lucifer sam

Final day out, due to concussion protocols. Charles Wright is the guest.

Just checked and weather looking good for this one... so travelling up from Oxford tomorrow.

Oxford line-up identical to the two meetings last week.

Work than less than half a mile from the stadium and weather still fine. A bit overcast, but no more than it has been all day.

Press & practice now on Sunday (April 2nd) at 4.30pm.

As has Cardiff for many years. It's standard practice - an enticement to persuade people to book.

Team – OXFORD SPEEDWAY Looks like the 2023 team to me! PS I didn't say anything about still not appealing to the die-hards, who are still there every week.

Hi Chris, The views have been listened to. Jamie asked me about programme sales, and I said occasionally some came into the stadium without cash, and then had to walk half a mile up the road to the nearest cash point to get cash for a programme. As a result, no-one will have to do that this year. Anyone wanting to buy a programme with a card this year simply needs to go upstairs to the track shop, which will also sell the programme, and which accepts both card and cash (and Apple Pay and all sorts). As for downstairs, it'll remain cash only, because there's no way I could sell around 500 in the last hour (which happened at times last year) while faffing around with card payments. For those who didn't like having to pay online for every meeting, there's now the option of season tickets. Otherwise, anyone introducing or bringing back a speedway track is going to run it as a modern business, which is payment upfront online. Today's call-off has again showed the benefit of ease of transfer - this was even more obvious with the mid-meeting postponement of the Newcastle meeting last year, where everything wasn't left frantically searching for their re-admission ticket. Such antiquated policies went out out the ark - it's now 2023 and not 1983. As we know, no matter how progressive a promotion is, they will always be people who like to moan (and are fully entitled to have a moan, if they like), because it's not run exactly like it was in 2007. But it's one reason I rarely come on the BSF these days, because forums are largely redundant and largely populated by people who have little interest in current day speedway. Speedway does not thrive by operating like it did 15 years ago. It acts like a modern, progressive business, and then like Oxford, it will attract plenty of younger support to go alongside the older die-hard supporters. The die-hards can't sustain a business alone.

Capacity is no longer a problem, while don't worry about the weather - the online ticketing means both transfer and refund options are very easy, no stupid, archaic re-admission tickets!

The points limit didn't get dropped. Was always intended to be 40 for this year.

Make sure you pay the day before then and get it cheaper

Good point. But the gospel according to Lisa Colette then decrees that Poole v Glasgow is wiped from the records last season, since it happened on November 4th and Glasgow v Poole had already occurred on November 2nd. Glasgow therefore won the league 50-40 from the only staged leg. Do you want to change your mind about this one?

Oxford have had a hugely successful first season. Silverware in the first season back (NLRC winner), Chargers getting to the play-offs and great crowds for both Cheetahs and Chargers. I suspect the NL crowds are around double the Championship crowds at Birmingham. That translates to a great atmosphere at Cowley, especially given the younger-than-usual crowd demographic at Oxford which sees many twenty-somethings and thirty-somethings on the terraces alongside the older fans. You'll find there's not many Oxford fans on the BSF, simply because it's all doom-and-gloom on here, and our first season since 2007 has been anything but that!

I assume the Glasgow leg is Friday, October 28th, since that doesn't clash with any other meeting that day, but it's odd that Glasgow haven't announced anything yet.

I think the ruling regarding the transfer deadline is worded almost exactly the same. It's been about for years, the only bit that has changed is the date. At one point it was mid-September, now it's the end of August. It's the only relevant rule that applies in such cases. Making more than 2 changes because of long-term injury between 25% to 75% makes no odds now - we're no longer in that window!

As a non-Poole fan and non-Wolves fan, I would point both Hancock (2013) and Woffinden (2016) were signed before the transfer deadline and used in regular league matches. Wolverhampton had both Lindgren and Thorssell injured in 2017, won the away leg at Swindon, but then lost the final because they were missing their two biggest home track experts. Wolves followed the rules and didn't look for a loophole in the rulebook, get turned down for it, and then threaten legal action until they got their own way! Belle Vue Speedway is a credit to British speedway, with a superb track and stadium, but they will lost a lot of friends with their actions.

You seem to have forgotten the rulebook is on the SCB website and anyone read it. The rulebook can be ambiguous - in this case I wouldn't say it was. The cut-off deadline is quite clear, while any reference to long-term injuries as in regards to how many times you can make changes within the transfer window. Belle Vue Speedway are a credit to the sport, while Robert Lambert is a terrific rider, but there's a rulebook to be followed. This is the equivalent of Man City signing Messi just for the Champions League final and makes speedway look stupid.

So to summarise, Belle Vue read the rulebook wrong, and BSPL/SCB refused the change. But Robert Lambert complains about it on social media, at which point they don't want to upset him in case he quits Team GB and have now broken their own rules. Does this pretty much sum it up?

So Edinburgh make a massive effort to put on the meeting, so that Belle Vue get a fair crack of whip and their play-off fate is not decided by a rain off, and then you moan about the conditions? Conditions looked superb to me watching on the stream, considering the torrential rain earlier in the day. Track was the same for both sides, if anything a wet track tends to remove home track advantage. Well done Armadale for being easily the best team on the night - shame you can't acknowledge that.

What's the chances of using Armadale for one last season in 2023, while a new home is located? I hope Edinburgh can survive, even if it's by renting out Ashfield on Saturday nights for a year.

Went as a neutral last night. Decent meeting. Not an awful lot of passing, but close racing. Large bias towards those off gates 1 and 3. Heat 10 was a complete cracker of a race. When Hans Andersen lifted on the second bend of the last lap with the other three riders so close, I could see it ending in a pile up, and it was four abreast heading into the third turn, just in front of us, but everyone stayed on. Great stuff from Bomber to fend off both Aces earlier in the race. Basso passed Fricke on one wheel in Heat 5 after he lifted out of the second bend. Fricke's body language was "f*ck that, I've got a GP in two days time" because he shut off and can't blame him at all for that. Reckon Nicholls should have gone down in Heat 14 after the contact - he would have got Blodorn excluded. Belle Vue deserved the win, with good ride by Brennan in Heat 15 to not only get past King, but create the gap for Zagar as well. Jordan Jenkins very unlucky to be on the losing side, after great ride in Heat 8 to fend off both Aces, after his team-mate Andersen pushed past him and left him to it! Great news that Peterborough are back in 2023.

I would say rename the final from the Jubilee League to the Queen Elizabeth Trophy. It was named after her all along, really, but Jubilee isn't quite the appropriate name any longer.

Agreed. It does very much depend on the sporting events in question and how high profile they are. The bigger the event, the less likely it is to take place. For speedway, this weekend and the day of the funeral seems about right.

What a kick in the doo-dahs. Good luck Edinburgh. Hope you can find a solution for 2023.

It's not fair on Ben Trigger at all, is it? He's being fed to the lions and doesn't stand a chance. Hopefully Ben will follow in the example of Henry Atkins, move away and find life better away from Plymouth. Henry is flourishing again at Oxford, under the guidance of a supportive club and manager.