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If Glasgow want Craig Cook which I’m sure they will then Glasgow would be his first choice , if on the other hand we don’t offer Cookie a contact for next season then I wouldn’t be surprised if he went back to Edinburgh. I personally think he will be our number 1 again next season , as for Jenga on a fishing trip he couldn’t catch a bite at a fish farm with a trawler net.

Don't come and watch them then

How do we know that its been 'very successful' on IOW, other than by their own generated publicity? No criticism - Just asking!!

I think any crowd increases would be led by the 2nd Division clubs who basically had 1st Division riders which must have encouraged a few extra to go... Unfortunatley having no clear demarcation between the leagues is one of its major issues that hold it back, and Div 2 teams are not likely to accept their "real place" in the peckng order any time soon I would suggest.. Hence RS's have been disbanded already in Div 2... The RS plan was a laudible one, but clearly should have been aimed at 2nd Div teams so any 3rd Div riders could progress into those places.. And going back to those "increased crowds"... The sport lost Eastbourne, and almost Newcastle, whilst Birmingham took a sabbatical mid season and there isnt any guarantee they will be back this season.. Add to that the start of "Go Fund Me" pages and I would suggest the sport still faces serious challenges, which, as has been shown for a long, long, time, the approach they use in running it, wont ever solve..

Demographic information on viewers/crowd is only good if the figures are helpful. Based on my first hand experience as Advertising Sales Director of the then broadcast partner (which is over 15 years ago) speedway fans are to old, to male, to poor and come from the wrong socio-econimic profile to be attractive to most advertisers. By comparison and based on 2019 broadcast information the average netball viewer is 30 years younger, and earns twice as much as a speedway viewer. Where Demographic information would be helpful is in developing the product to attract a younger more affluent audience which will be more attractive to commercial partners within the stadium.

His golf swing suggests there is absolutely nothing wrong with his shoulder…

The same could be said for the vast majority of the UK population.

Broke a collarbone on 13 June 2019. Seeing as everyone missed the 2020 season, I doubt he'd get a reduction. He was also New Zealand Champion in 2020, so rode that year anyway.

I think there has been plenty of thought put into this team, they've built it to always have a strong reserve, they went out and signed the best visiting rider from last season and they've brought a rider back to the UK who has been absent for a few seasons. And in those two they have signed two all action riders to increase the liklihood of good racing. There is obviously once again a strict budget but certainly no lack of thought, the question as always is will the riders be good enough. On paper we probably look 6th best but much closer to the other teams than last year when we started with massive risks in Bridger, Proctor and Kinsley. No reason if things click that we can't get into the Play Offs and from there who knows?

@Sings4Speedway In 2021 there was only 1 meeting all season at BP that started with BOTH teams having their declared 1-7 which was Scunthorpe in KOC 12/6/21 but it didn’t finish 7 v 7 because Josh Auty had a season ending crash with Dan Thompson & was withdrawn from the meeting. In total Leicester used 4 guests & used R/R 2 times . Opponents used 15 guests & R/R 6 times . Leicester started 9 home meetings with their declared 1-7 The only team to have their declared 1-7 start a meeting was Scunthorpe in the above mentioned KOC match. So at Leicester there was 19 guests used in total with R/R being used 8 times.

A lot of Sheffield fans wanted Pickering back, he scored well at Lynn last season and I imagine Sheffield would have probably wanted him back. Team is solid compared to last year, i think the team could lineup with the top 7 GP riders and you still would find something to complain about.

Very chicken and egg though Martin. No tracks no riders no riders no tracks what came first?

Not sure what the costs will be...but IF they run, I think £20 plus a free programme would be a reasonable shout to me. I'm sure everyone will have their own opinion/s. I'd also like to see some changes to the rules, especially the movement at the start ? (I know it's not going to happen/change...) But allowing movement at the start adds to the excitement IMO....giving the 'lesser' rider a chance to anticipate a rolling start makes for a better race, especially when the more skilled/quicker rider has to chase....also, it would even out the gate advantage...especially when gate 1, or 4 has a clear head start...... Racing is far too processional and this only adds to the monotony of a lot of speedway meetings. I asked a friend of mine if he ever watches speedway on Sky/BT and he said no, simply becoz 9 times out of 10, 'first one to the corner' usually wins.... 'WE' (speedway fans) know that this isnt true, but it's easy to see why 'NON' speedway fans would assume/think this IMO.

Particularly with all those road works around the stadium. Definitely deterred me from visiting last year.

Hamlet? Sandi Toksvig?

If Belle Vue, one of the best tracks in the world can't pull in the punters, what hope is there for the rest.

Plus promoters spend that much on riders and rent there’s then no cash for advertising and presentation. The final two are what generally contribute getting people through the turnstiles.

I would imagine the vast majority of residents in Birmingham and the surrounding catchment area have no idea that it exists

Agree,plus you are just seeing the same riders most weeks riding or guesting for other Teams.Pick and Choose is probably the best option.

Don't think so; Cook is bargain basement. Heat leaders are Holder, Ellis and Musielek.

Totally agree.The final averages should have been published a month ago.

Interesting reading about several riders have not been paid for matches ridden in for Birmingham during the 2021 season. Surely these riders deserve payment, be it from the bond with the SCB/BSPA or sale of assets (if any) left at Birmingham prior to any proposed sale of the club. Very disappointed that this is still occurring and hopefully every rider at both Birmingham and Eastbourne get their due monies before Christmas. We all live and hope!

2021 Scorpions were led by Lambo and you could see a really good Team spirit in the pits I’m sure he will be back

Rider interviews, plenty on speedway portal youtube channel.

Yep but there had been a few rumours of him (already) dropping Sweden - or vice versa. Not sure there's anything in it though.

I would like to see Zane Keleher in the Championship in 2022 & Oxford could be perfectly suited for both, had a superb 5-1 with guest Scott Nicholls @ the coliseum in 2021 as shown on the Plymouth website.

You could be right, it is difficult to pin down . My other guess would be we’ve bred a generation that sits in front of the Xbox or YouTube. Very few kids want to walk out the front door these days. Streaming for me is important to capture that generation as you won’t get them through the turnstiles very easily.

You don't have to be a top rider, to be a top rider in Britain though!

Tobi turned up every week at Swindon and was 100% committed at all times. Sheffield got themselves a diamond.

Would go along with that from the question of doing the sport any favours aspect. Wonder how many new casual viewers tune in to watch a regular league match or is it a case of catering for the already converted ? Has it actually raised the public awareness of league speedway in any meaningful way ? Better to have something than nothing at all I guess, but certainly the Glasgow, Redcar and Edinburgh livestreams route looked pretty good to me. Those livestreams generally provide more interesting content overall and in a sense more intimate i.e. viewing casual pit shots of activity, relaxed interviews, less manic commentary and other inside info. of interest to the followers of that club. Eurosport rider/manager interviews tend to follow the same familiar format of predictable questions i.e. "How important is it to get off to a good start", "What did the Team Manager say to you all in the huddle" etc. Not forgetting to allow scope for the "Yes, definitely" reply to most questions. Livestreams certainly get the thumbs up from me and hopefully in the future more clubs will be able to afford to do this, as it is a valuable option for those not able to attend in person for all sorts of reasons.

Correct, some clubs appear okay. Speedway as a whole appears to be in terminal decline though. I really don’t have the answer.

Might hsve to put membership prices up for 2022...

Again I'd disagree. Why would any promoter not care about the people coming through the gates? With gate admissions up at most tracks this year any business would be tempted to try leave things as much as possible as something is clearly working.

Ha, not even BV would do that with that team!

Don't forget a lot of time he was seeing tracks for the first time. He did a lot better when he was at reserve and his performance is better than points tally. Plus I saw him ride more than a couple of times and none of them were at Scunthorpe lol.

Whilst the format remains the same the demographic won't really change but thats because Speedway is just a rough and tumble thrills and spills sport. The following of most motorsport attracts the similar crowd types with only the bigger money events getting remotely close to the younger demographic (and Speedway is far closer to grasstrack, stock cars and banger racing than it is F1 of Moto GP). The followers want to see racing right on the edge with the occasions past the limit to keep perspective. If the general consensus that speedway fans are too poor to attend regularly (even if the value for money rating is high) then the sport to spectate needs to be cheaper or it needs to be so entertaining that they won't miss it.

Good move, around August they started asking for a ridiculous amount of personal information they had'nt previously to buy a ticket. The first meeting after this change the pay at the gate queue was snaked round the car park. Never did get a reply as to why.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Trent+Raceway/@52.8180674,-1.7589818,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x487a0f7d2a68457f:0xf89ac346dac7373f!8m2!3d52.8180674!4d-1.7567931

On one of the Wolves threads if was said hes not doing Uk and hes sold his Uk bike

Dont forget the young German. Looked great in The Silver Helmet and no one has signed him yet. Should come in on a 5. If Jordan Stewart does not come over he is a great option.

That narrows it down ......to most riders in the league. If the other 6 are right then it doesn't leave us much for the last rider anyway.

Judging by the high percentage of those living over 20 miles from a track, I'd say that was a big factor!

Makes interesting reading that, thanks for posting it. I have to ask where Chris Morton came in the order, was surprised not to see him mentioned in 80s until I realised there are 4 individual World Champions in there for starters, still considering Billy Sanders and Kenny Carter were only riding for around half of the decade they each must have amassed enough to make the top ten. I suppose Mort's achilles heel would be his Individual World Final performances.

I know a great place that has pool , darts , cable TV, food , drink and great company - I'm sure the host has already extended the invite.... Costs about £19 less than the speedway too

The amusing part is Poole fans saying he's available if we need to make changes during the season. Like he's just sitting about with no offers and will turns down money on the off chance Poole need him. Absolutely priceless

For other purposes riders that were classed rising stars surely will be still be rising stars in name in case they have to guest in Premiership for injuries ect.,or there will be a rider shortage.Unless Rising Stars have be replaced with Club No8 or anybody they want(as usual)

Mind you, the RS system was no better, 3* riders like Flint / Kemp / Bowtell allowed to guest for 1* riders who score nothing like Crang / Freeman!

They are our last & pre-Xmas surprise.

Anders Rowe I'd punt at!

SGB PREMIERSHIP RIDERS’ POINTS 2021 (Includes Guest Rides & Tactical Rides) Dan Bewley 240 Daniel King 228 Sam Masters 206 Jack Holder 204 Adam Ellis 203 Chris Harris 194 Michael Palm Toft 182 Hans N Andersen 171 Ryan Douglas 171 Brady Kurtz 169 Scott Nicholls 165 Luke Becker 165 Nick Morris 161 Richard Lawson 158 Thomas Jorgensen 149 Craig Cook 139 Steven Worrall 136 Rory Schlein 134 Lewis Kerr 133 Bjarne Pedersen 125 Kyle Howarth 122 Charles Wright 118 Broc Nicol 109 Troy Batchelor 107 Ulrich Østergaard 102 Jye Etheridge 96 Josh Pickering 96 Jake Allen 94 Anders Rowe 92 Tom Brennan 90 Paul Starke 90 Erik Riss 87 Richie Worrall 75 Drew Kemp 72 Jason Crump 63 Connor Mountain 58 Leon Flint 50 Benjamin Barker 49 Kasper Andersen 46 Ricky Wells 46 Cameron Heeps 45 Jordan Palin 39 Justin Sedgmen 38 Danyon Hume 37 James Wright 33 Stefan Nielsen 30 Tyron Proctor 16 Simon Lambert 13 Josh Bates 10 Jack Thomas 9 Lewis Bridger 7 Tom Bacon 7 Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen 6 Ryan Kinsley 5 Kyle Bickley 3 Jordan Stewart 2 Aaron Summers 2 Dan Thompson 2 Alfie Bowtell 0 Nathan Greaves 0 Jordan Jenkins 0 Theo Pijper 0 Jack Smith 0 SGB CHAMPIONSHIP RIDERS’ POINTS 2021 (Includes Guest Rides & Tactical Rides) Steven Worrall 282 Daniel King 258 Sam Masters 254 Scott Nicholls 243 Jake Allen 217 Chris Harris 215 Leon Flint 214 Kyle Howarth 206 Bjarne Pedersen 205 Craig Cook 201 Josh Pickering 201 Ryan Douglas 197 Charles Wright 196 Nick Morris 177 Ricky Wells 164 Erik Riss 163 Rory Schlein 163 Paul Starke 163 Michael Palm Toft 161 Richie Worrall 161 James Wright 161 Benjamin Barker 157 Aaron Summers 155 Broc Nicol 150 Thomas Jorgensen 148 Simon Lambert 144 Troy Batchelor 139 Sam Jensen 138 Alfie Bowtell 135 Dany Gappmaier 134 Kye Thomson 132 Hans N Andersen 130 Connor Mountain 127 Michele Castagna 124 Danyon Hume 124 Jason Crump 123 Theo Pijper 118 Max Clegg 117 Ashley Morris 112 Jack Thomas 109 Dan Thompson 108 Kasper Andersen 103 Nikolaj Busk Jakobsen 103 Jye Etheridge 102 Jordan Palin 101 Adam Ellis 100 Zach Cook 97 Ulrich Østergaard 96 Cameron Heeps 95 Tero Aarnio 94 James Sarjeant 93 Ben Cook 92 Stefan Nielsen 92 Adam Roynon 90 Josh MacDonald 87 Kyle Bickley 82 Richard Lawson 82 Jordan Jenkins 81 Ben Morley 81 Dillon Ruml 79 Zaine Kennedy 78 Dan Gilkes 76 James Shanes 76 Zane Keleher 75 Justin Sedgmen 75 Joe Thompson 73 Connor Bailey 71 Anders Rowe 67 Tom Brennan 62 Drew Kemp 62 Lewis Kerr 61 Matthew Wethers 59 William Lawson 58 Nathan Greaves 55 Benjamin Basso 40 Valentin Grobauer 36 Jake Mulford 32 Jason Edwards 29 Marcin Nowak 27 Josh Auty 17 Tom Bacon 15 Tyron Proctor 14 Paul Hurry 11 Jack Smith 8 Steven Goret 8 Jordan Stewart 6 Josh Bates 5 Luke Crang 5 Kyle Newman 5 Joe Lawlor 4 Jack Parkinson-Blackburn 4 Greg Blair 3 Archie Freeman 3 Jake Knight 3 Connor Coles 2 Ryan Kinsley 1 Alex Spooner 1 Tom Woolley 1 Joe Alcock 0 Daniel Phillips 0 Luke Ruddick 0 Ryan Terry-Daley 0 NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE RIDERS’ POINTS 2021 (Includes Guest Rides) Kyle Bickley 130 Dan Thompson 117 Dan Gilkes 103 Jordan Jenkins 98 Joe Thompson 98 Connor Coles 93 Daniel Phillips 91 Greg Blair 87 Harry McGurk 85 Jason Edwards 84 Tom Woolley 78 Leon Flint 77 Jack Parkinson-Blackburn 73 Jake Mulford 70 Sam Hagon 69 Tom Spencer 65 Ryan Kinsley 64 Jack Smith 63 Sam Bebee 58 Nathan Greaves 56 Luke Ruddick 52 George Rothery 48 Alex Spooner 48 Kieran Douglas 47 Elliot Kelly 45 Mason Watson 44 Jacob Clouting 43 Sam McGurk 42 Ben Trigger 42 Paul Bowen 41 Mickie Simpson 38 Luke Crang 35 Ben Rathbone 34 Nathan Ablitt 33 Gregor Millar 32 Benji Compton 28 Ryan MacDonald 26 Joe Lawlor 25 Ryan Terry-Daley 25 Lewis Millar 23 Ben Morley 23 Archie Freeman 21 Sam Woolley 19 William Lawson 18 Vinnie Foord 17 Josh Warren 17 Luke Muff 16 Kai Ward 16 Ben Woodhull 14 Sheldon Davies 9 Luke Harris 7 Danno Verge 7 Nick Laurence 2 Tim Colley 1 Gavin Parr 1 Jamie Sealey 1 Kelsey Dugard 0 MIDLAND & SOUTHERN DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE RIDERS' POINTS 2021 Ben Trigger 55 Sam Woolley 50 Jacob Fellows 38 Bailey Fellows 29 Josh Warren 20 Tim Colley 17 Nick Laurence 9 James Chattin 8 Luke Muff 8 Eli Meadows 8 Kai Ward 8 Ryan Ashcroft 5 Stephen Whitehouse 5 Ben Phillips 4 Kyran Lyden 3 Jamie Sealey 3 Francesca Kirtley-Paine (aka Cesca Wright) 0 William Richardson 0 NORTHERN JUNIOR LEAGUE RIDERS' POINTS 2021 I've removed the riders points, because the league co-ordinator has changed the results of a number of meetings from those that the referees declared on the SCB website, and it's all got a bit confusing. Compiled by Mike Moseley.