Leaderboard

Oh great ~ just what we needed ~ another negative topic. Why don't you have a cup of tea and then take a walk outside in the sunshine, listen to the birds singing and relax.

At least he hasn't mentioned stock cars! Yet... We all know the sport is in dire straits right now, but I will agree that all the ultra-negative posts from the same handful of posters does get tiresome...

Fine humid weather due for tomorrow. I gather the special 'holes and ruts' squad are all set for the special track prep for The Stars top 2. Also the track marshall with the red flag on track for the rider presentations is being fitted for his protective suit today.

The problem is the plans have had to be altered, yet again, because we've had to submit revised proposals to the council to increase the size of our trophy cabinet.

I remember one of my favourite quotes, a rare piece of BSF wit, when someone said "Garrity has declared himself fit", to which someone else replied "He'd declare himself fit if he had three broken legs."

There are loads on incidents where it is very difficult to determine where the fault lies, first bend incidents are usually all 4 back for bunching but it could be argued someone was at fault.

hi Richard. thanks for your comments. we are all gutted in the potteries to lose the team. I really thought this was going to be the turn around season for the potters and to be fair the promoters have done a great deal of good in improving the old place. alas the team did not quite live up to the hopes and the crowds fell to an alarming level. last Saturday in particular was the smallest crowd I have ever seen there. lets just hope that this Saturday we get a good crowd to send the potters into oblivion with a rousing cheer. whatever the gripes with the management in the past nobody can deny that dave tattum and all his team have done their best but when you are only a tenant you are going to be on a sticky wicket and all of this is beyond his control. so come on everyone lets go out with our heads held high and trounce the lion cubs. come on the potters give it some welly..

It is a rule that should be changed then, if it had maybe the 1982 Penhall/Carter incident would of never arisen there is not a black/white area everyone see's something differently.Just think back to that incident why not have a rerun with all four back ? nobody in the stadium really knew who was at fault that night.The sport was robbed again of a spectacle when common sense could of been applied.

I can see why you picked your forum name

Run it like a proper team sport with credibility? Run it to a budget that makes it sustainable for you rather than reflecting the costs your employees stump up? (Often to assist funding their own individual aspirations) Run it on nights when your customers tell you they can get there, not when your employees tell you they can get there.? Stop sharing employees who see you as the lowest paying employer out of the three they have..? Set an admission fee reflective of what you offer to the public, not one which needs to try and cover ridiculous salary levels which are far in excess of what a sport with such a poor following can ever hope to maintain.. ? A few starters for ten...

I’ve been to Belle Vue more than I have Lynn this year. Like I said, stop trapping off, be a bit more humble and you’ll not look quite so silly.

The stated aim for all Premiership clubs at the start of the season was to operate to an affordable operating budget so as to avoid any more clubs going bust or wanting to drop to a lower league. Obviously an 'affordable operating budget' will differ from club to club due to variable costs and different levels of sponsorship income. Belle Vue have been in the top 4 until the death and reached the cup final. I know a couple of clubs at least that would have been very pleased with that.

Jensen is a perfect example of a rider who was in form, out of nowhere, and available in the middle of the season on an average which was only going one way. However, he is now the perfect example of a rider you would stay well clear of in winter team building. Hes been too good for his own good. Such is speedway.

I've got that one on a DVD and it's like something out of a circus. In the first running Ayres knocks off Jason Garrod and both fall off, for some reason Garrod is excluded. In the rerun Ayres falls on his own, as he tries to get up the two Cradley riders knock each other off half a lap further on. Greaves remounts but thinking the race has been stopped due to all the carnage rides back into the pits leaving the ridiculous sight of Ayres and Phillips trying to push start their bikes half a lap apart. With the crowd laughing their heads off the referee waits for a bit and then excludes both of them for exceeding the time limit thus ending possibly the funniest and most ridiculous speedway race I have ever seen!

The Diamonds are awaiting Redcar's fixture plans that will also include at least the Championship play-off semi-finals (maybe the final as well) before settling on the two home Newcastle dates beyond the end of the regular season, namely the 90th Anniversary meeting as well as their leg of the Cup Final. The one Sunday that the Diamonds want to avoid if at all possible for either of these big occasions for the club is Sunday 6th October for the simple reason that the Newcastle United v Manchester United football match in their Premier League has been switched for TV to a 4.30 kick-off that afternoon at St James' Park and it would be financial suicide to schedule any big speedway occasion that hopes to attract a crowd beyond the speedway regulars immediately after such a huge football game

Never mind George at least he reads it even if he doesn’t like it

The chap with a Red flag shouldn't be On the track anyway. but behind the white line.

Todd Kurtz should be the first name on our list

The answer is provided in an article in Track News Weekly Illustrated Volume 2, Number 2, which stated: North v South Cup To fill in the vacant dates made by the withdrawal of Halifax from the league table a North v South Competition has been arranged, and is to be included in the Third Division fixture lists, with the title of the competition being North v South Twenty-First Speedway Anniversary Cup. The competition will consist of the teams in the third division playing each other in pairs as scheduled below (being divided into a north and south section) once home and away, the winner of each section being the team with the greatest aggregate of race points in its home and away fixture. In the event of a draw the teams shall meet in a deciding match on a neutral track nominated by the Speedway Control Board. The pairings and number of heats shall be in accordance with supplementary Regulation No. 532 in Appendix C to the Speedway Regulations. The final contest shall consist of the winning team from the South Section meeting the winning team of the North Section in one match to be held on a neutral track nominated by the Speedway Control Board and the team scoring the highest points being the winner. Schedule South:- Tuesday, May 11th, Southampton v Hastings; Wednesday, June 9th, Hastings v Southampton; Thursday, May 13th, Plymouth v Exeter; Monday, May 24th, Exeter v Plymouth; Saturday, July 31st, Coventry v Poole; Monday, August 9th, Poole v Coventry. North:- Thursday, May 6th, Stoke v Wombwell; Friday, June 4th, Wombwell v Stoke; Friday, May 21st, Cradley Heath v Tamworth; Wednesday, July 28th, Tamworth v Cradley Heath; Tuesday, August 17th, Yarmouth v Hull; Saturday, August 21st, Hull v Yarmouth.

Good line-up, just a shame its held at Somerset, which takes 2hrs to get there from Cardiff with the Friday afternoon traffic, and crap facilities that takes an age to get a drink , a loo and miss 4-5 heats while doing so like last time , no thanks !! . I'll stick to a nice evening in Cardiff and keep an eye on the updates

All clear and obvious points and opportunities.. But as you say, no chance of anything changing... I do actually think that they probably do realise that their operating model and business plan is crap, but, bless them, they are simply incapable of doing anything about it to radically develop the sport... Hence we will have the same old, same old next season, and the season after, and the season after etc etc, until it all eventually becomes not worth doing as one by one the tracks disappear.. It has simply two clear options.. One. To do a 'Poland' and go balls out to attract the best in the hope fans will come back to the sport. (personally not a chance in hell they could deliver this).. Or Two. Set clear demarcation between two leagues where reaching the highest level is aspirational, with one being a mix of a few professional (but in the main), semi professional competitors, and the other being very much a development league to help supply the top tier over the long term. With all meetings ran when punters can get there not around when riders can fit it in their non UK schedule.. To keep doing the same thing again though surely isn't an option even to those currently doing it?

A lot of speedway fans don't think about things like that, but I have said repeatedly that a lot of speedway's major issues aren't actually speedway related. It's been 27 years since I moved across the Atlantic. In the overall scheme of things, it doesn't seem like that long a period, but looking back, it isn't the Britain I left. People have changed, and the culture has changed. Yes, a lot of speedway tracks have disappeared in that time, but is it just because of speedway? Sadly, there are other factors; things like health and safety, the "need" for more housing, the desire for industrial and other business parks, and of course, the great British NIMBY... Look at the great football stadia that have gone, impressive and atmospheric places that have been destroyed, simply because they were outdated and "uncool". Of course, most have been been replaced, because of the greater finances in footy. Even the great old pubs I frequented have fallen at an alarming rate. Why? Because they are "uncool", and modern society wants something newer and more fashionable. Trouble is, it is not just the venues that have become "uncool", but speedway itself, and the developers are the ones with the pull and the money - and these days, money doesn't just talk, it provides the entire script... Steve

The visibility was getting to be the problem tonight, the riders were not having much trouble with track although it was getting quite wet.The entertainment was pretty good even in Ht 10.Think it was sensible to end it there though.

If you have a crap haircut I believe there is now a little known rule that says no barber necessarily needs to be criticised for it...

Glasgow fans, be honest, was that track worse than v Scunthorpe? Because you’s are saying it was an excellent meeting and much better but it was raining and got abandoned at heat 10? But when you’s got beat v Scunthorpe in 15 heats it was awful?

Tonight was all the proof needed that afternoon speedway is no good for Sheffield. Having been bored all season and not enjoying a single home meeting, tonight has left me gutted the season has ended for us. Even the FTGs were closer. Bloody good meeting. Unfortunate for Newcastle, with Jorgensen withdrawing, as they looked set to win the meeting at that point.

Last home meeting of the regular season was on the 5th and the play off semi final set for the 26th We have often seen these 3 week gaps coincide with difficulty in securing the win upon our return to action It would IMO be desirable to have some kind of meeting at home on the 19th to keep our eye in Unfortunately cant see it happening....

It's okay we don't need the 4 points now

Howarth not fit enough to ride for Sheffield tonight.

Okay fair enough. I just get fed up with the continual negative posts about speedway from gustix who probably last went to a meeting in the 1930's. We all know the sport has lost umpteen tracks over the years and I notice he has changed the wording on the original post, which is what I saw 9 hours ago and you probably didn't, so it now reads completely differently to what it did before and what I based my comment on.

Yes Eastie are not in the BSPA clique like a number of other clubs and the unwritten rule has been applied.

The meeting on the 14th was Our last Home meeting and the other dates in the programme were there in case meetings were cancelled and had to be run later that's why they are said to be Reserved so no Puzzle as the sale came as a shock to all concerned. I believe Mr Reese has been on to the owners to ask to run the stock car meetings as things were in motion arranging them.Stoke have one remaining Meeting to Run and that is KOC 2nd leg against Leicester at Leicester that was cancelled a few Weeks ago. In My opinion the site will become a Warehouse for a Clothing Firm. So ends a 46 Year Association with Stoke Speedway.

Genuine question, if Ipswich keep it close on Monday, do you think Middlo and Ford would be tempted to go for the bumper crowd option of Swindon, if you finish top

Why did Birmingham not include Danyon Hume in the team at the start of the season? He has been an absolute class act for Leicester Cubs, both on and off track. Ellis Perks has achieved an average of almost 6 for Leicester Lions this season, yet Danyon is, I would say, just about the better rider for the Cubs.

https://www.glasgowtigers.org/double-header-need-knows/

You don’t have to read the topic if it doesn’t interest you.Some people might find it interesting.

Stupid post

'Not a full bag of chips' ' Penny short of a pound'

My big fear is that if Buster gets his desired top league how sustainable will it be long term? Clubs should be required to show a break even/profit before stepping into leagues with higher costs. Kent often post a profit at NDL level but would they in a higher division? Plymouth have been on a rallying call recently for spectators so increased out goings may be too much for several. Likewise those potentially dropping down who have stated that the losses are large at Championship level but how would crowd numbers hold up to NL racing (some tracks already post figures lower than several NL tracks). What needs to be considered in the long term sustainability of all clubs not just those that Buster is involved with otherwise he will find that there will be no league for his precious Kings Lynn to compete in.

Berwick meeting scheduled for no earlier than 8-15pm start off Berwick fb page

But maybe helped by the money paid by Toruń to use Jack Holder?

He best not ever go to NK then as Kim is the only one allowed to have that particular 'style'..

Sadly it is THE most easily embraced option for the BSPA whilst "led" by someone who believes he ( they inc. the Deputy ) "have got it right". As you say what will happen is the same old, same old ( or very close to it ) will be served up as being the way forward and tracks will slowly go out of business a few at a time. UK speedway will not exist as a professional sport by the time it's centenary rolls around. Only your proposition Two can be the real way forward.

But VISSING did do something wrong he hit the back of Tungate causing him and Batchelor to fall, and quite rightly was excluded.

To the shouters, facts aren't as important as opinions... Steve

I'll give you a few clues and see if you can work it out. Tonight Rasmus unbeaten by an opponent in a match curtailed by rain, last night at Peterborough on a track frequently described as having had a lot of rain and difficult Rasmus was superb. Against Scunthorpe he couldn't turn the bike.

Was it Artem Laguta who couldn`t get a permit to ride in the UK when he was last in the GP`s- if so will he ride this year ? The Reading Racers will be well represented FIM CCP director Armando Castagna FIM jury president Tony Olsson FIM race director Phil Morris

different opinion I can put up with ... different planet, different language is a different story altogether.

I'm glad i went this season. I thought the old place looked quite decent for a change.

Ridiculous statement. You got to be in a race to win it. You can’t do that if you dead, and at that point you just a memory to the fans, and memories fade. The “trick” is to win as many races as possible by putting in as much effort as possible but staying on the bike.