Sings4Speedway

Ditto if any of those 3 i would be ecstatic. Add in starting meetings on time & treatment as a proper league rather than the poor lower league relation and we shall be in business.

Would certainly benefit from riding a small track regularly but distance might become an issue as even fuel money can add up in the NL? Luke Harris might also be a reasonable shout.

Its expected that Lawlor will add quite a bit to his starting average whether that is 3.00, 3.??, 4.?? providing he starts at reserve. However there is always one or two riders who start the season tipped to be the next big thing and only a handful ever deliver. The spread of new riders with potential is good this year with several teams able to track a "star" reserve. If Lawlor out performs Brennan, Bickley, Jenkins, Hampshire, Atkins etc then yes he was the top reserve however it doesn't guarantee success. Belle Vue had Bewley last season and still didn't make the play offs.

Definitely agree that admission prices have become a major issue and has been debated many times previously. I personally would love to see Speedway as a set day sport, 1 league per day over a Fri,Sat & Sunday however UK speedway does not have the unlimited use of Stadiums and therefore the single day approach is simply not feasible. I do feel that there does need to be greater value for money and there are loads of possibilities for after meeting entertainment. Bigger 2nd halves, sidecar racing the list could go on and these competitors would race for very little/free just for the additional track time.

I suspect Rob would come in on a higher average than Ben? His Elite ave was 3.65 x 1.4 for a PL ave = 5.11 x 2 for NL average puts him at 10.22 if i understand the rules (and im not sure anyone really does). For me i can't see Mear representing great value on a 10+ average as its no secret he favours top flight or nothing. Also can't see Morley, Waj & Mear fitting into the same side and i would expect the first 2 to be nailed on. I think the Kingston boat has sailed for him. There is a lot more required to become a successful speedway rider than some raw natural talent.

Would be great to see Morley & Verge get team places at Lakeside ditto Hazelden providing his leg is healing nicely. Think any promotion would be mad to sign Kingston though given his approach to this season.

Sadly for Danny until he has his required shoulder op its a big risk signing him at any level if there are doubts over his readiness for the start of the season. Id have 50p Verge is Lakeside bound. If Clifton & Mason both re-sign it starts to look like a dubious top 5 as it would point to a Mason being at 3 and Jack Thomas at 4 which doesn't look the strongest engine room. With Hopwood on a 5.83 average i suspect he must have had offers from every team (except Stoke) and whoever gets him will have a major trump card.

The App idea is a solid one for all ages perhaps something along the lines of predict the race result and the individual closest to the correct results throughout the match gets xxxx. It would need to be developed by an outsider though and then sold to individual clubs / the bspa? Transport has been mentioned? How about a trial coach from the local town centre to the stadium? If you could pick up 40 extra attendees it would definitely be worth it. Merchandise is definitely something that needs addressing. It needs to be updated across the board, be far more relevant, fashionable and far better quality. Other sports have identities through merchandising and the added advertising that comes with it. Speedway has bespoke clipboards and a few old caps that seem to be worn for the lifetime of the owner. How about replica shirts that reflect the teams kevlars / race bibs for that season? Names & numbers could be printed on the back if requested? Shirts updated each season as the designs/riders change. This helps generate the identity that would be taken away from the stadiums. Finally its all down to advertising. Pure and simple advertising. The location, the time/date & a brief explanation of what to expect (ideally via video format as this better shows the aspects of the sport). How many stadiums are dual use and yet how many of the other customers even know what speedway is? How hard would it be to have a video playing at entrances on the nights when greyhounds or stox are running? Discount entry to those who attend the other events might tempt some first timers in.

Well reminded. Season has only been over a couple of months and seems my brain has turned to jelly!

Agreed. Plus given the way Mildenhall have built their team so far theres no way the limit can drop below 38 unless they release a rider. I suspect Mr Pipe may have been fed porkies from other sources if he believes the limit will be 35 points and if that is the case is a big risk using nearly 10 of his 35 on one rider so i wouldn't hold out much hope for the rest of the signings. That said Matt Williamson will be a top rider for 2017 in the NL but 18-21 points a meeting (5 ride max with tactical, 6 if team is running RR for 2nd heatleader) is still useless unless he can get some decent support.

According to the excellent speedway stats his average for 2016 was 3.27 http://www.speedway-stats.co.uk/Rider/665

Good point. I was actually scratching for positive examples. Didn't include Shanes either as he wasn't a huge success straight away. I guess Tom Perry, Joe Haines, Adam Wrathall & Josh Auty were the last code switchers of note?

A track spare that he hasn't sold? In all seriousness its good to see a competitive team assembled & certainly no shortage of fighting spirit

Not sure the grasstrack pool of riders is so massive anymore. These are also the riders who were also massivey out of fashion a couple of years ago when you had to be an ex moto crosser to get a team place. The number of riders who have switched straight from grass to the shale in recent years is limited at best. Georgie Wood / Zac Waj yes but these are exceptionally talented motorcyclists and had a great deal of assistance. The list of failures is much longer. Surely better to sign a rider who has gained some shale experience and whatever level than a rider who is new to the sport as a whole?

Good point i hadn't bothered to look at the averages. Bebee becomes quite expensive on that average. There is also Saul, Locke, Leeke, Banks, Bowdrey, Woods or pretty much anyone who rode in the long Rye House tail last year all on flat 3.00 averages.

The only real name that springs to mind is Henry Atkins but i would be very surprised if he wasn't Plymouth bound. Ben Woodhull seems to be the best of the rest from the youth rounds? The below have all done 2 or more MDL meetings to attain a 'true' average, were averaging 8.00+ and to my knowledge are unsigned at present: (Alphabetically by Surname) Bradley Andrews (3.07) Henry Atkins - Plymouth Bound? Sam Bebee - Injured? (4.25) Kean Dicken Chris Hay (3.23) David Holt Connor King Ryan MacDonald Andy Mellish (3.21) Robert Parker Lee Springthorpe Niall Strudwick Rob Watts Alex Wilson

Would be very interesting / hilarious to see especially with riders getting so close / crossing lines. However on a serious note we all know that drones will eventually lead to a nasty accident somewhere its only a matter of time and sadly only then will the SCB/BSPA react. Same a tractors on the track at the same time as riders, totally banned after a nasty accident and yet it now occurs again at more meetings than not................

I think its fair to say that success for Premiership clubs this season will be measured at differing levels. Whilst Poole & Rye House for example have been built to win overall Somerset could consider a mid table finish in their maiden season a success. I would say the main priorities are maintaining their fan base (using familiar riders will help this), winning home matches or at least being very competitive during them (team assembled capable of this) & most importantly ensuring the future of Somerset Speedway for years to come.

Can't see the limit dropping that far if at all. Based on Mildenhall's signings so far (4 riders 28.19) the lowest it could drop and still field a side is 38.00. The lower limit needs to stay at 3.00 as some riders deserve an extra chance if they have stayed on a 3.00 plus there would be the argument that last years 3 pointers wouldn't be as high as they are now and would be deemed less attractive for team building purposes. Could be argued that Strudwick has spent those years gathering experience that younger riders clearly don't have? Ultimately my view is that the most important thing is being good enough not old/too old enough.

NL Bickley Lawlor Atkins Jenkins Championship Mountain Morris Bacon Wilson-Dean Premiership Clegg Bates Bjerre x 2

Doubling up i don't love but see as a necessary evil (my opinion) its the trebling that i dislike. Riders should only race in adjoining tiers e.g Championship/Premiership or NL/Championship i don't agree that riders can do NL/Premiership like Ellis last season, Shanes this season etc

Very valid point although i do not envy the task of explaining the sport to an outsider at any level. How could you possibly differentiate between the National development League & the Midland Development league and reflect the genuine differences? The National Induction League? Although that doesn't always apply as the likes of Bewley / Bickley are being offered immediate berths in the higher leagues. Ultimately its only a matter of time before a new rider bypasses the NL altogether.

I heard its because he isn't old enough

Certainly hope not as i was planning on making a few visits this season. Kent has crept up to £13 and made me more selective about meetings i attend. Definitely steep enough for NL racing. In context £16 doesn't sound too bad at Somerset for Premiership racing but i will still limit that to a couple of visits per season. Same goes for Rye House, i will make the extra effort as they have assembled a decent side this year but if the price is greatly inflated to reflect my visits will be rather limited.

Crikey. Didn't realise the left over points were as high as 7.88. There are several value riders available if i have my averages right with a very familiar face at the top? Brady Kurtz 7.65 Matej Kus 7.64 Justin Sedgmen 7.60 Thomas Jorgensen 7.45 Troy Batchelor 7.36