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For me the core product is very good, it is just the nonsense rules that prevent the actual leagues from ever being taken seriously... How the hell can anyone take seriously Peterborough's Bomber helping Ipswich to beat Belle Vue in the Semi, and then helping Sheffield beat Ipswich in the Final? You simply cannot market that.... Less riders per team would mean more riders to replace injured ones, so guests could be eradicated if the will was there .. A fit for purpose RR facility would also mean no need for guests... Development should be the 2nd Divs priority not Div 1, and clear demarcation within the leagues should always exist so the top league can be marketed as "Elite"... Every sport needs a "flagship" league that sells the sport with the other leagues feeding off it.. National generic marketing has to be the biggest opportunity. Huge amounts are spent on riders, very few of which bring a big crowd in, yet very, very little is spent on marketeers who may be able to put some bums on seats... Being able to take league racing seriously first though is needed before any money is spent hiring any marketing companies...

He's expensive, but he's really reliable, has immense experience and can help the rest of the team and provide a composed figure in the pits - which we need. I think his off-bike value is gold for the rest of the team.

Our problem with Marcin was that his Polish team rode on Saturdays and practice was Fridays, which he missed due to riding at Glasgow and was fined by his Polish club for missing practice. Marcin was hugely popular at Glasgow and was improving week on week, especially when you think that his first meeting at Berwick he struggled to get round and scored zero, his last meeting he scored a faultless maximum. His Polish club at that time were doing well and had reached the playoffs, and as he was captain of the team they recalled him and we were left a bit in the lurch, fortunately it worked out well with signing Tarasenko, would never have happened if Marcin had stayed.

Technically doesn't have to happen again, Scunny would settle for 44 points lol!

Out on the very same limb as they were in 1970 to 1981 and 1999 to 2018......during both of those periods I recall very much of seeing a great many away followers at Derwent Park....then enjoying a pint with many post meeting. Workington is not on Mars ok.???

This year, second string, yes. At 38 points, Connor might be a heat leader, but at the least, a strong second string. We've all got to adjust our expectations of who fits where. Half the heat leaders might be unemployed next year, and will come back in 2025 to replace the 2024 heat leaders, whose averages will increase so much they become unemployable.

Just been announced that Workington are moving up to the championship.

Who paid for air fences when they were introduced? The club will have to foot the cost. In any other sport it would be seen as an investment to mitigate future financial losses. Unfortunately the people in speedway cannot see beyond next week. How about Premiership clubs spending some money on covers instead of paying money they can barely afford to so called GP level big hitters who show next to no commitment to British Speedway. Nah, of course not.

It's October, why is anyone surprised at this scenario? Just maybe, if nobody turned up because they don't want to risk wasting time and money, you might get a season that ends at the end of August or mid September when you have half a chance of seeing riders race on a half decent track and without being sat at home, race rusty, for the last few weeks before going into a 'final'. It's not rocket science.

I have nothing against NDL racing and have, in the past, frequently championed the third tier. As a regular at places like Isle of Wight, Mildenhall, Belle Vue and Scunthorpe over the years, I have seen - and often greatly appreciated - the NDL. The new Workington track is superb and a great credit to Andrew Bain and Steve Lawson. The NDLRC should be the showpiece event of the year with all the league's top riders taking part. By my calculation, there are just 4 of the top 16 that should be there, and Belle Vue and Oxford are sending riders who aren't even in the teams top 5. That's not good enough.

Come on young man even you know in your position he only says to the dwindling masses what others have decided. Even if he disagrees he has to go with the majority

Simmo summed him up in his book...DJ would cut corners to save money and it proved costly more than once.

Poole have a good record at restructuring teams when necessary. I suspect that whatever the points limit they will prove more astute than their rivals at putting together a septet under the new points limit whatever it is.

It was two seasons, 1997 and 1998.

Hearty congratulations to Connor Bailey on his big win, 100% deserved. Well done to Max & Jacob too on finishing 2nd & 3rd Great track, great facilities, great fans and welcome to Championship League

Fair enough I have the season ticket for both divs but didn’t know this was extra. Spent my money on the Scunthorpe stream instead.

It was quite clear at the start of the season the fixtures that were included in the package you subscribed too.You can purchase any other you want to watch separately. Nothing to talk about really.

Was at Worky today. Congratulations to Connor Bailey. Fully deserved to win. After season to forget for Edinburgh was good to see Max and Jacob on the podium. Really impressed with Boughen today. Great track craft for one so young. One lucky team who gets that young lad’s signature for next year. Welcome Workington to the Championship. I know some of the fans would have preferred another NDL but Comets will be a great addition to the league with a great racing track and friendly fans.

https://x.com/SpeedwayScunny/status/1713619664608059662?s=20 There you go Steve, he isn't going to do Championship.

Given that the OP asked for those who could have been greats if they had committed to ride in Britain, I'll throw in Chris Watson who confined himself more to other motor cycle disciplines back in Aussie. In more recent times Rune Holta reached 4th in the World afaik, but could he have took it a stage further with UK experience?

He's come on leaps and bounds this season Take your blue tinted spectacles off and try to look at non Poole riders as decent prospects.

Naa I usually gather what the meeting was like coming on this forum haha

Great to have you back , not before time. Hearing Connor will be back at Glasgow next year was always the plan to send him out this season to gain more experience. Never say never though but fantastic to see the Comets back.

Bailey as a reserve / second string at the very best. That’s about it. Championship heat leader Bailey is not!

20 heats and a rostrum run off, the way individual meetings should be run...

I'd suggest that not riding Monmore every week will do him the world of good too.

No i doubt it, very happy with result, we will win cup easily.

How about Richard Lawson, sure that would go down well

Great news and look forward to an away visit or two next year.

Trying to think back to last time had RS in champ sure were 3s categorised. But then they had 3 categories if I remember correctly.

Clubs pay for them - nowhere near the expense of an air fence, which became mandatory At the track Don't need to be fixed to the air fence, weigh them down with used tyres Costs likely to be recouped by not postponing a single meeting

I think Danyon Hume fits better average-wise, especially as I don't see us running a 2 or 3-pointer at reserve. I think Ace and Lee both come back.

I think Toni Kasper Jr would have achieved more if he had had more than 1 1/2 seasons in the British League

100%, however what we have is pretty much all there will be.. Some tracks are "playthings" of the promoters who choose to spend big amounts on it.. This means that winning or losing doesnt make much difference to them as they will keep subsidising their "hobby".. Some tracks are the actual business of the promoter so they need to make money.. Meaning getting a "winning team" is paramount regardless of what entertainment value is on offer, or what integrity impacting rules some may need to try and circumnavigate to get that winning team.. The bottom line issue is very much a chicken and egg situation in that the sport needs big outside money to come into it, either via league or club sponsorship, or via a bigger TV deal... However, given the often "Mickey Mouse" way the sport is ran, you haven't a hope in hell of any major nationally well known businesses wanting to tie their brand to it... Hence, those well meaning, but ultimately bereft of the required skill set, "amateurs" will continue to try and run a professional sport... Doing "their best" i am sure, but with the inevitable outcome...

They are making an announcement today apparently, after the NLRC.

Tai definitely added to the crowds at Sheffield when he came back

Who pays for them? Where will they be stored? Can they be fixed to an air fence? etc. Easy to say but not easy to do or fund.

Track covers should be mandatory for every club. Of course this won’t stop postponements if rain sets in 15 minutes before a meeting starts, or stop abandonments if it starts raining during a meeting, but it will reduce the number of postponements and nights like yesterday, considerably.

This should be Connor Bailey’s to lose imo could see boughen easily finishing on the rostrum though.

October ain't all bad... i was at Peterborough last Saturday night after it had been 23 degrees and fine all day. I will be going to Scunny this afternoon to watch the Cup Final as a neutral, I'll be going to see the Olimpique tomorrow. I have seen many decent matches in October and also some rain effected ones... as I have in every other month of the Speedway season. Speaking as a fan of a team whose season was over at the end of August I do not want the whole season to be over by then. Leicester f***ed up yesterday and they need calling out for it but to say the season should run from April to August is not the answer. We had a lot of heavy rain on Friday, the answer is track covers to enable matches to take place

Depends on who is asking.

Again a most welcome site...thank you!

If the 1980 World Championship had been run on GP lines he may well have been champion rather than Michael Lee? DJ dominated the qualifying rounds if I recall?

2 hours round trip in the car and eighteen quid to watch . . . . . . . a parade. Ridiculous. The sport sure knows how to shoot itself in the foot. Several Peterborough fans there tonight, testing the water it would seem, I’ll bet they weren’t impressed.

IMO they are paying wages to at least 50%of riders that have no chance of improving to any significance in the sport (probably the bigger pointsmoney)The youngsters dont get any benefit from losing points money to these riders.

In talks, yes as the Championship , or NDL if there is one , needs Workington but he has stated quite openly at practice sessions and meetings he is troubled by the costs of team racing and has said it on several occasions that he would just run practice sessions as they make a good profit and possibly some open meetings to put funds back into the account as crowds dwindled towards the end of the season. Hopefully he has changed his mind . After all the time, effort and funds he has put in he is entitled to do what he thinks is best, but upping his wage bill by ten times and not matching that with increasing crowd numbers has got to be a factor.

I attended the NSS last year specifically to watch Laguta, and Sayfutdinov... And attended the PCMM to watch Lambert and Tai... Wouldn't have been the only ones either...

Glasgow have had numerous years to take the jump up to the Premiership, when conditions were more favourable to do so. Why would they take the jump now when its a complete shambles in the Premiership. Probably a case of the Premiership needing Glasgow rather than Glasgow needing the Premiership.

There isn't a Berwick fan out that would take Etheridge over Flint, my own opinion still hasn't changed, even with this managerial change. I hope Leon Flint looks for pastures new for 2024 and move on and up with his career.

I genuinely hope not.