Fourentee

In addition (and I wasn't at the meeting) there is often a reluctance to field a rider whose programmed outings finish in heat 10 due to changing track conditions.

Not quite the same thing, is it? :-)

Impressed!

Great photograph, though!

Well, it's certainly starting from a very low base line.

Have also posted this in tonight's Lakeside v Wolves match thread, but for anyone not looking there: Auspicious evening for Peter Karlsson, who breaks Sam Ermolenko's Wolves all-time appearance record of 542 outings in the black and gold tonight. I guess a home match would have been more appropriate -- it would have worked out as Belle Vue at Monmore but for rain-offs -- but Lakeside is a good spot in its way, given PK's recent time there. Anyway, congratulations and all hail to one of the club (and sport's) great figures. I have reason to believe (ahem!) that there is a two-page, 2,500-word interview with the man himself in tomorrow's Express & Star newspaper...

Auspicious evening for Peter Karlsson, who breaks Sam Ermolenko's Wolves all-time appearance record of 542 outings in the black and gold tonight. I guess a home match would have been more appropriate -- it would have worked out as Belle Vue at Monmore but for rain-offs -- but Lakeside is a good spot in its way, given PK's recent time there. Anyway, congratulations and all hail to one of the club (and sport's) great figures. I have reason to believe (ahem!) that there is a two-page, 2,500-word interview with the man himself in tomorrow's Express & Star newspaper...

Not sure even the mighty PK's powers stretch quite that far...

Common-sense lot, the Cumbrians. Win from the tapes and minimise the effort.

Much of the noise from management over the winter has concerned the prospect of having a No.1 capable of going out and winning the first race to set the tone of the meeting. That being so, one would have to presume Lindgren is the man.

And quite a few buts... That's the thing with this side. It could all happen, but a lot of planets will have to move into alignment simultaneously.

Ah, the masterplan to bankrupt the opposition!

Absolutely. I know of one who deliberately concealed from the track doctor the fact that he had been briefly unconscious in a crash so that he would be allowed in the rerun.

Precious snapper

Something of a backhanded argument in favour of the signing, but I see what you mean.

Even though this year half the teams make the play-offs, recent history tells us that as a team Belle Vue (sadly) always seem to be less than the sum of their parts rather than more. I think it would be great for the sport if they had a good season, new stadium hopefully looming and so on, but I rather fear that somehow they will find a way to disaster from the jaws of triumph. Goodness, that's a zealous filter! The censored word starts with s, rhymes with 'catch' and means to grab.

Because it tended to be rather often, almost regardless of the previous season's performance! I suspect Ouch is being a little tongue in cheek.

The man himself is particularly determined. http://www.expressandstar.com/sport/other-sport/speedway/2015/01/12/speedway-legend-peter-karlsson-in-monmore-return/

Yes, correct. I seem to remember him holding a record for consecutive appearances in the National League which was overtaken by a Crayford stalwart (Alan Sage?). A very small claim to fame; I came across a stranded motorist many years back and gave him a lift into Workington on the back of my little 125cc bike and it turned out, of course, to be Mr Watson himself.

Without checking my notes or tape, my recollection of the management quote on PK was along the lines of "He would be the first to admit his return wasn't as successful as we would have hoped"; asked about his chances of a team place for 2015 the gist of the reply was "possible but unlikely and he would need to be in an appropriate gradings band if that was the way the sport went". I accept it's not exactly a hymn of praise for one of the club's greatest servants, but it didn't strike me at the time as especially derogatory.

Winter drawers on, Rob?

Not necessarily the contradiction it sounds. I presume that would be Monday as a fixed night which, while not fixing the Sunday Poland/Monday UK/Tuesday Sweden roundabout would give a breather later in the week.

Seven Sqoras would have done the trick...

That is most unfortunate. The print articles in the build-up to the meeting certainly gave the actual year.

Not, I suspect, the first time either as your smiley implies. Cue: I remember back in 19** when that animal Hancock/Hamill/Correy/Ermolenko put Hancock/Hamill/Correy/Ermolenko (delete where applicable) into the fence and broke all three legs when we won/lost by a quarter of point and the visiting team manager needed a police escort home.