Leaderboard

I am fortunate enough to have attended many meetings in Poland, and across the globe really, but I can say in Poland their greatest asset is their fan base. People go because other people go, win, lose or draw, and of course it creates atmosphere, drama and a belonging. It would feel odd not to go on whatever race day it is and attend. And speedway takes place on most days of the week if you include the lower leagues. It's how we felt as kids and young adults at our local speedway tracks across the UK. Large crowds generate large revenue, large interest and every meeting is an event. From the bars and eateries outside the stadium with music and stalls, walking up the road with hundreds of other fans, every bar is full, queues at every food stall or souvenir stall, every fan in their club or national colours. This just doesn’t happen here really - we have lost momentum; we MUST build from the start again. It is the only way, in my view. No one will put a lot of money into speedway to take over the league. It is so different to darts and snooker when effectively the owner of the championship owns the "club" as all the players are individuals.... and nowhere is the business model of darts and snooker a big success in speedway except for the GP - just look at Cardiff, where individuals race under an ownership of the GP... same for F1, stocks, pretty much all other motorsport. So, my view remains steadfast... if we want team speedway we build from the base up, gaining maximum riders interaction to rebuild the sport in the UK. It's interesting to read the odd overly vocal person who says our speedway on the island is a joke, circus, funfair....mainly it comes from those who have no club or who are not satisfied with their own clubs, but oddly no one who attends our meetings thinks its a joke, and yet I see time and time again criticism at all levels for league speedway (which by the way breaks my heart as we want speedway to thrive in the UK and also because we actively "big it up" to tourists who visit us). Most complaint boils down to getting the basics right. And when you get the basics right, peoples opinions changes, people enjoy the show, circus, funfair and bring their mates, people write positive feedback and then privately send feedback of areas they believe promoters can improve, the crowds grow organically, they give feedback on the show... and the cycle is self-perpetuating and as in Poland a 30,000 crowd has a fan base return of 1% their crowd is 30,300, then 30,630 the week after... for a track with lets say 300... its 303, followed by 306 and so on... so we must start from scratch, a blank piece of paper... a new dawn. We should not believe this is a five-minute job either. It isn’t. But my view again is, done correctly it will be the building blocks of speedway for tomorrow's fans. Enjoy your speedway, remember its always easy to put someone down, a club down, a rider down, but takes a stronger person to stand up and shout positivity publicly and not just for hearts, likes or a reaction. All the best and see you trackside, Barry

No magic wand can make the sport year 2021 compliant anymore. Riders Wages are big to pay for the costs of bikes, a van, mechanic etc etc. Don't get me wrong I believe they are worth more than Premier League footballers but try telling that to your general public. The gulf between income from fans and expenditure on riders wages has risen to a non sustainable level. The sport IMO needs to go back to a part time one where you ride a couple of times a week and you have a job that fits around it. Then maybe we can build from the bottom and hopefully one day have a sport that could compete with Poland etc. Stadium rents against the size of crowds. Again the gulf has become non sustainable. If your owner isn't a wealthy businessman with tens of thousands per season to throw away you simply cant make it pay. The sport is a £10 sport. 15 minutes of entertainment over a 2 hour period. A family of 4 spending say £30-£40 is a good value night out. Spending £60 all of a sudden isn't value for money any longer. The bikes are loud and this stops any new tracks being opened. Soon as Betty hears the bikes in the distance sitting in her new Taylor Wimpey shoe box then the complaints roll in and the environmental people refuse permission. Maybe electric is the way to bring the sport back in to our towns and Cities ? I know the noise and smell are all part of us purists but not enough are coming through the turnstiles and this is why track after track are closing. I know Im involved with Redcar who are doing very well but as a Speedway fan of 49 years it saddens me to watch as club after club struggle and fold. I really do hope someone steps forward to take over at Newcastle, however unless they are a massive Speedway fan with money to lose then I cant see any sane person wanting to commit to a sport which in its present state cant survive in big high rented stadiums.

Denigrating the IOW again. What have you got against them? You completely miss the point of how they operate and why they are operating that way this year. Remember, they would have raced in the National League this year had not changes been imposed without consultation, and with no guarantee that the same wouldn't happen in the future. I am a neutral supporter- I don't have a team to follow and so no axe to grind. I want to see British speedway flourish. IOW are putting on serious speedway. I'm not sure what you mean by 'fun speedway. However, they wrap that up in first class customer service and extra fan engagement. Every other club could do the same. There must be tens of thousands of people like me who used to go, but have lost their track. IOW through its social media content attracted me to go, impress me when I attend, and keep me posted. I feel a part of their club. Kings Lynn , or any other club, could do the same, but they don't.

Lots of moaners on here tonight again about the track, the racing and everything else you can have a moan about but I think it was a decent meeting which kept my interest from start to finish. Far better than any GP I've seen recently which to be honest are really starting to bore the pants off me. British Speedway is not as bad as what a lot of people on this forum make it out to be ... just give it a chance and stop moaning so much.

Had a chat to Rob last night and the rumours have started with talk of two interested parties... one a former promoter and the other a consortium... although still no approaches made as yet... however if anyone is interested they will need to declare that interest sooner rather than later and get their finger out otherwise they will be in the same position as Rob was being late to the table for rider selection and building a team... So never say never... but nothing to report yet... Regards THJ

Cannot agree. He's long been a track specialist at Monmore. Yet when we needed him to perform as 'normal' in the 2017 play off final he was pathetic.Lost us the title, never forgive him.

Doubling up is definitely 'an issue' for me. Funilly enough it does not (to my knowledge) affect my frequency of attendance, at the moment ... But it just thoroughly pisses me off, all the time, like toothache. Anything that consistently antagonises a lifelong supporter who is still attending MUST be a bad thing to be avoided ... In the end it will piss me off too much, I bet.

100% agree. What I am trying to get across is in my 55 years of following speedway I had never purchased a season ticket, Crump's inclusion in the Plymouth team was the only reason I purchased that ticket. I have thoroughly enjoyed my speedway @ Plymouth in 2021 - but would not have the same desire do buy a 2022 ticket with no J.C.

So sad that Rob has had to come to this decision, had he not been misled by the previous shower of s**t, and the subsequent vat bill, i think he may have made a go of it. lets hope talks with the interested parties have a good result.

This is 6th in the Ekstraliga averages, averaging more in the GPs than Thomsen and Lambert "mediocre" Vaculik? I don't believe he is in the series for commercial reasons at all - far less so than Lambert, Thomsen, and with a much better case for a wildcard. Out of interest, who would you put in instead?

Spot on .. i think matches seem better years back because the crowds etc were bigger giving a better atmosphere

It would be far simpler, and better than current, and credible, when using RR, if the riders above and below the missing rider in the averages could take two rides each.. All the way through the team.. With a No1 missing having his rides taken by anyone the team manager nominated up to 7 rides max each, but no more than two each of his rides for any individual.. And if a No7 in the averages is missing, then nominate an unattached No8 and let him and No6 ride two races each, with the No8 having a minimum three rides per night... Its ridiculous how many guest riders are used to fill spots that dont need filling if you ran a proper RR system.. The No1 nowadays isnt the powerhouse of old so doesnt need replacing as riders 2nd and 3rd in the averages are now much, much closer.. Riders want races to earn, so keep that opportunity within the team, and not bring outsiders in to take these money making opportunities, and also at the same time, add some credibility and integrity to the meeting..

He rode fantastically well, looked quick all night. Craig did a very good job also, even though he didn't win a race was close all night and took two great passes from Dan to beat him.

I quite agree..I’ve watched speedway for nearly 50 years and I think people must think that all matches were always filled with overtaking and breathtaking finishes..well they weren’t and often quite dull racing wise ..I was lucky to grow up watching racing every week at Hyde Road so was lucky to see Colins and Morton every week but I also saw quite a few processional meetings there as well and that track was as good as it gets….speedway can be breathtaking and can also be dull, always has been…this meeting wasn’t bad at all.

Dont really think it matters where they are from as long as the best are in it Or at the very least its 15 out of the best 20. What the GPs dont benefit from are riders like Bertzon and KK getting 1/2 points every time...

Yes crump was disappointing,however bjarne was better than I expected i will be buying a season ticket again as will everyone i know is doing the same. It was no fault of the promotion crump was poor that's speedway I guess.

I personally don't see doubling up as a major issue... It isn't ideal, but we don't have cross league cup comps so no major drama for me... But being allowed to ride for all and sundry? With the operating model being drawn up to actively encourage it? Now that's a completely different matter and is ludicrous... Over the past few days we have seen a rider decide to not race for his own team after riding for a few others as a guest in the week leading up to their meeting, as he was tired, and needed rest. So a guest was brought in... And tonight a rider cannot ride for his own club because the rules say he has to sit it out, as a rider who has replaced him for 28 days only must ride instead... But that rider is now iinjured so instead a guest will come in... Barmy on both accounts... Lets face it, if those who run it don't take it seriously you have zero chance of the fans doing so...

Doubling up is one of the major reasons in this country along with guests that is driving people away and makes it impossible to find any national sponsor. It makes the sport non credible. The sport in the uk needs to become a mix of semi pro/amateur with standard equipment in use in our leagues. It needs a major overhaul.

Heavy rain until this afternoon and then a dry forecast for tomorrow after early fog. Makes me reminisce on the Brummie "pea soupers" we used to get when I was a kid. Fog was dense for days sometimes wouldn't clear at all. Rain may be a relief to Track Staff might help in preparation.

Yes it was Arthur Atkinson and Harold “Tiger Stevenson”. I have a photo of myself when I was knee high to a grasshopper, winning a fancy dress competition at my dads motor cycle club, and Tiger Stevenson was presenting me with first prix which was a camera. I think Arthur Atkinson was connected with E. E. Atkinson motorcycle shop in Barking Road but I never quite established what the connection was. Interesting that film clip says the attendance at that final meeting was 4000. How times have changed. Most promoters today would be glad to get that many in a month.

Take a bow Connor Mountain, that score puts one or two of his team mates to shame. Riss needs to be gone for 2022 unless he is on a bargain average.

Kenny Carter didn't ride a modern laydown. That's the difference

And you wonder why people stop golng. The powers that be have killed speedway rip

They are all “happy clappy” in Poland today though.

That's what I was thinking...