Oxford Spires 2025

[GiveusaB]

30 minutes ago, szkocjasid said:

 

That doesn't make a difference, the averages have always been based on 4 rides, so amount of heats per match shouldn't change anything.

6 or 8 man teams would.

True....brain fog! 😄

Although I'm guessing it would be easier to maintain a higher average ? (not having to compete against the best 2 riders in Heat 15?)

[szkocjasid]

19 minutes ago, GiveusaB said:

True....brain fog! 😄

Although I'm guessing it would be easier to maintain a higher average ? (not having to compete against the best 2 riders in Heat 15?)

You would imagine the top riders should end up with higher averages, for example the two number ones only met once.

By that logic others would have harder rides (no heat 12&14, where a top 4 rider meets a reserve) so middle order rider averages could have been lower? Apart from including bonus points, then they are higher.

Simple really lol!

I'll add a point about Oxford so it's relevant, I'm surprised they dropped Chris Harris, especially as they're apparently struggling for the last rider?

[GiveusaB]

1 hour ago, szkocjasid said:

You would imagine the top riders should end up with higher averages, for example the two number ones only met once.

By that logic others would have harder rides (no heat 12&14, where a top 4 rider meets a reserve) so middle order rider averages could have been lower? Apart from including bonus points, then they are higher.

Simple really lol!

I'll add a point about Oxford so it's relevant, I'm surprised they dropped Chris Harris, especially as they're apparently struggling for the last rider?

Getting too technical for me 😄

As for Harris/ did they drop him, or did he prefer a move? 

Can only think that Oxford/B'ham are competing for Thorsell?

[lucifer sam]

14 hours ago, arnieg said:

No it wasn't. The original limit was 50 including bonus.

It was actually 52 (including bonus) in 1977.  Reading were the first team to come a cropper, when it was found their new signing (Boleslaw Proch) had transgressed the rules and they had to release him - but not before Reg Fearman had run his team above the limit for a couple of months! 

Edited 9 hours ago by lucifer sam

[arnieg]

17 minutes ago, lucifer sam said:

It was actually 52 (including bonus) in 1977.  Reading were the first team to come a cropper, when it was found their new signing (Boleslaw Proch) had transgressed the rules and they had to release him - but not before Reg Fearman had run his team above the limit for a couple of months! 

Except that's only half the story. Proch actually replaced Glynn Taylor - which brought the Reading team's average down. Add Silver's spurious claim that Reading should only have one work permit rider and the latitude allowed Bristol and White City then I will continue to assert we were stiched up.

[lucifer sam]

40 minutes ago, arnieg said:

Except that's only half the story. Proch actually replaced Glynn Taylor - which brought the Reading team's average down. Add Silver's spurious claim that Reading should only have one work permit rider and the latitude allowed Bristol and White City then I will continue to assert we were stiched up.

More than likely!

Although Cradley Heath were also blocked from bringing in a lower average rider in 1979 (Teromaa for Bastable), because it still left them over the point limit, which was 50 by then.

At some point after that, it was allowed to make a change as long as the rider coming in had a lower average, even if that change still left you above the limit (i.e. the rule that has stayed in place to this day).

I've never completely understood how the 1977 points limit worked. I think it was based on start of season averages rather than how they developed across the season. By 1979, it was current averages and several teams ran squad systems at the start of the season to manipulate a way around the 50 point limit!  

 

Edited 8 hours ago by lucifer sam