HGould

Apparently Devon had more than double average July rainfall in July and lots since. Your worst nightmare to see Schlein turn up. He's happy to ride and win a British Final so wet you could aquaplane but regularly throws his dummy out in Leagues. Ban him for 4 weeks if he refuses to ride. Parasite

Any idea who is on BSN comms and presenting...

Indeed. There in lies the root cause. Doubling up or factually down to create income post the Sky money glut of 20 years ago. That money dwindled so double down created a false fake paradise as a generation matured. If you create a system then you can't blame those who exploit it. Speedway has to go 2 tier being as close as it can to professional full time and semi professional part time. Accepting that it's an 8 month season in Europe to deliver for the full time or a 6 month season in UK to deliver for the part time. No doubling up must be enforced other than age limited to say 23 or 24. Strict pay rules.

It's undoubtedly a good line up. It's also a truly shocking indictment and proof positive of the terminal decline in UK speedway that the average age must be around 35. This is the second tier Where are the breakthrough British riders. Clearly they are either not good enough or opportunities are stunted by PL riders, factually both reasons.

Have you anyone in mind?

Worrell given special dispensation to spend the meetings racing from the van. Not sure who's van though...

Would love to have been a fly on the wall in one of the remaining 5 Lions houses when Dicko called to say that Richie Worrall and Craig Cook were joining. Oohherr missus

Playing devil's advocate. The straights at Glasgow are probably the widest of any in the UK. Could it be that with so many racing lines that if you go into turn 3 too shallow you end up riding it inside to out despite the banking If you go in wider you can ride the banking or cut back and ride it outside to in. Possibly just round off the inside line with no longer a requirement for a soccer corner flag. Overall I can't see how Glasgow or Redcar could be improved as medium to big track lengths but brilliant racing shape and banking. I much prefer to NSS which can just be a drag race who gets wheels in line first and longest.

Awful. Thoughts with cameraman and his family . All at BSN and EMTV and Craig. Reminded me of when he and his bike cleared fence at Cardiff in 2018 I think. One point though. Incident nothing to do with size or shape of the track. Could happen anywhere. Seen 2 valves and uprights do same too. So no need for any silly anti small track point scoring puerile Fingers crossed for all.

The sad reality, despite glimmers and slithers of positivity is best summed up by Wembley and Cardiff. Back in the 70's and 80's around 35-40 UK Tracks operated and if you didn't have a Wembley World Final One Off (3 year cycle) Ticket by May - you would not get one as they were guaranteed 90,000 plus sell outs. Now with around 20 Tracks operating the annual trip to Cardiff struggles to generate 40,000 fans and that figure seem to be declining. The regularly attending "speedway audience" is at historically low level, the demograph is rivalled only by the Membership of the Conservative Party for the over 60 age percentage. Many Clubs have tried to attract kids, some better than others and some of the best at it are no longer running! The sooner the reality (as some have suggested) that it adopts the MX SuperMX model the better. The thoughts though of filling indoor Stadia with a Speedway product are pie in the sky.

Very wise call for all concerned and hopefully save various set costs by advising early. Well done and appreciated.

Guess they all know the same thing. Sticking together in support of the victim.

Lawson v Brennan debate is irrelevant. Far more to Team GB than just the Racing. Independently run, independently funded and very professional set up. Thats reason for success. GB Youth has bought lads like Brennan through from 14,got them European experience. Many young GB riders who are in set up often have to pay for Individual Championship Round travel etc. BSPL and Clubs do very little to support Team GB. Only a few do. Massive Team ethos into Fitness, Nutrition, Sports science etc. No disrespect to Lawson but he's never been that bothered. He's notorious for avoiding press days as an example e.g he doesn't get paid so why waste time and engines. He is a better rider currently than Brennan but he's not the future which Team GB are focusing on.

I think Nigel has lost the plot or been on the loopy juice or waccy baccy in deepest Kinver Cliff Houses. He's already claimed to be 200k down. He's possibly been alerted to someone who could come in on a 12 point average once Poland closes or once a veteran retired type can fit it in and facies blowing another bucket load. As others have said 15 or 18 points a meeting isn't going to cover deficiencies elsewhere and he'd need to be paying 4 or 5 grand a meeting to get anyone of that calibre. Simple maths says to cover home and away that said rider would have to put 500 on the gate every meeting at PB. One offaybe for a Hancock or Nikki type but even that's stretching it.

I'm not referring to his recent test or Charlie More a trial exhibit wink wink

He's allegedly mortified that he's misplaced his favourite trinket. Very attached to an empty Coca Cola bottle allegedly.

I'm happy to be corrected but I think Leicester recent success has been down to 3 things. The Bates family underwriting by approx 50 to 60k per annum investment to build successful teams An excellent sponsorship via JCB and associated Partner financially and infrastructure Stewart Dickson and an incredibly hard working team people like Alan Jones etc Bates shoots from the hip but without them the Club would not have achieved what it has.

Thought has dawned on me that Dicko has gone to Brummies, who may be losing PB imminently to development, to entice Nigel Tolley to invest at Leicester. If Wolves close too Leicester would have massive catchment area. 2 + 2 doesn't often add up though

Big shock to read that the Bates Family have decided to leave Leicester at end of the season. Marc claims due to health issues and time involved and although I'd always associated Damian with Leicester it seems he can't run both and the family business. Looking for some one more local to take it on. They have pumped big sums in over the years since there to keep it open and doubt that without that constant investment its ever been genuinely self sufficient. No idea having not been this year if the Crowds have increased wnough to sustain PL as opposed to CL but they always paid top dollar in CL and lost money doing so. Damian also in Star explaining increasing issues at Owlerton in finding suitable dates as more going on there now like drive in Cinema and also some issues with an adjacent business and noise issues if speedway runs. Worrying times for Leicester for sure. Easy to criticise Bates Brothers on occasions but they have always put their money where their mouths are and supported 2 Clubs who otherwise may not be around.

Quite simply the Sport is in its deepest hole since the split of the Legaues in the 1960's. There have been peaks and troughs for almost 100 years but this current situation feels seismic. A dwindling supporter base, a massive number of alternative attractions, a cost of living crisis that we are going to have to endure for at least the next few years and governance that is simply turning a blind eye and has dug a huge hole. Putting Club loyalties aside, there are probably 5-6 profitable Clubs who can succeed based either on crawd attendence, large benefactors or large Sponsors or a combination of those. There are some Clubs who are having to deal with Planning, Development and Stadium sale issues, irrespective of whether they are successful or not. Land Values only exacerbate this issue. The sport needs a vision that the current Management Hierarchy seems to lack , some of that is intellectual and some is down to their understandable desire to protect their own. We cannot compete with Poland or have any delusions of grandeur that we can. We cannot survive with 2 tiers of "professional" Clubs. The solution is both basic, pragmatic and blindingly obvious. An independent overseeing non partisan Leader An Elite "professional" League of 6-8 Clubs who can work within set guidelines and structures A second semi professional / amateur level with a League structure covering expenses and littl more with any income levels STRICTLY maintained (not like the NDL of the 2015-2019 period) Other forms of motor cycle sport work very well on an amateur run basis , Banger / Stocks attracts big crowds on the basis that participants pay to enter and then share small prize money. Speedway can promote itself still as a "niche sport", the model though will have to be more like the German / Czech smaller scale models than Poland or even Sweden. Any one responding with club alliegances and putting Clubs first is I respectfully suggest completely missing the point!

Allegedly they dug up and banned concrete starts as Charlie Dugard had an oil can at Arlington

Pretty stupid comment and not Poole specific response. If a Team does a Track walk at 6.30pm for a 7.30pm start then the Start Line (or any other part of the tRack) can be significantly changed by a minimal amount of watering, grading, rolling, rain, sunshine, temperature drops etc. I've always been very surprised , considering it's supposed to be a professional sport, that Teams don't have someone specifically allocated as part of the "management" of the team at the Event to keep an hawk-eye on this sort of thing and to report any fiddling via the Clerk of the Course to the Match Referee IF it does go beyond the bounds of fairness. Ultimately any team can request a Referee inspect a track at any time and said Referee can insist on changes. With regards to Poole, having been there in the 70's up to recent years on occasions, I think it's the MODERN bikes that have turned it in to a "gaters track". Very similar to what had happened at Blunsdon before they changed the Track. straights too long for the tight bends with bikes now revving far higher than they used to so making it much more of a one line track. That's part of the demise of speedway in my opinion, laydowns, engine revs and tuning and the ridiculous extra costs on the financial side and bikes no longer fit for purpose at many of the traditional UK tracks on the riding side. Interesting that the BEST race tracks now are either modern or significantly amended e.g Belle Vue, Glasgow, Redcar as prime examples.

Cheap transition Just get daddy to do his hair and flog him some knock off product. Civil partnership with Roo Paul TV special at the Chateau

Erm that's why I started "no chance of speedway at Dunstall Parj" Whether they wanted it or not.

No chance of Speedway at Dunstall Park Horse Racing Track. It's surrounded on 2 sides by Housing and you drive through housing estate to get in. South Staffs would include areas between Wombourne, Penn and Finchfield along the road out it Bridgnorth, too rural I'd suggest and inaccessible for anyone without a car One area that might work is the A5 between Gailey and Cannock where A5 Trucks top is. Lots of land round there some brownfield but not that accessible for many. Lots of old industrial sites and brownfield sites between Monmore and Birmingham New Road on Monmore side of town but that's likely been considered and ditched. Really left field is Wolverhampton City Airport formerly Halfpenny Green old RAF base that did stage big Grass Track Meeting in early 1980 period, very inaccessible again for many.