One of the most depressing things I see last night was Bradford Bulls playing with a brilliant unused speedway track still in place around the pitch. Such a waste. I always enjoyed my trips to Bradford when the team was full of English riders with excellent racing on a well prepared track. Plus the world finals held there.

The sport is more of a hobby for too many to ever be taken seriously.... Winning at home (by a narrow margin) and getting hammered away is almost utopia for some... These promoters don't have any burning ambitions to win things or, if also in the second tier, move into the top league, and are quite content on funding their hobby through affordable losses, or other businesses contributions.. They run their team pretty much for themselves and the riders, who often need two jobs in the UK to  justify their outlay on machinery... With the two jobs meaning two teams share the costs which then makes it cost effective for both clubs.. The clamour for "Team Six" isn't to make the top league look "relevant", (even 20 teams couldn't do that the way the sport is ran), it is simply to ensure another seven slots are available for riders, with four or five of those slots being so riders can double up.. Neither league has authenticity given the operating model (196 guests last season), therefore "Team Six" won't make a jot of difference to the way the sport is viewed by so many fans, and, (more importantly), literally thousands of "ex fans"... In short. Nothing changes because the majority of those running it have a lot of their boxes ticked due to the way they do run it, hence they are content with things... And as long as fans only slowly dwindle away, the losses won't become too big, too quickly, so the whole nonsense can continue on.... Until, of course, inevitably one day given its inexorable decline, it doesn't..  

Do you actually think they discuss ‘ what will the fans think ?’ at promoters meetings ? I very much doubt so. I was told by a former promoter that when ever disputes occurred between them at their get togethers the first thing that Chapmen and Godfrey used to say was that they would close their tracks as they made their money on stocks cars , and there the guys who run our sport ! Fans do not get considered in any aspect of the sport. This Northampton farce, which is going ahead , could be the biggest circus the sport has come up with.

The relay speed skating was great to watch, especially when the next leg of the race gets a big push off from their team mate. Imagine this in speedway with either Batch or Drew Kemp piddling round at the back and then getting an almighty shove from Cookie or Kyle Howarth. Now that would be quite a spectacle and sure to bring the fans in! 

Have the bspl become so desperate and tunnel visioned in their quest to get Northampton running they have forgot what their actual job is ? They have practically isolated and ignored the fans and even the other 4 teams to a degree since November to the point now where even the most loyal fans are getting fed up and if like me thinking is it worth it anymore, this winter has been one of the most damaging to its credibility winters the sport has ever had 

Ice speedway