Leaderboard

This thread torpedoes any suggestion that all the posts on this forum are negative. Quite clearly, do it right and fans can be lavish with their praise.

The main aim was over a 5yr plan, first and formost to make the sport more professional. 2nd was an attempt to bring more money in to keep the "star" men. 3rd was advertising 4th, maintaining existing supporters 5th, being attractive enough to encourage new fans. What's actually happened in the 20yrs of television is absolutely none of the above. In fact, from 1999 to today the sport in the uk has declined in horrendous fashion. Even die hards have given up and walked away, new millenia fans have come and gone. This sport in the UK is in serious need of a defibrillator

Thankfully it appears the four aliases haven't worked out which one is going to start it.

The SKY coverage during the first 10 years at least should have put speedway on a sound footing. Had real business people been running the sport, no doubt it would have done. For two-to-three years from 1999 there were real signs speedway was on the up. Crowds seemed to be improving and SKY really did recognise viewing figures were good for its network of channels. We had our faces painted and kids were let in for a quid on the evening SKY rolled up for a live broadcast. There did seem to be a hint of proper promoting by those who had lazily worn the tag for yonks beforehand. But it didn't really last. It drifted into being taken for granted, speedway being on TV every week, and sometimes twice. I felt the sport - promoters and fans - thought SKY and the influx of cash would always be there. We even began having long faces when certain matches weren't on SKY, despite all they had done for us. Fans began getting picky when commentators were pronouncing riders' names wrong, or if certain teams featured more than theirs. That afternoon SKY had its cameras set up for the Riders' Championship at Coventry, when the promoter was scrambling on the floor looking for the dummy he'd just spat out, that was the final nail for SKY. They had so many rained-off meetings towards the end, I believe they decided to cut their loses. They were a professional broadcasting company working within an amateur sport. They couldn't drag it up to their level. For example, how many times did live matches overrun? BT have only half-heartedly accepted it, but we should be thankful for small mercies and not start bickering of who's doing a bad job and who you'd like to see on the panel. I often look at some of the dross SKY are covering during the summer months and cannot believe how the sport messed up its opportunity and is no longer featured. As a fan, I don't really know the ins and outs. But I do recall the amount of money SKY used to shell out setting up all the gear, and then the match was washed out. They aren't a charity and won't put up with it. BT also. I look at speedway, 20 years after SKY could have saved it, and see a dangerous shortage of riders with clubs having to share them, like the last cigarette being passed around by kids behind the bike sheds. I see clubs going weeks without a match in the height of summer, which will surely mean some fans will simply get out of the habit and get used to the cash in their pockets. Meanwhile, fans are expected to tune in to the GPs and see many of the riders (or their type) who put two fingers up at Britain and merely used it like a Tom Cat when the female was in season. Fans are expected to turn up trackside and support riders in their team who aren't even their riders. It's like visiting someone in hospital you don't know and wishing them to get better. It's not someone you know and love. In fact, you ask yourself why bother turning up at the bedside every week to wish someone you don't know get better. Looking at British speedway right now, I see remnants of what might have been, ghosts of live matches on SKY and all the missed opportunities. That could have been the sport's saviour. It should have. But look at it now. How many lives does it have remaining for British speedway to mess up?

A warm summer evening , an excellently prepared track , two very good teams culminating with one of the races of the season . You cant help but be positive

Year after year the World Cup produced some of the best racing and some of speedway's most dramatic moments. Sure it wasn't perfect, but the quest to 'improve' it has left us with a half hearted pile of rubbish.

Everyone needs to see if their cupboard has the 1972 Nike waffle racing flat moon shoe trainer lurking within - if you have you could be very happy. A pair just sold for £350k !! If all else fails it could at least be an apt new username for someone - 1972 Nike Waffle Racing has quite a ring to it

Even He would have difficulties riding the track like he once did. Going back to that first meeting in '65 , when Bettsy won, the track then offered more overtaking than it does today....

Ha Ha. Not quite the right spin on it again. When it was confirmed, it was understood to be a reward to the promotions to maintain the team strengths, and as expected a most needed increase in the income stream to keep speedway more viable. Certain powerful riders from another country, upped their demands followed by home riders in the same class. That filtered down to lesser riders , and in order to keep SKY happy and retain the top riders, the promoters were forced to cave in just to retain the status quo. You could blame the promoters, like you usually do, but the alternative would have been vastly reduced team strengths, and SKY possibly rethinking the deal as the UK speedway bosses would have been though to not delivering their side of the deal. The potential windfall reluctantly went to riders, who held the them Elite League promoters to ranson. A very sad joke indeed but for different reasons to yours.

Man Utd would finish second

Berwick's press releases and their Dirt Extra Site often have a “sly dig” or innuendo at fans comments on Social Media.It does them more harm than good. IMO

An insult to the old competition

Well if we had not made this switch I don't know what more Ben Barker could have done to make us make this switch ?. His form so far indicates he is the long long overdue No1 scorer here there and everywhere we have needed for many a long season !. Seems the chance for Jason Garrity to pick up the ride at Brummies has also fallen at the right time and everyone moves on with best wishes and thanks for their efforts. Having already secured the standout rider of the season in Danny Ayres; in Ben Barker we have an exciting signing that can make the difference especially away from the EWR. Josh; Jake; Ben; Danny that's a four that can mix it with the best of them. Throw in Stephan; Simon and Ryan and if we can stay fit we should be good for a play-off spot ! Well done the management for securing Ben Barker as a Scorpion.

Buster has proved in the BT Sports Peterborough meeting the other week. Spouting they'll have the best track available for all to see in front of the cameras. What was produced was a smooth, extremely fast track. Buster even said it was a great meeting after. The man's delusional, he firmly believes faster is better. Even at King's Lynn with Iversen and Lambert together, he was producing a track so they could go out and try and break the track record. Iversen especially used to constantly look back at the scoreboard to check his race time. King's Lynn's track is still very very capable to produce quality racing, unfortunately, Buster's version of quality racing is by how fast the race times are, not the passing

Very good post. You hit the nail on the head, Sky was a great opportunity to develop and build a strong base for the sport. Unfortunately a big chunk of the cash was pocketed by one TR and the rest blew on unsustainable rider pay. Them days will never return as sports broadcasting has changed forever and sadly speedway just doesn’t figure. I’m told that the current BT deal is rubbish and in real terms brings in zero cash. The clowns at the BSPA are to blame, them and only them have now destroyed the sport which is beyond repair. How many clubs at the end of October will go the way of Workington, Lakeside, Rye House, Coventry, Oxford? Your guess is as good as anyone’s!!

The wedding was in Norwich, he went away to New Zealand so he didn't have to pay for it

The points limit should never be that high. It should be 42.00 - 42.50 but at the start of the year, not with the inflated averages we now have.

Totally agree. Supporters need to recognise that team GB, England or whatever you want to call the motley crew of riders racing under the banner are with one exception no real match for those who race at GP, Euro or Polish league speedway. Why do people bang on about the overseas contingent not riding in in the UK when in fact they could not give a fig about British speedway. The current state of the sport offers up the ideal opportunity to regroup and foresake all that has gone before. Time to look after number one and re-build from the bottom up. Those riders who cannot commit to weekly racing in the U.K. between April and September, go ply your trade elsewhere. Build with what we have, invite overseas teams for test matches and forget Poland, ask Germany, Italy, France, Norway, Czech, etc. and get to watch riders who will only grace these shores is these type of matches. Bring back the interest in seeing overseas riders at test matches only. Work on a U K open individual championship, and look at a league format that has riders competing with equal ability rather than machines and stop the nonsense of throwing money at bikes and instead give riders machines that are standard so that all competitors really have to look at their track craft and hone their skills rather then rely on the gate and go aspect of the sport. The sport may once have been part time and a hobby for some riders but it was much more of a level playing field when it came to machinery. Oh for the days when it was announced that a rider was using the track spare. A reality check is needed before it reaches the point of no return. To those in charge, be dynamic, be forceful and stop living in a dream world.

Heat 1 Cook Bowtell Kennett Sarjeant 3-3 Cook wins by the length of the street and equals the track record , no bad with a broken wrist , Eagles pack in for the 3-3 Heat 2 Edwards Bowtell Bailey Bickley (ret) 4-8 Eagles gate and bring back a comfortable 5-1 Heat 3 stopped just as it was getting interesting , Vissing was leading Newman , Newman then got badly out of shape on bend 2 lap 2 and came down , he's up okay , but excluded Heat 3 Starke Kerr Vissing 8-10 cracking race for a lap or so with Kerr and Vissing wheel to wheel before Kerr got the better of things Heat 4 Lawson Jensen Edwards Bickley 10-14 from the gate , Eagles look up for this Heat 5 Kennett Vissing Starke Edwards 13-17 Tigers getting a gating lesson so far Heat 6 awarded Cook Lawson Bowtell Sarjeant (f'exc) 16-20 cracking race again , Son of God electric from the gate , but Craig Cook does Craig Cook things though it took him 3 laps . Sarj down at the back though riders 30 yards ahead had entered the last lap Heat 7 Jensen Kerr Newman Bailey (f) 19-23 from gate , Eagles doing the sensible thing and packing in for a 3-3 when they don't gate . Behind me in the pits the Tigers getting marched in for a bit of an arse kicking session by the looks of it Heat 8 Newman Bickley Edwards Sarjeant (ret) 21-27 Eagles gate again but Bickley gets in between them exiting bend 2 , Sarj chucks it after a couple of laps , this post natal depression is a bugger Heat 9 Lawson Starke Vissing Bowtell 24-30 son of god gets the better of Starke by the 3rd bend , while at the back Vissing went missing and it took a mistake on bend 4 lap 3 to help get passed Bowtell . This is a completely different Eagles side that were up here earlier in the season. . Interval now Heat 10 Cook Kerr Newman Bickley 27-33 Deja vu, Eagles pack in behind Cook . With Tigers bottom order not doing it , heats 13 and 15 are the only hope of a home heat advantage , but even that's no gimmee Heat 11 Jensen Kennett Bowtell Bailey 30-36 Bowtell showed Bailey who was boss on bend 3 by forcing him out to the fence in no uncertain manner , all part of the learning curve for young Connor to be a bit tougher Heat 12 Vissing Bickley Newman Bowtell 35-37 Best race of the night with Kyle Bickley coming alive and producing a stunning ride from the back to pass both Eagles Heat 13 Cook Lawson Jensen Kennett 39-39 bit of a meeting now , Jensen gets Kennet on the final 2 bends Heat 14 Starke Kerr Bickley Edwards 43-41 Bickley passes Edwards bend 3 lap 1 Heat 15 Cook Lawson Jensen Kennett 47-43 , stunning just stunning by Cook and Lawson , you won't see a better race anywhere in any division

I think you can guarantee double figures from Schlein when it’s not raining or the track isn’t wet.

Is that to get him used to the bumps again??

Simple solution increase the team building average to there rightful level of 42.5, it will go a long way in protecting these young riders. The current stupid level is doing these young riders no favours whatsoever.

Yeah right he just manages the team he is given.

Gate money isn't everything though, if 3000 people buy a burger/cup of tea / programme etc. you might well end up with more money to bank than if 1000 people did the same. Also how many of the 1000 people paying £18 would pick and choose meetings due to the price, but would attend more at £5 admission ? At £18 how many people with a family would go on there own, but would take the family with them if it was £5 admission ? its not easy getting the right balance on admission prices

A promoter once told me that the "Sky Money" basically paid for the EL No1.. As it was circa £110k per team not a bad little earner for your '3rd job'.. Think they also got £10k a match to cover any crowd shortfall.. Literally MILLIONS handed out to riders, (and tuners) over 20 years to deliver what we have today.. Truly a criminally sad joke...

Buster trying to ensure the Stars win easily , Simon Lambert! I know he knows the track like the back of his hand but seems yet another cost saving guest.

That may well be true but having seen many of the Swedish meetings this year, they have by and large been awful as well - cannot be the same shale. Maybe it's always been that way but we're just expecting too much these days. When I ask for a burger people seem horrified if I don't add cheese, relish, tomato, gherkin etc. - I do stretch to onions Years ago life seemed simpler.

I've almost given up with British speedway. Its been in decline for years and despite all the concerns about how to improve its popularity, here we are years later still in the same predicament. I've been a Peterborough supporter since the track opened in 1970. I've witnessed the good,the bad and currently the down right uncertainty. I sadly fear that unless someone takes a grip on this sport in less than 5 years it will be virtually finished. Having a man running 3 promotions is definitely not the way forward and should never be allowed to happen. Whatever his intentions, Buster is only in it for the money. I imagine the tracks that are currently losing money are being financed by those that are! Its obvious where Buster loyalties lie by his current ability to improve certain teams when they are not doing so well. Unfortunately it appears that the riders who are not performing for his other tracks are being used as fodder for Peterborough. Can't blame the riders, they simply are not good enough. I will continue to support my team for as long as they are in existence, but given the choice I would have sooner we stated in the lower leagues whereby the racing was far superior and more competitive.

Using the line that Kildemand often did, just hope he does not do what killer did a couple of times and collide with the air fence there. Agree with the improvements in the track and the more lines the riders now use which has made the racing better.

Maybe they will soon fine and deduct points from Peterborough for fielding under strength teams at matches

No editing here . GA tells everyone on his radio show that people shouldn't give their opinion on the sport or about riders unless its favourable . He loves telling people what they should think or what they should write on social media. The Truth is Agertoft and Wallinger are utterly useless at this level . That is just a fact .

...and on the speedwaygb site too thank goodness. Most of the racing that night was of similar standard. Credit to both teams and the track staff!!

I believe in the bloke and as you said what a nice bloke he is hope he gets the breaks he deserves.All Danyon can do is keep working hard and thing's will come good.I think he has had 7 league and cup matches in the N.L and he has had 10 plus points in six of them i think as the season goes by he will get even stronger.I so admire Workington from last year what a job they did with Bickley and how he has reaped the benefits from that this season.Because Danyon had a reasonable average with Ipswich last year he has ended up being punished because of it .

Were you disappointed with Danyon Sings ?? i really think a lack of meetings cost him lack of race fitness.He should of won heat 2 at Somerset and Redcar so in a way he was so unlucky.Again he scored heavily last night and is getting there with Leicester i just hope he gets another chance.The worry for me is that riders like Danyon will be shafted some years because of there averages.Bickley/ Rowe/ are two prime examples that could be vulnerable next year, riders who have an average between 3.80/ 5.00.

Is there no official thread for this meeting?

Wallinger is very reliable in the Championship as its where his inflated ego thinks he belongs and you can also rely on him getting naff all week in week out. Nice work Brum (Rogers) ditching two rising Brits and replacing with two journeymen.

I think we know that. But that does not excuse them creating such a crap competition with a crap name, using the crappiest format and rules possible, on probably the crappiest track and with the crappiest referee they could find. And they running it over two days so that the really crappy nature of it could be drawn out for the longest time possible. They all had a duty to do better once they had made the decision to replace the SWC.

Buster ( not yet quite Busted ) backs only those who chorus "Yes, Buster - three bags full Buster". He is accountable to no man and loves to look past the hards facts in front of him.

A team with wallinger and Agertoft in the Championship would not win a raffle , When i was first told i thought it was a joke. sadly not.

Kings Lynn was a fantastic track with plenty of passing and riders feeling good about attacking the track,from what I've seen on BT Sports that is no longer the case, and this has been backed up by other speedway fans. It doesn't need massive amounts spent on it, just a good track curator and a bit of backing from Busted.

Wallinger?! Unlucky on Hume to lose his place but to lose it to someone as unreliable as Wallinger and Agertoft stays in the team who’s scoring worse than Thomsen must be a bitter pill to swallow.

Excuse me for this one but we need to give as much exposure as possible to anyone good enough to support Reading Speedway... Reading Speedway are proud to announce a new sponsor in Lind Harley Davidson, who will sponsor the no. 1 race jacket for the remainder of the 2019 season. The family owned company have businesses in Reading, Guildford, Norwich and Newmarket. With the local branch at 660 Wokingham Rd, Reading, they are more than just a motorcycle store, offering repairs, servicing and mots, and can even sell your bike for you. They also organise social nights and exhibitions and offer a vast array of motorcycling accessories and merchandise. Visit their website at www.lind.co.uk, or follow them on Facebook and Twitter under Lind Harley-Davidson and Instagram at lindhduk. Reading Speedway are always grateful for any sponsorship we receive, we thank Lind and we hope that this is the start of a beautiful friendship!

3000 buying progs, merchandise, parking, etc., much better atmosphere it were. 12 quid is about right.

To be fair Orlovski, I’m not sure too many riders lack the concentration that Kildermand seemed to suffer from. More often than not, if he fell, he seemed to be in front at the time. A cardinal sin surely?

I'm purely looking at he GB set up for the major meetings. Tai doesn't need to pull world class riders out if thin air. He needs to motivate and assist what is already there namely Lambert & Beweley. Peter Ljung was the highest scoring number 2 rider over 2 days of racing. He's hardly world class. If Lambert could target 7-8-9 points in the SON each day and Woffinden do the rest then GB could easily be making the tapes in heat 22 & 23

Or Agertoft might be paying 'us' to ride ???

How dare you

Tai is IMHO the best ever Brit. but Ove Fundin remains my choice as the Best Ever Speedway Rider.

What about the 2012 Premier League result then? Fun fact, 2012 was the first year I started watching Newcastle, and the fact we could finish top but still not win the league baffled me... I also said whichever team finished bottom of the league that year, I would also follow... Hence the Plymouth connection Plus I have family not too far away from Plymouth also... How exciting and interesting... It's too hot

Two things that came from SKY's coverage which, I feel, damaged the sport: Golden Doubles and Play-Offs.