Predicting Problems

What’s the one thing that people tell you about speedway that you hate?

Mine is when people say “its just bikes going round in circles” or the other classic of “whoever gets to the corner first usually wins.”

These are the opinions of the uninformed and frankly irreverent.

Ask any speedway fan and I guarantee they’ll have heard these a million times or more.

What these people fail to realise is that speedway is perhaps one of the most unpredictable sports there is.

Don’t believe me? I was hoping you wouldn’t…so allow me to explain.

Cast your mind back to the opening night of the Premiership, perhaps it wasn’t a surprise to see Ipswich pick up an away win at Kings Lynn, but the fact the Witches let 35-19 after 8 races was surely something nobody saw coming.

Who predicted Peterborough going to Belle Vue and picking up a draw, only to lose at home in the return fixture?

Talking of draws, who predicted Redcar getting a draw at Edinburgh only for the exact same thing happen in the return of that meeting 48 hours later? Not only that, but it was a heat 12 victory from Monarchs guest Jordan Palin that secured a vital 3-3 in heat 12, a race which on paper, looked like a nailed on Redcar 5-1 before the tapes went up.

By the same token who saw the Newcastle Diamonds running the Monarchs so close at Armadale? Not only that but James Wright rolling back the years as well, you love to see it!

Unpredictable right?

For the avoidance of any further doubt, did anybody predict that Wolverhampton would pick up a 58-32 win at Kings Lynn? Two more different tracks you couldn’t get and yet the Wolves ran rampant over the Stars.

Sticking with the Stars, who saw the sacking of their number one Craig Cook coming?

Who picked our Richard Lawson as his replacement?

Lots of us, including me I might add, weren’t completely convinced that Lawson was the answer to their woes. But who could have predicted that he would score 15 points as the Stars picked up their first win of the season away to Ipswich, the same side who gave them a spanking at home just a couple of weeks ago.

But isn’t that air of unpredictability the beauty of our sport?

There is something magnificent about seeing something happen that you thought wouldn’t happen. There is something rather pleasing in seeing one of the so called “lesser lights” of your team go out and notch up a win against the opposition big hitter.

In a strange twist of fate we all know these things WILL happen, but we simply don’t know WHEN and that’s arguably the beauty of it.

So the next time you’re standing trackside and your teams rising star rider crosses the line in front of the opposition number one and as you cheer him on the lap of honour and your mate turns round and goes “I didn’t see that coming pal” just remember that these moments are exactly what our great sport is all about!

Of course if you wish to agree, or disagree with the Mythman, have an idea for a feature, or you simply want to chew the fat over all things speedway, you can email me jbspeedwaymedia@hotmail.com or get in touch via the JB Speedway Media Facebook page. If your compliments, or indeed gripes can be contained to limited characters, you can send me a tweet @Mythman666.

Until next time…and there will be a next time.
Right I’ll hae’tae gan
Mythman