SharpenRake

Common sense, I don't believe it

Posted on a reliable forum that Glasgow offered Scunthorpe Saturday as an alternative but they declined.

I keep reading on this forum - mainly the premiership section - that speedway has loads of problems, for example, track preparation, no atmosphere, no kids, no young adults just 'old folk', riders not interacting with fans and missing riders. Track preparation - Despite the heat, it was still 25C when I got home at 10.30pm, there was no dust whatsoever and there wasn't an over watered track just a superb smooth one that provided fantastic racing. No atmosphere - the main stand which was virtually full, roared when the 2 youngsters got their first 5-1 in Heat 2 and thereafter when Barker and Howarth, etc, etc had great battles yet again people got to their feet cheering, clapping and clearly enjoying the evening's entertainment. Nicolai Klindt seemed amazed at the applause he got on his laps of honour and came around again after his last race. The back straight terracing and other stands also were busy. No kids - there were a lot kids some of whom participated in two races one for under 10s and one for over 10s - an idea I believe pinched from Plymouth! No young adults - again good numbers some of whom had brought along their kids. Old folk - yes quite a few but all happy to let some of the new fans know what was going on. No interaction with fans - laps of honour saluting the fans and lots of autographs later. Missing riders - both teams a full strength. Yes speedway has problems but last night was just pure entertainment. There were a couple of fans from Leicester in the stand and they seemed a bit surprised by the whole package. Proved you don't need to doctor tracks to win meetings at home, Mr Dixon 😉

I suppose it means he can now afford to get a ferry to travel to the UK rather than as suggested, by another team 🤴, allegedly, a rowing boat and bus.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Just thought I'd reiterate the above as various comments have been made some of which were in response to this post and others in response to comments about the comments. I shall correct one sentence and apologise for stating Leon Flint scored a 15 point maximum when in fact he only got a 15 point paid maximum. Me bad! Everything else is what I observed from watching the BSN recording or in respect of the Speedway Star factually correct. How people interpret what I've posted is up to them.

Correct and it's 10.67 , when rounded up.

I suggest you read what I typed. The Speedway Star figures only include Championship, BSN Series and Knock-out Cup matches and for, consistency over the years, include bonus points.

I've watched the BSN coverage of this meeting and must say it was very worthwhile as you get a different perspective and learn things that you don't see or hear from watching at the stadium. A few examples: Leon Flint and his bike were caked in wet shale after his first two rides. There was what appeared to be the equivalent of at least two bucketloads in a heap next to his bike in the pits. Ironically, this thread was started by shaleshifter! Leon Flint used the same set-up as his last meeting at Ashfield when he scored a 15 point maximum. Despite this, his bike felt flat and things weren't helped by the amount of shale caking him and his bike. He changed bike for his 3rd and 4th ride and it felt more comfortable to ride. Leon Flint was clearly gutted. Other Glasgow riders also had issues. This isn't a criticism of the track staff but if you remember there were some heavy showers that week. i've also been catching up with the Speedway Star who continue to provide accurate Calculated Match Averages (CMA) which include Championship, BSN Series and Knock-out Cup matches. As at 6 June 2025 Leon Flint's average was 8.00 with a Home average of 10.67 and Away average of 6.80. Dan Thompson's CMA was 10.00; Chris Harris 9.21 and Kyle Howarth 8.97. Just thought this would be of interest compared to some of the other posts that have appeared.

Then he'll sign for Glasgow

Is Nagel still lined up for Glasgow as you previously posted? At that time you also said that you had tried to sign various overseas riders but they turned you down so its really sad you seem to have now been turned down by a 2 point Brit.

Ask Blobby.

I hope the ref sues you. Why are you calling him thick??

Glasgow can only sign 7 riders. They have to conform to the rules in relation to team averages. Once Glasgow has signed these riders and agreed terms with them how does that force other clubs to offer silly money for all other riders in the world? The real issue is the money Poland can offer. Incidentally no one mentions the money that Peter Carr, Freddie Schott, etc were on.

They were being polite. Be honest if a rider has a choice of riding at a proper speedway track or ......... what do you seriously think they'd do?

Give Lambert a break. He borrowed an engine tonight to try and get some more points and it ended up in the bin.

You've clearly not watched speedway at Glasgow.

Would this be Drew Kemp (excellent rider) who scored a maximum 12 points against Plymouth? Does this mean you consider Plymouth to be one of your biggest rivals?

Well done to the Tigers, excellent result.

Tremendous meeting, great crowd and atmosphere, proper speedway!

Does no one talk to their friends or people standing next to them anymore. OK if it's raining I can understand why people want a quick meeting. But yesterday the weather was fine and there was plenty to talk about. Fans ask for more dirt and don't want dust but then don't want delays when it needs graded or watered.

Have to agree with you. Berwick with 3 ex Tigers in their team gave it everything. Cookie showed some speed and will surely get back to his best with more laps under his belt. Jack Smith showed he can still score useful points at Ashfield. For the Tigers, Dan Thompson was pure class and he and Leon looked a lot more comfortable riding together. Bomber was bomber and I hope fans don't start taking him for granted - what a rider! Special mention for the efforts of the 2 reserves with Freddy's defeat of Danyon proving crucial. Best of all we have qualified for the BSN semi final and we still haven't all clicked.

Good to know you've switched allegiance to Glasgow or did you mean to say 'If I was a Glasgow fan I'd be concerned about Ashton's start to the season with falls, bike problems and injuries affecting his scoring, but as I'm not a Glasgow fan I'm not really bothered just thought I'd post something negative as that's what being a Berwick fan does to you.'

Plus Jack Smith is likely to score well at Glasgow and probably Redcar giving Berwick a chance of nicking points from these fixtures

In theory yes, but if the said rider then comes in last how has your team benefitted? There's obviously more to team building than just looking at averages. And by the way well done to the Tigers.