WITH a view to making improvements in the way speedway meetings are run, a recent behind-closed-doors meeting at King’s Lynn tried out a new race format – six-man teams and the abolition of the farcical double points rule.

The meeting between Scunthorpe and Newcastle prompted the possibility that there would be 10 and 12 sides in each of the top two divisions next season with promotion and relegation introduced, something which has been tried and failed in the past.

Ironically some supporters regards the Swindon Robins' time on the Premier League (second tier) very fondly with close racing and no overpaid prima donnas.

A new tactical substitute rule could be introduced and perhaps rider replacement may be done away with – although the latter rule does seem to have been a positive development.

It is planned that another meeting will be held shortly before a meeting for the viewing public later in the season.

It is a positive that a supporter has been instrumental in pushing for some much-needed changes to the sport. Six-man teams (instead of the current seven) work as a cost-saving measure and anything that gives the sport a boost should be applauded.

Hopefully speedway can do away with the use of guest riders, something it has been haunted by for far too long. That rule change, however, might be a step too far.

With both last week’s Lakeside meetings rained off the Hammers return to face the Swindon Robins at the Abbey on Thursday for a swiftly-rearranged fixture with doubts over the availability of visiting number one Andreas Jonsson.

He could be absent preparing for Saturday’s Grand Prix in Prague, although his counterpart for Swindon and fellow GP racer Jason Doyle will be riding, which given the home side’s current inconsistency is a relief.

Alun Rossiter’s Robins occupy fourth place in the Elite League and will be anxious to improve on their dreadful home form, and the unwanted gap in fixtures should hopefully give Nick Morris and Ryan Tungate further time to recover after their recent injury troubles.

Tungate seems to be getting there as he scored 10+2 in the Polish second tier on Sunday including a win over former Robins skipper Hans Andersen.

He did suffer one last place with Swindon teammate Josh Grajczonek gaining that point for his only score of the meeting. Four days earlier Grajczonek scored 6+2 for his Danish side Slangerup in a narrow two-point loss at Holsted.

The team and manager Rossiter need to be firing on all cylinders to overcome the Hammers whose 10-point defeat at Blunsdon in May was closer than the score looked.

There is a further gap in fixtures until July 1 when Swindon visit Coventry with the Bees coming back to Blunsdon the following Monday for a Sky TV meeting. The club has discounted admission prices to just £10 for adults and concessions for this meeting.

Meanwhile Doyle has been in demand and after 13 points for Sweden’s Rospiggarna he was joint-top scorer in Poland at the weekend with another paid 13 tally as Falubaz Zielona Góra outpointed Get Well Torun 55-37.

His team colleague at Blunsdon, Justin Sedgmen, however went home with a single point from two races and in the notoriously fickle Polish leagues, change is always round the corner.

Of Swindon’s top five only Nick Morris does not have a foreign place at the moment, having seemingly lost his position at Torun. Certainly the young Australian needs to be busier to bring on the talent he clearly has.

Doyle races in the season’s fourth Grand Prix at Prague’s Marketa Stadium on Saturday and will be anxious for a good performance as he seeks to remain in the top eight – the key to racing in the 2017 series.

Tai Woffinden and Chris Holder lead the series on 39 points with Doyle on 25 along with Polish wunderkid Bartosz Zmarslik and just ahead of Nicki Pedersen, Jonsson and Freddie Lindgren with Niels-Kristian Iversen surprisingly on just 19.