Happy Hunter

I remember that, when there was talk of Leicester moving up to the Elite League, someone came on here and said 'be careful what you wish for'. Never been a truer saying and worth repeating! I watch speedway in both the Elite and Premier League and much prefer the latter!

Whatever you think of DH this punishment is harsh especially when you remember that last season a rider only got a £200 fine and a 21 day suspension for deliberately ramming another rider after a race causing him to miss the rest of the season through injury!

I think that the announcer last night said that Nicolai Klindt's paid maximum was the highest score ever by a Leicester rider. Those of us with long memories will remember that Anders Michanek scored a full 21 point maximum against Coventry at Blackbird Road on the 14th of May 1968. Despite this Lions lost the Knockout Cup match by 52 to 56 (18 heat match).

I think that last night was the first meeting since the Lions re-opened that we did not have one rider who won a race! Says it all really! DH won't be paying out much by way of points money will he?

I agree. From what I have seen and heard its a much better product than the Elite League.

It will be interesting to see what the crowd is like tomorrow especially as the weather forecast is good for the evening>

I should think that the news that Wozniak is going to be missing from the Lion's line up for the foreseeable future will be the last straw as far as some Lion's fans are concerned!

I don't want to pour cold water on this but isn't this all a bit late? Wouldn't it be better to try to identify another site and then badger councils, M.Ps. etc.into submission?

30 minutes stadium to stadium. I agree with the second part of your post! It was the same when the Leicester team (Hunters & Lions) rode at Blackbird Road. Even the hot dogs & onions were better at Brandon although its taken me about 50 years to admit it!

Rumour had it that last night DH was going to be in the bar after the meeting and would be willing to talk to fans. Did he and what did he say?

Can't spell it either!

If you use this link http://www.speedway-stats.co.uk/Averages/2014/1 and then hover over the heading 'averages' and then over either Elite or Premier League you will see that you can get the up to date averages for this season and previous seasons.

If you want the stats go to http://www.speedway-stats.co.uk/Averages/2014/1 .

Thanks for the explanation Glyn. Just goes to show that track preparation is not as simple as some people think it is.

I don't think you need worry about the land being sold for development. The reason that the land is not already built on is that it formed part of Leicester's main sewage farm until the sewage works at Wanlip were built. As a result the land was heavily contaminated with heavy metals (e.g. Cadmium & Lead) and is not suitable for building on because of danger to those living or working on the land. Not sure if spectators are at risk!

According to the notes I made there was overtaking in at least 8 heats (after the first two bends) on Saturday, with 4 overtakes coming out of bend 4 on the last lap and the run in to the finish. I am not surprised that DH has issued a profits warning. The attendance against Swindon was abysmal and a lot lower than last season at the other two matches I have been to. Up until this season the grandstand has been full by the time I have got to the track at about 10 past seven. Now its only about three quarters full all night. You can also get an idea of how many fans are there by the amount in the 50:50 draw. In the Supporters Club Accounts for last season the sum collected was way down on the previous year and is even lower so far this season. In my view the track alterations and the improvement in the racing are only part of the solution to the attendance problem - fans want to see a team of triers and one that is going to win most of their home matches. At the moment we are at least one rider short of a picnic and I can see Walasek returning to the team if he gets some decent scores in Poland.

Coventry charge full whack for o.a.ps as I found out on Good Friday!

I'm glad I made somebody's day! Thanks to the much maligned promoter then!

Why is it that Lion's fans have to hear about who is riding for the Lions on here instead of the Lion's website! I have had an email from the Lions this afternoon telling me about reduced admission fees for children & students at Beaumont Park but no mention of the team for Thursday!

Reading the comments about the alterations to bends 3 & 4 on various meeting threads it seems the general opinion is that there has been some improvement in the racing but we will not see the full benefit until bends 1 & 2 are done. I seem to remember that there was some suggestion earlier in the year that 1 & 2 could be done when there was a SGP or World Cup break. Does anyone know if there is a possibility that 1 & 2 will be done during the season or will they have to wait until next Autumn/Winter?

The racing was not as good last night as in the match last Saturday. Belle Vue seemed to sus out new lines on bends 3 and 4 and I recall at least two inside passes going into turn 3, especially by Bomber in the last heat. I think the Lions need to be a bit more adventurous in trying out new racing lines. At the moment they, and some visiting riders, seem content to just ride the lines that they have always ridden.

Thanks Glyn. Informative as ever. Perhaps the Lion's management could come on here occasionally and be as forthcoming.

Tonight will be a test of Norrie Allan's managerial skills. I think that you can put Jason down for a 15 point maximum. All that Norrie has got to do then is to make sure that Lions get a 3-3 in all Jason's heats (easier said than done!) and then knock up some heat advantages in the remaining 10 races. Can the Lions stop Swindon's other six riders from getting more that 31 points between them? If they all ride to the averages that they have got for Elite League meetings at Leicester they could just about do it. However if the Lions pull up their socks ride to their potential they could just about scrape a win. Norrie will have to be quick on his feet to make sure that Lions make the most of their reserves and have some tactical riding in those heats where they ought to get a heat advantage i.e. 2, 4, 5 7, 8, 9 12 & 14.

Just looking at the teams for tonight and have discovered that the Vue riders have a total average of nearly 49 at Leicester (Elite league matches only). Surprisingly the rider with the lowest average is Scott Nichols with 6.25, the highest is Bomber with 8. So it will need a really good performance by the Lions to get a win.

According to Somerset's web site Starke is riding for the Lions on Friday.