SteveEvans

Yankees are a baseball team, our possible nickname is used by an NBA basketball team!

We're planning on taking our new era (post Dream Team) look a step further next year by unveiling a nickname for the team (we want to run the team like an actual league speedway club). I have a team nickname in mind but any of our fans are welcome to throw something out there. Ideas?

Thanks Chris, that meeting at Foxhall was hugely enjoyable and with Tyson & Eddie beating PL regulars more than once it really shows how far we have come in the last 12 months.

Anyone think we should go Elite League next season?

Happy Thanksgiving from the USA! Our plans for 2011 are very advanced and ahead of schedule! Thanks to all our UK friends for your good support!

You forgot Bruce Penhall and Dennis Sigalos. You forgot Bruce Penhall and Dennis Sigalos.

For the Spring we're going to be bringing along a camera man and filming the tour - race action, workshop, minibus, the tour personnel, etc. We'll edit it down into a mini documentary. There may be an expanded edition featuring our night on the town in Plymouth too!!!

The bring Boogaloo back to the Heathens campaign is gaining momentum! The Penhall Museum sponsor will be very happy!!!

We enjoyed Belle Vue a lot! Will keep you posted!

If you guys keep requesting Boogaloo I may have to invite him!

Any rider / venue requests for the Spring?

Any rider / venue requests for the Spring?

Austin has had an excellent year, though his progress was slowed when a few tracks wouldn't let him at first race with the fast guys because he is only 15. At Victorville, where, despite some noise from a few, I let him (per AMA rulebook) ride a 500cc bike at 14, he was 2nd in the Track Championship, ahead of the likes of Jimmy Fishback, Buck Blair and Mike Faria. He also came 2nd at Perris last weekend behind Billy Janniro and has a great future. Gino spent most of the year in the UK and has ridden in a handful of meetings only and I was only present at one so I can't accurately comment but no doubt time in the UK did him good.

I really hope so - there is interest now from at least half a dozen clubs but I think that once the conference is over the picture will become clear. Whilst Tyson is 26, he has made a rapid rise - 2nd in US Nationals behind Janniro just 2 years after stepping on a bike Would love to race Swindon! Gary P has been an immense help to us. And Laurence - your input and work with the riders is a HUGE part of all we have achieved.

I'm glad people are talking and giving their views! Just to clarify, I don't think I perhaps used the best phrasing above regarding riders I want to bring. There aren't favorites and an open door policy is in place. When a tour is being planned it is formally announced and applications are received and I have never turned anyone away because their face did not fit. There are many talented young Americans who have not made it over to the UK yet on the tour but that is down to their own circumstances of time, money and fitness. I hope guys like Michael Raines and Tyson Talkington, amongst others, who are huge talents find their way onto the next tour. However, we have to bring 7 riders. So if I am short of the 7 then yes, I'm going to approach riders who do not perhaps fit the young criteria and will offer places based on having top end strength (McConnell) or at the lower end, those who deserve a chance of a lifetime due to contributions and support of American Speedway (Sauer). Of course living in close proximity for 16 days - flying together, accommodations, bus, you want to make sure that the riders who come will work as a team and have team chemistry. One bad attitude or over negative person can put a downer on all, though such is very much in the minority. It also should be noted we have toured 3 times in the last 12 months and in this time we have brought over 14 different riders. The reason we are touring so much is based on Kenny Ingalls and Tyson Burmeister's progress, it seems that those riders who could make it to PL level need three tours to get to that level. Three is the magic number! So, if we only came every year or two as was being done, it would take 3-4 years to get a rider PL ready. In the case of Tyson Burmeister it has taken him 12 months to be of the level where he can make it in the UK. So no, we don't have 'favorites' based on who the promoter likes but we do obviously invest time in those who have the ability to make it in England and also pull in older riders where needed to take the pressure off the kids and fill out spare places with worthy people. If we only came every 1-2 years as we did we could field an Under 21 or Under 25 team but we'd never get anyone good enough to be signed while they are still young! Hope this clarifies what I actually meant to say!

All the above input is good and all opinions are valid. We definitely first and foremost want to showcase young talent on the team as the mission of the touring team is to feed riders into the Premier League. However, the older riders definitely bring experience and knowledge that helps the younger riders. We also like to bring a 'show' to the track - American riders for as long I have gone to speedway bring a certain flamboyance and pzazz that no other nation brings. You also need to bear in mind that the riders pay their own way to be on the tour - thats air tickets and bike rentals / shipping and they cannot hope to make that kind of money back from riding for National League base pay. So, whilst there are usually 12 or so riders who have interst in the tour initially, when it comes down to money, finance and time off of work or school, we somehow magically always seem to end up with 7 riders. The last tour just finished I think had the by far the best team spirit and atmosphere of all of the tours I have attended. We are, as stated above the Dream Team with a new branding and the direction has changed a little. I run this now like an actual speedway club and there will always be young prospects but I also like to bring the riders I want to bring. Robbie Sauer for example - great guy, has been very loyal to my tracks and has wanted to do this a long time. Shame he could never get to grips with his bike as he's a much better rider than what we saw. We will keep on doing this as we bring a good show that always goes down well with the fans and entertainment and keeping fans happy, regardless of if the riders are 15 or 51 is what it is all about!

Our 'experiment' of PL level matches worked well at Sheffield and Ipswich and I would hope that this Spring tour has us race 2 PL level teams and 4 NL. Birmingham works for us, short hop from base!

We are planning to return in April, most likely before Easter so we don't clash with the start of the mainline USA Season. There are quite a few tracks who are already sending us invites and a good number of riders interested in coming including a ground breaking rider who would for sure turn heads! More info over the winter as I have it!

I love that Buxton won it - true spirit of the league that the basic grass roots club wins! The USA Touring Team is hoping for a match with the Hitmen to open their 2011 campaign! We're bringing heaters!

I would prefer no wild cards at all and 16 riders in the series. In Formula One there are many GP's where there is no home country driver and the series doesn't suffer. But if riders are missing through injury makes sense to have a home based rider in as replacements will most likely never contend for the championship unless there is a season long injury at the start of season.

What would be wrong with simply running it in Nov? Even though fixtures need to be completed you have to have a winner in each competition, period.

Thanks to all the fans and tracks who made us feel very welcome on this tour. The team on and off the track had very goods chemistry and although there are always bumps and challenges things ran very well thanks to the crew who backed it up so well. We will be back, most likely Easter 2011 with an autumn tour planned also, most likely out of the UK. See you all soon and thanks.

In fairness to the crowd the race was only put on 5 days before so it missed the Speedway Star plus it was on an off race night. The track was slick and after heat 5 I told the team to ride it like Costa Mesa and then we were pretty even. Thanks to Phil Bartlett - I know he has his knockers but this guy has helped us a lot over the years and is very easy to work with. Good luck for the future bud!

Thanks to Phil for solving our fixture problems. He's helped us a lot over the years and its fitting his era at Weymouth gets one more American visit. We are really up for this one!

Have Malcolm call me! 07751 708203! I dont have his number. Anything is possible! Last night was amazing- the travellers never expected more than small points hauls at a place like Sheffield, but Castro, Burmeister and Starks (in his first UK ride) were on the PL pace. We got a great welcome and Ryan Fisher led the unofficial team USA brilliantly!