*JJ

That's nothing. In the amateur racing, there can be up to 110 heats! (Yes - one hundred and ten ...)

From Codsall (nr. Wolverhampton), has been doing MDL for the last two years.

Sadly, it is only too true, as Birmingham discovered in their three years in the Elite League!

The one which I bought was for a MDL rider; at that level they don't notice some difference in performance! The point is, that the latest silencers replaced the disliked 2010 type, which were very restrictive and led to overheating for those riders who really thrash the engine. (Which is why Harris and others couldn't get on with them). We had a Prodrive silencer before, which didn't do this, but was much better-made than the King type and so was much more expensive and therefore not bought.

And in any case, he can hardly use the 2010 silencer as an excuse now. They were discarded two years ago! The present silencer - at least the King version - is basically the same as the pre-2010 model, but with a washer to reduce the intenal passage a bit.

Well, let's face it, until very recently the stadium was going to be knocked down at the end of this season so they didn't put much effort in.

The NL is obviously not important to the Speedway Star, being tucked in at the back. The MDL/NJL are (sometimes) favoured with a mini square; amateur speedway is totally ignored.

You've answered your own question! Also, food vendors have to pay for the privilege of using the venue; understandably, they expect to be protected. Finally, in some stadiums where the speedway is a tenant, the actual owners reserve the right to sell food themselves. At Perry Barr, for example, the GRA runs the bars and food outlets (and car parking) and so charge what they like. I once bought some chips there, and having tasted them, swore never again ... But lead me to the Mildenhall chip bar!

They change the oil after warm-up, and then again after a meeting. With GM engines, anyway!

You don't know me at all. I do know Jason Pipe and he doesn't strike me in that way at all.

Why do you keep attacking Jason Pipe? do you actually know him?

Travel expenses? I wish ...

So instead of whinging at Birmingham, wouldn't it be better if the Kent fans were to petition the council to extend the curfew?

That's the 'Elite' League. This is the NL which is working perfectly well (except for Buxton).

Buxton shouldn't have any trouble in having his average re-assessed!

Well, you can stop worrying that Eastbourne are impossible to beat over two legs!

? Makes you wonder how Birmingham are wiping the floor with everyone in the league ...

Guests are the luck of the draw; Brummies suffered in the first leg from a non-scoring guest! If he had stayed on, it would have been an easy win, perhaps.

Couldn't you sign him, Jayne? The average might be different for Buxton!

Hall could go to Buxton if he wanted. His move was blocked in order to shaft Birmingham.

Well said, Speedibee and S4K! It should be said that a few people - Lawrence Rogers, Jason Pipe at Buxton, Richard Hollingsworth at Scunthorpe - do a lot for grass-roots speedway, but in the face of a wall of indifference from promoters. I spent a lot of time last year helping a rider go through the MDL, so know a bit about it ... the worst thing was going all the way to Mancester, where the main match was delayed by a EL rider having hysterics, locking himself in the changing rooms, and so on ... the MDL match was casually cancelled, and then we had to drive all the way home through a jammed motorway. The final straw was, though, when I arranged some after-match practice at a local track. When we arrived, we were told that there was no practice, the track staff couldn't be bothered!

Unfortunately, this is only too true. MDL riders are usually treated like dirt by promoters.

Yes.

Started by Perks driving the other three into the fence. Not surprising that Richings was angered! A man standing next to me, who seemed to be a new fan, commented on this.

Whine whine whinge ...