Sings4Speedway

Does seem a little odd that you have Dan Greenwood booked as a guest for Saturday and are making an announcement today? Perhaps its a swap for Andrews? Definitely get the feeling it will have a slight shock factor to it?

From what i can see even if Rye dropped Priest, & Woods + the leftover points they still couldn't fit Branford & Hopwood in the same side. There were rumours previously that Branford was due to feature in the Rockets team before a change of heart by the promoters? Perhaps this is just his way of sticking 2 fingers up at them?

If it was me i would abandon the search for an out and out number one and strengthen with the riders available and points you have to play with. Hughes(8.67) plus remaining = 9.78 + Andrews(5.18) = 14.96 I would grab Aaron Baseby (6.37) and beg Marc Owen (7.25) to sign for a few weeks as cover = 13.62 It would leave you 1.34 under the limit but you could use the extra to resign Hopwood when his stint with Rye House is over in place of Owen?

I never get the obsession with age. By all means sign riders that will improve but not too young and when they are clearly not ready. It's not like clubs or riders are loyal anyway so it's unlikely a rider if any age will be around for more than a few seasons. Danny Ayres started in his late twenties for example and continues to improve. The issue with woods ( poor machinery aside) is that he has made no progression regardless of what ages he is.

From what i can see its a straight swap Hopwood for Branford with Morley moving up to number 1 and Hopwood slotting in at 5. I suspect it will only be temporary until Branford comes over. From the Brummies press release Banks comes in for Bowdrey at reserve so solves part of the issue with your long tail.......

Would it be in Eastbourne's best interests to have 2 key riders missing every time there was a fixture clash? Either way it isn't going to happen. As for the Kings Lynn meeting it will require Bowen, Knight, Wood & Perks all hitting double figures to secure a result. Whilst they are all very capable it is still a big ask especially with Greaves, Kinsley & Bailey all in form and out to spoil the party. Id be very surprised if Branford doesn't slot back in to the Rye team when he comes over. I think the Hopwood signing is a short term deal to plug the huge gap the Raiders currently have.

A sensible solid signing and saves on having to continually source guests? I figure Branford will slot back in when he finally comes over but he should offer Morley & Priest some back up in the interim.

Added points for Rye House with the addition of Hopwood however it seems a little strange to persist with R/R at 4 rather than 2? Has Bowdrey been shuffled out already? I see a busy night ahead for Banks but even if the Brummies suffer a selection of mishaps i cannot see anything other than them battering the Raiders and leaving the second leg a bit of a non event.

From the line up Lambert, Ellis & Bates on his home circuit look the 3 to beat with my money on the latter however for my outside shout for a podium place im going for Josh Bailey.

Shanes was flying last night and well clear of the rest. For me the other top performer was Mountain closely followed by Bailey. Kinsley & Greaves also did well barring Greaves comedy exclusion & Jack Smith was very determined i was amazed he walked away from his horror crash. For me Phillips didn't impress but did enough. Id have concerns if i had signed Ruddick or Dugard as both looked way off the pace and Kingston was slow and generally gave up after 3 laps. Oh and a special mention for Danno who dug deep and pulled off a last race win to secure his final place after his centre green mishap.

With the points Belle Vue have left over the could drop Shuttleworth and fit Hopwood in.

I was the other side of the track but from my angle it looked as though BWD dived at a gap that wasn't there and was at best a hard unnecessary move. Ive seen them given both ways and will again. That said i thought both were excellent and long may the entertainment continue.

In regards to training / development i think second halves should be mandatory for all tracks. The MDL / NJL do a great job but there are very true tracks that actually include them. The more accessible and affordable training becomes the more riders will pick up the sport, the more riders that pick up the sport will therefore make competition for NL places greater and therefore only the higher standard of British riders will graduate. This higher standard will in time resonate up through the leagues and eventually we will see a procession of top British riders competing at the top level. If the sport is to flourish and prosper in years to come then it needs to be addressed from the grass roots levels upwards.

Ouch. In that case it makes his performance all the more credible.

From my first visit of the year i would say track looks infinitely better, plenty of banking and gives a variety of racing lines and the ability to use the whole track. Did look like it had been packed quite hard and there wasn't much shale as always. Presentation was also improved, bit of roaming mic action and the truck with constant flat tyre has gone too. Also a great touch with riders walking a lap of honour at the end giving a much more personal feel. Fish was good beer still in cans but that doesn't worry me. Car park still pretty rough, the craters now seem to be on the access road and a bit of a free for all with regards to spaces but ultimately i enjoyed my trip and will be looking to make more this year.

A very dominant performance by the Kings against what was sadly a 2 man Raiders team. Waj was unlucky with his heavy fall when it looked like his throttle stuck, Morley & Priest were excellent but a day to forget for the others. Woods mechanical gremlins would be a concern and the two reserves had a disaster, off the pace, off the bike and Locke struggling to push the bike half a lap for a point. By contrast the Kent reserves were in excellent form, Shanes has sorted his gating and looked very quick as did Clifton so i was a little surprised he didn't take his last ride? Mason got the win he deserved and Bowen was outstanding. All in all a great result for Kent but i fear for Rye as i think it will be along hard season for this team and with the number of PL fans there to try and engage i worry that NL crowds are going to really suffer this year.

Thoroughly enjoyed my first trip to Rye since the revamp. The improved stands are a huge improvement and the track produces many more racing lines and credit to those using every inch of the track. Kennett was awesome, Robson delivered again and i could watch Heeps every week trying everything possible to get past those in front. Morley also is worthy of credit and was harshly excluded when the ref failed to even see a BWD dive bomb. For the visitors Wright, Starke & BWD aside the rest had off days which Rye can consider themselves lucky but brilliant effort to turn the match around. Like several have said before Karger does seem out of his depth and i can see a change coming if he doesn't improve dramatically.

Providing all goes as expected Bowen should get the better of Waj, Morley will better Shanes & Priest should better Baseby. However Mason will walk all over Woods and the reserves should have the upper hand on their respective opposites. Providing Clifton can adapt quickly i think Kent will be alright as barring points from Priest i see the Raiders getting very little from R/R which will be the deciding factor.

Something about it never rains it pours? I think its if you have achieved a PL average over 4 you can't double down unless like alex says he signed fo a NL team first like Ashley Morris?

Either way it appears Plymouth have been resurrected which for speedway is excellent news but bad news for the Eagles if Stefan was their intended target?

Im secretly hoping its Tim Webster to see what the reaction would be?!

If Ayres was riding i would have said this was a Kent certainty as he and Bowen obviously go well at Rye and the reserves have shown a liking for the place too. The guests for both sides will do a decent job i reckon plus i strongly suspect Morley will be pretty rampant. The slate is currently clean for the two Rye reserves to show what they can do but as the more experienced Eastbourne graduates have proven its certainly not easy.

Adam finished on 10.14 so you don't have enough points without culling someone else. As for Hurry a great rider in his day and i hope it stays in his day. The man is full of metalwork and i fear for his long term well being if he contemplated a return. Fingers crossed its a Boxall type rider who will enhance the NL.

Yep a good day for the Kings but certainly plenty to be cheery about as an Eagles fan. Knight looked far more comfortable at Kent than he did early at Arlington & Georgie Wood was excellent at home and smooth although a little under powered? at Kent but that was obviously fixed quickly at Cov. Of the others the luckless Hughes looked classy until finding far too much grip and will miss watching him this year as i rate his track craft highly. Andrews was out of sorts and wish him a speedy recovery & the departed Hopwood was solid. I had reservation over the Kent reserves due to lack of speed but their control has never been questioned, the opposite applies to the Eagles pair and a lack of experience and bike craft would be a major concern. Oh and Powell is going to make no friends with his shameful staying down to try and get a rerun....if you slide off on your own on the inside fella no ref (excluding Babs) is going to give an all 4 back!

On current form Robson wouldn't be a bad guest?