Trotter65

Unfortunately Jacob Hook isn’t the first rider to get a slightly inflated average from reserve that means clubs see it as a risk to start the rider in the top 5 the next season and will often go with a “proven” top 5 rider instead…it depends how much potential improvement they see in the rider

I don’t think there needs to be less meetings in the UK….there are probably a lot less meetings in the UK now than in the past but more riders are now racing abroad than ever. In the past only the very best rode regularly abroad and that was often Sunday long tracks , foreign leagues weren’t readily available to British riders

I liked Erik Gundersen’s yellow design in one of his world title years…that stood out Anders Thomsen’s old black and gold was good and Laguta’s yellow when he won the world title

Would affect Kurtz and Bewley , Fricke and Douglas and Holder and Woffinden………I could see Kurtz, Holder and Woffinden not actually riding in Britain if it came in

Ipswich wouldn’t mind now Emil has gone as Doyle is actually under 8 so they could sign another 8 plus rider and still keep Doyle and no doubt have the best spearhead in the league

Belle Vue announcer had a few negative comments when Zagar re signed for the club…no idea what his beef is …whatever he says during a meeting I wouldn’t hear anyway because the PA system is crap.

I think Boughen’s problems started when Oxford removed him from the rising star and brought Luke Killeen in as rising star..they still kept Boughen but he was in far more difficult heats ..no wonder he struggled plus Oxford then rode him at number 3 in the Championship which was an awful position for a rider of his age and experience. he should have stayed the rising star and rode at 2 in the championship…Oxford did nothing for his confidence

If anybody really thinks Jack Holder is better than Brady Kurtz then they are mad…they cannot have watched much of Kurtz lately

Regarding Rew at Ipswich, once Brennan became available and they could fit him in then it was a no brainer for them to sign him and an equal no brainer that Rew made way…I don’t think his progress has been great and for me King and Ellis are potentially a far stronger middle order than Rew

Maybe at some point Ipswich had retaining Rew in mind but really as soon as Tom Brennan was available and could fit then it was a no brainer to have a middle order of Brennan, King and Ellis over Rew…it’s a much stronger line up than having Rew in there

Good meeting tonight...Kurtz,Bewley and Lidsey superb...Kurtz is the most improved rider out there at the moment . Doyle looked incredibly slow..he was working furiously on his bike and eventually rode a different one which was no faster Sayfudinov was a joy to watch..Great to see that quality of rider in Britain I actually thought Ben Barker and Keynan Rew rode very well for little reward but King was a big disappointment Good meeting though

Given the demise of hundreds of magazines these days I think speedway is lucky to have a quality magazine out there , regardless of paper quality etc....costs must be high for the return in this online era so fair play to them

Nielsen was a great rider and probably the best I saw.. The first meeting I saw live was 1978 at Hyde Road.. Regarding Nielsen v Gundersen.. I would say Nielsen was the better all round rider and certainly a better team rider.. probably the best team rider I saw along with Ermolenko.. I think Gundersen on the big nights was quicker though and around Hyde Road was quicker than Nielsen consistently.. Gundersen was for me the best visiting rider I saw around Hyde Road along with Kenny Carter.. Some of the wide lines Gundersen took were amazing but day in day out on every track I'd say Nielsen was the best and most consistent rider I saw in my day since 1978..

Cradley 83 was the best team I saw in all my years attending speedway... They were probably too good if you watched them every week though I would say... Didn't they lose Wigg, Grahame, Ravn and Pedersen to the points limit the following season ? The Ipswich side a good few years later was very good as well with the top 4 of Rickardsson, Gollob, Louis and Nicholls... I wasn't actually attending reguarly at the time but did travel to the odd meeting just to see that Ipswich line up..... But Cradley 83 for me was the best I have known

I remember Soldier Boy at all Hyde Road meetings after I started going in 1978...Ole Olsen was certainly his favourite from what I remember and I can recall Olsen winning the second half at Hyde Road and going to the fence to give Soldier Boy his trophy...Always stood at the tapes and was very vocal..