Ben91

Thoroughly enjoyed last night’s meeting. A real shame that we couldn’t get it over the line. After binning it and costing Poland the SoN final the other year though it was a nice redemption moment for Janowski. While I’m glad we’re not having a World Cup every year (it devalues the tournament), I do wonder how competitive we will be in 2026.

I’ve seen worse meetings and worse tracks. But I think I’d have turned it off earlier on if I hadn’t had a bet on France to score over 19 points. Wasn’t much of a contest but that can happen in sport. Hopefully tomorrow is more competitive.

Makes sense. No different to a criminal court. If you admit your guilt you’ll get a more lenient sentence for honesty (and saving time and expense on hearings, admin etc). As for second tests in this case, both samples need to be taken at the same time for the testing process to maintain integrity.

As is the way it should be done. People awaiting trial for murder don’t get bail, they’re kept in custody until their trial. It stops them reoffending if they are guilty.

When Rye House moved into the Premiership I saw a bloke I know and he said “amazing, we get to see Chris Harris every week,” as we had signed him. I told him we’d actually been short changed, even if we’d not signed Harris we’d still have seen him most weeks.

This is the issue with democracy in sport. It can be manipulated. The simple answer has always been to stop letting the promoters write the hymn sheet. That means a real overarching governing body with a “these are the rules. Get on with it or get lost,” attitude. The problem is that promoters won’t cede power for the greater good. If their track is alright for the next season then to hell with the rest.

No brakes. No gears. No effort. Use it or lose it.

There are roughly 21 weeks from the start of April until the end of August. If a team happens to be in contention for every competition they race in they will have a maximum of 16 home meetings. That’s assuming both cup competitions are completed by the end of August and that the play-offs (another three home meetings potentially) will be staged in September/October. There is plenty of time to race a full season. The play-offs are needlessly convoluted with over half the league competing these days too. They could be cut back to the traditional format or, even better, scrapped altogether. The team that finishes top wins the league. That would give even more time to get all the meetings completed at all tracks with no issues. It’s not hard.

Video does Tai no favours at all. He shouldn’t have done that. Even if the fan was in an area he shouldn’t have been.

I work 12 months a year. They know the industry they’re getting into and what it entails. We also bend over backwards for riders here letting them double up so they don’t have to get proper jobs to subsidise their racing, to the detriment of the product. The least they can do is take their holidays in the off season. They take the P enough as it is arguably.

Absolute shambles. Not as if riders have almost five months off a year to go on holiday.

The track is always the same for both sets of riders.

It’s still bad team management. Flint would have had more chance of winning heat 10 than getting anything from heat 13. In the end that small margin could well have cost Berwick the meeting (or the draw at least). Although arguably not using a guest was the death knell before a wheel was turned.

The thing that always jars me is when tracks with closed back straights are on TV. Especially when that isn’t explained. It literally looks like nobody can be bothered to go. Speaking of free advertising, what is being on TV worth to clubs? Yes, it is broad exposure on television but if the negatives outweigh the positives then again, with a business head on, it could be time to part ways. Take everything in house with BSN and build a video library that can be streamed as part of the subscription fee.

I don’t think anyone (with half a clue) has ever compared Brennan to Lambert or Bewley. There’s undoubted potential there and he’s progressing well at his own pace. He is on his own path and he isn’t even having a bad season. There’s too much stock put into riders being the next “insert big name.” Let them forge their own name. I personally don’t think his ceiling is world class but he could develop into a very solid top tier rider. I’d love to see him prove me wrong and be a GP star of the future.

Only if they never intend to use a guest or doubling up rider again themselves.

While I hope Kings Lynn remain open the attitude of use it or lose it has to be eradicated from Speedway. In any other walk of life it would be seen as emotional blackmail. If you have a business you have to work to ensure customers return, not threaten them with closure if they don’t buy your product.

The possibility of being tested should be enough to discourage athletes from taking drugs (performance enhancing or otherwise) or drinking. The point of testing isn’t to catch as many people as possible. It is to keep the sport clean and deter competitors from cheating, which in turn can put other competitors in danger and hurt the reputation of the sport.

Astounds me that some people will try to justify someone not taking a drugs/alcohol test or thinking that testing isn’t necessary. Not only does it protect the integrity of the sport it also protects the competitors. Not taking a test should carry the same penalty as a positive test, if not a more severe one.

King scored to his average from his programmed rides. To criticise him last night is very odd. If Doyle and Riss had done the same then Ipswich would have won the meeting. Chris Louis has been around long enough to realise Emil should have replaced Riss in heat 14 surely. Can only think it was a decision made to put Emil in gate 4.

I’d say there’s still a novelty factor at Oxford. Time will tell on that one but hopefully they continue to thrive. Glasgow seem to be doing a great job, I’d be interested to know whether they turn a profit or not however.

Without being privy to the facts, it appears Laguta was signed under circumstances that aren’t the case at Kings Lynn anymore. I’d be annoyed in his position. While as fans it can be frustrating if riders appear to be “dialling it in” we also have to remember they are people too.

I think the best way to see the superheat is that it’s just an extension of the meeting. So it wasn’t a draw, Wolves won. Not a great rule in my opinion but a rule nonetheless so one we have to play by.

Races like that remind me of why I love Speedway. It’s been an awfully long time since I’ve been to Glasgow. Looks like a fantastic track these days.

Naming the promoter is not Morris’ news to break. Knowing there is someone in place is. He’s been transparent about that clearly.