Pieman72

500cc were planned but definitely too narrow. I'd not been to Stoke before, rough and ready but hey ho it's an operational track. 110% effort by the Helsby Junior GT Club for staging the event. Great to see such a variety of bikes and riders GT140's were competitive so too the 250's all went without any accidents too. For amateur/semi professional riders an excellent opportunity to have a run on a speedway track. Hopefully more tracks will stage similar events in the future. Solo's & Sidecars....bring it on as Grasstrack venue's are in short supply.

It was an official ACU sanctioned meeting and run by their rules the similar to Sidecar Speedway. An excellent mixed event a good pointer to the future of Grasstrack and Speedway.

It's nothing to do with Stoke Potters it's run by Helsby Grass Track Club as their normal Grass Venue is not ridable. If you've never seen Grasstrack give it a go 1000cc sidecars are awesome on a normal Grasstrack circuit.

In 2 weeks time I shall be on holiday in Yorkshire (lovely place and the folks). So why not help the cause and go to Sheffield Speedway an excellent track Owlerton. Speedway is perfect under floodlights on a crisp October evening oh and the smell of the castor based oil. Well £32 + wife is rather pricey + the petrol etc for Div2 but lets give it a go.....erm nope the season ended in August !! Am I on another planet or is someone 'having a laugh'. There is something fatally wrong with speedway when a track closes in early September....very concerning !!

Fundamentally I don't care what we have as long as long as it's racing. Speedway in the UK is now dominated by foreign riders and the GP and unfortunately we have to develop something that is affordable and interesting for the fans that is also viable.... a big ask.

I accept the point but sitting on our hands doing nothing will not get the turnstiles going?

Very good points and fully understood but speedway is about entertainment. Is it me but what's not to like about 4 or more bikes racing under floodlights with a pint and a burger with your mates? To get the spectators in, try a different formats encourage young riders + different classes e.g. GT140, 250, 350, 500 Sidecars?? The current format doesn't work so why not change it? £17 + for 13 heats of the exactly the same bikes going in circles is looking a bit tired and very poor value for entertainment ?

Ha ha I like the 3 months. Is speedway finished or am I missing something. It's ok rapping on about wall to wall TV coverage and Cardiff’s fantastic stadium and temporary track but if there's no meetings or tracks it's game over. Well at least the midweek Premiership will give the riders some pocket money for the GP. Why not have British riders training schools and perhaps some racing? Mind you Brexit will see to that as all European riders will need work permits issued by the DWP good luck there !!

Speedway is unique in that generally the fans know little about the machines and technical side of the bikes. Perhaps the sport needs to reach out more to a different broader audience?

Watch this space !

Watch this space.......

Speedway will carry on but not in it's present guise. There are many problems affecting the sport that need addressing unfortunately no one is listening and they carry on regardless. Making an analogy with failing retail business's presents a wonderful example. Increase prices, close customer services, sell something inferior and wait for the customers to pour through the doors?

Very sad I was there, sadly he passed away after being taken by air ambulance to QE Birmingham, at 78 an inspiration RIP Fred.

Having made several constructive comments I'm trying hard to understand what's going wrong with British speedway; I wonder what it is?

After reading the banter I can only come to one conclusion speedway as we know it is finished.

Speedway and Pubs have a lot of similarities being expensive unprofitable and unfortunatley very lucrative for developers. It will become similar to our town/city centres, canals and railways that were lost in 1960's under so called re-devlopment. Our planners got it wrong the and have done so now. Oh well open a can and watch sky sports with an app !!

While I do not dispute the merging of my topic by administration. What I am doing is trying to stimulate idea's as to how speedway will survive in the future and move away from words like decline. I do feel that most individuals in speedway are in a 'bubble' and avoiding the harsh realities of speedway's present predicament which are not good. Losing 2 Elite teams when there is only 9 is rather serious.

Rather than making predictions about the future of British Speedway there has to be a reality check and a pragmatic approach to the current problems has to be achieved. The commercial model of speedway is virtually defunct and looking very tired. Have a look at how much it costs and what you are getting for what are astronomical admission prices. There are other factors but who possesses the disposable income to afford this entertainment luxury. Accepting that may ensure the continuity of British Speedway.

Unfortunately we live in a society divided by age and while it has been profitable to go after the 'grey pound' and 'baby boomers' ultimately for the continuity of speedway we need to reach out to all. This is not just affecting speedway it's through out society. We have to be realistic and let speedway find it's level. Thanks to all for some excellent posts as we need to discuss the situation and not just 'sit on our hands'.

Unfortunately speedway will have to find it's level and as it just doesn't command any interest amongst the population. My biggest issue is that it is boring, expensive and run on a weekday night. The question is who has the finances and leads a relatively sedentary life that enables them to go to a speedway meeting say on a Monday night?

Everything that Sky put's it's paws on goes wrong. Remember the launch of the World Champoinship Grand Prix and look what we've ended up with watching unknown riders from a forest clearing in Scandinavia. It's all down to money but speedway is a sport that relies on it's fans not the 'armchair Joe's' flicking between the sticky tires and the proper stuff. I just wish the administrators could get it, no fans means no speedway....got it !!

The present administration of speedway is simply unaffordable the revenue is just not there and is likely to decline. The sport needs to be rebuilt (if that's possible) from grassroots in a more loosely regulated sport where it would be possible to participate and watch speedway that is affordable, feasible and practicable for all.

That's funny my computer's on voice recognition. I hope you've got the grist as I never post offensive comments, we all come off the same page.

I agree with the synopsis that we have an autocratic system that runs speedway but what usually happens to autocarats and they usually leave a complete mess behind them? The more you engage with the system the longer it will survive.

I won't even engage with them it would be a waste of time. To be fair they are hard working and have speedway's best interests at heart but unfortunately tracks, paying public and european speedway have changed. I prefer to put take racing in a direction that is totally different to the present set us as frankly it's definintely not working !! Watch this space....