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So Doyle rides for Ippo and Emil says goodbye to British Speedway That worked out well for the sport.....

I think the biggest issue the sport has is guaranteed money, coupled with a rider shortage it’s perfect for some riders, they get paid whether they score 8 or zero and they won’t be dropped because there is no one to replace them. Look at Tungate (others are equally guilty) riding around looking at his engine all the time, do you think they would be doing that if they wasnt being paid? I think if riders only got travel allowance they would be trying a lot harder to fix a problem and make more effort. They certainly wouldn’t be giving up after a lap and then riding back to the pits. I haven’t been to a meeting for years now, do riders still come out after the meeting to test a few things? Or get other riders to ride their bike to prove its not the bike but the rider?

It does. To be fair to Louis he works exceptionally hard in all areas around the club to ensure it’s the best that it can be. A good friend of mine is looking to provide some sponsorship to the club & Louis has spent time talking to him on the phone to understand the business needs & has gone away to work out a package that works for both parties. A some point Buster had Guy Nicholls on board but managed to lose his support to Sheffield. What has been achieved at Ipswich over the past few years is proof that hard work pays off. Don’t forget in 2020 & 21 our box office signing was a way past it Jason Crump. Louis & Morris seem to be of a similar mindset hopefully it’s not too late for them to turn the tide with UK speedway. In the meantime as a Foxhall regular I’m just going to enjoy this Ipswich side & the likes of Doyle & Emil while the uk speedway model allows for it. It’s been a long time coming for the great days to return to Foxhall.

Winning isn't the issue for me....B'ham haven't won anything of note since 1974.....its all about value for money and enjoying the entertainment at hand.....I'm not saying that its just B'ham's product.....I watched KL v Oxford the other night and that was a yawn fest too......so really, it's speedway in the UK as a product...may be its my age!?

I have criticised LR in the past, however this according to Dean is absolutely no fault of the Club or rider, the fault lies with the UKVI, seems Zagar would be better off coming over on a boat, he might even get provided with a new bike if he did that 🫠.

Bears weekend matches will probably mean we have lost two of or three heatleaders, Charles due to injury again?, and Eric to the German grand Prix, we have a replacement for Eric in Anders Rowe, but awaiting news on Charles fitness, before we can announce who is able to ride at number one for us. I would go for Bomber who I think would be available. any other thoughts????

From looking a good team pre season Berwick are now it seems struggling Borke was only a shadow of himself as we know, Hagon looks well down on confidence and and Hume still to fully get going Hopefully Cook Kemp and Kildemand can carry forward

Bomber average way too high and also Charles has already said he’s fit and okay to ride

Let’s see, should be a good meeting either way, with a bumper crowd!

Bang on. Stevebrum being a bit misleading with the 'facts' there (shock). MJJ is a transformed rider, even since last year, and I'm sure - if committed - he can be one of the Premiership's top riders.

How many fans are planning to go to the football.

Several riders over here in interviews have said how much "fun" it is to ride in the UK... And go on to explain that the reason being is there is far less/no pressure on them than riding in Poland.. Standing together in the pits with opponents watching the racing, has also been mentioned as something that highlights the lack of pressure and means the riders "enjoy" the evening.. I presume "less pressure" is also down to being pretty much *bomb proof" from losing your job, due to a lack of replacements, with many only getting their job in the first place as there was "no one else" at the time wanting to come over... (And even if you do get canned, invariably you get picked up by another even more desperate team very quickly, so the cycle just rinses and repeats).. Add in the guest system, which takes away any rider/club/fan affiliation, and you have pretty much a league set up for promoters to have an expensive hobby, and riders getting the chance to earn a few quid to justify their financial outlay... With the icing on the cake for riders, getting noticed by Polish promoters if they do well...

Luke Harrison won't be riding he's in Slovakia this weekend for the European U19s Championship qualifier

i dont think its watering down, its making sure the riders are spready out across the clubs, thats how it should work in theory.

Odd Post...I don't think over the years few years you could have had a more two tier league than Poland .Just a couple of teams miles better than the rest .So not sure t's do with failings of government bodies etc..and if it then Poland are just as guilty as anyone else

An unfair judgement given: 1] he hasn't ridden here since 2014, and 2] all but 7 of his appearances were made when under 21 and a junior still learning his craft

We may lose Birmingham and Sheffield after this year so it's probably going to be 7 Man Teams again with Rob Godfrey's Scunthorpe moving up to save the Premiership. That strikes me as the plan they'd come up with instead of going with 5/6 Man Teams.

Agree to disagree on this. I'm saying we may have to grade riders to ensure an even spread of talent with clubs. Yes of course we want to best talent for us to be entertained but the imbalance at present is no way good for the sport today or moving forward. Yes historically there has always been weak teams but exposed even more now with the limited number of teams in the top flight. Great to be hammering an opponent each week until no opponent to hammer..lol

Haha, yeah. That'll be it!

Crikey id noticed he was a 5.00 i thought he was a 4. Initially thinking Coles/Smith were better options but when you consider Ablitt/Morley/Hagon were alternatives it makes you think.

Wait until it is gone - and then you'll reconsider that statement I'm sure. I watched Wimbledon from 1969 onwards, and very rarely did they have a chance of winning anything - but I'd do it all again in a heartbeat.

Good reply. There are many fans without a team that would love to be able to say “I’m just glad we’ve got speedway”.

Read also that's going in the racing post ? whether that's true who knows?

Nobody has said it has you insufferable bore!

It's all ok... There will be a covenant stating sports must be held there... (And we all know how well that goes!!)....

Do you believe in the Easter Bunny too !!

Sheffield??! ( i was thinking Oxford might drop the Prem). What's going on there?

Who we losing?

That's total rubbish. Very few of my just over 5,000 posts have been "moaning" about Berwick or "Mr. Barrie". My "observations" are not all negative about Berwick. Re-read my previous post where I praise previous and the current promotions. The only thing you are correct about is I go to Redcar by choice. That's my personal choice. And when I get the chance, I will head across to the West Coast to go to a Workington meeting.

Why has it arisen now. As I have said twice before, he signed in November. Plenty of time to get visas straight. If it is a visa issue, someone has mucked up big time. Let’s hear it straight from Birmingham.

IF I had the money I would try to revive the Diamonds. But it ain't that easy, even if I did have the cash to do so. Finding somewhere to race seems to be a no go anyway, so it probably won't happen. My opinion on the Berwick track is just that, an opinion. This is an open forum for discussion. As I've said in an earlier post, good on all the previous promotions and the current one for keeping it going. And, just to clarify, it was an observation, not a "moan" and was directed at the track, not Berwick as a whole.

Think it goes to the next decimal place that is higher, and unfortunately in this scenario Cook is higher so has to go in the main body

I heard on the terraces last night he was doing some laps in Poland over the weekend. I found it hard to believe 2 weeks post-op, but the person was adamant

It’s always been the case. Never been a fan of bowing to the lowest common denominator and dumbing down the product just so there won’t be strugglers at the bottom. Poole always dominated in the top league and always had the best riders for years. We had the Kings Lynn fan the other day saying they battered everyone in the second tier every single week so it happens in a lower quality league as well. Some would rather drive out the likes of Sayfutdinov and Kurtz so the teams are more equal but that is bonkers. Imagine Poland saying the top boys aren’t riding there anymore because there’s a few struggling teams at the bottom. No he isn’t completely right. The teams at the top will still hammer those near the bottom because if it’s six man teams, they’ll still have the best six riders! If it’s 5 man teams, they’ll have the best 5 riders. It won’t make a jot of difference. You’re always going to have successful teams, and non successful teams. Unlike other sports we do have a points limit in place to try and keep things as even as possible, is there anything remotely similar in other sports that want to be taken seriously? We do have an issue with the top league at present and there seem to be reasons for that. Birmingham weren’t even sure to be running this year because of financial issues, so they’re obviously not at all equipped to be in the top tier. The race night issue was clearly a problem for them as well so that was a factor. Oxford might be struggling because they’ve spread themselves a bit thin running in three leagues. That’s their prerogative of course and they chose to do that. The other 5 teams are all competitive.

Come 2026 the sport is going to have more worrying things than rules and team numbers to worry about

Have to agree. Its ok thinking its great when your team hammers the opponent week in week out and yes all start the season with the same points options so sell done to those who built there teams but is no spectacle for any fans in truth of the sport. Those teams who are losing also lose crowds that is never good for the wider sport.

Good call.... Riiding over here would help him improve too.... As, you have to ride over here to not be just a "throttle jockey".... He could win the title this year, maybe, if he rides for Brum, and learns those so important UK tracks.. Just look at what difference those few laps he did last time made to him....

😲

Lets be honest most of todays riders couldnt handle a track with dirt( shale) on if not to there liking they dont want to know.

If Emil and Jason had ridden, there would be those that would argue that they should have given the youngsters a chance. Some just like to troll and be argumentative.

News flash no one on either team was contractually obliged to ride in the 2nd half

There is too much of a disparity in HL strengths.. Within the 21 HL's there is simply to much of a gap... Cook was a decent No4 for the Aces and is now a No1... Tungate is (at best), a No3, (and only at certain tracks), yet rides at No1.... Ipswich have such a strong team because they have used the UK reduction brilliantly well, but also, more importantly, they have every rider in their team in precisely the correct position to match their capability in a league with top level world stars... Not many teams have ever had that to work with over the years, therefore, no surprise they are hammering teams, as "head to head" v their opponents, from one to seven, they have the better rider.. Seven teams of seven riders has meant too many second strings having to ride as HL's for the league to be competitive...

They are not unbalanced sides, the difference is the performance of the stars in some teams, Birmingham on paper have a team to match any other team in the league but for whatever reason they are not performing and in MJJ arguably have the fastest rider in the world right now but although riding ok isn’t brilliant in the uk, Birmingham also have the top riding star in Edward’s but yet again for whatever reason isnt riding like the rider we know he is, muiselak is a no1 but is riding like a number 7, that’s not imbalance that’s form

One team too many for me given the level of riders who wish to race over here... Two teams made up of KL, Oxford and Birmingham riders would both be competitive, and, even more so, if those two teams could get a couple of GP level riders each.. As it stands, teams are missing a No1 and a No5, instead they are being made up of No3's, and even Second strings, riding in the HL positions.... Even if they had 3 x No3's they would be more competitive... The league shouldn't be diluted though as that will just drive fans away..

Where on earth is the moderation on this forum? How is it if you say a naughty word you’re immediately banned for the foreseeable, and yet Troll’s who infest threads with the sole aim of getting under the skin of one fan base for reasons only he knows, can just carry on without any retribution whatsoever? You’d like to think his fellow Belle Vue fans would be embarrassed by his behaviour and call out his bullsh!T but no, in fact they back their man with laughing emojis and actually join in the trolling themselves! Yes, talking about you Mike!!

You obviously don't recognise yourself as a troll, despite your best efforts! It was a free event for fans, and the top four Ipswich scorers took part, even if the top four Brummies didn't. I like to think that the Brum Promotion sees everything upside down, so that's why those four turned out 😃 Perhaps you should cheer up and enjoy a bit of fun instead of sticking your snout in somewhere that you clearly don't care about.

Plain English but a lack of understanding of the qualifying criteria. Programmed rides only, Heat 15 did not count.

Which part of Gavan’s post stating that ‘they did not qualify’ was too difficult to understand? The Presenter made it clear about two thirds of the way through the main meeting that the qualifying criteria was total points inclusive of bonus points. So, all the qualifying Witches took part but not the qualifying Brummies. I am sure that you will re-directing your ire and criticism imminently.

A really good season guide this week, well worth the money and will keep me going for weeks. Well done to all involved.

A fantastic issue... Scanned first time too... Well Done to all who produce the Speedway Star... Always worth the outlay...