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For the first time since league speedway began we are now 'enjoying' the first year when top-level speedway will not be staged in Britain at weekends (including Friday nights), with the exception of Cardiff. Once we had six senior tracks racing on Saturday nights with several more racing on the also lucrative Fridays. Now we have none. Fridays and non-GP Saturdays are Poland's playground now. Add in endless breaks in continuity and you have a toxic situation, as I fear several tracks will find to their literal cost. From a six day a week sport, top level speedway is now on two nights that nobody else really wants. The sport and its supporters will wake up one day, as usual far too late.

I think the decline/rot has already set in and the weather is just what it has always been, dire. I am sure they are justified, but call offs are all too frequent when even there is a hint that the weather looks dodgy. Go back a few years and they would do anything to try and get a meeting on and go back many years they used sawdust. The lack of speedway on nights (mainly thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday) when fans want to watch and with weekends when you have the best chance of good crowds, is something I find ludicrous. The decline is evident on this forum. The lack of feedback to those meetings that are on and in some cases nothing at all or perhaps one comment says it all. I agree with Rob re the state of things and I think it could well be the end of the road for a number of clubs come September. All very sad and no doubt many more will get out of the habit of going. One big league with home and away, ko cup and British invidual championship and you probably would get back to regularly weekly meetings. This country can no longer compete with Poland, Sweden or Denmark and the other nations such as Germany will soon overtake the U.K. Back to basics might just save speedway in this country.

Why do you have to start an argument by the way for your information we need Chris back sooner rather than later otherwise we will, be also rans !!!!

Think the lack of regular weekly speedway will come back to bite the Clubs,sad IMO

Looks like the Diamond's are ripping the p*ss as well putting the reserves out in 15. There not as bad as some on here said they would be, credit to them for that they may take a few beatings away but at Brough they will be no mugs as they have proved.

Is it alright if I drop some shirts and a pair of trousers round?

Hawk127 has hit the nail squarely on the head in the above post " All very sad and no doubt many more will get out of the habit of going" I know I have already. From being a regular at Rye I stopped going each and every week in about 2008/9 and just started picking and choosing my meetings. Moved to the East Midlands in 2012 and not been to a meeting since coming up here and now get my fix via television, internet, youtube and dvd. Sad I know and Im sure many on here will say im not a true supporter BUT watching it this way I dont have to drive for xxx amount of miles each way, stand around in a clapped out stadium and go home £30 or £40 lighter in the pocket and moan about the meeting or lack of meeting at the end of the day. Plus the best bit of watching speedway my way is that if its crap there is always the off switch or something on another channel. High speed bikes with lay down engines and slick tracks I think killed it for me its all open throttle and hang on today ........ what happened to throttle control and riders natural skill and ability? I think whats even sadder is that im 61 this year and I just cannot see myself attending another live meeting

I would think after this season the Monday and Wednesday night odd scheme will be forgotten. When live TV matches start that's when it will hit home. You could not get a worse night to stage Speedway than a Monday

Jye is OK rode for berwick Saturday night

The first paragraph above is so true. People think they know THE reason why British speedway is in such a mess, but the reality is that there are so many, and not all of them are speedway related. I've said it before, but I will say it again; one of the big problems is that speedway is no longer a city-centre sport. When we had tracks in urban areas, everybody was exposed to speedway, even if they didn't actually follow it. Now, thanks to the constant quest for industrial estates and housing developments, the demise of greyhound racing, the ever-growing NIMBY population, dereliction (let's not forget the age and condition of some of the older stadia) and several other factors beyond our control, we are being forced into rural locations away from the population. With 24-hour live television sport, obsession with computers and video games, and stuff like that, people don't want to leave the house, let alone drive out into the sticks. As far as your second point, it is a ridiculous state of affairs, and of course, much of that IS speedway-related. Living in Surrey, I wasn't always going to travel the country, but I ALWAYS had options. Even when Wimbledon changed from Thursday to Wednesday, it changed the specifics, but not the opportunities. Exeter was too far on a Monday, but Reading was easy to get to. Tuesday, Poole, and later MK and Crayford were doable. Wednesday was White City, later Poole and Long Eaton. Saturday was wonderful with all the choices. Even Sunday was great for choice. Those were the days... Steve

I think you're exactly right but the key problem will be persuading those who worship 'names' that this right. We need, sadly, to isolate ourselves from Poland before their needs and demands destroy what remains of British Speedway. Unfortunately losing the remaining 'names' is probably too much for the short-sighted that post here. People believed the fairy tale that switching to fixed nights would bring back the 'names'. It didn't, only money and the occasional bout of loyalty (c.f. Jason Doyle) will. We need to rebuild and get our weekends back. All we are doing now is retreating to accommodate the needs of the Poles and their chequebooks.

Sometimes clubs have a moral duty to do the right thing, regardless of any rules implemented by the BSPA.

Going back to a couple of earlier posts, one thing that always concerned me with fixed race nights is the fact that so many of us used to frequent other tracks on nights when our own teams weren't in action. Apart from being a fixture at Plough Lane, I was a regular visitor to White City during their short BL period, and it wasn't unusual for me to go to Hackney, Rye, Arena, Crayford, Mildenhall, Milton Keynes, Lynn, Swindon, and Canterbury. Again, I would see the same people at a lot of the tracks, and fixed nights automatically reduce those numbers. The sad reality is that it was the crowds that generated atmosphere as much as - if not more than - the actual racing. As crowds dwindle, so does the atmosphere. That leads to more people staying home. Fewer meetings will only cause more to stay home... Steve

Good little contest,some good talent there IMO .Thought Josh has a nice style and a touch of class.

Back in the 'Good Old Days' we used to go to Reading (occasionally) on the Monday, White City on Wednesdays, Oxford on Thursdays and more than occasionally Swindon on Saturdays.

Uilly was a very lucky guy last night last night. He drifted out on the forth bend and, with no grip, he hit the fence hard and him and the bike were strewn down the straight. The first rider in third place chose to go though the gap between the bike and Ully, but the last rider seeing it all late, chose to go though the gap between Ully and the fence, and watching it in the pits , it was a good choice which only just came off. Situations like that need quick and correct actions and because of the actions of those two riders Ulli was not so badly injured.

How can clubs that have traditionally ran at weekends, still expect to mainain their crowds levels when switching to a midweek race night. Lemmings jumping off a cliff springs to mind!

...personally I always preferred race jackets and the choice of individual leathers. It made it easier identifying one rider from another.

Above all else best wishes to Ostergaard and Lawson.

For the life of me, I don't understand how the BSPA could contradict the directives from the FIM on our allotted preference race nights. Once the governing body had made a ruling, surely we as a affiliated body take that on board. There should be no discussion or vote on it, these directives were made for the good of the sport, giving control of meeting priority. The BSPA should have excepted ruling as law. The Clubs should have been informed of this ruling and told this league will be running the PL on Mondays and Thursdays, and Championship will run on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. The only discussion and decision the clubs should have been given was which league and what day they wanted to partake in. If Ipswich, Sheffield or Redcar insisted on running on Thursdays, then fair enough, they should be competing in the PL. If they wanted to stay in the Championship then they would have to change racenights. Its not Rocket science. There is not much difference between the two divisions, illustrated by the number of riders that ride in them both. By giving individual clubs the opportunity to contradict a FIM directives , highlights what a self-righteous shambles the BSPA are. How can other countries take us serious when we make decisions like that . If the BSPA are saying the individual clubs are more important than the FIM , then that would illustrate why our speedway has dropped from being the best in the world to now also rans......

Predicted 41-49 and happy to be proved wrong. How different it would have been with Ostergaard fit who knows. Great boost for Berwick though. Doolan was superb, looked very fast all night. Really need to do something about the 3-4 pairing, which looks vulnerable. Impressed with Ben Morley for Lakeside, better than I remembered at Shielfield. Always good to see Bomber riding round here, non-stop racer. And good to see Nick Morris back as well. On a totally separate note, there was some absolutely cracking races in the NJL match, a couple of good battles between Keiron Douglas and Josh Embleton, then Sam McGurk, Luke Harrison and Archie Freeman had three really great struggles, riding way beyond their years.

He was? More than did his job and an integral part of the 2009 title winning side! Had a serious injury just as he was really beginning to make strides.

looks like our favourite speedway uploader has moved to cda after youtube blocked him. Motor - ROW available here - https://www.cda.pl/video/22227324c you're welcome

You can blame the Championship promoters for our Danes being missing

there you go starman thats who you should have a go at not me ?

The diamonds up and down season continues !!!!! Great effort by the boys tonight with all 7 winning a heat ... but the star was Ashley ... riding superbly ... keep it up As for Sheffield .. they missed Howarth although Garrity was a good guest, Wright rode well and Shanes impressed..... but the villain of the piece was bjerre ...you can say he was unlucky with machinery or is it poor professionalism ........... he has a poor record round brough (unlike his brother who was superb) and to not complete a lap is not really acceptable why was wright so annoyed with Garrity in heat 15 ?

Fast Freddie only dropped 2 points in 4 Ekstraliga rounds. 21 heats, 60 points, 1 bonus. Dominator, Spacemen.

He had a spare bike. He used it. It conked out too.

A very competitive meeting on a very cold evening. Some good battles between Kieran and Josh, the first bend deciding the end positions. Very competitive racing in the 125's with Archie outgating Sam and Luke in the first two races, with Luke pushing very hard in the second race. In the third, Archie had trouble with his clutch lever, and Sam and Luke roared away with Archie this time a bit behind then. Good entertainment and appreciated by everyone watching them. With our previous three meetings at Berwick , I think finishing 30 - 6 each time, to get so close and only get beat 21-15 it all seemed like a victory. Well done to all riders, and a friendly meeting with the Berwick representatives.

Today`s announced attendances. Czestochowa 17000 Gorzow 13774 Torun TBA We move on to next weekend and a reminder of 2 TV matches before then Tuesday 1st May Poland v Australia Pila Eleven sports 1 programme starts 4.45pm UK time 1st race 5pm UK time Thursday 3rd May Polish league pairs MPPK Ostrow Polsat sport programme starts 1.30pm UK time 1st race 1.45 pm UK time We then move on to the weekend`s league action Friday 4th May Grudziadz v Gorzow N sport programme starts 6pm UK time 1st race 6.30 pm UK time Sunday 6th May Rybnik v Gdansk Polsat sport starts 1.45 pm UK time Sunday 6th May Tarnow v Wroclaw N sport programme starts 3pm UK time 1st race 3.30pm UK time Sunday 6th May Leszno v Czestochowa N sport programme starts 5.30pm UK time 1st race 6pm UK time

didnt know you had relations from this part of the world .

The worst thing to have happened to team DK was the dissolution of Anders Secher and the subsequent appointment of Hans Nielsen. Great rider he may have been...great manager definitely not.

We are in a vicious downward spiral. Part of it comes from Poland, part from BSI and partly through domestic incompetence, some of it just bad luck. For many years life for me living in east London revolved around speedway, not through my commitments in the sport but as a fan. Friday night was speedway night at Hackney and Sunday was the day to see my beloved Rockets at Rye House. The idea of doing other things on Friday nights or Sunday afternoons was just inconceivable. Yes the close season was hell for me. Thankfully both of my 'local' tracks ran full seasons so the close season really was only four and a half months of relative hell. Of course that wasn't enough and the temptation of 'extras' at Reading, Wimbledon, White City and Canterbury, Crayford then later Arena Essex were always there. The core was Friday nights and Sunday afternoons. Now it's a mess. I live in the west country so my closest option for speedway at the weekend nearer than 100 miles away is Stoke. Still the scenery and pace of life is better than Upton Park.... I do have several tracks much closer to home, all running midweek and it seems whenever I'm able to go they're not running! Going back to running full seasons and on the nights that pay is not idle nostalgia, it's a vital necessity. It means running independently of international interests and ideally one large league with a supporting equivalent such as the present National League. One main league avoids doubling-up. Not using riders who have contracts in Poland will also cut out more absences. Instead of doubling-up a much larger league will give overall more bookings for riders than if they were in two British leagues thus removing the need. The key problem, apart from allowing for the fact that further 'names' will have to be lost is that I suspect that the sort seasons are favoured by promotions because they budget for a loss over the year, a budget that will only pay for about 14 meetings. The painfully-thin fixture lists in the CL this year with just 10 home league matches a year is a new low for the professional leagues. It's not those of us wishing to learn from the past who are the dreamers, it's those who think we can keep struggling on as we are blindly hoping that riders and fans will magically return. Whether the sport has the intelligence to make the necessary changes is doubtful though. It'll stagger on. How long can you stagger on your knees by the way? Mind you, for most here as long as their team's winning many who use the BSF won't care - until they find themselves facing a track closure.....

...likewise. I attended Cowley for over thirty years but since moving to York 14 years ago haven't been to a meeting since. I'm afraid the thought of having to travel to a speedway costing petrol money no longer appeals...used to walk to Oxford and I was one of the unusual regulars who actually enjoyed the second halves back in those days. 15 heats of racing just doesn't offer good value for money in my view (together with many other issues that I have often cited on this forum...over dependance on non-descript foreigners being one)

Tony - probably by relying on you, me and a rapidly dwindling bunch of other old gits nomads!

Whatever the rights and wrongs this is typical Speedway these days I'm afraid - so glad I couldn't be bothered to make the 270 mile round trip although I was briefly tempted but then I recalled all the times I've been done over for Speedway in the past and opted to stay indoors!

Don't think there is any doubt... Friday, Saturday, Sunday are the best days to attract a crowd if you run a Sport, or are in the Entertainment and Leisure industry, (Speedway you would say ticks both boxes).. No surprise therefore that Poland run on these nights and at the meeting to agree each Countries race nights they didn't suggest Britain takes their days' over and that they would run Monday/Thursday (or even Wednesday as it transpired)... If Mondays were such a great night to attract a Speedway crowd you would have to think the Poles would have ensured they took it... British Speedway simply cannot compete with Poland so shouldnt even give it a consideration and plough it's own furrow.. Run at the weekend with lads who are happy earning a 'normal' job's weekly wage for four or five races a night.. Run with lads who reside over here to keep hotel and air fare costs out of the equation and, if needs be, run with five or six man teams to shave even more off the expenditure.. And run consistently, either once a week, or once a fortnight if all the League runs on the same night... Do that and maybe admission fees could gradually come down to attract even more numbers through the gate to add to what 'Weekend Speedway' would bring. It would be a lot easier to sell the sport media wise, and market it nationally collectively, (rather than individually) too, having a full fixture list over say three days, rather than the fragmented way it is currently ran..

I’m with Steve on this, I much prefer seeing riders with individual kevlars and bike colours.

So Garrity gets booked earlier in the week to replace Bjerre, that doesn't happen so now he replaces Howarth instead. Strange. A lot of toing and froing for a routine away win.

Who are yer,who are yer

No ,unless edited to 1st bend and back strait.

Dare I say it but wouldn't Lions be better off with Paul Starke ( 5.08 ) now that he has been released by Belle Vue Aces instead of Todd Kurtz (4.02 ) ? Better rider than Kurtz even though Todd Kurtz did ok the other night and it would also mean Kyle Newman would be back at reserve again ...... gotta be a plus plus move hasn't it ? Cheers

And neither did Philip Rising

Probably this rule was brought in, the same as the 4 min rule I suspect, as the majority have to suffer for the minority who take the pi$$

To get UK and Polish speedway in perspective, that is about two weeks worth of premiership fixtures ( in fine weather ).

Why? He scored 15 last time at Lynn on bikes that are almost certainly sitting in Norfolk. There seem to be a lot of comments on Premiership match threads about Polish meetings this year, not sure scores over there are particularly relevant to our league. Not rubbish at all. If all clubs had worked together for the good of British speedway as a whole there would have been no clashes as Premiership fixtures would have been on Mondays and Thursdays.

From what I remember, quite the contrary! Injury wrecked what looked like being his best season, can't recall what year off the top of my head. Always liked Ty, passionate rider and a very funny, dry sense of humour. Pleased to see him making a good start to the current campaign.

No, it wasn’t fair - Steve Shovlar squeamed and squeamed and squeamed.

Spot on Waco. Morley in great form at present, Hopwood doing his job and Campos punching above his weight (partial pun intended). The tail does have serious problems though. Verge will have better nights but Widman is a major concern and Sealey being beaten by the home guest asks a lot of questions. However IOW are a loyal club to their riders and will give them a fair chance but alarm bells must be ringing. Eastbourne had their top end not entirely firing and still won comfortably as the reserves are going from strength to strength. To be fair it won't be the only team to get turned over by the Eagles but feel the Warriors are slipping out of the winning habit again.

Because it's the same situation for the opposition. There is, as Robert De Niro might say, a flip side to that coin. If Iversen gets injured, then when King's Lynn are at teams riding on a Monday or Wednesday they have a limited choice of guest. When they are at Swindon they can choose any guest from any other team. Just as unfair?