PotteringAround

I won't have a word said against the Bristol Superdrome. It's the "Most successful Speedway venue of the modern era". It says so here https://swindonmotorsports.co.uk/team-%26-partners

A man I met at the Reading Racino, who was asking for directions to Torquay United's Riviera Arena.

Given Osborne's previous 100% record of "never". I think it's safe to say Never in this case too.

Redcar's website a week ago.

Dodgy Tel announces he's found a perfect new place for Speedway, so it's OK to knock the Abbey down. Dopey Swindon council fall for this, and allow the Abbey Stadium to be knocked down and houses built. Tel Boy hits a snag and the perfect new stadium can't be built after all. Swindon council say "never mind, you tried your best" Osbourne hands a brown envelope each to Tel Boy and the Council leader. Osbourne moves on to rinse and repeat at the next town.

Final Redcar rider is William Hocaniuk

Assume Cook, Blodorn, Mountain and Bailey will take 4 place, so 3 more needed. Woffinden, J Holder and Zagar?

Speedway is part of the entertainment industry, and a priority for any entertainment business is getting bums on seats. Celina will probably put more bums on seats than any other rider in the field, so of course she's there on merit. With the PCMT field usually being around GP standard, she'll struggle to pick up points, but she's certainly good enough to pick up points in the Championship for Workington in a second string/senior reserve role.

And people wonder why the sport is seen as a joke!

So who is getting kicked out to accommodate Perry? They've named these 7 so far. Presumably they'll dump Wood or Watson? Connor Coles 7.79 Max Perry 7.75 Sam McGurk 6.08 Dayle Wood 4.50 Mason Watson 3.93 Mark Parker 3.00 Kyran Lyden 3.00 36.05

I spy a familiar face amongst the candidates https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/3h3zMKf9QhLRqV0vvcDVt6R/paul-bowen

1 Scunfield 2 Belle Vue 3 Leicester 4 Oxford 5 Edinburgh 6 Redcar

1 Glasgow 2 Redcar 3 Poole 4 Oxford 5 Scunthorpe 6 Berwick 7 Workington 8 Edinburgh 9 Plymouth

1. IPSWICH - Massive top 2. King on the wane but still a competent 3rd heat-leader. If Ellis can regain form they will walk the league. Rew will improve and reserves are competent. 2. BELLE VUE - 5 riders returning, and only Kurtz can't push his average higher. Cook potentially stronger than Wright, but Mountain a big downgrade on Brennan. Considering they had to shed a lot of points, they've done OK. 3. LEICESTER - Fricke a genuine No.1, and Masters, Lawson, Becker, Douglas all heat leaders. Only the reserves are weak. 4. SHEFFIELD - Two quality GP riders in Woffinden and Holder jr. (One on the way down and one on the way up). Holder snr could be the weak link. Howarth is OK and Pickering can improve. Reserves a little suspect. 5. OXFORD - Can Janowski be a genuine No.1? I think so. Solid back-up 2-5, even if they're all a little past their best, they can all still perform. Should have a good reserve. 6. KING'S LYNN - I rate Musielak. Basso and Tarasenko have a lot of potential. NKI and Palm-Toft will need to perform for Lynn to reach play-offs. Will have a strong reserve always. 7. BIRMINGHAM - I just hope they can pull off two top signings to at least make them competitive at home. We don't need a team to be cannon fodder and fold.

Edinburgh, Redcar, Scunfield, and Belle Vue are all long treks from Essex

Don't think a predominantly Northern NDL suits someone based so far down in the South East. Can't imagine he'd want the 800 mile, 14-hour, round trip to Edinburgh for home meetings.

Mason Watson said early in the close season that he's signed for someone. He'd still fit at Edinburgh, Middlesbrough or Scunfield. But surely if he's signed for Middlesbrough or Scunfield they'd have already announced him since they've announced the other 6 and would have no reason to delay the last announcement. Assuming he's at Edinburgh, it leaves 7.70 and no obvious signing. (Tom Woolley seemingly the best fit). Max Perry 7.75 would be the strongest signing, but that would mean crapping on Watson.... However, in the press release of Wood's signing it says ""It's a big year for Dayle and if the team is going to be successful we will need him to perform at a heat leader level". That suggests a weak final signing. If they had Coles, Perry and McGurk there'd be no need for Wood to be the third heat-leader...

Birmingham, Armadale, Scunfield and Middlesbrough haven't announced a full 1-7 yet either. Still 2 months to go before the start of the season.

You might be putting 2 and 2 together, but you've definitely got 4.

Of course finishing top is important. The sport is about winning. Finishing ahead of your opponent. If you believe winning the National League is unimportant, you'll follow that through all the way to believing that whoever wins the GP Series isn't important. Having said that, a heat leader trio of Coles, Woolley and McGurk wouldn't be too shabby around Armadale.

Are we looking at Connor Coles 7.79 Tom Woolley 6.64 Sam McGurk 6.08 Dayle Wood 4.50 Mason Watson 3.93 Mark Parker 3.00 Kyren Lyden 3.00

Mark Parker confirmed for Armadale.

Wirtzfeld an interesting signing. Looked a reasonable prospect a few years ago on the South coast /IOW before disappearing to concentrate on longtrack/grasstrack. Hadn't heard any whispers that he was coming back, but Belle Vue must've been monitoring.

7.61 for the last 2 riders. Any thoughts? Kean Dicken on 3.00? and?

If Coles and McGurk are the top two, and Parker partners Lyden at reserve, with Wood also in the middle order, who do you think will be the remaining 2 riders to take up the 11.63 which is left?