IanBrannan

Yes click the square in bottom right hand corner..!

Wow, 1st of April and already it’s a disaster according to some. Give the guys a chance, they’ve not riden as a full 1-7 yet, for some of them getting used to different tyres, and engine setups is a bit of a process. You can’t just copy the next guy. Birmingham haven’t taken a hammering so far, Pawlicki starts next meeting, so I’d see how it goes as they get things sorted. Piling on them after 2 home meetings is a bit stupid really, for so called “supporters” . Sam & Chris they’re switched on guys and they want to win as much as anyone else. There’s a loooonnng way to go yet.

James Denham is on the Offical British Speedway No Brakes No Fear podcast this week and he explains the riding order logic, plus much more. But basically it is to put an experienced rider out on the away tracks in heat 1 and allow the newer riders a few heats to see what’s what. Here’s the podcast > https://pod.fo/e/22b0b3

Having got home at 2am, you’re probably right..!

There were a few guys from Rawicz there as I spoke to them..! Don’t underestimate how far some of the Poles will go for some speedway, they’re on another level

The media day is for the media (unsurprisingly) so it’s not open to the public. But there will be a live streamed press conference at 1pm hosted by Darren Fletcher featuring all of the top riders from each Premiership team which everyone can watch on British Speedway social media and YouTube. Fans will be able to ask questions too and a selection will be used.

Because the damage has been done to the track. It takes days to prepare a track properly and if it rains as much as it has done this week it will need more than an afternoon to dry out unfortunately. There is no way this was called off lightly, it was going to be the biggest Ben Fund for 10 years, it contributes over 40% of the annual funds. In addition the car park was also flooded. If they went ahead today the track at best would be very heavy, and you’d have people saying this is a farce / dangerous. Promoters can’t win, just trust that the people making this call do actually know what they’re talking about, and the last thing the Ben Fund want is more riders to look after from their own event..!

In the Premiership heats 2 and 8 the RS is protected so a number 7 will go off a 15m handicap for the first offence, should they do something else then it will be 3 riders. Of course in other leagues the option of 15m or replacement / use a number 8 will be allowed

Last year they got slated for having everyone queue up and the track wasn’t racable. And they get questioned for calling it off early when a weather forecast correctly says that it will rain a fair amount 1 hour before start time. Fans might be annoyed but say it got to heat 3, and a bike hits the grip and takes off, you have Dougie or someone break their shoulder then it would have been “Why did they not see the the forecast?” And you’re team is knackered. Early call off, 14 riders stay out of ambulances on the first day. Also, wet tracks usually help the away team as the home advantage disappears, so there’s a good chance Belle Vue could have smoked Leicester anyway.

I hear what you’re saying but they are totally different tracks, without knowing exactly how much water each had taken in the days running up to the event it is hard to know. Tracks do need water of course so rain can be your friend, but there’s a fine line. We will do something to explain this on BSN, it is a point that can confuse fans but tracks are different. Glasgow & Workington are very different to Redcar and Leicester for example. Stewart will have driven back and forth from Scotland to prepare it over the weeks so the last thing anyone wants to do it pull it as it also means the club makes nothing too.

It was based on a weather forecast, speedway clubs pay for personalised forecasts quite often, this was the exact term used on the call off notice: The decision has been made after consulting weather forecasts, which indicate a high chance of rain in late afternoon heading up to the time of the meeting. Leicester’s track has or did have quite a high clay content (not all do) so any water getting into it so soon before means it becomes dangerous to ride by being too grippy, even if it might look alright

The draw etc has taken place a few weeks earlier than usual this year, the venue for the U21 final is hopefully to be confirmed this week. but as has been mentioned, a club has to take on the fixture and then suitable dates to fit in with everything else going on not just here but around Europe need to be agreed.

[Narrator] Josh Auty announced his retirement hours later.

Why would you now feel the need to rush it, when every other team has their 1-7 signed and announced. I’d look at it that Birmingham now is the ONLY choice for any rider looking to race in GB, and some who were not interested in Sept last year will now be looking at it. The announcements by other clubs will actually help encourage this, plus why would you announce a major signing in the run up or over Christmas when you would get zero publicity. They are more than aware they need a 1 & 5, just enjoy your egg nog

It’s not a weaker league, it’s a more balanced league. Aside Basso, Dougie, Tarasenko etc who were not going to race Championship in any case due to Polish commitments, Im not sure which riders have been lost to the league? It might make teams like Poole weaker as they can’t pack 3 top averaged riders in, it doesn’t make the overall league weaker.

The Facennas are very successful business operators, if they say it’s not financially viable in Glasgow, then it is not financially viable. I have no doubt that if Premiership moved to Friday then that’s the league they would operate in, same as Birmingham who haven’t gone up out of choice, they’ve gone as Monday is the only night they can now race. To suggest they are being tight is a tad harsh when they have literally invested millions in the stadium and team, way more than any other club. But the day to day economics have to add up, they don’t feel there is a hidden community of speedway fans hiding in Glasgow who would only come out for Premiership speedway. Also the notion of a “weak” league I don’t think stacks up, it is going to be a more even league with the bigger riders spread around more but opportunities for younger riders to break through. It should make for closer league, but it’s hardly like you had Doyle Woffy & Sayfutdinov in the Championship last year. Sheffield’s traditional night is Thursday (they tried Sundays once and it was a disaster), that’s one of the reasons they are in the Premiership. And Lee Complin I seem to recall dragging Glasgow over the line to get into the Grand Final so I probably wouldn’t start by having a go at him lol. Different things work for different clubs due to various factors, Glasgow it’s Friday nights. It’s not lack of ambition, it’s good business.

I made a podcast with Peter Facenna and in it he answers this very question.. https://pod.fo/e/1f7be0 But in a nutshell, mainly race night. The numbers would probably drop and the lure of top riders wouldn't balance it out especially as said riders would want a lot more money for the privilege. So less fans, and bigger expense, and they don't think that saying Tai Woffinden is in town would really add to it enough. So it's purely a business decision, but have listen to the interview and Peter explains it very well.

For that to happen it would require the FIM to change their stance on Russian athletes, which as per Phil Morris 2 weeks ago on the No Brakes podcast, was very much firmly the same. Until FIFA or the IOC change their stance, don't expect any change from the FIM.

It’s not so much a new rule, but certainly a clarified one this year. 28th August the last day register signings for matches effective on the 31st. The ONLY exception is riders returning from injury, so for example Jack Holder can come back for Sheffield in September in place of a rider. Unlike last years Lambert situation, this year if your number 1, or any other rider is out through injury you can only use guests or RR. There is no long term injury replacement option. Guests must be registered with a British team before the 28th, so out of work riders from the continent and not currently racing here can’t come in as a guest.

No in fact Greg is commentating with me I think on Friday.

Yes defo Glasgow V Plymouth, also will see return of pieman Paul Bowen in the booth, I believe

Adam was never down to commentate at Plymouth or Poole and neither am I as I’m on the radio in the NE this week, Jason Harrold will be taking care of the southern trip and I’m doing Glasgow on Fri.

It was the spindle that came out of the front wheel, he talks about it on the track walk yesterday. It could have happened to anyone, they were on bikes provided on a training session. He chose one bike, Tai chose the other.

I guess when you’ve literally died on that track, you’d not be surprised that it doesn’t rank as a favourite. He’s not the only one to say the same though, Scott Nicholls has in an interview earlier this season for example and there are others. What one rider enjoys isn’t the same as the next, Kings Lynn has a lot of clay in the mix which make it different to many in how it rides. The interesting thing is how it has caught home riders out this year but lately seems to have been more consistent. Last night it was a lot slicker and packed than previous visits when we did the BSN track walk, possibly in part due to the weather situation.

I wouldn’t know about that, the law came in around 2019, but no idea when drones were added to the speedway rule book. If you have a professional commercially licensed pilot you may be able to do it with special clearance, but those drones and operators are fairly expensive usually. For a normal drone that most people have you would be able to no.