MrMungo

What average would Andersson come in on (if signed)? If it's lower than 5.52, does it mean a reserve will start the season at reserve despite having an average higher than one of the top 5?

I'm sure Simon will

I honestly thought I was having my leg pulled...apparently not!

Could it be because there are doubts whether some teams could field a side close enough to the points limit?

But, to be fair, if they are both back and 'ready', then Lakeside have a very strong reserve pairing

I think they both must have been T1 riders

How would you propose they grade a rider who only rode PL this season?

Scunthorpe

7.09, assuming you mean from matches he did last year

I was actually told that the FTR picks would take place today, but I have to imagine the person got the wrong end of the stick...surely! Right?!

6.84 * 0.60 = 4.10(4)

Sunday is surely the start of the week?

Doesn't he have 2 teenage sons?!

I suppose it depends how you look at it. There's no reason why Richie Worrall couldn't be included into the draft, since he's obviously the same age as his brother and with a lower average. If he and Belle Vue can patch things up, there's no reason why BV couldn't pick him seeing as he is their asset, and then sign Steve Worrall in the top 5. His PL average is only a half a point away from Grajczonek, so on paper, should do a solid enough job. Then the other 4 in the top 5 could be retained. Still, it's too early to speculate on the draft. There was talk of Garrity wanting to go into the top 5, others may want to do the same. With Birks and Blackbird not in it either, the draft could look very different next year.

Is he doing a 'Palm Toft'?

Will their averages be altered in some way? Or could we see a situation where a "heat leader" starts as a HL with a lower average than a second string, or a heat leader will start in a second string position because of averages?

Yep, the percentage is: EL average compared to their PL average for all the draft riders. It throws up some interesting percentages, but for T1 riders it's surprisingly consistent (mid - late 80s). It's less of an issue for T2 riders, as I would imagine most of them would start on an assessed 3.00 average.

I make it 91.9% for T1 riders, and 77.5% for T2 riders. For the record: Newman 103.7% Birks 103.1% Kerr 95.6% Wright 88.7% Blackbird 88.1% Auty 85.8% Garrity 85.2% Worrall 84.6% Nielsen 96.0% Ellis 88.7% Sarjeant 86.2% Starke 77.2% Rose 74.2% Morris 72.8% Bates 69.9% Lambert 55.3%

Not met any teenagers recently then I take it?

Maybe they are planning on adding a rider into the draft, who only has a comparable PL average? Eg, Richie Worrall.

He has previously had an average of over 3.00 though, which is the point, I think, Ben was making

An NL eligible rider could also be a British rider without a PL spot... Don't you just love the BSPA's vagueness?!

Sarjeant won't be at number 7 though In that case, it would just be 15m handicap, or exclusion, one assumes.

It depends on the contract. It may be part of the deal. May get machinery supplied to them, but get paid less. Same with van, mechanic(s), etc. It happens sometimes in Poland too, so riders can just fly in without having to worry too much about the travel arrangements as far as bikes are concerned.

Newman is an interesting case. He actually has a higher EL average than a PL average, the only other rider to achieve that was Birks and he only rode a handful of meetings. Does riding for his local club just bring the best out of him? Depending on the T1 group, given that Blackbird/Birks are not riding in 2016, Newman could actually be the 8th on the list if they find 2 higher averaged draftees! If they don't find any other draftees, it's likely (I am presuming) Starke and Bates would take their places in the T1 group, meaning Simon Lambert would be the highest averaged T2 pick, even though his EL average was, well, not so great compared to his PL average. Figures from SpeedwayGB site. EL Garrity 7.21 Newman 7.09 Auty 6.86 Worrall 6.80 Kerr 6.72 Wright 6.11 Birks 5.74 Blackbird 5.43 PL Garrity 8.46 Worrall 8.04 Auty 8.00 Kerr 7.03 Wright 6.89 Newman 6.84 Blackbird 6.16 Birks 5.57 EL Starke 4.63 Nielsen 4.55 Sarjeant 4.31 Ellis 4.14 Bates 3.90 Morris 3.30 Lambert 2.87 Rose 2.85 PL Starke 6.00 Bates 5.58 Lambert 5.19 Sarjeant 5.00 Nielsen 4.74 Ellis 4.67 Morris 4.53 Rose 3.84