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... in tears 😢

I think I, and countless others, can ultimately see it ending....

I spoke to someone last week, not directly connected to Ipswich, but who knows what's going on with the takeover. He hinted it's 99.99% done, but the new people are very professional and won't say anything until they're ready to make an announcement. He seemed to suggest it's a good owner for Ipswich, and good for the sport. (Wouldn't tell me who the new owners are - but my money is on Mayfield). The fence problem was that it's not an airfence, it's a foam fence, and the foam fence people went into administration. But it seems they're starting up business again and can supply the fence . Why would they be the same? They're a very different size and shape, just like all tracks are different sizes and shapes. From what I've briefly seen of Northampton, it looks to have quite long straights, so I don't know if they'll bring the bends in to make the Speedway track shorter and wider, rather than run fully on the stockcar track. I'm no track curating expert. Edit: Just checked. Northampton claims to be 396m, which is very long, so I would imagine one or both bends will come in for Speedway

And we don’t need more fixtures because I’ve filled my calendar with stock car meetings which would have been staged at Bradford. Sorry I mean because the second time teams came our crowds were down. which had nothing to do with us being bottom of the league

Watch the 360° Podcast with Rob Godfrey.

I spoke to someone last week, not directly connected to Ipswich, but who knows what's going on with the takeover. He hinted it's 99.99% done, but the new people are very professional and won't say anything until they're ready to make an announcement. He seemed to suggest it's a good owner for Ipswich, and good for the sport. (Wouldn't tell me who the new owners are - but my money is on Mayfield). The fence problem was that it's not an airfence, it's a foam fence, and the foam fence people went into administration. But it seems they're starting up business again and can supply the fence . Why would they be the same? They're a very different size and shape, just like all tracks are different sizes and shapes. From what I've briefly seen of Northampton, it looks to have quite long straights, so I don't know if they'll bring the bends in to make the Speedway track shorter and wider, rather than run fully on the stockcar track. I'm no track curating expert.

Already measured up! 💪

Your big rival today, is your best team mate tomorrow... Then your big rival again the day after... Before becoming your best team mate again the day after that. And then once more being your big rival etc etc etc

Don't Scunny and Lynn have sections of foam fence? Where would that leave them?

And a great character to have in the sport as well as being a hard rider. No one like him today unfortunately. For protagonists and hard riders who could get a crowd going him an others were what made it tribal but fun. Yes those were the days for a different type of speedway entertainment with promoters who were also quite animated and outspoken. Today’s promoters are the woke of the sport and it is all the poorer for it.

Like Triggers brush... He used exactly the same one for 20 years.. Except for the 14 replacement handles and 17 replacement heads..

Anyone know of any young Aussie s with dodgy English grandparents who would come on a 2 point average 🤔

But as Godfrey says speedway futures are the completely independent organisation who will be running the sport going forward and they are completely independent with only Godfrey and lemon in it who are not independent

It's an "umbrella" organisation that isn't... Far too many vested interests, far too much self policing, far too much "what about me?", far too many disparate businesses, wanting far too many disparate things from their sport.. Any leadership of any sport should be independent, and given powers by the stakeholders to run the thing, after consultation which sets, and agrees, the business and operating plan. The independent body/person then just implements the policies agreed.. UK Speedway cannot move on when so much is diluted, fudged, and changed to suit disaffected individuals who want adhoc changes made due to circumstances, just to suit their own agenda..

Godfrey gave the forum a mention anyway even if it not in a good way but then again why would someone who runs a sport be interested in anything the people who pay for it have to say

Neither can i

I personally can't see improvement in him.

Being Honest I rather Have Max than Jack Smith at Berwick.

I think Perry is a decent rider and will click soon, both Poole and Glasgow seen potential in him and I was sure he was in our 1-7 with him not being signed up this season yet.

Would of been very weak with him anyway so no different if it's a new 2.00

Yeah, bigger ask for Vinnie this coming season for sure unless team average drops and we can strengthen up if we need to.

Last season between the NDL/NDT there were 50 "league" meetings. This year with only the NDL there will be 30. That drop off is alarming. Particularly when we should be trying harder than ever to establish some strong foundations for the sport here. The following quote from the press release looks to me like no more than lip service too. So we have some tracks running a full third tier campaign and others who can just get away with the ambiguous "Second Half Open Invitation". Of course there are differing restrictions at certain tracks but there has to be more than the odd second half. It should be mandatory for professional tracks to run at least two NDL level meetings during the season. The benefit of doing this over a second half would be the riders and their team (generally parents at this level) would know they're guaranteed a ride weather permitting rather than the always in the balance chances they have to take by turning up for a second half. If the tracks lose money on these meetings it's not ideal but it is an investment in their riders of the future, without whom there won't be anyone to help them make money in the long run. Furthermore I'd like to think when the riders coming through reach "professional" standard they'd choose to race for a club that actually put some effort in to the third tier rather than one that did the bare minimum but can throw more money at them. We all know that's wishful thinking though. As with everything in British Speedway there is too much ambiguity. There should be hard and fast rules in place with consequences for those who don't toe the line. The top riders don't want to be here. We need to focus on developing more riders domestically, instead we've almost halved the meetings available to them. Pretty pathetic really.

Looks like leaving us with a very weak reserve if Max Perry does not fit.

Godfrey said doubling up was here to stay and he could never see it ending... just the kind of vision you want from your leader 😂

Very true. He rode for us. Sunderland 'Stars'. 1971/72/73/74. 🙂