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With the end of the season just around the corner I would like to thank Sue and her very special team for the magnificent service that they provide. For many many years we've maybe taken the updates site for granted, but believe me each and every texter and updater, and Sue's right hand people are really appreciated. Thank you guys

I like going to the pub and I like going to the speedway. Both of these pastimes have been in serious decline over the past few years and people have stopped going to both in droves. Some of the reasons can be found in both of these pastimes. It's hard to tempt people out of their houses and pay money for beer when they think it's overpriced and the same can apply to speedway. The pubs that just do the same thing that clearly doesn't work time and time again, and just throw their doors open expecting the public to flood in are the one's that die. This is what speedway 'promoters', by and large, tend to do. They offer a product which does not represent value for money and do nothing to keep the fans they have got, never mind attract new ones. Some pubs are thriving because they offer what the customer in their community wants. Some offer live entertainment, some offer food, some offer karaoke nights. My local offers a warm welcome, a nice pint and friendly people and it's busy most nights. The landlord drives around in a Mercedes and has a holiday home in Florida. It works where I live but wouldn't work elsewhere and the promoters have to work hard at getting their product right for the audience they want to keep and attract. To do this they need a product. The product they are offering is potentially one of the most exciting sports in the world and surely, this must be a good starting point. However, what they provide is an overpriced chaotic shambles of a sport with no direction, no identity and no credibility. They need to get back to basics. Offer a full and attractive fixture list with a team of riders that ride for one club. Not the current situation where any seven riders who pull on a race jacket is called a team. It isn't. People will moan on about the 'not enough riders to go round' myth. There are enough riders, they are just riding at the wrong level. Grand Prix riders should not be riding in the second tier, half the third tier riders should be at Championship level and the poor kids stuck in the Development League should be in the National League. If they must charge £17 to get in, at least give the fans £17 worth of entertainment. Unfortunately, 15 races of 55 seconds interspersed with 50 minutes of track grading does not justify parting with £17 in cash. The continual fixture list farce demonstrates absolutely the reasons why the promoters should not be allowed to run things for themselves. I am sure they are all successful businessmen and women in their own right but they have no idea how to work collectively for the benefit of the sport. It is all about vested interests and stabbing each other in the back. I cannot think of any other sport where the owners of the clubs run things themselves. It needs someone with authority and respect to run the sport. There needs to be some way of cutting down on the rained off meetings. Is it any wonder there is hardly any travelling support when riders refuse to turn out if someone spills so much as a cup of tea on the track. I know that if it's tipping it down at start time then there will be little chance of racing but some way of covering tracks cannot beyond the capabilities of the human race. It is also about time we stopped penalising success and rewarding failure. We go on about the lack of riders yet Joe Jacobs, who made massive progress with Belle Vue a couple of seasons ago can't get a team place the following year because his average is too high, whilst another rider who under achieved and threw tantrums was rewarded with two team places the following season because his average fitted!! Finally, the riders have got to come to their senses. If you want to be a full-time rider and are either rich or riding in Poland in front of 15,000 fans, then fair enough and good luck to you. If you are second string in the 'Championship' riding in front of 500 people, surely you cannot expect to be full-time. Look back at the Peter Oakes' Who's Who book in 1974 and the vast majority of the riders had jobs. Now, for some reason, all the riders seem to feel that they are entitled to be full-time, thereby expecting the wages that would enable them to sustain that lifestyle. It cannot continue on current crowd levels. However, having wasted half an hour of my life typing this, I expect that the 2019 season will result in three small leagues, riders riding for multiple clubs, more riders being frozen out of the sport, fixture chaos, declining crowds, arguing promoters and more tractor racing. I'm off to the pub.

I'm obviously not a Workington supporter, I have only ever been there twice and that was during a couple of years when I visited every then second division track at least once and yet today I woke up with a smile on my face. Why? Because it's great to see one of the unfashionable clubs, not fancied at the beginning of the season and who have overcome obstacles put in their way, not only win the league and the cup but who have done it with ease and style. Enjoy your success. I hope that you go on to do the treble but most of all I hope that a way is found to secure the future of the club. We can't afford to lose any teams but it would seem particularly unfortunate for your fans and promoters after achieving so much this year.

It's not the teams who should be fined it's the idiots who messed up this season's fixture lists!

Credit should be given to the Vice Chairman for his actions last night... By heat eight the aggregate lead had been wiped out and it was obvious Scunthorpe were going to get badly beaten.... Yet he graciously allowed the meeting to continue.... In fact, in the first place, he also kindly allowed the meeting to take place on an 'off night' for Worky so fair play to the bloke... Lets hope Worky winning is seen as being 'in the interests of Speedway' and the result stands... Well done Workington, I think you have a lot of neutrals on your side around the country given the way you try to go about your business and have been treated this year... Best of Luck this weekend...

Let’s not overlook the the culpability of the BSPA Chairman and especially the Vice Chairman in all this. It’s thanks to Godfrey interfering with the fixture list to suit his own club that meant that Lakeside, Peterborough, and Workington had difficulty completing their fixtures, and thanks to the pair of them that Lakeside couldn’t use both Arena and Rye House get the Remain gin fixtures . Thats Chapman and Godfrey for you, bleating about protocols and to hell with the fans. Even by BSPA standards the sport has sunk to a new low, made even worse by Chapmans boasts that he was going to do this and do that but he has done nothing. Words cannot e,xpress my contempt for the pair of them, especially Godfrey. Look at the mess the sport was in when these two clowns took over, and look at it now - even worse. Unbelievable . And they both think they are the greatest thing since sliced bread. As for Peterborough, Lakeside and Rye House Stadium, it wouldn’t surprise me if they are all history by next year. Sadly. What a bunch of clowns run this sport from to bottom.

Well....never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be posting on a thread where I can say that Workington Comets are the Championship League Winners 2018 !!! What an amazing feeling , Lakeside were demolished last night with no answer for our boys. Even more bittersweet considering the crap this season our management and riders have had to endure . Not bad for a team forecast to finish round bottom of the league. Over the moon for everyone involved in Workington Speedway , going down in history as the best team to don the Blue & White Well done boys you have been the Dream Team that we have longed for .....Thank You My dream now would be for Workington to come to the tapes next season ........

Everyone knows we were fortunate, if thats the right way to put it,' with the injuries to the other teams riders at critical times. All credit must go to both Somerset and KIngs Lynn for taking the semi and Final to the last races. I am in no doubt we almost quite literally rode our luck.

We sure do, I once congratulated Edinburgh on something once, can't get anymore out of character than that .

At Arena with a full strength Workington team, the result was 56-32 to the Hammers! At Dry House against an under strength Workington team, it was 44-46 to the Comets...... enough said! You can thank the BSPA for losing us trophies though, as we were told we were NOT allowed to hold the finals at Arena if we made it through. The BSPA said 'you move or you stay', and as we couldn't get enough dates at Arena for all the fixtures, we had to hold everything at Rye. Had we been allowed to hold the final(s) at Arena we would have won at least one and would have been a great send off to the track. Still, I am glad we are losing to Workington rather than some other teams, as they were screwed over regarding fixtures this year too. The club needs a shot in the arm and let's hope this helps increase their support at home.

Sorry to butt in, a group of us travelled up from Plymouth for the home leg, a first rate atmosphere and very good racing plus a good win. One of are group had a bad turn just after heat 8,the St johns medical team looked after him . This is a very big thank you to the medical team plus the Somerset staff, plus a very big thank you D/H the promoter for popping into the medical room to check on Len. We did all get to see the last three heats. WE are back in Plymouth now, and Len is ok after the scare he gave us, Once again a very big thank you to all the medical staff and Somerset speedway. It turned out to be a very good night of speedway, I wish Somerset all the very best for the second leg and for next season. Very best whishes' Mike Bend one.

If any of the two teams get punished due to the second meeting not being completed, then shame on the people who make these decisions. They should be named and shamed. There is no way three major trophies competitions should be run days prior the end of October and this could/would have been avoided, should certain individuals considered what is in the best interests of British speedway.

Unfashionable they maybe, but they are still a terrific little club as well. Definitely one of my favourite places to visit for more reasons than the racing alone. A quick word for Tony Jackson here. I have never met him, but I have never heard a bad word about him either (which, where speedway is concerned, is exceptional). Comets through and through, from standing on the terraces to becoming team manager and co-promoter. There's no doubt he has made a substantial contribution to Workington's season and its all the more pleasing when one of the decent guys gets his share (more than his share) of success. I echo your view regarding the future of the Comets. For me at least, speedway simply wouldn't be the same without them.

Comets deserve particular praise for the way they stuck with Kyle. He got his best score yet last night and it was his pass of Wajtknecht in heat 11 that mathematically pushed Comets over the finishing line. I'm glad he has proven that Worky were justified in supporting Kyle when he was finding the adjustment to CL difficult.

I 've only been with the team for 5 years but I sense that Sue probably ages twice as fast as the rest of us, literally her phone must never be more then a foot away from her charger. I can say the best texters to read can be the most hard work for the updaters. Often halfway through typing heat 10 comments and heat 12 result is coming through. Often it means ignoring visitors or family to sit in front a laptop, updating a meeting that sparks no enthusiasm in me, but I know to someone somewhere stuck at work or at a family do those updates are the most significant part of their day. As it would be for me if i was following a Kent away fixture I couldn't get too. That's why it works, we are all fans and want to know how our teams(or favourite riders) are doing and that's why it has worked for so long. It's for the fans by the fans.

he sure is and it must have been a pressure cooker moment for him . everyone gets them . we are humans ! maybe it was something from a previous race . good lad all round .. but it happens . a nice family and dont deserve any flack at all . great lad all round, but get a hair cut man .

Good luck to Laura and her Workington team & supporters tonight

Another fantastic night , only downside was watching mr garrity in the pits hitting walls and swearing like a trooper at kids asking him if he was ok after his first race defeat the man appears high as a kite.hoggy was getting the crowd going am so pleased for laura more than anyone she deserves this night and many more like it

There’s two precedents set. One is to go on the meetings that have been completed. In this case, Lakeside win by 46-44. The other comes from Redcar v Glasgow last year, when a result was declared before Heat 10. The SCB took into account that even if neither Glasgow completed Heat 10, the result was still conclusive. Two 5-0s to Peterborough in Heats 9 and 10 and Lakeside would have still progressed. To be quite frank, no more time can be spent on the semi-final – it’s not fair on Workington, in particular. Workington and Lakeside need to start planning the final, which must take place next weekend.

Richard Lawson is one of the nicest guys in speedway....

Can I just say a great big thank you to everyone involved with the Comets this year, the promoters, team manager, riders, track team, everyone including the brilliant Hoggy on the mic for making this the most successful and enjoyable season ever. No thanks of course to the people responsible for running/ruining* the sport who seemed hell bent on putting obstacles in front of us (and others) during the season. It is very apt that our latest/last attempt to run our outstanding league fixture has been abandoned due to ice!!!! *delete as appropriate Hopefully we will all be back next year to defend all 3 titles. A happy (and now thankfully thawed out) Comet.

Perhaps Rob Godfrey dictated that a Worky thread could not be started on a Friday......

Apparently they fitted headlights.

Workington class this year, hope they win the lot

No consensus from the promoters about how to move forward. Mediocre riders already putting out quotes about wanting to ride for more than one team to enable them to be full-time riders, performing in front of crowds of 500-700 people. Fans not listened to. No one in charge. Complete joke of a sport at the moment.