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The '16 lapper' is always a good event. It consists of 12 riders who, initially, contest an open meeting over 16 heats. The four lower finishers have their own race-off. The rest go into an eight-rider final over 16 laps. The riders finishing 5th to 8th start from the gate whilst 1st to 4th go from a 15 metre handicap. All these riders bring forward their points attained from the qualifying rounds plus the riders handicapped receive additional bonus points to add to their final tally. I am not a regular visitor to Foxhall Heath but I recommend and try to attend everyone of these.

Tomorrow morning at 8.30 on SS4. I hadn't even realised we were on the red button tonight. Last time the whole match was on interactive so it was possible to record it. However the technology is not there, it appears, to cope with situations when the programme is split. Therefore, I discovered when I arrived home that I had just the first 55 minutes of the meeting. I have to ask the question as what is the point of transmitting just part of the meeting? Surely, it would have made more sense to have it all on interactive. I am certain they could have filled the 55 minutes available to them to transmit 'all-in-tiddly-winks'!

Of course, we still do not know the real reason last Sunday's fixture was called off, it certainly had nothing to do with the weather with no rain forecast nor fell. Some are saying it might have been bike issues within the Rockets team. Suppose, though, it could have been Len having second thoughts about offering the Hawks' match free of charge. After all, the original staging was allocated to Lakeside earlier in the year so he might have persuaded the Lakeside promotion that they were duty-bound to accept it this time.

I haven't seen Nathan ride but I have Robert. He rode a four lap demonstration at Rye House on Spring Bank Holiday Monday. It was from the tapes and, beforehand, I was expecting the usual performance ie., slow into the bends then winding the throttle when at the apex. Not a bit of it. He kept it wound on for the whole four laps recording a time under 60 seconds and within a second of some of the heats during the main match, this only after a few weeks riding a 500cc bike. Last Monday we were treated to some more laps from this most accomplished of young riders. He joined Chris Neath and Ritchie Hawkins (I think) for some practice laps during the second-half junior match. This time all three started from different parts of the track but what was, also, amazing that neither of the PL riders were making up any ground on him. He came out on his own for a few laps later with the same assurance with no evidence of scrubbing off the speed going into the bends and wheels perfectly in line coming out. I reckon he would have given some riders a run for their money during last night's NL Championship.

It is possible that Denis Gizatullin still holds a valid visa.

Stars and Stripes mean a lot to Americans. Its a pity we cannot display the same commitment.

I say I say I say. A funny thing happened on the way to Berwick. Rye House were 8 points up by heat 7.

Clearly it must have been our bobbies from the north limbering up for the Highland Games.

Better promoted, yes. I had noticed already, at the last Rye House meeting I attended, that not a single Hawks away match appears in the programme and none at all on their website which, in case some of you had thought it had disappeared altogether, can now be found here: http://www.ryehouserockets.co/

Actually, it was 1996. The British GP was run there the previous year and subsequently Terry Russell and Ivor Henry, existing promoters at Arena Essex, applied successfully to stage racing there whereupon the existing Arena team transferred. Russell maintained that they would continue to keep Arena going but subsequently claimed to have been unable to agree favourable terms with the stock car owners. Eventually Peter Thorogood took over as promoter. It wasn't that Hackney as a team were that disastrous, more average, it was the stadium owners who went into liquidation as far as I recall.

I agree about gate one. It realised just 12 points from 20 outings during the heats, one of which came as a result of another rider being excluded, then a third in the second semi and second in the final both with only three riders in each. I have to say that, if I was in charge of this series, I would want to take the track curators to task as to why the circuit was so poorly prepared. Also, not a single rider who had more than one outing from this gate made it to the semi-final stage and, if I were Janus Kolodziej, I would be a very unhappy man just now. It certainly did for his evening to finish with back to back last places. An absolute disgrace.

It is not quite as clear cut as that. OAPs get in for £10 but, more importantly, existing Lakeside season ticket holders are admitted for £6 (OAPs £5) plus free programme. Also, 17-18 year olds are charged £10, 6 - 16 £2 and under 6 free.

I agree entirely. Jerran's one of our's but he shouldn't be handed the place instead of Simon. Dreadful decision but what else would you expect from the BSPA, the 'w...kers of the first water.' Anyone in close proximity to him better bring round a a towel and ice bucket because he must be fuming right now. I know I would!

Certainly is and I, for one, am relieved that he will miss both KO cup fixtures next week

Also strange that Ben Barker has been selected for Friday when Plymouth are riding against Glasgow the same evening.

You can add Leigh Lanham to the list as well. Newport are riding at Edinburgh on Friday which, in turn, prevents Lakeside's other DU reserve, Kyle Legault from turning out for them as well. You can't even switch riders around as Lakeside are at Peterborough on Thursday, the same day as the first semi at Sheffield.

It would. I have downloaded the SR for 2011 to find that the relevant chapter 17 to be missing.

I was going to mention Marc's gating. He got away with it during the match at the Arena Raceway as he was able to cut back off the second bend but his gating there was worse than anything I can remember during 40 years watching the sport. Maybe Lee Richardson can offer some guidance or Luke, who is pretty sharp at this himself, or is that girlfriend of Marc's a bit of a distraction?

I agree. The Hawks do have their own website: http://www.hackneyhawks.co.uk/ I think fans would be happy to purchase a programme if it had its separate identity. It just needs some liaison between the website owner and the Rye and Hammers' promotions. Content should include profiles of visiting riders, match reports and features on previous riders who have ridden for the Hawks along with reports on meetings of long ago. A good start might be the KO cup semi-final against the Stars. Hackney, having achieved an unlikely draw away at Kings Lynn, won the replay 39-38 at Waterden Road thanks to a classic cut back by Benga coming out of the final turn to take Terry Betts in lap 4 of the final heat.

You can't do any worse than we did tonight. In fact, no one can.

Looks very good value to me. Not only did we pay £12 tonight but on arrival found the 'free' scoresheet had developed into a £2 programme. To top it all this was, probably, the most dreadful meeting I have ever witnessed. In fact the couple I was with left before heat 11 as they were cold and bored. The US team were, in the main, out of their depth with only Shaun McConnell and Eddie Castro looking anywhere near competitve. Then there were some unusual refereeing decisions. In two of the latter heats he brought all four back when riders from the US team fell on their own - one on the third turn of heat one. So why didn't he bring all four back when Eddie Castro touched the tapes when on a tactical ride unless he later was trying to make up for this earlier lack of judgment.

Let's see now. Yesterday evening I went to Ipswich and paid £12 for a PL match. At other NL venues only Stoke charge £12 but they offer concessions at £10. Other concessions range from as low as £6 (Dudley). But, there again, this is the most expensive stadium in the land

The 2011 pricing for Rye House is:- Admission Prices 2011 Adults £16 Seniors £14 Children (over 11, under 16) £5 Children under 11 FREE Programme £2 National League Admission Prices (Hackney Hawks): Adults and Seniors £12 Children (over 11, under 16) £5 Children under 11 FREE Single sheet programme included in admission price Not only is this the highest priced admission overall in the PL it is more than most in the EL.

Look forward to seeing you but wrap up warm and bring chairs. The Arena-Essex Raceway is the most spectator-unfriendly stadium in the country (Jon Cook's words not mine) with a nice cold wind blowing off the Thames but good value at £17.50 for a full-priced ticket to see both meetings.

Come to the Arena Raceway on Good Friday and watch the Hawks for £4 or both meetings for £13. Action starts at 1pm with the Hawks' following the EL match against Eastbourne.