hulvik

over the years we have all put money in buckets at matchs be it for the BEN fund , St Johns or to help a rider (and their family) out when they have been injured or worse. If people want to support these causes that is up to them. As for Fish, being away from his loved ones must be having a toll on him mentally and this at some point could effect his riding. To know that he isn't going through this alone and the teams promotion and the fans are behind him during this difficult time must be good moral boost for him and give him that boost to try that bit harder when things look bleak for him. No doute some will say he will have made his families arrangements as part of his contract. But It would appear the the Fisher family have found themselve caught up in the same visa clamp down the effected other overseas riders this winter.

Didn't Honda once try to introduce a bike inh the mid ninties backed by Mick Grant. If my memory seves me correctly each track held a challenge night with another Club (Hull and Sheffield were paied I seem to remember) Wth Honda supplying the bikes. The Bikes kept breaking down and the whole thing was a flop

Personally I thinks that as a product Speedway is still basically sound the problem is some of the knee jerk desicions made in the past. Such as the 3 league system it wasn't that long ago that we only had 2 leagues and it worked well enough. But we also have to give value for money. people. While speedway is still cheap to go to in compasison to other sports. £15 plus for 15- 20 mins racing could be seen as a bit steep, Maybe it's time to bring back rider of the night and other things like that. I accept that this is not always possible on very race night and with some clubs having curfews meets can be curtailed as it is. But for clubs to keep going they have to give the fans a reason to go to the track rather than just watch it on Sky. In the past I have seen ice speedway backs race, the vintage lads racing the bikes of yesteryear on other things as well. All things that have added to the night. Yes Sky as a place in the sport. But as things go Speedway is going to go the same way as many other sports that Sky show the top league falling over themselves to give the brocaster what it wants when it wants it at the exspence of the lower leagues

You, Me and every other fan at every track the feel the Ref got it wrong

The solution to the rolling start is easy. A line beam alone the white line, activaited when the green light goes on. if it's broken before the tapes are released the red lights come on. The Ref wouldn't have to be involved and a perfect start wouldn't get pulled up.

I Totally agree with you half the problem in my view is the EL it's self the racing on the whole is not as exciting at that in the PL anybody who as seen the PL matches that have been shown on SKY last season and this can't fail to have enjoyed them. I Know not all matches are like them it's the same with any sport but as an advert for speedway they were great. Maybe a step backwards on this one is whats needed and go back to 2 leagues and do away with the EL altogether

This is all well and good but having once lost a track your very lucky if your town or city gets one back you only have to look at the situation here in Hull

It's a great Idea having all the EL meetings one one night the problem is with this are the local councils most tracks only have planning permission to run on certain nights with many having a curfew. You only have to look at the situation with Mildenhall to see that some councils given the chance would do away with speedway altogether if they could

Had josh been able to defend himself I'd agree the 28 day ban would have been enough and if josh had retaliated he should have been published as well. But if I'd acted in the same way as Hall did at my place of work I know what would have happened to me and I suspect that's the same for most people so just because Hall is a sportman he should be treated differently

Pitty It's taken the Redcar promotion so long to do it should have done it straight away

Great to see Liam get his first win yesterday and it was also nice to see a large number of Monarchs fans staying to support the lads they have certainly come on since their first match

Think A second Ref be it stood on the centre green as a second pair of eyes would be good as for rolling starts a simple light beam along the white line would solve the problem if the beam is broken before the tapes are relased red lights automaticly put on

Great meeting a good win by the morachs but can someone please explain the rule regarding moving at the tapes to Barbara Horley who let a blatant jump start by Craig Cook go the tapes scrapped the top of Craig's helmet he was rolling that much

Having watched the match last night as a nutral It was a great advert for speedway and the PL showing what many of us have know for years the Elite league doesn't have the best racing espically on a GP week when you see more passing as the riders go back to the pits after one race than the whole of the match sometimes, and when riders who rode in the EL last season are saying that riding in the PL is harder only helps prove the point.

Who'd be a promotor. No matter what you'd do in this situation your going to upset somebody. At the end of the day speedway is a professional sport driven by results. Poor results +Poor crowds = no speedway, and every body loses then. Bring in an Elite league rider and hopefully bums return to seats Only time will tell if Sheffield have got it right. Silverware at the end of the season as a funny way of bluring peoples memories. But failure sharpens them. Lets hope for the promotions sake that come the last weeks of October they are having to buy a tin of brasso and not hearing the chants of "I told you so"

Once again this thread like all the ones involving the Stags as ended up revolving around the rights and wrongs of running what some see as a weakend team just to make other promotors pay through the nose. The way I understand it there are 3 leagues of professional speedway in this country with National league at the bottom of the ladder and there fore the first step into the professional side of things, and is seen as the natural step up from the developement leagues .Yes every team likes to win and succuss is nice to see as a fan. But It appears that there are some teams within the National league that have a must win outlook similar to that of some of the top football teams in the country and rather than bring on young british riders like to buy their success. In the past we have seen teams POACHING TALENTED RIDERS ILLIGALLY from other teams. Or in the case of Dudley a few seasons back had AN ELITE LEAGUE RIDER in their ranks. Funny how some fans have short memoirs. I'm no doute that these teams fans will now be up in arms saying their teams did nothing wrong and were playing within the rules of the sport, as are Scunthorpe now. Teams can't just cherry pick the best riders and not bring talent on themselves, then whine when they come up against teams that are trying to look towards the future because they are weaker and it's costing them too much. I'm not saying the present system is fair it isn't and does need altering. Maybe what is needed is a draft system like the Elite league have were by each team as 2 riders from the development leagues in their ranks. However until such time the rules are what they are, rightly or wrongly, and it's up to the promotors to change them at the end of the season. As for those who continue to harp on about double headers Scunthorpe have held them since 2008

yes it was and the 8 got crossed out and the nine put in when he won his 6th tilte while he rode at Hull. Kelly Moran had come 4th in the same final so there was a big celebration on their return. The result was Kelly "celebrated" a little too much and never made it past the 1st bend all night much to the fans amusment and Ian Thomas's descused

I think the idea of a benifit meeting with Ivan's name on it with the proceeds going to chairity is a great idea providing Ivan's family is fine with it. It's good when a sport gives back to those that made it great in the first place. I was lucky enough to watch Ivan race in his days at Hull speedway around the bulevard. I remember the first time he turned up in his new van which had been sign written with 9 times world champion on it and a painting of Ivan in full slide airbrushed on the side. in those days it was unheard of a rider having a van and it drew just as big a group around as did the great man himself. then to find out he had 2 bikes as well. A great Man and Speedway around the world will always be in his dept

having witnessed Mr Dowling ref the NL match at Scunny on Good Friday I totally with the point made about his performace in post 130 on at least 3 ocassions when it was clear the fallen riders could not clear the track he allowed the race to continue for too long . Only once his attention had been drawn to the fact by the center green staff waving the red flags and in once case even stepping onto the trace did he eventually stop the race. Maybe it's time speedway took a leaf out of other sports and do a sponcership deal for the refs. As the Rugby league all ready are using specsavers may I suggest BLIND INSTITUTE

The way I see it is the Ref has a hard job no matter what dicision a ref makes they will upset one team and it's fans. As for extenting the retiring age this will only have been done because there aren't any younger refs comming through maybe this is something the bspa and the control board should address

I was'nt at this match so can't really comment on the parked bike incident. However having read the updates as they came through and the comments on here it is clear that the ref was at fault some of the time, and this seems to be a theme this season. Anybody who watched the Good Friday meetings at Scunthorpe would have seen some bad decisions made in the refs box mainly when it came to putting the red lights on especallay in the NL meeting. On at least 2 instants the center green staff along with the growd were trying to draw the refs attention to riders still laying on the track upto half a lap later. and in one race 2 riders were still on the ground on the 1st bend as the lead rider exited the 4th bend at race speed and still the lights werent on. I know it's fashionable to have a go at the ref in any sport if the decision dosent go your teams way. But a sport such as speedway were everybody agrees the riders safety comes first refs should be more aware and a little quicker in stopping a race that as been seen of late

May I suggest some people read the artical in the speedway star on this subject. I'd also like to remind people one of the reasons that scunthorpe didn't run a team in the national league last year was having built a team in the 2012 season that was capable of challenging for the title majority of the team were then poached by teams who are now complaining. all I can say comes around goes around

Anybody who saw last nights match (14/4/2014) between Poole and Coventry will have seen what standard of riders are in the national league with Kyle Newman a product of the draft system scoring well. But there was a telling comment in his tv interview from the reporter saying Kyle had invested heavily in his equipment. This was the differance between Kyle and the other Draft selections on show who all struggled. I believe this is also the main problem with the Stags. Anybody who as seen therm race knows the lads have the talent just not the speed and unfortantly in any form of motor sport speed costs money. With most of the team only riding at amature level before funding will have been limited. But it's the chicken and egg problem to get better funding you need a place in a team and you only get a place in a team if your good. Give the lads a chance I say and if other promotors don't like this way of bringing new blood into the sport at the professional level I suggest they get thier hands in thier pockets and organise some training systems of their own

Double headers are nothing new at Scunthorpe and not just something that have been introduced for this season. Yes there is an increase in ther admission price but £2 for an extra 15 heats of racing as to be good value in anybodies book. As for the support I have been at double headers in the past and seen the ground empty as soon as the Premier league meeting as finished. Yet this season despite the results of the Stags more people do seem to be staying behind to watch the lads and seem to be getting behind them. Yes all but one of the team have stated the season with an assest avarge of 3 but these are lads who have raced in amature meetings and are not that far of the pace of the seasoned riders they are up against. Lets also not forget Scunthorpe as given chances in the past to less experianced riders only for other clubs to steal them once they have proved themselves. It looks to me than those promotors who are complaining would do well to give such youngsters a chance in their teams as opposed to waiting it they have gained some expriance and then poaching them