Sings4Speedway

Appalling team. Only thing worth watching in this one will be Uncle Len's reactions!

What time will the new curfew be on Fridays 9 or 9.30 I forget? A new curfew time is only any good if the meeting starts at the same time as it does now. The other issue with Fridays will be endless guests / RR as loads of PL teams run on a Friday. On that note is it time to abolish RR in the NL and insist that the Number 8's are used or re-jig the team and drop a Number 8 / unattached 3 point rider in at reserve?

Time for a wage cap? A publically set limit of how much is paid per point in each of the 3 (or potentially 2) divisions next season. If riders cry its not enough then they have a choice. As it stands NL should just be a hobby that gives a little back. PL should be the equivalent of a low paid job but one you love and EL is just a practice league for Poland & Sweden anyway where the decent money is paid (sometimes paid in Poland). The sport needs to get back to those who love doing it and are appreciative that they can earn something towards it rather than those who are trying to milk it for every penny. Fingers crossed for Scunthorpe. Hope everything works out.

Definitely that the Dugards can spot potential better than those at Kent. Wood is a multi British champion so not a huge gamble but one that has handsomely paid off. Andrews went stale at Devon but has had new life bred into him. Danno has been around for years and nobody else has been interested. He did very little in a weak Scunthorpe side and got shafted when he went to Aus but even if he had practiced every week over the winter he just wont race!

Beggeration. Brilliant bit of work by Brum. I thought the wheels might have fallen off but now going from strength to strength. As for the R/R and number 8's debate I could go crazy about it but at present the rules are there and teams are enjoying the best of them.

Why would Kent have considered Cottam. Nobody even knew he was making a comeback until the past 7 days (except Eastbourne promotion). I do rate Hopwood although he has ballooned since last season neither rider are on averages to help Kents predicament. No point swapping Baseby for either as Aaron is doing a great job for the Kings. Unlike Kent Eastbournes gambles have paid off as they were educated ones whereas Kents were just sign whats left. Still stand by my opinion that Richard Andrews was the signing of the season.

Right im like a bear with the bum ache this morning but I will try and start with the positives. Ben, Danny & Jamie were top drawer as usual. Ben doesn't seem to ever get a decision go his way at this season. The meeting ran through at a decent pace and the fans that did attend were pretty vocal and got a win that they deserved. Dan Greenwood despite being the villain did produce some magical moves and legitimate passes and kept the scoreline respectable. Now for the grumps. This was the worst line up of reserves I have ever seen in a NL meeting and ht 2 a 15 year old newbie races away from the home riders to victory! Basford was a lot better than last week but that doesn't say loads and Danno was plop. What he was doing battling Jamie in ht 8 I will never grasp and threw a 3-3 away. Fortunately for Kent Halder didn't carry on where he left off and Hunter was on very line except the correct one. I waited all night for a track grade but it never came so it just got slicker and slicker. The ref finally got a decision right with Greenwood moving at the start but called everything else wrong. Im going to wait and see what 7 Danes 3 cups do against other teams first but I fear that I could be a 60 point mauling so might give it a miss.

What a disaster. A reserve who is still amongst the points is carrying an injury and needs a few weeks to recuperate. Up pops a ready made replacement with bags of experience to slot in nicely. Biggest headache would be if Cottam scores big and often and decisions would need to be made once Kelsey is fit again......

Kelsey looked fine yesterday and rode well on borrowed kit after he bent one and Andrews bent his spare. Saw Cottam have a practice after the meeting so something was afoot but still a major surprise! Perhaps Kelsey wasn't enjoying himself? If this is true? Pity he wouldn't fit in at Kent!!

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.