Sim Speedway - Season 9

   

Sim Speedway season 9 has now completed, and it was one of the closest seasons in our history with most titles and relegation battles going to the very last day of an 18 meeting league campaign!

The speedwayplus.co.uk league had the most exciting finish of all, at the top and the bottom! The two teams who were in with a chance of the title (Brighton and Owlerton) both lost away from home on the last day of the season, ensuring that the title came to Sheffield for the very first time as they went into the final round a point ahead. At the bottom of the league it was heartbreak for one of the teams who have been in the game since day one, Rye Racers as they could only beat relegation rivals Workington Logheads by two points, the bonus point (yes, we still have those!) keeping Workington up and sending Rye down alongside the previously relegated Hull Bullets. The other events were shared out between the clubs with Grays Flyers taking the KO Cup, Wolston Warriors the Pairs, Midlothian Panthers the 4TT and the 3TT title went to Lakeside Kestrels.

The no-brakes-uk.com Power League was won three weeks before the end of the season by Tweedside Tigers, but the other promotion place went right down to the last day, and it was Wisbech Wizards who pipped Aberavon Gems to that place, denying the chance for the game to have a Welsh team in the top division for the first time. The other trophies were dominated by the "Suffolk mafia" as they have been affectionately referred to!! Whitehouse Witches won the KO Cup, Felixstowe Foxes won the 4TT and Foxhall Raiders won the 3TT. The only respite from the Suffolk mafia trophy rampage was the Pairs title, but that only went to Norfolk, with Wisbech winning it! At the bottom, relegation was limited to one team only following the withdrawal from the league of Hull Bullets (manager is starting university!) and the unlucky team to drop down were the most Northerly team, Aberdeen Oilstars.

The ideal-carpets.co.uk Academy League went right to the last day for the title and promotion, and the events that unfolded proved very cruel on Burslem Valiants. They lost their away meeting at Lanarkshire and went into a run off for the bonus point, which they lost - this meant that they could still get promoted, the only result that could stop them would be a draw between Sunderland Scorpions and Chantry Crusaders. There are no prizes for guessing how that meeting ended.. It has to be said that all meetings were run at the same time, so Sunderland and Chantry are not accused of match fixing at all! All the trophies in this division were shared among the aforementioned teams, Chantry winning the KO cup and 4TT (both from Sunderland), Sunderland winning the Pairs and Burslem winning the 3TT. That is not a knock on the other teams in the division, as they were all fairly close behind.

The World Championship qualifiers were all held during the season and the qualifiers met in a 24 man final which was eventually won by Australian rider Carl Hooper of Lakeside Kestrels.

The other significant part of the season was the opening of the Sim Speedway Hall of Fame, 4 riders from the game were inducted, along with 2 managers - Mr Nick Ward of Brighton Sharks and Mr Fred Taylor of Grays Flyers - congratulations to both on their fully deserved nominations, which were voted on by their fellow managers.

If you want more information, or if you would like to join this game, then more details can be found at simspeedway.co.uk

This article was first published on 10th September 2009