All Activity

Because it's 2026 and not 1986

Where do live mate?.. I'll be around about seven tomorrow...

Agreed absolutely as you said trail out after a hard days graft, try and find a parking space, assuming there's three in the family attending £75 odd to get in plus food and drink on top or flop in the armchair cold beer on one side, trusty remote in the other and the mrs cooking a nice steak sandwich in the kitchen and £15 laid out.

That's a good quality reserve.

I'm sure Bomber will be interested next year, whatever the BSPA serve up. Its just that there may not be anybody bothered about watching him and all the teams he will represent at some point.

There are some negative things to say and i happened to say them. If there weren't any negative things then there would probably be bigger attendances but i've noticed them falling over the past season or so and i've heard from some fans that say that they aren't always comfortable at the speedway. Obviously your experiences are always wonderful and that's fantastic, i'm extremely glad about that. Plus, in my 'rant', i also complimented the staff at Ashfield who are always great so i wasn't being completely negative. This is a forum not Woodstock. Not everything said here is always going to be groovy, man.

Or, as Ian Thomas used to say, "Happiness for a promoter is 15 4-2s"

Sounds Great... Why isn't it working?...

I'm still happy to have a track again after so long so I'll pop along to the odd meeting - I've done 3 so far this year and might do another couple with the team being what it is. If things stay the same, probably the same again. If things change, I may go a bit more. And if Northampton ran on Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays? Probably a few more than that.

Thanks for the advice. We will try…. Have an advert on local radio over an extended period of time. Have an advert in local newspapers over an extended period of time. Have an advertising board on some of the busiest roads in Manchester. Have posters in shops and businesses. Had out flyers in local shopping areas. Have a float or attend local fairs and carnivals. Attend local trade shows. Give out free tickets to schools and businesses. Take bikes and merchandise into schools to accompany the talk they deliver on the sport. Be featured on local tv news’s 4 or 5 times between March and October. Have a regular editorial in local papers. Form a tie up with local groups and offer free entry and supporters club membership. Attend (and win) local sports team of the year awards. Constant bombardment of social media posts across all the mayor platforms. Again!

What does he normally throw?

Will missed out on a meeting last Thursday as he had to get to Sweden... This week he can earn a few quid back....

One final look. in the hole he goes.

Thank you.

Sorry for your loss.☹️

It is, and has been for a long time, a "chicken and egg" scenario... To gain major investment from outside the Speedway Bubble, they need to ensure they deliver a credible sport, with each meeting actually meaning something, and an ultimate prize which generates interest... To deliver a credible sport, with each meeting actually meaning something, and an ultimate prize which generates interest, it needs major investment from outside the Speedway Bubble already in place to achieve it... Basically. Neither can be achieved without one or the other already being in place.... And that is a huge challenge for them...

The latter is now impossible sadly.

All 100%, however, the same has been glaringly obvious for well over a decade yet "zilch" has been done about it... Literally millions and millions and millions have been spent using TV money, sponsorship, and crowd admission money over the past two decades or so... And all for what exactly??...

Until speedway has a credible product it will be difficult to get the tv coverage it needs. You won’t attract a decent sponsor until the tv deal is in place. we need two equal sized leagues with promotion and relegation so all meetings are relevant. Champions of the league decided by who tops the league and play offs for promotion and relegation. for this to truly work it must be run by a independent board with financial backing for the teams getting promoted to not only survive but to actually compete with the others

1. "f*** me! This is boring" - Newcomer after only 3 heats and 1 hour into the meeting. 2. "We're not getting value for money" - Disgruntled regular who leaves after heat 14 even though there is a junior second half as well and then has a whinge about promoters not doing enough for youngster on the forum when they get home. 3. "It's all fixed for Poole to win everything" - Everyone else apart from Poole Fans 4. "Come on' Bomber!" - Most speedway fans cheering on a popular British rider as he's usually racing for their team. 5. "Hit Him" - most speedway fans whenever any riders/officials have handbags next to the pit gate. Doesn't matter who they are (hey they could be team mates for all we care) but someone's having a scrap!!

Is it a reality that the sport in this country can no longer afford to run at the top level because the lack of major broadcaster airing the sport to a wider audience, the falling level of income from punters, owners and sponsors meaning financially it is simply not enough to cover the outgoings. A new business model needs to be adopted that allows clubs, after financial scrutiny, to run at a level which is affordable. I am sure most people would rather see tracks remaining open and providing a level of team racing given that the alternative could be that the venue closes with little chance that the relevant club will ever make a comeback. At this stage we have journeymen using the top league to top up incomes whilst plying a far more lucrative trade in the likes of Poland. Good luck to those riders who can afford to do that as no doubt the investment required in terms of machinery etc is far higher giving the demands imposed by the Polish clubs. The UK scene does not currently have the right finances in place to compete or even offer like for like terms and the sport needs a measured adjustment in order that it has a future and one day can offer/attract the calibre of riders that compete solely in mainland Europe.

It'll be interesting to see how the Wroclaw "partnership" with Ipswich goes, maybe other Polish teams will be interested in something similar?

I guess Simon Lambert turned them down …

I now have no local track This season I've been to 2 Northampton meetings (3 hour round trip) with a further one planned plus 1 visit to Ipswich (2 and a half hour round trip) That's my lot and will probably remain so each season under this format