Sings4Speedway

Good meeting once the track slickened off. Not the first time Mildenhall have tried to prepare a grippy track for slick track visitors and have been caught out. Forgetting the first 5 heats which weren't racing the rest of the meeting was good and swung to and fro nicely. Best wishes to both injured riders. The gash on Luke Ruddicks leg looks horrific. Must have been a long ride home and questionable how long til he can be back in the saddle again!

I think this is probably the least experienced reserve pairing that has visited central park this year so if Danno doesn't fill his boots tonight there is no hope. Whilst I agree there may not be many better riders out there at present given the time the current 2/3 have had they may offer something? I agree with Waco that options need to be investigated but why wait around and only try one per week? As a fan I would rather see a couple of new reserves give them a week at 6&7 each and then see how they do. I would feel happier watching a couple of different riders and thinking at least we are trying something than watch & hear the same old excuses each week.

Cheering when an opposition slides off and your team gains an advantage is one thing but when its potentially nasty its definitely not. Sadly I heard several big cheers at Kent when Eastbourne riders went down and felt very sad and ashamed.

Eastbourne ran a few practice days over the winter / last season to see who was about / available and sadly Kent cannot do that. Georgie also has some very useful connections within the speedway world who pointed him in the right direction although no doubting his motorcycling talent and natural ability. However the never been on a speedway bike until this season my ears. He was doing second halves about 3 years ago but didn't get picked up. That said cant knock anything about the way Eastbourne have treated their riders this year, kevlars, backing both technically and financially. The big club approach in a lower league clearly works well.

I do agree that there are riders about if you look in the right places. Iwade I believe cannot run speedway machines atm? As for the Rye training days from what I hear there have been very few this year and Len is seldom in attendance for very long hence Andrew has the graduates and Len doesn't. Add in that they have dropped the Rye MDL team this year I would say that developing Kents own riders seems down the priority list sadly.

Most teams have built to a strong top 4 and then 3 others. The difference is that Kent reacted slowly & the others played the estimated risks better. There are plenty of rookies in the league this year and some have struggled but nowhere near as much as those at Kent. Sadly Adam & Danno have been around the scene for a while and not really improved whilst Jamie is sorely lacking in racing experience. Last year with Luke Harris & Danny at reserve there was definite signs of improvement and the fans would back them even on an off night. To survive in this league teams need strong links into the MDL, amateur meetings or training schools to pick up the rookies with potential and the Kent promotion seem detached and oblivious to that.

All seems slightly strange? Was Adam released from Buxton based on performances or did he ask to leave? Had Cradley sounded him out first or was it just a very swift move? If it is an official move? Would be odd if he chose to leave as im certain as soon as Neale is fit he will be back in and Extance will have burnt his Buxton bridges.

The presentation is scratchy & the heat 10 interval is often debatable if required / adding to curfew risk quite often. As promoter / manager id be wanting the Kings riders ready and on track as soon as each 2 minutes come on to set a better example and try to drag the away riders along. As for Danno he has gone backwards alarmingly this year and feel the end is nigh. Jamie is a victim of the others failings and being pushed up to 2 but still has far to go. Ive seen little if any improvement from all 3 (Sheppard already gone) and feel its time to try a new approach. The season may be done but sourcing a new bottom end for next year must be wise? At least if new blood starts to improve the fans will have pone thing to cheer about.

No arguments there but in reality only Kelsey is home grown. The others had plenty of known ability before they were tracked. Unless a club runs training schools / practice days and then gives riders a chance when they are ready its hard to claim any club discovered them. Ryan Kinsley & Kelsey are probably the only home grown rider I can think of that's stepped in this year.

As a permanent track with nothing else running on it the surface should be better than it is. Definitely more dirt is required but I suspect that would be in excess of 200 tonnes to make any noticeable impact and that is certainly not cheap. Added in that im not convinced the base is in A1 condition as there is a tendency for holes to open up in places. Yes the riders would take a while to adapt to a different track surface but its not like they are flying now.......

Then you have my apologies.

After keeping a close eye on the away fans I now have a strong idea who Alex2000 is and lets just say it explains a lot.......

There are plenty of riders that will never progress any further than the NL but it doesn't mean they don't serve a role. There is an obsession at the moment with young riders, discovering not developing. Whilst the occasional gem may be discovered many more are being thrown in to league racing too early and struggling either physically, financially, logistically or with just sheer inexperience. These risk becoming downhearted and lost to the sport all together rather than taking extra time to develop.

The only sensible replacement out there atm. However still swiftly dealt with. Good Luck to Ben & Best Wishes to Magic

Doesn't normally bother refs. They constantly make shocking decisions then refuse to change them just because they enjoy the power and defiance plus don't even make a case to justify the decision they made.

Came away from Kent grumbling more than I ever have. The curfew & delay I can live with. It was the track / performances that bug me. As ever the Kent top 4 did their bit. All present know about the shocking decisions against both Ben & Danny so conservatively 4 points lost there. Aaron fell whilst battling and thank heavens for James Shanes. It was the others that grated on me. Jamie got caught out on turns 3&4 (as did others) and had a mechanical but was down on pace when he was running. Danno put in his worst performance in a Kings jacket. Struggled to keep his bike going, had a centre green strop and looked like he could fall at any moment whilst still being slow. Is his time up? Ben Basford is not the answer. Spent more time off the throttle than on and would have been out paced at the futurama. I think what wrangles more is that Eastbourne were not at their best. Georgie Wood was patchy & it was the worst I have ever seen Kelsey ride at Kent and they still got paid 11 which just shows how weak we are. The season is effectively over so try some others, if they show something give them a run and look at building for next season. Finally huge best wishes to Magic. Kent legend & here's hoping for a speedy recovery.

Decent meeting once it got going IMO. Jacobs, Morley, Armstrong & Halsey were all superb. Special mentions also to Rob Shuttleworth & Josh Bailey who I thought competed exceptionally well considering the competition and were rewarded with race wins. Stinkers of the day went the way of Jack Kingston who should have been more imposing on his home track and the chaotic Danny Ayres although he provided plenty of entertainment. Despite the lengthy starting delay the gap was at least filled with the blast from the past riders although the mid meeting interval seemed excessive and unnecessary? All in all a long but enjoyable day, race of the day definitely Jolly vs Henry (two biggest cheers: Henry passing Jolly, Henry falling on the next bend). Is there any news on Luke "slugger" Chessell after his nasty looking tumble?

Does Smith want to come down to Kent every week though? Just because he rode in a Kings jacket at Cradley may have just been putting himself in the window for others to see? Sanderson was interested until the reality of travelling from the Scunthorpe area to Kent every Monday night kicked in and just no showed and vanished off the face of the earth. Makes luring Basford down from Redcar all the more impressive but how many times will he want to do it?

I wont judge Ben tonight on much other than how near the pace he is. Im hoping Jamie & Danno have been practicing somewhere in between meetings as they need to start stepping up now especially Danno if he ever wants to make a career for himself. Fingers crossed that James isn't to tired from his weekends adventures & that Ben is still on a high from his good showing yesterday. As for Danny the least said about yesterday the better, lurching from one calamity to another like the early days with plenty of time on the deck and dramatic tantrums thrown in, fingers crossed they are all out of his system. Think the Kings need a double figure advantage to stand any chance but fear it will be very unpleasant viewing tonight.

Next up on trial tonight is Ben Basford. From what ive seen his equipment is pretty good, a hard slightly fiery racer and very Northern. Going to cost a few pennies in fuel allowance to get him here. He's already had spins for Buxton & Birmingham so shouldn't be a new experience but if they didn't want him......either way a tough test tonight but going to watch with an open minded approach (for once)

Just seen Alex Wilson had to withdraw injured from NJL match last night? Any further news how he is?

Just seen Alex Wilson had to withdraw injured from NJL match last night? Any further news how he is?

Makes no odds who you want to drop to reserve its just the two lowest averages and based upon the new green sheet Marc is getting close. That said its hardly a problem is it. Whichever 2 of your 7 are going to score well at reserve just as they have all season. 1 Bradley Wilson-Dean 10.00 2 David Mason 7.38 3 Richard Andrews 6.86 4 Matthew Bates 6.27 5 Marc Owen 6.11 6 George Wood 5.91 7 Kelsey Dugard 4.94

Staggering to think that Owen could end up at reserve. I personally thought he would be pushing for number 1 (before we had heard of BWD). If Georgie continues his meteoric rise it could become the case that Owen, Bates or Andrews drop to reserve. Staggering & scary for any opposition!

Agreed or substantial lowering of averages for Brits. Also ditch the under 25's doubling up rule and make it 2/3 years then choose like they have started with the Pl/EL. As for the listed riders how much would I like to see Shanes round the EOES Cheek! The guy buys and sells Polish bikes all the time....