The Cheese

"I have no choice but to accept the decision, even though it has robbed the British public of the chance to see me in action. It's not about financial reward or anything like that; I just wanted to stage a meeting of celebration." Seriously? Nobody has said he can't have a 'meeting of celebration' just that he can't have a testimonial which is clearly the correct decision. If he wants the British public to see him then I'm sure he'd be welcome at Peter Karlsson's farewell meeting, celebrating a true legend of the sport.

Confirmed that Lakeside will run in 2017; http://speedwaygb.co/news.php?extend.31666

Unless it's happened already and kept quiet, it would have made more sense to sell Masters. If he wasn't going to sign for next season then it's unlikely he will in the future. Assuming a loan fee had to be paid for Wright, I would have left him out with Graversen. Danyon Hume on a 2.00 would then have left room for a Bridger/Buczkowski

Next season's prices are here; http://somersetrebels.co/ticketoffice.php

Hougaard is a decent signing but Graversen makes no sense at all unless someone is lined up to replace him when the averages drop. Disappointing side overall tbh but it's not as bad as some are saying. Sure it will take some heavy defeats away but at home the top 3 are capable of beating any rider in the league and Allen will be one of the strongest reserves around. In hindsight the use of last years PL averages hasn't helped. Tungate, Grajczonek, Wright and Starke have ended up with much higher averages and there is no 'bargain' such as Klindt, Newman, Kurtz, K Bjerre etc to level it out. It probably would have been best to lose a combination of Tungate/Grajczonek, Wright/Starke and Graversen, gone with a 2.00, Kim Nilsson/Kylmakorpi and whatever is left.

Agreed. Every year there are comments saying he won't improve any further but he manages it every time.

Stadiums will be completely full in India once the ODI and T20 cricket starts, Test matches just don't get the support unless it's a weekend and Kohli is unbeaten on 99 overnight

Horton might have a lease but it looks as though he has an empty stadium and according to the Stox he has no intention of running and has told the riders he understands if they want to race elsewhere. Also, on the subject of Masters. Unless Wolves go with a pretty weak lower order I don't see how they fit him in now, Belle Vue is pretty unlikely so the other options are Leicester and Kings Lynn. He was obviously unhappy at being dropped before but he's still an asset and you'd think he'd have asked for a permanent transfer if he never wanted to return?

If that's the case then I think it would mean that the suspension would happen if he committed another offence in the 24 months, when that 24 months is up then he has a clean slate

What a farce this is turning out to be Hopefully you have some better news soon, would be awful to lose Coventry

Looks like Coventry may well not be running so maybe there could be late changes to the side?

Like the look of that side, should definitely be play-off contenders, maybe even the favourites. Hume and Mountain are clearly two of the best 2 point reserves around especially as it looks as though Shanes won't be riding in the Championship. Could be difficult to replace if one picks up an injury though, hopefully that won't happen.

Great to see that Plymouth will continue, good luck next year. Hopefully those who have doubts about the drop into the NL give it a chance, I'm sure they'll be pleasantly surprised.

Good point but the league will be weaker so you wouldn't be up against a Holder/Andersen, Lindgren/Woffinden etc and it's a stronger side than Leicester's. Would certainly be pretty strong at home. Alternatively if you wanted a stronger number 1 you could leave Tungate and Grajczonek out for Zagar and whisper it quietly Troy Batchelor

Not suggesting this should be the team but last year's side with Brady Kurtz coming in for Wajknecht is a total of 49.77. Clearly a little weak at the top but would be interesting to see how it would work with the strength of Allen and BWD at reserve when most other teams look likely to have at least one 2-3 pointer.

Starke is a Somerset asset so would expect him to be back next season.

Biggest problem with Holder is that he would probably miss several home meetings due to GP practice. And there would potentially be very few guest options if there are less top riders, and the likes of Harris, Nicholls etc are doubling up and have a Championship fixture that day.

Is Grajczonek an asset of Poole? Would like to see him back but think he'll be elsewhere Tungate 9.03 Starke 6.62 Wright 6.59 Allen 5.96 BWD 5.02 leaves 16.78 for the last 2. What average would Kacper Gomolski be, seem to remember he did pretty well for Poole at the OTA in a challenge match at the start of last year Might take a few heavy defeats away if Allen and BWD struggle given they'll be mostly new tracks for them, but at home it's a side that should win most meetings.

I might have missed it, but are Premiership teams still allowed to name a number 8? And also, I think Lakeside had Lawson and Kennett sharing a place until Swiderski was dropped, is that still possible?

After my initial doubts, with no Plymouth in what is now the Championship, the opportunity to have meetings with Swindon and Poole, added to the gap narrowing between the leagues again probably means it's less of a risk than in previous years to make the move. Definitely expecting Starke and Wright to return now, Tungate probably too. Brady Kurtz maybe if Poole don't have room for him? Personally think it would be awesome to have Chris Harris at the OTA every week. Haven't been able to get to many meetings in the past few years but this may encourage me to try and change that.

Far too early to decide on that, wait until October the day before the 1st leg

Confirmed now; http://speedwaygb.co/news.php?extend.31552

Not sure both Starke and Wright would fit into a PL side, but would make a good enough reserve pair in the EL if that rumour is true. A middle order of Josh, Rohan and Brady with those two at reserve would certainly be competitive at home. Too early for Allen and BWD to step up, would be a shame to lose them though as both have really impressed this year. Not sure whether I'd want to see Somerset in the EL though... would be great to see some of the top riders here, but is it worth joining the circus for that? If there's no Plymouth next year then I guess having meetings against Swindon and Poole would be a boost.

If I remember correctly, didn't he have to use a ladder to come back over the safety fence?

I didn't see the GP but if Hancock pulled out halfway through, technically is there not a "remainder of the season" in the rest of that meeting? Either way, all this grin nonsense in front of the cameras has always put me off Hancock and some of the things he's done in the past year have just increased that. Great rider, huge respect for the length of time he's competed at the very top level, but for me the sooner he retires the better.