old bob at herne bay

Don’t remember Tai pulling up trees when he last rode in the premier league or whatever it was called when he rode for Wolves.. 7.030 sounds fair to me.

As a falling star I guess he can see easy money on the slick as snot tracks in the UK with a lower standard of riders than say 5 years ago.

IMO the level of moaning and complaining on this forum has increased, and is commensurate with the continuing decline in the sport in the UK. Nothing has been done to attempt to reverse this decline and so people DO have legitimate reasons to voice their complaints and criticism. The rose coloured glasses brigade who think everything is wonderful are just as entitled to keep on spouting their opinions as the others who think that the closure of Pboro and Wolves and poss KL is the continuing slow and sad demise of the sport. No need for rudeness though I agree.

Staggered and shocked to read in this weeks Speedway Star that Neil Middleditch "prepares the starts" to suit his home riders. Actually quite surprised that a man of Middleditch's standing in the sport should confess to using such "tactics" This sounds very much like the trickery used at Eastbourne where the start grids for the home riders were doctored before each heat to suit the home riders. This included selective watering of start grids. Could anyone explain please what "preparing the starts" to suit the home riders entails ... and is it within the rules ?

Yet another expense that adds nothing to the sport. Who gives a tuppenny damn about timings to 1/100th of a second.

Thanks for all your comments . So I read this article in the star which quoted Neil Middleditch .... (otherwise I wouldnt have raised this thread at all ) suggesting that asks his track curator to doctor the starts to suit the home riders. Seeing as the gate positions aren't known until the coin toss ... I just don't know how this can be done to elicit a home advantage other than using the Eastbourne method of using a watering can. Judging by the comments this is now widespread at all tracks, such is the importance in modern day speedway of "making the gate" . Only Poole have gone public courtesy of their TM. Time then perhaps as is suggested that a uniform surface such as concrete is used at the starting gate This would... Eliminate gate position advantage Eliminate delays due to "gardening " Seems a win win ??

Steve Shoveler makes a good point - in the case of Glasgow Tiggers ... doubt that they get much away support being so far distant from other clubs - only Edinburgh being "close" about 40 odd miles. Does it affect their home attendance on a dodgy weather day ? If you generate say 100 stream customers every week there must be a small profit after you have paid for the hosting service and the commentator.

Looking at he current position of the competing clubs in UK speedway, when do we think the final organised UK speedway meeting will take place ? Will it make it to 2028 the 100th anniversary ? My guess is that we will see the last league meeting in 2026.

Poole doing a good job on promoting what will be a fairly routine thumping home win. How many 5-1's can we get this week will be the most interesting discussion point. Experienced this once in my speedway spectating "career" with the invincible Hackney Kestrels. For one season only home meetings were very much a bore unless Galvin missed the start.

Can you book a "guest" promoter ?

Bring back Frank Ebdon ..... remember Frank excluding all 4 riders at Hackney in Heat One for delaying the start and ignoring his 2 min warning. IIRC he rescinded this decision but boy oh boy the riders were up at tapes promptly for the rest of the meeting :-) :-) Far too much farting around by the prima donna riders ... and even more annoying is that some supporters condone the riders tardy behaviour ..... UK the "land of do as you please" All the delaying tactics finished me off from ever again going to a speedway meeting some years ago. I just didn't have the patience for all their antics.

Oh - that’s a shame - would have drawn a decent crowd at Sittingbourne . Obs like driving :-)

Thought Kent had signed Boxhall ? Or only in the Nora league.?

I feel sorry for PL CEO Phil Morris who seems to have inherited a poison chalice. With the progress being made this season, Phil might find he will be CEO of a league of 3 next season ?? The analogy with a football club valuation just doesn’t work because the riders have no real ££ value given the flaky contracts on which they are employed. They are only contracted from season to season, with no guarantee that they might just go to Poland ….. or retire …….

It’s clear to me that Alex Brady( the successful estate agent) made Buster an offer to buy the the club. Buster and Alex had a “different” view of the value of the club which led to Brady walking away mid season diplomatically citing personal reasons. Buster is left with a wooden spoon club with a huge wage bill , two tractors a starting gate, and a stadium to stage a sport that is in terminal decline. He says he wants out….. but no one it seems will pay his asking price?

Not sure cancelling one home meeting makes much difference tbh . Next meeting is an away meeting ….so more money to pay out to riders with no home crowd income . Along with neighbours Pboro the future looks very bleak indeed for PL speedway in 2024. Maybe KL shoul apply to run in the CL next season to reduce costs ?

What a load of tosh. So Tony Rickardsson is making a comeback and should start with a 10 point average :-)

Very sad to hear this ...... the only speedway club in the South East of England now .... and one which the BSPA seem keen to close down. They only run once a month ...and struggle to prepare a track which is rideable :-( :-(

IMO Boxhall should be given an assessed 3.00 average and be named at reserve in the Kent Royals team. Would help keep Kent get the crowds and keep them in business after the BSPA tried to suspend their track license.

Just not enough people attending UK speedway anymore. it’s been in decline for years. some bright spark will come on here and tell me “xxx” have increased their crowd this season, but we are talking maybe at most a couple of thousand spectators at a meeting. Not enough people, not enough money coming in. That’s it really.

Because most of the tractor drivers are arrogant people who dont give a flying fig about the paying public and jsut enjoy their own little bit of glory driving thier tractors round and round and round. In the days when there was dirt on the tracks , one lap after each was deemed sufficient. Nowadays lap after lap polishing the turd every 4 heats (sometimes less) ifs somehow required. Fits in withe DELAY culture now prevalent in 21st century speedway.

Begs the question why should fans bother to turn up if their team’s riders cannot be arsed?

So everyone will race on a Thursday …except Belle Vue?

Maybe Wolves could do the same - racing at Birmingham ??

That could save Buster some money. Just have 7 riders, change their race jackets. When KL raced P'boro they could just book guests and use R/R to make up a team.