nobrakeshere1

Take no notice, most of us who have ever ridden a speedway bike have tried too hard and fell off, only way to find how far you can push your limits! Hoping your leg heals quickly.

Wrist injury for Josh. Agree that it was a good meeting to watch with some close racing throughout.

Have to agree gate 4 was hopeless. I'm a major critic of the track and hardly ever bother going, but i did go last night and the first part of the meeting was totally dire, however it did get better and I counted 6 races with passing after bends 1 and 2, which seems about the right number looking at speedway updates. Not great racing but I've certainly seen worse. I'm not sure what length the track is now (after aletrations) but the straights still look a bit long, Colin Merideth told me 280m is the max he would fit in the space - advice not taken at the time of course.

Spot on. After Leicester closed I went to Long Eaton, lower league - but if anything the racing was better. My recent preference has been watching my friends ride MDL or amateur meetings but may try BP on a more regular basis now it's not a Sat night.

This thread amazes me, There should never be any question about the need for a deal with BT. Speedway is in desperate need of a wider audience, advertising if you like, TV gives that to both the sport and riders. Very few products become popular without exposure to the public, corn flakes, cars, airlines etc etc all are all advertised on TV - getting the product known is vital. Granted the actual product has to be half decent but that's another topic! Getting a minority sport onto TV is not easy, you can spend many hours trying to find a suitable production company (not easy) who will then get slots on Sky or whatever, but it costs money and is certainly not viable on a weekly basis. Never tried to get a live event out there but I imagine that would be extra difficult. IMO opinion if BT are going to do the job for free then speedway in it's current state should bite their hands off. I've seen the cycle speedway from Australia, it's fine but I suspect the only people who will watch periscope are those who have an interest in the first place,

First time I've been for two years (other than practice days) and I didn't think it was so bad, I've certainly seen far worse racing wise although the team were just abysmal. The track shape does look better now and when shale is available again from Breedon I feel that racing will improve.

I can't see David paying the fine. Assuming I'm right, would any prospective new promotion be happy to pay the fine in order to operate what must be a loss making enterprise? Maybe not, flagrag is spot on there. I felt that the future wasn't looking too rosy before this, the SCB ruling certainly does nothing to make the prospects look any brighter..

Having been to the tapes myself hundreds of times i can honestly say that the slightest movement will set you off, first time I think Cook saw the magnet and off he went, perfect start, second time he jumped. Seen far worse where the ref lets it go. Imagine the scenes if that had been Mike Lee excluded..................

Contract crushing if it's the company I know of. Heard that DH is currently down under, checking out future signings maybe? Best of luck to the Lions for 2016 and lets hope the track alterations produce the goods. Nice to see our old mascot Luke Whitehead getting some good points in the Scunthorpe winter series.

Ashley Birks has been mentioned as guest for Auty

Went nearly every week for the first year, then less and less as it wasn't speedway as it should be. I know exactly why it's like it is - horses mouth and all that - and I have also been told what it should be like by people who should know these things. In the end it's up to DH what he does though. If it's working finincially then why change things? I personally think that the expense of changing the track would pay for itself but of course it's not my money I would be spending. Overall the promotion have clearly got a lot right, DH gets a lot of stick for his manner but to get a project like this to operate you have got to be single minded and have belief that you can pull it off. I have a lot of time for David and get on with him just fine, I've had years of practice and got used to him I guess - but I really do wish he'd take a few metres off the straights - lets's hope Jason can convince him where the rest of us have failed!

Agree. Luke tries his best and has improved a lot - he could hardly slide it when he started. He has limited backing but his family put a lot into helping, from experience I know it takes a lot.

Anyone who thinks this track provides good racing must believe that UKIP are communist. Only passing is caused by mistakes, otherwise no one is getting anywhere near. It's just reminded me why i no longer pay to go and watch such total rubbish.

Spot on. Not the first time I've said this but I'm just one of a small group that no longer attends meetings, we gradually drifted away, it's just rubbish entertainment. No axe to grind with DH, we all know him fairly well, warts and all, But the fact is the racing is just pathetic and unless the track is changed then the promotion are losing at least £75 every meeting from our group alone. Simple economics suggest that over a couple os seasons you only need 4/5 small groups like ours to be enticed back by a real racing track and any work carried out will have paid for itself. I know Dave can be stubborn but you would think that in the end money would talk. Clearly he's losing more income by keeping the track as it is than the net gain by changing it.

Glyn has been to Slater Street and paced it out, BP is a scaled up version. DH wanted a fast track and to be fair that's what it is, and you can understand the thought process, trouble is it's too fast for the bends. Shorten the straights and it will help no end I'm sure, Who knows if it will happen though, until it does I'm staying away as I've spent hundreds watching garbage. No axe to grind with Dave or any of the management, known most of them for donkeys, so no hidden agenda, but it's not entertaining to watch and like others I've told prospective punters to stay away fearing they will be put off for good..Please, please just make the changes we all know are needed - we are known as the worst track in the country - does anyone really want to have that label attached?

I have heard something similar though, some riders are to be added to the list and a couple of the names mentioned were riding EL last year. It's a normally reliable source who is in a position to know these things, could be winding me up of course but it does seem to have a ring of truth about it.

Best meeting I've seen at BP, even got a few passes and several tight races. Maybe this is the level of racing the track is best suited to.

DH wanted a fast track, he wanted spctators to get the impression of speed, that we certainly have. I can fully understand his thinking and when he explains it to you it makes perfect sense, it's not worked out racing wise though, it's just not entertaining. As others have pointed out reducing the straight at one end could well do the trick. Let's hope something gets done sooner rather than later, but I suspect that winter will be the time, if anything happens at all. Ref comments about a slick track - that's the riders asking Glyn to prepare it that way. Maybe easier to ride but from a paying customers point of view it just makes it worse. Apart from the track issues I think everyone who has worked at the stadium deserves great credit, a lot has been created from nothing in a very short period, and I wish the Lions (and Long Eaton) all the best.

Still in RSA I think

You don't need to be Tai Woffinden to know that the straights are too long and the bends too tight. No axe to grind, No chip on shoulder. No vendetta. I have known the promotion and many of the backroom staff for many years, and without a doubt they deserve full credit as they have achieved a lot in a short time. I wish them the best of luck. Doesn't alter the fact that the on track entertainment is abysmal. Sort out the track and I'll go and watch again.

I think that any "non mainstream" sport that gets air time from Sky that actually involves them paying for the privelage or even doing it for nothing is getting a better deal than most. My own experience is that they are quite willing to broadcast if you employ a production company to do all the work for them. The cost of this recording and associated editing varies vastly, But I would suggest that flagrag has his costs about right for a live broadcast.

Comments are all spot on tiberon. Nothing wrong with the place, it's a great stadium, but there is very little entertainment on track. We gave up going ages ago and that means over £1000 lost in revenue from our little group alone. A few more voting with their feet like we have and it becomes blindingly obvious that the best business decision would have been to make "real" changes to the track. EL or PL? I don't care, just give me a track that offers some entertainment.

Had a similar problem at Blackbird Road, around 1980 (yes I'm that old) only half the track was of any use, go over the camber and a drift to the fence was a certainty. Previously we had a great track, rubbish results though! I complained about it at the time but it made no difference, so I went to Long Eaton. i cannot believe that it's meant to slow you down, in my experience more banking keeps you away from the fence and more dirt slows you down, adverse camber sends you ouit to the fence. So I guess you do slow down eventually, but not in a nice way.

DH is known for digging his heels in, can be a good trait in certain circumstances of course, remains to be seen if this is one of those instances. Hazzman - Linda Jones resigned before the season got under way.

Let's be clear, it's up to Dave what he does with the track. Equally it's up to those who pay to watch speedway to decide if it's value for money. Originally I was one of a group of four people going along every Saturday. Now it's just me and I go along less and less. I have taken several people along to watch and no one has ever gone back. Some of course will go along no matter what, but to maintain numbers the sport has to appeal to those who want a little more for their money. So in answer to your question, no I would not prefer it if there was no speedway in the city. But I wouldn't want the rugby, football, or anything else to close either. My point is that we must appeal to a wider audience than the die hard fan or support will dwindle to just a few hundred. As good as the stadium is, and full credit to DH and everyone else for that, on track entertainment is sadly lacking.