enotian

Struggling to work out who that could be? over 5.5 and under 7 (ish) Brit who doesn't have a place already? Bridger?? Bears looking good anyway. Not sure about Jenkins vs the majority of other #7's but they'll always have a cracking reserve.

Why would there be a 1 star grade? I think you can only build a team of 38 plus 3 star or 39 plus 2 star Unless you can build 40 plus 1 star everyone not a 3 star or above is a 2 star. The numbers are irrelevant, they might as well have been A, B and C grades

I reckon he could add 3 to that average by the end of the season.

I thought speedway missed a massive opportunity last Spring. If they had been able to put meetings on during lockdown 1.0 when no other sports were live I'm sure it would have been televised and would have attracted mainstream sports fans. Some of whom might well have liked what they watched. I agree that families are probably itching to experience some kind of live entertainment outside the confines of their own home, so I'd definitely view starting before other mainstream sports are allowed to have supporters could be a massive opportunity. Take the point that some unfortunate people no longer have the disposable income they once had but there are also a lot of people who have retained their jobs and been unable to spend any disposable income for nigh on a year.

Not sure if Max is allowed/should be allowed now he have a four/five plus CL average and a 2021 CL team place. But I'm sure all the CL #7's will want to ride in the NL. Alcock averaged 4.36 for Stoke. Last winners of NL were Leicester: Perks, Hume, Ruddick, Terry-Daly, Embleton/MacDonald and the Thompson twins (who started as 2 pointers) So you only need 2 or 3 established riders to have a viable team. With all the comebacks who knows who's next? Maybe that's how you end up with a hernia For the Sapphires wouldn't Archie and Danny step up to the 500's with Owen Booth and A N Other on the 125's? Did I read somewhere that the lad Trigger (no not that one) who rides in the British Youth Champs was connected to the Diamonds? Anyways we seem to have hijacked THJ's official thread so apologies for that.

This is key for me. Haven't Leszno had Smektala, Drabik and Kubera at reserve over the last couple of seasons? three of the best U21 riders in the World at reserve all season... and unsurprisingly won. Personally I'd prefer it if they moved into the top 5 as per the normal rules but had their place protected to avoid the Sneddon effect. Whereby a young rider does well at reserve and significantly increases their average only to be replaced by a more experienced rider with a lower average but perceived more capable at that time. I can't remember how many seasons Sneddon missed because he had something like a 5 point average after about 8 matches which nobody would touch him on. I think Bryan Larner was the same going even further back in time. I think that the grading sorts this problem out. Keeping them at reserve all season might just stifle their development and has been mentioned before the same experiment was abandoned mid season some years ago when Boxall and Armstrong were averaging 7 plus at reserve and taking 7 rides every match. However when El Supremo has the best grade 2 in the league I suspect they'll be at reserve all season.....

I think he could still ride in the CL just not as #7. As Berwick have said they are keeping the same seven from 2020 Flint must be graded lower than 4 because the only other candidate would be Bickley who averaged more than Flint in 2019 so I suspect is graded 4 but at #6 for Berwick using his CMA. I reckon the Eastbourne team has three rising stars with Edwards being the only one who counts at #7

Had to have a Rising Star and didn't have one in the original 1-7. So they didn't necessarily have to release Mountain but one of the original 1-7.

Or Bero Boys if you're looking for a sponsorship opportunity. Has the list been published? Will the list be published? Am I correct in thinking that there are Grades 4, 3 and 2? With 4's only as #7 in the PL. I'm struggling to identify 6 grade 4's but I suppose it's grade 4 or below in the PL 4 Brennan Bickley Kemp Rowe 3 Flint Hume Bowtell Thomas J Smith Kinsley Wood 2 Jenkins Stoneman Edwards C Bailey Coles Ruddick Marson Lawlor Phillips Woolley L Harris Atkins Palin Gilkes J Thompson D Thompson Wirtzfeld Ablitt Embleton MacDonald Brooks Kelly Andrews Alcock H McGurk or anyone without previous PL and CL appearances. Based on 2019 activity. Don't know if age or retirement have ruled some out?

Do Edinburgh even have a team yet? No 'Rising Star' [naff branding, and assuming Lawson/Sarjeant are not on the list] a Norwegian who might not get a permit and three(?) Australians who might never arrive. Or does Tsumani know something we don't?

The press release about the 16:00 start time definitely mentioned double headers with National League matches. And there's been a load of press releases about Freeman and Smith signing to ride for the Gems in the National League so I'm sure there's an intention to run the Gems in the NL.

Might be too big a facility for league racing but would make a great venue for a speedway version of Rugby Leagues 'Magic Weekend'. I know Bradford isn't the greatest place to spend a weekend but it's close enough to Leeds to make it attractive to visit. Run all of the shared events (pairs, 4's, riders championship even a knockout cup) over a weekend and pack the place out. Nicely located for fans from the North and South. Great memories of the 1990(?) World Final. Great atmosphere.

agree that the PL wouldn't appear to be what it says on the tin. it would appear to exist only to provide enough fixtures for the double up riders. league fixtures alone it's 20 PL and 32 CL one big league is only 34 in total

whilst I prefer to see teams allowed to build sides differently and think that the genuinely talented youngsters will progress on ability regardless this seems like a sensible thing to do in the circumstances. And I agree a strong national team is the best way of piercing main stream media. the proof will be in seeing the gradings (which will hopefully take experience and average into account) and what then happens in 2022. Presumably if for example Palin is a huge success in 2021 (i.e. averaging 7 in the PL and 9 in the CL) he no longer needs to be part of the grading structure in 2022? Otherwise there could be a huge discrepancy in team strengths at the start of 2022 and it all unravels.

Funny isn't it. Absolutely nobody would expect Sainsbury's to tell them five months in advance exactly what is going to be on their shelves, who'll be on the checkout or the name of the delivery driver. Yet when it comes to sports we simply all most know everything the exact minute the decision has been made despite us having absolutely no rights to the information and that knowing or not knowing this information right away makes no difference to whether or not we attend [noting that advance season ticket sales would be the only reason to make the information available early]. I think it's a form of FOMO and because we're all a bit jealous that we don't get to have our ideas implemented. And because we know they'll come up with something daft. But the truth is that us knowing what is going on behind the scenes is of no significance. We'll find out when we find out and decide if we like or dislike the outcome at that point. Doesn't matter if that's hot off the press last Thursday or in 4 months time.

Isn't it just one for 2021? Then two thereafter?

The individual promoters know. They've just not announced it to the public yet. Sounds like there's going to be some kind of staged announcement with Eurosport.... you know to generate some interest.

Well if the rumours of Newcastle signing Ben Barker are true it would suggest that you're very much correct.

I think the promoters have to assume that the restrictions put in place by the Polish League and the potential travel restrictions mean that they need to plan for a season with teams containing riders who will base themselves in Britain. On that basis and assuming some Australians (Allen, Douglas, Crump etc) and Europeans (Palm Toft, Vissing, Aarnio etc) would choose a full season of Premiership and Championship (doubling up), combined with the British riders who would do likewise (i.e. not Woffinden or Lambert) you can just about conjure up 35+ riders of Championship heat leader standard riders (i.e. average c7.00+ in the Championship). That should give you a fairly decent standard and competitive top five for the seven Premiership teams. There are easily 14 'young' (maybe U-25? excluding Bewley) British riders who could complete each of the teams at reserve (i.e. from the more experienced Clegg, Nielsen & Greaves to the less experienced Kemp, Edwards & Flint). Given the scarcity of riders the points limit would probably need to be replaced by gradings to ensure even team strengths and if restrictions are relaxed during the season and more riders become available they would be given an appropriate grading. An example of the team standard being King, Lawson, Nicholls, Summers, Starke, Greaves & Kemp. Clearly nowhere near the standard of the Polish League or even the intended 2020 Premiership but I think competitive to the extent that it would fulfil the obligations of the Eurosport deal, which must be a priority. In addition I do hope that the promoters (both Premiership and Championship) look at streaming 'shared events' in 2021. With some less likely/able to travel getting those pairs, 4TT etc streamed could be a money spinner.

very strange. my understanding of antibodies is that the body does develop them, sometimes requiring a vaccine to identify the contagion, but I wasn't aware that the (healthy) body could then forget how to generate those antibodies. If that were the case wouldn't we constantly need top up vaccinations for all kinds on diseases that we've been inoculated against?? Unless this virus is mutating? Lots of strange messages out there.

Archie Freeman makes it a Happy Christmas for Newcastle Diamonds Newcastle-born teenage speedway star in the making, Archie Freeman turned 16 at the back end of November, and had now made the day for his home club and supporters by putting pen to paper on a Newcastle Speedway full contract with club owner, Rob Grant. Club co-promoter, Dave Tattum said: "This is a key moment for the Diamonds, signing a superbly talented, locally-sourced prospect as Archie Freeman is a vital move for us and our aim to cultivate a vibrant squad of young up-and-coming British riders in our squad and as Archie is a Geordie it makes it all the sweeter. "He's won lower cc class British Youth Titles a couple of seasons ago, and he's been involved in that important series of events all through 2020, on his 500cc machine, when other events weren't allowed to take place, and he has made more excellent progress, maturing into a fine speedway rider with bags of potential and we cannot wait for the winter to pass to get him on track next season." Team manager Darren Hartley added: "It's brilliant for Newcastle to get this strong young local lad into our squad, and while initially he will be in our National League side, once he gets more and more racing under his belt, we'll be looking at introducing him into the Championship Diamonds' side to continue his impressive progress. "However, we'll be bringing Archie along to all our Championship level matches in 2021 anyway as part of the team and he will be looked after an integrated into the Diamonds pit activity to get him accustomed to the whole match atmosphere at its heart and that in itself will bring him on in leaps and bounds with experience of real matches in progress. "We have massive belief in Archie's ability, and his future progress, which we at his home track were always desperate to make sure took place with us, and Brough Park is a track he's learned a lot about since he started training there on small bikes, many, many years ago, and the crowd who watch the second half racing will know what we're on about having seen his young racing, and this signing will be good for him, and good for us." Archie Freeman himself also commented, saying: "I’m over the moon to be riding for Newcastle, this has been my ambition ever since I sat on a bike at Newcastle Speedway, and from then it’s been a lifelong ambition of mine, and for it to become reality right now is amazing. "Next year I aim to move up into the main body of the team and to consistently score, and hopefully to attract more sponsors. Overall, I really can’t wait till next year and hope to bring in some more faces to Newcastle. I’d just like to thank everyone who had helped me over the years to get me here. Especially Colin Poole, David Rowland, Mark Hubbard, Lawrence Heppell, Trevor and Lynn Strawbridge and obviously my Mam and Dad, not to forget about Rob Grant for giving me this brilliant opportunity." From Newcastle Speedway Facebook page. Great News. Sounds like the right way to develop. Got #8 just need to find #7... once the points limited is decided.....

Cheers. Firstly for the informed response but also for letting me know it might be okay to watch the news again if they're reporting facts again instead of predictions (that stop me going for a pint) Another good fb post from the promoter. Why the bloke hasnt just walked I'll never know. Might not end up with a competitive team but it's an interesting one for sure. Look forward to seeing it in action, fingers crossed.

Isn't the point that we can't have a 'Johnny Foreigner'?? I doubt Mr Godfrey's super 16 includes any 8 point non work permit riders. Then if Newcastle can't employ Vissing that would be us looking for two riders at a combined average of c17 points, who don't require a work permit........ realistically the Diamonds need the points limit reduced to be competitive. Does anyone know what the situation is regards permits for doubling up riders? Do both clubs need a license or if Vissing got a Premiership slot (as he was being touted for recently) could he ride for Newcastle using the visa from the other club? That might solve the problem and might mean we can sign another 'Johnny Foreigner'.

According to the facebook post Smetana had to be replaced as the promoters dont have the licence to employ EU riders They've done well to act soon but I do wonder what this means for Vissing?

Apparently on par with Danny King on the training track??