SPEEDY69

if it's as plain and simple as you say, why all the secrecy from poole. They announced nothing prior and immediately post the belle vue meeting. Always seems to be poole involved in whatever underhand dealings appear to be going on in the el. There must be a reason for this.

I really cannot understand the secrecy around Smart's absence - if it was for personal reasons then that would have been reported by now. If any rider wants to miss a fixture the reason is always publicised - committment clash, injury etc. I've never known a situation where no-one knows, or lets on. The fact that this has happened with Poole just adds to the suspicion I'm afraid, given their wish for squads and picking horses for courses. If any club were to arrange an away fixture at a track where you know one of your team will be missing, but they are hopeless there, is another way to strengthen your chances - I wonder if this has happened before?

Well we can both speculate but I don't think we'll ever have the evidence to say one way or another sadly. KK's engine in Harris' bike, would he have won the GP? I'd say no. Harris' engine in KKs bike would he have won the GP? Quite possibly.

I've worked somewhere when a group of 'travellers' set up nearby and they caused havoc - trying to break in to the premises and damaging it, stealing the guttering, defecating in the premises entrance, and scattering rubbish and litter everywhere.

Well, a good win for the Aces. Appears from the scorers that Holder was the let down for Poole - surprising as he normally goes well at Belle Vue. Only saw Ht 15 but thought it should have been called back as Cook made a roller - still, maybe justice from what happened last season

I think so yes and there are a whole host of reasons why. I remember once having a professional rider asking me what clutch springs and plates I used because my bike was so much faster off the start than theirs - had to tell them the springs were 5 years old and the plates standard Jawa that had been in all season. You should have seen the look on their face! There is a lot of keeping up with the Joneses which doesn't necessarily mean you are any quicker on the track - the rider themselves make a huge difference. Again, examples in the past of top riders using someone else's bike and still winning, despite that bike being pretty much 'out of the box' and getting a lower BHP figure on the dyno.

That's a bit harsh Steve, he was well on the pace in a cracking race, Tai lost the re run hardly Kennets fault, it happens all the time. If you mean the final when he came off, ok he was on the pace, which was obviously too fast for him which is why he fell! Like I said last Thursday he was poor and for me shouldn't get a 'wildcard'. Stuart Robson had bad luck with his engines/ other mechanical issues and to my mind he deserves another chance due to those circumstances. With the finances Kennett has behind him if he was anything like a decent rider he would've been in the Grand Prix series years ago. Bit harsh on Kennett I think. He finished the semi-final in 8th place and barring injury for a leading light in the other semi, should get a place in the final in my view as that is the fairest thing to do. Mechanical failure is part of the sport - some riders have more than others which suggests it's not simply down to bad luck. Kennett also finished higher in the GP qualifying last season than any other British rider. Also, if you know how much money he has compared to other riders then you must be very close to him or has he stated this somewhere?

Charles wright should clean up at reserve, pirates favourites for this one I think

The power generated by the engine is only one component of the bike setup. A rider who can get his whole bike set up well and make starts can win races on a standard engine from the manufacturer.

Brummies and aces fans must be both pleased but puzzled how barker, king and cook can do so well in this individual event - others as per form book. Wonder if wild cards will be newman and kennett, unless something happens before/in the other semi.

In your opinion of course - disliked by a few I think, not many and no, I don't think it's TBF. I don't think it's anything to do with Nationality this time. As the Belle Vue No.2 people rightly expect him to be beating opposing teams' numbers 1 and 2 more frequently than he is, and beating other opposition most of the time. He didn't get his average by chance and I think will improve but his performances so far have cost the Aces some points - nothing wrong with pointing that out.

Ben Reade has looked particularly out of his depth so far but Belle Vue usually give their riders opportunity to come good rather than chop and change all the time like some other teams.

Cook is Belle Vue No2, Nicholls is their third heat leader

Good meeting tonight and close, as expected. Real shame for the Aces that they couldn't take the win - perhaps the change in riding order when the new averages come out might see a change in form for Cook as he's underperformed so far. Nielsen and Palm Toft both did well and for Wolves, Thorsell, Pawlicki & Wells had their moments.

Looking at the individual battles I think Wolves have the edge. Their top two should be stronger than the Aces top two (Woffinden-Zagar, Pawlicki-Cook) but the Aces may have the edge at three (Proctor-Nicholls). At four and five again Wolves should be stronger (Thorsell & Wells over Worrall & Palm Toft). As with every meeting, reserves are key and for the Aces to get anything from the meeting then Nielsen has to do well. Let's hope the rain doesn't spoil the track for what should be a close affair.

No. Reported yesterday on the Wolves site that Tom Perry is in.

I quite like the fact there's no hiding place/comfort blanket for 1, 3 & 5, which is why we're seeing some really low scores by some. The format does present difficulties though for riders in certain positions which is of more concern as an away rider - gaps of five races before another ride can make the next ride more of a challenge e.g. away no.1 or no.3 (if in Ht15). The problem of mismatched reserves is that an 8 point margin will be gained in many meetings - difficult to make up.

f-s-p can you elaborate as I don't understand the codes - are cw leather and kw polyester/nylon/kevlar? what's the difference between cw and kw in terms of material? If the rider has the choice then if it were me, I'd be wearing a leather suit with all my sponsors logos everywhere and just the old fashioned race jacket!! Depends what you mean by having a choice - contracts can be complex things.

That's the trouble with nominations - it shows who your favourites are! Base it on the british final result from previous season or el average, then no-one would complain of favouritism, as long as we all understand harris is a mandatory pick!!

I think Rosco wanted to give the youngsters the opportunity, and Harris of course.

No, this is from the 2014 British Speedway regulations. Every rider wants to be protected when racing but clubs buy their race suits here. The real issue for me is that a rider has no choice in that they can't wear leathers even if they want to - unless they have their team suit over the top, which with underclothes may make them feel a bit constrained or like michelin man!!

They are nominated places so I don't think he was asked.

You must have had a word with yourself and disagreed then?! Good win for the Aces, reserves are being found out away from home though and the captain is not mixing it with the big boys yet. Away points are a must if they want to be in the play-offs, how about next Tuesday on the TV?

When I asked him he said he didn't - where/when did he say this? He was banned from competing in the Euro Champs by the BSPA (which would have affected his British club and which Andersen did) but still did the GP qualifiers last year. Then he was not asked by the BSPA to fill in at Poole for the challenge (neither were most of the other 20+ riders next in line). He wants the BSPA to be more supportive of British riders and experience abroad comes into that as well. He has only said he'll not do the World Cup as they need to give other riders a go, not that he has 'quit international speedway'. He wasn't asked to compete in the ben fund this year - which he would have done if asked.