MrMungo

That aspect of his post was referring to Freemantle I think who has been involved in a lot of huge crashes in his short career. I think he cleared the fence at 2 different tracks within a week at one stage. As for Bob, he's a solid signing, and it's good to see him back in the sport. Has a wealth of experience, which will be useful for some of the younger members of the side.

Busk has more about him than some of the danes that come over. He may struggle on some away tracks, but can't see him being far off his starting average by the end of the season as long as he can avoid misfortune and injuries. Rest of the side is solid enough. I don't see major improvements average wise, but they should all more or less hold their own. Looks like mid-table, perhaps pushing for a play-off spot if they turn Hoddesdon into a fortress again.

No draft rider should be earning £40 p/point as that's not the pay rate next season.

You're too sensible. You'll never make it as a promoter!

Connor King signs for Mildenhall.

Or Belle Vue knowing that Leicester won't pick Garrity due to his unavailability on Saturdays may chose not to protect Worrall, resulting in BV getting their local boy. Auty is not exactly the best of gaters, and let's be honest, Leicester is not easy to pass on (but that's for a different thread!), whereas Worrall/Blackbird/Wright are all sharp gaters, so may be a more logical pick for them. Or, they may chose to do the draft in a different manner this season...

I read the Louis piece too. Clearly there was an open bar in Rugby.

So what is the actual criteria for being an Grade A rider? Where's the line? There doesn't seem to be any consistency in the names mentioned earlier at all. If Auty, Kerr, Blackbird, Garrity, S Worrall are all in it, then why not Richie Worrall (lower average than his brother!), Howarth (lower PL average than most mentioned) Boxall (lower average than many, and younger than several aswell), Bowen and so on. If all of those are included, then you're just going to squeeze out the guys like Clegg, Greenwoods, Greaves et al, the guys who the draft was actually meant for.

Aren't the GPs every 2 weeks or so? So looks like we could be seeing a very busy March and October (again) this year!

EL and PL, or just EL? Crazy for EL. 34 between 5 riders is only just under 7 as it is.

When I read that bit of the statement, I must admit I did chuckle out loud. "SCB will have a field day with that one" was my initial reaction! My translation of it was: We screwed up, but we don't know how to fix it, so we're just going to stick a couple points onto the averages and see what happens!

I think Pearson's statement says it all really.

Maybe he doesn't have the available finances since getting killed off Eastenders a couple of years back?

You seem insistent on getting Covatti a team spot! He's in practically every one of your "teams". Are you Nigel Pearson in disguise?

They also have better sponsorship.

If Mr Ellis is on £50 per point, he's £10 a point luckier than many! That aside, I do agree with your post. And even when they do receive the money, it's received late. Very late, in some cases. It becomes even more problematic to keep the bikes up to a good standard when the money isn't great, and that money isn't received in a timely manner.

Unfair riding only relates to an opponent. There was an issue at Eastbourne earlier in the year when Iversen wiped out Schlein, but as the rule only relates to an opposition, it was Schlein who got excluded. So it was Fricke who ought to have been excluded. A tough entrance to EL Play-Offs! Of course if it was going to get awarded anyway, it didn't really matter who finished third, but whilst Fricke was never going to hunt them down, Harris very well could have. Congrats to Poole. Best team in the league, in my opinion, and deserving winners. Even when it looked like they were up against it, they were always able to find that extra gear. Janowski and Newman have both been remarkable for them in the 2nd half of the season. Huge years for both riders. What's the chances in neither of them riding for Poole next season?

You may have a long wait waiting for 31st September.

Does the track shop stock umbrellas?

The problem with Coventry is not related to the dirt. It's the rubbish, inconsistent, patchy surface. I also disagree with Screamer. King's Lynn has had far too much dirt down when I have been this year. It's no incoincidence that the one time there was a brilliant meeting there (against Poole a few months back) it was slicker than normal due to the threat of rain. An engine tuner told me it was the best meeting he had seen round there for years. I completly forgot the GP was on (to remain on topic). Hope to catch it later when one of the Poles add the full meeting like they usually do. Great GP + no Pearson = Yes please! Did catch the final though, poor Nicki was robbed again. It's the sort of move that Kasprzak pulls all the time, but Nicki's reputation goes against him a lot now. He was able to use it to his advantage 10 years or so ago, but now it's a different story. Glad he managed to bronze though. He's been terrific entertainment again this year & has deserved a medal for his efforts.

Where do you think the rain came from? Dorset way, of course....

I blame Matt Ford

Is this Star Lady, or is it Trees? I think with the current weather situation, we may be looking at having the Play-Offs a little earlier next year.

I watch all the meetings on Sky Go anyway - wouldn't really bother me

Not all Danish meetings take place on Wednesdays. Some take place on Monday, some on Friday. Their equivalent to Premier League takes place on Saturdays (sometimes as early as 10am!) aswell.