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Which fans should they listen to? The ones who want one big league at Championship level or the ones who want a stronger top league? The ones who want 13 heats and a second half or the ones who think that 15 heats in a match is better value? The ones who want the play-offs or the ones who don't want the play-offs. The fans who want modern music or the fans who say the music isn't important as it's all about 4 blokes on bikes without brakes? It's all very well saying "listen to fans", but in the end they'll just agree with whichever fans give an opinion that they, themselves, like. Because the fans don't all have the same opinion.

Viewing is personal preference. I never minded going to RH a couple of times a year when the weather was nice and ejoyed the close up viewing but I wouldnt want it every week and for regular viewing I much preferred Arena, where I could always see the whole track from the main stand or entry to bend 1. As for racing, what you said is simply not true.Rye House is a converted stock car track. It is also a small track that rides like a big track, I.e.full throttle and if a half decent rider makes the gate and keeps the throttle open he won't be caught, especially as the straights are relatively narrow. . As for Lakeside being too flat, you only have to stand on the stock car track at the apex of the Speedwáy bends and you will see the Speedwáy bends are banked to around knee knee height. The racing at Lakeside was improved when the shape was changed to give more width going into the bends. Neil Middleditch described Arena as a thinking mans track, in other words a rider has to be thinking two steps ahead of where he is on the track all the time. Kelvin Tatum said that because it is mentally demanding a lot of riders are beaten in their minds before the race even starts. I think referee Chris Gay summed Arena up pretty well, he said Arena was not the best track he officiated at but it is in the top half. Unfortunately you, like several others on here want to impose your opinions as being absolute right or wrong, but there are plenty of long term Lakeside fans who take the opposite view. To see a rider like Peter Karlsson going from last to first with one of his famous cut backs, or riders like Ed Kennett or Lewis Bridger scraping the air fence and firing themselves off the banking at Arena is as good as you'll see anywhere. The great thing about Britsh Speedwáy is that all tracks are different and the style of racing is different. The problem is that some fans are too closed-minded to acknowledge that.

Probably just words of support Hammer180, I remember when the club were looking to drop the NL, Richard asked if there was anything he could do to ensure the club continued to race at a higher level, Top man is Richard Lawson. If you made a list of the top 5 most likable riders the club has had in its entire history, Richard would be in that.

I could ask the same question of you. You are entitled to your opinion of course and there has already been a rebuttal of a couple of your viewpoints. Watching from a little further back allows a greater field of vision, especially when we have 'the two races in one' scenario and, also, in my opinion Arena was a much safer track. Rye House is too narrow and had Nick Morris had the same type of incident as happened in the first attempt to run Heat 15 against Glasgow, he would have piled into the fence - no wrap around the corners airbags at RH! As for the quality of racing, I find it really difficult to even put RH in same league as Arena which at least offered riders options on the lines they take rather than just open the throttle and blast round for four laps.

A very positive initiative THJ which requires the wider fan base epecially the 'hardcore' supporters to embrace in order that we can continue to have the sport we love. It's not that many months ago that Whitehaven Rugby league apealled for help from the wider community to help raise something like £60K. I was recently informed on good authority that the club are now debt free. If this was possible for them then why not the Comets ?. So come on everyone lets all look very seriously at what we can do to help secure the future of the club. Up the Comets !!

Well Danny king has tweeted today, that 3 weeks ago today he had his surgery, and following a visit back to hospital, in his words " my bicep is waking up"

Hi to all Workington Fans. Here is the rub, running in 2019 will be very difficult and honestly it still is in doubt as to whether we will be coming to the tapes next year, however I am proposing something different and developing a business plan (with others) to save the club and to ensure it runs at least for the next three years whilst Derwent Park is still available, what happens after this period we can worry about then. What I am looking for is some commitment from fans; local businesses or anyone who has contact details of anyone who can offer support who I can talk to, the proposal is to form a new partnership (LLP) to run the club. For obvious reasons I can not go into much detail on here however, I do have the bit between my teeth; but I can not do this all on my own. I am working with the promotion to formulate a plan to take the club forward and continue with the sport in Workington. The Club "end of season bash" is at the Workington Railway Club this Friday and I will be open for any discussions then where the plan can be discussed or if anyone would like to PM me I can provide details. The Speedway Trust who have provided invaluable support over the last two seasons and will be heavily involved along with all of the fan base. It is an open secret that the club isn't financially viable and has had cash flow problems, hopefully my proposal will go a long way to correcting this. As the BSPA General Meeting is coming up fast this proposal is time limited unfortunately as certain assurances and guarantees have to be met at the BSPA AGM. So come on Workington how much do you want Speedway, its your call. Once its gone I very much doubt you will ever get it back Regards THJ

Not defending the rider. as you and your other Scunny fan has pointed out Phillips was not scoring the points all season, so why did it take your Team Management while after the cut off point for team changes to decide that he needed dropping. Your Team Management were caught with their pants down, I find it more than frustrating that you vent your frustration out solely on the rider the rider, why not the Management team as well?

Never mind then. Let's just leave things as they are. Let's have an ever decreasing number of them riding for various teams every night of the week whilst their mates (and I'll mention Joe Jacobs again) having to pack in because he can't get a ride. Let's have fans who want a team to support continue to drift away because they can't take the sport seriously (Chris Harris just missing out on the play off's with Glasgow but winning a league winner's medal with Poole and a cup winners medal with Somerset). Just let things continue as they are and see how many riders can be full time then. The answer will be none, because the sport will cease to exist.

It'll be new season, same old sh!t.

It's true that quite often fans want different things but anybody reading through the BSF would see that there are many things that most of us agree about. Most agree that the sport needs to reduce the amount of messing about at the starting gate and the time spent at the pit gate before a re-run. We mainly agree that the presentation needs to be slicker and geared to the 21st century. We agree that the fixtures need to be better planned to provide continuity and to avoid the chaos at the end of the season and we mainly agree that there should be a continuity of riders in teams to allow fans to better identify with "their" team. Any professional organisation would look at those and all of the other issues of concern raised by fans and where fans express different views, analyse those opinions and try to identify remedies that would appeal to the majority and not alienate the rest. What is certain is that any organisation in the entertainment business will fail if it does not provide what it's customers want.

What is the NL then, benefits cheats and trailer trash ?

if the new track is to happen it will not be for a few years and that could be to long to keep a fan base as I have already said. jon did not say that a track on the old site was the only option there were several others but for some reason the developers and council do no like one of them. jon also said there had been a lot of positive phone calls during the day maybe there is someone with the deep pockets needed for it to work is out there. I would like to know what was so special about the phone calls from adam and Richard were about for jon to mention it. re next season if all parties at rye and lakeside can find some common ground then it could work there for the few years needed to keep the club alive of course that's depending on someone stepping up to the plate in the next couple of weeks or the powers that be give the likes of us and Workington an extention of say 3 months to get things in to place wont hold my breath on that one.

It’s an unfortunate choice of word for Rosco to have used but as the current system stands that’s probably how it’s seen. I do agree, however, that JD is self employed and that technically he has no master and serves which ever teams he pleases. The asset system should be one of the items on the agenda for discussion to bring the ‘ownership’ of riders in to 21st century. The current rules are a nonsense. All riders should be tied to the governing authority of UK speedway only. Negotiations should be done on an annual or bi-annual basis depending on length of contract offered and the rider returned to the pool at the end of it. The governing authority would be responsible for ‘transparency’ in such matters and clearly defining the contract position. In addition, they should look at all riders currently riding in the world as at today’s date and assigning them a UK average. Either based on an average obtained in the UK previously or if they are new to the UK, an assessed one. These averages should also be published before the start of the season, so everyone is fully aware and also defining their contract position within the UK irrespective of whether they are riding here or not. Averages written on the back of a packet of Swan Vestas and made known to 3 or 4 people is not acceptable! Who would have thought that this would be so bloody difficult...

Well you didn't seem to know so much in your original post!

Luke is hardly starting out is he........he has plied his trade in the States, which is the reason most British tracks would welcome him!! I'll let you into a little secret..........tight technical tracks are pretty common in California, so your valued advice seems to have been heeded. Having witnessed Luke on his home tracks, my opinion is the best choice of track for him in Britain (should he choose to ride here, which is far from forgone) would be Sheffield!!!

Wow. I expected far more reaction to the news about Stuart Douglas. Just goes to show how jaded the fans of the club are, I suppose, and who can blame them? Whilst I think that is the final nail in the coffin, he is right that a Lakeside out of Essex isn't Lakeside at all. I've always had a lot of time for Stuart Douglas. I think when someone stays in the background so much it's easy to forget the input they have in keeping the club going. That he is still talking about pouring heart, soul, and money into getting a new track in Essex after all the trials and tribulations over the years, that his heart is still set on not only chasing, but catching that dream, shows the total dedication and commitment of the man. The class and humility in his statement speak volumes. There aren't enough good words I can say about him, but "gentleman" is one that will suffice for now. Thank you for everything you did for Arena, Stuart.

When the head of the BSPA says there is nothing wrong with the product you know the sport is stuffed.

Move into Hoddesdon,drop the K and swap the A and E around and there you have it-Leaside Hammers. It's your only hope.

Hasn’t changed the fact that he’s got a face like a wet weekend and behaves like he’s a superstar when he’s still got much to prove

Agree with everything you say, however.. Not sure if it will cease to exist as it has ran pretty much the same operating model for decades and is still here. (Just).. The big difference nowadays is obviously Social Media magnifies the issues a thousand fold, hence we discuss the nonsense that so often pervades far wider than we used to years ago when we all agreed it was still nonsense but at a very local level, eg with the five or six people you were stood with at the track after finding out your No1 was in Germany to ride in a Long Track meeting tomorrow, and your opponent had four guests due to one being in the same Long Track meeting, and the others missing because this was an rearranged meeting... Same nonsense but we had already paid our money when we found out so didn't have a choice to attend or not.. Speedway hasn't cottoned on that Social Media can be a huge force for good but sadly also hasn't realised that it can also be a huge problem given 'bad news' is now 'out there' within seconds... The sad fact is the way they give out so much nonsense through their ridiculous operating model, it leaves them wide open to ridicule via the modern media, which can never be a good start from which to attract a decent following... What you got away with in the Seventies when England/GB had great teams, great riders and great coverage on mainstream written and visual media, you simply cannot get away with now... Domestic Speedway was still "a bit Mickey Mouse" back then, but what you saw on ITV on a Saturday afternoon wasn't domestic league Speedway and always had credibility (and an 'X Factor' in Peter Collins)... And domestic Speedway then flourished on the coat tails of this coverage... Yet Speedway still runs a very similar operating model domestically that it did in the Seventies.. And it still runs a similar all round entertainment package for your night out that it did in the Seventies.... But doesn't anywhere near still run a similar admission cost to what it did in the Seventies when index linked to inflation... Cease to exist? Probably not for a good while yet, but it will (and can) only meander to an ever decreasing fan base using its current model of operation. One piece of bright news is I read today that the over 60's in ten years will form over 12 million of the whole population... Maybe light at the end of the Speedway tunnel after all...

Sadly i'm not sure that goodwill exists anymore, with a few exceptions, compared to back in the day. Especially with the amount of injuries riders suffer these days...

In the case of Richard Lawson, I think the true 'mark of the man' is that there will be a raft of teams in 2019 ready to snap him up.

Sadly, history tells us you will be correct. (Or ran even worse)....

I've had disagreements with Steve but he is not one who generally misreads posts. We all from time to time get things wrong, it's called, being human. I realised what he had done but didn't feel the need to point it out.

This one

Not quite, that level of labelling is reserved for the development leagues

Which is why their valuations are ludicrous! Someone mentioned £500K for Poole - for what? The rights to promote speedway in that area? It only takes one rider to challenge the asset system for it to be deemed illegal (and therefore no value in club asset terms)

Its a done deal, just waiting for the paperwork to be signed off, then up you go back up to the dizzy heights of the top league with the big boys and you won't have to post down here with the second division poor people.... Regards THJ

BUT it's not ... riders are considered assets who can be loaned or sold. They are not. They have no contract so can do as they please and it is time British speedway broke the mould and accepted the same freedom of movement that occurs in Denmark, Poland and Sweden to name but three.

Wishing you the very best with your efforts, the town deserves for the Sport to continue especially after the successes of this season, it would be a crying shame for the Sport to be lost in Mara land.. when its gone its gone..

Stuart used to post on here when he was just a sponsor before he took over the club, so if he does still look on here I want to tell him thank you for giving me a team to support for all these years and thanks for the memories.

I doubt that very much Whisperer, it would be too far for him to travel.

What would you expect him to score? He got 30+6 over the 4 meetings so matched his average

Go Workington!!

My thoughts on 2018 have not changed from the previous years. The NL to break away from the BSPA and register themselves with the SCB independently . Then a straight 42 point limit every season. Still British passport holders only. No doubling up, if a rider wants to ride in a different league having signed for a NL team then he leaves the NL and cannot come back for 2 seasons and gets an enhanced average subsequently. Handicap system so 'weaker brethren' one season gets 43/44 limit the next season. Not too bothered about Guests and r/r within reason. There have been some terrific NL races this season and with a 42 point limit the best can be retained with no real 'wobblers' Sell a highlights package to a TV company showing all the races and cutting out all the between inter heats delay and rubbish spouted by presenters like Pearson. This could be screened the following evening. After a few years the NL would become Britains foremost league if they do it right and some of the other clubs will be anxious to join. Drastic maybe but that is just what we need. I have no doubt it wont happen but I can dream.

Its a bit unfair to single out individuals when there are so many interesting and knowledgeable contributors to this section of the forum . Yes there are also a few numpties who's sole purpose is to wind folk up and also one or two of the nasty variety . But thankfully they are in the minority and the rest of us love the sport and i enjoy the quiet moments reading the various threads . I remember the days when i went to the speedway ; went home and didnt have anyone to talk to about it until the following week , so this forum has been a godsend in that respect . Long may it continue to flourish .

Just for the record, in my line of work I have come across many addicts. It is an illness no matter how it started. The reality is that addicts come from all waulks of life, some have decent upbringings, many don’t. Reality is very few succesfully overcome their addiction. For the minority that do, I respect them rather than refer back to what they were when their addiction had hold as they have fought and won a battle few can. Remember addiction can come about from legit sources as well as illegal drugs. This case as it stands, it’s his family my heart goes out to. For their sake, I hope he proves to be in the strong minority

I agree about the fixture list should be completed but if the fixture list was not compiled properly or fixtures changed then changed back again then one can hardly blame the clubs involved. also this was about the third attempt to run the fixture!

i predict Kings Lynn will top the team vote but Poole will win on a technicality

Also, why would it be a fitting final with a Peterborough side having 3 of their own riders & 4 guests!

Obviously you have not checked the rules for the Championship in 2018 & previous years. THERE ARE PLAY OFFS & everyone knows the rules before the start so no one was robbed.

As you no doubt already know, yes I was. I opened up Newcastle in 1997, after investing in it in 1994, only to be told the owner didn't want speedway again at his stadium. His accountant had different ideas and bought it off him, and got in touch with our group to invite us back in. Third in our first season, we went on to sign a young Nicki Pedersen followed by Bjarne Pedersen and Kenneth Bjerre and won the PL title in 2001, and runners up on equal points in 2002. I gave my major share in the club away for free in 2003, and retired from promoting, but continued to work with the promotion and established my own free training school(10 years on now) restarting the Gems team which last season produced the NJL 500cc and 125/150 champions and the 2018 BYC 150cc champion. All riders in the current Gems team had never ridden a speedway bike before riding in the training school, so I run the only home bred team in speedway. What part of my failures do you want to concentrate on while your head is a bit fuzzy ?

IT was stockcars ...

There are more positive people than you out there m8, thank goodness!! You don't have all the answers, nobody has, there are lots of good things about our sport, you're on such downer about it, jeeeeez! Go down to the Isle of Wight Speedway next year, might help with your lack of positivity!!

The bike he had there on Monday was a dummy bike that was knitted out with his bike covers. His season has finished and while money isn't everything why should he ride in a meeting for a few hundred quid when he was there to meet the fans after making history as the first three time World Champion from Britain. Riding was was never in consideration and let's face it, it's not exactly a line up to test him or even riders like Fricke, Lambert, Iversen and Doyle who have full bike set ups here but it's not questioned why they were not riding. Yes merchandise sales were part of it but to knock him for turning up and putting a smile on many faces that night is surprising anyone would even question it. At least he did his bit by doubling the gate and never had a holiday booked

Are they doing buy one get one frees yet?

Keep up. That's last year's AGM.

We just need to adopt the Polish system with the two minute clock. The 2 minutes is activated and the riders have to be ready to start the race before it gets to zero.

You've obviously considered it to write the comment and to decide you could be tempted, so not quite zero interest. That's who the promoters need to target, those who could be tempted. You could quickly glean who they are by talking to people at shows and in shopping malls etc.