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Certainly more connection with Somerset than the Confederate Flag. The Wyvern is the official flag of Somerset. The Rebels is relevant because of the Battle of Sedgemoor, which took place near Bridgewater in 1685, which was part of the Monmouth Rebellion. It's actually one of the few nicknames and logos in speedway that are truly locally relevant.

Speedway continuity. Not hard to work out really. The Rebels nickname in the past used the Conferderate flag so they stuck with that at first. The same as Reading Racers did with the Harringay Racers logo, for example. Later, they changed it to a more locally appropriate image after dropping the confederate flag.

Neither is speedway nowadays!

Well it wouldnt get any better with Wright in it.

indiscipline & an I'm all right Jack attitude are the biggest danger to all of our future. it's easy to blame any number of things but when you are advised to stay home how many of us found an excuse to go somewhere we didn't need to be & qualified it with "well it's only once" I'll be OK. Look at our own Prime minister stood outside Number 10 telling the nation to stay indoors, The Queen gave the same advice from her study. Days later Boris is in a Hospital bed but 94 year old Betty from Windsor is doing well.

I always thought it odd that they adopted the Confederate flag when the significance of "Rebels" in Somerset historically is very different?

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.

We move on to tomorrow with 2 matches Tuesday August 4th Gdansk v Lodz programme start time 4.45pm 1st race 5pm UK time N Sport Tuesday August 4th Bydgoszcz v Gniezno Programme starts 7.15pm 1st race 7.30pm UK time N Sport links http://spedway.ucoz.lv/ http://www.maniak.tv/mk7 http://www.drhtv.com.pl/drhtv-1.html https://daddylive.live/channels/stream-75.php Edit Soccerlive is having a bad day- so cannot confirm DRHTV or Maniak at present

I really am not. Having checked it.

You sir are a cad. Lucky I have misplaced my duelling pistols

Agree ,but doesn’t deserve criticism.

I've seen the cars at about six venues. I was bored to tears every time.

With Lambert already qualified and Woffy odds on to challenge for the title, Ellis is the only other Brit riding that’s anywhere near the standard needed. If nothing more, great experience for one of the younger Brits. logical and decent decision from the powers that be, for once!

Bit unfair to criticise Bickley ,there probably a few more reasons he turned it down( unless you know them all) and it’s his prerogative.He has acted Professionally throughout his career.Im sure young Brennan will thank him for his unselfish gesture.

Who knows exactly - at least Adam Ellis is riding in Poland, whereas it would be asking a lot for Charles Wright to jump into such a meeting with no recent match experience. Personally, I'm surprised that Greg Laguta is giving it a go; with the standard of the line-up being weaker than recent years, it gives him and the likes of Timo Lahti their best ever chance of getting to the GPs. I don't think having Fricke and Zagar in the meeting is right; unlike every other GP rider they now have two bites of the cherry when it comes to qualifying for next year. Equally, I'm surprised that the Australians haven't offered anyone else the chance to take part, as they are not exactly short of active riders.

The commemorative battle of Sedgemoor race jacket

Lineup: 1. Grigory Laguta 2. Krzystof Kasperzak 3. Matej Zagar 4. Mikkel Michelsen 5. Jurica Pavlic 6. Nicolas Covatti 7. Oliver Berntzon 8. Broc Nicol 9. Adam Ellis 10. Kevin Wolbert 11. Timo Lahti 12. Vaclav Milik 13. Max Fricke 14. Andzejs Lebedevs 15. Dimitri Berge 16. Aleksandr Loktaev -- 17. Nick Skorja 18. Matic Ivacic

I remember one of my brothers remarking: "The spectators at banger racing make those at speedway look well-to-do." In my (admittedly fairly limited) experience of banger racing, the pauses between races are considerably longer than in speedway (something for which the latter is often marked down).

people that run the speedway should always be looking at other sports and see what it is that attracts supporters. why do bangers get 3 - 4000+ for a meeting and people walk away at the end having had a good night for example? the time now is right to have a complete rethink over how the sport in this country is run and presented, tried and tested is obviously not working but that's the fall-back every single season.

Starting this thread was worth it for this!! ha ha!! I stand corrected on my grammar not spelling!

That Swindon team of 1957 of Mike Broadbanks, (always think it sounds better with the "s"), Ernie Lessiter, Ken Middleditch, Bob Roger, Neil Street, George White and Ian Williams, didn't always look to be the strongest in the National League but it gelled together admirably and that remarkable record of winning the Second and First Divisions in successive seasons, was thoroughly deserved. I have an unhappy memory of my team (Birmingham) visiting Blunsdon that season and not only being massacred to the tune of 77-19 but being forced to ride the first 10 heats without body colours due to the team manager having them in the boot of his car, and rolling up excessively late. After the meeting, the referee Cecil Telling, submitted a report recommending that Birmingham be thrown out of the league - a report which somehow found it's way on to the back page of the "Daily Express!" What an embarrassing day! Perhaps the only consolation came when the Brummies inflicted the Robins first league defeat of the 1957 season on July 31st - the infamous night when Birmingham DID pull out of the league!

No, you're right. The fact that the Rebels fought in the Battle of Sedgemoor and had a Wyvern on their flag and their speedway team is called The Rebels and has a Wyvern for a logo is clearly just a coincidence. My mistake.

I've always wondered why the people trying to set up a "new" Norwich Speedway at Hevingham in (I think 1967), didn't persevere? I know they fell foul of authority by running a trial meeting without a licence, but although the place was pretty basic, the crowd was quite decent (the meeting WAS staged in December) and the half-built venue did look to have promise. I'm not local to the area, but I do believe that the site is still there and the outline of the track is still visible. Perhaps our Norwich friend can enlighten me? Very best wishes by the way, to the people trying to get Workington up and running again. I hope Workington people will back them regardless of which league the club joins.

My Tommy Miller profile with stats... MILLER, Thomas Ogilvie (Tommy) Born: February 22, 1924, High Blantyre, Scotland. Died: 1975 One of the greatest speedway riders Scotland has ever produced, Tommy Miller burst onto the speedway scene in 1950, having had a handful of second half rides at Glasgow at the end of the previous year. He had spent the winter in practice at the Bothwell Training Track and was given a place at reserve in the ‘Tigers’ team for the start of the new decade. After taking the early season regional cup competitions and challenge matches to settle into his new role, Tommy’s scoring suddenly took off and he recorded a string of sensational scores that made him the talk of speedway. He quickly became almost unbeatable around his home White City track and his average was only reduced by some lower scores on circuits that he had never seen before. His dominance around his home shale was demonstrated by him smashing Graham Warren’s track record in June and by recording an 18 point maximum for Scotland in a representative match against an unofficial England side which included the likes of the legendary Jack Parker and World finalist Louis Lawson. As with all overnight sensations, the acid test would be the second season and Tommy answered all those questions with a sensational run of scores which propelled him into third position in the league averages behind Jack Young, who became World Champion that year, and Young’s fellow Australian Bob Leverenz. He dropped just eight points in 16 league and cup matches around his home track and showed that the experience he had picked up on away tracks the previous year had been put to good use, as he lifted his average to a figure of ten and a half points per match. This season also saw Tommy make his debut on the international scene and, although he was a true Scot, his appearances came for England who drew upon Scottish and Welsh riders, despite not labelling the team as Great Britain. He won his first ride in the Union Jack body colour, beating the Australian pair of Warren and Arthur Payne on their home track at Birmingham, and went on to score nine points in one of the few bright spots in a heavy 16 point defeat. His best season came in 1952 when he dominated the Second Division, topping the league averages with a figure just short of eleven points per match, recording 22 maximums in 49 official fixtures and adding to his international tally with two further appearances against the Aussies. After another amazing season in 1953, Tommy was on the move in 1954 and many expected him to head south to join one of the First Division sides, with Belle Vue and Wimbledon both reported to be interested in securing the services of the brilliant Scot. However, Tommy elected to join Glasgow’s local rivals Motherwell and he formed a formidable spearhead at the Milton Street track with Derick Close. Whilst he had been a hero at Glasgow, Tommy was not as popular amongst the ‘Eagles’ fans and he failed to settle at his new home, riding in only nine official matches for the club before moving and joining up with the Coventry ‘Bees’. His first season at Brandon was a good one, recording almost ten points per match, but it was soon clear that his best days were behind him as his average slumped year on year, and a move to Oxford mid way through 1956 failed to reverse the slide. He appeared at the press and practice day at Cowley at the start of the 1957 season but soon packed up and returned home, ending the career of one of the finest riders of the decade. Tommy did not manage to reach a World Final and never rode in the top flight of British speedway, but the fact that he was chosen for the international side at a time when the selectors rarely looked beyond London or Manchester, let alone beyond Division One, demonstrates what a remarkable rider he was at the peak of a short, yet fantastic, career. Year Club Division M R P BP TP CMA FM PM 1950 Glasgow NL2 31 130 281 15 296 9.11 6 4 1951 Glasgow NL2 32 131 339 5 344 10.50 12 2 1952 Glasgow NL2 49 208 564 4 568 10.92 21 1 1953 Glasgow NL2 39 171 462 3 465 10.88 23 - 1954 Motherwell NL2 9 39 82 1 83 8.51 2 1 1954 Coventry NL2 10 40 97 2 99 9.90 2 - 1955 Coventry NL2 35 180 321 22 343 7.62 - 1 1956 Coventry NL2 17 78 118 15 133 6.82 1 - 1956 Oxford NL2 7 32 35 2 37 4.63 - - Individual Honours: Division Two Match Race Champion August 1951 to September 1951. International Honours: England international – 5 caps, 15 points.

It still fits though. Westonzoyland is just 10 miles from Highbridge. Are you suggesting that the Somerset promotion had absolutely no knowledge of this and it is just coincidence? The Battle of Sedgemoor was the last and decisive engagement between the Kingdom of England and rebels led by the Duke of Monmouth during the Monmouth rebellion, fought on 6 July 1685,[1] and took place at Westonzoyland near Bridgwater in Somerset, England, resulting in a victory for the English army. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Sedgemoor#:~:text=The Battle of Sedgemoor was,victory for the English army.

Hi Dickie, First off we would like to thank you for your continued support for the Virtual Skid streams, you have posted positively promoting Virtual Skid in various threads on the forum and that hasn’t gone unnoticed by us. Regarding the viewing figures, you are correct that just over 100 viewers tuned in live to watch the Premiere of Virtual Skid 7, however it remains viewable on catch-up as Chris has mentioned above for those who were unable to watch live as is all past Virtual Skid streams. These viewing figures continue to increase daily. We constantly monitor various streams up and down the country and can say our viewing figures for Virtual Skid, SGB streams aside, sit well alongside regular club meeting streams and in many cases gain more Premiere viewings than a good portion of them. Also, there are many other private statistics available on our streams which are even more important to us than the view count visible to the public below the videos. Amongst others, just one important observation the public view count doesn’t show is that friends are starting to get together to watch it in groups and multiple families are doing the same, so whilst the view count may show 1, there are in fact, in some cases that we know of over 10 people watching on that count alone. All of the speedway streams from the various production companies within the sport have been a massive help to people up and down the country in so many ways during the current situation. Many people print out our race card, put the Virtual Skid Premieres in their diaries, watch it with their families and friends, engage and many take the time to send us dedicated emails and messages privately of thanks etc. It makes it worthwhile in many ways to try in every way we can to continue to produce the Virtual Skid streams. Sponsorship wise, we have already hit our minimum target to allow us to go weekly for the next 4 instalments with 8 heats, meetings sponsor and 1 team sponsor per meeting already taken before any teams have been announced. Although we are in good shape, we do need more support for the future, we still have those remaining 7 heats available along with other opportunities to get involved. We do try at all times to promote those who help us and give back as much value as we possibly can. There is an incredible amount of hours involved in producing a Virtual Skid meeting stream, well over 15 times that of a standard meeting stream that is already recorded and edited. The sponsorship goes towards making it possible to dedicate that time weekly (or as close to it) for the fans to continue to enjoy, for free. And it is great to see that multiple speedway production companies have already been involved with us (Speedway Portal, Oxford Speedway Productions & Classic Speedway Videos) and we continue to reach out to other production companies to include footage from multiple clubs, tracks and teams along with featuring a variety of fans, riders and officials from within our sport. With only 7 Virtual Skid meetings so far, we are still at the infancy of our journey. So for everyone who sponsors us, supports us and watches our Premieres we thank you for your support, and look forward to growing Virtual Skid with many new tweaks and ideas already in mind to implement as we progress. Andy and Barry

Spectators - that's a step forward And looks like a good day for Celina.

On the contrary, Laura Morgan made it public that running Workington speedway was a loss making exercise during the last title winning season and after winning the League was very non committal about running which was proved when speedway didn't run at Derwent Park in 2019. If anyone wanted to take on Workington speedway at Derwent Park and were serious about it, things would of happened during the last 2018 season or even in the 2018/19 winter to ensure the clubs survival. I'm sure any would be saviour was put of by the debts Laura Morgan accrued. The current plans to build a new Workington speedway track on the Northside training track sound promising and look to offer the only realistic way that League speedway will return to the area. The fact that the would be speedway promotion would also own the site (after building it themselves) and subsequently have the rights to the all income streams attached would make the chances of the venue being financially viable much more likely. A Somerset/Redcar/Scunthorpe like set up at Northside that could develop over time while in operation could work I reckon. Heres hoping we see the Workington Comets back in League speedway soon!

Worst I've seen the track . Hopefully just down to lack of water on track on a very hot day

I was correct then

Bragging again

Some of the very best racing I have seen at the NSS has been delivered by the NL lads.. The days of 'wobblers' and 'all fall downers' are long gone... And a very reasonable admission price point too..

"The best"? Workington were in the second division. Anyway, I can assure you that when Birmingham went into the NL in 2015, the racing was excellent, and served as a springboard to return to professional racing. Anyone who refuses to watch NL racing is merely cutting off their nose to spite their face.

The government have an impossible job but while thousands are allowed on to beaches there is no justification in not allowing some sort of crowd who are marshalled properly at a sporting event.

From a personal point of view, i am doing nothing different than i was at the height of the lockdown. I social distance, regularly wash my hands, wear a mask when required and avoid crowded places. It's not rocket science, is it?

I've not gone all through this thread but one thing I was wondering today is what if most of the riders who race in the British Leagues have now found themselves decent paid jobs this year to make a living. Come 2021 (if we are back to normal then) Will the same riders think "you know what, I'm quite enjoying having a steady income and not have to worry about the expense of running 2 bikes". Will the occasional spin in a Amateur meeting at Scunny be enough to satisfy their desire to race? Of cause I am only talking about the bread and butter riders here and not the top international one's who have lucrative deals in Poland or Sweden. Will be interesting to see what happens.

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,

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.

I remember being taken aback by the admission price too. Awful track, awful viewing. I recently bought a London Lions highlights dvd to see if the racing was better than I remembered..It wasn't!

I went to Glasgow for the PO Final last year and from the moment you turn up at the stadium it feels like you're going to be watching a professionally run sport, it's the standard all other clubs should be aiming for... it's just a shame they can't make it pay! I went to the first GP at Hackney and started off by standing on one of the "grass banks" until being moved on... then the best viewing position I could find was actually below the track and we stood there looking up at it, never went again. They should have called themselves the London White Elephants

The London Lions in 1996 was a tenner to get in. Astonishing, considering most tracks were charging £6 at the time. Despite all of problems at the stadium, i only missed 2 meetings there that season. I must have been mad!

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.

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

The spelling on this forum saddens me. It's Inquiry, not enquiry. Inquiry - Formal investigation Enquiry - When you enquire about something

Hackney Hawk, Like you I have endured experiences with rude and arrogant modern day "promoters" that made me wonder why I bother. Nil entertainment.... endless delays.... shabby stadium facilities and never even the decency of a reply to any letter sent. Some 3 seasons ago I gave up attending. My grandfather first watched speedway at Crystal Palace in the the early 1930's ... sadly I have ended the family tradition. Still take the Speedway Star and Classic Speedway magazine ... still watch speedway on TV , but you will never get me to visit another UK speedway track. I have great memories and prefer to keep them as great memories. Sadly from my personal band of speedway "diehard" supporter friends, many of them have passed away, and must be watching their speedway from afar.

last night meeting from poland full of young people and families not a dogs chance that happening in this country .i am a die hard i find it so depressing

Nah, they will just pick Chris Harris.

No need for an enquiry. Everybody on here knows the reasons why the sport is in terminal decline here in the UK. So many threads so many comments over the years on here. The star have even tried to address it. Sadly the powers that be have done very little to address it. I no longer worry about it speedway is very much something I have left behind unless I fancy a night at the races for social reasons. I can't change it or influence the powers that be so as its out of my control I just enjoy the memories and the odd night out to the speedway once a year or so.

Black Lives Matter should have been All Lives Matter, everyone is equal.

Imagine if speedway crowds took the knee, most would never get back up again