lucifer sam

Rochester Bombers became Romford Bombers before they ever rode a home meeting. All the best Rob

Didn't get home until 6.45pm, so not enough time to get to Blunsdon. I will have to boo Darcy while watching it on TV instead. All the best Rob

Cheers. It was a great meeting, and the timing couldn't have been better... you could visibly see the spirits of the Scunny fans and management rise over those last three races And it was terrific to see Rob G with a big smile on his face after the meeting. Just hope everyone who came last Friday liked what they saw, and will come back this Friday. All the best Rob

Yeah, I can quite believe you were on the case straight away, you were too far good at your job. But the fact that Somerset protested during the course of the match is good enough for me. In any case, any illegal rides have to be deducted from match scores. It makes a mockery of the sport otherwise. All the best Rob

It was Reading vs Oxford in 1997. The Oxford team manager made a mistake in replacing a non-injured reserve with a supplementary reserve in Heat 1, the ref sanctioned it, Oxford won 46-44 on the night, the Reading team manager protested, and a couple of days later, it was announced the scoreline had been changed to 45-45. As an Oxford fan I wasn't best pleased at the time, but any fury was directed towards those who had made the error, as opposed to the Reading management. Fortunately, the Oxford team manager was changed the following winter. Why bring that up now? Well the Reading team manager, one of the most astute in the business, is one of those contributing to this thread. But that's an example of how it should be. You make a mistake; you get penalised for it. An illegal ride should not be allowed to stand, otherwise it makes a mockery of the sport. All the best Rob

HT, yes there were mistakes all around, after Redcar's original error with the averages. And I agree, we have been given a full explanation of what happened in this case. But I still think it really does send out very much the wrong message in allowing an illegal ride to stand. And Redcar now have three PL points that they should not have. All the best Rob

Agreed. It is shocking that (a) all three parties could miss it (b ) Redcar should be allowed to gain from their mistake. All the best Rob

Whoooosh!!!! I said I didn't think that had happened on this occasion i.e. I said I thought Redcar had made a mistake. You might want to read people's posts properly before replying to them. All the best Rob

One thing I find odd is that I didn't think the referee was supposed to use the club's match programme. Isn't he supposed to use the Kandysoft-supplied programme, which would have had the correct averages on it? I still can't see how Redcar can be allowed to keep the 3 match points. They've gained from their own error. Yes, the referee made a mistake too in not checking it properly. But it sends out a message to teams try the correct thing to do is to pull a fast one (not suggesting Redcar did on this occasion, I think it was a mistake), and hope the referee and opposing team don't spot it. If you track an illegal rider, then those points should be deducted. The clubs who miss out the most are Plymouth and Scunthorpe, who are currently behind Redcar in the Premier League table on false pretences. All the best Rob

Agree with just about all your sentiments there, HT. Heat 14 was just an amazing race. All the best Rob

If Somerset protested on the night, then the points have to be deducted. Kus's ride was clearly illegal. All the best Rob

No match report on the Somerset website either (just point scorers). I'm wondering if we'll see a SCB statement in due course on this one... All the best Rob

Racers & Royals, which begs the question of why you protested about a 46-44 win for Oxford at Reading in 1997, and got the result changed to 45-45, after the ref allowed the Oxford team manager (John Tremblin) to make an illegal reserve change in Heat 1. I tend to think that you were correct to protest on that ocassion. And similary, the result from last night should also be changed. Yes, the ref have never allowed it in the first place, but the Redcar team manager is similarly culpable. Illegal ride, therefore needs to be taken off the result. All the best Rob

Neither Lambert or MPT are completely ruled out yet, with Peterborough due to make a late decision on both. Tommy The Gun guests for Josh Auty, who is still a week away from being fit enough to return. Josh was going to see how he felt after having the pin removed from his hand on Wednesday. Thomas Jorgensen flies around Scunny (he scored paid 13 while guesting for Redcar earlier in the season), so he should be a decent guest for Josh. Weather forecast for today is a cracker, and will be great to see Ryan Douglas back in action. All the best Rob

RESERVES COULD BE KEY FOR SCORPIONS AGAINST PANTHERS SCUNTHORPE promoter Rob Godfrey reckons reserves Nike Lunna and Ben Wilson could hold the key to a victory for the FluidAir Power Scorpions, supported by Henderson Insurance, over high-flying Peterborough Panthers at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday evening (7.30pm). At the time of writing (Wednesday evening), Peterborough sit top of the Premier League table, after a 49-41 victory at Berwick in an encounter televised by Sky Sports. Impressively, the Panthers are unbeaten in five PL matches away from home. Godfrey says: “Peterborough are a very classy side, and their away form is clearly very good indeed. “We’ll have our work cut out on Friday, but one way we could upset the form book and beat them, would be if Nike Lunna and Ben Wilson were to repeat their performances from the match at Redcar last Thursday. “Both rode extremely well, and scored 22 (paid 24) between them, and it kept us in contention that night despite Alex Davies crashing out in his opening ride.” A battered and bruised Davies has declared himself fit for Friday’s clash. One major boost for the Scorpions, who currently occupy the bottom place in the Premier League, is the return of Australian Ryan Douglas from injury, and it is also hoped that No 1 Josh Auty may also be back in action. Douglas has been out for 5 weeks with a small fracture to one of his vertebrae, while Auty has been on the sidelines 8 weeks with a broken hand. Godfrey adds: “It would be fabulous to have seven of our own riders back racing for us again; it seems such a long time since we weren’t reliant on either a guest or rider replacement. “We have to appreciate that it’s going to take Ryan, plus Josh if he’s back, a few weeks to get fully back up to speed, after their injuries. Although we could have a full team out on track on Friday, it’ll be another couple of weeks before we’re back to what I would call full strength.” Peterborough Panthers will be led by 17-year-old British sensation Robert Lambert, who has featured in both the Speedway World Cup and Grand Prix series in 2015, and makes his first Premier League appearance at Scunthorpe on Friday. Former Scorpions Michael Palm Toft and Simon Lambert are also in the Panthers’ line-up, while Ulrich Ostergaard is a proven performer around the Eddie Wright Raceway. “The Panthers are attractive visitors”, says Godfrey. “In particular, it will be interesting to see how Robert Lambert goes around here. I’m sure plenty of people have caught his spectacular efforts in televised meetings this season. On Friday, there’s a chance to come along to the Eddie Wright Raceway and see him performing in the flesh. “All-in-all, I think we’re set for a night of some thrilling speedway action around the best racetrack in British Speedway, as we attempt to become the team that ends Peterborough’s away unbeaten run in the Premier League.” There are 24 heats of action in total on Friday, with a nine-race second half comprising of a six-heat Midland Development League match between Scunthorpe & Peterborough and three 500cc Youth races. Admission prices for Friday: Adult: £15.00 Student/OAP: £13.00 Child (10 – 17): £5.00 Child (0 – 9) Free (accompanied by paying adult) Family Ticket £35 (2 adults, 2 Children 10-17) Match Programme: £1.00 Expected teams for Friday: FluidAir Power Scunthorpe Scorpions, supported by Henderson Insurance: 1. Josh Auty, 2. Theo Pijper, 3. Alex Davies, 4. Carl Wilkinson, 5. Ryan Douglas, 6. Ben Wilson, 7. Nike Lunna. Peterborough Panthers: 1. Ulrich Ostergaard, 2. Rider replacement for Emil Grondal, 3. Matej Kus (guest for Lewis Blackbird), 4. Michael Palm Toft, 5. Robert Lambert, 6. Rafal Konopka, 7. Simon Lambert. Midland Development League teams: Scunthorpe Stags: 1. Jamie Halder, 2. Stephen Whitehouse, 3. Jack Parkinson-Blackburn, 4. Luke Whitehead. Peterborough Thundercats: 1. Alex Wilson, 2. Daniel Hunt, 3. Ben Basford, 4. Adam Portwood. Peterborough Panthers at EWR Ave Ave Name Lge M R Pts BP (no BP) (w BP) Best Performance Rafal Konopka PL 5 22 14 3 2.55 3.09 5 + 1 from 6 rides (2015) Robert Lambert DEBUT PL MEETING @ EWR Simon Lambert PL 48 211 285 52 5.40 6.39 15 + 2 from 7 rides (2009) Ulrich Ostergaard PL 9 43 80 6 7.44 8.00 18 from 6 rides (inc 6 pts T/R (2008)) Michael Palm Toft PL 49 222 342 43 6.16 6.94 18 + 3 from 7 rides (2012) Other Notes Rafal Konopka Made his Premier League debut for Redcar in April 2014. Recent signing for Peterborough after starting this season at Redcar. Robert Lambert Has made his Speedway Grand Prix and World Cup debuts this season. Made his British League debut with King's Lynn's National League side during the 2013 season. Rides as a 'doubling-up' rider with King's Lynn for the 2015 Elite League season. Simon Lambert A former Scunthorpe Scorpion and Saint. A part of 3 National League level Pairs Winning duos (2007 and 2008 with Boston and 2011 with Stoke). Rides as a 'doubling-up' rider with Leicester for the 2015 Elite League season. Ulrich Ostergaard Member of Peterborough's Elite League Championship Winning Team in 2006. Named as the 2008 Premier League Rider of the Year by the Speedway Riders Association. Michael Palm Toft A former Scunthorpe Scorpion and member of the 2012 Premier League Championship Winning Team. 2006 FIM Youth 80cc Champion. Has Elite League experience after riding for King's Lynn and Belle Vue at that level Peterborough Panthers' Results at EWR 26 May 2014 KOC L Scunthorpe 46 Peterborough 44 05 September 2014 PL L Scunthorpe 58 Peterborough 36 (stats by John Eyre)

RYAN DUE TO RETURN ON FRIDAY, AND MAYBE JOSH TOO! THERE’S a good chance that the FluidAir Power Scunthorpe Scorpions, supported by Henderson Insurance, could track seven of their own riders in the Premier League clash against the Peterborough Panthers at the Eddie Wright Raceway on Friday (7.30pm). Ryan Douglas is all set to return, having been out of action for five weeks after suffering a small fracture to a vertebrae in a crash at the circuit on June 5. And further good news is that Alex Davies should also be OK to race, despite being battered and bruised in an accident at Redcar last Thursday. The one doubt remains Scorpions’ No 1 Josh Auty, who suffered a broken hand at Scunthorpe on May 15. The Yorkshireman has penciled in Friday as his return date, but it will depend on how he feels after the pins are removed from his hand on Wednesday. Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey said: “Ryan is definitely back this Friday, while Alex will ride, despite that horrible-looking fall he suffered at Redcar. “That was an alarming accident; Alex was propelled at high speed and impacted the track with his head and shoulder. He was naturally feeling a bit beaten up after that. He’s turned down a guest booking at Ipswich on Thursday, but he’s passed himself fit to ride for us at Scunthorpe on Friday. “Josh is very keen to get back riding for us. But it will depend on how he feels after the pins are removed from his hand on Wednesday. We should have an update closer to the meeting whether Josh is feeling OK to ride on Friday.” If Auty does return in Friday’s intriguing-looking clash, the Scorpions will track seven of their own riders for the first time since April 19th.

Correct - it would need a 50% increase, for example: £15 x 400 = £6000 £10 x 600 = £6000 I'm sure Rob G tried this and dropped the prices to £10 for a Rye House double-header in 2012... and the crowd didn't increase by 50%. The prices were also dropped to £10 for the televised meeting in 2013. I'm not sure that would be wise at the moment, though, instead of needing another 200 through the gate, we'd need over another 400 through the gate. All the best Rob

Yes, the point being that the attendance figures on Fridays have gone down by around a further 100. 100+100=200. All the best Rob

Hi Speedibee, that's not actually true, because the two sports attract two enitely different sets of fans to the track, there's very little overlap at all. For whatever reason, speedway fans are not interested in stock cars, and stock car fans are not interested in speedway. Although I've never been to a stock car meeting at the EWR, I believe the attendances for those meetings remain OK. All the best Rob

NEXT SEVEN HOME MEETINGS ARE CRUCIAL TO FUTURE OF SCORPIONS SCUNTHORPE promoter Rob Godfrey has revealed that the meeting on Bank Holiday Monday, August 31st could be the final-ever Scunthorpe Scorpions’ fixture at the Eddie Wright Raceway, unless there is a telling increase in attendance levels at the North Lincolnshire venue for the rest of the 2015 season. Godfrey first revealed the club’s plight to supporters in his final programme notes of 2014. He promised them one more season, but that support needed to increase during 2015. In a statement, Godfrey says: “First of all, I’d like to thank our loyal supporters across the last ten years, the people who have turned up week-in, week-out. “Scunthorpe Speedway, in its previous incarnation from 1971 to 1985, nearly always tracked a poor team. We’ve banished that reputation, not only winning the Conference/National League three times, but also the Premier League championship in 2012. The latter, in particular, is something that still fills me with tremendous pride. We showed that Scunthorpe Speedway could be a success. “There’s so much we can look back on and be proud about. The current World Championship leader, Tai Woffinden, started his professional speedway career racing for the Scunthorpe Scorpions. “Our supporters are fantastic, but the bottom line is that we simply don’t have enough of them. Last year, I informed our fans that we needed around 100 more people through the gate a week. This year, the situation has worsened, maybe because we haven’t been successful on track. The Bank Holiday crowds have been OK, but our Friday night attendances have been very poor. We no longer need another 100 fans a week, we now need another 200. “Whether we’re finished as a club, I don’t know. It’s no secret that our crowds need to be better, like most clubs. I don’t want this to be our last season, but I have to say we’re fighting for survival now. “I really don’t know what else we can do to try to get people along on a Friday evening at 7.30pm; we’ve tried everything. “I firmly believe we have the best racetrack in the whole country. The fact we’ve been awarded Premier League Track Of The Year three times (2010, 2012 and 2014) suggests I’m not the only person who thinks that. “Some other tracks sometimes come under fire for long, drawn-out meetings, so we make sure we avoid that. We start on time, and then get on with the meeting. “I believe a speedway meeting at the Eddie Wright Raceway is a good night’s entertainment, yet for whatever reason, we simply can’t get enough people to come along to watch our meetings. It appears to be a problem with speedway across the country, rather than a unique problem to Scunthorpe. I can’t speak for other tracks, but I can speak for mine, and we simply don’t have enough people on the terraces to sustain the current level of Premier League Speedway.” The FluidAir Power Scunthorpe Scorpions, supported by Henderson Insurance, currently sit bottom of the 2015 Premier League, and Godfrey admits the on-track struggle has probably not helped with attendances. He adds: “Basically, we’ve had ten reasonably successful years on the track up to now, but this year we’re just having a terrible year. It happens, you have good years and bad years. In the 10 years we’ve been running, this is the first really bad season we’ve had and it’s not through choice. “What can I do to change it? All I can do is hope the riders get it together and start banging in some scores. I don’t think our team is as bad as our current league position shows. Once Josh (Auty) and Ryan (Douglas) are back and fully fit and healthy, I think we have a decent team, and visiting teams will struggle to take any points away from the Eddie Wright Raceway. “But it’s been one thing after another this year. There has been times this season when I’ve hated speedway and can’t wait to get out of it, and I’ve had many a sleepless night. But there are also times when I realise how much I would miss this sport. “We have seven home meetings left, starting with Peterborough on Friday (7.30pm). And as long as the weather doesn’t intervene, we’ll close for this season with the Bank Holiday Monday fixture on August 31st, against Sheffield Tigers, followed by the Midland Development League Riders’ Championship. People have those seven meetings left to show that there is sufficient interest out there to sustain the Scorpions into 2016 and beyond. “No decision has been made yet, but I need to know that people still want speedway in Scunthorpe and that we’re going to get the level of support we need to make it viable to continue. “In my heart, I still believe that Scunthorpe Speedway is worth saving. I hope there are enough other people who do as well”, Godfrey concludes. SCUNTHORPE’S REMAINING HOME MEETINGS IN 2015: Friday, July 10th – Scorpions vs Peterborough Panthers (7.30pm) Friday, July 17th – Scorpions vs Ipswich Witches (7.30pm) Friday, July 24th – Scorpions vs Plymouth Devils (7.30pm) Friday, August 7th – Scorpions vs Newcastle Diamonds (7.30pm) Friday, August 14th – Scorpions vs Redcar Bears (7.30pm) Friday, August 21st – Scorpions vs Berwick Bandits (7.30pm) Bank Holiday Monday, August 31st – Scorpions vs Sheffield Tigers followed by Midland Development League Riders’ Championship (3pm) PLEASE COME ALONG TO THE EDDIE WRIGHT RACEWAY TO HELP SAVE THE SCUNTHORPE SCORPIONS

Ah go on. You get to see me in my costume, and you also get to see a paralytic Wee George. I notice the Somerset Rooster wasn't there this year; I'm wondering if that's because of past encounters with Wee George And you see some proper racing All the best Rob

Some people on here are on weird substances. :D Any meeting where one gate wins 16 races and another wins 0 races is highly unlikely to be a good meeting. It was better than Tampere, but that's not saying a lot. Somerset was good stuff, though, even if the final was a little bit of an anti-climax. You coming next year, Sue? (I'm sure you can get a lift back to Cardiff with Shawn and Alan, if you ask them nicely ) All the best Rob

Result: Redcar 49 Scunthorpe 41 Scorpions so close to point, despite losing Alex Davies through injury in Heat 4. All the best Rob

I will again have my random bottle of water with me this year to see if I can smuggle it in by simply walking between the security chaps All the best Rob

Gavan, this is what you said. That Pedersen dominated Rickardsson. He didn't. While they were both in the GP (2001-2006), Rickardsson won three won titles and Nicki P one. Nicki P is a fine triple World Champion, and I think any rider enters the realms of a 'great rider' once they win a third World title. But you're starting to stray into the realms of fantasy with some of your statements. All the best Rob