spanner47

Most of us with our glasses half full knew we'd start getting results when Rohan started getting points, hopefully he can keep it going. I trust this will stop the odd stupid mention of team changes, that was never going to happen with this team, there's not much wrong with it, when they all turn up and do what is expected of them. Well done lads, just hope for the same on Sunday, but usually "Rosen" and "Henry" ride well against us. ( I hope that comment doesn't come back and bite me on the a*** )

Very lucky to get that finished before the heavy stuff came along. Fair result, I cant remember many "abandoned after 10-12 at Foxhall over the years, so I certainly don't begrudge CL saving a few bob on the last 3 heats, naturally with the forecast, and it being an off night it was the smallest crowd of the season, around the 500 mark I thought.

I'll arrive at 7-35 and hope for the best, but who'd be a promoter? Lose lose situation, if It's on then only a sparse crowd will turn up anyway, if It's off you lose money and have to try and rearrange when we might be able to field a full team.

Normal service resumed after our horror Weekend. Good showing from 1-7, some decent racing on a well prepared track, if you were good enough you could pass from heat 1 - 15, cant ask for more than that, a jolly good evening.

Highlight of the night was seeing the excellent young Gino looking for his partner as he entered the bend, don't see that very often these days. Always nice to ride a side where the opposition No 1 rides like he's never seen the track before, has he got a brain? As for the crowd, while it was still daylight I envisaged all those sitting in the new seats and put them on the terraces where they used to be, it looked about the same as what you'd expect for an April Evening.

We're looking good. Never thought Gino would be this good so early in the season. Once again a decent fair track, if you were good enough you could pass. Roll on next Week!!

Just been through the last umpteen pages, let's look on the bright side. After years of BSPA events where the fans have come on here and said "never again", it does appear that not too many actually bothered to turn up. In the past lots of fans have been on here saying what a waste of money, riders pulling out, crap tracks, dreadful organisation (P'boro for last years 4TT springs to mind), I might be wrong ( I hope I'm not) but it does appear that a lot of fans said, "sod it I'll watch it on the telly". Lets just hope for Cov fans, this whole mess can be sorted out.

I think he only used to miss meetings when Sky had the GP's. He might miss the odd Bank holiday meeting, but I'm sure someone else can fill in a programme, switch the odd reserve around, and chuck two riders in heat 15.

I cant quite see why the majority think this is so good for the sport. How many clubs had heavy losses before sky came along? It's the same in most sports where TV money comes along, the riders/players get all of it, and in a lot of cases more on top of that. It's a false economy. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy watching it and will continue to do so, but I honestly feel It's done more harm than good. I speak to lots of people who used to go, when I ask why don't they go anymore, It's the usual answers, crap stadia, stupid rules, but the most common one is "why bother when I can watch it on the box". I'm convinced if it wasn't on the telly, a lot more fans would come through the turnstiles. When Ipswich were Elite I would go to a dozen premier league meetings just to see something different, but since we dropped down I've been to one elite meeting (Emil's British debut at KL), I used to go to all the major events, but now I watch them on the telly, maybe I'm in a small minority, but looking at the crowds these days, I don't think I am.

Heard a yarn that first meeting will be Morten's testimonial on Sat 22nd March. Not a lover of these meetings, but at least these meetings in March can usually attract the better riders as they want track time. It came from a reliable source, anybody else heard about it?

As with most Witches fans, happy with our seven. Just hope Gino can do the business. From what I saw in the States last Summer, out of the youngsters, Max Ruml was the best, followed by Aaron Fox then Gino, but It's difficult to tell on those tiddly little tracks. Out of the Juniors, Max's little Brother Dillon was certainly a star for the future. Gino's gating let him down in the meetings I watched, but I was watching competitive/Championship meetings, and passing was almost impossible as the riders were fairly well matched. Roll on the season, and lets hope we can finish one place higher than last year.

I just hope the 3 extra league meetings are against opposition that clubs dont face in the league cup. I dont want to see some teams 3 times and others once. But the promoters will say more local derbies please. Ok or glasgow, as Edinburgh take quite a few, but for Ipswich, we'll get the usual 7/8 from Rye House, and hardly any from the others.

I cant see why some are hoping for wholesale changes. We finished 2nd in the League, and would have won the League cup had it not been for that awful weekend of injuries. Based on that, the side just needs tweeking a bit, happy with Rohan and Cam, in an ideal world we'd have 7 up and coming youngsters who could improve their averages, but being a realist, that's not going to happen for any team. Every team needs a steady reliable middle order, so we all know that Leigh and Morten will do a job in that department. So It's just a case of who's going to be No1, and just as (or more) importantly, what 2 reserves we get. If we want a top No1, then we've got accept that he might not always be here, but who is there? Doyle and Cook are the only two brilliant No1's, and they're ok where they are, Ben was ok last year, but not as good as we'd hope. Richie, he appears to be available, but is a busy lad. I rather go for a half decent No1, and stronger reserves.

Riders doubling up are going to be right pain this season, with the elite league clubs having 36 meetings, lots of Premier clubs are going to be missing their top riders. Good luck to those that have to try to sort a fixture list with minimal clashes.

I would stick my oar in about 2014 but what's the point? I'll wait until after the EGM, the AGM, and the "Sky have pulled the plug, what the **** are we going to do GM". I was talking to someone yesterday who has spoken to a few promoters, and no one has got a clue about next season. So I'll come back to this thread when we've got a clue. I'd love to see a bigger top division with no GP riders, but that would totally screw the other premier teams that cant afford it. Some promoters will suggest a north/south thing, some will want to keep better riders, others will want something different, It'll be a big mess. I hope they can sort it out quickly, but I wont hold my breath. I'll be back on here when they do.

Trying again next Sunday.

Looks like the guests and R/R scored roughly what you'd expect, apart from Klindt. I'm sure had Rohan been riding, Worky could well have been in the final.

Never known Leigh to fall off (when in the lead) for no (apparent) reason in all the years I've been watching him, then he does it twice in 4 days. Just one of those nights/weekends. We left after heat 10, it was when they decided to have ANOTHER interval, we'd already had 2 lengthy ones, plus lots of shorter ones with 2 on the trot. Ipswich scrub the interval when the meeting is dragging on, I thought all clubs would have the common sense to do the same, but not our friends from tha toon.

My heart says, lets win it with a last heat decider. My head says, lets have an average meeting, lots of 3-3's and win the cup with a bit to spare. Don't think I could stand the stress of it going to the wire, we've waited a long time for some silverware, come on lads, don't let us down now.

Cant see anything but a huge home win, not much has changed since they met on Sky a few ago, 60-33.

Happy with that, well done to the track staff and all the riders for putting on a show. Come on lads, It's a bloody long drive home from there is we lose.

They're currently sweeping the water off the track. Lets look on the bright side, at least it wont be as cold as when Newcastle came down at the end of last season. But it must be hard to take for a promoter, you reach a cup final and get a crap crowd, I hope I'm wrong but I can only see the diehards turning up tonight.

I doubt many would commit until after the 1st leg, then there's the weather to consider, and now with Worky away on the Saturday? If I'm travelling that far, i might as well do both and sample the hospitality of Newcastle's No1 turnstile operator. Forecast not too bad for tomorrow, a bit of light stuff then should be dry later, hoping for 6-8 point lead

They used to say "happiness is 40-38", these days It's a 7 point win and no injuries, couldn't be better!! Just hope after tomorrows meeting the lads can have a rest and bring home some silverware at the end of the season.

If caring about rider safety is whinging, then i wish all promoters were whingers. Chris was probably the only promoter there that knew the riders were in danger, he's forgotten more about speedway than most who run this sport will ever know. When ex riders that know what they are talking about start running the sport in ths country the better. What has been done about these unsafe air fences? Even when a world champion gets seriously injured, the idiots that run the sport in this country still do nothing. I suppose we've got to wait until someone gets killed before something is done about it. A caring promoter that doesn't want to see riders get injured, or some bloke with a cheque book that runs a team for a hobby, i know which one i prefer, and i'm sure the majority of true speedway fans would agree, even the majority of Edinburgh supporters (but obviously not you).