Ben91

Which shows the standard across the board was pretty similar. Averaging out the averages would just iron out the few anomalies.

But he does have the Polish ride. Seems a bit woe is me I must say. He's been one of many prime benefactors of the doubling up free for all of the last 15 odd years.

I don't think it's rocket science, it shouldn't be at least, get your meetings planned as far in advance as possible and have them when they're least likely to be rained off. If the reserved weeks aren't filled by cup meetings/rearranged cancellations then stick on a challenge meeting. Your riders should be available to race for you on your race night every week. As a fan I never had an issue with a rider missing for a national/international meeting. It wasn't ideal but it's when they're riding for another club somewhere that it really takes the biscuit.

The obvious solution to rider averages for this season would have been to combine NDL and NDT averages from 2025. Not rocket science to do.

Morley's been away from the second tier for a couple of years now as well. Two lots of 8% (and a British reduction, if that's still a thing?) would have left him well under a four point average. Would have made him quite a desirable option I'd imagine, if people had known the rule was only applied to the top two leagues.

Assuming the team will be changed once Pickering's average drops it's difficult to judge the whole. That signing itself, despite being a marquee one, has hamstrung the rest of the team build. If Ablitt's been given a reduction despite having raced last season that's dodgy though.

Positive. But a real sign of intent would come hand in hand with a NDL team too.

A press release keeping fans abreast of what's happening. All we've needed and asked for since the back end of last year. Just a shame it's taken until February for it to happen. Hopefully we get the six team league and they build on this. It must be a building block, not seen as a solution.

Would Lambert (if he fits) not be a prime candidate to sign on, do a couple of meetings and then step aside for a stronger replacement once Pickering's average drops?

No. But it's also not his fault he was a pawn in the cost cutting rising star game that has been used for a while now. Now he's not wanted at that level anymore he's been chewed up and spat out. Just another example of the left hand of the sport not knowing or caring about what the right hand is doing.

The sport doesn't need any help looking like a laughing stock so I doubt it was the plan sadly.

This is symptomatic of the state British Speedway is in. The advertising budget stretched to a cameo video and a paper bag with some scraps of paper in it. Getting a celebrity to host the draw. Great idea. Where's the celebrity? Not knocking Linda Lusardi but she just isn't the person to be promoting Speedway in 2026. Within Cameo's ranks there are more famous people. But a Cameo video itself is tinpot to the max. To make it work and to draw new eyes you have to collaborate with someone who has a social media following. They need to post it on their socials so that their audience sees it and may be intrigued. Not stick a Cameo video of them on your own social media reaching the same people who already follow you. Funnily enough there is a high profile celebrity who now has skin in the game and a solid social media following. Harry Redknapp. Considering he is invested in the sport I'm sure he'd have done it for free. It would have reached a bigger audience and any benefit from it helps the sport and Harry's investment in the same breath.

I have no problem with Mulford being at this level I have to say. He's probably too good though. I'd have less of a problem with it if there were more teams. He's still a developing rider after all. He's a victim of circumstance, has spent time as a cost cutting measure, sorry I mean rising star in the Premiership and now nobody at that level wants him it would be unfair for him to be punished by being ruled out of the third tier. Similarly if there are British riders unattached at a higher level who fit the average criteria I welcome them. That higher standard of opponent and level of professionalism they hopefully bring should help team mates and opponents. Simon Lambert is an example being mooted. If he signs for Kings Lynn then that's only acceptable if they are his one club. In a development league with such a small number of teams those sides shouldn't be having to draft in big guns to get near the points limit. It sounds as if that's why Lambert will be at Lynn so questions have to be asked about why the rules put in place have left them needing to make that move. Given the apathy shown by many "professional" sides to the third tier I hope that isn't the case because Lynn are one of the few who are actually proactively trying to develop young riders by putting out a NDL side. If they're then shafted by the points limit that beggars belief. Given what has happened over the last 10/15 years with the average conversion rate and doubling up free-for-all between the top two leagues there's a bigger gap than ever between the third and the second tiers now. The answer is probably changes at the top and the bottom of the tree with the middle then falling into a natural order. There needs to be defined quality levels and a pathway from the bottom league to the top. That suggestion of course would be popular with nobody. Self interest rules this sport even when it comes in the guise of repeatedly shooting itself in the foot. (Bit of a tangent there, apologies @Fortythirtyeight not aimed at you or your post. Plenty of general speculation on my part beyond the initial paragraph!)

Last season between the NDL/NDT there were 50 "league" meetings. This year with only the NDL there will be 30. That drop off is alarming. Particularly when we should be trying harder than ever to establish some strong foundations for the sport here. The following quote from the press release looks to me like no more than lip service too. So we have some tracks running a full third tier campaign and others who can just get away with the ambiguous "Second Half Open Invitation". Of course there are differing restrictions at certain tracks but there has to be more than the odd second half. It should be mandatory for professional tracks to run at least two NDL level meetings during the season. The benefit of doing this over a second half would be the riders and their team (generally parents at this level) would know they're guaranteed a ride weather permitting rather than the always in the balance chances they have to take by turning up for a second half. If the tracks lose money on these meetings it's not ideal but it is an investment in their riders of the future, without whom there won't be anyone to help them make money in the long run. Furthermore I'd like to think when the riders coming through reach "professional" standard they'd choose to race for a club that actually put some effort in to the third tier rather than one that did the bare minimum but can throw more money at them. We all know that's wishful thinking though. As with everything in British Speedway there is too much ambiguity. There should be hard and fast rules in place with consequences for those who don't toe the line. The top riders don't want to be here. We need to focus on developing more riders domestically, instead we've almost halved the meetings available to them. Pretty pathetic really.

If a business had stores closing hand over fist in locations where some people have an appetite for their product it would be absolutely idiotic for them to then open a new store in a location where nobody has ever expressed an interest in their goods. That's what's happening here. Should have worked harder to keep tracks open where people wanted them in the first place.