T.N.T.

At present Swindon look to be the team struggling more than others to get a strong team together I said they look not know they are, two different things so if you know they are signing a top class rider to be #1 then great but the options do LOOK to be getting a little sparce at the moment As for Smolinski, not my choice of rider too but he is a 7+ rider and they are not many left are there with Bjarne, Pawlicki and Woffy not returning

No one has said Doyle is anything like Adams, the only thing is Doyle seems to have wanted a deal something like that Adams was on 5 years or so ago. If Adams was riding today he would have wanted more that that knowing he has to face two heat leaders in most of the races these days and for a rider to increase his average to 8.44 in that format may well deserve a contract that is five years old. Trouble is Swindon are now in the same boat as Leicester and Wolves in trying to find another heat leader. However Swindon really need a #1 while Leicester and Wolves are looking for a second heat leader. Kildemand obviously is sticking to his plan of not riding here and apparent talks with Emil seem to have come to nothing. (Emil would have wanted a lot more than what Adams was on 5 years ago) so who is left ? Adrian Meidzinski 8.24 has been quoted as saying he would consider a season here again but he didn't want Swindon last time and it was Matt Ford he approached this time and not Swindon so would he be made welcome or indeed considered ? He could also be a target for Leicester as Doyle and Meidzinski are Torun team mates this season and could travel to meetings each week together. Martin Smolinski 7.54 would be an option as the second heat leader maybe ? ...... Maciej Janowski 7.50 if not required at Poole and/or even Shamek Pawlicki 6.75 who both have had dealings with Rosco before but is that strong enough to lead the team unless they can make it a powerful top five but they already have Howarth 5.27 so that is a non starter too. At present Swindon look to be the team struggling more than others to get a strong team together and along with Wolves and Leicester look to be the three teams that maybe starting as the underdogs in 2015

HANS ANDERSEN; 8.33; "He is one of the top averaging riders in 2014" Well this is 2015 and only Belle Vue (Zagar 8.29) and possibly Swindon have a lower averaging #1 now. His scores in 2014 were not that bad and won races in all but one meeting so he can still beat anyone but he did have last places in 12 meetings (15 races) also and just third in another 14 races. CHRIS HARRIS; 7.49; Everyone loves Bomber in the league format and he starts with a higher average than recent seasons thanks to his end of season form where he scored well at most tracks but he has recently sacked his pit crew so what set ups will he have now ? Coventry are not the same without him and with good back up he should still score well. DANIEL KING; 6.74; You have to go back to June last season to find his last double figure score in the Elite League despite having at least five rides in 8 meetings after that score. As a second string he is very good but when he is partnered with a rider with much the same ability it could hinder him which is why I think #5 could be a better option to let him ride his way more and partner Andersen twice going back to his Ipswich days together. CAMERON WOODWARD; 6.32; Great team man and good signing to back up the top three and could become a heat leader here at some point. His scores away were not so impressive for Eastbourne and therefore as part of the opening duo with Andersen I feel he could be a trump card as Hans can be a great team rider and they could be a formidable pairing. STUART ROBSON; 4.61; If Robbo can shake off his injuries from last season he will do a good job for Coventry but would be tempted to put him at #4 with Bomber at #3 so hopefully when he does struggle, Bomber can save the heat while in his other two rides Robbo is good enough to pick up points. Great to watch and on a track with plenty of dirt, his partnership with Bomber would be great to watch. FAST TRACK; Great pairing in Garrity and Sarjeant with possibly only Poole and Swindon looking as good. Garrity has proved to be a match winner while Sarjeant got better and better as the season went on. It is harder now in the reserves races with all teams having two good reserves but Coventry should be more than capable of matching them. OVERALL; Good looking team and many think they are contenders. Personally I see them mid table but come the play offs they certainly know how to finish a season in style. 3rd or 4th (and before you start ...... that is above Wolves !!)

THJ would have signed up for Poole already had he been interested in a full season in Britain but he is now full time in the GP's, rides on a Tuesday (and Thursday) in Sweden and has just signed a big deal to ride at Leszno in Poland on a Sunday along with Pedersen, Sayfutdinov, Musielak and the Pawlicki brothers so Britain does not interest him one bit. It seems one of PK's big problems has been the new silencers used in 2014 and he failed to get a set up that suited him right. There have been talks during the winter that may allow riders to revert back to the old silencer and if that happens, PK on 6.12 would be a bargain but on the 2014 silencer it looks a gamble. He made it clear he has no intentions of retiring for a few years yet and still loves racing so if he gets the chance he would sign and while Lakeside suited him perfectly being near to Stanstead, Monmore Green is like a second home to him and he would jump at the chance to return and alongside Jacob and Freddie he would be the ideal captain ....... if he can still score points ? Joonas Kylmakorpi 6.33 seems to be one rider that could be signed and is very good friends with Freddie and looking at the options, signing him to ride at #5 would at least mean Jacob Thorssell doesn't start as a heat leader and has at times shown a liking for WV2 in past seasons. Maybe not the ideal signing and would leave enough for Ricky Wells (not PK) but options appear to be getting short and this could be as close to a heat leader as we are likely to get available now !!! Personally I would like to have seen Grzegorz Zengota 6.16 as a possible signing and with PK would have been solid second strings had we been forced down the path of signing two six point riders for the 12.31 remaining. Greg Hancock 8.54 has signed up in Poland now so he looks unlikely which is a shame as along with Lukasz Sowka 3.00 they could have travelled from Polish meetings together as they are both at Rzsezow and Lukasz appears to be unlikely to get a fixed place in their team now he is no longer a reserve and under twenty one. Adrian Meidzinski 8.24 has apparantley shown interest in riding over here in 2015 and has done well at Monmore Green in the past. He is virtually the same age as Freddie (a month older) so at 29 he has experience. Would he want a Monday track ? One other option which wouldn't be my choice as I feel he is over rated by many is Martin Smolinski 7.54 who missed 2014 to concentrate on the GP's and now he is not in it for 2015 he could be a signing that may prove to be solid and consistant in backing up Freddie and of course that would allow us to get Lasse Bjerre 4.66 as the last signing. So who would be the best combination ? Miedzinski and A 4.00 (Eduard Krcmar) Smolinski and Bjerre Kylmakorpi and Wells Zengota and PK

Well as teams are getting closer and closer to being filled, I have to admit that Belle Vue do look to be one of the strongest so far. Yes they are a bit like Coventry in build but Zagar, Cook and Fricke look better options and if the reserves do a good job they should be title contenders. Leicester look to be struggling to make a decent team as do Wolves and Swindon and while Poole have yet to really show their cards, they will be up there as normal so with 8 teams lining up, there is three they look like being better than, four in you count Coventry. Good Luck and hope they get a track worth racing on this season before moving into the new stadium hopefully in 2016

You ain't seen the last of him yet and if the silencer ruling changes it looks possible he could be back at Wolves ...... possibly for his final year ?

The only time it has ever been mentioned was involving Tai so it seems that had an offer been made to Tai it was on the basis they didn't want the last British World Champion and twice British Champion to miss the entire season and such an offer could have at least seen him do roughly 14 meetings here which is roughly what he was asking for. The offer doesn't seem to be around anymore so obviously it's not open for Ward/Holder or Kildemand/Jasnowski etc

The Tai of 2013 was a different person to the one we saw in 2014. He went through his championship season not only performing like a Champion but also acting like one off the track in everything he did. I for one changed a few views on Tai in 2013 as he trained and worked hard all season and with the right crew and family he was a credit to the sport and the club in general. Watching him be crowned World Champion in Torun was truly remarkable and something I will always remember and seeing Tai during the season close up made me admire him not only as a rider but also as a person and gone was the smugness and attitude that seemed to be there alongside the ego and there was now a true professional in every way. During the season and as it became clear he could be World Champion, he was always saying he was after a top three finish or not celebrating until its secured. He was also of the thinking this could be the only year he ever challenges for the title again so he gave it everything and once he won it while we were in a group of people during the meeting he said he was going to enjoy the year as Champion and do what he could on a personal basis (probably money) and for the sport by promoting himself as a true Champion. Some time after winning the World Title Tai was discussing in a group of us how old Tony Rickardsson was when he won his first title and his aim now was to try and beat his joint record of six before he retired. Gone was the "at least I can tell my Grandkids I was once a World Champion" and now he was after the universe. Set ups in Britain in 2014 we not great and he had a few different mechanics through the season, but from day one it was clear the same person that started the 2013 season were not the same as his heavy work load over the close season and now his hectic fixture schedule were obviously a step too far combined with the training routine he did in his championship year. Eating correctly, sleeping enough and general condition saw Tai become a shadow of the man he was 12 months prior and while he battled to retain his crown and win the Swedish title with Vetlanda, it was clear his eyes were on those as he chased the gold medals on offer. It therefore came as no suprise he declined the chance to ride in 2015 although I was shocked that had the offer of 14 meetings out of 28 been on the cards he would have rejected it as it seemed the near perfect solution. He gets to start the season with some meetings and as the season develops the meetings are shared with Piotr Pawlicki (or Peter Karlsson) for example. As it is, he has his plans for 2015 and is determined to stick to them which is all credit to him. He may think he has made a mistake in the end but I don't think he will but sadly I can't see the job share being offered again and it may be more than a year away for Tai if 2015 goes well for him in the GP's. I wish him well for the season ahead and fully understand his reasons and would not be suprised to see him step in to Freddie's shoes if required to on a very short term basis ...... but obviously Freddie won't want that as it means he has crashed !! So 2015 ? Really thought that Greg Hancock would have been a great signing for the club and British Speedway and while he may be the most expensive rider in the sport (allegedly) I think the crowds at Monmore would have by far paid for that as you would onl;y need an extra 100 through the gates to gain around £1,200 and think there would have been at least 300 Cradley fans there each week to cheer him on 5 times a night ...... while booing in the other 10 races Lukasz Sowka is 21 now and he is at Rzeszow where Greg has finally signed. As Lukasz is no longer a junior he would be fighting for a team place and they have signed some decent riders. Would he be allowed to come to Britain on his 3.00 average and perform as we thought he could while not under pressure and gain experience here while struggling to find a ride in Poland. As it is, the signs are looking more and more like PK and Ricky filling the last two places and while I have admired the qualities of Tobiasz Museliak for sometime, he is not of the standard of Piotr Pawlicki and starting him as a heat leader as well as Jacob Thorssell is asking quite a bit from the two youngest members of the team (top five) As I am struggling to find much decent internet connection (pc - laptop) at the moment I am still hoping that a text message will come through saying Greg or Emil have signed along with Sowka or Ruml ....... but don't think so unfortunatley.

The job share option would only really work if only one was a GP rider but this was only put forward to try and help Tai Woffinden stay in British Speedway and at Wolverhampton where he would (or could) have shared the role with Piotr Pawlicki but once Tai opted out (or Wolves didn't want it) then it's a dead duck. Swindon look to be in the same boat as Wolves and Leicester now in trying to attract a second heat leader and while it isn't even 2015 yet, with other teams nearly full, it is getting a little worrying looking at what is left on the shelves after the sales. !!

9.03 Andreas Jonsson 6.85 Mikkel Bech 6.50 Richard Lawson 5.25 Edward Kennett If it is those figures they are going with then they have 6.37 left which could mean Joonas Kylmakorpi 6.33 but he is apparantley trying to get in at another club so Peter Karlsson 6.12 could be a good move so one ends up at Wolves and one ends up at Lakeside ...... but not the way the fans wanted it to happen !! If it is anything less than that, Simon Gustafsson 5.92 or Kim Nilsson 5.63 ?

Still think Coventry would be suited to getting in a new rider on a 5.00 average and watch him develop over the year. If it doesnt work out, the club has an asset and you replace them with Robson doubling up !!! Riders often order them from their own suppliers and I think the clubs pay towards the costs but only a proportion usually and they become the property of the rider. With the FIM regulations however some colours dont look the same which is why Hansen's looked green last season while Jacob Thorssell at Wolves wore a shocking but bland shade of pink rather than orange.

When the points limit was announced at 34 for just 5 riders I couldn't see how Leicester were going to manage to achieve anything close to that and even now can't despite I would have thought back in October that Jason Doyle would have moved due to GP fixtures. As it is now, Leicester still look to be struggling to find decent signings to fill up the heat leader berths and sadly it now looks like Wolves and Swindon could be doing the same despite both having assets that fits the criteria required. Davey Watt fits in to all three and while Swindon would be closer to home, I could see him joining up again with Doyle while Joonas Kylmakorpi is looking for a move to another EL track but if that falls through, he could also join Watt at Leicester and the battle will be on to see who finishes bottom out of the Robins, Lions or Wolves ?

Now I may be wrong but this is only a query, not a statement. I have been told that Tobiasz Museliak is not on a 6.00 and Wolves have a certain figure left to sign the last two once that deal is finished. However, the figures I have been told don't seem to add up and I could understand Tobiasz being a 5.00 rider instead of 6.00 but if the figures that were suggested to me are right it would have meant Freddie's average had been reduced by over a point ? Maybe Freddie's average has been reduced slightly, but that would then mean Museliak coming in on a 4.00 which would definatley appear wrong to everyone. However on the press release of Lindgren signing, didn't it say he was coming in on 8.94 or have things changed now that AJ got his reduction ? Would be nice for clubs and the BSPA to have official averages with their signings to avoid speculation as to who fits where and be totally looking at the wrong figures. Still think PLAN A at present is Pawlicki and Karlsson but if the rumours are right or even close, PLAN B looks even better for all concerned !!

WEMBLEY STADIUM or OLYMPIC STADIUM 1 - Tomasz Gollob 2 - Jarek Hampel 3 - Nicki Pedersen 4 - Emil Sayfutdinov 5 - Greg Hancock 6 - Piotr Pawlicki 7 - Matej Zagar 8 - Chris Holder 9 - Darcy Ward 10- Niels K Iversen 11- Tai Woffinden 12- Andreas Jonsson 13- Krzysztof Kasprzak 14- Fredrik Lindgren 15- Peter Kildemand 16- Bartosz Zmarzlik 17- Michael Jepsen Jensen 18- Jacob Thorssell

I am sorry to all those that have been in the competition but due to personal issues and the lack of proper internet connections (lap top had it), I have been struggling this year to keep up with things like this. As I don't know what lies ahead for me in 2015 I can only apologise for this and if anyone wants to take it on next season, feel free and once again Sorry to all those posting. Grahame.

Rseszow are talking to Hancock and Kildemand but Greg is also looking at other avenues by the looks of it and we will hopefully know which road he has taken by Christamas. As for KK he has reached World#2 by dropping Britain and having a fixed race night. Like Tai, Nicki, Jarek etc they see this as the way forward and challenge for the title. Can't see him changing whjat worked so well in 2014

Wells is a no go now he is at Workington which no doubt was after CVS advised him to take the deal on the table as he doesn't like keeping assets waiting. Sacked is maybe the wrong word. Released from his contract due to the situation he was put under by his Polish club as they reached the play offs and Wolves were simply fulfilling missing fixtures. He loved it at Monmore Green and he wants to come back and its no secret that CVS, Adams and the fans would love to see him again as he was clearly better than 7.32 and averaged 7.92 with the club and the fact he is only 19 when he started with us he showed a great attitude in the team and always willing to help others QUESTION; As funny as it sounds, I know Andreas Jonsson has had his average reduced from 9.66 to 9.03 to match that of Niels K Iversen as he is World #6 and was World #2 since that figure was achieved and the league has changed. However Fredrik Lindgren averaged 8.94 in a league that in 2013 was much easier than the 2014 race format that saw most heat leaders have their averages go down like Woffinden, Kildemand, Ward, Zagar etc. Could there be a case for Lindgren to get a new average due to the change of race format ? Also will Pawlicki have to return on his 2014 only average of 7.92 or the 7.32 achieved over various seasons ? QUESTION #2; Would it not be more realistic if Tobias Musielak was on a 5.50 or 5.00 average as he hasn't appeared in a WTC or SGP and has ridden mainly at reserve in Poland. Isn't 6 a little high !! If there is other averages we should be looking at, maybe we could still sign Pawlicki on 7.32 or 7.92 and still fit in PK or another 6 pointer like Kylmakorpi or Zengota say ....... you know it makes sense 1 - Fredrik Lindgren 2 - Tobiasz Musielak 3 - Jacob Thorssell 4 - PK (or a 6+) 5 - Piotr Pawlicki 6 - Lewis Blackibird 7 - Josh Bates NICE

So Belle Vue have their team unless he signs for Coventry who also want him ...... along with Wolves, Poole and Lakeside !!

Emil would be serious money and although I would love it to be slightly true I can't see it happening and firmly believe we are trying to put a solid deal together to get Pawlicki back in 2015 with reassurances he wont be told to be sick at the drop of a hat again. Would settle for Greg Hancock though even if it was just to wind up the Cradley fans or get them to turn up on a Monday night. He may cost a fortune but the crowds would be massive each meeting.

I have very limited internet time at the moment so I haven't posted some days and certainly wouldn't recommend any Polish rider 21 or under to sign for a British team unless all things are sorted before they sign. I can see the benefit of a new rider coming in but if Max Fricke is allowed to double up, he has to be the best option for Belle Vue

We have the riders don't worry ..... it's just which former Coventry rider we are going to sign as we have a number of options

ok so Morris can double up by the looks of it so it looks like .... SWINDON Pebble Beach Adver Honda Melinda Messenger XTC Julian Clary 2015 Robins 1 - TO BE ANNOUNCED 2 - Kyle Howarth 5.27 3 - Nick Morris 6.31 4 - Grzegorz Zengota 6.16 5 - Troy Batchelor 7.58 6 - Charles Wright 7 - Lewis Rose OK

At least it would give Coventry someone to fight for the wooden spoon

Well if that's true it squashes the accusations some people think of him But he is here as an Australian, not British so does he have a British Passport. He has only been here a few years and still rides under the Australian banner so I'm unsure how it rules on him. Dakota North however like Grajczonek seem to want to ride full time in the Elite League and Josh would be a decent choice too if he is available ?

I know I posted Kasprzak / Kylmakorpi as possibles but why does the combination of Doyle and Watt seem to be more realistic !!!