It’s a vicious cycle really. Promoters want a winning team, at least at home meetings otherwise the attendances drop, so top riders on good equipment will usually put numbers on the gate but that costs money so it’s a difficult balance .   Round about 2015/6 the late Jon Cook told me it was costing around £20k to run a speedway meeting. I forget what the gate money from spectators was but it was well short of £20k so apart from any TV money the balance had to come largely from   sponsors and again sponsors like to be associated with winning teams so good riders  can almost command their own pay  if    they are. successful.  When Bomber was riding for Coventry he told me he never paid for anything and the sponsors paid for it all but I think he was the exception rather than the rule.  I don’t pretend to know the details of how all this works but speedway has not been awash with money for years. In Len Silvers book he describes what it was like in the’60’s and 70’s for promoters and how most lived pretty much hand to mouth, even in those days. According to Silver, he couldn’t afford to pay the Hackney riders top dollar but he gave them a longer season to make their money up. It probably works differently from club to club. Not many people retire from speedway as rich men, either promoters or riders. Having said that, I don’t think the BSPA have much idea, at least in recent years.

Stock cars have been finished at Sheffield, their pits area ( so I have heard), is being used to store solar panels. Heard that greyhounds have been given notice to quit ( not sure if that is fact), but it has started some speculation that the stadium may soon go to other use.

I think it will be a miracle if B'ham see the season out! Not really sure what the point is now..... Has there ever been a team in the Prem/Elite League that's failed to win a meeting ? Be a shame to end up being remembered for that?

You sound very certain on that and I presume that you have some inside knowledge. However, I would expect that the visa application (for which there was a problem) which I think I read somewhere was submitted at the back end of last year would have needed to have been approved prior to Zagar working in the UK. How could he have been able to ride (work) for Birmingham prior to the visa being approved?

I mentioned him on the Poole thread. Rowe was poor too which is also strange as he has been going well lately and usually goes well at Kings Lynn so basically Kerr made up for their shortcomings, they certainly can not afford off nights later in the season. Unfortunately the top 3 is already a done deal.

People forget we’ve only rode a few matches as well. The majority of our team don’t ride for anyone else other than the comets too.