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That's just one too many kick in the bollox imo😄

Looking at the last 10 years BU21 Finals and the number of riders no longer riding (to my knowledge) Connor Bailey Henry Atkins Harry McGurk Kyle Bickley Alex Spooner Sam Bebee Archie Freeman Jack Parkinson Blackburn Jack Thomas Joe Lawlor Jamie Halder Alex Spooner Zach Wajtknecht Nathan Greaves Ryan Kinsley Luke Harris Luke Ruddick Josh Bailey Max Clegg Taylor Hampshire Ellis Perks Josh Bates Liam Carr James Shanes Oliver Greenwood Stefan Nielsen Ashley Morris Marc Owen Tom Stokes Ryan Terry-Daley Joe Jacobs Tom Perry Dan Greenwood Jack Kingston James Sarjeant All of these riders interested enough in Speedway to have got the kit and given it a go and good enough to have appeared in a BU21 Final. That's 35 Speedway riders! 5 complete teams worth! But the sport chooses to fly in riders from abroad, if they can be persuaded, pay them top dollar and some of who let them down at the drop of a hat. Or have riders riding for more than one club in the UK... It's complete madness.

It did get me thinking after my previous post about Grim Reaper Rogers...MJJ has ridden less than 50 meetings in the UK, and by the end of this season, all of his previous clubs will be defunct. I'm sure you could probably make this point with a lot of riders in the last 20 years, but it seems he and Rogers are a duo you'd want to swerve at all costs!

As NWA said F*#k Tha Polis... I knew I'd be able to use that one sooner or later!

Maybe ask the promotion to confirm or deny if MJJ was on a short term contract I remember Adam Ellis getting a load of flack when he also had a short term contract and it was insinuated then that he had walked out when it was not the case. looks like the very same situation to me

Some are not looking too healthy to be honest....😀... Several hundred with very, very red faces looking at the Grandstand... Oh hang on, no, they are seats....

What sort of paper is that.

I dislocated my left hip in a grass track accident in Germany in 96, it was put back in by the hospital and I raced again 3 weeks later. I’m not saying it will be the same for Jason, but I don’t think it will be in the frame of several months out of the game.

While I agree what Polis did was very wrong & out of order towards the Monarchs. How can you have a punishment for a rider but not a team. Sam Hagon, Bastien Borke & Danyon Hume all dropped after riding a couple of fixtures. If a rider can be let go at the drop of a hat, why can't riders leave clubs giving the same "lack of notice".

Another meeting and more errors and throwing away points.Surprised ht 15 wasn't pulled back. How Boughen still has his place is beyond me.He backs off so visibly to everyone that's there.Let's put in a Young Star and give them some experience,because in my opinion Boughen won't get anywhere while he is in a mindset where he backs off so much when near anyone.

I've pulled up my drawbridge and asked the guards to patrol the moat

Can’t see anyone touching Kurtz or Bewley, so probably our usual tonking is on the cards.

This ……

I guess technically Sam is a deserving winner, as he won under the rules of the meeting. Not quite sure I agree with your second point as a fair way to do it, everyone meeting once & top scorer wins sounds fair to me? I don't understand the desire to give riders a second chance, or why heat 22 should be more important than heat 1, but I know not everyone will agree.

It's suddenly a bit 'Reformy' in here

As long as Phil morris leaves it alone it'll be great

She doesn’t have talk some rubbish asking Brady all sorts of awkward crap questions, who gives people like her a job.

There's holes in them boots ...

Speedway, over the years, has shot itself in the foot. We have had speedway track owners 'selling out', Pugh, Sandu and no doubt others! We have Eastbourne, owned by a speedway family, running bangers and stocks, but not speedway! Riders demanding stupid money/fees. Engine tuners bleeding the riders dry. Speedway is like cancer (terrible to use that analogy), it's killing itself! 😢

That was 9years ago not 9 months 🤔The fact is not many want to ride in GB when better offers are in Europe. Brainwashed.

Birmingham should have been allowed to ride in tier 2, on Mondays... A complete waste of time, money, and credibility for the league itself, allowing/making them ride in tier 1...

Because he had already got his teams sorted for the season ..Just a fill in ..

No its a retired sport. Look at the average age of people attending meeting.

Completely agree. At Newport almost the full 7 would be in the bar for at least an hour after the meeting, usually joined by some away riders for a drink and chat with the fans of both sides. Somerset also did this quite well with interviews and stuff after the meeting. The few years after Newport closed we went to Swindon a lot and there was barely one rider in the bar after the meeting. That's when the disconnect started for me. Riders are out of the pits before paying public are allowed in like they used too. All the 'pro athlete' stuff doesn't mean anything without fans and fan interaction

You can sign batch to do that for you

If he wants to do Prem I'd like to think Lynn have him lined up to replace Boughen if/when required. I've long since thought we shouldn't be letting average foreigners ride here until all Brits who want a spot and are good enough have been employed.

Mike Lee was senior British Champion at 17. Just saying.

Not wanting to harp back to "The Good Old Days" too much, but responding to the question , is it still a working class sport? My answer is No. Not because of price, although it's a valid argument, but one reason is a disconnect between the fans and the riders. Riders were, mostly, semi-professional and had day jobs, mostly working class jobs, or at least jobs that people could associate with. The very top riders were full time professionals, the Maugers, the Briggs, of this world, but even people like Peter Collins had a day job in his early career while riding speedway.

Killeen is not a rider whom I've ever thought of as out of control or dangerous... In the incident that saw DT get injured, I'm pretty sure that he got a nudge from Vinnie Foord that sent him into the side/back of Killeen and then he high sided. I'm pretty sure there was contact, despite the commentators saying there wasn't. Nothing intentional from Foord, just a hard first bend and all 4 back was the correct decision imo.

Exactly. I watched the meeting back again last night and yes, there were some decent races, but 50% of the field looked like maintaining control of their machines was a struggle. The standard is so poor. I’ll go back to heat four. If Luke Killeen is in control of his bike, Dan Thompson’s probably waking up as British Under-21 champion this morning. Killeen didn’t though and Thompson’s evasive action of cutting back has rewarded him with a broken wrist. Bitterly disappointing.

a social gathering is what made speedway and all this pro althlete garbage just doesn’t wash with the public,at heart people crave reality despite fake being pushed on them and bonds are formed between competitors/teams and the public partly because they see themselves in their heroes and that bond has been lost along the way. Speedway is an amateur sport and there is nothing wrong with that, the reason promoters close ranks is because like in most sectors of society it’s about money and they don’t want anyone coming in to take their slice of the pie no matter how small that slice is

Saw this on Ashton Boughen's FB "Not the best of results today but I had to make do with what we had taken as my normal engines are in for service. We try again next weekend for the sgp2 qualifier back on my normal engine" Seems an odd thing to say, why wouldn't you have your best / normal engines available for such an important meeting? What would Boughen's sponsors think or meeting sponsor (if there was one) seeing a rider say "but I had to make do with what we had taken". I realise he's only 17, but doesn't strike me as a professional approach.

Think it's clear as day what the plan was. Sign MJJ on a short term contract to shift some season tickets and then cut costs early in the season once the punters have been reeled in. The 1-7 was way too expensive for a club that went public with financial issues, Musielak, Zagar and a ridiculous contract for Rew that made him jump at the chance of winning a wooden spoon. My money's on Troy Batchelor being the replacement for MJJ.

They announced the signing on the 16th of January, hardly a last minute signing, it was an open secret that he was only here for 2 months, yet they signed him anyway... not the first time they've done this. Although it's sad to lose another track, I can't say the promotion will be missed.

You make it sound like Birmingham had a choice. If there was a rider of MJJ's quality that wanted to sign a contract for the whole season, Birmingham would have done it. They had to settle for MJJ on a two month contract, because nobody else wants to ride in the UK.

Surprised he makes it to every GP with the splinters in his backside, the bloke never gets off the fence. Too scared to upset any of his buddies it would appear. The rest of them aren't great either, though. Chris Louis is superb as a co-commentator to fill the gaps, but Kelvin probably isn't a natural lead commentator (albeit not forgetting the sad circumstances as to why he's there). The whole thing needs a new lease of life I think. The fanzone yesterday was exactly the same as it was when we went to a GP years ago. Do people really want to watch trials bikes and meet a giant mascot? Surely there has to be something more engaging? Same applies for the coverage.

It's difficult to judge riders who've had a full career v those who have had 3/4 seasons at most. Cairns and Harrison could be top riders, as could/will Dan Thompson. Even then, Joe Thompson, Hagon, etc. I'm sure will have decent careers. It's not as though Howe, Stead or Kennett were ever truly world class riders. I couldn't watch today but I'm pleased Luke Harrison had a good meeting. I know he's a little bit older, but he's equally as good as Cairns but never seems to get the same hype. Seems a sensible lad and is progressing nicely.

The club says every year that they aim to build competitive teams. I’m not sure what’s wrong with that. Beyond some good natured derby ribbing I wouldn’t say either Scottish side gets too big for their boots as I think you’re implying?

Mr.Tolley did give it a good shot and uve got to give him that .Sadly there wasnt enough support for Speedway in that area. Well done for trying....

I concur with those who refer to the complete inevitability of this. The minute Entain removed Speedway from Monmore to focus on Dogs and Arena / ARC (or whatever the latest Branding is) mooted building a Dog Track on the infoeld on Dunstall Park, Wolverhampton AW Venue with its massive Stand and Hotel, Perry Barr as a venue was doomed. I have massive respect for Nigel for the money he has put in, money he will never recoup. I have to question his team building and management and his sanity or insanity in terms of investment, but he cannot and must not ever be attacked for his loyalty and commitment. For his own mental health and future prosperity, this decision I suspect will in the longer term be welcome to him. With no appraent progess for Wolves, delays and no clear path yet for Brandon , there still may be a glimmer of hope for Midland Speedway at the new Knighthead / East Side development that incorporates to old Wheels Site. This now has Government / Local Government and massive American Funding behind it. The big problem is that a 65,000 state of the art stadium, a new Athletics Track , direct access to the City Centre and Airport may not be branding wise logical with a shale oval track with limited use, when you add in Casino , Cinemas, Hotels, and top class Apartments etc. If the development goes for major Athletic Events that will require a secondary Athletics Stadium with such world class facilities for Training and Competiton and a new Home for GB Athletics , then may be the current Athletics home at Perry Barr may in 5-6 years time be an option BUT it would require significant funding and Council Support and seriousy what state would British Speedway be in by then. Several other Tracks seem to be hanging on by the skin of their teeth in the face of planning , development and economic concerns, so we could in 5 years be down to a core of 10 or less. Sad times and hopefully Nigel gets enough support in the remaining months to at least break even!

Can't get enough heat advantages, that's where we lack the power afforded to Ipswich, Sheffield and BV in 13 and 15 and why we're always the bridesmaids when it counts.

Sedgy at Armadale on Fridays.

I came back to the sport when the Aces went to Kirky Lane in 88, and remember paying either £6.50 or £7 to get in... It went up to £8 within a couple of years! A huge inflation busting % from the initial cost I paid.. This for me was the start of the "big" decline in attendances as, year after year, as disillusioned fans stopped going, the promoters, (instead of doing some research as to why their crowds were dropping), started to offset the drop in income by more inflation busting annual increases... The result being the vicious cycle of less fans turning up, more increases, less fans turning up, more increases, less fans turning up, etc etc etc.. Even today, no research is done as to why fans (many of whom still passionately follow the sport), don't attend.. Many clubs have more followers on their Facebook pages than visit the track each meeting, (their own fans, not generic fans of other clubs who "join in").. With some having several thousand than actually turn up to watch.. Social Media is a perfect mechanic to gain some feedback and then take action to rectify the issues and move forwards.. It will never get used...

If there is 10 points to play with why not go with James Pearson and Michael West, both currently in Europe and neither riding in the UK

It is totally unrealistic to expect bigger attendances for NDL matches. The equivalent competitions in Denmark, Sweden often pull in double figure crowds and Poland isn't much better. Other sports have very little fan interest in reserve and youth teams. Why should speedway be so different?

Thompson found himself in that position to be judged because he had to take evasive action from Killeen. You can see from the picture below, Killeen’s veered three feet to his right from the start to the first bend. He was on one wheel with his head jerked back (which is why he’s looking up in this picture) and his left boot is in the air, mere inches from the first bend. Thompson’s read that; if he doesn’t take evasive action by cutting back, Killeen’s hitting him. As a result, he’s stepped in front of Foord who can do nothing other than nudge him. By the time Killeen’s deep in the first bend, he’s where those in gate three found themselves. Killeen hasn’t done anything illegal, but a lack of control on his part has subsequently cost Thompson, Ipswich and Glasgow, big time. Harris had to take similar evasive action against Polis at Ashfield last week. Fortunately, that didn’t put him in danger, but three seconds later, Polis and Howarth went down.

I must admit, I just assumed he must've finished 10th on 6 points. Only once before can I remember 6 points being enough for the top 8.

... if I want to go and watch a T20 Cricket match at my local ground on FRIDAY the 30th of May at 18:30, look at the ticket options available to me: https://www.tixr.com/groups/leicestershire-ccc/events/leicestershire-foxes-v-derbyshire-falcons-123326 A group ticket of 5 for £18 each... the way Cricket sees it, a group of (working class) mates coming for a night out and a few beers, they've seen it on Tv, it's colourful, musical, the crowd are involved with prizes and stuff being given away there's dancing girls. They've also seen speedway and see a load of pensioners sat in camping chairs filling their home made programmes in watching a tractor go endlessly round a track and its on a school night. The way a Speedway promoter sees it, 5 strangers grouping up outside the turnstile to get some money off... and while this attitude remains crowds will continue to dwindle. ... I remember a few years back at Leicester they wouldn't even let a couple of mentally handicapped people in at a concessionary rate!

Answer to the question, no. When it's £60 a pop for a family of 4, the working class eliminate is lost. Speedway's biggest battle is 'middle class' pricing in 'working class' facilities.

The person I feel a deep sadness for is the legend Brian Buck...it's easy to throw money at something when you're a millionaire...but to campaign tirelessly as much as Brian did to get the club back on track (no pun intended) was an incredible achievement! Thanks Brian