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What a great night loved every minute, Really reminded me of why I fell in love with the Sport 26 years ago. 13 riders going hammer and tong at each. Absolutely superb start to his home Sheffield career for Stefan Nielsen well done lad. Also really have become a big fan of Josh Pickering too. Think it was the first time I've ever seen Danyon Hume ride too, he certainly gained a fan tonight too brilliant stuff. But most of all what has really pleased me tonight is My Dad after several years (he's only been to a handful of meetings since our beloved Vikings closed) of not attending came with me tonight and absolutely loved it. He was the one that got me into the Sport all them years ago, So it's great I can now help bring him back. I ❤️ Speedway Thank you Sheffield Speedway

In summary….. 3 x Pee Wee Races 2 x 125 Demo 3 x Lady Races Full parade and all individual rider intros 6 x Jawa V Weslake Races 15 x 3TT race Half Time Kids race Bruce Cribb Ice Bike Demo More Pee Wee and Revvi Demos Japs and upright demo Track grade every 5 heats Every race winner did a lap of honour And all done by 9pm That wasnt just entertainment that was a great welcome, great value, a great show.... By the way 6 riders on display last night came through My First Skid Speedway School not including the youths…

I was at the IOW meeting yesterday. It was anything but a sideshow. So much that others could learn by attending. If you get a chance to go then do. I defy any promoter to attend and not come away with a hatful of ideas that they could adapt to their own needs. The stadium is presented immaculately, the whole staff and volunteers are as warm and welcoming as you could want, whilst also being extremely professional The racing was very good and I would happily watch that evert week. Riders were out and ready to go as soon as the riders were in from the previous race. The riders interacted with the crowd The promoters seek feedback. Barry was out talking to people in the queue before the gates opened, he was talking to people at the ferry terminal whilst we were waiting for the 'speedway special' sailing, and he walked round the ferry lounge thanking people for attending. Martin was also talking to supporters on the ferry. If that is all a sideshow (and I have only touched the surface here ) it'll do for me - and I reiterate the speedway was plenty good enough as well.

So the Masons from Kent caused a week's rain at Glasgow? That was clever of them

Kent.....not much. An occasional mention in a local newspaper....very occasional No signs, posters, radio, TV, appearances etc etc etc If I ran a team, I'd design a really modern looking, classy car sticker with some essential ingredients such as the club logo and clear 'SPEEDWAY TEAM' on it and give them out free to ever single person that attends. Cheaper than you'd think and car stickers get seen ALOT

What a meeting! One of the best tracks in the league. Maybe Eurosport should take note and maybe televise one of the Championship meeting. Both teams rode very well with some spectacular overtakes. Great advert for British speedway!

I will settle for a good crowd over +800 and Glasgow can have the 4 points lol

Don't think so. If the accident hadn't have happened Monarchs would've gone into the final heat 2 points up and I think Sam & Josh would have got at least a 3-3 against Bjarne & Jason (or possibly Bjarne & Leon). But a very impressive performance from Plymouth who gave a very good account of themselves. Ruml, Keleher & Cook all did well on their first Armadale appearance. For the home side the Thomson/Pickering pairing got them out of jail. Great to see Crumpie roll back the years and he gave a great interview talking about bringing on the next generation of riders and reminiscing about riding at Powderhall back in the day. Hope no lasting damage for Bjarne or Richie.

Might have done but for Bjarne's injury, a real shame.

Might just help if a proper track curator with the proper equipment was given the proper amount of time to prepare the track. It appears that is not going to happen with the current set up ( reluctant landlords , ) and a promotion who can’t see ( because of the dust perhaps ?) the issue .

Hmm... what a massive coincidence another Birmingham away match cancelled

Discussed recently in the context of Harris and Nicholls at Peterborough. Jorgensen is listed above Aarnio, so either: 1) going to 3rd/4th decimal place Jorgensen is above Aarnio, or 2) their averages are identical, in which case the previous month's GSAs apply and Jorgensen is ranked ahead of Aarnio because of their July averages (6.91 v 6.85). Either way, the conclusion is that Ellis doesn't get an R/R ride.

Sorry speedway does not need re-inventing the promotion of the sport needs re-inventing and the blueprint for it is already in place. One has to look no further than Barry Bishop and co of the Wightlink Warriors / Wightlink Wizards speedway club and the way they promote the sport not just on the island but across the board. Speedway GB effectively forced them out of the league with their accept this or pi$$ off attitude and when they did go and they joined another proper recognised organisation they still tried putting obstacles in there way to stop them running. And running they are putting on a show that attracts the crowds that enjoy the show and keep on coming back for more just look at the amount of races / entertainment the crowd get to enjoy for the same few hours that other tracks take to run 15 heats. (I bet the IOW get a bigger crowd to watch the tractor grade the track than some clubs get to watch a match). NO speedway doesn't need re-inventing its just the dinosaurs running this great sport (Directors and Promoters) that need re-educating or removing so someone / some people with a vision and understanding that the way its being run now and has been run for years is way past its sell by date. Speedway is a sport BUT the general public want ENTERTAINMENT for the dosh there spending and that is not just 14 riders over 15 races (and possibly 2 or 3 of the same riders with a different opposition vest on every match) Rant over.

Just a question I asked myself this morning, certainly not replacing "League" Racing but either to run alongside it or potentially if league racing disppeared So the "British" Superbike Championship does feature riders from lots of different nationalities but it is raced in the UK. It comprises of 2-3 days worth of action due to practice, Qualifying etc. however that is because it allows all competitors on track at the same time for racing where Speedway is different... So would people pay £25/£30 for a days of Speedway action say an 8/10/12 round series on a Saturday? it could feature 8 Rider - British 125cc Championship (8 races plus a Final) 8 Rider - British 250cc Championship (8 races plus a Final) 12 Rider - British U23 500cc Championship (12 races plus a Final) 8 Team - British Speedway Sidecar Championship (8 races plus a Final) 12 Rider - British 450cc Open Championship (12 races plus a Final) featuring the great late Peter Seaton's idea of 450cc MotoX engines in Speedway Chasis so guys running Honda, Kawasaki etc. 16 Rider - British Speedway Championship (20 races plus 2 semi & Final) If Racing Started at 2pm, gates open from 11.30am practice sessions for each championship from 12pm until 1.30pm Could something like this work?

Put Edwards in 13 guaranteed 2 points and save Leon for 14 would've been my choice but Garry May knows a lot more than me

Your right your boring me now zzzzzzzz

I think most of your post lean towards argumentative.

Problem in speedway is when a rider improves so much like Lawson and Ostergaard they become less appealing for a team spot the following season.Should somehow be rewarded for improving yourself.But it will be riders like Heeps etc who will probably get team spots before the likes of Lawson and Ostergaard because of being able to make their averages fit better into a team.

There is no logic, just fishing for an argument....

Forgive me my optimism when someone says they aim to finish the season I take them at their word

Charlie Gjedde was good at Blunsdon Abbey in his day!

good job your not talking about alfie bowtell scoring well at the moment

From what I've heard Lawson just ran out of steam and was knackered in heat 15, to be honest I don't agree with home tacticals so perhaps justice was served in the end. Also while we all want to see our team win it seems that it's been an entertaining season at Lynn, last heat deciders and better racing are no bad thing. As long its not every season I guess

Maybe some truth in the notion of Batch losing his bottle, he was always one of the first to cry off when tracks are wet. It’s a tough game and if your not committed you are going to struggle, speedway is not a sport you can do half hearted. Reminds me a bit of another Troy (Pratt) fast when gating and out in front but all at sea when faced with trying to pass someone, body language completely different.

Pickering has been brilliant since he came in and his performance at kings Lynn was awesome.The effort that lad put in last night is the level I expect from all 7 riders as a given. If you get beat by the better team then fine but when you are carrying a heat leader every meeting then we won’t get a sniff of winning the play offs. In his previous race when he hit the kerb on the last corner showed his desire and aggression to get an extra point. This effort is well respected by the sheffield fans. Even some wolves fans applauded his heat 10 exploits. A big mention to the former Ipswich lads Hume and Nielsen really putting big efforts in home and away

JK`s excellent race card for round 7 Malilla https://www.speedwayservice.at/images/racecards/2021/SGP2021-07.pdf

Exactly the point though isn't it. It's not about what you want to see or what I what to see. It's about providing what the vast majority want. Lowest common denominator stuff. That's why you get stuff like the Hundred. (Garish) Style over content. (Don't tell my boss) but I spent today watching the first day of the Lords test followed by Northern Superchargers vs Manchester Invincibles. (Absolutely terribly contrived teams to attract the widest fan base, you might as well refer to them as Popchips vs McCoys) Clearly the skills set and tactical nuances on display at Lords were far greater than the risk and reward slogfest which was the Hundred. But even though tonights match was a thumping home win and not even a contest it was still very watchable with lots of big hitting and then wickets tumbling. With presumably sane members of the public singing and dancing along to terribly cheesy tunes during the very short delays between sets of five (not overs). Total escapism. Which is exactly what entertainment (not neccesarily sport) should be. If speedway is to reinvent itself it needs to appeal to these lowest commom denominators. Unfortunately for speedway for the masses the equivalent of a big six isn't a big five one it's a big crash. Interesting debate during the test match about scheduling of matches and how the ECB have introduced the Hundred because the game is too reliant of International matches subsidising the counties. Something speedway in this country could only dream off..... ....or is that the way forward??? A showpiece International tournament with a competitive GB team? Using the Hundred as a template you don't even need the best performers you just need non stop action over a couple of hours, merchanside, loud music, crowd interaction, booze by the looks of it. Nobody seems to be that bothered about the standard relative to the best in the world (must of the big name England players are now no longer in the competition [imagine if the Premiership started with all the GP stars but they all left once the SGP's started!!!]), as long as they can entertain. Nobody seems remotely bothered that the players have no affinity to the teams they represent. They're all double or even treble uppers. None of this matters because it's a great show. Can speedway in this country replicate it?? I doubt it.

She's has already started talking about the Brummies as 'we' - the start of a slippery slope.

The fundamental issue is that if you decided to 'invent' a team sport, and Speedway was the outcome of your invention, would any one run it in any way shape or form as it is ran (in the UK), today. ? Of course not... If you went on Dragons Den, or went to the bank for a start up loan, with your business plan and operating model, you would be laughed out of the respective rooms... Yet 19 Promoters, you can only presume, must see what they do as totally 'fit for purpose' in the 24/7, multi media, 'wow factor' led world of 2021.... To be allowed to 're-invent' itself there would firstly have to be an acknowledgement from these 19 leaders of the sport that what we have today isn't delivering what a product with such "strong raw materials' should.. And we know that isn't going to happen any time soon.... Best wishes to the IOW this evening, who decided that the current "offering" wasn't for them. and have gone away, been innovative, and are "loud and proud" about how they market and promote their business and (most importantly) the actual sport... As they realise the sport itself underpins, and holds together, all the other attractions they present....

Me too.

Couple that with the image of Godfrey doing that press conference in his caravan* a year or so ago I'm surprised that big business and the media aren't falling over themselves to be involved! Sorry not his caravan but in his front room with drawn curtains and very poor light

Loktajev has only done 3 meeting/15 heats though while Kubera has done 7 meetings/35 heats.

Great ride under pressure all the way. We are so lucky to have him at Berwick, watching him develop.

But if Batchelor had scored what was expected when we signed him, we would have won both.

Two third places would have been enough for me last night, but he couldn't beat Broc Nicol, who didn't have a good meeting, nor Luke Becker, who probably had the worst meeting he's had this season. As has already been stated having a good rider at reserve is always going to be a trump card, Douglas scored more than a third of Wolves total points last night, as it did for the Panthers, with Harris taking 7 rides the other week!

We'll be at Kings Lynn Flat tracking on Sunday, well over 100 riders and best part of 200 races, mostly 6 laps, with everybody competing consecutively so it could be done when the format is as described. Maybe splitting it into two meetings running 3 groups at each but still a full day entry would be easier and maybe if you ran the U23, 450's and Championship together in the afternoon spectators would also come along who don't want to spend a full day there. Track could also be given a really good turn over and grade between meetings if you had something going on in the centre while you did it. I quite like the idea but it would have to be an additional event for tracks as they couldn't run too many of those meetings.

I do think so much could be done so simply, and more importantly maybe, cheaply.. As I mentioned before. Literally thousands walk through town and city centres daily where Speedway tracks exist. Therefore. Now lockdown is over . Why not do a display in the local town centre at the weekend before a match? Hook up a few TV's to show highlights, car stickers, posters and pen giveaways, riders with bikes on hand, selfie opportunities etc.. (A "fanzone' if you will)... Give out a couple of free tickets to all the shops within the town centre if they put up a poster in their window for you. (Like a circus does when it comes to town). (No clown comments at the back please).. Have people handing out leaflets with money off vouchers, and not just one but several so they may return, as one visit might not make them 'a fan' but several may.. If savvy enough you will know by speaking with them who attends and those who dont so can target those who dont attend with the vouchers and just do some giveaways to those who do.. A family ticket for £20 with "as many kids as you want to bring" would get a fair few interested I would think. Families who would be considering the cinema, bowling etc might think £20 "not a bad price," for an evening out admission, before the usual food and drink costs that they will inevitably incur.. Give out say five of these vouchers in total and see if five visits means further visits down the road, as the kids take to it.. To control it you hand out one voucher at the fan zone then another voucher at the track when they attend and use the one given, and mark each one given out in turn to see how many they have had, (and also used as this would be an indicator of whether the mechanic has been successful).. Let's be honest, there may be a chance some regulars who attend end up getting in for a bargain, but most people you hand vouchers to wont have been anywhere near a Speedway track, so it's no loss to the tracks selling these tickets at a reduced price as these people dont attend now.. And councils are desperate to get people back into town and city centres so now is the perfect time to approach them for permission to do a "fanzone".. Maybe weekly, maybe fortnightly, maybe just one a month.... A Speedway club is the only one for miles given the way the Promoters set up licenses so it really should, at the very least, be recognised as in existence by the vast majority of the locals... And if you can get them to know about you, then you have at least a chance that some will go along and see what you have to offer..

Overall a good meeting, friend said that Douglas at reserve won it for Wolves, but as good as he was last night, it was Batchelor that lost it for us Was hoping to come on today to hear he had been sacked, but not that lucky if we do qualify for the playoffs we will be everyones first choice, you don't win against a good team with 6 riders. Well done to the two reserves last night and the other four tried as hard as they could. Kyle was unhappy about heat 14 and said he wasn't good enough, disagreed with him and said he had been riding really well this season, contrast that with Batchelors three last places

Plus you guys must be going a bit stir crazy now with the additional lock down and extended travel ban you received when the rest of Scotland was being set free; be a few with itchy feet looking for a trip away to grab a bit of different scenery just to go somewhere and get out and about... Surprised you didn't say Tigers to take 4 points as you must fancy your chances... Regards THJ

That's def. a female thing I wasn't comparing ZK to anyone initially, but you picked up on Bickers because he raced at No. 2 the first meeting after ZK was ousted. I just ran with it 'cos I could

Personally, for me, 90 mins is about the right amount of time, especially if I've travelled to a match as getting away at around 9pm means I can be on my way before the national road network closes down for overnight roadworks. 2 hours plus for 15 minutes of action is far too long. Why is the 2 minutes time allowance 2 mins? Because it always has been... make it a minute, 30 seconds... all too often it's left to whenever the ref decides to put it on, so frustrating when the time allowance doesn't go on until 1 rider actually enters the arena and then the 2 minutes goes on. Only time there should be 2 mins is when a rider has 2 consecutive rides (which possibly should be banned). The meeting should be run on a tight schedule not just left to drift along. There's far too much time when there's absolutely nothing happening, in fact I can't really think of another sport where's there's actually less of the stuff happening that you've actually gone to see. An Athletics meet would be an obvious comparison, an arena sport with competitors circling the track... but there's always field events going on to take a side interest in. And the track events are mixed up 100m, 110 hurdles, 200m, 400m, 400m hurdles, 800m, 1500m, 3000m steeplechase, 5000m, 10000m, that's 10 races and with the majority of them it's all about the last bend (not the first as in Speedway) and about 1 hour of actual track action. In reality it doesn't really matter what those that currently go want, they'll generally be there come hell or high water until health or death means they can no longer attend, it's those that don't go anymore that need to be quizzed to find out why not, there'll be many reasons, probably the main one being that it's too expensive for a family. For a "family sport" how many clubs actually offer a family admission package

Dogs on Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri and Sat,,, leaving Sun or Mon. Premiership Monday, with possibly less fans and staff to get the meeting on.

Charlie Webster is very 'appeal' ing to the eye, if I appeal to her many times then does that means she'll agree to marry me?

It really ought to be,for whatever reason he's struggling and the Tigers can no longer afford to carry him,he actually throttled off in,I think,his third ride,it brought back memories of way back when Shawn moran did that in his last meeting for us at long Eaton and then he said his nerve had gone.im not saying that's the deal with batchelor,just made me wonder but if all the hard work of winning the last two away meetings is going to mean anything then he has to be replaced......now!!

Didn't look anywhere like he would be riding for a while on Saturday night.

And a lot of people seem to want all that done in less than an hour... I'm sorry, but if I drive a few hours to watch a meeting, and spend that kind of money, I want more than a 45-60 minute show... The trouble is, it seems that no two speedway fans want the same thing. One wants team, and one wants individual. One wants it over in an hour, and one wants a full evening. One wants outside entertainment, and one doesn't. One wants good racing, and one wants a thumping home win. One doesn't care as long as it's exciting, and one only wants to see the top stars.

...also I was never a great fan of MJJ, THJ or Kenneth Bjerre among the many other names of the KSF..

That wouldn't be an issue , Kings Lynn haven't changed their side for a week and a half , so they must be due .

Wouldn't it be in the best interests of the landlords if they improved access to the track for the Brummies in order for them to carry out the track preparation more satisfactorily? Otherwise, they are at risk of losing rental income, and have to incur the time and costs of cleaning up the stadium after a speedway match?

Only cos if I think I'm right I won't let it go. So be prepared for other posts depending on what Zaney Waney compared to Benjamin Brasso does next!!