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You are defending the indefensible again. It was a poor crowd nobody can deny that and the track was awful.

if ever you needed to see just how speedway is spiralling downwards in the UK then last night was a prime example of it. Very small crowd with the average age above at least 45. Track an absolute disgrace. Little in the way of entertainment. Not one GP/World Class rider on show. As a spectacle and as a advert for the sport it probably did more harm than good.

Tatum’s fault. Went around vandalising it before the meeting by sting a bloody screwdriver in it!

The track issue, as highlighted by my learned forum colleagues, has been one of contention for several years. Swindon clearly lost a rider over the track in the winter (Morris) and there have been issues about its suitability given the current engines used by riders, which led to many races being strung out on the previous track. The promotion have taken the criticism on the chin and changed the shape of he track. As a traditionalist, I was apprehensive about the changes but the racing is so much better with more passing and interest throughout the races with riders able to have a go, which as fans, is what we want. I would also say that the track is clearly not a billiard table but the Swindon fans have also acknowledged that the Poole and Peterborough meetings were poor fayre and were very vocal in their criticism, as was Rosco. However, in the track's defence when a rider can go from last to first off a 15m handicap and 2 track records, with Fricke's effort nearly half a second quicker than Batchelor's it says to me the track is in decent shape. Belle Vue fans can be rightly proud of their facility, however, it is a brand new facility. Blunsdon is old an decrepit stadium and the track must be in similar disrepair. The changes made have certainly benefited Swindon speedway and has made the sport much more enjoyable than in previous seasons, oh and the Dane leaving JD in his wake. The criticism's made by certain Aces would be have more merit if they were confirmed by a rider(s), rather than supporters, and certainly Swindon's riders have not been backward in coming forward, even Razza stated on his debut the track 'wasn't great'. I'm not saying that the Belle Vue fans are wrong but I take my lead from the professionals and unless there is a universal consensus from the Belle Vue riders the track was poor then I have to assume it was good given the two track records and 15m handicap win.

Yeah exactly which why I'm surprised of the attitude of some of your fans on here. Belle Vue have always had a good few fans at Swindon (fair play to them!) so if any of those really think that last night was as bad as the old track has been for the last few years then I will be amazed. You will find no bigger critic of the Swindon track than me, it has put me off going in recent years. I am sure that all of the Swindon regulars on here will say they have seen more decent races in the first few meetings than the last 5 seasons put together. Yes its not perfect, I don't think BV was for a while after the new track was laid, but its getting there and the racing has improved so for us long suffering gate and go watchers its an improvement and we like it.

It’s always been said that a longer meeting means more food, drink and bar sales for Buster and I can’t think of a reason which trumps that one.

He is the ultimate gating tart.

Well that was an excruciating watch tonight. Never did I think I would see the once mighty Poole in this state. Awful meeting on a dangerous track with bumps, inconsistent preparation and a large blue groove. The shabbily turned out Pirates , residing in what looks like a rundown stadium in front of the lowest crowd I've seen for a Poole TV match. If anybody was in any doubt that the sport is on life support this was it.

Seems everybody likes to have a poke at the bates family, they have worked hard to run the Sheffield team and won things along the way namely the league championship in 2017 or has that been forgotten now I don't think leicster is there main objective as thy are all tigers fans. What we need to do is give credit for what they have done over the last six years after Neil decided for reasons like the bates family to sell up. The supporters at Sheffield don't see anything but trouncing the opposition every week if that don't happen moan moan moan I think that we should get behind the team and promotion instead of criticising everything.. Has anyone thought why an exciting and and entertaining rider like Josh Bates {who has been missed so much} left. It is all the negataivity from the so called fans

Thought the idea was to come first Grachan , or was he riding backwards lol

It must be very entertaining standing near Belle Vue fans when your team is riding against them. I can just imagine the conversation. "Oooh, this track is rubbish. It's nowhere near as good as Belle Vue." "Quite right. Belle Vue is the best track in the World. This track is rubbish. Look. He hit a bump. I'm going to mark it in my programme." Marks it in programme. "He'd never have hit a bump at Belle Vue. Belle Vue is the best track EVER." Max Fricke then breaks the track record. "Wow. If that's a track record, Lord knows what it's like when it's NOT a track record. It must be terrible." "Must be. It's such a terrible track. Not like Belle Vue." Slight pause. Then, both at the same time: "Belle Vue is the best track EVER." Give us an A - "A".....

Good chance you will sitting on your own then, apart from your 'special friends'

Have you checked out Buster’s prices ?

The meeting was held.

Is BT Sport helping the demise of speedway ??? Surely Tattum/Pearson and the other so called experts know what a poor race track Wimborne road is? yet they still decide to televise there, when they could have easily gone to Kings Lynn for a local derby match....surely the atmosphere and the racing would have been better from an entertainment spectacle?

As a good friend of mine said a long time ago...... whatever you do , do not take Speedway seriously... just enjoy the racing if you are lucky enough to watch at a good track. By the way he started watching Exeter in the 50s...

Meetings like tonights on live TV are hardly a good advert for any potential buyers or investors

Came through fine. No problems.

Still, we all know what to do with an ‘official’ thread in the future.

I bet there are many riders who wish they are gating tarts

Who’s he

If Gappmaier has no more excuses after 4 years over here, what of Pijper, he`s been racing over here since 2002, and has a lower average than Gappmaier.

Pre match discussion on trainers and post match discussion on jackets! Speedway is dealt with on the original thread.

Doesnt matter weather track was great or track was poor. Because of expectations that was our worst result of the year. Last nights result was not good enough. Well done Swindon. Good win for u guys

Post match discussion only........

I dont know what meeting you were at last night Rob but it was not the same one as me.Heat 1 Berge made a bad mistake causing Fricke out very wide and nearly causing carnage but the track i felt was very good.There were fast times some great nick tuck racing full on .Fricke was electric at times really quick ( he missed the bumps !!) Batchelor was sublime maybe you are a guy who is not easily pleased.? As for the hole ? Batchelor who superbly drilled through on the line against Bjerre must of conveniently missed it.!!! Look this track is not perfect but our fans know that the management are doing great thing's to improve it and i believe this new track size is a breath of fresh air.

Typical Webbo to get something factually incorrect in his post and have a little dig at Robert Lambert too. All boxes ticked In terms of keeping his captive audience in for as long as possible, that’s great for Buster until some of those audience stop going as they are fed up with getting home so late, then it becomes counter productive. On a positive note good to hear the racing was decent.

I hope all the pre/post meeting discussion is helping with your choice of trainers.

About last night. For me the track was very poor leading to poor races on the whole barring Heat 15 and maybe 14.Lynn went 8 pts up but nearly all of our riders couldn't ride the track. For Ipswich only Heeps and Harris could and the rest of their team was awful. Very disappointed to lose against a 2 man team but the league table doesn't lie. Need to improve the track and the team dramatically!!

One comes to expect that at Lynn. Point of interest last night was, of the 4 meetings on, all were finished 20mins quicker than Lynn. Just another example of our long drawn out meetings.. Probably had we 've won the fans would been more happier, but to be beaten by a 2 man team on our home track is not good, especially when the ole man of British Speedway beat the star men of the English team from the back...……. Twice. Not good !!

No. I have never been to Saddlebow Road or the Adrian Flux Arena And I tend to avoid stadium food where possible at all stadiums, vastly over priced and usually rubbish. The same can usually be said for beer. At the end of the day it's a week night, most people will have work the next day, so they're not going to be drinking allot and if people have no choice but to eat stadium food they'll have done so as soon as they get there surely.

I would agree with all of that. The track wasn’t good. We all know that but the expected venom thrown on this thread was as expected. The track at Swindon last bank holiday evening was far worse than last night and caused Doyle to withdraw with an injury. Wasn’t on tv though for everyone to witness. Wimborne Road is a fantastic racetrack. We all know that. I hope the work about to be undertaken brings it back to its best.

All people do is slate other teams tracks these days. You lot are spoiled each week with the best track in the country where as we have had sh1te for years. So yeah last night was good in my eyes.

Interesting topic. Speaking to my dad who went to Halifax 1965-84 I think he would disagree with it been a horrible track. His view was that it was super fast (perhaps only Crewe faster?) and caught a lot of visiting riders out. Back then the spectacle of speedway was so exciting and coupled with the noise and slug of air at the back of the Shay main stand it was thrilling (similar times eh?) Another poster mention Chris Pusey who remains my dad's favourite ever rider and after watching speedway for over 50 years that's pretty good going. A friend of his has actually reproduced an exact Chris Pusey replica bike but that's for a different thread Onto Bradford... Another track around a pitch. I'd say for most of the 20 years racing at Odsal was generally OK. Decent shape and plenty wide enough. Then in the last few years before closure with the likes of Wigg, Loram, Screen, Sean Wilson the track was prep'd in such a way that you could see visually the outside of the bends was thick with extra dirt. All of sudden you had the most tremendous race track. Just wished they'd done it 15 years earlier!!

Some people are getting so much older and predictable in what they say. Some just repeat the same thing over and over again

You must have all grasped by now that the tractor racing is, in fact, a kind of meditation for Buster, or therapy to allow him to recover from the stresses of controlling UK speedway - saving it ( some say ) from extinction. All of that comes at a cost and I don't mean of the financial kind. It is a mental battle dealing with all of the suspicious snipings and the only place Buster can refresh himself is behind the tractor wheel, The laps fly by and he is far removed from all of the horridness that speedway encompasses for him. And as we know the opinion of fans is also far from his mind ( in fact when out there "improving " the track those opinions are not in his mind at all ). Someone else said - due to the poor quality of racing ( and the tractor therapy for the boss ) "it’s once in s blue moon at Lynn for me as it just doesn’t feel worth £18. It’s a pity as I hardly missed a meeting for thirty odd years." And since the creation of the track for me I hardly missed a match - it was my beloved " Oh Yes!" place. Last night I preferred to watch the Live TV match ( which was appalling 3/10 ). That match at Poole showed clearly why it better not to show UK league racing on TV as it puts people off from going to see it in the stadium. That's what it does for me, except when it's from the NSS.

at least I am honest in what I say not the normal rubbish you write .actually its a treat that you don't post as much on here these days still onward and upward .roll on Thursday week ps as you seem to know everything you tell me why gates are down more and more these days

I’m a self employed gardener so extremely busy this time of year and I just don’t get home from work early enough to get to Lynn without rushing around like a blue arsed fly and having to eat a rat burger at the stadium for tea. If the racing was better and I was able to get home a bit earlier afterwards I might pop along a little more often but as it is it’s once in s blue moon at Lynn for me as it just doesn’t feel worth £18. It’s a pity as I hardly missed a meeting for thirty odd years.

Have a chat with ya self,,, he was awsome tonight and deserves every bit of credit,, but that's one good meeting so far,,,,, now if he does that week in week out I will eat as much humble pie one man can eat,,,, until that happens, the only pie I will be eating is chicken and mushroom.

Some excellent racing tonight and a good team performance, particularly as our number 1 looked a little under horse power. Top marks to Troy (thanks also for the -1 v Polar), particularly in heat 15 as he cut back on the inside to go from third to first. Trapping is sublime and looking fast in front. Kid is looking a sensational signing on a similar average to Alpen a couple of seasons ago. A superb last to first ride in heat 8 getting up on the line, it was like watching Jamie Spencer at his best (that’s a joke by the way cos I think he’s a liability - Spencer not Razza). Must be the first name on the 2020 team sheet. Adam quietly went about his business and I thought Perks deserved more than his 3 point tally. His effort could not be faulted. For the Aces, I thought Lee Adams had returned, so similar was Fricke’s style. Quick and has a liking for the Blunsdon circuit, unfortunately, he had no support and tbh, I thought the Aces looked a bit Dennis Bergkamp (poor travellers) to me. A crucial time for Rosco. Stick, or twist. I think twist. I love Alpen, the rider not the muesli, but if he is out for any length of time then changes must be made, particularly if we can get Razza at reserve.

Never thought I would say this but to see Poole Speedway like that is sad .. No crowd a cow pat of a track and stadium looking like a tip ..The grass in the center green was not even cut .. The meeting itself was garbage and that is being kind .

Ok. I’ll just end with this. Troy Batchelor who is never shy in coming forward has praised the track after the meeting. Said if you give him the tools to do his job he will preform like that. Said he’s enjoying turning up & not worrying about the track & bike set ups as the track has improved & will only get better. Now some may say “he’s a home rider, he’s bound to say that”....this is Batch, we will know he doesn’t stand for crap & we’ve seen this at Swindon so to say riding side by side was “dangerous” has massively over egged it.

Crazy stuff . As for Bwd back on a bike in 2 weeks riding and being able to race are 2 different things

Track still looks in better shape than Wimbourne Road

We have been known to cause a few knitting zombies to choose a different seating area

Okay I am being hypocritical if you say so but actually I can't be bothered as I know you like long drawn out discussions and I've got a lot more things to worry about than Speedway so I won't be joining in. I posted my thoughts about star riders not necessarily making good racing but I'm not into arguing whether they do or not. I've seen enough meetings over the years to know there were some pretty poor boring matches which had teams full of top riders so I'm quite happy watching a lower standard now. I don't personally miss seeing any of them but others do. I can understand that ~ everyone is different.

I’m a little tired of hearing about the expected track work to improve the problem. How many times over the recent few years? It seems major work is required to fix the dreadful bumps because what has been attempted before has clearly failed. And before anyone accusing me of track hating, I’ve normally been one to praise the Poole track over the years.

Seconded.

Win lose or draw as a team All have had big scores and all have had some poor nights Cracking result and 2 points was the least we deserved

They should at least be removed from the BT schedule until the track is sorted... Doesnt do the sport any favours and let's be honest, it needs as many favours as it can get nowadays..