Sings4Speedway

I think its Buxton that are missing a trick here. £12-13 seems to be the going rate for NL speedway these days (although i think it should be £10 across the board) but as posted above most places are free for children under 12 and some up to under 15. Not sure how you would get on putting your children on each others shoulders and employing the long coat technique? In all seriousness im very surprised Buxton operate this way in regards to children charging as they come across as a down to earth family friendly club.

Glad the Island got their first "proper" meeting off and running. Whilst the dust sounds like an opening night issue the lack of dirt could be a concern over the season? Tough for them to come up against a very in form Kent as an opener and im sure better results will come. The middle order riders will all deliver better points tallys than they achieved last night and the reserves should develop a home advantage. The season will swing on how Compton performs but i still think this can be a decent mid table side.

Depending on who tunes the engines and how hard they raced a service is required anywhere from 30-50 races. If there are no issues in between then an engine can last a lifetime hence old Goddens & Westlakes still in existence however if the engine blows up during a race it could be terminal. Ive seen engines blow holes in the casings etc and with such damage that they are not financially viable to repair. As for tyres they will be ruined by the end of a meeting. Clutch plates will vary due to the compounds but a couple of meetings as a rule but longer for the alloy plates. As a general rule a speedway bike spends it life trying to shake itself to pieces via the vibrations and stresses it puts through itself and require constant maintenance.

Sadly i think the tie will be over after the meeting on saturday night. Adam Ellis, Wood & Knight will probably fill their boots and if the reserves remain steady should score decently too as Parker has some speed to find and i suspect its too early for Bebee to be thrown in. If Perks kicks in early it could be a massacre. Not sure how the two Connors go around Arlington but i can only see the real resistance coming from Halsey & Armstrong and neither are a match for Ellis. On Sunday Mildenhall should provide a sterner test as they look a lot more solid at home providing they dont prepare a stupid track. Although Eastbourne have a good guest in Blacklock who may well top the score charts but i will go for a 48-42 home win but Eastbourne safely through to the next round.

Feel sorry for the Colts riders. Should have been an exciting opportunity for them all signing to ride at a state of the art stadium with a top notch track and a decent home advantage. Currently that are sat around getting rusty as meeting after meeting goes by the wayside and haven't even been out on their own track yet.

My 50p is on IOW next........

Think the big difference this weekend is that Kent are aiming for another win whilst Eastie are aiming to avoid another defeat. Whilst it certainly doesn't decide the season for each team a home defeat for Eastbourne would set alarm bells ringing whilst an away defeat for Kent would be no particular hardship. Danny Ayres might be a little sluggish but i suspect Jamie on the spanners will be feeling worse. Its a fair shout although im not sure how easy it is to check two bikes in as hand luggage

From the Buxton website THE club have been hit hard by the news that the BSPA have not issued the relevant licences to our skipper Jade Mudgway which prevented him taking his place at Birmingham on Wednesday. Despite Jade becoming a British Citizen and having official confirmation of his status the speedway authorities have refused him permission to ride until he is in possession of his British passport. This has obviously hit the club hard especially as we had been led to believe that he would be allowed to ride whilst his application was being processed. At the eleventh hour we were told this was not now the case and were left no alternative other than to operate the r/r facility at Birmingham. We are currently considering our options and will issue any further news as soon as possible.

Tough luck on Connor Mountain who was going so well at the semi final. Not sure what the extent of his injuries are following on from his horror smash at the weekend but i wish him a speedy recovery.

I fully accept that most riders do/should work as well and that time off at short notice for rearranged fixtures is not always possible. However riders do also represent the club and therefore the fans and as such should take the responsibilities that go with signing on seriously.

Funnily enough ive just had a rant on a NL thread about the very same thing. RR gets up my nose. It slows the flow of meetings down and is often abused by teams. Limit it to twice at home and twice away to cover for late notice withdrawals then use unattached guests (within that league i.e NL riders for PL) to cover. Teams can shuffle the order if they like and put a reserve in for the missing rider and then the NL rider at reserve or whatever. Whilst they may not score the first time out they will gain experience and improve for later appearances. Lets not forget that next season there is a chance teams will be on the lookout for 3 pointers again so makes sense to build contacts and assess ability levels early.

The MDL is chock full of riders who are unattached and champing at the bit to get a ride. They may or may not score the first time out but if they continue getting bookings they can only learn and improve. Lets not forget next year teams will be looking for these 3 pointers again so why not develop an association early? As for rider availability i agree that this is a rearranged fixture but Phillips knew he was signed up over the winter and therefore should have avoided booking holidays within the season. You will find most others don't (with the exception of Aaron Baseby obviously).

Doesn't really bother me if its Harris or Phillips at reserve and in fairness i doubt many Kent fans will be that bothered either. As rule manipulation goes its relatively small fry. What does irk me is RR in the NL. Its abused by some, slows up the flow of the meeting and wastes an opportunity for a rider on the fringes to get some NL experience. I know i sound like a stuck record but limit RR to twice at home and twice away to cover for genuine short notice instances. Then book and use an unattached 3 pointer / clubs number 8 for the remainder. Fans complain of disjointed meetings, clubs complain about lack of track time/experience for progressing riders and yet the RR rule remains in place.

Worried what Kent did? Win away on a shocking track. Anyway i do not dispute that the Eastie promotion are far more active and connected when it comes to sourcing riders as has been proven once again this season. You will find no arguments from me that we are fortunate the gamble on a very erratic Danny Ayres has paid off, that Danno has grown a pair and that Jack Thomas dropped into Len's lap at a youth round despite being around for a season or two before but Len was completely unaware he existed. In terms of connections and willingness to listen to the advice of others the Eagles are head and shoulders above most in the league. I have the deepest sympathy for Eastbourne and the injured riders as i rated your initial line up (barring the reserves who had been set up to fail in my opinion). Looking forward to Saturday and as long as everyone stays safe and its an entertaining meeting the result is 3rd in my list of priorities (4th depending if i get food or not).

Oh? Scorecard on Speedway GB has it as below? 1st Mickie Simpson 2nd Jordan Pailin 3rd Harry McGurk 4th Joe Thompson

Probably because riders with a little experience and around that average are not available / taken a year out. The bitter irony that Kelsey on 4.49 would have been a perfect fit!

Perhaps as good a time as any to go up against Brum when the team are rusty and get it out the way? Not really able to see past a one sided thumping but will be interesting to see which Buxton riders put up a fight.

Congratulations to all who took part. May it prove to be another valuable step in your developments whatever the results may have been. On a side note any idea why Dan Thompson didn't contest the 125 final as he appears to have gone through the heats unbeaten?

No arguing that Ellis (Adam Ellis not Perks too many Ellis's/Ellisi...) is a cracking signing but Eastie are going to be very reliant on him having a cracker every meeting. He is more than capable but as proven last year he can lay on the track just like any other rider or suffer mechanical gremlins. It leaves this Eastbourne team very much reliant on Perks, Woods & Knight all having consistent good meetings too and/or Powell, Phillips or Harris stepping up and showing a significant level of improvement (my current money would be on Phillips). As last season showed with vastly different results (Brum/Kent) a strong 4 but weak tail can provide very differing results but i still think Eastbourne have a lot to do if they are to get near the haul of silverware they achieved last season.

Very disappointing day yesterday for all concerned. The Mildenhall promotion looked as upset as anybody regarding the events and whilst there has been a history of preparing grippy tracks against teams who traditionally race on slick surfaces i think the majority of the issues derived from having a very limited time to prepare given that monster trucks were trampling all over the track the day before. I was impressed with the way that Danno & Jack tackled the track with a controlled approach but stand out rider on the day was Armstrong who made it look effortless. As for the rest most got caught out once, irritatingly one Fen Tiger continued his reckless approach all day. I have seen plenty of excellent racing at this venue to ensure i will be back and write this off as a very bad day. Best wishes to all riders for a speedy recovery especially the unfortunate Connor Mountain.

Will be interesting next Saturday when he makes his debut. This week you will have to rely on Dan Greenwood keeping the Kings quiet. Couldn't have come at a better time for the Kent team . I guess you must have released Andrews to fit Ellis in also so can't run R/R? Either another signing or unattached 3 pointer i guess? Strudders?

Well flip my biscuits i didn't see that one coming. Outstanding signing. Ok he isn't going to put a lot on his average but he will deliver solid point in all but a few meetings. Thought he was just doing EL and continental stuff this year but perhaps the offer was just too strong? I would say that makes the best top 4 in the league now? (ok 2nd best) But who will replace Andrews?

Didn't know clubs could charge for junior events? Hats off to all the organisers and riders for getting these meetings on. Still think the refs have got a cheek with their generous offer of only changing normal rate. For the benefit of British speedway they should do one each for free (less travelling expenses). Good luck to all competitors have a fun and safe weekend.

Did the MDL match take place after the meeting?

How was the racing? From the look of the results the IOW team appeared to perform alright with Cockle, Baseby, Smart & Dugard all scoring where they should do. Govier besting Saul & Saul besting Piper appears that you have the right reserve combo in place? Slight concerns of Comptons equipment? But to be fair he hasn't had long to prepare. Hope the crowds improve when the season gets underway properly.