SteelShoe

Great to see the crowd so healthy. I believe the Speedway needs to be entertaining . Interested to know what Oxford are doing this season for you to label it "top class". I visited 3 times last season for the meetings against Poole, Workington and the Pairs.

That was the concensus of opinion in our group when it was announced, we shall see. It was more about not having two newbies to British Speedway in together.

Miss our trips to Highbridge especially for the Pairs . Always a good excuse to have a few days in Somerset which we never failed to enjoy, great County. Really shocked when the Rebels announced their closure , very sad loss for you fans and speedway more generally.

Riders make demands and no doubt promoters decide whether a certain rider is worth it within the constraints of their budget. In the case of Claus I would imagine an amicable compromise was reached because he has only signed in the last few days. Why wouldn't he be bothered about riding for the team ? doesn't make sense to him financially plus I don't believe it is in his make up not to try. Comets have been in a difficult position this season having to start team building when most other clubs had their riders signed up. Being a weekend track also brings the Poland scenario into the equation. All in all I think under the circumstances they have put together a team that should at the very least be strong at home. For a first season back that is very important.

Think Claus is just the rider this team needs, should score well at home on a track that will suit his style of riding, he is not afraid to assert himself on track and is a personable guy who will be a good team man. All in all from the available options I'm more than happy. Well done the promotion and a big welcome back to Claus.

Good familiarisation / reacquaintance session for the 6 riders all of which looked good. Tate in particular caught the eye with his ultra smooth transitions from straights to bends, well executed fast gates and use of different lines. Antti also looked very assured and reminded a bit of Peter Kildemand with his right leg lifts coming off the bends, great stuff. Celina was right on the pace and looked as smooth as silk. Sam has obviously grown since last season and was also very smooth, found myself thinking that some start coaching would be beneficial to him . Probably first time Batch has seen the track, he spent a bit of time later in the session more focussed on starts which looked excellent looked to me. It was good to see Cookie back on the track and it wasn't long before he was bouncing the back wheel off the kick boards. Would love him to have a good trouble free season. Excited to see who we announce this evening in the Waverley. UTC

As a Workington supporter I feel the pain of all the Panthers and Wolves fans who have lost their beloved Speedway. Please keep fighting and don't give up hope.

Tate and Celina doing laps round small training track

Gates open to public 10am. Entry by donation to new air fence fund. Season tickets available to purchase and collect. Only home straight and bends 1 & 2 open. Public access to pits allowed for fans in a cordoned area prior to riders taking to the track at approx 12pm. Rider bike warm up and pits closed to public at 11:45am. Meet the riders from 7pm in the Waverley hotel

Eric rides in Poland so weekend track surely ruled out.

I believe James isn't fit for racing anyhow.

Craig is a West Cumbrian lad who has shown over the years what a good Speedway rider he is. Local fans want him to do well for the promotion who have given him the chance when maybe most promotions wouldn't have, for the team because he has a big part to play in advising the young and new riders, and for himself . Personally I hope to see him fit and ready for the new season at P&P on Saturday, Andrew and Steve deserve nothing less.

I thought Celina's interview on BSN was great, she explained the early problems they had with getting the power down and how they had made changes. She was definitely more competitive in her last two races and was on the pace . Her English was great, she comes across as really personable and you can tell she is living the dream. Can't help but wish her all the best with the Comets in the Championship. I thought the stream was good quality, the interviews filled the grading breaks nicely and it was novel watching 5 rider semi and 6 rider final plus it was on for over 3 hours and there was some really good racing.

Comets will have a final rider of that there is no doubt. Don't know what is happening regarding Craig but if he is having issues and is not 100% committed then for the sake of the promotion and fans I hope he does the right thing.

Quite true, this young man has been riding on the beach with Dan the Man and Brady Kurtz as well as putting in laps at Northside both on the track and round the small training track on a dirt bike. Tate and his mam have also been mucking in with ongoing work at Northside. Thoroughly impressed by their work ethic, quite refreshing.

seems rider Polish commitments have done for this

Hardly stopped raining in Worky for the last 2 days, real shame but least it is has been rescheduled for next weekend .

Anders Rowe doesn't appear to have a Polish team either. Perhaps he doesn't want a Saturday Championship team for similar reasons to Connor Bailey ie in case Poland come calling.

Doesn't appear to have a Polish team in 24. Not sure about his average these days either. Did manage just over a 6 point average when riding for Glasgow in 2021 but not sure if he has progressed at all. He does have a Danish team for 2024 though.

its becoming an increasing possibility

No rider has yet been signed .

If it isn’t Claus Vissing then I will take a punt and go with Mitchell Cluff

Josh Auty must be a tough lad, he was often in the wars but walked away from some of the nastiest incidents I’ve personally seen. Hope he enjoys his retirement.

Be very surprised , thought he had retired.

Celina is obviously a bit of an unknown quantity but to say her signing has left the team terribly unbalanced is in my view an overstatement. Looking at the reserve pairings of the Championship teams most are made up of one or two fairly inexperienced 2 pointers. Celina has been riding for 17 years, on the right equipment I'm confident she will hold her own.