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Harris's sob story is pathetic,he's earn a few bob more than he makes out,total self interest.Why go Long Tracking to lose money !!!.had a lot of respect for him as a rider and entertainer but his PR is terrible.90+ meetings this season and just making ends meet!! Pull the other one!

Well if he brings it up in an interview then it kinda is up for discussion!

You not join yet then ?

Harris isn't short of money, his wife bought him a brand new Jaguar last month. What you read in Speedway Star is mostly people pushing their own interests no matter what the consequences.

Not forgetting his continual pretty dismal GP appearances which must have cost him a bomb.....er. Pride and common sense should have kicked in ages ago and he should have stuck to league racing.

Put certain riders of a 50m handicap and you would have them as 3 pointers by May but stuck off 50m all year The next year off scratch those same riders would average 10+ Handicaps not practical IMO

98. A season I’ll never forget as an Ipswich fan

Well, can you not give a freind your money and get them to pay you in ?

Sounds like many of you think the best plan would be to turn off the lights, lock the doors and hand back the keys..... You should be delighted anyone wants to take it on and keep it going (at whatever level)

No, he just knows everything about everything, most of which is usually rubbish..

I have an incline that many fans of horse racing, attend because they can have a flutter, it kills a bit of time between races, etc. I'm not sure that I would attend race meetings, just to watch horses run around a field with white barriers and some with some bushes to jump over.

Not on here, surely? The forum is positivity personified :-)

Harris work and start the season prepared and fit???? I'm not sure his self inflated ego would agree with that.

horse racing is having an upsurge in attendance etc and you could argue that at a flat meeting there could be 6 races of 2-3 mins each or less,they fill the dead time and provide other on course attractions,also provide comfort and usually excellent food

Hope this never happens or that's me finished. Already had 3 weeks of the damn things upsetting the dogs.

Personally I would like 7 man teams to remain. I do believe the league is far too strong and if you exclude the top 22 riders and promote two nl riders in both reserve berths in every team in the league. Give the brits a chance. Let those riders double up in the nl to give them plenty of track time and that will help the transition into the championship. Maybe keep these riders at reserve all season to stop poor quality foreign riders and has beens from dropping into the reserve berths.

Can only go by the fact that a significant number of posts on this thread are stating 1)Top league speedway at Boro doesnt work 2)2nd tier speedway at Boro doesnt work 3)Weekend speedway at Boro doesnt work 4)Weekday speedway at Boro doesnt work 5)Any combination of the above at Boro doesnt work Of course how representitive that is of the real view of the pussycat faithful is not proven and there I would bow to your greater local knowledge Im just very surprised at how much negativity there is for ANY proposal even given thats what the BSF often does best

Bernie was the first Swindon rider I was aware of, as his picture was in the Speedway Star that I bought before going to my first match. That was also 1974, although David Ashby was riding, so Bernie isn't the first to go from that side.

Very sad news. He was my favourite Racer of the 70's and early 80's. Team riding with Bobby Schwartz was brilliant to watch. A team man through and through. I use to watch him grass tracking as well. A lovely man. Condolences to his family.

Yes but you will also cut the revs as you wouldn’t be able to get the same power and also the obvious thing is 2 less valves, springs and guides so you save £150 straight away

You are deluded chap, nothing can be done to save a sport that delivers only 15 mins of action over two hours. They find it boring, it's that simple...

Very sad news. Remember watching Bernie many times and was Reading thru' and thru'. After his one year loan spell at Swindon he did consider swithing over to 'the 'Robins' but returned home after Smallmead was completed afer a little pressure from Reg Fearman! Speeday couldn't survive without the Bernie Leighs...dependable team orientated loyal riders and something sadly lacking nowadays. May he RIP.

One league of 18 team would give 34 league matches + play off +koc or any other competition + any challenges , that’s around 50 meetings 25 home 25 away , season is only 26 weeks long , that pretty much 2 aWeek , how many do they need ? , I like bomber but his interview was selfish and at odds with what the sport needs to do to move forward

Seen on Facebook that Reading stalwart and ex-Swindon man Bernie Leigh has sadly passed away. Poignant for me as he's the first to pass away of the original Swindon 7 I watched in my first meeting v Ipswich in 1974.

Primarily it was rider availability with there overseas commitments that made a Friday the preferred choice.

Pete used to attend Leicester Speedway and do some odd jobs like litter collecting and cutting the grass in the week. However he was permanently barred from the stadium due to being abusive to stewards and away supporters he seemed very opinionated in his views. From what I personally saw there was no signs of his wrong doing while at the Speedway and goes to show how shocking some people’s personalities and lives can be.

Wasn't he bragging about that on Twitface or something? Not the wisest thing to do. But doesn't Mrs H have a decent paid job I gather? So maybe he's more the househusband during the winter. Nobody has asked or required him to risk his life riding speedway, it's his choice and so if it's not bringing in enough, then it sounds like he (and his wife) have maybe got some decisions to make. I don't really believe that he's exactly rolling in money, though.

Sundays also affected the team Panthers can put on the track let's not forget that

I am not really sure just starting a bit of speculation/conversation. The One thing i do find every year there isnt a lot of value between 4.5 - 6.5 which makes team building difficult

And that’s why our original team failed this year. We built a team which would have succeeded in 2017but in 2018 five teams had two number 1 riders leaving the rest to build solid teams. And that was our problem. Our reserves couldn’t compete. But for the system to work like 2017 we must stick with this plan for a min of 3 years or we won’t see the benefits. We must learn from history.

Brummies will remain in the NL im 99% sure of this . Flint 8.6 Embelton 3.0 Hume 8.1 clegg 7.38 Davey 8.61 Thompson 3.00 Thompson 3.00 Thats if points limit is at 42 which it should be

It's a shame that those teams committed to top flight racing can't run with the top riders for a year. That way if the fans still don't come, then we know the sport is knackered at the highest level.

So the circumstances which compel many riders, especially British ones, to ride for two clubs in the UK has come about due to a combination of their needing to try and make riding speedway "pay" or at least cover the costs. One club does not provide a sufficient number of fixtures, and income from riding for a club in Poland has either been shut down or is too unreliable. So there has been the development of a dependence on this situation with no simple way out, other than to retire or to earn income in another way. So doubling up within the UK it can't really be abolished instantly, it has got to be done in a planned way and over a period of several seasons, with the plan being stuck to by all. The costs seem to be absolutely crazy and they will be the demise of speedway as we know it. Reading Chris Harris' perspective one question which crossed my mind was "what does he do from November to March"? Indeed the same could apply for any speedway rider. In Harris's case it's hard to believe that he wouldn't be able to find paid work over that period. It might even help him to stay fit and start the season better!

£1 per race, free race card. I liked Tatum idea about the interaction app. Maybe make a few prizes available on the night for that each meeting. 1st is a vip pass for 2 then the next 3 will get a free ticket. Make it a big part of the night . Lynn have done a lot this year in terms of inclusion. Kids club, riders interacting with fans, conferences post meeting. Stupid things like hold ups, tannoys playing up, riders moaning about conditions, relentless track grading, and a hum of negativity about the product in general is all things that put people off. Rain offs too so track covers?, im not buying into this 1 league thing. There will bee too many teams in the bottom half and their crowds will all be hit. I’d keep the 3 tier, weaken the middle tier with the draft (unprotected so averages aren’t botched) and strengthen the top league, 2 brits minimum per team. Minimum ave back to 3. And slightly weaken the nl. Not too much. But it isn’t what Plymouth Birmingham and Eastbourne want it to be. If they want a pro league then step up. In an ideal world centralise all clubs so they are run as franchises to a well established independently run system where all 3 leagues will be ran under 1 package. With stepping stones for uk riders to progress. Light shows and fireworks, entertainers in track grades, ear pieces where you can hear analysis and interviews in between heats, competition apps, cheap try out days. Invest in trying to gain a media presence so it all actually matters.

I'd hazard a guess that 99% of the British public have no idea how much it costs to attend speedway, therefore have no concept of whether it is "value for money" or not.

If the new owner has deep pockets and is prepared to cover the losses, that's his prerogative. As long as it dosent put the future of the track at risk.

Except the lease may require cross guarantees to a holding company or personal guarantees from Directors, we're talking Laura here and whilst she has had cash flow problems she always gets settled up. She would have her whole future to lose if it went wrong but it is unlikely her trustees will allow that sort of commitment and she doesn't shirk her responsibilities.

The way things are it's hypocritical for both the Football and the RL team's to commit to a 50+ yr lease agreement as both are spent forces and highly unlikely to be around themselves in anywhere near that timescale? The council should be looking to benefit "all of the sport" in the town and not just provide a new home for those whom feel they have a god given right to perform in one? Neither club will fill an 8000 arena so it's already certain that outside factors will take the lion's share of usage in order to make it viable, West Ham moved into the Olympic Park and simply put temporary seating in to get fans closer to the action, an option not even considered here but eminently workable and, a reasonable chance of larger crowd access and bigger events being brought in to make use of the extra capacity? It just re-emphasizes the narrow minded/parochial view of the people in charge that the most successful club in the town are "potentially" being forced out of existence by the use of a completely nonsensical agreement that really means less than the paper it's written on?

Change, a rider believes somehow that someone would be getting an advantage and they are not thinking about the future of the sport , the old argument about what would happen to all the current engines if we brought in some sort of standardized or different engine is about to be tested , GM has just brought out a new engine that looks completely different to current model, now the top guys will buy it and if it proves to be a winner then every one will have one within months and the GMs we use now will become obsolete , so what’s the difference ?the only difference is one way is enforced and the other is choice but either way it’s the same end result of the current engine being made obsolete except one way is good for the future of the sport and the other pushes up costs

I posted this on the wrong thread so have re posted: It is obvious that British Speedway cannot afford the top riders with the wages and the big signing on fees they require. Something has to be done to bring the cost down for promoters and riders alike, although it may be a little late, when all costs starting rising and crowds starting dropping years back, action should have been taken then, but nothing of any consequence was done. Speedway in this country must take a step back, throw away the rule book and start again. Too many complicated rules for a simple sport that fans cannot understand (or is that the general idea I wonder). The sport has gone from a team sport to a sport of individuals, riders rushing off soon as the meeting has ended and not mixing with the supporters, and the presentation (if you can call it that) is abysmal. The cost is too expensive to take a family on a regular basis, although Speedway prides itself on being a family sport! The entrance fee for two adults and two kids, programme, car park and the kids will want burgers and drinks, not forgetting the adults say an average of £60-£80, plus their fuel to get their, how many young families can afford £240 or more a month, with a mortgage to pay etc. As soon as the crowds drop the promotions only answer is to put the entrance fee up. Thoughts.

I read a few comments recently by Chris Harris. It does seem the sport owes him a living. Let's look back. It made him leave school without qualifications, he hasn't done a job apart from speedway in the 20 or so years since (it paid so well, even allowing for a winter rest) and says nowadays what little he earns from racing goes straight back into helping him carry on racing. The lad must be using foodbanks. Me, personally, I feel if the sport is now set up purely to benefit riders having enough meetings for various clubs so they can earn a decent living. And by catering for the riders this way it is alienating the fans, who are no longer attracted by the team ethic of the sport. Obviously, there are other matters to resolve, but this is one of them.

Doesn't even need to be at the conference,on the night will do if it suits,as has been proved.

Well done every one at the Iow ,,The rest of the promoters in this country could learn a lot about how to run Speedway for the community...

Got to know Bernie quite well at the Lew Coffin training schools 68/69. Always absolutely determined to make the grade, it was a pleasure to see him gradually progress to team Speedway. Once he had done so he continued to attend the schools with the hire bike and was always willing to advise novices (or often as not help pick them up!). A hell of a nice guy with always a cheerful word for everybody. RIP Bernie

If Bomber had done better at school he would understand this... As he didn't, he doesn't

The problem is that the sport is run by those operating in the "now". They have no incentive to make is sustainable in 10 years time as most will have bowed out by then (although who they will sell the ailing clubs to remains to be seen). Chris Harris is the last person who's opinion should count, if a rider who has competed at the top level in the UK for 10+ years cannot make it pay without doubling up/down then we are in a very sorry state. Bomber has a few years left max so is obviously out for his own interests and to grab as much cash as he can before he is kicked off the gravy train. If the sport is to move forward it will need to allow the semi-pro's time to develop before deciding if they can commit to speedway full time or not (and by full time i mean race UK & abroad not 100+ UK meetings) as at present far too many talented riders are falling between the cracks purely down to lack of finances.

One thing that should be taken no notice of at this AGM is the opinion of rider's. Clubs need to look at reducing cost and encouraging larger spectator levels. Riders in British Speedway are the ones that need to look at themselves. Example, do I really need a PJR (or equivalent) engine to be racing in British Speedway? The answer is no. Do they really need super lightweight frames? No Do they need different coloured wheels rather than the standard? No etc etc So, the BSPA just need to look at 2 things, bringing costs down and more spectators. These 2 go hand in hand as more spectators = better profits or at worst, smaller, controllable loses. I still say that all the rider's in the leagues should be paid the same, whether a heatleader or a reserve. Premiership = £140 per point Championship = £80pp National League = £20pp

All I remember is attending Coventry, Cradley, Eastbourne, Swindon etc etc on Saturday nights and always in front of healthy crowds, the ONLY thing that should dictate what night a club runs on is the availability of the stadium for the night a club wants to run on. GP riders seem to be able to make it to a Polish League match on a Sunday afternoon from wherever the GP event has been held on the Saturday night so why any other riders couldn't I fail to understand, Poland is 3 hours away max, on an early morning redeye they could be at the stadium by 11 am. Some riders are going to have to make some tough decisions either 30 odd matches in the UK or a handful in Poland. British Speedway can't be running it's business to suit others, it's never been at a better place to lay down some of its own rules, all of the prima Donna riders have been weened out of the league and with the country brexited by the start of next season there'll be no restriction of trade laws to block British Speedway doing its own thing. I think we all agree something radical needs to happen, Poland really shouldn't be an issue anymore!

Neither do I, but !!!!!!! Second half is free if you want it.