mikec

Enjoyed watching Wallinger again tonight. Thought he was good in the reverse fixture at Loomer Road, he showed loads of fight & thoroughly deserved his double figure score. Have seen comments from Stoke site, thought them a bit harsh, as teams stronger than the Potters will ship 60 points at NSS against this Colts side. Perspective needed.

Agree with Cue Ball, thought a draw would have been a fair result. Some decent racing on offer tonight, Grajczonek was different class. Really impressed by Nike Lunna. Last saw him a couple of years ago, he's really kicked on since then. If he carries on like that & Bewley continues to improve, then this Glasgow side will take some stopping.

Was really impressed with the performance of Zach Wajtknecht tonight. Looked quick, rode good lines, passed Dan Bewley clean as a whistle in one race & was involved in a couple of other very decent races too. First time I've seen him race live, shall follow his progress with interest from now on.

Heat 14 wasn't too shabby either. Really aggressive ride from Jonsson but Woryna wouldn't be denied. Can Fast Fred & Max seal a draw that looked highly unlikely after 6 races? Either way, cracking meeting!

What a ride from Woryna in heat 13,great stuff, wouldn't be denied that second place!

Deserved win for the Rebels today, might have known Tungate would find his form at our place! He was brilliant, his races with Cook in heats 11 & 15 were great to watch. Was looking forward to seeing Jake Allen for the first time, didn't disappoint,impressed. For the Aces, Fricke looked quick & Sedgeman looked good too. Worrall was sharp from the tapes but seemed down on speed a bit. Just an off track note. My mate's kids were VIP guests of the junior supporters club, Junior Vue. They met all the Aces team in the pits, pics, coin toss with the captains on the centre green, signed tyres off Cookie & Max, & after match presented with signed photographs of them taken pre-match with both riders. They can't wait til next time. Tyres & photos are going to school with them tomorrow, they were buzzing! We'll done all involved. Great afternoon, hope the Rebels fans enjoyed the NSS & are back for the B fixture - different result next time though! 😉 ♣

Totally agree Hunters, expecting a strong showing from the Fen Tigers tonight.

Really looking forward to this one, as the Colts take on the Fen Tigers. Connor Mountain was excellent around the BV track this time last season, as was Jon Armstrong. It'll be interesting to see how Jordan Jenkins goes against Kyle Bickley, I was really impressed with Jenkins at the British Youth Championship round here last year, certainly compared very well with Kyle & Tom Brennan. Weather is fine, track conditions should be good, all set for a cracking meeting. Teams: Belle Vue ‘Cool Running’ Colts: Dan Bewley, Andy Mellish, Rob Shuttleworth, Jack Smith, Lee Payne ©, Kyle Bickley, Luke Woodhull; Ben Woodhull (No.8) Team Managers: Steve Williams & Graham Goodwin Mildenhall ‘Manchetts’ Fen Tigers Connor Mountain, Luke Ruddick, Daniel Halsey, Danno Verge, Jon Armstrong ©, Sam Woods, Jordan Jenkins Team Manager: Robert Henry

Desperately sad news to hear. I always found Alan was polite, enthusiastic & always tried to help other BSF members if they were struggling to find access to match coverage. His passion for the sport was patently obvious & his posts reflected that. Was a pleasure to exchange posts with Alan, feel sad that I never got the chance to meet him & chat about the sport we love over a drink or two. Rest in peace BrandonBee48.

Going to take some effort for any team to beat the Wolves side at home this season, looking very solid, especially with Greaves starting to chip in with a few points. Pleased for Howarth that his strong start to the season continues, have followed his progress since his early Colts days, his career seems to be kicking on a notch in 2017. Still one or two concerns about this Wolves side on the road, but certain top 4 side for me - & being so strong at home they'll be a tough nut to crack come September & the playoffs.

After the difficult start to the match with the various delays for fallers, exclusions & the setting sun over the 1st bend, credit to the Stoke promotion for making every effort to rattle through the rest of the match. They had the 2 minutes on pretty quick after each race, which doesn't always happen at other tracks, so fair play to them for that.

My comment about "charm" was somewhat tongue in cheek Acef. The place has clearly seen better days, the track was really difficult too, particularly early on. Would I be dashing back there? Who knows. I've read the considered thoughts of the likes of HalifaxTiger & others about Loomer Road in recent times. Had a good idea what to expect.

Should be an exciting meeting, think BBC Radio WM are covering it live too. Will definitely be tuning in. 49-41 Wolves I reckon.

My first trip tonight to Stoke since the Cradley season there 20ish years ago,was just as I remembered it. Facilities are a bit rustic, all part of its charm. Track was really difficult for most of the lads early doors, even Smith & Payne struggled early on. Dan Bewley just took the rough conditions in his stride, a bit like he did in tricky conditions at Buxton last year, as others struggled to slide the bike. The kid clearly has tremendous technique & throttle control, so exciting watching him develop. Was impressed by Wallinger for the Potters, got stuck in & should do well for them this season. Great start for the Colts, looking forward to watching Armstrong & young Jenkins at the NSS on Friday night,should be a cracking night of speedway

Excellent meeting, ran in good time despite plenty of RR breaks. Leicester were terrific, fully deserved their point. Always enjoyed watching Palm Toft at the old BV track, clearly improved since then & shone again on a track he enjoys. Expect him to wear the Ace again in the next 12 months. Great to see Max showing real speed again at home. What a ride as well from Dan Bewley to hold off the hard charging Josh Bates in heat 14. Plenty of Lions fans up here tonight,hope you enjoyed the racing, your team did you proud.

Got the makings of a cracking meeting, are BBC Radio WM covering it?

What's going on with Tungate? Was so quick when I watched him last season at the NSS, this year so far from results I've seen he seems to be really struggling.

George was stood at bar with a couple of guys at the side of me in the PCS after the match. Chatting n laughing, seemed happy enough. Have said on here before that I hoped he'd be involved this year, was very positive around the Colts & a huge supporter of all things BV. Hope he is looked after properly, his support of the Aces over some dark years for our club should count for something.

Bit of a slow burner of a match, due to the extra grippy conditions early doors after the morning rain. Another win against a spirited Wolves side. Howarth rode well, Masters was good early on, Thorssell was excellent throughout. Lindgren was fun to watch as ever at the NSS. Solid team effort from the Aces, Bjerre electric again, though made to work mighty hard for his maximum in a cracking heat 15. Can't end this post without mentioning heat 11 - just wow! The 4 lap battle between Cookie & Fast Fred was absolutely fantastic, & a sporting handshake to boot after the race. 60 seconds which summed up why I love this sport.

Oooh you cynic you!

Wasn't close, but.... POOLE 56 - B. Kurtz 12 , N. Klindt 11+1, H. Andersen 11+1 ...... Typical i had no money on those lads though! Poole will be there or thereabouts come October, no doubts about that..

Fancy Poole to edge this, 46-44ish. Wouldn't use last night's result as a form guide, they met a home side running red hot. It happens, seen my team on the wrong end of that plenty of times. Was no lack of effort from the Pirates imo, they were simply outgunned. Expect Andersen, Kurtz & Klindt to go well, hopefully good close racing on a perfect Saturday evening for watching speedway.

Must admit that I was pleasantly surprised by Kenneth Bjerre last night. I've always seen him as a fast gater on immaculate kit. But swooping round the outside & passing people for fun wasn't something I expected, especially given the fact he's had a couple of nasty injuries. One pass in particular he made on the 4th bend last night took tremendous skill, speed & bottle. If he continues like that & Cook, Fricke & Worrall perform, we could be in for helluva season.

Sad news but definitely sounds like the right decision has been made. Always enjoyed watching Kylmakorpi, win or lose rode the old Kirky Lane track at Belle Vue like it was Bydgoszcz! Cracking racing style & a real trier. Happy retirement Joonas!

My last experience of the racing at Poole was following the Aces at the 2015 Grand Final 2nd leg. Track shape fine in my opinion & the racing was terrific, with Cook, Nicholls & Janowski in particular excelling on the night - shame about the final result though. Negative comments about the Poole track have been circulating for some time, with ruts, holes & the dirt line being too wide too early etc. I'm really surprised that Matt Ford hasn't taken action to put this issue to bed, especially as it seems to be a standing joke with club legends Holder & Ward that the track has had issues both now & in the recent past. Hopefully any necessary remedial works will now take place.