Shale Searcher

in heat 15, don't the manager/selected riders choose which gate they are taking? I know 1 & 3 or 2 & 4 are decided at the toss, but they get to choose there options for heat 15, if they are off 1 & 3, they decide who goes off 1 & 3 So, the riders do get a look at the gate conditions before heat 15.

Whether he gained an advantage or not, it was not in the spirit of the sport.... Easy rule to amend for league racing, riders not allowed onto the starting gate area until the 2 minutes warning is sounded, except prior to the start of heat 15.. That should do it....

The fast track reserves draft system in its essence is a superb idea and worth pursuing, but, it was poorly implemented in its maiden season.. As other posters have said on here there's some riders in the system who were included that shouldn't have been included.. We need to find a defined ability level for these guys, a sort of goldilocks zone, just right for the system, some have been to week and indeed some have been to strong which has caused a big difference in the team's reserve strength.. If that "goldilocks" ability level can be reached and agreed, then the fast track draft reserves system can and will be a success..

Tom Perry rides for Cradley!! If he can't score well at Monmore as a fast track reserve, there's no hope for him, his away scores will be the real benchmark...... He's done hundreds if not thousands of laps there!!

Why do you think it takes so long to grade during the meeting these days.....? To many laps? Virtually no manual hand raking during meeting? Shale different? Riders dictating to curator what they want doing? Or ?

When I worked on track at the old Kings Lynn (grass centre green, upright engines, mini mudder front guards and the Bell Moto 4 had just taken top spot in crash hats from the Bell Moto 3) tractors graded after every race, once they'd got past heat 3/4, perhaps a quick couple of laps after every heat is quicker than the normal 4 big track grades done now after heats 4, 7, 10 & 14?

Not you.. ! Sorry, the quote never quoted the quotes I wanted quoting!!

So, you saying Mads is a Premier League rider?

Just to expand on this, I meant that when his mechanic rode Tai's bike out to the start gate, on all three occasions, he didn't appear to have the engine cut-out lanyard around his wrist, and that is breaking rules... Whoever is in charge of the motorcycle, whether it's on the stand in the pits, off the stand in the pits, taking on track, if the engine is running, that person in charge of the bike MUST have the cut-out lanyard attached around the wrist.... Unless it's an FIM meeting.... And from the angles I viewed from, that did not look to be the case....

I can not be sure, but it didn't look like his mechanic had bothered with the cut out lanyard either, that IS against the rules.....

I thought that it depends on the type of parade.... I believe they get fined if they do a practice start or wheelie without a helmet.... Is that fact or something I have dreamed up....?

There is a rule about keeping in your allotted starting gate, if you're in gate one, you cannot interfere with gate 2, 3 or 4, it's perhaps not worded for this scenario, but I suppose they never thought a rider would attack another riders gate with a shovel once the race had been started.......................? Even if stopped and rerun..

Jest or no jest.... Tai should not have interfered with other riders gates, that's what the lines are for..... Shovelling shale from gate 4 to his gate was naughty, and wrong, people will say he took it from the fence, but some riders stick their back wheels there....!! Plain and simply wrong.

The clock, 2 minute countdown viewable to the ref, riders, start marshalls is a sound idea, it's also concise and not negotiable! And mistof all its visually final and shoud be implemented as soon as possible, perhaps get it sponsored by Casio, Hublot, Sekonda, Timex or another timepiece maker....

Agree, but I don't go on Facebook, so cannot comment on what's been said on there.... Speedway is unusual in the fact that sometimes two team members have to be replaced, to get perhaps one you really want, the other replacement sometimes is just because numerically his average fits.. Tom Perry I think has reached a level where he is and probably won't get much better, he is one of the more mature fast track draftees Max Clegg, don't forget he's very young, bags of promise and is improving now almost race by race and worth sticking with. Josh Bates is also a very very young lad, again has loads of promise, and is riding injured I believe, he will take a couple of weeks or so to settle, and then he'll start improving, as he learns lines and racing skills and set ups etc.. Come on, let's get behind these Lions of ours!!!!

I think that Perry had reached his level with Leicester, he is one of the more mature FTDR riders, and doubt he was going to get any better... Max and now Josh have a great deal of potential, and will show regular improvement, and are probably likely to stay in Speedway, Josh is carrying an injury at the moment, and Lakeside is a tough track to race on when not 100%, you're always on the move on the bike, turning hard and wrestling it... In my opinion.

The difference in admission prices between the Elite League and Premier League, couldn't be any closer! Average EL admission around £17, Premier League around £16... Someone is either over or under charging, and I think it's the Premier League over charging, because it's not ran as a division 2, it's just a seperate league, with its own agenda.. Until they come together and work as a 1st division and 2nd division, neither will survive..

Its all kicked off south west of the track, Swindon, AndoverAres getting a right pasting, lots of cloud to ground lightning and heavy rain.... The met office issued a late warning, but so far for the wrong areas!! The hi res weather prediction and charts just looked Bob on for around Purfleet and surrounds, may still happen in your early hours...

Outside chance of a Thunderstorm, later part of the evening I think, shouldn't occur before 9pm, but you neverknow......

Chance of a Thunderstorm this afternoon/evening.........

Hmm, Leicester mentioned twice on Belle Vue v Lakeside..... Why the need? Gater1, don't get drawn in to this long term, personal, attack by Robert72 against the Leicester promotion... He picks up dissatisfied speedway flotsam and jetsom as he goes, don't get drawn in as I suspect you have a team to support and are not happy with their performances this term, but don't want to slag them off on your own threads, fair enough, just set up a faux ID like others do and vent your spleen at your team with no chance of retribution!! It was meant to embarrass Lakeside, Zagar to win heat 1 off 15 metres, if he had have won that race, BelleVue would have stormed the meeting...

Short straights mean riders cannot get that far ahead on speed alone, there wasn't a lot of passing tonight, on a slick track, however, the riders were never strung out along a long straight, riders were always nipping at the rear wheels of the riders in frontof them, hence it gives spectators satisfaction because passing is mostly always attempted and makes the racing close... I think it was a good meeting for the TV viewer, close quarters racing, a couple of spills, tapes incidents, lesser riders winning against better riders (based on their main teams league status) Bit of controversy, chance of rain, no team far enough behind to use the tactical ride and a last heat decider....! What more can you want........

See end of attached post! There's a natural funnelling into the first bend, starting from gate 4 from 15 metres behind gives a safe run to first bend, no incursion from the outside on gate 4, gates 1, 2 and 3 will be heading for the insideish of the first corner, gate 4 is the only safe place to go from any distance behind the natural gate positions.. Still, the rule needs looking into as its a way of getting A rider off a chosen gate without breaking a single rule......

All clear weather wise, storm from Leicester went up to Scunny, then turned right, then right again, now just about at Skeg-Vegas!!!!

Rain should be stopping in Manchester around now.... for a little while anyway, stuff pushing north east now, away from Manchester.....