Technik

I think the big question must be, How many of those that post on these forums no longer attend live speedway events on a regular basis? We all know about the value (or lack of) in the current format. But from what I see & hear people are happier to find a reason not to go to speedway rather than go & take somebody else. Meetings are so long drawn out affairs with tractors on the track more than the bikes. at interval after 10 races then another stop whilst we select 4 riders for a single race. Advertised start times 19:30 but heat one is off at 20:00. If meetings were to start at the advertised time & run the full 15 heats before an interval which would include a victory parade & interviews then 6/7 races in a second half. Stock cars & bangers attract large crowds as it's the same drivers each time & there are family rivals & some times a smashed car will give birth to a large red steaming driver that will move 2 metres at alarming speed to argue with another large red steaming driver

I was going to get down to Dorset for this but since there has been showers over the last few days I fear the dust might be a little to damp for me, after being used to warm dry dust over the last couple of months cold damp dust is not for me.

I don't think so. Whilst it is good to race at the highest level possible, this brings it's own negatives. The rider joins a team & is not expected to score many points & the team insist there is no pressure on the young rider which is all fine & well until the teams results are in question. Whilst racing in a lower league the rider can race against others of the same standard & can learn to win races rather than having to come from behind to gain points. This will see the rider progress within the side & gain more confidence 7 advance his career quicker

Slater Lightcap will not get an average this season & will return (If all parties agree) on his assessed 4.00 average. I will put my prediction pin in Beau Bailey becoming a member of the Pirate's next season to make a strong reserve partnership with the American with Cairns & Rushen as second strings. The other 3 spots are open for discussion.

How do come out with yet another BS excuse not to hold an NDL fixture.

I will not loose any sleep after the death of Clarke Osbourne he & his company took away to many speedway venues & took Torquay United to the depths of dispair. As for the future of Swindon with him gone there will be less opposition to progress however whilst I would never doubt Rosco's passion for Swindon Speedway but passion alone will not build a stadium & any Buisness consortium would carry out a means test & find that to build a venue for speedway alone from scratch would not be viable.

He was injured for the start of the season & as I understand British clubs cannot sign new riders after a certain date or ridden 75% of their meetings.

Love it or hate it, Flat track is a growing sport & the only one that is under the Track Racing banner. It is bringing more riders from all over the World that have experience in different disciplines of Motorcycle racing & in turn manufactures are becoming interested & I suspect we are not far away from Factory teams at the highest level. It will take time to bring in public support as it is a new sport for many & the riders are not from the higher end of their previous endevours. In the FIME event mentioned Tom Woolley will be remembered for a spell in the NDL & in the FIM championship Ashton Boughen made it to the Premiership as a rising star & was a top Moto X racer. When teams start to establish their selves more money will be available to produce race bikes available off the shelf ready to race at club level & i feel Flat Track will grow & possibly stage events alongside the SGP as SGP2 have already done

look out for the Young Stars 2027 featuring Scott Nicholls

How lucky do you have to be. Move at the start, get left 20 Metres behind & have no advantage only to see the red lights & the race stopped. After a slow motion replay the tapes were not touched even if the front wheel was clearly in front of the white line & the tapes prior to their release. Who is responsible for ensuring the tape is at the same height as the middle of the front wheel.

Now it makes sense Their all related & live together

It must be said Oxford did run when the first England game against Croatia was started at 9:00PM & the crowd was very poor. Oxford promotion have at least been honest with their reasons, it would be very easy to hide behind an adverse weather forecast. It will be interesting to see how many speedway events are shelved if the national football team progress further.

In the 90's we were trying to get engines to rev over 10,000rpm. There were still crashes then but not as many serious ones that we are experiencing now. Todays engine can achieve 18000RPM but is restricted to 13500RPM. I'd have to ask the question why would an engine tuner build a motor that cannot be used to its full potential. For me the bore size should be limited which would mean a longer stroke to get to 500cc & in turn this would reduce the RPM to a usable level. The short stroke engine has not made the sport any faster as the list of track records will support only a fraction of a second each time it is reset in most cases & less than a second over a 25 year spread. The short stroke motor has made the sport more about who can hold on the longest & who is prepared to take the biggest risk rather than the best control & skill set

Before speedway Ashton was a very talented MX rider as was his Father. But the biggest difference in MX is the best bikes & equipment are only available to very few & if your not one of those it's very hard to be at the front when the flag falls. His move to speedway was very successful in the early stages but I fear he moved up to quick & the pressure of needing to score his points was a massive weight to carry rather than learn the skills at a lower level to begin with. I agree the lad was known to back out of a contest but if he was first from the gate & couldn't see anyone at the first turn he was as fast as a butchers dog. But in Flat track his skills from both MX & speedway will benefit him as was proven last weekend & to top it all he has a works Ducati GB machine. I may have been a bit cautious when I said he would be top 6 at the end of the season.

Flat track is between speedway & moto X many of the riders have a moto X background & just freewheel into the turns with his experience with speedway he should be near the front for the most part it will only be the final rounds where he may find it a little tougher. The FIM Flat track event has got much closer & much faster over a few short years as the riders and their machines have adapted. I will stick my neck out now & say if Ashton & Ducati complete the full season he could be in the top 6 at the end.