (as opposed to co promoters) who double up as team managers. And I guess for good reason. Sure sign the riders and negotiate the deals etc, but to team manage as well? not good practice at all...in my opinion, it may on the face of it save money, but if that is the reason then I fear it could prove to be a false ecconomy. Hope I am wrong because if not, DH being team manager could undo the good work he has done in putting a reasonable looking team together.

I dont think there is too much evidence to believe the team will be awful - and I can only think your point of view is somewhat tainted because your team has lost EL status which frankly is a shame because I think the Peterborough raceway should have top flight speedway on it. Even so I trust you will still enjoy 2014 even if the Lions win more than you expect them to do.

The finalised team line-up looks well balanced enough to provide strong competition against most teams. well done the Promoters. Now I have three wishes to ensure we can enjoy the fruits of their labours. An avoidance of injuries so the team gets the chance to gel and go from strength to strength A team manager who can enthuse the team to be just that – A team who are inspired to ride for Leicester & not just themselves. An improvement in the announcers performance to get the on track action and the supporters closer together with relevant, constructive & interesting content as opposed to being satisfied by filling the gaps between races with too much uncoordinated (at times) drivel. If we can get the above then 2014 should be a great time to enjoy speedway at Leicester.