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The NDL lads will certainly pack a punch to any meeting. Their talent maybe raw at times, and their times maybe a second slower, but they don't hold back. These guys are the future of British Speedway and without a directive of developing them, then unfortunately there wont be any speedway. From what I have witnessed this year, the only difference at times was the name on the back of the race suit! As the racing /entertainment was no different to any Premiership or Championship meeting. Its great to see the likes of Woffy, Holder, Harris, and Sayfutdinov, but Boughen, Harrison, Mcgurk, and Hagon are more than capable of providing the same entertainment. Therefore the same value for money.

If the sport could unearth 20 or so Kyle Howarths it would be in a much better space

Completely agree. I think Doyle deserves to be reassessed at 8 also for his outstanding service to British Speedway.

I wonder if this new site they've identified has housing redevelopment potential?

I think the "in the best interests" regulation needs to be invoked Everywhere we went with Emil in tow meant the home track attracted an extra 100-200 on the gate That's quite a big boost so to ensure the benefit continues he should be reassessed to 8

*TRANSFER WINDOW: The traditional end-of-August transfer cut-off has been replaced by a transfer window, which will close when a club has completed 75 per cent of their regular league matches. This is idiotic, they have created a situation where every club could have a different closure of their transfer window creating an advantage for those who have a late window.

I think it's a very bold decision given the number of fixtures that need to be run. However it is an idea that nobody has the guts to try but could work. British Speedway's inability to ensure that all teams end up completing the same number of fixtures before the cut off is poor, the number of rain off and number of fixtures that end up being crammed into the end of the year or becoming meaningless is poor. However i also think that it's achievable for Oxford to run that number of fixtures, if they are run professionally and they have an approach of getting meetings on rather than calling meetings off. It is understandable to see comments saying that it is going to be hard to see fans spending that amount of money to support 2 teams on a week to week basis because of the cost of admission prices. However every year you see a significant proportion of Speedway fans saying that they want a regular weekly meeting because speedway should be every week and that a Stadium should be in use. I think it's a reality that fans don't travel as much as they used to, following a Team Home and Away in really large numbers is a reality for Speedway Fans anymore. However watching attendances at Newport dwindle and subsequently becoming an irregular fan at Swindon and Somerset also gave me a much more realistic perspective around attendances. When an attendance figure is mentioned regarding a Break Even point i do wonder what that point would realistically be, if clubs didn't have other income streams Attendance wise a lot of tracks struggle when the weather is poor and other events are on, do well during the summer months and school holidays, and there is a benefit to successfully hosting major meetings are on e.g. Pairs/Fours/Rider Championships. And it's always noticeable during Playoffs that attendances are up However, I think Speedway's viability is entirely contingent on other income sources whether that be Sponsorship, TV Revenue, revenue generated from other businesses or owners who bankroll the sport. That being said, regarding Oxford. They have had good crowds by all accounts, they have been run professionally. Oxford has a sizeable population & people support successful teams. Most tracks have also seen the benefit of Emil joining Ipswich, which did have an impact in increased attendances. It's helped show that more Premiership clubs from a Club/Rider perspective are being run more professionally, and i think that has played a large part in other riders wanting to return to racing in Britain. The other thing with attracting more top level riders back. It has the potential to appeal to more casual fans, TV fans, Fans of defunct Tracks. I applaud Oxford for having the guts to try something different.

I never had any opinion of him until Reading ran MSDL at Swindon in 2019, Jason made a point of finding the team managers and handing over a box of used parts to distribute amongst our riders. That makes him a decent bloke in my book!

https://x.com/rhr_211/status/1725934252108202118?s=61&t=WGGG_bqEEeOH78cfmD9Reg

There's a reason why Simon Lambert and Kyle howarth are well thought so..it's not there ability so much, its the hard work, Good equipment, honesty and leadership. All them things go along way..

Model team captain and a 110% all out tryer,whether fighting for first or fighting for a point,he,s Sheffield through and through.

4 because also on the Saturday is the U 21 “ Golden Ribbon “ meeting

Since when did having an illegal team bother Sheffield??

I’m sure the fans will come flocking back to see guest fest.Interesting times.

Surely Vadim will still be on a 5 for next season. Surely.

In the last two seasons at Rye House they always ran the junior races before the main event. It gave the juniors a good track for their races and also encouraged the crowd to arrive early which meant the last minute crowd got into the stadium quickly. I always enjoyed the pre meeting action and think it is a very good idea.

Make that three reasons... I've often said that they state at the GP's, " the track takes a few heats to settle down". Same with league; if the juniors get out there first, the track will be in great shape from the start.

Simon Wigg always suggested putting the "junior match" on before the "main event".. Two reasons.. One, being the younger lads got to ride the track at its best, and in front of a " big" crowd, which can only help those who progress to the higher levels.. And two, as he described, when you go to a restaurant you don't have your starter after the main course.. Six heats of junior racing done in 25 mins or so with fifteen mins of track grading/visit the bars before the "main event" would tick a lot of boxes for young rider development and value for money for the fans.. And, before we get the usual "what if they crash and delay the main meeting"?.. Spoiler alert. Speedway is a dangerous sport where even the best can, and sadly have, been left disabled for life, or even more sadly, lost their lives.. Crashes are not exclusive to young inexperienced riders.. It would be good to see "something different"...

Chris is off everywhere else

They do a decent job of that themselves tbf

That's a myth any junior will tell you they want better tracks not the second hand rubbish they're forced to race on.

Having looked at the averages though, assuming that both Complin and Pijper are returning, Pearson would be in the main body.

Cloud Cuckoo Land...

Not everyone is going to be World Champion! Kyle is a good string/ strong reserve depending how team is built. 5.5 average without BP’s 6.7 with BP’s what more can you ask for. Good captain in the pits, proper team man. Thu k that’s why Sheffield fans want him in the team

The main problem is that people look at map and think it's a 30minute jolly from Wolverhampton to Birmingham. Facts are from North or West of Wolverhampton it's likely to be an hour crawling on blocked roads. From East Side or South not quite as bad but not a journey you'd look forwards to. Hard to see more than 100 regularly making the trip. Probably a few hundred may choose a few meetings or rely on bank holidays in May and August, possibly Easter.

Woffinden should have been fined for that outburst.

That was when bikes and riders could cope with different weather and track conditions though.

Agree,this just looks like deflection.It’s going be viable to build another Stadium,yet it’s not viable to run the Sport in aStadium that is already there.REALLY

Are Glasgow running 2 Teams with the numbers of riders who are meant to be going there.!!!!!!

No, they didn’t. They replaced their original logo of the confederate flag with the insignia of the county of Somerset, but were still called the Rebels.

Why should having 2 NDL riders mean less entertainment? Losing Ryan Douglas is certainly a big loss as he is a guarantee of big points but whoever the new 1-7 are can still provide entertaining racing - and that applies to any club.

Wonder what the completion date is, 12th of never?

Got to love all the negativity from people. British speedway supporters are the gift that will keep giving.

I have said for many years that what the UK version of team speedway needs is more guests.... If anything is gong to get the sport taken seriously by the fans, mainstream media, and major companies to sponsor it, it is more guests... The more short sighted may see it as a bad thing, but look at the huge success of the sport with the restricted guest system that has been used.. Therefore. Just think of the postivie impact to the credibility of what is on offer that even more guests will have... Bomber has just ordered a new three piece suite... Edit. Great to see Phil Morris with his finger on the pulse too. I know loads of people who dont attend anymore due to the way referees started races... It will be great to see the electronic random starting system implemented, hopefully that brings back some of those who have stayed away...

The official line will be that you can't, however I see nothing to stop you. There are parking restrictions which are enforced up to 8pm, which restrict parking to 4 hours up to that time. So basically, unless you park up BEFORE 4pm, your 4-hour tenure will take you into the unrestricted time. If you park there, I'm sure that KFC will appreciate your custom on the way out, as they will still be open when you are on your way home.

Didn't used to happen when the MDL was present at more tracks. Cancellations due to curfew were common despite huge amounts of time wasted during the meeting. Youth rounds have supposed to happen at top clubs before but swiftly cancelled and never restaged....don't see it being a lit different this year (unless there are fines for those who don't)

Slightly off topic but Jason Doyle has never been my most favourite rider as I have always considered him to be a bit arrogant and mardy, but having met him and listened to him speak at the speedway show today he came across as approachable, humerous and honest and a genuine nice guy.

Patryk will score well at the AFA once he's dialled in imo. Charles Wright fits with Paddy.

They also need a very competitive Team to attract and keep neutrals.

Decent signing! Next signing will probably be February lol

I suppose teams will now be able to bring in specialist guests for second strings at tricky away matches ,also I'm not overly confident about clubs sticking with the youth development programme, It will be interesting to monitor how many blank weeks we have at Poole??

Top 4 for playoffs next season.

You little stalker!! Lol

It’s not negativity, it’s realism

Danny Bird got banned whilst riding for Reading , apparently an Aussie faked a back injury unloading his van to avoid being tested at the same meeting.

It can be done,they just have to do it perfectly.When the SON etc is on they have to ride CL and just hope they don't have rain offs.I remember the days of about 30 home matches so it can be done,although more challenging these days.

As expected, 2 great riders who are close to unbeatable at home. Great start

They are yes, it's in their statement - https://oxfordspeedway.club/2023/11/oxford-speedway-confirm-sensational-return-to-the-premiership-as-oxford-spires-the-citys-newest-professional-sports-club/

Can’t help but thinking it should be the Cheetahs in the top league, and not Spires.

It’s been postponed until the weekend. When they arrived they found the hotel had been doubled booked by a polish stag party. Apparently they were told that the polish have priority on Wednesday, Thursday’s & Friday’s. If that wasn’t bad enough they then found out that the hotel staff don’t want to work at weekends so they will have to bring in guests to cover but there is a shortage because some are already doubling up at a hotel around the corner.