cinderfella

Huh just wait till he offers you a selfie

But the averages can be a joke. Eg last season MPT was no 1 in the Panthers' PL averages yet 4th in the CL Bears' averages and again this year he is again top at Panthers but not at Plymouth. The whole average system needs restructured and team building built around 45pts. If they insist heat 15 doesn't count in averages then it shouldn't count in match scores either. I've suggested for years that the team building averages should be the previous year's winning team' final average and that way you get a) teams building up rather than diluting and b) the opporchancity for a team to be kept together with some loyalty as a bonus especially for young fans who have spent their pocket money on memorabilia etc of their favourite riders.

I'm sorry but that really means these riders are the better ones at 2nd level speedway. If they are as good as that they should be holding their on at PL level too. Dan Bewley has done it and Tom Brennan is certainly showing he is capable. I suppose CL heat leaders should be equivalent of PL 2nd strings and CL 2nd strings should be PL reserves and equally the same relationship between CL and NDL. The only ways to improve are more track time (the only benefit from doubling up IMHO) and racing against the strongest opponents. Problem is PL & CL are basically 90% the same product bar racing on different nights under different names.

Isn't ironic that now the PL run on two evenings (dictated by the Poles I'll argue) and fans rarely have consecutive home meetings on the same evening. And some PL teams have had to changed their race days to accommodate the availability of the same riders because of doubling up. Sorry for the cracked record but it's time British Speedway was run for the benefit of British riders and fans by an independent admin.

Do we need the World's best? British Speedway already operates without, arguably, without it's current best three riders. I've suggested for years that the GP series killed British Speedway. Ask Eastbourne and Arena fans or any of the other teams that had to do without their star riders on GP weekends. Increase the number of GP rounds to 24 or similar like F1 and the top 15 riders plus a Wild Card can compete solely for the World Crown without league speedway getting in the way of their ambitions. League speedway can then be for loyal riders and fans.

Seem to recall back in 1993 there was the facility for a No 9. Gets messy I know. Maybe competitive 2nd halves should be brought back. How about the old 'rider of the night' finals but with cumulative points carried forward to the end of the season and the winner getting a new bike or something? Add a bit of interest with away riders scoring double or extra points perhaps? Just an idea to make things interesting

Certainly had 8 men teams but I think 7 & 8 rode against the other riders Heats 16, 17, & 18 were also for 5th & 6th, 3rd & 4th and top two scorers from each team.

How about 8 man teams with 7&8 being NDL standard riders who have not ridden in the main body of a PL or CL team. Change the heat format and have 4 heats where the 7s & 8s only ride against each other with a start from each gate position. The present 15ht system is flawed. Ht 15 is where the top 2 scorers from each team should face each other but how often does that not happen because either the match has already been decided or a (top) rider insists he gets the ride despite having scored poorly in his programmed rides? Things need sorted but only the powerless fans seem to see that.

Yip until the sport has a TOTALLY INDEPENDENT ruling body it is going nowhere but down the tube. 99% of Promoters (and I use that term loosely) are only interested in their own team/league and can't see the fuller picture. Many claim they lose money season after season. That's because they don't listen to the paying public and make changes that will benefit themselves and the sport as a whole. When Poole stepped down from the Premier League it was after asking fans and it has paid dividends for them and I doubt the standard of racing has changed much given the PL & CL used 90% of the same riders.

Now being a Glasgow fan I'll probably take a little flack for this but if a rider withdraws from a meeting, and I use Tom Brennan withdrawing at Newcastle last Sunday, surely he should be required to 'rest & recover' for so many days rather than ride the next day? The whole set up British Speedway is a joke. Two (senior) leagues made up of the same riders more or less. It's little wonder fans wonder if riders can give 100% to their team given the strain on machinery and of travel.

Hey I thought the tricky 3rd bend was compulsory at all tracks?

Can't say I knew about that but only got down a couple of times a year. The Diamonds team at that time were different class

Yeah that's right Ashfield is such a bad track the FIM use it. Er how many FIM have Newcastle been awarded because of their track and facilities? Maybe you're in the running for a Moto-X event though?

Are you for real? You expect four guys racing 500cc bikes with no brakes to alter their course to avoid a dangerous section of track. Bikes have a mind of their own at the best of times and can act unpredictably even in the hands of the top riders.

I assume you were obviously involved in the conversations between the referee, clerk of the course, riders, promoters and managers then? Fact is Newcastle Promotion knew about the kerbs and postponed one meeting so the SCB track experts could sort the problem. That being the case NO meetings should have taken place until the work had been completed. Safety should always come first. As for how Craig Cook rode that is down to the rider himself to sort and certainly not fans who have never ridden a speedway bike. You can complain all you want about Glasgow riders and management but the truth is the problem lies closer to home as plenty of Diamond fans have stated on here. And for your information I am not a fan of the Glasgow manager though credit given where due - he does know how to photobomb at any opportunity

Maybe it was because the referee took the decision the track was dangerous. If there was concrete curbs showing through putting more shale on top was hardly going to fix that properly.

Won't argue with that. Good argument for going back to 2 valve uprights

So just when did Brough Park become Rough Park? I remember visiting in the 70s to see the great Diamonds team with the Owen Brothers overseen by the late Ian Thomas and the track never seemed to be problematic. Likewise in the early 2000s. So is it down to neglect, poor maintenance and mis- management or is the old lady just starting to show her age?

The only loyalty that exists in speedway is by the fans full stop.

There's obviously a connection with Zielona Góra then?

That's fine in theory but some riders don't want to ride for their country and others faces don't fit.

Maybe a cost cutting exercise as Bomber already has the kevlars Actually all joking apart, Bomber is riding as well as anyone else these days and IMHO deserves to be in the team. Whether we should be field a younger team is up for debate and equally I think Tom Brennan deserves his place in the team ahead of Ellis. The only way the likes of Brennan, Palin and even Kemp are going to get better is by gaining more experience by riding against the best from other countries.

Especially when the Picts come over the Border

I'd have thought it would have made more sense to scrape everything back to the base and inspecting it for curb stones etc before dumping stuff on top. Guess there is going to be a lot of tyre packing going on. Can't but think of Bill Bridget boring holes, pouring methanol into them then igniting it. Story goes a member of track staff got a bad burn because methanol burns with a clear flame and the poor bloke didn't see anything.

It happens more than you'd think but not always with such drastic injuries. Seemingly Uli Oostergaard also went into the fence after a race the other night too. (After ht5 Glasgow v Plymouth)