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You should have introduced yourself, I really hope you guys win them all, I get really annoyed with all the money bags and flash the cash comments from some fans , hence my rant a few weeks back, we have been rock bottom many a time , wondering if we would run the next year and you are unfortunately in that position now. I hope something can be done to save your team, enjoy your three finals

Well done Workington , always painful to come up just short , but it's all there for the Comets now - good luck to them

As it’s such an iconic club with a superb set up and massive crowds that other clubs can only dream of, I take it Starman and Shovvy are putting together a business plan as we speak to secure the finance and make a fans buy out. I mean, it’s a no brainier so they keep telling us?

Losing to a decent Workington side in the play offs ( remember them ) is no disgrace . Your lot couldnt even defend a 29 point lead there .

Sincere commiserations to Glasgow - that could have gone either way until the last bend of the last of the 30 races. It should have been the final.

As per a previous example, Mike Lee had all those rounds, bar the Overseas Final (replaced Commonwealth in 1981) when winning the title in 1980. They all took place in the UK. You mention Olsen and Mauger, but let's look at the full picture. He also had to face the likes of Bobby Garrad (British Semi) Mike Lanham (British Final), Mel Taylor (Commonwealth) and Bent Rasmussen (Intercontinental). He also didn't beat his major rival for the title that year - Dave Jessup - once in the entirety of winning that World Championship. In contrast Woffinden has had to face all of his main rivals in 10 meetings across the season in 7 countries and has beaten them on multiple occasions to win the title. Still think it was tougher back in the day? Think again.

Wow what a day for the Workington Comets. Which I am sure will be the most successful season in the Comets history. Congratulations to Laura and Co for what has been a fantastic season of speedway. Looking back to early season fixture issues etc you have persevered and battled on against all odds and gained the success you deserve, at the same time as proving to the powers of speedway, that with the team you guys have put together Workington are 'The team' of 2018. Lets hope there will be a 2019 season for the Comets. Even if the dizzy heights of this season be difficult to match.... Congratulations to the best team of 2018.....

He was in the bar after the meeting, sore but expects to be fit for the next meeting

Was in the bar after meeting... seems to be ok just very bruised and painful ribs, wrist etc... hopefully be ok for next week

First of all, hope Rasmus is ok. Commiserations to the many travelling Glasgow fans, some of the best fans in Speedway, safe journey home. Wow another nail biter of a meeting, well done to all the lads rode their socks off, man of the match Mason Campton, take a bow. Still in a daze!! Three finals to get through but limited days in October left.. Once again well done the Comets.

Congratulations to the Comets , sounds like a nervous evening all round but a very busy end to the season for Workington looms.

I’ll have a pint of what you’ve been drinking. You’re obviously pïssed. Either that or just plain thick. That has to be one of the most stupid posts I’ve read in a while, which is some going considering the competition on here sometimes

The Wright stuff. Had to put this little video together to make up for how much I've missed the spectacle of Charles flying around the boards at the Oak Tree Arena since June. Enjoy! (with added soundtrack by another Charles Wright!)

Just been looking through those few clubs still racing and struggling to rearrange meetings because of the weather. Here we are on October and despite having had a very good summer their have been plenty of teams who failed miserably to get fixtures on when the weather was fine. Excuses will be many but the reality is that no one who is running this so called sport is in control or can manage it. What is wrong with those who own teams that allow this regular annual event to take place? Rules need changing and must be robust. Race by a specific date or forfeit the match. Neither the owners or administrators seem up to the job and they wonder why those who follow the sport are leaving in droves . Has anyone in a position of authority at BSPA level or running a club the balls to come on this forum and explain why come October the fixtures are still a shambles. Clubs at a least two levels have unfinished business and are rapidly running out of dates but I suspect that the usual excuses will be trundled out. Most fans are fed up to the back teeth with the clap trap that comes from the authorities. You have no respect for those who put hard earned cash into your coffers If you are one of those owners of a club and have the balls (and I doubt that no one with voting rights at BSPA level will stand up and be counted) it would be interesting to hear, (and please don’t try and tow the party line,), why you individually or collectively as a member of an exclusive club, have allowed the sport to have almost reach its nadir. Why you cannot be honest and tell the most important contributor, the fans the truth and convince every one of us why we should turn up in 2019 is something I doubt has even been considered. Furthermore what do you intend to do to win back the support of those who have long since drifted off into the sunset. You owe every supporter past, present and future an answer. I would put money on it that none you at club or BSPA level will come on here and tell the truth but I am happy to be proved wrong.

Fitting that Ty got the point in Heat 15 to clinch it after sacrificing 2 points himself when trying to protect young Kyle in Heat 7. That is the sort of teamwork that has got us to the incredible position we now find ourselves in. I hope Rasser is ok (rider of the year for me), that looked a nasty one - I don't think I have ever seen anybody try to take our bends3/4 as fast

Especially after all the crap aimed at him the last couple of years,could easily said sod it and walked away,but he stuck it out and believed he was good enough, and much credit to him for it,now he must feel it was all worth it

Mason Campton is the best £10000 you've made and we have spent thank you very much..hes an adopted cumbrian. Thank you for your good wishes for our '3' finals too.

We have history on our signing policy unfortunately. But i would rather give credit to Workington what a season they are having and is long overdue for them and there fans. Our problems are of our own making will lessons be learned.

Track staff deserve immense credit for getting the track as good as they did , given the rain we suffered on Friday and Saturday . Was an entertaining enough meeting , but will 13 points be enough ? I'm not so sure , but we live in hope

It's fairly obvious if you've seen the advert. There aren't many speedway riders who live in that area and have a set of helmets over the fireplace, trophies on display and a track in the back garden.

Charles Darwin had a theory.. For a species or entity to evolve and keep in existence, it is reliant on that species or entity to continually get stronger and develop itself to help prevent its removal from the face of the earth.. To that end, he decided it was the 'Survival of the Fittest' that would lead that species or entity to grow. With the thought process being that the strength of its 'alpha example' would lead the overall continued evolution and growth of the whole species or entity.. Another eminent Scientist, Albert Einstein, suggested that doing the same thing over and over again and each time expecting a different result was actually a sign of insanity... Both Darwin and Einstein have become revered by millions the world over through their work with their thoughts and findings influencing decision making and positively impacting billions of lives on a daily basis.. However.... British Speedway has a 'better idea' than the ones those two managed to come up with... 'Survival Of The Weakest' and 'There Is No Alternative' being what would appear to be its chief observations and belief.... If I am honest though, I am not entirely convinced Messrs Chapman and Godfrey, (and indeed the many others in charge over the past 20 years or so), will be held up in years to come with quite the same level of esteem and reverence for their ideas that 'Charlie and Bert' have received for theirs.... Maybe 'Quality not Quantity' could be a suggestion they may think about taking on board, as possibly could be 'Less is More'...?

If gavan replies you’d be the first one telling him to go back to the Ipswich thread, now your goading him into responding

Sometimes Me Webb comes out with a load of old squit on here which embarrasses other Lynn fans and that post about Adam Ellis is right up there with them. Dear me.

tonights meeting was one heck of a speedway fest . good crowd , plenty of action and the odd bit of controversy thrown in . Glasgow fans made up the numbers well ,as did other travelling fans . we appreciated you company. the meeting had everything you could ask for at a speedway meeting. fans on bends 1 and 2 were very loud and animated showing their enjoyment in the results of all heats . mason was really on the button and has been all season . the rest have all had great meetings and as a team , won and lost as one . no superstars in this lot , just guys trying their beast .workington fans/supporters love you all . watching every one of them produce good rides all season and to see young kyle progress as the season went on is something that a lot off fans will never forget . nicolai , rasmus , ty , kyle , mason , rene and one of the best products to come out of Cumbria, dan bewley . iwe thank you all for a good season watching you and lets see if we can round if off with some silver polishing . well done the adopted marras . woops almost forgot the management team and the track staff who make it all possible . we thank you all .

We couldn’t correct, beaten fair and square. Still walked away with a trophy. Anyway congratulations to the comets go win the lot now Laura and co deserve it.

Always had respect for Glasgow as a club and their supporters it aint always been rosy for you guys - Happy to see your club in a positive position

Hoggy must be the best Centre Green Announcer in British Speedway

The team done us proud tonight really got stuck in and rode with aggression and looked like the wanted it badly in all the heats - with the future of the club not looking great - lets try and put that to one side if only for a few weeks and go on and win the league! Make this for the late great Ian Thomas!

Adam is poular whichever club he rides for. I ‘d have him back at Lakeside any day. When he left the club a few years ago he told me that he found the track difficult but wanted to come back eventually and master track because he knew itwould make him a better rider. Trrue to his word he came back this year and has been superb.More tothe point he has been a great team man. Good all round bloke and good rider. Can’t fault him. Any club that gets him next year will be lucky.

Tough - suck it up sunshine

As Glasgow are crashing out tonight out of the play-offs. Can we use Harris for next Sunday? Harris in for Palm Toft and Richie Worrall or Kacper Woryna in for Nicholls. 1. R Worrall / K Woryna 2. E Grondal 3. Wilson-Dean R/R 4. U Ostergaard 5. C Harris 6. S Lambert 7. C Wilkinson. The above side would be in the best interests of British Speedway and would ensure a healthy contingent of Panthers' fans heading to Rye House.

One league any team who cant afford to run in it drops into the National League, Teams go back to their normal race nights only British riders allowed at reserve in the top league.Allow a 45 points limit scrap the one eight point rule , guest riders only allowed for missing any top two in averages ,others replaced by R/r or rider from own asset base. RIDERS WONT LIKE THIS BUT STRiCKED PAY RATE rule to be thrashed out before season ,limited time allowed for rider digging green light mounted by start line once it goes out riders allowed only 15 seconds to line up,any rider falling off at back when other team on a 5/1 and not clearing track when obviously he can to be deducted one point from his score but not the teams score at referees discretion .Team changes only allowed up to the end of August,starting rules unless obvious jump but if no tapes touched let go .No big gaps between meetings get back to speedway every week or at lest every two week at all tracks. What do you think about that lot folks

At this stage of the season every team should be expected to fulfil a fixture on any date offered

The weather forecast for the Rye area for next week is set to be fine, so why can't a midweek night be arranged.

Sooner or later, someone in authority need to order clubs to rearrange meetings as quickly as possible, there is a similar scenario happening with the Coventry v Eastbourne fixture scheduled for the same day.

That numptie supports Berwick and has a major chip on his shoulder about Glasgow , best leave him to his colouring in books

We as Glasgow fans are at this moment travelling down in the supporters bus also I know a lot are taking cars so you should make quite a bit at the gate x

It begs the question..... Do they want it as much as the supporters?

What next? An open top bus tour for finishing 9th in the league?

I'm beginning to wonder if the light has started to dawn on the speedway authorities at long last, 'cos I've just come across this on a lesser visited forum on this site: THE PATHFINDER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS 2018". The report has the feel about it that suggests it may have been commissioned by someone with authority within speedway. It identifies all the major challenges facing the sport in the UK, contains a detailed analysis of speedway's current assets, and makes recommendations as to the way forward in 2019 (which all look eminently do-able.) It makes some astute observations about where UK speedway is letting itself down as a marketable product and gives some really practical signposts as to how it might improve its marketing potential. Overall it contains some radical and controversial suggestions but my view is that it reads like a breath of fresh air. If someone in the higher echelons has really started to think along these lines then our sport may yet even manage to drag itself into the 21st century. One thing's for certain: if the powers-that-be stick to the 2018 formula in 2019 (as some have suggested), we are all down the pan.

Not at all... Unless it is allowed to by an operating model bordering on insanity. (That word again)... Nature and Economics both have a way of naturally culling populations and businesses whose numbers are too great and pose a threat to their very existence if not checked... Speedway needs to have a strong top league, ran with credibility and integrity, to attract crowds... Do that and it gives itself at least a chance of a greater amount of sponsors, and that so important national mainstream media coverage... With that sponsorship and media coverage will then grow more awareness, and ultimately, more fans.. A virtuous circle having been completed... In football for example, the EFL lives off the coat tails of the Premier League... The huge focus on the PL naturally permeates down to the secondary competitions and they then can exist positively in some of this reflective focus.. If the PL allowed guests/ringers, and allowed competitors to appear each week for any amount of teams, and then allowed them to have more than one contracted club, it would be (quite rightly) regarded as being contrived and Mickey Mouse... And I can guarantee, enjoy nowhere near the same level of financial rewards or coverage it has today.. With the lower leagues enjoying nowhere near the same reflective spin offs it currently has.. In short, the overall entity of Football has become a 'behemoth' in England, but if ran like British Speedway, it would not be anywhere near the size it has evolved into... In Speedway the Premiership should be clearly seen as the 'alpha league', the pinnacle for every team to aspire to be in.... Therefore. Get this league right, run it properly, and put all the resource you can in pushing it out to the public, many of whom are currently oblivious to its existence.. Speedway will never evolve, grow and get stronger when riders can ride for teams in various divisions as there is simply no aspiration to get to the top. Which means the top league will never be a true pinnacle.. As an example. Craig Cook this year has rode for Glasgow and Belle Vue, therefore what is Glasgows motivation for moving up? They already have a top ten Premiership rider riding for them in the 2nd Divison so why bother moving out of this league? And for Craig himself, where is his 'growth' going to come from? He will never evolve as a rider by dropping down a level to take on lesser opponents. He has been there and done that so at best will stagnate.. No criticism intended of Craig Cook by the way, as I feel the more riders with Craig's commitment and attitude to British Speedway the better the sport will be. However he should be evolving as a rider not stagnating, or even regressing.. Get the top league ran with credibility and integrity to the best level the teams in at can afford and push this to the awaiting populous.. Give any marketing budget and media focus to these teams in this league and let them be the standard bearers for all other tracks to aspire to.. Then develop clear opportunity for promotion to this league, and through all leagues, so clubs of all levels can show the required ambition to individually better themselves through natural evolutionary growth.. Or, at least be able to participate at their natural level of capability.. Simply. Without evolutionary growth, the Sport can, and will, never move forward.. Without aspirational opportunity, no evolutionary growth can even take place and you will stagnate.. And if you stagnate, eventually you will wither and die..

More effort should have been made last sunday, on what was, a dry sunny day.

I am not sure where you were standing, but the Scunny riders walked around to the exit of bend 2 to about 20 of us and shook our hands and had a chat, Jason stopping longest and thanked us all for coming. Not sure I would blame the Peterborough promotion without knowing the full story. If it is the last ever meeting they hold, and I hope not, it would have been quite emotional in the pits and events happen that would not normally. I think will agree to disagree on this and leave it there.

Isn't that what most sport, including Speedway should be doing? Attracting big crowds who are often paying more than t he normal admission and making money for the clubs?! Thats exactly what the play-offs do and what all clubs sign up to at the start of each season. There has to be winners and losers - thats sport.

That's the truth in a nut shell its all about the money nothing to do with sport. I agree that the play offs bring in the crowds and fill the promoters coffers for a few meetings. But what I do wonder is how much harm in the long run they do to the sport,most times that a team that does not finish top of the league wins the play offs we get threads like this one which over the years has caused many many pd off fans. Because of weakened teams due to injuries,poor guests, teams strengthening for the plays offs alleged rule breaking plus many more reasons to p off fans. My team have finished top of the league twice and lost the play offs both times I was gutted and mega pd off and at the time looking for all the unfair reasons why we lost yet I was not that bothered at all when reaching the play offs and losing when not finishing top. It just makes me wonder for how many fans has the play offs been the final straw and made them walk away from the sport.After supporting your team all YEAR watching/willing them on to win the joy of away wins and in the end the happiness of toping the league then over a few matches its all over and you win sod all is gutting.I must admit at the time it left me very disillusioned with the sport and walking away did cross my mind but I got over it and am still here but how many others are not.

Well jel of both sets of fans hope you see two cracking safe meetings may the best team win

A lot of other clubs WOULD want it, that's why it has been considered at pre-AGM meetings.

I'm trying to work out the value of Poole aor for that matter any club as the 'rider assets' are worthless. As for a brand then that aswell must have little worth. The ironic thing is the BSPA have spent the last 25 years at least running the sport to suit individual agenda's of various promotions to 'protect' their financial interests. Those actions now make those investments almost worthless when coming to sale.....who would spend thousands on a knacked old tractor and some dirt?

100% incorrect. Unless you are on a wind up like Mr Shovlar. Pretty clear from last weeks two meetings that if Iversen, MPT & Kurtz had been fit for both legs we would have won pretty comfortably, probably getting near 100 points. Our two guests averaged 4 over the two matches yet we still scored 88 points. No doubt in my mind we were the best team over the season but experienced horrendous bad luck when it came to the final. Conversely Poole riders knocked off and injured two riders which got them through to the final and then helped them win it. Unbelievably cruel luck for Lynn but that’s speedway unfortunately.

Tai coming to my home town to a meeting and not riding in it is a perfect example of why I don’t like him, racing is what he does it’s what we as fans pay to see