WalterPlinge

Comparing a rider who has signed as a No.1 (but isn't good enough to be a No.1) with a rider who may sign as a 3rd heat leader/second string (and is much better than that).

So what fiddled average does Linus Sundstrom come in on?

So at this moment Mildenhall have signed a potentially ineligible rider for 2018? If Danny Ayres signs for a PL or CL club, he can't sign for Mildenhall as well?

I spotted your little joke there!

Spot on. People suggesting grading systems are idiots. What possible benefit do they think they gain from 0.5 point grades? SCB has perfectly explained how stupid this is with his example of the 4.25 rider and the 4.74 rider.... which do you sign on a 4.50 grade? obviously the 4.74. And why would you unfairly treat them both as 4.50 when we already have a sensible system which treats them as 4.25 and 4.74 thereby taking into account the difference in their ability? And if the conversion between leagues is 0.8 one way, then it is 1.25 the other way. (not 1.20). This isn't even opinion. It's mathematical fact. Anyone with a primary school education knows what a reciprocal is surely?

Don't think it's just the floodlights. When the generator trips out, the airfence also seems to deflate, and presumably the referee loses the control panel too and couldn't activate the red lights in the event of a crash?

No. But it wasn't a competition to attract new fans. It was a competition run at various shared event speedway meetings to reward 5 of the speedway fans, who go to the events. Personally I wouldn't have run the competition at all. I don't see the point in giving something away to people who are already paying for it anyway. Instead I would have run a promotion designed to attract new fans. But that's not what this was. I assumed you'd have the intelligence to read my post and take it in.... I knew I'd be wrong. If you (by your own admission) never go to speedway meetings, how are you going to enter a competition held at those meetings?? (Just as I don't watch Great Bake Off, how am I going to know what cakes were made therein?) If you don't go to speedway, what good would a prize of tickets to speedway be to you? And why would you whinge about not having entered? (Just as I don't bake cakes, so what good would it be for me to go onto GB Bake off? And why would I whinge about not knowing how to enter a baking contest that i never wanted to enter?)

Put these two nuggets of information together and surely it all makes sense? it's a bit like me pointing out that I don't watch the Great British Bake-off... and then complaining that I don't know who won it, don't know what he/she did to win it and I didn't even know how I could have entered. Does that not say something about the programme makers PR - I think it speaks volumes .....Well no it doesn't actually.

Really? Spitting blood maybe. Can't think of any reason why they'd be thirsty!

Monstrously bad choices. Can't think what influenced them to make such a monster cock-up of the wildcard picks.

The points limit for a "static" league where the same number of teams and the same riders compete each year should be 42. However the NL is about development. Riders start out on 3.00 and progress through to the higher leagues (e.g. Bewley has done it in record time and is now too good for NL with a high CL average). Every year each team should be moving a 9 or 10 point rider on to the higher league, and replacing with a 3.00 newcomer. So the average we should be looking at is 42 - 9 pt rider + 3 pt rider = 36 Obviously every team isn't going to be able to move their No.1 up, (although they all should be introducing a new 3.00) so we need some wiggle room and I'd say we should be looking nearer 37.5 or 38 for the ideal points limit. If any teams drop out of the league (Lakeside or cradley etc) then the limit needs to be nudged upwards. If new teams come in it needs to be nudged downwards.

Well for a start, if the limit dropped to 36 as stated, and Kent had Bowen, Rowe, Laker and Andrews on the averages stated, they'd have 13.84 for the final 3 riders, not 9.84 So none of it adds up or makes sense.

That post makes no sense whatsoever.

Yep. We all believe that. Honestly, we do. Hopefully Sam will make it on time and get a ride this week. He made it on time for the semi-final, but was mysteriously limited to spannering when he should have been allowed to take his rightful place.

Line-ups for Mildenhall for their double header with Eastbourne (KO Cup Final) and Isle of Wight (NL) tomorrow have been quoted as:- v Eastbourne - 1. TBC 2. R/R (Danny Halsey) 3. Alfie Bowtell (G) 4. Luke Ruddick 5. Jordan Jenkins 6. Alex Spooner 7. Drew Kemp 8. Sam Bebee v Isle of Wight - 1. TBC 2. R/R (Danny Halsey) 3. Alfie Bowtell (G) 4. Luke Ruddick 5. Jordan Jenkins 6. Alex Spooner 7. Sam Woods 8. Sam Bebee But if their genuine listed No.7, Sam Woods, is able to race in the second half of the meeting, how can they replace him with a ringer in the first half? I know you can replace any rider for any reason in a NL meeting, but surely you can't replace him as being injured/unavailable in one half of a meeting, but then ride in the other half? No doubt someone will try to claim it's two different meetings, but it isn't. (If it was 2 different meetings then Alfie Bowtell wouldn't be able to guest in both because of the 8 day rule. However Bowtell IS allowed to guest in both as a double-header is one meeting). So back to the question, how can Woods be OK for the second half of a meeting, but be replaced in the first half? If he rode the first half and suffered with an injury, then I'd agree he could be replaced in the second half, but unless Derek Acorah is team manager, I can't see how they know he's unfit for the first half but will suddenly become fit part way through the day?

Started just before 6.30pm. Late start I think was caused by some riders arriving late. Track very bad. Holes and bad spongy bits on both ends, especially the 3rd bend on the inside. No one could ride the inside. Plenty of problems and falls. Worst came in heat 8. Spooner had already been excluded for a fall. In the rerun Rutherford took a heavy fall (for which Burnett was excluded to the disbelief of the Stoke fans). Ambulance was needed which caused another delay, but I would never moan at delays if they're due to riders getting medical attention. In a bizarre way, the Rutherford accident may have been a blessing, because within seconds of him hitting the deck the generator failed and everything was plunged into darkness. Had the race not stopped we'd have had the riders heading into the next bend in total darkness and someone could have been killed. The medics had to treat Rutherford in total darkness although some cars on the backstraight put headlights on to shed some light. Quite a wait for the county ambulance during which time the stadium lights came back on again, went off again, came back partly on, and eventually fully on. When power was restored the announcer said we'd be running just 10 heats and then 10 heats of the IOW match. A few delays before we started the second match. Someone taken ill in the crowd needed the medics, and also Stoke had to pick a new reserve, as their No.7 from the first match (Joe Alcock) was riding for IOW in the second match. So Stoke used Alex Spooner who had ridden for Buxton against Stoke in the first match. No idea where Shaun Tedham (who should have been Stoke No.7 in both matches) was. Most tracks re-use rain-off programmes, but if there are more than 2-or-so changes from the original line-ups they usually produce an updated photocopy insert. Stoke didn't...even though all 7 of the IOW team were in a different line-up to the original programme (and 2 for Stoke). It would have been easier to have a blank sheet of paper. The lack of a proper programme line-up confused the announcer more than most. Match No.2 - Heat 1. Stoke using R/R and the announcer announces Paul Burnett will take the R/R. The 2 minutes go on.... Then less than 1 minute remaining. The announcer then says it's not Burnett coming out, it's Alex Spooner. He doesn't come out either and gets disqualified on 2 mins. Then he comes out. As he's riding to the tapes, the other three are riding back to the pits. Spooner looks confused, but takes his place at the tapes. The other three come back and line up at the tapes. The referee puts the red lights on. Spooner has to go on 15 metres. This confuses the start line staff who are clearly officiating at their first speedway meeting ever. Somehow we inform Spooner what is happening, and Mitchell Davey seems to be the one who realises that he has to swap to gate 1 to allow Spooner to go off 15 metres from gate 3. The clueless Start Marshall also swaps Ben Hopwood and Chris Widman on gates 2 and 4 for reasons best known to himself. The crowd start to sing the Laurel and Hardy Cuckoo song. This is the most fun they've had all season. The announcer is barking instructions that Stan & Ollie can't hear, but eventually it gets sorted. The messed up programme also continues to cause problems for the hopeless announcer. At one point he announces that Connor Coles will be taking an R/R ride in place of Connor Coles. Somehow, with plenty more falls we get through 10 heats. Track hasn't been graded or watered once in 20 heats plus restarts. The riders are riding the 4th bend with the back wheel touching the airfence. Then they announce we'll do 4 heats of the MDL. There are more programme changes, but the announcer doesn't seem to think there's any point in telling the crowd. He's probably right. James Chattin comes out for all 4 of the races...presumably riding for the same team in each race, but who knows/cares. So then at 10pm, we're just left with the usual final match traditions. The victory parade, flour bombs, the farewell speeches from the riders and management, and the fireworks...... OK, I made this last bit up. Everyone trudged off into the darkness.

Don't think there's any vitriol towards PC here. Most (all?) people hold him in high regard for his achievements in the sport and the entertainment he gave on track. All there is on this thread is people correcting untruths in a one-sided Speedway Star article, and responding to the vitriol which Peter Collins has spit towards Speedway in general and Belle Vue in particular - A sport and a club which allowed him to fulfil his talent and become a very rich man.

It seems Mr Pairman knows something of the real story, and as he says I hope the Star will print the other side. However i think those who could tell the true story will choose to maintain a dignified silence rather than go public with the truth which would paint a highly revered rider in a bad light. I also have not been directly affected (in fact I'm not even indirectly affected) nor involved in the matter in any way. I'm not an ex-rider of any club, although I have been to Belle Vue's new stadium on a few occasions. My only knowledge of this matter comes from personally knowing an ex-rider who rode for Belle Vue, who is loved at Belle Vue, and who loves Belle Vue. He wants to go to Belle Vue but he feels he can't because he was dragged into Peter Collins personal vendetta and doesn't want to upset PC by breaking ranks. Because of his loyalty to PC he's missing out on what he really wants to do and that is very sad.

Taffy Owen is at Belle Vue quite a bit. He usually sits in the Peter Craven suite with a drink along with Eric Broadbelt and Billy Powell and a couple of other "oldies" Sadly what the one-sided article in the Speedway Star doesn't show is that Peter Collins has sadly become a very bitter and awkward man. It's awful to have to say that because throughout the 70s I idolised Peter Collins (just as most British fans of that time did). He was a god to me. Peter Collins always receives VIP invites to major meetings at Belle Vue, but always obstinately turns them down as he believes every ride who has ever turned a wheel for Belle Vue (and there are literally hundreds and hundreds of them) should be invited to every meeting. Last year I'm told he provided Chris Morton with a list of over one hundred names (ex-riders, friends and acquaintances) that he demanded must be given free tickets, and if they all weren't admitted free, he wasn't coming. It was a logistical impossibility, but he wouldn't back down or compromise. Sad to see the Speedway Star run this one-sided article. If people only knew the truth, they would have a much different opinion. Peter Collins the rider will always be a hero to me with godlike status. But Peter Collins the man is, I'm sad to say, a different story.

They do. That's my point. The stadium I undertand is used for American football on Saturdays and Sundays and for schools football and rugby though the week. They also aren't allowed to run speedway at the same time that Stock car racing is on at the Greyhound stadium next door...yet they still managed to organise things to fit in 38 meetings. Stoke who own the lease to their own stadium, and can run on Saturday and Sunday (and probably other days) can't even organise to fit in 12 meetings in a 30 week season... why?

Can someone explain to me how Belle Vue have managed to stage 38 home meetings this season, yet Stoke, just 40 miles down the road, with a similar climate and total access to the stadium, have managed to stage just 11 meetings and still have 2 NL matches outstanding which, under the rules, should have been completed before 24 September?

Yes. It's on BT Sport. But have you an answer to the question?

What about an English one?

Medeoka is one of those Japanese number puzzles like Sudoku. Practising Medeoka can be good training for filling in a speedway programme. Mark Lemon can do a 7 x 7 Medeoka in less than 2 minutes while Peter Adams is still doing the Big Ted crossword.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Wilf+wilstead+speedway