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The IOW are the most forward looking club at any level, that I can remember seeing for many a long year. We're not privy to whatever the issues were to cause Messrs Bishop & Widman to withdraw from the BSPL, but whatever they were, the Board of Directors should have worked their socks off to ensure the club could continue to provide much needed entertainment for those that live on the Island, along with the holidaymakers. The sport just can't afford to keep losing clubs like this, and I just hope that sense prevails, and they can be welcomed back in 2022, because speedway is dying on its feet, at a fast rate of knots. Gutted for all you people across the Solent, along with all your sponsors.

Spot on.... At 16, Joe Screen was riding in the top division of World Spedway and regularly beating genuinely World Class heat leaders, and at 19 winning the BLRC in front of a truly World Class field that would have been full of GP riders if that had existed at the time... And even with all that, Joe 'only' reached No 6 in the World.. No mean feat at all, but it shows just how far behind these lads are to where he was at their age (and even younger)... None of them would win races in the Polish top league regularly like Joe did in the equivalent level top league over here... Maybe they will develop to become 'top level' riders, and riding in Poland will definitely help with that, but there has to be some reality check as to where these lads are actually at... Genuine World Class talent is usually winning, or finishing top 3, in 'junior' World Championships at Under 21 level... Scoring maximums in the NDL, or riding at reserve in the Championship, at the same age as those who do win junior World Titles, is miles behind.. Robert Lambert is the most modern example of where you need to be at U21 level to become genuinely World Class.. Let's just give them some slack and see how they go, as being 'World Class' is truly a long, long way off for them all...

Scoobydoo will be happy (or less unhappy) anyway.

Yep and it's been fantastic to watch Sam and Harry McGurk, Archie Freeman , Danny smith ,Jordan Palin , Leon Flint, Kyle Bickley, Luke Harrison and many others come through from 125 to 500 then into league racing. Best format tell me if there's a better one .

He can't even stay on a sledge

...and Robert Lambert

That was in the days when the majority of the Top riders in the World rode in GB,it’s a very different scenario nowadays.Basically the way the to the top is getting into Poland but you have to perform from the day you arrive ,irrespective of what league and level it is.It’s going to be a long road to the top for British youngsters ,but Tai has proved it can be done if your good enough.Good Luck to them all.

Hi mate he's on the 250s at the moment and not old enough for 2021 but will be involved with the njl when 250cc are racing at Berwick

So nice to know that you bothered to take the time to post , also see your puppy dog followers hit the like button again .

It's not difficult to find out. Try googling "Plymouth speedway covid restrictions" September 21, 2020 Update: Tuesday 22nd – 12.15pm – Tickets for tonight’s meeting have now sold out. Thank you for all of your support. Please note due to covid restrictions, entry is via advance tickets only, and tickets cannot be purchased on the gate tonight. A big thank you to everyone who has purchased a ticket for tomorrow’s match between Plymouth Gladiators and a GB Young Lions Select. Your support is very much appreciated, and we look forward to seeing you tomorrow. We have a small number of Tickets available and they will only remain ON SALE until all are purchased, or to 12 noon tomorrow, whichever is the case. Click here to purchase. The Match is Strictly ALL TICKET and they must be purchased in advance with No Cash or Card Sales on the night. The Stadium is fully Covid 19 authorised and regulated; allowing the Match to go on as planned despite some new restrictions being introduced since the last Match. The “Rule of 6” introduced since the last Meeting means that you should leave space between yourself and your Group (maximum 6) and other Groups, please seek the assistance of a Steward, if you have any concerns about this. There is plenty of space allowing everyone to feel safe within the allowed maximum Crowd. The weather forecast is for a DRY but cloudy day and Evening, but it may get a bit chilly later on as Autumn encroaches, so we suggest you dress accordingly. Gates Open at 5.00pm – Tapes Up at 7.00pm prompt – Parade at 6.50pm The FREE Coypool Road Park and Ride is OPEN. Please note this Car Park CLOSES at around 10.00pm on Speedway nights (ignore signs on Car Park saying earlier on normal days). If Parking within the Stadium; please Park in the designated area on the Football Pitch applying social distancing to nearest vehicle. There will be a Parking charge of £2. It is important that you sit / stand in the area your Ticket designated, (Home Straight side / Back Straight side / Disabled Area) Entry and Exit and Flow markers will be clearly visible to all Areas. Food and Drink and Toilet Areas should be used within “social distancing rules and as guided”. The PITS AREA will be closed to all but essential Staff before and after the Event (ACU / SCB / BSPL protocols) There will be NO CARD payment facilities within the Stadium (Covid Regulations) Cash only in Bars / Food with exact change preferred. There is an 8-page Programme for the meeting including the Race Card which will be issued FREE to all on Arrival. We are launching our new and exciting ONLINE MERCHANDISE Store with full details in the Free Programme. We have installed 40 new LED lights to cover ALL Spectator Areas to enhance Spectator safety and visibility since the last Meeting following constructive feedback and this is part of further ongoing enhancements to the Stadium. We also plan to upgrade all Track Lighting during the winter and the first 10 of 30 new more powerful LED lights, which use a lot less electricity, but offer increased luminosity; and which are more environmentally friendly, will be switched on for the first time tomorrow night. This is all part of our programme of continuous improvement to The Coliseum Stadium as part of our hopes of moving up the Speedway League pyramid as soon as we are allowed to do so. Masks must be shown and worn on Entry and when in an inside or confined place. They can be worn or not in other outside areas of the Stadium at your own discretion. Please take note of any Covid 19 announcements during the Event. We are delighted to be able to stage LIVE and COMPETITIVE Speedway but are very much under the microscope, so your cooperation in abiding by the strict Covid 19 Guidelines will be very much appreciated as any issues could cause the loss of forthcoming Fixtures. We hope that you have a great and safe evening, and if you haven’t got your Tickets yet, please Don’t Delay and buy them today. It promises to be a great night with some of the top young British Speedway talent on display. None of us can be sure if further restrictions may be implemented later in the week, so hopefully we can all enjoy some LIVE SPEEDWAY while we can. Regards Plymouth Gladiators Speedway

Forgive my ignorance but why would only have a few fixtures stop the IOW running? Could they not run the six league meetings during the school holidays to maximise crowds and run challenges or individuals for any extra dates? There must be more to it surely.

It'd be interesting to see them trying to take licenses from riders for riding in meetings held under an alternative authority, the ACU went to court over this in the 1970's and told it was illegal. They have blustered and threatened many times since but never actually carried out their threat. Didn't the BSPA or ACU make a similar threat about Lydd but didn't take any action when it came down to it? I'd love to ride the Island on a flat tracker so you're right about getting excited but whether there is any chance of a DTRA meeting there this year is very doubtful. Only issue I can see for following years is that it is an expensive trip in a van so a rained off weekend would be a disaster. I hope for both Martin and Barry though that Speedway returns, they must have put an unbelievable amount of work in and have left everybody impressed with their efforts. The rest of the sport should be looking at the Island for answers not shutting it out.

Hope you enjoy your season as a fully fledged pirate Rich, I'm very much looking forward to visiting Poole this season to watch my team Plymouth against the pirates. Totally agree about not being bothered about winning trophies for us Plymouth fans we're just happy to be in the championship mind you there is one or two teams i would enjoy beating tbh.

For the first time ever I can honestly say that I am not too bothered where we finish in the league this season. Sure it would be great to be successful in our first championship season, but I just want to see some good racing with a Poole team that tries hard and displays that "Pirate Pride". I have only been supporting the Pirates since 2008 after my local team (Oxford) folded in 2007 and living in Buckinghamshire (100 miles each way) could only get down a few times every year. However, just before Christmas I took the plunge and moved to Poole! So now I am looking forward to being able to walk to every home meeting!

THEN WHY CAN'T HE SIGN FOR THE DIAMONDS??? Please come bach We'll swap you, Barker for Bach

Leek was signed, then stated he needed sponsorship to compete so was released. The other reserve was never decided before the pandemic took hold. Don't know if there are any emerging riders from the area but Butcher might earn another go? Grasstrackers might be less keen on a Sunday track and would be crazy to invest in kit the required kit for such a short season.

Plus Iwade, and Lydd is a lovely little track.

Too young for the 500s as far as I'm aware But he will be a hell of a talent once he's old enough to move up, next season (2022)? Or season after (2023)? Same goes of Max James. And does Max Perry still do speedway?

IOW have withdrawn from the BSPL and therefore cannot run in the league. Roughly translated as we don't agree with the way you are running the NDL and want no part of your tyrannical rule. More will come out in the wash but IOW view speedway as a product across the leagues and not just about success for their own club/finances. Even purely based on this season they would face pulling apart the team they built whilst a lot of replacement options have been snapped up, paying the various licences and insurances for a much shorter and uncertain season, relying on being able to secure sponsorships from company's likely struggling due to the pandemic, the list of reasons for any team not to run is quite compelling but i still think the reasons are deeper and more long term.

No, the new Team would have been new to League racing, but we have lost a Track due to the imposition of rules by those that had previously had no interest in the National League, there only interest up until now was what Overseas rider they could find on a false low average that they could turn into an asset for their own benefit, now they have lost another Track for 2021 and i suspect that another could well follow in 2022, there are ways this could have been achieved other than the route that they have gone down, strict adherance to pay limits would have been one way to achieve this.. and we probably wouldnt have lost another track for 2021, now i suspect the NDL will be nothing more than a glorified second half with one man/woman and his dog watching, but hey its what the BSPL want so it must be right, not.

Well thank you those in power at the BSPL for ruining what is the most interesting League in British speedway! This smells very similar to the BSPA's attempts to water down the 1997 3rd tier and try and force standalone clubs to move up by restricting the amount of fixtures which wasn't overly productive. Having top up and coming riders beating novices by half a lap isn't going make them World class riders and will also cause fans to lose interest! Wobblers already had the Junior Leagues to start in and any rider with some potential would soon get a NL spot! Standalone tracks that don't want the expense of higher League racing were content in the 3rd tier including the IoW who've been one of the most go ahead clubs in recent years, now sadly lost to League racing. The BSPL have short memories cause a few years ago the NL was the saviour of current Championship sides Birmingham and Eastbourne. If a similar scenario occurred now would the likes of Eastbourne and Birmingham have dropped into the new watered down limited NL? - After all the IoW have opted out! As a Mildenhall regular I fear for the club in this new set up and the lovely Sunday afternoon racing at West Row which more often than not was better value for money than its higher League neighbours! I respect Rob Godfrey for what hes achieved at Scunthorpe but as chairman of the BSPL hes made dreadful decisions like the set race days, forcing other Friday night clubs to postpone home meeting at late notice a few years back and now this all of which have resulted in club closures.

The problem usually is that any Brit in the recent past that showed any resemblance of talent was over hyped. We now have kids coming thru that WANT to ride in Poland as they know that’s exactly where they need to be to progress. Kemp seems to be seen as a talent in Poland, of course he will have to work harder to prove he can mix it with the other young Poles but like I said he has natural talent so certainly has the ability to break big. What the next generation need to do is have a clear pathway thru the leagues, ditch the 2nd tier after 3 seasons and concentrate on the top flight and Europe if they really want to go to another level. None of the youngsters will progress much further by staying in the UK for the majority of their career, hence why we’ve been at an all time low up to the past couple years ago.

Skidder - This is a forum where we can share opinion and not just sing the praises of the owners. I have expressed an opinion and made comments which all are free to respond to negative or positive. I have also followed the Aussie seasons for a number of years now when we are in our Winter hibernation mode. I follow regular the Aussie sites as well as Youtube and the main Polish Speedway news site which shows all the results/comments and some meeting highlights. I have openly said that I HOPE that both Keleher & Cook step up to the plate. If they can't do it against a lot of weaker/inexprerienced reserves in this weaker league then they are obviously not of the quality the so called experts make them out to be. Personally I prefer both Macdonald & Kennedy but they are other clubs assets (but both available to Poole). both of them have UK experience and both had their UK breakthrough initial season. I think both would have progressed and would have been good switching in and out of reserve at this even more watered down level in 2021. We could even have had Ben's younger brother Zack as no Somerset and he is arguably in many Aussie's eye a better rider than Ben. Based on both Aussie results from previous seasons and future ability. As mentioned I hope my observation is misplaced but based on studying reports/results of these guys my opinion is as it is. Would love to be proved wrong but let's see as the season unfolds. As for Matt's Aussie contacts - Let's not forget that most of the Aussie NON UK Club asset riders were already signed up & sorted when he signed our 2. Ben was coming with Zach so made sense and Keleher had been telling all of Europe how good he was for ages before he signed. Let's hope the ability and scoring matches his own hype.

lot of trouble for all the teams

I've always believed the sport is too expensive. Its too expensive to watch, Its too expensive to promote, and too expensive to ride, and until that issue is addressed the sport will continue to die. In this modern day our stadia are old and run down , and the tracks are not suitable for the super fast machinery that the riders now use. All the individual facets think only of themselves . This pandemic created the ideal opportunity for a sport to have fresh start with new ideas that would bring in new blood, new format, new machinery, but all they have done is to continue along the same criteria that hasn't worked for years.. They haven't learnt a thing......