lucifer sam

That's what I said Neil All the best Rob

Great comeback by Scunny in final few races. 22-38 after Heat 10 to 40-50 final scoreline, despite David Howe crashing out in Heat 9. Scorpions to win 51-39 tomorrow please All the best Rob

That won't be released at the current time. All the best Rob Peasley

Do ups and downs work the other way around in East Scotland? Can only see an easy win for Scotland's No 2 team, despite Two Track returning to Armadale. All the best Rob

Nice interview with Richard in this week's Speedway Star All the best Rob

SCORPIONS UP FOR THE CUP! HENDERSON INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions take a break from Premier League action this week, as they are involved in home and away matches with the Redcar Bears in the quarter-finals of the Knockout Cup. The Scorpions travel to the South Tees Motorpark on Thursday for the first leg, before entertaining the Bears at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday evening (7.30pm) in the second leg. With a new signing blocked by the BSPA Management Committee, the Scorpions will continue to use rider replacement for Dane Thomas Jørgensen, who is currently out of action with a broken shoulder. Promoter Rob Godfrey said: “I’m not happy about what happened regarding the new rider we wanted to bring in. “But we have to turn any anger about the decision into points. I’ll be having a team talk with the riders before the meeting on Thursday. We will come out fighting.” Redcar are in excellent form and currently sit in third place in the Premier League table. Godfrey added: “There’s no doubt that the Bears are tough opponents. Their trump card has been Micky Dyer at reserve; he’s now moved up in the main body of their team so they can no longer give him seven rides. “Nevertheless, the Bears are a strong side, and they now have a Scunthorpe Scorpions’ legend, Carl Wilkinson, at reserve. “But I see no reason why we can’t beat them over the two legs. We need as good a result as possible at Redcar on the Thursday, so that we can complete the job at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday. “Along with the Premier League, the cup is one of the two competitions really worth winning.” The Scorpions won the third-tier Knockout Cup in both 2006 and 2007, but have only reached the semi-finals at Premier League level once before in their history (in 2009). There has been a gap of 18 days since the last Scorpions’ meeting at the Eddie Wright Raceway. During that time Josh Auty and David Howe have finished second in the Premier League Pairs at Somerset, Auty scored a point as a reserve in the British Grand Prix at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium, and Howe finished a highly creditable sixth in the opening round of the World Longtrack Championship in Finland. Other members of the team have also been making track appearances, such as Ashley Birks who made a trio of guest appearances for the Glasgow Tigers at the weekend, in place of the retired James Wright. Admission Prices for Friday: Adult: £14.00 Student/OAP: £12.00 Child (10 - 16): £5.00 Child (0 - 9) Free (accompanied by paying adult) Family Ticket £33 (2 adults, 2 Children 10-16) Match Programme: £1.00 Expected teams for Thursday and Friday: Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions: 1. Josh Auty, 2. R/R for Thomas Jørgensen (Denmark), 3. Michael Palm Toft (Denmark), 4. Ashley Birks, 5. David Howe, 6. Ryan Douglas (Australia), 7. Lewis Blackbird. Redcar Bears: 1. Ulrich Ostergaard (Denmark), 2. Hugh Skidmore (Australia), 3. Matej Kus (Czech Republic), 4. Micky Dyer (Australia), 5. Aaron Summers (Australia), 6. Max Dilger (Germany), 7. Carl Wilkinson. There is a six-heat Castleford v Belle Vue Midland Development League match in the second half at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday: Teams: Castleford: 1. To be confirmed, 2. Kevin Keay, 3. Danny Phillips, 4. Callum Harris. Belle Vue: 1. Max Clegg, 2. Sean Phillips, 3. Matt Williamson, 4. Robert Shuttleworth. Redcar Bears at EWR Ave Ave Best Name Lge M R Pts BP (no BP) (w BP) Performance Max Dilger PL 3 11 7 2 2.55 3.27 3 + 1 from 4 rides (2010/2012) Micky Dyer PL 2 12 17 2 5.67 6.33 10 + 1 from 7 rides (2012) Matej Kus PL 3 15 27 0 7.20 7.20 17 from 5 rides (inc 6 pts T/R (2012)) Ulrich Ostergaard PL 4 17 32 0 7.53 7.53 18 from 6 rides (inc 6 pts T/R (2008)) Hugh Skidmore PL 13 60 95 7 6.33 6.80 11 + 1 from 5 rides (inc 6 pts T/R (2012)) Aaron Summers PL 10 45 61 3 5.42 5.69 10 + 1 from 6 rides (inc 4 pts T/R 2010)) Carl Wilkinson PL 83 370 677 64 7.32 8.01 16 + 1 from 6 rides (2010) Other Notes Max Dilger 2008 German Under-21 Champion Made his Premier League debut in 2009 for Edinburgh. Micky Dyer First rode in British Speedway in the National League with Dudley in 2010. His excellent form so far this season has seen him move in to the Top 5 of the Redcar side. Matej Kus Has ridden in 4 GPs and 4 Speedway World Cup Events. 2010 Czech Republic Champion. Twice Czech Republic Under-21 Champion (2008 and 2009). 2008 Czech Republic Under-19 Champion. Ulrich Ostergaard Member of Peterborough's Elite League Championship Winning Team in 2006. First rode in British Speedway with Eastbourne in 2003. Hugh Skidmore 2009 New South Wales State Champion. Made his Premier League debut in 2009 for Sheffield. Has rode as a guest rider for Scunthorpe on a number of occasions. Aaron Summers Member of Edinburgh's Premier League Championship and Premier Trophy Winning Teams in 2008. Member of Edinburgh's Premier League Play-Off Winning Teams in 2008 and 2009. Member of Coventry's Elite League Winning Team in 2010. Member of Birmingham's Premier League Four-Team Championship Winning Team in 2010. 2004 Australian Under-16 Champion. Named as a 'doubling-up' rider with Coventry for the 2013 Elite League Season. Carl Wilkinson Former Scunthorpe rider who has scored over 1200 points for the club. Member of Boston's Conference League KO Cup Winning Team in 2000. Member of Peterborough's Conference League Winning Team in 1997. Redcar Bears' 2013 Results 04 April 2013 TTT H L Redcar 37 Newcastle 58 06 April 2013 LC A L Redcar 39 Workington 56 07 April 2013 TTT A L Redcar 36 Newcastle 58 (agg: L:- 73 - 116) 11 April 2013 LC H W Redcar 45 Workington 44 13 April 2013 KOC A W Redcar 46 Berwick 44 18 April 2013 KOC H W Redcar 45 Berwick 44 (agg: W:- 91 - 88) 20 April 2013 PL A L Redcar 37 Leicester 53 25 April 2013 LC H W Redcar 48 Newcastle 42 28 April 2013 PL A L Redcar 42 Glasgow 48 02 May 2013 PL A W Redcar 53 Sheffield 39 03 May 2013 PL H W Redcar 60 Sheffield 35 09 May 2013 PL H W Redcar 36 Rye House 27 12 May 2013 PL A L Redcar 38 Newcastle 55 16 May 2013 PL H W Redcar 51 Plymouth 42 30 May 2013 CH H W Redcar 51 Dudley 42 06 June 2013 PL H W Redcar 49 Somerset 41 07 June 2013 PL A W Redcar 47 Edinburgh 46 08 June 2013 PL A L Redcar 40 Workington 50 Redcar Bears' Results at EWR 30 March 2008 PT D Scunthorpe 45 Redcar 45 06 June 2008 PL L Scunthorpe 52 Redcar 41 19 June 2009 PL L Scunthorpe 49 Redcar 44 31 July 2009 KOC L Scunthorpe 50 Redcar 39 02 October 2009 YS L Scunthorpe 56 Redcar 34 05 April 2010 PT L Scunthorpe 50 Redcar 42 02 May 2010 PL L Scunthorpe 57 Redcar 34 09 September 2011 PL L Scunthorpe 52 Redcar 41 07 October 2011 PL Ph 2 L Scunthorpe 65 Redcar 25 27 April 2012 LC L Scunthorpe 54 Redcar 36 14 September 2012 PL L Scunthorpe 55 Redcar 38 (stats courtesy of John Eyre)

When Sky renew the contract next year, they want to go for weekly Premier League and just the occasional EL meeting at Peterborough or King's Lynn. No need to go to Lakeside, Eastbourne or Belle Vue.... All the best Rob

You're not exactly a half full glass kinda guy, are you Rod/Ron? All the best Rob

This year was very funny. No queue, so I had no choice for the bag to be searched (my attempt to walk past him didn't work), but still waltzed in with my food & drink - they're not very thorough at checking. All the best Rob

I think there should be an index in each issue Seriously, the new look Star is very good. The changes seem to mean even more is crammed into each 48/64 page issue than before. And I like the history pieces that accompany each previews of a BSPA Major event. All the best Rob

Trees, but we're British... if we didn't go, we'd have nothing to complain about and what do we talk about then? All the best Rob

"then the MC will issue a revised MA, based upon actual rides if the Team re-declares." (my bold) But there's a "will" earlier in the sentence. Which suggests if a team does redeclare, a new average does have to be issued for riders still on assessed averages. And as it's "based upon" actual rides, surely that's what the rider has averaged so far. There's lots of IFs, BUTs and MAYBEs in the rulebook, but this one looks fairly unambigious. I can only see one intrepretation. All the best Rob

SCB, thanks. Yes you've read it the same way. I can't see how it can be intrepreted differently, can you? All the best Rob

This rule reads: 17.4.4 A Rider starting the season with an Assessed MA will have a new Established MA upon completing 4 Home and 4 Away fixtures, which becomes effective 7 days after the last qualifying Meeting. Should an Established MA not be achieved in order to be effective from 1st May, then the MC will issue a revised MA, based upon actual rides if the Team re-declares. Say a team is trying to introduce rider C into a team, in place of rider B. Rider A has an assessed average, but has only completed 5 to 7 league matches. From the above, my reading would be that Rider A would get his average from the 5 to 7 meetings he has completed at this point as his new CMA. Is there any other way of reading this? It seems fairly umambigious to me. All the best Rob Peasley

Hi Rob, No I definitely can't claim to be neutral - after concluding the collection for the Ben Fund, I went and got my Scunny fleece out of the car. But as both Heats 22 & 23 were won from behind (Josh Auty passing Richard Lawson in Heat 22 and Jason Doyle passing both Scorpions in Heat 23), I can't see how the accidental overwatering of gate 3 made a difference to the result of those races. The only heat you say that maybe it could have changed was Heat 21 which stayed as it was out of the first bend, but even then I think both Doyle & Grajczonek had the beating of Vissing, and could have passed him if they needed to. I think the Best Pair won, and the second Best Pair came second. The heats suggested that Group A was the most competitive, and the semi-finals were proof of this. All the best Rob

Don't forget NOT to book the hotel on the Friday night - you can't miss the pairs again All the best Rob

Josh Auty (not off gate 3) was last away in the second semi-final and passed Richard Lawson for third place. I don't think the puddle made any difference at all. All the best Rob

It's off according to the BSPA website. Lucky Rebels - you were going to have your asses kicked tonight. All the best Rob

Ben seems to raise his game for these sort of meetings. He performed well last time in the World Cup (two years ago). Might as well give it to the younger riders - the careers of Nicholls and Harris are in decline. Why not give the younger riders a go? - it worked for Denmark. Another rider who should be under consideration this year is Richie Worrall. And give it more one year, and Ashley Birks will be ready as well. Those six (Woffinden, Cook, Barker, Auty, Worrall and Birks) are the future of the British in a couple of years time, so why not use them now. All the best Rob

Tai Woffinden Craig Cook Ben Barker Josh Auty All the best Rob

Prediction: Somerset 36 Scunthorpe 56 Any weather updates on this one? All the best Rob

Track coniditions stayed about the same throughout the second meeting, although a slick line did start to emerge. I guess it wasn't ideal for either meeting, but with the combination of sun and a strong wind yesterday, I thought the track staff did a great job to keep some bite in the track. None of the riders could complain that passing wasn't possible, there were numerous overtakes in the last third of the PL meeting. Doyle & Grajzconek showed what was possible in Heat 13. It was a great pity about Liam Carr - like Danny Phillips, he's a rider who should be in the NL. Unfortunately I think Liam could be out for a bit, but I hope Danny gets a place soon - he's a different rider to 2012. All the best Rob

DANNY PHILLIPS TURNS ON THE STYLE AS SAINTS RUN RAMPANT – LIAM CARR HURT SCUNTHORPE SAINTS 57 MILTON KEYNES KNIGHTS 20 – ABANDONED AFTER 13 RACES – RESULT TO STAND (NATIONAL LEAGUE CHALLENGE) DANNY PHILLIPS sent out a clear message to National League bosses at the Eddie Wright Raceway yesterday afternoon (Bank Holiday Monday) – come and sign me! The 16-year-old, who was a regular for the Scunthorpe Saints in the 2012 National League, showed both pace and a good racing head, as was unbeaten by an opponent. The Saints scored a comprehensive 57-20 victory over the Milton Keynes Knights, in a challenge match sadly curtailed by a suspected broken leg to youngster Liam Carr. Carr was also flying, and both he and Phillips had 8 paid 9 from three rides heading into Heat 14. Carr nudged the tapes in the first attempt to stage the race, gaining a 15-metre handicap for the re-run. With Phillips out in front, Arron Mogridge (son of former rider Alan) hit the deck on the third turn, and Carr clipped him, before ploughing into the Eddie Wright Raceway air fence at high speed. With Carr needing medical attention and one of the air bags punctured, referee Jim Lawrence called a halt to what had been an entertaining contest, despite the lopsided scoreline. The Saints scored nine 5-1s, plus a 5-0 in Heat 8, after Ethan Ballentyne suffered an engine failure at the tapes and Mogridge then collected Lee Geary on the first corner. Both Max Clegg and New Zealander Hayden Sims came from behind to take a 5-1 in Heat 6. Clegg (like Danny Phillips, a 2012 Saint) and Sims both ended on paid 11. But the best race was Heat 11 – a real cracker. Mogridge was the early leader, but soon passed by Matt Williamson and Phillips. Tamas Sike, in as a tactical ride, then thrust himself around Phillips after two laps, only to drift wide on third turn of lap 3 and Phillips roared back through. The final lap saw Sike throw everything at Phillips, but the 16-year-old held him off. The Saints scored solidly down their order. Williamson (who rides for Buxton in the NL) fell in his opening ride, but showed plenty of pace to remain unbeaten in his last three riders. Brendan Johnson likewise put a poor first ride behind him and registered the fastest time (60.50) in Heat 5. Lee Geary only dropped points to the Knights in Heat 4, and produced a great ride in Heat 12, storming from third to first. For the Knights (2012 champions of the second half Midland Development League), this was their first full match for 21 years and a day, since the final staged meeting at their former Elfield Park home. Sike seemingly had Heat 1 in the bag for them, only to fall on the final circuit. Two of their Aussie trio, Kyle Ballentyne & Dan Winchester both won a race. But machinery trouble for Sike and Kyle & Ethan Ballentyne left the Knights scrabbling around for functioning bikes. Post-match quotes: Rebecca Parnaby (Saints’ team manager) - “The sad news is that Liam Carr has a suspected broken left leg. We think he may have broken his femur. “It was such a massive shame for the meeting to end like that. It’s the second time on the trot that we’ve had a Saints’ meeting come to an unfortunate halt due to one of the riders being injured. It’s a pity because the lads just want to ride as much as possible. “All the lads riding for us did so well today. It was a brilliant overall performance. “If everyone went to plan, I was planning to put Danny Phillips and Liam Carr in Heat 15. Not only because they had done so well, but also because they don’t have National League team places and they need every ride they can get. And you don’t know who is watching and seeing things. “Danny has matured so much from last year. He’s so much more confident. It showed in his ride with Tamas Sike in Heat 11. Last year, he would have been intimidated when another rider started to throw himself around like that. But Danny just stuck with him and ended up beating him. “It’s a shame Danny hasn’t got a National League team place this year. But he’s performing now, and it would be nice if he, at least, got a few guest bookings.” Danny Phillips - “I’m happy with that. I had some speed and was also harder in the first corners than last year. “I’m disappointed I’m not in the National League at the moment. But it’s also been a good thing, because I’ve been able to spend time practising and learn how to start and ride first bends.” Full scorers: Scunthorpe Saints 57 – Max Clegg 10+1 (4), Hayden Sims 8+3 (4), Brendan Johnson 7+2 (4), Liam Carr 8+1 (3) (PAID MAXIMUM), Matt Williamson 8+1 (4), Danny Phillips 8+1 (3) (PAID MAXIMUM), Lee Geary 8+2 (4). Milton Keynes Knight 20 – Tamas Sike 2 (3) (incl. 1-point tactical ride), Ethan Ballentyne 1 (3), Shane Waldron 2+1 (4) (incl. 0-point tactical ride), Dan Winchester 6 (3), Kyle Ballentyne 3 (2), Lee Springthorpe 3 (6), Arron Mogridge 3+1 (5). 1: Clegg, Sims, E Ballentyne, Sike (fell. excluded), awarded - no time (5-1) (5-1). 2: Phillips, Geary, Springthorpe, Mogridge (penalised 15m for touching tapes, then fell), 62.4 (5-1) (10-2). 3: Carr, Winchester, Waldron, Johnson, 62.10 (3-3) (13-5) 4: (Re-run) K Ballentyne, Mogridge, Geary, Williamson (fell, remounted), 63.51 (1-5) (14-10). 5: Johnson, Carr, Springthorpe (fell, remounted), E Ballentyne (penalised 15m for exceeding two minutes, then fell, remounted), Sike (excluded, two minutes), 60.50 (5-1) (19-11). 6: Clegg, Sims, Springthorpe, K Ballentyne (ret), 61.29 (5-1) (24-12). 7: Phillips, Williamson, Winchester, WALDRON (TR), 60.82 (5-1) (29-13). 8: (re-run) Sims, Geary, Mogridge (fell, excluded), E Ballentyne (excluded, not under power), 61.49(5-0) (34-13). 9: Carr, Johnson, Mogridge, Springthorpe, 62.41 (5-1) (39-14). 10: Winchester, Clegg, Sims, Waldron, 62.35 (3-3) (42-17). 11: (re-run) Williamson, Phillips, SIKE (TR), Mogridge (fell), 63.00 (5-1) (47-18) 12: Geary, Johnson, Waldron, Springthorpe, 63.91 (5-1) (52-19) 13: Williamson, Clegg, Sike, Springthorpe, 61.44 (5-1) (57-20). 14: Carr penalised 15m for touching tapes. Mogridge fell, excluded, but re-run unable to take place due to injury to Carr.

Somerset have confirmed that Nick Morris is back. Should be a cracking afternoon of racing - it's usual price for the double-headers, i.e. just £16 for 30 heats. All the best Rob

Oldtimer, the weather forecast for tomorrow looks fine. I fine you might be confusing it with the forecast for the west of the country, which isn't very good at all. But Sunny Scunny is towards the east coast and the weather is due to be fine. All the best Rob