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While an air of doom and gloom settles over speedway, I'd remind everyone that one track seems to be doing very well indeed. It might be a coincidence, but its the only one operating on a commercial basis outside of BSPL control. Step forward Isle of Wight, Barry Bishop and Martin Widman

Star Lady put it in a nutshell for me earlier. I have said before that - even in the glory days of the 1960's and 70's - only the top boys (Nielsen, Olsen, Penhall. Jessup etc) were full time speedway riders and, for most, it was little more than - as the former Reading and Coventry rider Mick Bell once put it - 'a good paying hobby'. Tom Owen, for years an NL kingpin, always worked at his plant hire business during his racing career. The blight on the sport that is uncontrolled doubling up is there for one reason : so that riders can be full time (in the season at least). it needs to change if the sport is to survive.

I've called Havvy many names over the years, but not that!

I got to Cradley once, the night West Ham won the League (and treble) there in 1965. A great night! Actually, it's another of my college stories....As I said earlier, I was at college in Norwich in 1965, and I really wanted to get to Cradley to see West Ham win the League, so I rounded up three friends, who had never been to speedway before, and we hired a car to drive across to Cradley. After getting lost in Halesowen, we finally made it. When we got there I joined the group of West Ham fans who had come up by coach. After the meeting, I celebrated with the Hammers' fans and decided to go back on the coach to London with them to continue the celebrations. My college friends slept the night in the car. Fortunately one of them could drive as well, so they drove back to Norwich the next morning.

PLANNING RESPONSE SUBMITTED - Save Coventry Speedway It's a long item so will just put the link (above). Some Stirling work being done (once again) by the SCS Committee!

1963 was a bad year for New Cross; the crowds were small and the atmosphere nothing like it had been. In 1960 and 1961 the atmosphere was great. I don't want to upset chr too much, but I think the atmosphere at New Cross was better than West Ham. Being such a small stadium with the crowds more compact into a smaller area made it one of the best. I think the problem with 1963 was that the New Cross crowds were used to seeing the best. They had always been a "First Division" team and, good as the likes of Jimmy Squibb and Reg Reeves were, they weren't Barry Briggs, Ronnie Moore and Ove Fundin. What made matters even worse was the early injury to Reg Reeves, leaving New Cross as a candidate for bottom of the league - the second league at that! - as they lost 12 out of 14 matches. The crowds drifted away and even those that were left couldn't get very enthusiastic.

Correct, that's one of the links I have. It won't be geo blocked. There will be another from VK too.

To be honest the poles are just making the most of the fact they have a product that the general public & big business alike want to be part of & they have the TV baking to make it work. Let's be honest British had the same opportunity in the 70s & 80s & again in the early 2000s with the sky input but did absolutely nothing with those opportunities. Don't blame the poles hats off to them for knowing how to run speedway in a professional manner

As has been mentioned here and other sources, Havvy didn't use Hume fully, again. Also, we chose the wrong gates in Ht15. Up to Ht14, gates 1-3 had only produced 5 race winners, while gates 2-4 had produced 9 race winners. Why did we go for 1-3? About time someone was keeping check on things like this. When it comes to the play offs, assuming we get there, it is vital we squeeze every last point out each meeting.

Didn't he win a GP that year? Much better than Lindback & Kasprzak! He was 5th in Ekstraliga averages this season when I last checked.

I really do not think that it matters whether Buster has recently had rider experience. In years gone by riders honed their craft and knew how to control the machine in a variety of track conditions and could work the track. Today you seem to have machines where riders are simply passengers and many are a far cry from the experience that prevailed in the 60’s through to the 80’s. Riders have the right not to take to the track but if a rider is prepared to give it a go to see if it is rideable then why not allow the trial to go ahead. Referees are unlikely to have the same experience as a rider and frankly should allow some benefit of the doubt to the riders. How often do you hear from the top riders criticism of referees who make a call but have little or no knowledge of the bikes/riders and the track conditions. No rider wants to deliberately injure a colleague or competitor but speedway is a risk sport and those that compete know the consequences of their actions. Buster, love him or hate him, knows how to prepare a track and would not go out of his way to raise the risk of injury by preparing a duff track and riders should know the bikes and arrange them set ups to suit the conditions so it is a case of give and take. Unfortunately riders today want perfect conditions and neither the sport, the weather or the tracks will rarely offer this as an option and those who are looking for the ideal world should sell their machines and look for another job and stop letting down the punters who turn out to see racing. Any right minded businessman would not invest in the current set up and if the figures stack up re bangers and stock cars where I believe most competitors pay to compete in a meeting, then why the hell run a speedway team. Get back to part timers etc and those who think they are so good enough, ply your trade in Poland or elsewhere and you will then soon receive a wake up call to your worth.

I do think they have a great market corner. Daytrippers & holiday makers don't have much to do on the island, speedway is a good distraction attraction. To get a good feel of how thing's work, we need to see another 1 or 2 club copy IOW's model over a season or 2. Somewhere like Berwick & Newcastle, financially struggling clubs would be an interesting ones. Absolute polar opposites to IOW. What works for IOW probably wouldn't work anywhere else.

You could be right on that one

not away from home by the looks of it

That’s good news- we were hoping that was going to be so

Ummm, no! I'm glad they don't do this. Poole can stay top a little bit longer.

Poole do , despite strong heat leaders, generally disappointing away in Heat15

Havelock made the exact same mistake at Berwick giving an unwarranted ride to James Wright, when he had done nothing but Hume had scored well. He repeated the same error ladt night when it was obvious Cook was struggling and Hume was scoring. Thought he would have learned.

I believe they do. It's a revenue for sponsorship. Not to mention, they sell!

Just a complete coincidence HT I am sure....

Not the best meeting I have seen at Redcar racing wise but a great fight back from the Bears to nick it at the death. Basso certainly looks a prospect and us Leicester supporters there were bemused that Danyon didn’t replace Cook in heat 12.

If I watched the meeting I can write a report on it, surely? You do realise everyone laughs at you, don’t you? You come across as an utterly jealous uneducated plonker who can’t spell basic words.

What a fine post. Spot on.

And so many wish they had been to New Cross. Maybe we have a lot of members in the London area. I'm happy to say I watched speedway at both venues.

Too many riders think they are superstars nowadays. Speedway thrived when it was a paid hobby for riders who also worked outside speedway. They slung a bike on the back of a car, put a pair of overalls in the boot and just rode for the fun of it. There isn't the money or the fan base in the sport for riders to carry on as they are, making financial demands and not giving a toss about the paying customer ( with the odd exception). If riders aren’t prepared to at least consider fans and give it a go on a wet track maybe they should seek other employment.