Fourentee

Wouldn't quibble with your Leicester analysis, but would suggest that you may be a good bit out as far as the "massively stronger" home team is concerned. Harry McGurk, for whatever reason, is currently nowhere near his known form. By my reckoning he's had four league meetings, three of them at home, and scored six plus four from 15 rides. Kelly was going well and while I take the point made elsewhere that riding in the top five is harder, results breed confidence and I think he will make the transition successfully. An extra ride for Pijper is potentially good news, certainly. I'd blink a bit at seven rides for Harrison, only lately back from serious injury. Without R/R he could, potentially, have had his four rides, one of McGurk's and perhaps another if anyone is struggling, reserve replacement for tapes/time exclusion and so forth. With R/R, he may need to take three of those rides, McGurk (and I do hope he fixes whatever is not working and returns to his customary standard) his full four. Injury and/or loss of form elsewhere would then be a big, big problem. But it's all opinion, which is why we all love to come on here and chuck in our two-penn'orth!!

To me, coming back from the injury he had, the surprise is how quickly he's rattled in a series of good scores rather than the fact that he's had a poor one away to a very strong Sheffield side.

Good analysis, IMHO. From the Wolves end, personally I would be reasonably content with 40 and positively made up with 42! Pessimistically fearing something nearer 35, but I do tend to look on the dark side rather than the bright.

Happily retired, but thanks for the thought! Excellent all-round showing by Wolves with nine bonus points, six different race winners and only five last places, four of them in the first five races.

Indeed. In broad terms it appears that as goes King, so go Ipswich which must represent a huge amount of pressure on him. Just browsing on Updates and, if I have read this correctly, over the final 10 races King's heat 8 second place seems to be the only time that a home rider other than Doyle/Sayfutdinov beat an opponent. That is an extraordinary stat for a home team.

Indeed. And given that the new Workington track is on the site of the training track, that has presumably simplified planning issues.

Yes.

Excellent choice, but I gather you've not been to Workington yet? It's sublime.

Excellent, thanks so much!

FWIW I actually like certain aspects of what the coverage is trying to achieve, but the overall effect is, sadly, consistently undermined by basic errors. Rounding off with a look at the league table is admirable, but would work rather better if it took into account the result of the match that's just been broadcast...

OK that's put my mind at rest, cheers!

No problem. I would still welcome some heat 16 corroboration...

Yes, don't know if you were at the first meeting? That was also hot, but without the wind which dries everything out so much quicker. Bailey and Sam McGurk both went as high up the first corner as you can get without finishing in Flimby and absolutely flew past riders on the back straight. So it is there.

1 60.2 2 601. 3 60.3 4 60.6 5 Awarded 6 59.5 7 Awarded 8 60.8 9 62.3 10 61.8 11 61.3 12 59.9 13 61.1 14 61.3 15 59.6 16 64.2 (Didn't look particularly slow, but as I recall the time was announced twice. Here, as in all things, I'm very much open to correction!) 17 59.7 18 63.2 19 61.2 20 61.4

Heat 13 between Trigger and Boughen was epic!

Masters unwell, tight guest restriction for Becker, Schlein perhaps a year past his peak away from Monmore. Plus, while no-one 'tanks' a ride (they all want to earn!), sub-consciously the knowledge of a fairly overwhelming first-leg lead may have had an impact. And Belle Vue are perfectly capable of giving anyone a whopping at home.

Despite the large turnout, it didn't feel cramped or uncomfortable to watch. The bowl set-up, looking down on the action, works a treat and being able to watch from any point round about three-quarters of the track helps spread everyone out. It's an absolute gem; I feel sure you'll love it.

Some excellent points here, IMHO. The quality of the landscaping, viewing, access points layout, high stewarding level etc are all small but significant details that shout "long-term project". The track itself is a masterpiece. I don't think you need a lot of passing in a speedway meeting -- but you do need the threat of it, inside and out, and this circuit has it in spades. Steve Lawson's mantra has been the avoidance of pinch points, to let the action flow, and frequently you'd see four riders all confidently choosing different approaches to the corners rather than queue up behind each other on the one line. And if you go right out beyond map and compass territory, to the steeply banked land of the brave where the white line is in the next postcode and you have to steel yourself to keep it wound on, you reap a fabulous dividend of momentum. Bailey in heat 10 (to my strangled comment of "where's he going?") and Sam McGurk later both did it and promptly rocketed past opponents on the back straight. So, a day of triumph and great promise. But it's a promise that can only be fulfilled with public support at the entrance gate. The likes of the hobbit, 520-mile round trip, and I (420) are not going to be regulars at every fixture. Next week's crowd obviously won't match that of the opening day. But I do hope that speedway fans locally, amidst the cost of living crisis that's affected so many people around the country, feel able to turn over their hard-earned cash and help make the venture thrive.

It's off.

Because, IMHO, he didn't. As I saw it, Douglas had the pace, tried to squeeze through, couldn't quite manage it, the machines appeared to get tangled and that was it. Racing accident, no malice, but Douglas correctly exc -- sorry, disqualified.

Usually a three-year rolling deal at Monmore, apparently. Ironically, CVS said he was delighted at the prospect of the extra year.

Replace him with whom?

Wouldn’t argue with any of that. Eleven last places in a home match is always going to leave an uphill struggle. And the way the team is built, probably the one rider you don’t want to lose to R/R is Riss.

The statement is a grim read for any speedway fan, let alone Peterborough supporters. A huge shame.

There's been odd pockets of rain today, but it's been really blowy and occasionally sunny so as Wolfie observed they'll probably end up watering the track. Surprising, but there you go!