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Whilst I am sure the racing matters, for me the lack of any atmosphere generated by having so few fans st Speedway meetings is what's killing it quicker. Perceived poor racing in front of a big crowd always seems so much better, and vice versa, great Speedway comes across as much less than it should when played out in front of 'one man and his dog'.. Hardly any away fans, and a home fanbase quieter than a Library, means a very flat atmosphere, and ultimately suggests the meeting isn't one that has any value and therefore not worth your continued patronage.. Unfortunately poor crowds are a self fulfilling prophecy... As why should you attend when hardly anyone else does? And slowly and inexorably the rot sets in.. Maybe collectively the sport should agree away fans get some special deals to encourage their attendance..? Fuel costs now are far different from 20 years or so ago meaning an away trip can be an expensive night out.. To help offset these costs, maybe charging just a fiver entrance to away fans would be worth it? Tickets they have to purchase from their home track direct on match nights in person, so as not to allow any 'non away fans' to jump on to the offer by post or via websites.. "Buy a ticket to tonight's meeting and get in to the next away match for a fiver"! Hardly any away fans go now so selling tickets for a fiver wouldn't do too much damage to profits I would suggest, and it may just deliver a better atmosphere... Which may also deliver a more positive self fulfilling prophecy?

My 15 year old enjoys speedway a looks forward to going if I suggest it. Five pounds doesn't break the bank, but I don't go regularly - just when the mood takes me. I do think that letting under 16s or under 18s in for free would be a good strategy to get kids interested and parents attending, particularly if you are going to attend regularly.

A fact or your opinion? If a fact, please show everyone the attendance figures for each club last season or point us to this information. Good luck

Believe it. I wrote his contract. It is extremely rare for a rider to have a minimum guarantee.

Bet you say that to all of them.

Then he should be taking to the track after the meeting not flogging a dead lawnmower during it.

That is certainly one of Buster's best thing's with Kids free. I'd have it as high as U21's. Personally, I wouldn't mind paying a junior admission price of a £5 if they got something in return i.e. free flags, air horns, bumper pack with signed photo/poster of the team or individual photos/posters etc etc. It's all about incentives to keep the youngsters coming back. By the time these kids turn 18 they'd then be hooked but it's then seen as "sad" to be given a kids pack. Maybe between 18-21 a free burger, chips and drink etc. Promoters need to think outside the box a little better.

Why is it a shame that we dont allow foreign riders in the British National Development League?

I’m sorry but does Hans have to have 4 rides? If not Carl Johnson needs to take some of the blame for the poor end to the meeting. Because if Summers was going to go in heat 14, which he did, why did Hans go out in heat 13, we knew before heat 13 that Summers was out in heat 14 yet had not ridden since heat 7. So the track was going to be completely different to then, surely common sense for a team manager is to replace a rider who is so obviously off the pace with a rider, who was going well in the beginning of the meeting, therefore giving them a better chance in heat 14 by having a run out in the heat before?

We seem to do moaning on here better than any other clubs supporters unfortunately. Some of it justified but the vast majority really not.

Glad to admit I was wrong. Excellent result.

I left tonight feeling thoroughly entertained and Cookie contributed to that. Some wonderful racing and apart from the crash after heat 14, a great evenings entertainment.

So you are sure you know ‘the guys’ financial status, therefore judge he should donate all proceeds to charity rather than ‘trouser it’? Assume you will be doing the same with your pension.

‘The Guy’ lost everything from his testimonial meeting when the club went under. He didn’t request the benefit meeting, it was offered, so hardly greed. Pi$$ poor post from you.

Surely it is right that the club holds the cards, they are after all the employers? Club supplies Kevlars and covers. Hans’ van is not supplied by the club, it is provided by a sponsor who sponsored the club when I was involved. Points money hasn’t really changed in 15 years, but crucially the cost of flights is lower than 15 years ago. With regards colours of sponsors logos, it’s nothing new we did it in 2006, white on a red background stands out much better than any other colour, surely the aim is to get sponsors logos to be seen, having them white achieves this better than any other colour. I don’t see the issue.

Not really, can take a hiding (Lynn have had umpteen over the years) but snide, childish comments on here I do struggle with.

I thought last night was very poor entertainment, I attended the practice session the night before and it was obvious then that the air fence did not look right so despite what was obviously a problem, the management and the track staff leave it until 07:30 before starting repairs at the insistence of the Ref. The parade was a total shambles with something that I guess was supposed to be music being looped over and over with the riders ambling across the centre green. The racing if you can call it that was dire with most of the riders not looking interested if they missed the gate and the atmosphere in the stadium just dead We are supposed to be in the top league of speedway and what was demonstrated last night was a total unprofessional mess, if I had attended that for the first time then I doubt very much that I would come back again, to be honest not sure if I am that bothered myself at the moment. Come on Poole Speedway, you have the potential to do much more but if you carry on like this then the crowds will stop coming

It appears I am not barmy after all.

Seems to work okay for Poole

Oh we all are

Having, Howarth, King and Proctor, a think you have a good start, a lot will depend on how your other 4 take to Brough. Newcastle have not been impressive at home yet, but its probly still like an away track for most. Hope Newcastle can start to click, but I wouldn't be suprised if it was a Sheffield win.

Agree- wouldn`t argue however no 8 should be Polish U21 rider not a foreign rider who then is not used in an injury situation- he is used to get around the regulation that says each team must have 4 polish riders in 1 to 7. Now one of them is named but doesn`t ride !!!

So many people want riders sacked after just 2 or 3 meetings. Its ridiculous to manage that way, all riders must get a fair chance of 10 meetings minimum. The team won. The league hasn't started.

My point is this team is not good enough..and Johnson was suggesting we are..which I disagree with.

So I called it smack on at heat 10. The writing was on the wall that early. As Lynn struggled at hom in their first meeting, so did Pirates tonight. But a pretty awful meeting in all honesty. The first thing was just before parade Tony Steele said a section of air fence needed replacing as it had a small hole and was not fully inflated. I noticed this yesterday at P&P. Why leave it until tapes up to do something about it? On a cold night the start was delayed until 8 pm due to this. Amateur hour. Then the scoreboard malfunctioned. Amateur hour two. Poor. The racing was poor. Mostly gate and go bar two heats. One where Proctor got on it and passed mobile chicane Holder and then Josh G. And in another with Poole on a 5-1 and Palm Toft snuck up the inside of Klindt, who was going to slow. The other heats were mostly from the gate. In heat 13 Kurtz knew he had to make the start but touched the tapes. In heat 15 he knew he had to make the start but Riss slammed the door and that was that. A deserved win for Lynn. Luckily it was won in the first leg.

Looks like Poole have more to worry about than new kelvars

Hope your internet goes down for a while

Speedway had it's boom times before the advent of race suits tbh. Race jackets are fine imo and certainly don't stop you winning the title

Not at all. Was up against a couple of the better reserves in the league I would suggest. Just hope a blank scoreline doesn't dent his confidence. Great start from everyone else with a special mention for Valentin who looks good on a bike. His 0's were not through lack of effort. Hopefully this form will follow us away from home too.

Reading the Speedway Star, and looking at the admission costs listed for each track, I thought I would see what the cost would be for me and my 15 year old lad to attend each circuit.. These teenage years (last year at school) seems to be the ones when 'kids' drift away from the sport, just at the time you would want to keep them interested as they are only one small step away from being potential paying customers themselves.. With the SON being just £22.50 for me and my lad to get in, it certainly puts into perspective some of the admission charges being asked for, and may also give some steer as to why terraces are hardly full to bursting. Some real disparate numbers for 'the same product'... Fair play to Buster, his three teams are by some way the lowest charging in the Premiership.. £27 - Glasgow, Edinburgh (Booked Online pre match day it's £25 at Edinburgh) £25 - Poole, Belle Vue, Wolverhampton, £23 - Swindon, Kent £22 - Redcar, £21.50 - Birmingham £21 - Scunthorpe, Somerset £20 - Newcastle £19 - Cradley £18 - Kings Lynn, Ipswich, Peterborough, Plymouth, Eastbourne £17 - Berwick £16 - Sheffield £15 - Leicester £13 - Isle Of Wight, Mildenhall £12 - Leicester Cubs £10 - Belle Vue Colts..

So that is the kiiss of death ?? But I hope not Dave

Neil could certainly be seen as someone that divides opinions but of no doubt is his contribution to speedway and Poole in particular Id say a benefit meeting isnt out of place for him but as Bwitcher states those that dont agree arent forced to attend and pay towards it

That was nearly a triple tape break- right decision because Lampart definitely moved 1st

2nd halves mean the bars will stay open later!

Not announced yet

Your missing what im saying. Im not picking out exact figures of what crowds Man Utd get and Wolves get. What im saying is that a top supported club be it in football or speedway can lose a number of fans who stop watching and still get more than a lesser supported team but its the percentage of people. In my analogy (forget the numbers) Man Utd 80000 fans....drops to 60000....a drop of 25% Wolves 40000 fans .....drops to 35000.....a drop of 12.5% Man Utd still get more fans. The point i am making here is Poole are probably the best supported team in the land. But if they get gates of 2000 and drop to 1500 then their fans are more fickle then a club who gets 1400 that drop to 1200

I wouldn't exactly call Jordan Jenkins in for Danny Phillips a like for like tbh... Plus we need to find riders who can ride our track, if a rider comes in on a similar average to Simon, but can actually ride Brough, then it's an upgrade is it not? It may be like for like on paper, but on shale, maybe not? Isn't that the trick to team building anyway,,, Maybe someone like Mikkel B Andersen might ride Brough better? (I don't remember how he did but just as an example)

At least the Easter Monday start time has been changed to avoid the footie clash!

Enjoy The point is that you don't have to have a combined team average much above 42 to win every match, in the land of the fairies

THJ, the teams average is worked on the scenario of 14 heats (84 points/42 points each team),,, 7 riders x 4 races = 28 races ÷ 1 pair of riders = 14 heats,,, therefore there is no need for the team to average 45/46 to win each match, so Workingtons 42.79 combined average was capable of having won every match

Ease it up gently Dave, ease it up gently

59.9

You are obviously in awe of his superior intellect

our riders stayed on the inside all night no chance from there. lambert superb after his first ride his three heat wins he was as far as he could go on the outside . anyway well done kings lynn for there win tonight

Happy to be wrong. Any win at Wimborne Road is a great win regardless.

As I said. Lambert does his job, Kings Lynn are ok.

Thanks!

Does it really matter?

He might even have had a pay rise !

Likewise, especially at reserve. Cant think who would have tapes problems!!