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A bit like Swindon?

I think it's great that Crump is back. Ok, he and Nicki may not be the riders they were but these guys have an aura about them which no other rider here - with the possible exception of Doyle - has. Their signings will surely improve crowd levels at Ipswich and Sheffield, and hopefully at away tracks when they visit..I'll certainly be paying a visit to both tracks this year for the first time in yonks.

Look I know my comments here are not going to make me any friends but here we go. The bottom line I think is that the BSPA has finally lost patience with "Ghost Teams" popping up year after year in the junior leagues and now that Cradley have folded, the thorn in the side of that argument has finally been removed. I've sat on the fence over the last few years and watched the MDL/MDSL with interest and In my honest opinion for what it's worth it has started to look a bit silly with all these old names being used. One or two like we had a few years ago is fine but when the league is made up of more defunct teams than actual junior teams of the promotion it starts to look a bit of a joke. Do the speedway star still run a fantasy league for people wanting to use such team names? I know the people running these teams are helping juniors get track time and that has to be applauded. But, I do believe that people running the likes of Reading, Weymouth, Crayford, New Cross, Wembley, etc, etc, have a very different agenda to those running the junior teams at Birmingham, I.O.W or Belle Vue. I could be very wrong of cause. I do sympathise with the people running the ghost teams. I know it takes a lot of hard work and enthusiasm, but if you are genuine about giving young lads track time and helping them develop then just swallow the bullet and call your teams Swindon juniors, Plymouth reserves, etc. After all if you are genuine then you will not care about team names, trophies and so on as long as the lads (and girls) are benefiting from a meaningful team competition. I know the objective of such enthusiast's it to find land and build a new track to revive them, but please, please, please wake up and smell the coffee. Unless you have endless pockets of cash, and are even lucky to get a patch of land when councils are after more land for homes, then you are just living in a romantic fantasy land. Cradley have failed and given up. Take lessons from that. The other thing you have to take into account is the 2 men now running the BSPA have no time what so ever for the junior leagues I will just finish on this. The language used in recent weeks on social media by the organisers of such teams to describe the powers that be has been very unsavoury when you are "promoting" yourselves as a family sport on the other side of the coin. It makes you look childish and like you are throwing your toys out of the pram. Sorry if my comments are a bit harsh but there's no point sugarcoating the truth.

Forget exactly how many matches Egon rode for Hull 1976 but know he averaged 8.75 so none too shabby, he was a more than decent speedway rider but think he was strongly 'encouraged' to ride speedway in order for his permission to ride to ride longtrack be processed quicker & more hassle free, long / sand / grass track being his first love. I have the official VHS video of 1983 Final with Barry Briggs translating Egon's German commentary, recall the start marshall, who got skittled by an Engine Failed rider (Hans Nielsen) - how often did that happen in a World Final, was at school with Egon. As well as 'road developing' his bike, he took just the one machine - how's that for confidence, Egon later admitted to practising all he wanted on the Norden track prior to the final. He also appeared to 'advise' on track watering / grading during the actual meeting. It's true Hull ran R/R for Egon in 1977, Ian Thomas said Hull fans would be required to pay adult entrance (75p ?) + £2.50 each to meet Egon's demands, so maybe today's entrance + £30 ? Also, anyone who saw Egon ride will recall Egon's super-wide, 'cow horn'-style handlbars. He wasn't a cheap rider but when the mood struck he was dynamite, had speedway been his main thing reckon he would have been unstoppable....

Are we allowed to boo Nikki straight away for all his dirty riding in the past, or do we have to wait for some more?

I suppose you need to take my comments in the knowledge I have never been a Crump fan - indeed he once scored an 18 point max guesting for the Witches and I didnt cheer at all Even in his prime I wouldn't have been too fussed about him becoming a Witch such is my indifference to him - I just have just never warmed to him (admittedly this is partly due to him being the arch rival No1 who scored countless points against us) Now that's not to say I didnt or dont appreciate his talent. Infact despite my general view I would class him in the top 5-10 riders of all time However after 8 years retired following what was significant injury I dont see that he will be anywhere near the level some are predicting He looked decent in the WA matches and will through his natural talent and undoubted professionalism hold his own in this years PL but somewhere around 6 points will be it IMO His influence on others could be a great positive for the team and cant be underestimated. His commentary and punditry is excellent and insightful. His experience and knowledge is 2nd to none His signing is probably bigger for the league as a whole than it is for the Witches in particular and will generate significant interest which is much needed It will be strange and initially difficult for me to cheer him but at the end of the day he is now a Witch and therefore he will get my unreserved support. You never know I may even learn to like him

Jason Crump's return, at whatever age, is exciting. He was one of speedway's last superstars (in my eyes). Luckily for British speedway, the other - Nicki Pedersen - is also showing his face again. These names mean more with their presence than the points they will score. The sport just doesn't have bums-on-seaters anymore. I'd disregard their tallies and just be thankful they've chosen to bless these shores again. Your team winning isn't always as important as the sport itself. And British speedway has received a boost with these two returning. All the best to both.

Have tryed a tube of smarties and getting someone to kiss it better? It worked for my daughter when was 5 & had fallen off her bike.

Just call it the LHH Supporters Stand with LHH banners up either side of the plaque. Seems simple to me, a true supporter surely wouldn't want to be seen to stand in the way of sponsorship income to the club

I was also at both Norden and Amsterdam. It's all very well harping on about track time etc, I refer you all to the 1983 Overseas Final at Belle Vue - 3 Aces riders in it, and the one with the least experience of Hyde Road (Larry Ross) was the only one to qualify easily for the Inter Continental Final, Chris Morton did but had a struggle IIRC and Peter Collins was nowhere near. Nobody is telling me that Egon had more experience of Norden than PC did Hyde Road.

It doesnt hammer down with rain in the Sweet City we have liquid sunshine

5 weeks tomorrow we kick off at the Showground. Can’t wait to get going now! Always a long Winter but Spring is on the horizon. Can’t beat the start of a new season

I hope it works well for both Crump & Ipswich but after a couple of months I feel Jason will remember why he retired in the first place

What you think

George may have been the face of Newcastle speedway, but to say HE kept us afloat is a bit of disservice to some of those behind the scenes, who over the years have put thousands upon tens Of thousands in. Good luck George and thanks.

Don’t have to ride for Poole (or anyone else ) to be an asset.Poole still own him as Belle Vue never paid the transfer fee to buy him from them in about 2008. He last rode for Poole in 2007.

I hope you thanked them for the quick reply.

He has 2 new Ashtech engines waiting. But as you say, age, inactivity, and fitness maybe against him. It will affect him to some extent, but I guess we will have to wait and see how much. Gating could be the key for him. After 8 years he will be trying to find all the setups again as quick as he can. Might hinder him away from Foxhall. I was surprised with the high average he was given. 7-7.5 would of been fair I think. Great for British speedway that he's back, and I wish him the best, but I would rather NKI if I had a choice out of the two..

I always thought Crump was a points scoring machine and would have enjoyed seeming him ride at Peterborough this year. Having said that being out for 8 years will undoubtably affect his confidence, certainly at least until he gets up to speed and that’s without mentioning his age, his current weight and his fitness. He always had good equipment and I don’t see that changing but his assessed average is high and it’s difficult to see him achieving that. Nevertheless he will undoubtably draw the crowds but will his style suit Foxhall, certainly not as much as Alwalton, where he was always very good. His return is certainly a gamble and whether it works or not could determine the Witches chances.

Was never a Huge Greg fan, Billy was always my favorite rider. However I got to know Greg when he visited NYC a couple of years ago and we have remained friends ever since. What I can say he is as nice in person as you see on the camera. Its not a front or BS. But he was fiercely determined to be successful without over stepping boundaries. Its fascinating talking to him on how he reinvented himself in 2010 to make himself a contender again. A genuinely nice bloke and whether or not you enjoyed watching him ride, deserves a massive amount of respect for the career he had.

Has to be an argument that if one of these teams found and co-operated in the opening of a new venue it has to be a positive thing that none of the take over clubs will be doing. Of course there was a lot of lip service and most of the current dev league promotions could not actually fund a full stadia but they are/were keeping the prospect and supporter base open. How many new tracks have opened in the past 10 years (3? Kent, Leicester & Redcar?) versus how many have closed. The stats speak for themselves that every possibility has to be supported not shot down.

Is there a feeling that there has to be a cut off date for something certain to have happened? Year after year of saying we are looking for a place to build a stadium can’t be an ideal situation. And maybe there was a feeling some of these clubs were getting nowhere? But in all honesty I can’t see the harm at the level we are talking about. Call these teams what you like imo

All the keyboard warriors on here comparing JC with other riders forget Jason was in a different class, 3 times world champion & a 10 year stint never outside the top 3 in the world. As you say Arch Stanton Jason is a proud man but also level headed & intelligent. Jason's retirement was down to an arm injury, that now has had time to heal, if he can come back to 80-90% of the former rider then everyone will be happy. If things aren't working out Jason will no doubt pull the plug. Good on "Young Tiger" for pulling this off, can only be good for U.K. speedway.

I have 2 fractures in my tib what wont require surgery I have torn my mcl nothing abit of duct tape won’t sort, see you guys at Bellevue, wind that pony wide open and hold on for the best, hopefully develop my skill set in this development league Yours sincerely Woodstock x

Whilst a pain for viewing the air fence at Rye was/is a far better design than most. Far fewer posts and held by cables etc still allowing it to give to an extent (not the full roll down the bank on turns 3/4 but closer) and certainly 1000% safer than an airbag strapped to an armco barrier.