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They're hoping to build the new Southampton Speedway Track between Locks Heath & Fareham. Infill land just off the M27 is now in the process of being bought by a former policeman, and planing permission is going in shortly to build the speedway track . Infill land means houses can't be built on it, and noise issues wouldn't be a problem. The initial plan so I'm told would be for use as a training track along with amateur meetings, which are becoming more and more popular.

100%... "Superstars" didn't start out as such and sadly are now out of reach for day to day UK Speedway, so now is the time to set about finding other "Superstars" and that doesn't have to mean global ones but could be a rider who gets a large following at his local track and becomes "a large fish in even a very small pond"... He would benefit locally through sponsorship, and the club would have a rider who locally gets known and can 'pull a crowd in"... The more GB riders the better, and the more chance GB will have to try and reach the best team in the world status, which has to be the No1 aim of the BSPL, well above all and any individual team success focus, as this attracts hardly any national attention at all, whereby consistent GB success would.. The promoters have a 'free pass' from supporters to try new innovative and radical things given the pandemic issues they face so let's hope they go for it.. Four (mainly GB) lads per race, all of a similar ability, racing on a well prepared track, on a day/night that provides the best crowd numbers for that track, and in competitions that are ran with credibility amd integrity, and all delivered at an admission price that reflects true value for money... Can it be done. .?

as a rule of thumb, the tv director will be watching what's out front, no good if it's just one rider on his own, tv was there to try to encourage people to go to a meeting not turn it off. one rider is not what i want to watch. the old NL in the 80's had it right (before Rye House put a spanner in the works) using British & Commonwealth, something like that with the occasional American's/Europeans if they qualify is ideal as long as they're committed to the British League and live here. supporters cheering their team because it's THEIR team is what i grew up with (until World Final night), it can only benefit the clubs, track shops, riders, and as mentioned more likely to get sponsors. fair play to those earning big money elsewhere, get it while it's there, but if they're not riding in GB then it's extra special seeing the GP series, and could boost Cardiff attendance if fans aren't seeing those riders on a regular basis.

this is what people want to see surely, entertainment. not riders so far ahead of the rest it looks boring we're constantly told that riders don't have a connection with the club or fans when they ride, well now is the ideal time to have a league with committed riders and build from there

That's spot on. The thing I struggle to understand is that the so called global superstars are only superstars within tge existing speedway fan base certainly as far as UK speedway is concerned. Those names won't draw in sustained extra bums on seats week in week out. What you need is an exciting league with commited riders sensible rules something that can be properly promoted to a wide audience.

If so no more wet track meetings at brum

If everything in the world was 'normal' and Swindon came to the NSS on the same week they came the year before, but this time without Jason Doyle, I can virtually guarantee hardly a change in the numbers in attendance such is the way so many tracks now have 'regulars only' most weeks, and the lack of 'pull' of any rider.. If there was any difference (max 50 to 100 either way I would say) it would be down to either inclement weather if a drop, or down to it being a nice spring or summer evening if an increase.. And that's the reality, a nice spring or summer evening can bring more "extra than normal" fans in than any rider appearing can.. Another reality is that The Aces had Matej Zagar for many years at both tracks but if he went and knocked on the doors of every house within a mile radius of the stadium, hardly anyone answering the doors would know who he was, or what he did. .. Yet the Aces (and probably every other club), spent many years planning inconsistent fixture lists around the timetables of their No1 rider. And the Aces, again like others, used to visit tracks without their No1 and use guests instead, which did nothing but leave the competition they were competing for open to ridicule and the inevitable fall off in attendances... Sheffield would no doubt have got a 'dead cat bounce' with Nicki P for a few weeks but slowly home crowd levels would drop back as the novelty wore off and settle (at best I would suggest), around 100 to 150 more than the previous season without him, and when they ventured away the second visit wouldn't have matched the first visit for crowd numbers... A consistent fixture list, using weekends and all the Bank Holidays, and using riders who can commit to all dates, has to be the way forward, and if that means 'lesser riders' on show then so be it, but if it means more UK riders then so much the better.. Just provide a race format and team strengths, that have four riders of pretty equal ability in every heat and the racing will be close, regardless of the lack of 'GP' names in the programme...

damned if they do anything and damned if they don't, many will moan if they postpone the season, the rest will moan if they don't

So there is talk of teams needing to have British reserves at Championship level.... ... It just shows utter contempt yet again for the fans with all this secrecy and “details to be revealed soon” bull$hit. If it’s been sorted at the AGM why invite speculation instead of just releasing the facts and keeping everybody informed?

I did. Helped me considerably in getting that off my chest...

May have been 'Briggo' but I recall him saying that Gote was a bit like Anders Michanek...a gentleman off the track but hard as nails when racing hence the phrase "Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" which, I think, he coined?

Another good article with jacko in this weeks speedway star, on about his various battles in 2020, good news that he is still staying healthy and safe.

During lockdown I watched a lot of videos from The 1997-2003 era at Newport. Anders Henriksson was a pure fans favourite and the way he bonded with the crowd is like nothing you see today. There were a few others also, Neath and Eldridge. Eldridge was nothing more than a 3.5 reserve for Newport but the fans absolutely loved him because he was a tryer and an entertainer.

Same her wouldnt have a tablet, got to be books each tells a story inside, the covers tell another allways keep them can tell where and who was with when read

so what would people on here do if it was your own money at risk, would you run this year or not take the chance?

and a Hammer. Jonnie Hoskins was the master showman. He really understood the value of entertainment.

Still looking positive for Eastie after the BSPA statement. Whatever the exact makeup of the teams, points etc, with an all British team policy since we dropped to the NL to date, with Brennen, Kemp and Edwards our young British rider gateway is already in place, build the team around those 3 would be my choice.

I love it when people try to correct somebody for their grammar and then get it wrong themselves. Next you’ll be using big words you don’t understand because you think it’ll make you look really photosynthesis.

as i have said before - the product is the racing, not the names. The general public don't know who the hell anyone is anyway so whats the problem

I entirely agree that the sport should be a weekend only event from now on. Friday night/Saturday and Sunday. If there are no riders who ride in Poland and over seas riding in the UK, it should not be an issue. Fans, after a while, will forget the top stars being missing has watered down the league. There will always be a top dog. If that is someone like Daniel King, so be it. If he is the top rider in the league, fans will look forward to seeing him. British Speedway desperately needs to start again from the bottom. If not, there is absolutely no hope at all. One big league, only one competition (league). A riders championship at the end of the season with each teams top averaged rider. And maybe a pairs event. Just no tournament that requires qualification meetings as there will be way too many fixtures and fans get fed up of seeing the same team visit each season. It has to be worth a try as absolutely nothing else has worked so far. No air fares, no prima donnas, no living expenses for foreign riders etc will mean clubs can charge a lot less for entry. Speedway, like it or not, is a ten quid sport. There would obviously be way more planning involved than this but its the basics of a restructure plan that needs to be put in place. Two clubs have dropped out before the AGM outcome has been revealed, how many more are going to be announced as closing by the time the outcome of the AGM is known? Id guess at least one more. Probably more. Youd think that half head Godfrey would be pushing things for the better to sort the sport out, I hear Scunthorpes crowds are low more often than not.

Somehow in the past teams were put together without averages being used. Simply put it was 3 heat leaders 2 second strings and 2 reserves. If promoters can for once come together for the sake of the sport and put aside their own interests then maybe, if the season can start, get a semblance of a competition going. Who will really care who rides for who so long as it gets speedway going and I’m convinced people will want live entertainment after so long away from the sport.

I can't see how. I guess if there's enough objections they might not be allowed to put football pitches there but that wont bring Speedway back. It might be that the landowners could force them to reinstate the track but I'd have thought that was between the freeholder and the leaseholder, nothing to do with the council.

Just hopeful that the season could start in May!

Good luck getting this past the Ekstraliga. NOTHING stops the Ekstraliga. Well, except rain.

How about a generic combination of both sports, perhaps Speedogging Avenue, or something similar?