Aries

Belle Vue have a huge home advantage. Doyle for example struggled for pace there last year by his own admission and even when he made the gate, he was soon swallowed up by the likes of Kurtz and Lidsey. Set up is just as important at big fast tracks as it is for small technical ones. The Belle Vue boys are very very quick around their home track and if you’re a visiting rider there and struggling for pace, you’ll very quickly get found out. There are some tracks where you can pop out of the gate and keep faster riders behind you by being clever with the lines you take and acting as a roadblock. You have absolutely zero chance of doing that at the NSS.

Leicester look the pick here for me. Someone earlier in the thread made a good point, Leicester have the Wolves top 3 from last year, a Wolves team that finished second in the table. And they have added Max Fricke and Richard Lawson on top of that! That’s potent. They’ve also been smart and used all the points gained from Kemp’s 25% reduction, something Ipswich haven’t done with Jenkins 25% reduction. Ipswich will still join them in the top 4 though and pretty comfortably this time. They’ve fixed the Riss issue with Ellis and they’ve also got one of the better rising stars fit in Dan Thompson. Finally having a rising star that could contribute in meetings turned their season around last year. Oxford will also comfortably make the top four IMO. The only question mark with them is the fitness of a few returning injured riders. They could be slow burners if it takes them a while to get up to speed but if they do, I expect them to be strong. Solid all through the top 5 and the best reserve in the league in Kerr. The last spot isn’t quite as clear cut. Of the remaining sides I think Lynn look the best. Big fan of Musielak and he’ll do a good job for them at #1. Look to have Wotsit on a bargain average going by his performances for Peterborough last year and I’d expect him to swap with Palm Toft after the first change in averages meaning Lynn also will have a strong reserve all year. Not convinced with either Sheffield or Belle Vue this time. Belle Vue will need Bewley to be the 9+ rider we know he’s capable of being, rather than the 8 point rider we saw last year. If he steps it up a gear, Belle Vue have a potent top 3 with Kurtz and Lidsey that could see them challenge for a play off spot. Bewley the key here. Sheffield have the weakest reserve pairing in the league, which is a problem when you have a rider or two in the top 5 who are a bit flakey. Chris Holder isn’t the rider he once was, far from it, and neither is Woffinden. I think both will be hit and miss this year especially away from home and when they’re having one of those nights where they don’t want to know, that’s when you need your reserves to chip in to cover and this is where Sheffield will struggle. Good luck Birmingham..

Most of them are aren’t they? To be fair to Ellis at least his gating is usually pretty good.

That’s the problem right there! Think you could well be right . They were clearly struggling so I wonder if they’ve been given a bit of a helping hand here?

Well you can bet your bottom dollar the Sheffield “Hokey Cokey” Tigers will! Ipswich Oxford Leicester Sheffield Lynn Belle Vue Birmingham

Belle Vue did give it the thank you to Jake for stepping in on a short term basis guff because they had to once they broke the rules.

Nobody expected it to be on that average. What people were expecting though is something intriguing and interesting. Thomson is neither.

On the same day Worky unveil Tate, Poole unveil a near 30 year old competition winner. Lol

What’s that I hear? Is it the sound of STEVEHOLS heart breaking??

They’re more than just “marginal” changes and Ipswich finishing fourth is a bit deceiving. The issues with Erik Riss are well documented, Ellis is a huge upgrade. Jenkins isn’t as big an upgrade on Hume but still an upgrade all the same. And there’s a third factor here and that’s the Rising Star. Over 10 meetings last season Joe Thompson had a GSA of 1.18. His string of zeros were a big factor in Ipswich’ poor form early on along with Riss’ struggles. When Ipswich finally got a rising star in that made a contribution in Dan Thompson, the narrow defeats turned in to victories and they were probably THE form team by the end of the season which coincided with them winning the cup and narrowly missing out on the title. It would be interesting to see a league table from the moment Dan Thompson joined. Starting next year with Ellis Jenkins and Dan Thompson instead of a struggling Riss, Hume and Joe Thompson isn’t marginal improvement, it’s huge. Belle Vue for example look to be weaker than last year whilst Ipswich have strengthened. Ipswich will rightly start as one of the favourites IMO.

Couldn’t disagree more and surprised this has got a “like”. They should be charged more or at least change the age ranges for free entry. Toddlers and kids under 10 who attend with their parents fair enough, but I’ve seen groups of mid teens walk in at both Ipswich and Lynn and not have to pay a single penny. That can’t be right surely? Name another event whether that be football even lower league, cinema, or any other event you can think of, where 14 and 15 year old teenagers get in Scott free? An amateur bangers meeting will cost a child between 5 and 14 a tenna! And people think charging a quid at Speedway is out of order? Unbelievable.

With all due respect to Joe, there’s no way Leicester would pick Joe over Dan so clearly Dan wanted the move to Ipswich.

You haven’t just given your opinion though have you, Orion. Everybody (well most) can see right through your trolling drivel. You can not rate it as much as others, no problem. But you’ve gone with the reactionary bait setting “garbage” “terrible side” which it blatantly isn’t and you know it. You’re one of two things, you’re either completely and utterly clueless about Speedway, or you’re a trolling tool. You’ll no doubt attempt another illiterate comeback doubling down on your “opinion”, but as I say, most see right through your inane drivel.

You people need to stop biting. Orion is a sad little tool who only posts controversial takes for bites and you’re all making his life easy by jumping straight in his net.

Which one? Meaning that isn’t the team, or Dan Thompson isn’t at Ipswich?

Well they wouldn’t say next years team is boring because that wouldn’t be the truth. Absolutely staggered by some of the negativity here. Some of you are incredibly hard to please obviously! A team including Doyle and Emil Sayfutdinov is not exciting anymore? Deary me talk about being spoilt.

Don’t think he’d be allowed to get away with not having decent equipment at Ipswich, they’d soon suss him out if he isn’t prepared. Think he’ll get good sponsor support, and have a far better year than the one just gone.

Careful, Mother Teresa will be along in a minute to call order.

Don’t think he’ll be riding as a rising star. Think he’ll be riding at number 6 for someone..

Why do you ALWAYS do this? You sit up there on your pedestal with your holier than thou attitude as if butter wouldn’t melt, and talk down to people like they’re naughty little school children every time someone says a word or two you don’t like! You do this so often, stop preaching down to people ffs. If you think that post you were responding to was “abusive” then a forum these days isn’t for you. People can handle a few choice words and they certainly don’t need to be told by YOU to pack it in and get in line!! If you don’t like reading certain stuff from a particular poster and it becomes a theme with them, use the ignore button.

You knew exactly what you were doing as you started it all with the post above, quickly backed up by another Lynn fan. A Peterborough supporter and a Belle Vue supporter commend the man’s loyalty and lo and behold two Lynn fans immediately respond to argue against it. Why would you even want to start that “debate”? Just comes across as envy and pettiness to be honest. Is it convenient and financially beneficial to him, of course it is nobody has said otherwise to my knowledge, but he does genuinely seem to love riding for Ipswich that’s pretty obvious too and I’ve no doubt they were his first choice. He goes above and beyond what needs to be said when riders sign for clubs

Others have lived in the UK and not ridden our league and chosen Poland, Sweden and Denmark. Not sure why there’s a sudden discussion arguing against a world class rider being so loyal to Speedway in this country and finding reasons why that is the case. But then they do seem to be coming from Norfolk way so that probably explains it. How many as good and in demand as him, that is a regular in the GP, has chosen to ride in the UK over the years? He’s in a tiny tiny minority and we’ve been lucky to have him here full stop. Jack Holder to be fair to him, is showing a similar level of loyalty so far.

Have you made the £50 donation to the Benevolent fund for the bet you lost Joe?

Rew 15 max, and was winning at a canter in the final before dropping it entering the third lap. Harry Ryan 14, and Tate Zischke 13. Michael West was sixth highest scorer with 9 points.