Hawk127

Perhaps it should renamed the Commonwealth Final and you could have Doyle and few other decent riders in the line up and likewise the Australian Championships could invite a few Brits. Hold it at a weekend when the Poles are not racing and you might get an improved attendance. As it is only track locals locals a few waifs and strays from other tracks will make it on a weekday night. Devalue the product by attendance and race day and you have the best they can come up with. Says all about those in charge.

Not overly impressed by the line up for next week’s championship. No longer the prestigious meeting it once was. Also rans in the main. One to sleep through!!! Best you can hope for is Dan to win and Tom to come second and that gives a new face in the GP in Cardiff

Probably not ideal but could the Panthers temporarily use Mildenhall if it was available? At least it would keep the name/club alive rather than put the licence on ice as we all know that is the death knell and rarely does the club return. Perhaps the Panthers could track share with Ipswich and Kings Lynn. Good luck on whatever can be done to keep the club alive.

Totally agree but the way Kent has been treated by the authorities beggars belief. No doubt Vatcher has had an hand in the way Kent have been bullied and the rest of the governing body should hang their heads in shame but in the cold light of day they probably could not care less. They allowed the IOW to drift away and yet the IOW seem to be doing reasonably well because they understand the business model that works for them but you look at the sports governing body and they seem to despise those who want/need to do something different. Fixed race nights do not work given the rate of the current outstanding fixtures and need to extend the cut off date, you no longer have the flexibility in the running of 5he sport. Whatever happened to the days of open licence tracks? Where are the current day promoters who did what it said on the tin (Len Silver, Dave Lanning, Johnnie Hoskins, Charles Ochiltree, etc.) who entertained the punters and engaged with the supporters to create an atmosphere that made the rivalry an art. Under today’s regime you have the power brokers whose mantra is do as we say. If I had a track the only game in town would be Nora with invitational meets with top riders invited on the assurance of top quality sponsorship. Maybe easier said than done but I am sure if you plan an event with the best in town riding and exposure through the most popular media channels targeting the widest audience, sponsors would be interested. Sponsors are not interested in league meetings simply because you do not have the top riders competing against each other and they have become boring because of the contrived rules and regulations. Teams like Kent need encouragement and support, not penalising. BSPL think on.

The family seem to have gone to extraordinary lengths to keep the club going and gone to hell and back with their health and really do deserve support for the valiant efforts. Just a shame about the threats earlier on from the BSPL or whoever over the staging of Nora meetings and obviously with the intention of making the raceway a viable proposition. I really hope the BSPL are proud of themselves. You have to ask though why people like this go out of the way to keep the sport going when being kicked in the teeth by the governing body. Just shows that deep down some people really do care about the sport even if the bullies in charge prefer management by fear. Good luck with the fund raising and hopefully the club will be around for many years to come.

Great meeting. Saturday night racing, what more could you want.

Looking back at some of the big individual meetings, many were sponsored by well know names and as such the rider rewards were much greater and the big names wanted to take part which In turn attracted more punters through the gates. If you could get some decent sponsors with some top class riders from Europe to take part because it would be financially worthwhile and stream the meeting on YouTube or similar then it might work but it would take some organising by track owners/promoters and that in itself might be a major sticking point. They probably cannot be bothered. Team racing does have a role but team riding does not exist as we once knew it. Every rider generally looks out for number one. The Poles have dragged the sport up to a level which attracts big money, so it can be done with enough appetite to succeed and while it may not reach the meteoric state in this country that the Poles have, unless people start to look at what you could do rather than look for obstacles all the time the sport is doomed. Many supporters did use to look forward to the individual meetings and that had a lot to do with the fact that you had so many characters riding, favourite heat leaders, up and coming number 6 and 7 riders who sometimes got lucky against big names and you would get to see overseas riders. Then you had some real classics like the 16 Lapper at Ipswich which was a real spectacle. It needs a concerted effort to up the game in this country because with fewer and fewer meetings, the cost per meeting goes up as the stadium owners are not going to reduce the annual rental to accommodate a sport that cannot get its house in order and run a decent business. You are already seeing signs of reduced meetings with stadiums taking on other sources of income and speedway falls down the list as a priority client. Speedway needs to change or it will soon be a fond memory.

Agree. It use to be good over here with a plethora of meetings on Saturday and Sunday. Fond memories of standing on the terraces of Rayleigh listening to the results coming in from around the country on a Saturday night. Where did it all go so wrong?

Well done Dan Thompson, did not seem that his fellow colleague was interested in looking out for a joint effort and that is why the sport is like it is. Look after number one so team riding is a joke. Why bother?

Thanks. Falls a bit short of a Polish league meeting but it is difficult to know what will ever get u K punters through the gates of a British league meeting and you have to be concerned for the sport with the apathy of both riders and punters. How do you drag the sport back from the brink?

Other than the dozen or so on what seems the back straight, are any other supporters in attendance?

If the forecast today suggested it was going to rain next Monday, no supporter in-their right mind would contemplate considering travelling to a meeting. If it is on TV and the weather forecast is poor, no chance of waifs and strays going along so it would be down to the season ticket holders attending who want a return on their investment. Sad state of affairs for a summer sport but what do we know, we are just punters who are insignificant in the overall scheme of things and simply put up or shut up.

Perhaps they have taken on the English attitude and started to treat fans with contempt. Beware because this can lead to the state that U.K. speedway finds itself in, on its knees, poor levels of support and even the English and Welsh netball teams gets more publicity. Speedway in the U.K. is treated by the media as a joke and even local sports reporters who once went all out to publicise local teams cannot be bothered. Do not let it happen in Poland.

Speedway fans are some of the most patient. Wherever you have a delay, generally they are very tolerant and hold on in hope. Not many sports would put up with the way the punters are treated at speedway meetings.

The track does not look that bad but I guess those in the know will point out why it is not race-able. Always good to see the man himself King Gollob as part of the commentary team. Oh well on to the next live streams from Poland.

GB did well and no one rider lost it but you have to question the choice and it shows that GB still has a lot to do to make it to the top in team speedway. Unless those in charge of the domestic scene do something positive GB will continue to be also rans. Congratulations to Robert, Dan , Tai and hopefully the rest ca up there game

GB could do it and I cannot remember a meeting as close as this. Thanks to most of the top class riders for producing something special.

He is lucky. Not a consistent performer as well as being arrogant (see last weeks comments from him during the Polish league meeting) and he has not earned any credibility following the Cardiff GP and really needs to sharpen his performance in front of the camera. His riding is hit and miss so is his attitude but no doubt his followers have a different opinion.

Another good contribution from Ellis. Why is he in the team?

Constructive input but it does not help that as one of the uninitiated from the Southern Hemisphere the feedback for the poor meetings is less than clear and not base on fact but for someone with delusional ideas from a second rate nation leaves the rest of the world wondering what planet the Aussie supporters are on. Is it also any wonder why no one can find a suitable home or is prepared to underwrite a Southern Hemisphere GP with Australia failing miserably to step up and do the right thing. Only your migrants who saw the light and are prepared to put themselves out to race in Europe have any chance of flying the flag while the rest of the world looks on at the wombats with mixed feelings. The sport has more chance of holding a meet in North Korea than anywhere in Australia. Aussies may well do a decent job on Saturday but in reality the only the Poles who are streets ahead and team GB stand any chance of winning

Probably why the formula does not work. I remember when the U K hosted an international event back in the 70’s from what I recall (old age and memory not that good) but remember watching Russia at Hackney and I think the meetings were sponsored by the Daily Mirror. Normal seven man teams with meetings spread over a couple of weeks. As it stands this format is four individuals racing for themselves and no real tactics or team racing. Nothing will please all the punters but when you look at the current format it is Poland versus ROW and with the support those Polish riders get they will not give an inch and only they have captured the spectacle that speedway really is. Good luck to all the riders tomorrow and hopefully some decent racing with a good track.

Good to see Chris Holder back in the fold.

The quality of the broadcast is not good. Picture looks jittery at times which is a shame for such an event. Those in charge of transmissions and camera work have a lot to do to reach that previous standard provided by Sky and BT. Hopefully Saturday will be spot on and if anyone wants a comparison watch the streamed meeting on Sunday from Poland and it will show the professionalism of the Polish broadcasters compared to Eurosport/Discovery. Thank goodness for Polish speedway presentation and crowd support.

Is it me but I keep losing the commentary and I am watching through discovery+ on Sky. Anyone else having problems?

If the first two meetings are suppose to be top draw from the also rans in the world, hand the title to Poland and let each country get back to domestic league dross. Stadium empty, second rate teams, Good job this was not available to general viewing.