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When I decided to ride speedway it was because I wanted to be a speedway rider (still do in my head )I didn’t care about the money, it was a nice bonus but just the Privalige of being a rider was everything to me, I run my own business along side speedway for most of my career often working around 60 hours a week and doing all the bike washing myself, yes there were times I was shattered and just wanted my bed but would I do it all again? Hell yes, I would often drive from Wolverhampton on a Friday do a couple of deliveries in London or Kent then on to Weymouth or Plymouth to race that night get back home at 2am and I loved it ,but I just don’t see that desire anymore from riders , it’s all about the money, I read “I’m putting my life on the line so I want big money “ I never thought I was putting my life on the line(except when I raced against roman matousek) I was just loving being a rider and racing my bike and to do that for a team was just amazing, where has that love for racing gone ?

Why dont you mind your own business and slag somebody else off in which you are very good at .that is why your probably the most disliked person on the forum have a nice day !!!

I agree with you Dean, the money wasn't the be all and end all of racing, it was the excitement, the adrenaline pumping going into corners fast and only inches from your opponent, the feeling of elation when you beat a more experienced opponent that you didn't expect to 70 seconds earlier. It wasn't just a means to make money or drive around in a sign written van, we used trailers or bike racks, saying " look at me I must be good my names all over my van " which is what I see from a lot of would be racers. The expense of all the trick bits that the GP riders use, throttles at £150 each, seem to remember Ivan used a Jawa throttle, longer so better for throttle control. Maybe some of the riders need to go back to basics and maybe improve their situation.

when i was a kid going to Wimbledon Stadium, so much of the evening was the excitement and anticipation of the racing, and it's things like that that have me hooked, but where is there ANYTHING to get the kids interest and keep it these days? Logic says it should be the racing, but so much more needs to be done. the anticipation bit at Wimbledon was when the track lights were on but all the stadium lights went off so just a lit up track for attention. why doesn't that happen now, is it health and safety, or is it that the track lighting at so many places is so bad if the stadium lights went out we'd ALL be in darkness. and something Dean & Les mentioned .. riding speedway should be about enjoyment a lot more than it obviously is, so much is about money. when i rode in the first team i had no idea what i was getting and just took the envelope and that was that. i WANTED to race, simple as that. bike on the rack on the back of the car Sunday night, early to work for BT Monday morning, half day holiday and off for a 3 hour drive to Exeter in the afternoon

It seems to go unnoticed but there are actually five months from the end of October to the start of April.. A long, long time to work... I pay my night lads (inc premium, NI and Pension) £11 an hour.. Thats £380 a week or a total of £7600 for 20 weeks work.. That's to fill shelves in a Supermarket.. I am sure there are probably other 'basic skilled' jobs out there that may pay even more..? Who knows, seven lads all earning this amount might collectively mean they don't have to then request over £50k between them off a Speedway promoter..? Would buy at least one very decent bike that I reckon and a good few quid left over for plenty of spares... The penny will need to drop soon that riding Speedway in GB isn't a full time role which gives you the opportunity to put your feet up at Forty years of age and spend your earnings for the rest of your life.. Similar to all Sports very, very few make it to the very top. British Speedway seems to be starting to realise that paying out EFL League One and Two wages on Bostik League attendance income simply doesn't add up.. It may be difficult to get people to ride Speedway now, but it will be a damn sight harder when no places exist to ply that trade..

Yeah, got to agree with you there LesR.....sign written van and all the latest gear make many of them think they are superstars from the off.

It would be worth suffering the m6 wideneing , if it was going to be of any benefit long term , but just like the M1 widening , mr and mrs lane hogger will simply spread themselves over 4 lanes instead of 3 and the 6 years of pain will have been for nothing , it would have been cheaper quicker and more succesful to employ a team of extra police officers to ensure the 3 lanes we have now are properly used . once a few people were nicked for hogging , and queue jumping , the motorways would soon start to unclog

Let’s get real here, there isn’t a SINGLE club in the division who would turn their nose up at Drew Kemp on a 2 point average so behave. If Drew had spoken to the Workington promotion and said “I’d like to ride for you next year”, there isn’t a chance in hell they’d have said “nah you’re not for us” Sheffield have Simon Stead to thank for this signing. I believe he was all set to sign for Eastbourne until Stead persuaded him to sign for Sheffield.

The attraction in those days was the racing - the spectacle of speedway - and a challenge match was no different from a league match, it was a night at the speedway It wasn't about winning at all costs - that didn't seem to matter anything like it does today - yes, happiness was 40-38, but results weren't the be all and end all There were regional fixtures - eg Midland League, Midland Riders Championship - and as said over 30 meetings in a season if it rained a bit, the sawdust went down and the riders donned overalls over their leathers, so there seemed to be less rain offs

In the early 60's when George was becoming the star at Meadowbank he drove a Cattle Lorry for his uncle most of the days he wasn't riding, as a lad used to wait for him stopping at the Chippy most nights ,great guy always had a chat.Times have changed ,if you have a bike you think you are a superstar nowadays.

That isn't a quote by Alex Harkess. He is quoted throughout the article, with his words in quotation marks. The last paragraph is added by the columnist, who has history in the business of putting unsaid words into articles.

Nonsense, the costs to a rider's equipment is nothing to do with the promoters. The clubs should only pay what they can afford and look to turn a profit. If the rider's find they can't afford the same or better equipment, tough. They should work doubly hard to find more sponsorship or pay for the upkeep themselves. Equipment responsibility is nothing to do with the promoters at all.

there may not been a premiership league if buster had not stepped in ?

After the "incident" at Eastbourne this season I think it's highly unlikely that Drew would have ended up there tbh.Great signing for Sheffield.Drew is a huge talent

They cant announce until the NL AGM has taken place surely?

Have to disagree there singy...you only had to look at the crowds on Fridays this season ..lose a lot of shift workers too on a Friday

Could that be a deliberate ploy,so nobody notices how bad the racing is?

Don't want to go to sleep tonight because I'm scared that when i wake up the Drew Kemp signing will have all been just a dream ....

Depends who he signs for.. It it's Scunny it will an lower average than if he signs for anyone else.. And if he signs for Workington and they ride on a Friday then his average will be very high That's how it works

Drew is a fantastic talent - great control and composure for a rider with only 1 season of competitive racing But please dont expect TOO much - no doubt he will make a mockery of his 2 point average but equally he may still have the odd shocker I hope there wont be pressure on him for big scores from day 1

So much for the club's letting their owns fans know ......

Updated Newsletter: PLANNING consultants acting for Brandon Estates have been forced into the correction of a key paragraph of evidence from their most recent submission to Rugby Council. Framptons recently completed a ‘Needs Assessment’ which seeks to make the case that Brandon Stadium is surplus to requirements in line with National Planning Policy. In addition to the error-strewn report itself, an item in the covering letter accompanying the document raised major concerns, and has now been amended. Those who attended our recent Public Meeting will be aware that Jeremy Heaver spoke briefly on behalf of Coventry Racing Club Ltd during the question and answer session. Mr Heaver stated that having had sight of the most recent documentation, Coventry Racing Club had contacted Framptons to inform them they would take action against them should it not be withdrawn. Co-incidentally, the day after the Public Meeting, Coventry Racing Club received an apology from Framptons together with a correction to paragraph 1.15 in their covering letter. The paragraph concerned initially read: “In mid-2016 negotiations between the applicant and Coventry Racing Club Ltd ensued with respect to agreeing a new lease for 2017 onwards.” Framptons have now stated there was an error in the instructions received, and that the paragraph should have referred to mid-2016 negotiations with Coventry Speedway Ltd and not Coventry Racing Club Ltd. We find this single retraction peculiar for a number of reasons, not least because the relevant paragraph appears in a section of the report entirely devoted to (and headed with) Coventry Racing Club Ltd. It goes on to cast doubt over the financial position of Coventry Racing Club Ltd in a bid to explain why a lease deal was not agreed, and subsequently why they stopped running stock car events ‘on tour’ after four such meetings in 2017. Coventry Racing Club Ltd have always disputed the notion that they were given the opportunity to agree a lease for 2017 and beyond, an issue we pointed out in our initial response to the planning application, and the correction of this paragraph has a major effect on the timeline of what followed later, leading up to the forced closure of the stadium. Given that the Turley Report (focusing on viability) also contains the following paragraph, we assume that this should now also be amended: 1.13 …New lease/licence terms were offered to Coventry Speedway Limited (owners of Coventry Bees speedway team and racing licence holder) and Coventry Racing Club Limited (owners of Coventry Stox stock car/banger racing and associated licence holder) in mid-late 2016. Any possible action taken by Coventry Racing Club Ltd against Framptons is not a matter for our concern, but we will be further scrutinising both the original and most recent documents to ascertain which items could now be further challenged as a result of this correction, and we will make the appropriate representations. It is clear that if it is now accepted that Coventry Racing Club Ltd were in fact prevented from continuing as leaseholders, it totally invalidates sections of reports which state that no parties were willing to continue staging sporting events at the stadium beyond 2016, leading to the false narrative which states the stadium closed because no credible businesses wished to operate there. This notwithstanding, we already have evidence of third parties who wished to discuss operating at Brandon in 2017/18, and the response they received from the owners, via Howell & Co Solicitors, under the guise of ‘willing engagement.’ The actual content of the ‘needs assessment’ – which embarrassingly attempts to argue that there is suitable alternative provision for both Coventry Bees speedway and stock car racing elsewhere - is another matter entirely, and one which was covered in great detail at the Public Meeting. Members of the Campaign Group met with the Principle Planning Officer last week to take her through our concerns, and we have been reassured by Rugby Council’s pledge to seek independent, expert advice in order to investigate all documents to ensure that decisions are made in full knowledge of the facts. We will be happy to co-operate with whoever is appointed to lead this enquiry, should that be required, and are absolutely confident that statements made in our representations are indisputable. Brandon Estates, Framptons and Howell & Co should be aware that they cannot, and will not, be allowed to make statements which fail to present a fully accurate account of events both before and after the closure – and whose analysis of viability and alternative provision are both wholly unsatisfactory. We have already shown that we have extensive documentary and photographic evidence to dispute, or dispel, many of their claims, several of which are made with no apparent understanding of the much-loved sports they are scandalously attempting to permanently evict from the area. We will continue to challenge, in the strongest possible terms, any document which indicates there is no requirement for speedway and stock car racing in the Coventry/Rugby area, and that no parties are interested in operating.

CANNOT agree with that. We now have guys who get on the phone or meet people and produce copy that you won't find anywhere else. Phil Lanning is proving a great addition to the mag, Richard Weston's comments about Brian Burford are premature and as the winter unfolds we will produce a lot of different feature material. Sorry if you see it as a dip in quality. Completely the opposite in my opinion and at a time when we are swimming against the tide in terms of sales recent figures have been encouraging.

Atleast Gavan posts constructive comments

Maybe he should buy them all. Then it's all equal again.