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Obviously not been to Ipswich for a long time up until last year but I was very impressed with the improvements made over the years. I saw some ok races and a very good race between Fricke and heeps, yes its only one race but it shows that it can produce outstanding racing size wise its the best stadia in the UK to get a bigger crowd in, so good luck to you hopefully hosting a few big meetings

I guess Seaton Burn will be the remains of the Banks opencast that is just about done. It’s on Viscount Ridley’s land. cramlington continues to expand and might be an excellent catchment area for new fans.

exactly. if you could convince a local authority that having a speedway (or sports) stadium would bring thousands of visitors to the region (for example for a GP) to boost the local economy then you might be part of the way there. but then who funds it? Gateshead FC have been looking for a new stadium for years. There's plenty of waste ground in Gateshead but there's no funding. I'd have thought with Rob Grants lineage to farming you're looking at a Berrington Lough type prospect rather than a NSS Manchester.

Honestly lads a love ya pragmatism... build build build refers to houses houses and more houses due to a national shortage (in the South East) (cough cough) apparently and councils will still get the ultimate say on new developments Sports and leisure are always a high priority because they employ people and generate a spend in the community however we are talking about motor sport... it will be difficult but not impossible... It will be down to Rob and his team to sell the idea and how it will benefit the region locally and nationally and more importantly the local community (getting the kids in and keeping them entertained is a big plus) and also how much oomph he can put into his business plan... and the other thing in the Speedways favour is that it is there now so there would need to be a massive number of complainants to muddy the water.... It's all if's but"s and the proverbial and's at the moment however it is the right time to start looking and engaging in the process because I feel the writing is on the wall for Brough... sadly... Regards THJ

OTD September 2, 1973: Jerzy Szczakiel became Poland’s first World Champion, after defeating defending champion Ivan Mauger in a run-off for first place in Katowice. It was a huge shock to most people outside of Poland, although the Opole star was more than a match for anyone on Polish turf. Szczakiel was often unfairly branded the ‘Worst World Champion’ by British fans. He crashed out of the 1973 Daily Mirror International Tournament at Oxford, while he failed to score in the World Team Cup final at Wembley a fortnight after becoming World Champion while riding with an injury sustained practicing for the event. But he wasn’t a one-hit wonder. He scored a paid maximum for the triumphant Poles in the 1971 World Pairs Final in Rybnik, when he and Andrzej Wyglenda took a comprehensive victory and left the New Zealand pairing of Mauger and Barry Briggs trailing in their wake. Szczakiel won his opening three outings at Katowice, including a victory over Mauger in Heat 8 – a race in which the Kiwi only mustered a third. Russian Grigory Khlinovsky bundled the Pole wide in Heat 15, but he came behind to recover second place. He needed to win Heat 18 to clinch the title, but he finished second to Ole Olsen to join Mauger in the run-off for first place on 13 points. Polish ‘boy wonder’ Zenon Plech should have joined them in the run-off, but for some bizarre refereeing from West German Georg Traunspurger in Heat 19. Khlinovsky, also in with a chance of the run-off, knocked off Plech as they battled for the lead on the final lap. The referee stopped have stopped the race and excluded the Russian, but allowed it to finish, before booting out the Russian. Under FIM rules of the time, a re-run was not permitted, while first place had to be given to Peter Collins since he had completed the race and Plech had not. Maybe it’s just as well that Plech wasn’t in the run-off, since he had gained an extra point when Edward Jancarz let him through for victory in Heat 16 in a race stage-managed between four Polish riders. On the other hand, Szczakiel had won all his points fair and square. In the run-off, he took advantage of a typically ragged start from Traunspurger. Mauger closed in, but he misjudged his inside pass of the Pole on the third bend of the second lap and came crashing down. Szczakiel completed the remaining laps alone to thunderous noise from a crowd of over 100,000. Szczakiel become the first rider to defeat Mauger TWICE in the same World Final – a feat only John Louis would repeat. To his credit, Mauger was magnanimous in defeat and often praised Szczakiel. Research showed in the years between ’71 and ’73, the head-to-head between the two riders stood at a very close 7-6 to the Kiwi. Not many riders were able to go toe-to-toe with Mauger over this period. Szczakiel passed away yesterday at the age of 71. RIP Jerzy.

Now here's a little story To tell it is a must About a new track venue That’s built on council dust You won’t find any houses Or people to complain As big as 20 acres On Siemens old terrain Oh, my old man's a diamond He wears a diamond’s cap He wears cor-blimey kevlars And rides on council cr*p Turned out nice again!

Well he does but he also likes the smell & taste of sherbitnowadays ha

Good evening THJ, We here at the Supporters Group would just like to assure you that we are totally aware that not everybody has access to Facebook, and we are also especially aware that our older generation of supporters will most likely not see any posts put on Facebook by ourselves or anyone else in management. This being said, however, Facebook still remains the quickest and easiest way to gain the opinions and thoughts of a majority number of supporters. This then helps us make decisions as a club, who have listened to what our supporters are thinking. Surely this can only be a good thing, yes? So while we are pleased that you are "still laughing now", if you could try and refrain from insinuating negativity in to our hard work and efforts to incorporate our supporters opinions, that would be very much appreciated. Many thanks. P. S we are yet to receive the email you previously mention in this thread this evening. Rest assured though, every effort will be made to access it at our earliest convenience. Regards, NSSG

Only when I'm not joining your good self in the bar for post meeting refreshments 1 or a dozen then I may want to drive lol

Here it is Copied and Pasted: Following a meeting with all management parties today, we would like to officially announce that we are now in the process of considering a number of potential sites in various locations including Seaton Burn, Gateshead and Wylam to name a few. We are in positive talks with the land owners, aswell as the representatives of the Borough Councils that these sites are situated in. Bearing this in mind, we are still welcoming and considering all available options for our new home so if you or any other supporters/friends/family own any land/smallholdings that you think would be suitable for our needs and would be willing to lease this land out on a long term basis, then please feel free to get in touch. You can contact us via email at either: Nssg@newcastle-speedway.co.uk Info@newcastle-speedway.co.uk Or drop us a message on Facebook! We truly value your help and support at this time!

I remember a few years ago Nick Brown MP said he would do everything he could to help us move away from Brough Park into new facilities , if we needed it. https://www.facebook.com/nssg2020

Told you! What a let down. Thankfully I backed Zmarzlik over Vaculik!

Table updated to include tonight

Good news.. It will help put any fires out...

Aye, 'pragmatism', that's probably where it hits the wall.

Lets hope the rain keeps away as this derby is always a cracker !!

I’m guessing Foxhall is the only stadium you’ve been to. It must be, because if you think Foxhall is a “dump”, then you simply haven’t been to 99.9% of Speedway stadia up and down the country!

Foxhall stadium isn't a dump these days, obviously given its age it would however take vast amounts of money to have all the mod cons of a purpose built venue but its certainly equipped well enough to host big events. You've got to realise that every year apart from this one it caters for the better part of 10k crowds for the stock car and banger world championships. The one point I will concede to is the standard of the track and racing, most of us locals at Ipswich would love to have a track like Belle Vue's.

Yeah but Dave, when we come out of this crisis, there's possibly gonna be millions unemployed. If there is anyone left that wants to invest in the future, maybe provide work/employment for the area, all avenues need be looked into.

Yes, that was a new plan from Boris called " Build, Build, Build' which would allow restrictions to be ripped up to rejuvenate the Building sector.

Dave I can remember when that site was being mooted as the new St James Park replacement and I would also would suggest you are right in that the land will be classified as "Industrial Land" however to hold Speedway it will need a change of classification from a current B Classification (As it will be a classification from B1 through to B8 for its current purpose) to a "Sui generis" classification and this will need planning permission and it as at this stage where it will come unstuck I would suggest. Most classifications can swap over as long as certain criteria are met without going to planning as I have been involved with in the past when we built a leisure centre on an old industrial site but the D2 Planning Classification which states as follows D2. Assembly and leisure - Cinemas, music and concert halls, bingo and dance halls (but not night clubs), swimming baths, skating rinks, gymnasiums or area for indoor or outdoor sports and recreations (except for motor sports, or where firearms are used). You will note from the above the D2 Classification strictly rules out motor sports hence the need of a Sui generis classification and the requirement for full planning consent which in that location may struggle to go through. The whole planning process is an absolute minefield (unless you can get buy in from local councillors and the local MP's) and more so for motor sports... If you are struggling to sleep have a look at this it explains a great deal of it https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Use_class_designation_for_land_and_buildings That's why some brown field sites that haven't been fully classified yet can be easier to develop than a site already with a classification and again its all down to cash and also how many jobs you can create within the development area. If they were to say they were opening a hotel; a cafe; a pub and other venues with employment opportunities and create 10/20/30 full time jobs then this carries a great deal of weigh and the planning is looked upon more favourably. That is why a private site off plan so to speak would be a better call... I am with you on this one Ruff as the car park is always full(ish) there are many travelling fans and also with a new location it will surely show a bounce on new fans who are new fangled with something different to do near to where they live Regards THJ

Seems a no brainer to me whilst covering the tie too, Zmarzlik has been untouchable at Gorzow nearly all year. Good shout on KK too. I vowed never to bet on KK again but I’m putting my faith in him.

Just wandering how many fans live close by or rely on public transport to get to Brough? Also, would a far flung new location maybe attract new fans?

THJ I heard at the weekend that the Seimen's site I referred to earlier, was originally the chosen site for a new St James Park. As that has not happened, and unlike to happen, it would definately be classed as industrial land, and I don't think it is contaminated land either. Being on the doorstep of our present track, surely this land must be the first location to be checked out. Have you any 'heads up' John of availability and the possibility of converting it to a speedway raceway. The area has always been our home, and i'm not sure how many people would continue to attend if it was in some far flung new location.The Seimen's site is actually two sites split by Shields Road. What about the chances of getting the new track alongside the Metro line, with the Chillingham Road Metro station on our doorstep. Here's hoping.

So on the 1st of July 2020 the question was raised about a move to another track and it wasn't received very warmly to say the least; however it now seems that it is being embraced with various sites and options being proposed but the main thing being overlooked with all the proposals being put forward is as follows... All free land in the region is now being assessed for housing and that includes land formally thought of as not being suitable for housing; so land previously contaminated; land previously prone to flooding; land on difficult terrain that requires the likes of contiguous piling and land over mine workings and under high voltage lines.... Land and "any land" is now at a premium and the nearer you get to the city centre the more it will command value wise... Brough will be a housing estate within the next 20 years or less for sure... There is contaminated land on a city centre site (by the now empty O2 Arena) and it will cost £350k an acre in "Remediation Works" to sort the contamination issues out so what that means is Remedial Works for investigating, removing, remedying, cleaning up, abating, modifying or ameliorating the presence or effects of any and all "Hazardous Materials" and it will be very costly. This is all before any founds or footings go into the ground and a brick is laid... The costs are astronomical and the only site I can remember in the last 20 years that went on hold was in North Shields on a former hide and tanning site where animals were processed and we found dormant Anthrax spores on the site which at the time proved too costly an exercise to remove to make the site viable. However I was told recently that developers were back looking at the site as the returns on the development were starting to make this a viable site once again. We have been down this route before and discussed this to death just a couple of months back and honestly it will take an awful lot of good will from any of the regions local authorities to make anything happen and who other than a Speedway fan would have a noisy; smelly; dust creating speedway track anywhere near their homes because again we are not talking about one day a week here as Rob Grant wants to develop a training track and hire the place out utilising it to its maximum; so lets get real people its not going to happen around any built up area; on any type of land that could be used first and foremost for housing then secondly for job creation developments like a trading estate. So we are back looking at areas where noise; smell; dust creation traffic and crowds wont be an issue and with reasonable traffic links... and this leads us back to the likes of the outskirts of Cramlington; Blyth; Gloucester Sports Field near Seaton Sluice; Bedlington or on the way out of Newcastle on the A69 to the back end of Throckley which is the very outskirts of Newcastle or possibly on the Tyne Tunnel Approach Road at the back of the SUEZ recycling and recovery UK plant in Willington Quay which is in North Tyneside or how about at the other site ARC own in the area "High Gosforth Park" at the race track? they have land that used to be Rugby pitches that are no longer used and it was used for an open air concert just recently. After all the Reuben Brothers said they wanted to invest in Newcastle whilst trying to buy Newcastle United with "Wor Manda" and the "Saudi PIF" However the issues don't stop there as the bigger question should be who will finance the building of the new set up (note I did not say Stadium), I asked the question the last time as to what it cost to set up the likes of Redcar and Scunthorpe without getting any feedback however both are good Speedway set ups... I was told (and I don't know how true it is) that Rob Godfrey spent £150 grand back in the day to set up Scunny which was pretty basic when he first started out but he has successfully added and improved the venue over the last 15/20 years to where it is now. So where does this start up cash come from? and even if it is just £150k to get the ball rolling that's not peanuts by any stretch of the imagination. Finding 12/20 Acres of land is just the start of the problems.. Sorry if it seems I am "scooting on anyone's parade" but this is a big issue for the club; the fans the promotion and the region if they want to keep a Newcastle Speedway team... Regards THJ

When, not if.

It was the 1971 World Pairs final. He scored 15 paid 18 - a paid maximum -to take the title along with Andrzej Wyglenda. That win included a Polish 5-1 over Mauger and Briggs - which would probably explain why Ivan said he saw Jerzy as a threat before the 1973 World final.

It's difficult to say after 2 rounds but just going on pure percentages, Woffinden, Zagar & Fricke with Vaculik being a big loser 1 2 Total Pts +/- % Freddie Lindgren 10 11 21 30 9 43% Tai Woffinden 12 15 27 32 5 19% Maciej Janowski 17 19 36 38 2 6% Bartosz Zmarzlik 11 14 25 27 2 8% Matej Zagar 6 4 10 12 2 20% Gleb Chugunov 6 8 14 16 2 14% Max Fricke 2 8 10 12 2 20% Patryk Dudek 5 7 12 13 1 8% Jason Doyle 5 3 8 8 0 0% Niels-Kristian Iversen 3 11 14 14 0 0% Antonio Lindback 1 1 2 2 0 0% Artem Laguta 20 13 33 32 -1 -3% Mikkel Michelsen 5 7 12 11 -1 -8% Leon Madsen 13 7 20 18 -2 -10% Emil Sayfutdinov 11 6 17 15 -2 -12% Martin Vaculik 11 4 15 12 -3 -20%

Sorry to hear this. A very good rider who was vastly underrated in some quarters. World Champion and good international rider (including 18 point max in one World Class meeting - World Pairs?). R I P Jerzy

Better off being blocked. The guy wants the violins to come out every time he writes a post.

Page 18 for a table. Woffy is +5

The Grandstand is sold out,I’m sure like myself many families have seated tickets adjacent in the stand.The obvious easy decision would to refund now and re-sell tickets when the crowd level and social distance rules will be known.They are obviously hoping for a full house but that is “long shot”. They don’t want to refund if they can get away with it.

Glad to be blocked by you, your high opinion yourself always seems to be the one that matters on here.

There are enough rumours about me already, thank you.

lovin the new type fence . H and S at its best . good stuff .

Winners & Losers... so far 1 2 Total Pts +/- Freddie Lindgren 10 11 21 30 9 Tai Woffinden 12 15 27 32 5 Maciej Janowski 17 19 36 38 2 Bartosz Zmarzlik 11 14 25 27 2 Matej Zagar 6 4 10 12 2 Gleb Chugunov 6 8 14 16 2 Max Fricke 2 8 10 12 2 Patryk Dudek 5 7 12 13 1 Jason Doyle 5 3 8 8 0 Niels-Kristian Iversen 3 11 14 14 0 Antonio Lindback 1 1 2 2 0 Artem Laguta 20 13 33 32 -1 Mikkel Michelsen 5 7 12 11 -1 Leon Madsen 13 7 20 18 -2 Emil Sayfutdinov 11 6 17 15 -2 Martin Vaculik 11 4 15 12 -3

But no mention of any sort on the BSPA website other than in the upcoming fixtures list. I would have thought that Plymouth's admirable effort was worth even a couple of lines

Why should we not be attending public gatherings. Not all medical conditions are visible. Myself and many others are able and entitled to make the most of our lives and that includes enjoying/watching sports/theatre/cinema etc. If I felt unwell I would not be going out in the first place. Just because some of us can't wear a mask doesn't mean we have to lock ourselves away, understanding and tolerance is needed in these uncertain times by everyone.