T.N.T.

Always liked Scott and he certainly likes Monmore Green but if rumours are right that Ipswich are on their way back then he would be the natural choice for them to lead their team rather than play as #2 to Tai. Pleased Hansen is at Coventry rather than Wolves as I am more than happy with Ty Proctor, Adam Skornicki and Ricky Wells on averages around that mark plus next season Jacob Thorssell will no doubt be a more improved rider from 4.61

It could be that low but when you take into account there COULD be 12 Elite League tracks, some top riders missing through choice and possibly NO SKY deal then you have to be thankful its as high as 36 It's still here. Well not really but in a way it is. Remember back in the 80's riders still had BP's added to their averages and if you added the bonus points to Birmingham or Swindon this season then they would be around 50 combined ..... so in a way it's still here and always will be. A drop in the points limit only means there won't be as many big names (big paid riders) here. There will still be 90 points up for grabs in each meeting but it just means Heat 15's will be more like Woffinden/Proctor v Ward/Watt instead of including Lindgren and Holder. It's better to see a weaker but still entertaining form of the sport than no sport at all if tracks carry on spending like they are.

Not too sure how many of those are Ipswich assets ? Hans Andersen pretty sure isn't, Tungate not sure but have something saying he is a Poole asset on loan (not sure). Bach not and Barker still Coventry along with Nicholls. Heeps don't know and last I remember Risager was a Swindon asset and Lanham a Lakeside asset. If the limit is 38 and Ipswich move up, Scott Nicholls would be a great rider to have as a #1 as not many teams will have many 7+_ riders and they can keep Barker (on loan) or sign another near 7 point rider, they only have 24 for 5 places left to fill and that would enable three or four of the current line up to stay with them and build a solid team Good Luck

Trouble is that the EL has cut down on fixtures over the last few seasons mainly to make sure that teams could line up with the big names each meeting. With the GP's (12) and SEC (6) plus the WTC (2), thats EIGHTEEN Saturdays where many of the top riders would not be able to race over here on the Friday. In 2014 tracks are looking at doing more fixtures and not one every now and again which has hit some tracks hard. Therefore any big name will only ride over here if they commit to the season and can fit them in along with Poland and Sweden (+ Denmark). Some like Freddie Lindgren has already said he will be riding in Sweden on two nights and Poland on Sundays along with the GP's and SEC. Therefore he has opted to miss out (to be confirmed) on Britain after 10 loyal seasons at one track. Leicester look to have Kasprzak lined up for next season who is in the GP's and also Poland on a Sunday but didn't do Sweden in 2013 and therefore has weekdays free to ride over here. Next season there will be very few riders that are willing to do more than three from Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Britain, GP's and the SEC with only Tai Woffinden (not Denmark) and Darcy Ward (not Denmark or SEC) so far saying they want to have that hectic calendar. ..... Must be the MONSTER in them !! If Leicester switched to Tuesdays (or Wednesdays) then KK would be available and depending on the visiting team having any riders in the Swedish League which may be very few !! .... If there is only Tai and Darcy that this affects then these could be run on weeks Sweden dont ride or a Monday night if Sky are still involved With Coventry, Wolverhampton, Peterborough, Kings Lynn and Lakeside not too far away, it makes sense to ride in the EL and not ave to travel north of the border or up North again apart from Belle Vue. I wish them well if they do move up as expected as I know a lot of work has gone into the Leicester project for decades and the rise of the club since opening has shown there is a future for speedway in the area. Look forward to visiting when Wolves are there and then onto one of the great curry houses after !

Don't blame riders like Barker, Doyle and many others riding in both leagues to make a decent living but this needs to stop now for the good of the sport. If the EL is looking at having more meetings by riding home and away twice again then doubling up riders will have more clashes of dates. This would mean more R/R being used or more guests and with riders like Doyle, it's hard to replace a rider that is currently riding as a heat leader with r/r. Doubling up should not be about making a decent wage, it should be about young up and coming riders testing the water in a higher division. However doubling up is going to be more hassle than they are worth if there are more fixture clashes and if more riders like Barker, Doyle etc are made to ride in just one league, it would mean more team places in the PL and these could be filled by riders in the NL. Therefore the EL needs to cut down to somewhere between 36-38 and the PL to the same level. This would then create more spaces for riders to double up from the NL to the PL and British riders should be classed as low as 2.00 in the PL. They should also keep this average for the duration of the season which would give them a season at reserve while doubling up. Riders moving from EL - PL or vice versa should be assessed at 1.5 meaning a 6.00 PL rider is assessed as a 4.00 EL rider. Riders moving from PL - NL should be assessed at at 2.5. Therefore a 4.00 PL rider could ride in the NL at 10.00 while a 6.00 NL rider could ride in the PL on 2.40. Riders riding in both the PL and EL should have one official average with results used in both leagues,

It would be crazy to let Bomber go anywhere else on a 6.82 average as next season looks set to be a lower points limit and with a few of the big names opting out of British Speedway next season he could easily move back to an 8+ average. Pleased that Bees have won the race to sign Kenneth Hansen too as he no doubt has talent and could be a decent back up rider on a 5.83 average but I still remember his lack of apearances for Wolves and now pleased he hasn't been recalled as he never did too much at Monmore Green in the past. While he may not be the rider he was, I would think Bees will still show faith in Scott Nicholls and would look at getting Aaron Summers back too. Michal Szczepainiak did a decent job this season and could be a good signing to possibly start at reserve or will they look to Adam Roynon to have a clear run of injuries and back to a 5+ average.

That's the way he looks to be heading and wants to obviously ride at a much higher level now he is on the crest of a wave and doing Sweden (Elite) and Poland (1st Division) should see him clearly take over as Britain's #2 If Aces can get Zagar back next season and keep Wolbert too, they have the foundations of a decent team

With Freddie looking to concentrate on Sweden, Poland and the GP's next season and a possible lowered points limit, Bomber would be a great rider to back up Tai and with Ty, Ricky and Jacob as second strings it may leave enough to have a reserve pairing something like Klindt and Sam Masters ..... but that's just under 40 so if the limit is lower then Ashley Morris doubling up at reserve with Nicolai, Ludvig or Masters would do. 1 Tai Woffinden 2 Ricky Wells 3 Chris Harris 4 Jacob Thorssell 5 Ty Proctor 6 Ludvig or Klindt 7 Masters or Morris 99% sure he is still a Wolves asset and certainly his name seems to be banded around a bit lately and is puting himself in the shop window. Personally I think he could be ok on a 5.83 average but would be more confident in Ty, Adam or Ricky on averages around that mark doing a more consistant and reliable job for the team. When he was last with Wolves we played the game "Where's Kenny" as we took guess's where he would be on a Monday night ..... Monmore Green wasn't a popular pick by many. However he did a good job for Peterborough in 2009 but when you look at his scores that season, he was much better at the EoES than away. At home he scored 111+21 from 67 rides in 14 meetings giving him an average of 7.88 at home. However away he scored just 66+10 from 62 rides in 12 meetings giving him an away average of just 4.90 ....... and that includes 23+1 from 10 rides at Coventry where hopefully he is looking at for next season and Bomber spending a year at a proper race track.

Daniel King, Nicolas Covatti and Ludvig Lindgren are three, can't think of many more as most are Coventry assets. Can't see line ups being that strong and if they go with three 7+ heat leaders, I would think there would only be about 17 points left for the last four spaces if the limit is as rumoured to be around 38. Sundstrom, Nicholls, Harris, Summers, Szczepaniak, Roynon and someone like Sarjeant would be more like the strength on teams next season. Not saying that would be the team as I also think Bomber could be elsewhere and wouldn't mind him having a season at Wolves where he always goe well and loves the track and would be an ideal back up to Tai as sadly Freddie looks set to miss out riding over here next season.

The 2013 season draws to an end with the Fireworks at the end of the meeting as Fredrik Lindgren attempts to win his SIXTH title in a regular entertaining meeting where winning races means a handicap next time out. Ricky Wells Craig Cook Ashley Morris Kenneth Hansen Freddie Lindgren Scott Nicholls Peter Kildemand Dimitri Berge Ludvig Lindgren Danny King Adam Skornicki Nicolai Klindt Jakub Jamrog Grzegorz Zengota Niels-Kristian Iversen Andrew Tully Reserves: Max Clegg, Dan Greenwood Sadly this looks like being a last chance to see Freddie ride in Britain until Cardiff next season as he has signed up to ride in Sweden on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Poland on Sundays and looks set to be in the GP's and SEC most Saturdays. Freddie has been a great servant for the club and British Speedway over the years and hopefully a year out with less travelling will see him back to the rider we know he can be and using a new set up. So while we look to be saying bon voyage to one club legend, we also get to welcome home another as Tai Woffinden will be present with his 2013 World Championship trophy. It was 20 years ago we welcomed home Sam Ermolenko with the title but the achievements of Tai this season has been quite remarkable. ADULTS; £17 CONCESSIONS; £12 12-16 year olds; £5 6-11 year olds; £1 under 6; Free

Would be very disapointed if Ben Barker, Craig Cook or any rider with a 6+ EL average is not riding full time in the Elite League. As there should be more meetings in 2014 with 11 or 12 teams comepting twice home and twice away against ALL teams. I would possibly say any rider with a 5+ average should move up like Auty, Allen, Robson etc or just ride in the PL. Doubling up should be for younger British riders to encourage them to learn in the PL and try their hand at reserve in the Elite League at reserve. Lewis Kerr, Lewis Blackbird, Ashley Morris etc

It may not be what we would wish for, but British Speedway has to start smelling the coffee and start looking after the finances better. The sport has many many rules that only apply in speedway and other sports would find it crazy to operate in such a way. Is there any other sport that pays the visiting team ? ..... If Man Utd were playing at Aston Villa, would Villa have to pay Rooney, RVP, Evra etc part of their wages !!! Why can't tracks simply pay their own riders what they score ? The more they score the more you pay, but at least you are not paying £65 a point to the visiting team (roughly £2,600) each home meeting. AVAILABILITY Is there any other sport where you have to pay for members of your team to fly in from foreign parts to compete. Maybe Man City missed a trick in losing Tevez as they should have just flew him in from Argentina each week instead !! ...... We have to be looking at riders that are mainly based in Britain like the Brits, Aussies, Americans etc and even riders that don't need to look abroad to make a living. Riders like Nicolai Klindt for example would still ride in their native country, but as they are based over here, they can commit to a British track and hopefully a more filled fixture list. One problem I do see however is some riders having been having too much cake and eating it and riders like Ben Barker, Jason Doyle etc have in the past few seasons been high scoring in both leagues and rightly so they have been looking at ways of making a living. However as the difference between the two leagues will get closer, you cant have the #1 at a PL track being #1 in the top flight too. Also if the fixture lists were more level then it would be hard for riders to compete in both leagues. With an increase in meetings, hopefully back to twice at home and twice away for ALL tracks and two teams moving up to give 22 home and 22 away, it would see an increase of 16 meetings straight away. Fans have been lost or disgruntled with the way the fixture lists have been compiled in recent years and one home meeting in a month just cant be right. People get used to doing other things and when a race night finally comes around some think should they bother ? It may mean we lose some big names in Britain, but it's better to swim in the pool than drown in the ocean. Fredrik Lindgren looks set to be missing next season as he competes in Sweden on Tuesday and Thursdays along with Poland on a Sunday and a few other meetings slotted in. Darcy Ward and Tai Woffinden have both expressed a wish to stay racing in Britain next season and hopefully they will. However any track employing them would not be able to track another top name due to hopefully a more reliable points limit and also it would be financial suicide. Maybe that would suggest Chris Holder would be looking to ride elsewhere ? ...... maybe he may want to give Britain a miss as he comes back from injury. Will Iversen, Bjerre, Zagar etc be back next season ? ...... KK linked to Leicester which would be good. I have never been a fan of forcing British riders into the top tier as that was tried in the 80's and only one of the many up and coming riders of the day was still riding at the age of 30 as the others had retired either broke or lost confidence by facing top riders as they were learning. However I do feel averages should be more setlled. A rider should have ONE Official average and if a rider rides in both leagues, he has his average calculated using results from both leagues. While my idea of foreign riders having to keep their assessed averages until they reach that figure is unlikely to be bought in as tracks have many of these on low averages ..... however I would advocate that British riders can be assessed as low as 2.00 in while foreign riders can't be lower than 3.00. Therefore Ashley Morris could double up for Wolves on something like 2.33 while James Sarjeant could be at Coventry on 2.00. PLAY OFFS I agree that a straight shoot off should be a better way of sorting things but it doesn't help the fact that not the best team during the season walks away with the prize. Have to congratulate Poole on yet another title, but they have not been the best team in 2013 just simply the team that got things moving at the right time with the right riders. So I would suggest that the play offs are straight shooot outs and no tactical rides BUT ...... I would also adopt a bonus for the teams that have performed better during the season. The top four teams in the league were Birmingham 56pts, Swindon 54, Wolves 51 and Poole 46. Brummies would still get first pick and if they wanted to face Wolves they would start on 5 points. If they wanted to face Poole they would start on 10 and Swindon 2. This way the team that finishes top is rewarded for the seasons work and not punished in the final few meetings by a team that has struggled for months and months. There are likely to be a lot of big changes for next season but I just hope they look at the loopholes that could appear before rushing into things.

I have talk sport on in the van and have to say that I like the HJ Show and did hear Andy Jacobs's line. I text them in and have since sent them an email ...... let's see if they take me up on the offer !! The problem with Talk Sport and many other Sports related TV and Radio shows is that 80% of it is always about football and that is unlikely to ever change. Let's face it every National newspaper very rarely features any other sport on it's back page !

I have had a mixture of things (work, pc problems, commitments etc) that meant the leaderboard hasn't been updated lately. However I will this weekend be working on this and get the full table sorted. PS; Woffy Woffy Woffy !!!

As many of you have seen or heard that Tai winning the world title has been featured on many TV, Radio and newspapers. All this is good for the sport and the people responsable for getting this coverage deserve a pat on the back ...... but be careful not to hurt that collar bone !!

Bet Heath Town is the WV version of Old Kent Rd !! Zagar more likely to be back at Belle Vue PK is getting back from injury but as he states in the SS, he wants to carry on racing but is unsure about Britain as he thinks it should be the same next year or stronger. However it looks most likely it will be weaker and less money around and personally think PK will be back to Sweden (2 nights) and Poland (1 night) Hopefully Tai as World Champion will be back after an amazing 2013 season but sad that Wolves could be without Freddie who has seemed to be over shadowed this year and apart from injury, hasn't had a bad season really but the poor form in the GP's and the title win by Tai makes it look like they are worlds apart but in fact they are very much equal in Britain. Personally I think Freddie will get the Swedish nomination for the GP's and if he does ride in Britain it may have to be somewhere that fits in with his calendar but like Tai he could possibly be in Sweden, Poland, GP's and SEC which would affect as to where he was to ride over here ..... if he does ? While I like many want to see the top riders ride here, I would actually like to see the limit lowered to 36 or more likely 38 and 11 or 12 teams compete in the Elite League and each ride home and away twice, giving 40 - 44 meetings a season. It may be another "watered down" league but we have to face the fact that British Speedway needs to be financially more stable and that results in less big earners in each team. Woffinden 9.20, Proctor 5.78, Wells 5.35, Thorssell 4.61 and Aspgren 3.15 should hopefully fill five of the spaces next season and then it's see what is left. 28.09 is the combined average of those five, so if the limit is even 38 then it leaves 9.91 for the final two ..... Ludvig / Klindt ...... Skornicki / Morris ...... ? ? ...... If the limit stays the same then Freddie would have to be included but can't see it. QUESTION; Which would Wolves fans rather see or think would be best for the team ? 1 - Tai at #1 and riding in Poland, Sweden, GP's and SEC 2 - Freddie riding in just Poland and Sweden ?

If you look at the tweet it ends with #poland which would more refer to him riding in Poland where he now has his biggest sponsors by far. Tai now has deals sorted to ride in Wroclaw, Poland on a Sunday, Vetlanda, Sweden on a Tuesday and all the Grand Prix's (12) and European Championship meetings (6) on Saturday's which makes you wonder if he can fit in British Speedway or British Speedway can afford Tai ? and also will the BSPA give a guest facility to cover for him should an SEC meeting collide with a meeting as they don't recognise the competition May be interesting to see if Wolves and Poole (or any other track) would be allowed to share the #1 race jacket which has been looked at before. Wolves can then use Woffinden or Lindgren while Poole use Ward or Holder. Swindon can use Andersen or Kildemand etc

That was the best bit of the draw for me and possibly Tai as he wanted to meet Jarek early on to get the job done early and throwing in the other two Poles was just the boost Tai needed to go out and win the heat which he did in style and thanks to the 5+ Swindon asset (8+ Poole rider), he won the title when Jarek s.lipped to third. Tai has numerous interviews and tv appearances lined up but at present he has a few things to sort out in Poland and will be back here soon and appear on BBC Breakfast as one of his appeasrances. He has a great new sponsorship deal sorted in Poland and improved one while as many will have noticed he has also signed up to MONSTER and by the time he takes to the track again over here on Tuesday 22nd at Monmore Green in the Bank's Olympique he should have contracts done to ride in Poland (Wroclaw), Sweden (Vetlanda) and Britain (Wolverhampton) for 2014

I am confident in saying Freddie will get a Wild Card nomination by Sweden ....... even as a Wolves and Freddie fan I can understand everyone saying he shouldn't be given it after a poor 2013 season in the GP's and to finish with a very poor 2 points in Torun. However I have heard the views of some people who may have a say in who is selected as Wild Cards and that's why I think Freddie will be given the Swedish spot ...... rightly or wrongly ! No one should question Holder and Gollob getting them really so it's the final two nominations that are really up for discussion and with Freddie (most likely) to get one then it's the final place that will be up to who gets the nod

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03c4dvr/The_Chris_Evans_Breakfast_Show_07_10_2013/ 2.21 in

After the last weekend I feel confident in saying that three of the four Wild Cards will be going to Chris Holder (injured), Tomasz Gollob (injured) and Fredrik Lindgren (Sweden). That leaves just ONE Wild Card and for entertainment it is most likely Grigory Laguta is favourite to land the #15 race jacket.

Back after a great weekend to see Tai clinch the unexpected World Title but he has richly deserved it this year in every way and that heat five was unbelievable to not only beat the three Poles but to see Meidzinski get past Hampel was the icing on the cake. As for 2014, only time will tell now as Tai will be looking at making the most of being the man in demand and looks to have already sorted his Wroclaw and Vetlanda contracts along with a couple of big sponsors that will pay the going rate for the World #1 and hopefully he will sort out a deal with Wolves for next year also. Freddie saw his big change to a new tuner backfire in Torun, but then on Sunday won an open meeting in Ostrow against a pretty strong field including Hancock, Pedersen, Jonsson and Woffy. He hasn't had a great 2013 but looks to be changing a few things for next season and riding in Britain could be the one that misses out and it looks impossible that any team will have two big hitters next season ....... Will it be Tai or Freddie next season ..... if any at all ? Frankly it may cost more money, but I firmly think that Tai has to be included next season, not only for the team but also for British Speedway and the profile of the sport. We can't afford to miss out on having the first British World Champion not appearing in Britain and hope it's Wolverhampton that gives him the place he richly deserves. With Ty Proctor and Jacob Thorssell all but nailed on, it would be a big suprise if Ricky Wells isn't included even after a season that failed to see him build on the success of 2012 but he still has potential and is a decent second string who would be ideal for the #2 race jacket. Meanwhile on a 3.15 average, Pontus Aspgren has to be looked on as a bargain at reserve who can challenge for a spot in the main body. What that leaves remains to be seen but at least we have the foundations to build on and although that is regular faces back again, the club has too many good assets not to use and maybe the last two places will go to new faces to inject some new blood into the team.

There has been rumours that Ipswich are moving back up under a new look Elite League and with Ben Barker possibl staying then there could be another team in the EL using mainly Bees assets like Birmingham this season. If there is any truth in that, then it would be crazy to think Bees would not recall Bomber next season unless they are out for a true #1 like Lindgren or Holder ?

PIRATES 2014 Josh Grajzonek 4.48, Kyle Howarth 4.28 and Mickey Dyer 3.42 Darcy Ward 9.07 has to be the main target to be #1 but IF the limit is down to 38 then there is only 16.75 left for the three remaining sp;aces. However if it goes as low as 36 then thats just 14.75 left to sign 3 riders which would almost make Josh G a third heat leader !!! Maciej 6.95 back would possibly leave 9.80 (7.80) for the last two ...... Maybe a return for Zorro 5.18 and Ludvig 4.48 ??

If there are say 12 teams in the EL next season and a much lower points limit (36 - 38 possibly) then there has to be a question on riders like Aaron Summers, Adam Roynon etc as to which league they will be riding in. Can riders still double up as there are likely to be more fixture clashes if there are 22 home and 22 away meetings. That said, in Scott Nicholls as possible rider/manager/pundit they have a rider committed to riding in British Speedway and in a weaker league you may see more of the old Scott and if they can get Linus Sundstrom or Chris Harris back to spearhead the team ..... possibly both then Bees would have to build their tail end with the likes of Summers and possibly a gamble on Nicolai Klindt and two 3.00 reserves. It may look weak, but so will all other teams as there looks to be drastic cuts and current heat leaders replaced by reserves. EXAMPLES ONLY BEES; Sundstrom, Nicholls, Harris, Summers, Klindt, Roynon, Sarjeant. WOLVES; Woffinden, Skornicki, Proctor, Wells, Thorssell, Aspgren, Morris SWINDON; Batchelor, Doyle, Morris, Stead, Howarth, Birks, 3.00