Ben91

Don't take it away from Cardiff, the whole weekend is a fantastic experience, the pairs on the firday, then the GP on the saturday, coupled with two drunken nights out in Cardiff, what more could you want?

Www.hackneyhawks.co

He should but Len is stuck in his ways, which is a shame as it is damaging his profits, the meetings don't have to be free even, just cheaper to get into, it'll help the riders and the place has more atmosphere when there are actually fans inside the stadium!

Raiders meetings back in 04/05 used to draw crowds just as big, if not bigger than some rockets meetings have done this season.

Which is precisely what is already happening... From my point of view as a die hard fan of Rye House, rarely missing any meetings, PL or NL at Rye for the last 7 years, I have missed more this season at both levels than over the other years put together. It is all well and good having the "Don't come then and you won't have a team to support at all" attitude but that is where the sport is fundamentally wrong, it's blackmail, you don't get it in other sports, fans need to be appreciated and given reason to come back next week. The paying customer is the priority, without them there is no business and by that the Hackney 'revival' is not successful, which is a shame. If the side was still the Rye House Raiders (not Cobras, that has to be the worst team nickname ever) then Rye would be making a lot more money on the NL meetings.

The problem is, those few Hackney fans who are happy to see their team back on track are outnumbered by the Rye fans who aren't happy to see their name lost to the league. There won't be any new Hackney fans coming through the gates either because 1) There is no promotion of the side and 2) the side races nowhere near Hackney. This is a forum for people to post their views, the 'moaning' is just that and the fact it outnumbers the people happy to be 'mugged off' shows that something is wrong. The side are not paving the way for a new Hackney team to return, it's to lighten the load of meetings at Rye and give Lakeside more fixtures whilst also developing riders for both sides. I am behind the Hawks for that point but if the team are not drawing fans in that can only harm the riders. It'd be better to fill a stadium at cheaper entrance prices then have a few old codgers, 15 year old girls looking to take the riders behind the pits and some tumbleweed at £12 a pop.

I believe Ben Morley drops to reserve by virtue of not attaining an average in the NL this season so far, Shane and Magic are the only riders to put their averages up!

I've chosen to work rather than attend this meeting, enough said.

We rarely agree Malcolm, but you have hit the nail on the head here. The rules are Brits only, so unless he has a British passport he is an ineligible rider in the national league.

Give Niall Strudwick a go, the lad is commited, he is a steady rider too who will turn up at meetings and his scores will improve week on week he also leaves points for a senior reserve to be drafted in too. Hope John Resch makes a full and speedy recovery.

The National League is a fantastic product. The racing can be as good or even better than that served up in the Elite and Premier Leagues. There is no doubts about that. The problem is a lot of fans see it as a reserve level of racing. The Hackney name is clearly not working to bring fans through the gates at the moment, whether that is because of the price, the lack of interest in a team not racing under the Rye House/Lakeside banners or a combination of both, who knows. One thing is for certain, the promotion cannot be breaking even for Hawks meetings at Rye House, so to lower the admission price to £7/8 would be a gamble worth taking in my opinion, it would probably pay off, whilst the riders would be racing in front of a bigger crowd which can only be good for them. Promoters need to promote, taking an extra £1/2 from your existing fans each year to make your profit is not acceptable and alienates the supporters who are being made to pay the extra money.

The meeting was not as bad as the Belle Vue meeting a few weeks ago. I only attended because I won tickets to the Stevenage match in the afternoon so didn't have to pay to get in there. Plus the fact I can hear the bikes from my house and I always feel like i'm missing out on a Saturday night if I'm listening to the racing rather than watching it! My main issue was the lack of Bronze Helmet race. Darren Mallett was present, so why didn't he defend his crown?...

One sad thing I noticed tonight was a terrible atmosphere, whilst my girlfriend viewing for the first time wasn't exactly hooked although she wasn't put off attending in the future at some point. Absolutely gutted Garrity wasn't there, he's always entertaining to see and seems to be really becoming a top rider this season. The Colts were strong, Howarth impressing in particular. The Hawks Evans and Hazelden aside had a bad night at the office. Hopefully they will turn the corner for their next meeting. Hazelden is starting to look the real deal, some races he seems to want to get the job done all in one lap, otherwise there is a worry he will try too hard and fall of, but the lad's got a lot of speed and really isn't scared to mix it up with anyone, if I was picking a Hawk to promote to the Rockets next season, so far he'd be my man. As for Marc Owen, it's a shame to see him a little off the pace, however he is riding in a tough position within the team and i'm sure he will come good soon, we have a lot of young talent coming through and that can only bode well for the future of the Rockets.

It's not a London team, it's a Hertfordshire/Essex team, just a way of racing at two tracks without calling them the Lakeside Rye House Cobra Hammers or some other stupid combination of the names. People saying it is being done to push for a new track in London are also talking out their backside, it's just a team name to cover both tracks and maybe rake in a bit of money out of sentimental fans who think it's going to be like going to Waterden Road. I'm al for the Hawks, it is convenient for both tracks fixture schedules and it gives young British Riders a potential route from the National League right to the Elite without having to move around the country every year as they can go Hawks-Rockets-Hammers if they make the grade in future.

It is a majority of the Cobras from last season racing under the Hackney name, however what would you consider to be a Hackney team exactly? Zenon Plech and Barry Thomas perhaps? I'll be going, mainly because I can't make either of Monday's meetings and I want my fix. If I was attending Monday I wouldn't be able to afford this on top. The Hawks will win, I'm really looking forward to seeing Garrity race though. Always entertaining.

The history books (wherever they are kept) will show that Ryan had the highest average in the 2010 season though, thems the facts We'll just have to agree to disagree I guess, safe in the knowledge i'm right of course

No Tsunami, where did I say they did exactly?... Just because you said something it doesn't make it right. You just changed the example to suit yourself but it is still not right. The one off world championship was won on the night, not across a season. Just as the PLRC is won on the night. Kenni Larsen may have won the PLRC in 2010, however Ryan Fisher was the best rider in the league over the course of the season and the averages prove that. Remember facts are the key.

No. Riders in the world championships qualified and again were the best on the night. Ryan Fisher had the highest average in the Premier League last year making him the PL's number one rider. You are wrong Tsunami

The Fish had the highest average in the league making him the leagues best rider. Larsen just won the PLRC meeting. He was the best on that night

Well done to the Hawks, very decent outfit we have there, hopefully the lads can carry on picking points up on the road. Best wishes to Adam Lowe, seemed to be starting to make a breakthrough last season, lets hope he makes a full and swift recovery.

Clearly not Parsloes... There's a recession on and the majority of fans think the price is too high, take that as a straw poll and that suggests that a lot will choose not to attend due to the price of admission. I will be attending because I want to see the Hawks and the Americans who are always a pleasure to watch, however it is a shame Ronnie Correy will not be racing. Lets hope the meeting is a safe one, I can see a win for the Hawks, however as long as we get an entertaining and safe meeting the result is irrelevant really.

Parsloes,do you ever have an opinion other than the one that is brown and on the end of your nose by any chance?... Was looking forward to see Ronnie Correy mainly for this fixture, won't lie, I'm still pretty sure i'll be attending as it's always good to see the Americans race, however I'm not sure how many other Hawks meetings I will attend this season. Is it due to the team being a Hackney side rather than Rye House? No, it's because £12 is far too expensive for the product on offer i'm sad to say.

Shame this isn't being held at Peterborough, though it was always going to be a long shot. Any neutral track is better than that of a participant in the event, that's where my beef lies on this subject. Hopefully Leicester put on a good show though, will try to attend the meeting, congrats to Leicester on being given the meeting.

David Mason (I believe you are referring to him) is 4th in the starting Hawks averages, will probably be reserve come the first set of greensheets too. Not to disrespect him, I just rate the riders in the Hawks side that much. I've said previously i'm not sure why we have signed him, however if he is helping the younger lads develop then his experience in the pits is fantastic. There is a place for older riders in the league of course, as long as it is to help the youngsters progress.

Two consecutive posts, really?... There's an edit button. Are you that bothered that this is keeping you up at night... Yawn.