Speedway 2010

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Should be an exciting season on both the domestic and international front this year. The Elite League has already had a couple of matches so far but they havent affected any teams odds drastically. British Elite League: Poole Pirates look hard to oppose this year and this is reflected in the odds with Betfred being best price at just 8/5. Their top 3 consists of Chris Holder, Bjarne Pedersen and Davey Watt who, if last years averages are to be matched, should guarantee around 25 points per meeting. Watt should up his average as he is moving back to a Poole track where he scored very well a couple of seasons ago whilst Holder is regarded as a future World Champion by many so will be looking for big season and has a realistic chance of getting over the 9 point per meeting mark. They also have Darcy Ward who, like Holder, has come over from Australia and has impressed everyone with his all action style and composure for a rider who is still only a teenager. He topped the Premier League averages last year for Kings Lynn in his first professional, full season over here which is a massive achievement. After making the step up to this league will be looking to carry on that momentum and follow in the footsteps of his fellow countryman by making big strides this year. Jason Doyle knows his way around the Poole track and if Madsen and Mroczka have solid seasons they will pick up their fair share of away wins whilst having a very good chance of being unbeaten at home. The main dangers to Poole will most likely be a Belle Vue side with 2 experienced big hitters in Hans Andersen and Peter Karlsson aswell as Peterborough who have riders such as Kenneth Bjerre, Lewis Bridger and Troy Batchelor who can all up their averages. However, on paper Poole should be winning this league, and if they stay clear of any major injuries im confident they will follow up that promise. Poole to win the Elite League @ 8/5 with Betfred......9/10 Will be back with a World Championship preview soon.

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Re: Speedway 2010 Speedway World Championship 2010 Riders Competing: Jason Crump, Nicki Pedersen, Emil Sajfutdinov, Tomasz Gollob, Andreas Jonsson, Greg Hancock, Chris Holder, Jarek Hampel, Freddie Lindgren, Hans Andersen, Kenneth Bjerre, Rune Holta, Tai Woffinder, Chris Harris, Magnus Zetterstrom. 11 rounds this year, starting on April 24th with the Eurpean GP (this year in Leszno, Poland) and finishing with the Polish GP in Bydgoszcz in October. Tai Woffinden has come in this year to represent Great Britain and has replaced Scott Nicholls who, after under performing for so long, has been left to concentrate on his club form. Major Outsiders: Magnus Zetterstrom is getting on a bit now and, although he came through the qualifiers to get through to this years series, will find it hard to match the machinery of the bigger names so will not be on the pace consistently. 300/1 Coral Chris Harris won the British GP a couple of seasons ago in the Millenium Stadium but since then has not performed as well as people hoped he would. He has struggled with his engines and his gating has not been up to the standards that it needs to be to consitently challenge for the GP wins at this level. 200/1 Betfred Tai Woffinden is in his first year at this level and will take time to adapt. Emil Sajfutdinov was in the same position last year and challenged for the major honours but the difference is that Woffinden has not rode enough of the bigger European tracks week after week in places like Poland like the young Russian has been doing for a while now. 125/1 Ladbrokes Rune Holta (66/1 Skybet & Betfred) and Kenneth Bjerre (66/1 Skybet), and i suppose the rest in this group, have the ability to qualify for the semi finals in GP's but are not consistent enough to be able to do it consistently or, once there, reach the finals enough over the course of the full season. Potential To Mix It Consistently: Hans Andersen is a proven performer around Europe on the domestic front and in the World Cup's on the international stage. He can gate as well as the best when on form but, for a man with so much ability, his consistency is a major problem. He is good enough to make his fair share of semi finals but when up against the likes of Crump, Hancock, Pedersen etc. he isn't the first person you would back to pull out a heat win when he really needs it in the GP's. 33/1 Coral & Ladbrokes Freddie Lindgren had a brilliant season with Wolves in Britain last season and was one place outside of the automatic 2010 qualification places in the final GP standings. This is his 3rd season in the series and after making 4 final appearances over the last 2 years i dont think it will be too long before he achieves his first GP win. If he continues to progress and brings last seasons domestic form into this years competition he should make the top 8 overall and could be one to back in the individual meetings at good prices. 25/1 Betfred, Coral & Paddy Power Jaroslaw Hampel is back in the series full time after securing a place through last years qualifiers. He has so much potential and im sure it wont be long before he is Polands number 1 performer. He can ride the big tracks well and is only 1 apperance away from making 10 GP finals. He is yet to come out on top in any of the previous finals so far but has a good chance of matching or going better than his final position of 8th in the 2004 series. Like Lindgren, he is another one who could prove to be value when it comes to betting on the individual GP rounds. 25/1 Betfred, Ladbrokes & Skybet Chris Holder came through the qualifiers last year and comes in just as his fellow Aussie Leigh Adams moves out of the circuit. He could make a major impact as he has a brilliant gating ability and his machiney will be up there with the best. However, im not sure he can make as big of an impact as Sajfutdinov did last year but could easily end up around the top 5 come to final standings. With more experience in the coming years to gain, he should be battling it out up the top before too long. 20/1 General Top 5 Challengers: Andreas Jonsson has the ability to make the top 3 and challenge for the title and has had 4 GP round wins in the past. He makes the semi finals as consitently as anyone but need to convert his chances more and add to his tally of 14 final appearances from 79 GP's. He is a likeable guy and has a very stylish way of riding, a good shout for an e/w place at the end of the season. 16/1 Coral, Paddy Power & Skybet Greg Hancock is loved by all Speedway fans. A likeable yank with an infectious positive attitude and smile. He has appeared in every GP round since this format was introduced in 1995 and was World Champion in 1997. He is still a threat for the title, even though he is approaching the 40 mark this year but i think he could be overtook by a couple of the younger guys. Has won 10 GP's out of the 49 finals he has made. 20/1 General Tomasz Gollob will be 39 years old by the time this years series kicks off and is still hard to write off. I, and many other speedway fans, think he is the best rider to NEVER be a World Champion and after finishing runner-up for the 2nd time last year will be looking to make another big challenge this year. He has an all action style, going for passes that dont look posible, through gaps you wouldn't think you could fit your hand through, nevermind a bike! I think he overperformed when finishing 2nd last year but can still make the top 5. Has won 16 GP's and will be a big bet for the Polish and European round considering how well he goes round the tracks in his homeland, where he is a massive star because of Speedway being a major sport there. 12/1 Ladbrokes & Paddy Power Main Men: Jason Crump won this title for an incredible 3rd time last season and is a major players as he goes for his 4th this year. Has not finished outside the top 3 since 2000 and with 21 champagne moments has won more rounds than anyone. He gates like you would expect people to at this level with brilliant consistency and if he doesn't make the semi-finals in the rounds its a major surprise. He has won the British GP 3 times since it was ran at Cardiff aswell as winning it on 2 other occasions at different venues in the 90's. Will no doubt be up there again come the end of the season. 11/4 Coral, Ladbrokes & Skybet Emil Sajfutdinov is just 20 years old but made a massive impact in his first season last year. He doesn't seem to have any fear whatsoever and isn't bothered whether he is coming up against riders with massive reputations or others who have no chance of getting anywhere near the top of the sport. Watching him guarantee's you entertainment and when he opens up the throttle on those big tracks it simply takes your breath away. Has only rode in 11 GP's but has already made 4 finals at won 3 of them. One of those wins came on his GP debut and contibuted to his finishing position of 3rd in the standings. Sure to be World Champion one day, and probably on multiple occasions. 4/1 Betfred Nicki Pedersen is like marmite.....love or hate. I personally love riding style aswell as his attitude which can sometimes land him in trouble. Won the World Championship in 2003 aswell as back to back wins in 2007 and 2008. He finished a dissapointing 6th last year but i have no doubt that was a one off blip and he will add a few more to his tally of 10 GP's wins this term. 3/1 Coral Predictions: I can't see any of the riders i outlined as 'major outsiders' challenging for many GP rounds so in my opinion will all struggle to make the top 8 in order to guarantee a place next season. However, the rest have all got the potential to make their fair share of finals and record GP wins so it should be tight between those in the top 10. The top 3, on paper, are just ahead of the rest and should fight it out between themselves, with it maybe coming down to just a few points between them but i think Jonsson has the ability to muscle his way into that group this year. Picks: Andreas Jonsson has been knocking on the door of the top 4 for a while now and achieved that position back in 2006. I think, if he can convert a couple more semi-final appearances into finals he can challenge for the major title of World Champion. He can ride the big and small tracks and i would rate him around a 12/1 shot so to find 16/1 on offer is a bonus for a nice e/w bet for the first 3 places. Nicki Pedersen is a proven performer and will no doubt come back stronger after a dissappointing campaign last year. He has reduced his domestic workload and this can only benefit him in his challenge for the World Championship. I think 3/1 is about right so will take that and look forward to a very close season. Andreas Jonsson 1pt e/w (top 3) @ 16/1 Paddy Power (also avaliable at Coral and Skybet) Nicki Pedersen 2pt win @ 3/1 Coral