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I would suggest they are very fortunate to be getting even the same money considering most tracks will have seen a big reduction in fan base during this time... If riders are getting the same money, given the fan base drop, it can only be down to the inflation busting admission cost increases dealt to those who still do attend... That wonderful vicious circle British Speedway has put itself in... ie Attendances drop due to ridiculous operating model being followed. So they put up the price of admission to those who still attend. Meaning attendances then drop further, so they put up the price of admission again to those who still attend. Meaning attendances then drop further so they put up the price of admission again to those etc etc etc... Any business person with even a shred of acumen would always find a way of reducing their costs before taking the decision to pass on cost increases to their customers through increased prices.. My company has paid out an extra 10% in payroll over the past 18 months to meet its legal obligations on earnings. I didn't suddenly get an extra 10% of customers to pay for it.... Therefore costs had to be reduced elsewhere in the business and a reduction in workforce achieved through a review of its operating model to deliver better productivity.... I am amazed that Speedway still pays out 14 salaries per meeting when it cannot afford to do so, yet never changes the team number or the amount of heats they pay out for.. I am even more amazed that they put out big money to GP stars who put hardly one person on the gate. The sport is down to the die hards now who will go anyway and no disrespect to any rider, but long gone are the days of 'real Stars' like Collins, Mauger, Olsen, Penhall etc who would tangibly put extra 'bums on seats' when they visited your home track.. Hope the AGM goes well. I presume the first thing on the agenda will be how much admissions costs will increase by this year...? Thats as long as they don't have to discuss first up which biscuits to have. Let's hope that's been settled well in advance of the meeting...

All the things suggested one big league wage caps standardised equipment will work if you don't have one promoter who tries to get round it, and that's the problem, promoters looking after themselves and not the greater good I am afraid there is no solution to the basic problem so there cant be a solution to the other problems

Just the most important people then.... Chris Harris' comments this week absolutely epitomise how far removed from reality most riders are - their selfish approach is a huge factor in the mess UK speedway finds itself in. I am one of the long-term fans who has been disillusioned by so many things (particularly the way the sport is run for everyone but the fans) that I'm not sure I have anything vaguely resembling enthusiasm to give a toss if/when they are fixed.

I’ll tell you exactly what I was on if it is of such importance, it’s no secret, £60 per point, 15pence per mile and £1000 sign on fee which was split into two parts, now I don’t know exactly the amount of points I scored so let’s say 300 max and I’m being nice to myself 300 x 60=£18000, great wages, Now let’s take out the 10k it cost me to race so that’s 8k from April until mid August, not bad but not great wages BUT I have a job, I don’t expect speedway to pay 24/7 anymore, anyone who thinks that the majority of speedway riders are earning loads are deluded. Now please, don’t get me misconstrued I get that riders cannot demand what isn’t there but please, please don’t think riders are on mega bucks because it simply isn’t true

Unless riders accept the realty it’s going to be a 100% reduction, when I listen to today’s riders talk its like they think they have invented the wheel and before their career riders didn’t exsist, had a long chat with a former manager/mechanic of a world champion a few weeks ago and he was saying riders of today don’t realise how easy they have it , he said they did twice as many meetings as today’s riders and they had to drive all over Europe in a transit ,not flying like today with bikes and mechanics already there and then wash and prep the bikes and run a business too., before doubling up reared it’s ugly head riders would do around 50 british meetings a year and most had a job too , when I was at Berwick our no1 was a postman

Full details of the meeting content:- THE Save Coventry Speedway & Stox Campaign Group held a hugely successful Public Meeting at the Mercure Brandon Hall Hotel on Tuesday. Over 300 speedway and stock car fans, and local residents, packed in to hear the latest updates on the battle against the plans to demolish the iconic Brandon Stadium and replace it with a housing estate – with no provision for any replacement. The meeting was also supported by speedway riders including former British Champions Chris Harris and Danny King, stock car drivers and as many as five local Councillors. There was live coverage on BBC Midlands Today in their early-evening programme and a further follow-up in the late bulletin, as well as coverage and interviews on local radio stations BBC Coventry & Warwickshire and Touch FM/Rugby FM. The meeting opened with brief speeches from the leader of Rugby Borough Council, Michael Stokes, and the MP for Rugby, Mark Pawsey. Cllr Stokes, whilst naturally having to declare impartiality in the case of an ongoing planning application, did confirm that in all of his time on the Council – over a decade – there has been no other local issue which has provoked a reaction on this scale. Following our submission earlier in the day of our reaction to the Framptons ‘Needs Analysis’ document – seeking to make the case that Brandon Stadium is surplus to requirements in line with National Planning Policy, as other ‘alternative’ stadiums exist in the Midlands – Cllr Stokes was able to deliver an encouraging update. He stated that due to the volume of material and the clear discrepancies between the submissions of the developers and ourselves, the Council will appoint an independent party to fully scrutinise both and seek expert advice in order to provide an informed conclusion to the Planning Officer. We welcome this news, and having subsequently heard our assessment of the Turley (viability) and Framptons (needs assessment) documents, we are sure all those present at the meeting will share that opinion. Cllr Stokes also confirmed the Planning Application will not be heard until after the Local Plan is finalised. Mr Pawsey grew up in Binley Woods so has a full affinity with the area and the stadium itself, and he has always offered ongoing support to the Campaign. He spoke as passionately as ever on the issues and his continued engagement, both locally and in Westminster, is of huge value to us. The meeting presentation took the form of a descriptive slideshow which first briefly summarised events leading up to the previous Public Meeting in October 2016. We then updated the events of the last year, including the further inadequacies of security at the stadium prior to the settlement of the Council’s Community Protection Order, the submission of planning documents and public reaction, the Local Plan hearings, media coverage, and other events/meetings attended. There was then a discussion of the Local Plan process, why we sought to strengthen it in terms of protecting facilities such as Brandon, and what the Government-appointed inspector said following the hearings. We then provided a selection of material produced either by or on behalf of the developers seeking to prove the stadium was disused and unviable with no interest forthcoming for re-opening – and then their subsequent, recent submissions stating there was no ongoing need for Brandon due to an apparent range of ‘alternative’ venues elsewhere in the Midlands. Whereas much of the developers’ information was based on misinformation and untruths, we were able to provide clear, indisputable evidence to disprove their claims. We also discussed the ongoing Brandon & Bretford Neighbourhood Plan, and following a brief Q&A session we ended with the following conclusions and recommendations: This meeting: 1. Endorses the ongoing activities of the Save Coventry & Stox Campaign Group including its representations on the Rugby Local Plan, Brandon Estates’ planning application for residential redevelopment on the site of Brandon Stadium, and the Brandon & Bretford Neighbourhood Plan; 2. Calls on Rugby Borough Council to a) reject Brandon Estates’ Planning Application and b) support reinstatement of Brandon Stadium for Speedway and Stock Car Racing at the earliest opportunity. 3. Confirms that the Coventry/Brandon Bees should race in the Rugby/Coventry area and that the relocation of the team to Leicester Speedway is not a realistic solution. But the most important part of the evening was the reaction and turnout from the sporting and local communities. To fill a room with over 300 people on a midweek evening was further proof of just what this issue means to everyone, even though there has been no racing for over two years – something the developers will never understand. Campaign Group Spokesman Jeff Davies said: “From our perspective, the meeting could not have gone better. The media coverage with local radio stations and BBC Midlands Today present throughout was brilliant and the messages of support, both directly and via a massive social media response is incredible. “People who attended the meeting are now better informed about the situation, understand what the issues are and why the process is taking so long. “We have put an immense amount of time and effort into this fight and to see so many passionate people supporting the campaign makes all that effort worthwhile. “Speaking on behalf of all the members of the Campaign Group, I promise speedway fans, stock car fans and local residents, we will fight this to the very end and will not give up. “Despite being up against wealthy developers, with their PR people, their solicitors and their consultants, it's a battle we've always believed we can win and eventually bring the sports 'home' for future generations to enjoy.” *WE have had various requests to make the slides from the presentation available to view online. We have respectfully decided that would not be appropriate, due to the fact that taken in isolation they could cause confusion – we ran the meeting with the slides complementing the narration, and they by no means provide a full record of what was said. However, we are more than willing to engage with anyone who contacts the Campaign Group, and are happy to take them through any of the issues discussed in as much detail as they wish.

Grant Henderson Tankers sponsor several riders northern based and not specifically at Glasgow. They are major sponsors at Glasgow but also Berwick , young Kyle could do a lot worse than them and will be well looked after, There will be nothing else in it , i have no doubt young Kyle will line up for the Comets next season with his Grant Henderson Tankers sonsorship on board.

Surely this has to be done across the board in world speedway or it will never work and is there a call in other countries for such a move? If we have a different type of bike in the UK it won't help much.Foreign riders will need a new bike for the UK and they will most probably ask the cub to cough up for the funding,when they sign.Plus you put young British riders at a disadvantage when they ride abroad.Established riders can afford numerous bikes,but a young rider going to Eurpe for an international meeting riding his 'cheap' british model will be out of his depth.I mean if a bike can be cheaply produced and still have the same performance of an expensive one,then a manufacturer is missing a trick big time in undercutting rivals and taking a large chunk of the market....... We will also end up with people asking why foreign riders are getting supplied with a new bike and not young Brits.A self made problem,yet again

I wondered why The White Knight had disappeared.

Yes there have. Crowds have been crap for years - Sky money has been bailing the sport out. Most races at most tracks are over by the back straight, if not the first bend. There is next to no racing - the reason for this is that most tracks are not conducive to proper racing/passing due to their size, shape, preparation, etc. In short, it's boring that's why nobody goes.

Really proud to tell you all that Martin and I, on behalf of everyone who believed in us, volunteers, our fans, visiting fans, sponsors and riders, won the 2018 Isle of Wight Radio Local Hero Awards for Sporting Achiever. This is absolutely great to be honored up against every other sport, sports club, sports person who represents or is on the Isle of Wight and is voted for by the community. We are both, as should everyone associated with the club, very proud today. Thank you

Why would stadiums be empty on GP nights? I watch very few things “live” at transmission time and much prefer to record and watch on delay. This allows me to skip past Adverts , replays and endless studio chats. I’m sure a lot of people feel the same way

Well done every one at the Iow ,,The rest of the promoters in this country could learn a lot about how to run Speedway for the community...

He can always come to Berwick if that's he case

But most of the tracks have been the same shape for years and there have been no complaints (or not many) until recently. If the modern bikes cannot be properly controlled on British tracks then surely it is the bikes which are not fit for purpose, not the tracks. This trend towards slicker and slicker tracks just to accommodate the lay downs is ruining the sport.

You can't let clubs go bust to further the careers of a handful of british riders. Woffinden doesn't ride here, despite the fixed race nights.

It seems logical to me, under the present situation, that any Brit rider doing well in other countries will give preference to that situation and riding in the UK would not be top of his list of priorities. Its obvious to me that they will go where the opportunity is to better themselves in riding ability and income.

You sure about that Rodders? As THJ would say: " I am minuspeptic, frasmotic, even compunctuous to have caused you such pericabobulations."

I agree with everything you say which is why I said, if we have to go with fixed nights, meaning either Monday, Wednesday or Monday, Thursday. In my opinion to continue on a Monday will be commercial suicide. Mark Lemon did say in this week's SS that crowds had improved as the season went on but that he didn't know why. I suspect that school holidays, the prospect of getting into and then being in the play offs and the latter stages of the KO Cup may have played a significant part. As for returning to Saturdays, even putting aside all of the practicalities, I am not sure that it is now a better option than Friday. Saturday is the night when TV puts on it's most popular programmes, many football games are played and the main night for people to go out. The competition for the leisure pound is much greater now than it was when many tracks operated on a Saturday whereas Friday has the advantage of no school the next day and people still have Saturday to go somewhere if wife/husband/partner is not a speedway fan.

If Bomber had done better at school he would understand this... As he didn't, he doesn't

Sadly it is time for British Speedway to think of itself and form a league based on costs that are practicable and riders who are available here for the majority of the time. The likelihood is that this would inevitably lead to a weakened league in terms of top riders but it would at least survive and hopefully over time would recover. Drastic action is required and we cannot keep adapting to solely accommodate the top riders as the sport cannot cope with them as it is.

I hope that the AGM does not take too much notice of the opinions of Bomber Harris. If that is how the majority of British riders feel then speedway has no chance of rebuilding itself. "Can't go on" without doubling up. "Not worth the risk" without doubling up. Bomber is a terrific speedway racer but outside of his own backyard no-one in the outside world has heard of him and many of the 25,000 UK fans of speedway do not want doubling up. He needs to talk to more of them. If there were 250,000 UK fans prepared to pay to get in and were baying for Chris Harris then he might get the rewards he deserves for his racing skills. What he did or didn't do at school is not the responsibility of supporters and he needs to really think about the day which comes to all riders ( except it seems Greg Hancock ) when they have to retire ( or want to retire or no-one wants to employ them ) life after speedway for all riders needs careful preparation and thinking about at a deep personal level.

You were doing reasonably well until that last bit. Riders averages are based on 4 rides, 7 riders per team equals 28 rides equals 14 heats - so 42.50 should win you the meeting!

Why would Buster scrap speedway at the AFA when he owns the place, and rent a track for speedway.

The happenings of the last few weeks were not the fault of the promotion but have obviously proved costly to them? ..I would have thought that now serious consideration will take place regarding next season .We the fans have to hope the club wil continue and be supported where ever they end up riding......