JamesB

I believe that Doyle is undertaking some intensive rehabilitation in Poland. Is there a slim chance that he could make it back for the play offs? if not and if they can’t find a like for like replacement such as Zmarzlik then stick with r/r and try and persuade Lindgren to cover the play offs.

It’s been dry so far but with showers forecast which feels like Groundhog Day. If it’s anything like the last few meetings we will get a heavy shower after 6pm which forces a rain off.

I agree that it stopped raining at about 4pm followed by a little bit of sunshine but predominantly cloudy. How does this alone make the decision wrong as from the amount of rain that fell during the day, I would imagine that the track was pretty well flooded when the rain stopped. I can’t see how the track would have dried in the limited time available but the only way of knowing whether the decision was right or wrong would be to see a picture of the track after the rain stopped (KL posted a picture of their track and if Foxhall was in anyway similar to that there is no way it would have dried in 2 hours giving sufficient time for track preparations.

I was the Texter, so I’ll put my two penneth into the debate; The rain just prior to and during heat 7 was heavy. At the completion of heat 7, the rain then eased back, however it made the track difficult for the subsequent heats. The better/more experienced riders were generally speaking (apart from Klindt) able to cope better with the track but the less experienced struggled. In my view, it was touch and go whether the track was fit to ride, however racing on it was virtually impossible. I guess it depends on whether you want to watch 4 riders racing on a track or riding around it.

Still dry with high cloud.

I have also been told that it’s engine related issues.

I think that Leicester’s problem is more Kemp and maybe Becker rather than Thompson. Sure, you can replace Thompson but with the Rising Star’s that are available, what will you achieve - another point possibly 2 if you are lucky.

I know that we have started the season well but from what I have seen so far I am not convinced that this team is as strong as some are making out. Jenkins has been struggling probably through being in the main team, although his lower scoring has been compensated for by Thompson’s impressive start. Can he keep up this start now he is the main team? The greater concern has to be Rew. He was never intended to be in a reserve position which is forcing Jenkins and Thompson into the main team. Rew is the key to success particularly if we are going to be using r/r for a while.

I think it will probably be r/r for Thursday and Monday as the options look very limited, although maybe B Cook for Thursday. Generally, r/r should be OK for home meetings but more troublesome away.

It’s off.

I live 6 miles north of Ipswich and there has only been a little bit of light rain. However, I went into Ipswich about half three and it was much wetter. The sky looks brighter now so fingers crossed that we should be OK.

I think they have been unlucky. It’s been dry where I live about 6 miles away but it was much wetter near the stadium. I assume they got hit by a heavy localised shower.

Six miles north of Ipswich - A heavy shower at 8am for 30 minutes but dry since.

I think it now comes down to the respective engine rooms; King, Rew and Ellis v Lidsey, Cook and Blodorn. Witches with maybe a slight edge at reserve and the Aces with a slight edge at 1 & 5.

For the sake of the sport and all those involved at Birmingham, I really hope that they have a decent season and get some good numbers through the gate.

Congratulations to Sheffield, they were the better team on the night. A rider who has chosen not to commit to and ride in Britain for the past two seasons has two Play Off winners medals. That is not right and the rules need to be changed for next season.

Zmarzlik is watching so why not give it a crack at the same time………

Perhaps Louis could pop down to the pits at the end of the SON2 and get Cierniak to sign a contract for next season. The lad is head and shoulders better than anyone else and looks outrageously quick. From memory, he is also walking away with the SGP2 again this year.

Doyle and Sayfutdinov were their normal imperious selves. King had a good night but then he normally does against weaker opposition. At least he won Heat 12 beating Basso who looked a bit more like the rider of last season. Thompson did well and had his best meeting by far, really pleased for the lad. Rew struggled and to a lesser extent so did Hume considering the quality of the opposition. Unfortunately, Riss just looks like his confidence is completely shot. Maybe a slight improvement on late but only minimal. A lot of the races were won by a distance, so not the best night of racing.

At the track now and can’t believe it. Not a drop of rain.

Just driven through Foxhall and it looks like it was unfortunately just the wrong side of a thunderstorm. There was a lot of lying water on the roads.

It’s currently fine, however as you say the forecast is for showers late afternoon/early evening. The track will be dry at the moment, so it will depend on the volume of any rain should it happen. With this type of weather, it’s just a lottery. Last week, the forecast was for it to be dry and then it rained for most of the meeting.

Riss being unavailable certainly makes the task more difficult. If the weather forecast is correct, the track could be a bit damp. This could impact on Holder the younger’s mindset, it has been known to before at Foxhall…..

Agreed, but I would have Danny in Heat 8.

I am 6 miles north of Ipswich. It rained overnight but stopped about 8ish, however it’s not really drying up. It’s currently cloudy and I wouldn’t be surprised if there are some showers.