Positive Thinker

That's good management. Scott got his bum bitten at Glasgow using r/r for fifth rider when Matty Wethers was wiped out of the meeting by Worrall and Berwick lost a probable win, or surely a point at least. Clearly didn't want it to happen again. So brought Bager in for his short-term fix while looking at the problem longer term. Now Bandits are getting an apparently highly-rated teenage asset.

Berwick sources tell me Theo Pijper will ride for Newcastle on Friday, and as already suggested Sebastian Alden is your man on Monday.

There is --- replace it with a foam fence, like they have at King's Lynn and Berwick. No delays, and much safer, too.

. . . Ever consider the benefits of constructive criticism?

They did resolve it. They negated the move. Move on.

Hardly Berwick's fault if opposition accept a fixture and then arrive short-handed. Although they won't be short-handed if they are allowed two bloody guests. Oh, to be on the Management Committee.

Who are Belle Vue dropping? Can't have three D/U riders in any EL side.

The pricing is stiffer than most tracks, but the ambience is better. What needs to be addressed is the back straight viewing. No point in increasing crowd if the newbies can't see, because they won't be back. A serious flaw in the grand plan?

Berwick will have Simon Nielsen at reserve tomorrow in place of Matthew Wethers.

This is the same lad who scored 11+1 from five completed races for Belle Vue last month in his first NL meeting? Your scorn for Edinburgh is clouding your arguably brutal opinion, I suspect.

42 points would be better. A point from Armadale? Yum-yum!

One possible wrinkle to the covers going down this week is that BRFC are playing at home. Although bends could probably be covered, straights might not --- studs on football boots would rip the plastic to pieces!

Well, I watched Berwick race Redcar on a pretty good track surface last night, after a day of rain in the town. Track was completely covered with plastic sheeting from, I understand, 10am until fifteen minutes before the first race. Most of match was staged in light rain, but no problem and a bit of last-lap passing to warm us up. Are covers the way forward?

Always better to be a dick than a fanny, Taff!

Who's Guy Martin?

The Newcastle 1-7 is complete. Matej Kus is transferred. It is a done deal. All that remains is for the tribunal to set the fee, as both Newcastle and Redcar have to accept what how much the fee is, and cannot back out.

That's correct. If their current bond (including assets) doesn't reach an agreed total, the promotion has to top it up. I don't know Somerset's current asset-base, but taking Brady Kurtz out would leave a very big hole -- and the club might have to use some of the fee to underwrite the extra top-up. If it is desirable Kurtz stays as a Rebels' asset until (perhaps) Jake Allen can be added as a replacement, good business all round -- Poole have the rider on a use-now-pay-later basis, Rebels don't need to lodge an extra bond.

Some good stuff in the latest newsletter, with kids all getting a free gift on opening night, bookings for hospitality and the practice-night party filling right up and the Swedes' plans for getting over here. Although it is to be hoped Theo Pijper's baby gets better soon, she's back in hospital. Hope everyone who possibly can will turn out at weekend to help staff get track tidied up.

Have to admit, I've never heard of Mr Coulthard, either!

A survey at our track, published in the programme I think, revealed that 80% of attendees don't notice music, don't care. Of the remaining 20%, half complained it was "too loud, too modern" and the others that it is "too old-fashioned". This at the same track! In short, it is what it is, and if it doesn't intrude on conversation who cares?

In past years, yes. Offering a reasonable share of bigger names to each staging track, ensuring riders get their home track (to aid attendance) and avoiding fixture clashes -- if a rider was racing in another UK meeting on a semi-final night, they would seed him away from that semi. However, it is going to be interesting to see just how strong the fields are. 32 UK riders, and a few of the more-mature guys usually body-swerve entering the British Championship (because of low pay rate) in any case?

Like in 'The Godfather'?

Bandits YouTube channel has now added footage of work on track and fence at weekend, plus interview with Ian Rae, appealing for volunteers next weekend.

I think it will exist in the code of conduct guidelines, but back in the day it was something like 36.00. In the interests of fairness, it should be pointed out that (I think) Peterborough's total average is lower than that of Redcar.

Pretty clear statement there. Do we get a demurring statement from the Glasgow promotion? While fairly entertaining for neutrals over the weekend, most of the words have come from (not always fully-informed) fans of each club, who have, as ever, a blinkered viewpoint of such a situation.