Leaderboard

Poland is certainly an interesting case. I like many have held Poland up to be as the holy grail in what league speedway can be. The interesting thing is having watched several Polish matches on TV the quality of the racing isn't as good as I thought it would be. So that begs the question why is it so successful? I personally think its because the people who run it have made the show slick and ensures that it is ran in a highly professional manor. There for they have a product that the general public and business alike want to be involved with. The crowds generate a superb atmosphere. The combination of the atmosphere and the slick presentation makes the product cool regardless of the quality of racing. I guess the UK was once in that sort of position having watched racing from the 70s and 80s on you tube it wasn't all passing and excitement far from it. However you had the crowds the banter between Fans and the atmosphere that generated. Unfortunately as the sport became more and more micky mouse the fans started to drift away which ment less and less atmosphere so the quality of the racing became the focus wrongly in my opinion. For me I walked away because of the constant rule changes the vaslty over use of the guest rule. The double up and down rule finally saw an end to my picking and choosing meetings. Now I go once a year to catch up with friends who like me used to go. As a guy in his early 40s with young kids I was and should be part of speedways future. However until they can run the sport as a professional product or run it purely as an amateur sport and charge fiver to get in away I shall stay,

I’m sure you could watch sky news and Boris and Matt talking absolute crap about some cold going round if this isn’t floating your boat

This is the sort of stupidity that fuels the hotspots currently being forced to lockdown because of their poor behaviour.

Never fails to amaze me how those who say they don't go to speedway anymore can make such sweeping and often inaccurate statements about its health. It's clearly got major problems but there are green shoots with young riders, GB set up, increased crowds and community initiatives at many clubs and a few promotions that actually have new ideas and some business acumen. No doubt I will be sent to the mad House but I'm more positive now than I was 3 and 5 years ago at Brummies and other clubs in CL and NDL

In this weeks Star a story that league speedway could return to Workington with a new track near the Northside track for NL racing.

If the SEC used the new SGP scoring system, I think Madsen would have been crowned champion as soon as he qualified for the Final last night, possibly when he qualified for the semi final. In the SGP scoring format, his 3 wins, especially the first round where he only scored 9 before the final, make a big difference to his points. I prefer the old SGP/current SEC scoring format where every point counts.

Top v Bottom. Did you think there could be an upset???? Racing has been good and Gorzow have had a good go. What more can you ask for?

Gorzow are doing much better than expected ! Very entertaining match so far.

There are surely riders available to help them strengthen. In an 8 team league there should be no whipping boys like Rybnik are. And if it’s true that Leszno are attempting to sign Lambert, then what is the point of an even playing field at the start of each season. The points limit is something GB has got right. Having one team trying to buy the best riders With no points limit means competition doesn’t occur.

Here is a clue. Ron Clarke, Odsal captain and member of the 1949-50 touring team, sent 'news' to Speedway Echo, published on 25th February 1950. His comment was: "We are all attending a Farewell Ball this week, when our main part will be presenting Harry Tovey with a little something for his services to us. Believe me, and this is the general feeling in the tourists' camp, nothing we can give Harry can repay him sufficiently for the magnificent way he has taken care of us out here. It's really been grand to meet a guy who has taken such a great interest in our team. We feel rather guilty at letting him down over the Test series but that's just the way things work out sometimes. We hope that we haven't seen the last of Harry where our speedway is concerned and we'll never forget him for what he has done for us." My feeling is that Harry Tovey was probably in charge of all administrative arrangements during the tours, but maybe the team captain was responsible for racing matters.

Podkarpacie TV streamed it live on You Tube. Sadly I only found out after it had finished. I've subscribed to their channel and will monitor it in future weeks. In the past they used to show Rzeszow and Krosno matches. The match can also be watched now. I've put the link in the Polish speedway videos thread to avoid cluttering this.

Plymouth have said they would like to run in the slimline development league if it happens. Nathan Stoneman has been sacrificed as they can’t find a second reserve. His statement and that from Mark Phillips are at odds. Stoneman’s absence allows them to bring in Jason Edwards and Chad Wirtzfeld as Mildenhall and IOW not running in 2020. Wonder if the Gladiators are refreshing their pitch for the Championship in 2021.

Does mr godfrey know the comets are racing on a friday night

Not forgotten, but Teo rode in the National League and the other references were to riders who had appeared in the lower divisions.

There a few riders that would like to be as bang- average as Madsen.He explained tonight that his bikes are aggressive and too strong for the slicker tracks.He was also saying that he hasn’t been well over the last few days.Im sure he will sort out his set -up come GP series.Interestingly riders are saying that the Polish tracks seem to be much slicker this season compared to normal. ps Is your Nan being called up to replace Batchelor at Rybnik

Very much enjoyed that from Lambert last night. Great to see him improve off the starts where it was his only major weakness in previous seasons. This short series has also convinced me of just how much a bang-average rider Madsen is. His bike is somehow so much faster than everyone else’s off the bends and down the straights, yet he still flounders about in most races, dropping points by getting tangled up in battles with other riders. My Nan could score decent points on his bike.

Nigel Pearson, I guess

It's grammar not spelling. The spelling was correct.

Never mind next year I can see Lambert getting a wildcard entry this year

I feel that SON will be moved to Poland this year anyway and back to belle vue next year

True but the top man should make the gate full stop

Well I thought that was an entertaining meeting Roll on Sunday!

35 points doesn’t do gorzow justice, they worked leszno hard tonight

Would nt have put it The same way but Steve is hard to please lol

Fair enough, Kasprzak and Iversen are trying very and giving their best. That's all one could ask for.

The 2 gorzow reserves are both good first corner spoilers for gorzow but the other 5 don’t seem to be able to take advantage of it, both can gate and are moving leszno riders off line and what is going on with Wozniak this season, jack holder is a big loss for gorzow tonight, good meeting though

Lidsey is definitely going to be top rider

I think he gets all his information off this forum tbh . He has only recently learnt the rules for the first month he was not sure on them ..

But you forget it's not just the spectators, to run a meeting has to have loads of volunteers, which is fine, but speedway being what it is, just take Danny for instance riding for Ipswich and Poole, Monday he and his mechanic are riding for Poole and some oik has the virus, known or unknown, Danny then unknowingly brings it to ipswich and bingo everyone has to self isolate for 14 days. Well some volunteers have jobs, who will pay them whilst they have to self isolate, in my case my son's company would probably have to close as there are only 10 people working and if he has to isolate so would they. I have no idea what the answer is, but quite frankly there is no way speedway could have started here under the same rules as before, possibly the riders could only ride for the one team, but then you get as now, Leicester and Manchester in lockdown again and that throws the whole thing out.

suddenly Lambert has a 3 on his back

They want to test KK, NKI and Wozniak tonight apparently.

Not good news for SON crowds. Could be behind closed doors.

It may not completely stop the decline but if those in charge had the opportunity and the balls to hold their nerve, they would start addressing some issues including standardising the machines for league racing in this country. All rides have a choice as to where they ply their trade. In the U.K. we have nothing to gain by paying top dollar. A number of options are available to have standard bikes and if you get away from the expensive machinery you then are not held to ransom by riders over money. Riders to be classified according to their average and then impose a fixed fee per point and start with bonus paid for team riding a partner home. Review the average every two months. Until you get a grip with the variable costs of rider pay rates (fixed costs I would class as stadia, medical, insurance, track staff, referees etc all of which are probably standard and non-negotiable’ ) they are on a hiding to nothing. Control this cost and it might allow the promoter to fund the promotional side and perhaps offer incentives to the paying customer. The club owners may be to blame for many of the failings but the riders are a huge expense and this will remain out of control as long as the riders go for more and more expensive equipment. If you cannot get around a track on a standard machine and use your track craft and skills to win races rather then being a throttle merchant, then perhaps they should look for another job.

H. for Harry.

Superb, it will be perfect for wet meetings as well!

Unlikely as he get's 80% of his commentary content from here and Twitter It's racers and royals who keeps people informed on here

Hackney 96! Yes what a disaster that was from the word go, countless issues with the stadium, the back straight stand never once opened, we started standing by the pits area but then suddenly after a few weeks got told we can’t stand there anymore, the general viewing was rubbish, one evening there was a power failure and even though there was a enough light to race they had to abandon because the main stand was air conditioned as it’s only source of proper ventilation. Over the years I have often grown tired of dry under watered slick tracks, poor presentation and sloppy time keeping and a hugely irregular fixture list, but even then I still kept going because so much of my life had revolved around the sport, I was at Arena Essex every season (not every meeting but 90% of them) from 1988-2018 the only season I didn’t go was when they went into the NL because I remembered the disaster of trying to run a Hackney side a few years previous along side the main Lakeside team, and if Arena was still running I would go, even if it was NL because for all it’s ills I miss the good things, the noise, the smell the sheer sight of bikes being thrown into corners sideways at speed.

I was there, but the world has changed massively since then.

And don't lets forget Teo Teodorowicz

There were only a few criticising him for going to Germany,theres always a few that don't seem to want to see English riders achieve their ambition.Many i think would like to see them be able to ride a 500cc a bit younger over here.It can only help them to achieve greater heights in the sport imo.

If Craig Cook still rode for Belle Vue, I am pretty certain that you would not have posted that comment.

We move on to round 8 this weekend. Tomorrow`s 2 matches are Friday 31st July Zielona Gora v Rybnik programme starts 4.45pm 1st race 5pm Eleven Sport 1 and Freesports ( 5 pm) Friday 31st July Leszno v Gorzow programme starts 7.15pm 1st race 7.30pm Eleven Sport 1 and Premier Sport 1 ( 7.30pm) Links http://www.maniak.tv/mk1 http://www.drhtv.com.pl/drhtv-1.html https://daddylive.live/channels/stream-71.php Racecards Zielona Gora v Rybnik page 22 https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:fcdcd667-968d-4af3-a2dd-c017ce6c96b5 Leszno v Gorzow pages 24 and 25 https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:a6dfa523-cbfe-4782-8eb9-89841fe856d4

Many of whom seem to spend lots of time, focus and money in putting one over their rivals to win competitions rendered pretty much worthless in terms of both kudos and great financial reward by the very actions that they take.... A very strange business plan indeed.. Maybe one day they will all truly work together and put the sport first. Whilst it's still there..

I'd give Charles Wright ago. Certainly didn't disgrace himself in Cardiff. I like Cookie but he's just not going to make it.

You forget BSF negativity is just being 'realistic'. It's a wonder they ever leave their homes. All kinds of things can happen. Just being realistic ;-)

HackneyHawk and Fromafar say some very tough and some would say harsh things, BUT they are true, NOT doom and gloom but realistic. The owner/promoters are totally to blame for the demise of the sport, in particular over the past few years, when it’s gone from bad to worse. The management of the BSPA, Godfrey, Chapmen & Co are woefully poor and fail to see that if people stop buying your products, it’s more than likely the product that is wrong NOT the customer, it’s as simple as that!! The Covid crisis is only speeding up the inevitable closure of Clubs as many were ‘zombie’ businesses staggering along and ready to die. Speedway is currently financially unsustainable and Clubs are running up huge debts that can not be repaid, the result will be disastrous. Only a lunatic, with more money than sense, would invest in speedway. Sadly but truthfully the people running the sport have proved to be clueless clowns and do not possess the acumen to turn things around.

He makes his debut for them this weekend. Will be interesting to see how he goes.

Virtual Skid 7 Premieres @ 7pm on Thursday July 30th 2020 on the Speedway Portal YouTube Channel in association with John Carpenter Speedway Spares. Isle of Wight 'Wightlink Warriors' vs Mildenhall 'Fen Tigers' SCB Referee Christina Turnbull takes charge of the Warriors, with Mildenhall super fan Ellie Kirk leading the Fen Tigers. Fans joining Barry Bishop in the Premiere chat room on YouTube will have a chance to win 2 x 2016 meeting DVD's used in the meeting.

Very sorry to see that Warriors will not have any meetings this year but totally agree with the reasoning and wish Barry and Martin all the best for a successful future.