lucifer sam

Arnie, the Amateur League had 13 teams in 1997, but I think many of them were second teams; indeed there were four 'shared' teams, with two tracks sharing the home fixtures (Reading/Swindon were one of them, if I recall correctly). The CL had 13 teams in 2003 and 2004, but without looking it up, I'm not sure how many were standalone. But yes, with the addition of the likes of Eastbourne and Birmingham, the NL has never been stronger. And, if not a record, then 8 standalone teams is the most for a while. It is a pointer that this level of speedway in Britain could be the way it survives and prospers. You can't pay out what you haven't got - Plymouth are the most recent example of this going wrong. I just hope that, somehow, the Devils can continue. All the best Rob

Club legend Wayne Carter will be riding in second half 4TT for Halifax. All the best Rob

No worries. 1957 is quite often regarded as the blackest year, because of the closure of the Wembley Lions in February. The SAL operated from 1954 to 1957, never got off the ground in 1958 (lack of teams was always a problem for the competition), and was resurrected in 1959. As pointed out by both yourself and Tsunami, it's the formation of the Provincial League in 1960 that proved speedway's salvation and led to another boom period in the late sixties and throughout the seventies. Furthermore, the creation of a British League Division Two in 1968 almost doubled the number of speedway teams within a two-year period. The past can sometimes teach us a lesson. What speedway's past has told us is that survival can be gained from building from the grass roots up. Do we actually need the top world class riders to survive? Well, no. Many of the top foreigners were not allowed in the British League in 1965, but yet this year is seen as a major step forward. Speedway clubs need to build to a budget they can afford. As long as the racing is competitive, the league of the level is largely irrelevant. Birmingham and Eastbourne are very recent examples of clubs saved by dropping to an affordable level, and many fans have hailed NL racing rather than walking away from it. Let's get back to teams being build from (largely) local youngsters. All the best Rob

It's 1958 when it was lowest, because the SAL didn't run that year. Just a single National League. But yes any revival needs to be at grass roots level first. It's no coincidence that the league currently gaining in numbers is the third tier. All the best Rob

I wasn't around, but in 1958, only 10 tracks were left, a few years earlier there had been 35. All the best Rob

To be honest, I thought Ritchie Hawkins had made a howler on the day, because I'd seen PL GSA 1 on Friday. But turned out Ritchie was right - I was wrong. Yes, his GSA for team-building purposes is 6.85. But not when it comes to determining race order (including R/R eligibility), and therefore Covatti wasn't eligible for a ride. All the best Rob

EASTER TREAT AT EDDIE WRIGHT RACEWAY HENDERSON INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions’ promoter Rob Godfrey is looking forward to Easter Sunday’s (3pm) clash with local rivals Sheffield Tigers at the Eddie Wright Raceway. The League Cup action forms the first half of a 31-race double-header, also featuring a four team tournament between the Scunthorpe Stags, Halifax, Hull and Buxton. The Scorpions started their 2016 fixtures last week with a fine 48-41 win at Ipswich, followed by a 45-45 draw against the Witches in a complete humdinger of a meeting at Scunthorpe. Godfrey said: “It should be an absolute belter – the racing for our home meeting against Ipswich was top drawer, and this should be the same. “Sheffield are always good value around the Eddie Wright Raceway, and it’s going to be a real test for our ambitions to reach the League Cup semi-finals. “We took five points from the two meetings against Ipswich, which was a handy start, and we need to keep adding to that. We ride well at both Sheffield and Peterborough, but at the same time, we need to win our home meetings. “We had a few engine problems in the home meeting against Ipswich, which cost us the win. Josh Auty’s bike was smoking badly and he had to switch, and his second bike was nowhere as fast as the first. Meanwhile, both Wilko (Carl Wilkinson) and Zdenek (Holub) had bikes which were far too powerful for the track. We’ll have all that sorted out for the visit of the Tigers.” Wilkinson suffered a small break in his collarbone in an accident at Scunthorpe last weekend, but is planning to race through the pain barrier. * Team news to follow later in week.

Such sad news. Hope that, one way or another, that Plymouth Speedway can be saved. All the best Rob

That's the idea of the 6.30pm start time come April, to avoid the track getting too dry and dusty. It was sensible to run at 3pm on Sunday - it was starting to get rather cold as I left the stadium around 6pm (as usual, one of the last out!!). And the track held up incredibly well. There was a slick patch appearing for the last few races, but it had no affect at all on the racing. Heat 15 was simply epic, while Heat 13 wasn't far behind. In fact, I could name almost every race (Heats 11 & 12 have just sprung to mind as well ). Good to have racing back at the EWR. Scunny's home meetings are simply awesome and well worth the drive from Oxford. Get across, Jenga, when Worky are there - it's worth it. All the best Rob

Covatti not eligible for R/R ride. In terms of team building, Kerr's 2.5% reduction is applicable, but not in terms of team line-up, including guests and rider replacement. Fair play to Ritchie Hawkins - who knew his rulebook. All the best Rob

Outstanding afternoon of speedway. At Ipswich on Thursday, there was 1 pass after the opening half lap. Today there was 31. The luck evened itself out - I think a draw was a fair result. Over the two meetings, Scunny scored 5 points and Ippo 2. Not bad for a team tipped (incorrectly) by many for the bottom. Best wishes to Wilko. All the best Rob

The thoughts of Alex Davies on the win at Ipswich: http://scunthorpescorpions.co/?p=4945 All the best Rob

Kerr 7.03, Risager 6.86 according to last night's programme. All the best Rob

Dave Peet's views on last night's meeting: http://scunthorpescorpions.co/?p=4938 Alex Davies' reaction will be added tonight. All the best Rob

By my reckoning, there was one pass after the first-half lap all night. Lewis Kerr passed Zdenek Holub in Heat 3, as Holub was learning a brand new track. The Z man was good after that, including a cracking ride to keep Covatti at bay in Heat 7. The racing was awful - the track had no dirt and one line. And not sure what's going on with the Ipswich suits - half the team are in yellow and half in green Still, I went home with a huge smile on my face, after a great performance by the Scorpions - it was seven riders against four, and the seven won. Alex Davies could be in for a big year, but every Scorpion contributed last night, including a very neat ride from young Josh Bailey in Heat 2. All the best Rob

Got my ticket yesterday, having registered an interest by email. Yay!! Have therefore cancelled my alternate Easter Monday plans. All the best Rob

Get in Scorps!! Hard to believe some poor deluded souls thought the Witches could score 60 against us All the best Rob

Seems there is a stretch of the A14 closed overnight tonight as well. All the best Rob

I'm leaving work at 4pm today (Oxford), so it'll be slightly tight for time. I will leave M25 at junction 28. Are there any roadworks on that stretch of the A12/A14 at the moment? Thanks. All the best Rob

HENDERSON INSURANCE Scunthorpe Scorpions are looking for a successful start to their 2016 season, with home and away fixtures with the Ipswich Witches this week. The Scorpions travel to Foxhall Heath tonight (Thursday, 7.30pm) for a League Cup match, and then face the Witches in the return encounter at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Sunday (3pm). Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey said: “We find ourselves in a tough League Cup group with Ipswich, Peterborough and Sheffield, but we would like to get off to a good start to the season and put in a strong challenge for a semi-final spot in the competition. “I’m full of optimism for the new season – I believe we’ve put together a team that can deliver. “Nicolai (Klindt), Josh (Auty) and Ryan (Douglas) all scored good points in a competitive meeting in the Ben Fund Bonanza at King’s Lynn on Saturday and everything is boding well for the new season. “The visit to Foxhall is the first official fixture of 2016, and there’s a chance that we could catch Ipswich a little cold. We’ll approach the meeting with a positive attitude – there’s no reason why we can’t take a result from the meeting. “In return, I’m expecting an exciting, close-fought encounter at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Sunday, but we will definitely be out to start our home meetings with a victory. “Ipswich’s last visit to Scunthorpe back in last July was, in a word ‘eventful’ and if we get even half as much entertainment on Sunday as we did on that Friday night, we’ll be in for a treat!” Admission prices for Sunday: Adult: £15.00 Student/OAP: £13.00 Child (16 – 17): £5.00 Child (0 – 15) Free (accompanied by paying adult) Family Ticket £35 (2 adults, 2 Children 16-17) Match Programme: £1.00 Expected teams for Sunday: Henderson Insurance Scunthorpe Scorpions: 1. Josh Auty, 2. Nicolai Klindt, 3. Alex Davies, 4. Zdenek Holub, 5. Ryan Douglas, 6. Carl Wilkinson, 7. Josh Bailey. Ipswich Witches: 1. Danny King, 2. James Sarjeant, 3. Lewis Kerr, 4. Morten Risager, 5. Nico Covatti, 6. Paco Castagna, 7. Darryl Ritchings.

Steve, there's no doubt that he was volatile (especially early in his career), and he admits himself that he had a reputation for events off the track. That's why it's interesting to hear his views on that subject. And yes, the sport is in need of a few more characters these days. Agree totally with that sentiment. All the best Rob

Steve, I think he revealed a lot. For example, I didn't realise the personal trauma he'd been through in 2004 - Steve mentioned that despite the fact it's understandably tough for him to talk about it. I know you regard him as a arch-villain, but I found him as eloquent, intelligent and modest; someone more interested in talking about the future of the sport, than talking about himself. One thing he was reluctant to do was to bad-mouth other riders e.g. regarding the incident with Briggo at Reading, what he wanted to point out was that they had bumped into each other in the last year or so and had talked things out. Of particular interest, I felt, was his reasoning behind any trouble on-and-off track. He clearly had his own code, and if anyone went against that, then he wouldn't hesitate to stick up for himself. A standard closing question is "Do you look back fondly on your speedway career?". Steve gave one of the most eloquent responses to this, explaining how it had shaped his subsequent life. All the best Rob

Down and safe in Groningen. Hope to bump into Conkers (met him many times) and Iris (for what would be the first time) at some point of proceedings over the weekend. All the best Rob

British Semi-Final coming to Scunthorpe (along with Glasgow). A date expected to be confirmed later today. All the best Rob

Tyretrax, are you deliberately going around the forum trying to cause arguments? This was a positive thread regarding a medical breakthrough that could possibly change the lives of several wheelchair bound speedway riders. Well, it was until you came on here... Your comments are completely uncalled for. All the best Rob