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The health of the nation is far more important than a few speedway meetings. When this crisis is over, the sport will have to regroup and start again.

Such a move will impact enormously on the volunteering sector.. Many good people of retirement age and above freely contribute to the good of their local communities.

I genuinely believe this will kill British Speedway stone cold dead. As said, most attending are over 60 & have been going for their lifetime. Once the habits are broken the majority will not come back to Speedway. This virus may not kill as many of the elderly as first expected but it most certainly will kill this sport.

That would be discrimination, a lot of us oldies are fitter and take more care with our health than youngsters. I daresay they would be doing it to try to protect us from the Virus and relieve the burden on the NHS but surely us oldies are capable of using common sense, I'd rather be at a speedway meeting than being stuck in doors "waiting for God"

Depends who's asking. Are you a potential sponsor or the taxman?

Not much chance of many riders being behind on last season’s evidence. Can’t see this year being much different tbh

and THIS is precisely the problem. "We are not safe". Give it a rest.

However, Italy is the country that traditionally 'stays inside' the most at this time of year. And they have the highest death rate from flu every year.. And the same with Covid-19.

Too many read a headline and not the detail behind it. Hancock HAS said it is a measure that will be bought in. He has also said...it WILL be bought in if and when required at a time when it will have most impact. Politics (nothing to do with Party Politics) prepare people for the worst case scenario. In so doing you look good when you don't have to use that scenario but can also say you have a contingency in place. Also some over 70's and 80's will no doubt voluntarily listen to it now, they may not isolate but what they may do is go out once a week instead of 4 or 5 times. It suits the doom mongers to spread doom. Sells papers, empties shelves. The reality is somewhere in between.

They may do that but not this week, next week but at near peak POSSIBLY it's a contingency measure. Government are preparing and filtering out a "worst case scenario" so that when it doesn't happen they can say (a) we handled this better than expected (b) we had contingency in place. Why are people so gullible! As for isolating over 70's, are they going to arrest any over 70 who is seen out and about... good assessment when you read it without prejudice and blind panic some seem to have fallen for.

Found on Twitter from Professor Ian Donald. 1. The govt strategy on #Coronavirus is more refined than those used in other countries and potentially very effective. But it is also riskier and based on a number of assumptions. They need to be correct, and the measures they introduce need to work when they are supposed to. 2. This all assumes I'm correct in what I think the govt are doing and why. I could be wrong - and wouldn't be surprised. But it looks to me like. . . 3. A UK starting assumption is that a high number of the population will inevitably get infected whatever is done – up to 80%. As you can’t stop it, so it is best to manage it. There are limited health resources so the aim is to manage the flow of the seriously ill to these. 4. The Italian model the aims to stop infection. The UKs wants infection BUT of particular categories of people. The aim of the UK is to have as many lower risk people infected as possible. Immune people cannot infect others; the more there are the lower the risk of infection 5. That's herd immunity. Based on this idea, at the moment the govt wants people to get infected, up until hospitals begin to reach capacity. At that they want to reduce, but not stop infection rate. Ideally they balance it so the numbers entering hospital = the number leaving. 6. That balance is the big risk. All the time people are being treated, other mildly ill people are recovering and the population grows a higher percent of immune people who can’t infect. They can also return to work and keep things going normally - and go to the pubs. 7.The risk is being able to accurately manage infection flow relative to health case resources. Data on infection rates needs to be accurate, the measures they introduce need to work and at the time they want them to and to the degree they want, or the system is overwhelmed. 8. Schools: Kids generally won’t get very ill, so the govt can use them as a tool to infect others when you want to increase infection. When you need to slow infection, that tap can be turned off – at that point they close the schools. Politically risky for them to say this. 9. The same for large scale events - stop them when you want to slow infection rates; turn another tap off. This means schools etc are closed for a shorter period and disruption generally is therefore for a shorter period, AND with a growing immune population. This is sustainable 10. After a while most of the population is immune, the seriously ill have all received treatment and the country is resistant. The more vulnerable are then less at risk. This is the end state the govt is aiming for and could achieve. 11. BUT a key issue during this process is protection of those for whom the virus is fatal. It's not clear the full measures there are to protect those people. It assumes they can measure infection, that their behavioural expectations are met - people do what they think they will 12. The Italian (and others) strategy is to stop as much infection as possible - or all infection. This is appealing, but then what? The restrictions are not sustainable for months. So the will need to be relaxed. But that will lead to reemergence of infections. 13. Then rates will then start to climb again. So they will have to reintroduce the restrictions each time infection rates rise. That is not a sustainable model and takes much longer to achieve the goal of a largely immune population with low risk of infection of the vulnerable 14. As the government tries to achieve equilibrium between hospitalisations and infections, more interventions will appear. It's perhaps why there are at the moment few public information films on staying at home. They are treading a tight path, but possibly a sensible one. 15. This is probably the best strategy, but they should explain it more clearly. It relies on a lot of assumptions, so it would be good to know what they are - especially behavioural. Most encouraging, it's way too clever for #BorisJohnson to have had any role in developing.

Top meeting on a top track, racing was phenomenal.. who says you need world class stars for a great meeting.. well done all 17 riders and rob godfrey

Well of course he has but you can say that about the vast majority of riders of his age and experience. What people are saying is that the signs are there that one day in the future he will be of GP standard.

I'm saying your attitude to people in the way you reply is appalling and frankly unnecessary.

A ridiculously high death rate compared to most of the rest of the world. They also get a far higher death rate for normal flu as well. South Korea appear to have it right. The major key though is more testing... The more people are tested, the more the death rate goes down... the less scary figures can be used by the media... the less panic.

We go back to the old efficient days of it being delivered by horse drawn van, same way as they delivered beer and pop in my youth. And you even get free manure for your gardens if you follow the horse for long enough.

Goolie slicer.

Cheers Tap.I managed to find one. Agree, it does look dangerous. Apart from the point aspect, I can see elbows getting tangled up in it as well .

If the season goes ahead, it’ll be a massive year for Rasmus. Riding as a bonafied heat leader will put a pressure on him he didn’t have last season. I agree about Ellis perks. He kicked on last season and if I were to pick a rider in the Swindon team who I thought would deliver the most growth it would be him. 2 very different teams BV and Swindon, but imo the 2 strongest.

You've never had the media screaming about it either. And that's the point.. it's not the virus that is scary... its the panic caused by the media.. that panic causes places organisations to act.. Then politics comes into play and the opposition in countries uses it to their advantage and whips up people and criticises governments for inaction... so they're forced to act. The UK has actually been the strongest government in trying not to bow to this pressure... but as organisations around them such as the Premier League cave in, it leaves them out on their own and will soon be forced to do the same. The collateral damage from all of this panic is going to be massive... the damage from the virus, very very minor indeed (on a world scale).

I think we will have a very short season if any racing takes place at all. The Premiership and Championship are going to have massive problems with riders who race in other countries not being available due to fixture congestion everywhere. The only league that has a chance of running a meaningful short season is the NDL which the two top leagues seem to want to kill by next year so I fear they will say that if the top two can't run then the NDL is not allowed to.

And are these oldies the same oldies who are expected to care for grand-kids when the government closes the schools?

Will people be expected to prove their age if 'caught out and about'?

All sports have their own fans be it large followings or small. I follow speedway and want to continue, if it has to delay for a time be it long or short I'll be back. Promoters and riders have a tough time ahead and hopefully there will be light at the end of the tunnel. As a supporter I will do all I can to help, every meeting for my team I have to miss through cancellation I will put the admission money to one side so it's there for when they restart. I know the virus situation is depressing and the months ahead look bleak but for goodness sake all the depressing talk is not helping matters it's time to show support for Speedway and get behind the Promoters whatever hard decisions they have to make and let's hope stadium owners, sponsors etc do the same because they are running businesses as well.

Do many speedway clubs in the UK actually get 500 fans through the gates on a regular basis? Non league football gates increased yesterday as fans looked for a football "fix" Best thing to do .... quit social media and looking at the news as it's all doom and gloom. Remember those Chinese hospitals that had to be built in record time? Yesterday the final one was closed as there are not enough new cases of the virus to support them. The Chinese are now sending help to Italy. Italy have the biggest problem as they have the oldest population in Europe. The average age of deaths is 81 and of those that have died only 2% didn't have any existing medical conditions!

Speedway was in serious terminal decline well before the Coronavirus struck and I fear that the consequences of the virus could be the final nail in the speedway coffin. The sport does not have the vast financial reserves to weather this catastrophe out. The clowns in Rugby have spent any rainy day money they held on a hair brained engine scheme. The way the pay structure of speedway is, i.e. riders only get paid when they race and score points, this will mean the majority of riders will have to go away from the sport to earn a living to pay their bills...clubs have rent and fixed costs to pay and with no income will rapidly become insolvent and go to the wall. Will the government help, I very much doubt it as they will have far bigger problems to deal with than spending tax payers money to save what is a minor (bankrupt) sport such as speedway.

Interested to read that on 23rd January it was stated that half a million people had contracted the flu in Italy..... in one week. Now that is a virus that spreads quickly... It could also be another reason for higher death rates in Italy.. if elderly people have been hit with the flu.. followed by this in a short space, they're going to be weaker. It continues to be the lack of testing that means a true clear picture is extremely difficult to form. It will be interesting how the US testing goes as they're offering it free to all. A larger sample may provide a better picture. Germany continues to test to a higher degree than most countries... death rate 0.19% at the moment.

Excellent performance from James Wright this afternoon at Scunny. Far better than I was expecting I have to admit.

Just read the BSF; EVERYBODY is an expert on here...

Could it have something to do with the fact that some expertise in medical matters are needed at these large gatherings, and they could be better utilised elsewhere within the NHS - staff shortages

Of course, it's tough, and a lot of people are going to be affected. I am not saying sport SHOULD continue, but whatever happens, life goes on, and people will still want to do things, either as a participant or as a spectator. Don't forget that, even though we are talking about "sport", sport/entertainment provides a livelihood for thousands - probably millions - of people around the world. From participants to bar/restaurant staff, from cleaners to maintenance staff, from ticket agencies to journalists. I'm sure you wouldn't want to lose your job for weeks (even months), and of course, the way things will be if everything shuts down, it is more than just simple damage to the economy. Does a flu-like (and no, I'm not attempting to trivialise it) virus necessitate the whole world shutting down everything that someone may consider "non-essential"? Think about it...

I had two women literally fighting over the last packet of paracetamol in my shop last night.. One woman picked it up and another snatched it from her as she had gone for it at virtually the same time.. They kicked off an argument and the one who got there seconds late wouldn't give it to the other woman so the one who had got there first gave the other a proper good right hander to the head, knocking her clean over and she landed like a snotty heap on the floor.. I would suggest she needed the paracetamol after all.. A certain irony. .

Because this thing has barely hit. We are talking months worth of damage. For a number of people I am coming across this virus and it's upcoming implications still hasn't landed with them. The severity for British speedway is that there will not be a season. Full stop. That's how I see it at the moment.

Just a wee bit & you know where I'm coming from then

If you don't test then you appear to have a very high number of deaths per 100 cases which is exactly what I would have thought the government would not want but maybe they want the panic to continue, who knows. Must make life for health professionals very difficult, you have my best wishes doing what at the best of times is a pressurised job.

No point in attempting that with you on here Motocross very different - not the same speed and proximity and of course the brake situation. It was a genuine safety concern - ask Taylor Poole how he feels that Jordan Frampton was able to use a home made rear guard.........

No it wont

Why would government compensate speedway clubs all we ever hear is they lose fortunes

Not going to do them much good going home...even if they can get a flight as Australia will insist on quarantine / isolation for 14 days from midnight tonight so if they are going home to earn money forget it. With contracts here signed and cost of flights, better to stay here and see what situation is like in 3-4 weeks time. An aircraft cabin for 24 hours is just about the worst place to be right now!

A top level sport has very large numbers of people whp pay to watch it and is constantly under the national media spotlight. Speedway has neither of those things. It struggles to be a minor level ( stable ) sport, With an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 maximum of active paying supoorters it struggles to compete with the popularity of .... even, beetle drives.

Hi Dave, as you have rightly added it was David Ruud and the season was 2003 with bjannre pedrson on the job share

Nobody said it does

Sounds logical. And considering that we're so concerned about H&S that we throw BBs outside (sorry for that bit, unnecessary but had to get it in), can you imagine waiting around for a county ambulance to transfer an injured rider? Firstly we'd be sitting there all night, secondly, if and when it did arrive, what priority would that be at A&E with limited, stressed and overworked staff with limited resources? We can't run under such circumstance.

I've lost £5,000 in the stock market.

All the doom and gloom merchants have their opinion yet again, rumour after rumour about Niki if the supporters put as half as much effort in to the speedway club as the promotion have over the last few years and especially last winter they would do well, instead of finding fault with everything at the club and starting falsehoods off about who is riding at Sheffield and for how long. Its time now to get behind the club not slag everything off

Yes, keep the panic and over reaction going. Ignore all medical advice. That's the spirit!

Don't understand the panic and pessimism on here. Leave it to the EXPERTS who seem to believe that large or small outdoor crowds are not an issue and that for the time being events can go ahead. IF a Speedway rider gets the virus, no doubt his Club(s) should have a different view as Arsenal have had with their manager. Its up to the individual to decide, I'm going to Birmingham if it's on and will take the risk. What's the point of closing schools??. Keep the little blighters together in groups of their own age range and self isolate if any get symptoms. Why, because if schools are closed the little blighters are far more likely to be running about surrounded by older folk like me who they are far more likely to infect in Sainsburys between 9 and 5 if they are unleashed. Once you impose a ban on sport, how long does it last, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks..I think if you ban speedway until July/August, then you will kill half the clubs as people will find something else to do and won't return for a meaningless 1/2 season. If it has to close, it has to close, but panic never won any argument.

Seems to me that schools closing are likely to put many of the more vulnerable in harms way as in so many cases Grandparents will be taking on the childcare. So in a classroom where one vulnerable teacher might be at risk from say 30 students we could have 20 or 30 grandparents at risk from the same children. Whatever measures you take to try and limit the spread will always have consequences and the very best you are gong to do is slow it down a bit. My opinion is that we should let the majority of the population carry on as normal and put all resources into testing and helping the most vulnerable. Those people could be receiving some very good care already if those who are very unlikely to suffer more than a dose of flu weren't so selfish. Speaking to somebody working on the NHS helpline last night and she was telling me how at one time they had 200 calls waiting and dropped 2000 calls. People waiting an hour to chat about their cold and a GP refusing to see a vomiting child supposedly because of coronavirus when it's not even a symptom. How many of those dropped calls were from people in genuine need of help who were put at risk by the same selfish morons that think toilet rolls are the answer? It is mass hysteria whipped up by the press and now politicians have been put under pressure to act solely because of the public concern created.

As I understand it there is the option for one new corporate sponsor who might come in as a 'gold' sponsor. However the club are seeking to promote all the existing 'gold' sponsors in a similar way so as not to favour one over another. There are also 'silver' and 'bronze' sponsors who get a reduced package of benefits/exposure. Maybe an announcement before or at P&P day.

It’s a forum ,just ignore him if you don't like his comments ,nothing to get excited about IMO.He certainly can wind up a few .