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the problem partly is there are no promoters anymore just people who run speedway tracks glasgow do the kids race like it or loath it but how many others do anything before or during the meeting in the ian thomas days he would get stunt riders ,fire eaters circus performers even rally cars trying to beat lap record amongst other things most tracks now just long periods between heats with nothing not even a rider interview

Unless you're a deliveroo rider... hang on... I've just had a thought 🤔

You know what I’ve been saying for a few years now British speedway is run by the riders for the riders

Good points in that reply. I remember when Workington first came back to the sport and it was only the top heat leaders that had two bikes and even half of them never used the 2nd bike it was just there. 2nd string riders and definitely reserves had one bike each. Most riders had another full time job. Fast forward to now and every rider has 2 bikes and not many work during the season which then makes there income from speedway there sole income so needs to be at a level to pay for tuning cover spares and a van. I'm not knocking any rider for getting out of the sport what they can financial wise. What I am saying is it's clear the sport as a whole is not viable going forward at this level. There is not enough money coming into the sport through sponsorship and gate money to cover the costs of the stadiums and riders. Meaning in the not to distant future the sport at this level and costs will simply not be there, no clubs for riders to ride for. Speedway jumped ahead of motocross and most other motorcycle sports in the pay structure for riders but it's going to bankrupt itself as a sport because promoters have pushed rules to help there own ambitions not the sport as a whole to the point we have a handful of clubs who are sort of financially viable the rest loose money every year.

13 hts and a good second half worked for years why was it changed?

Hang on a minute comets not dead yet, they have been suspended for 7 days, for whatever reason. Let's stop speculation and get behind the comets fans and management and hope for the best 😄

Speedway is an amateur individual sport masquerading as a professional team sport. The end is nigh and only a massive reset will save it (also IMO).

How has speedway been allowed to get into such a state? Riders in this day and age and I'm not talking big names here. Riders in the 2nd division and even the 3rd division turn up with kit that a GP rider would be happy to have. Paid mechanics, Big fancy vans. It's a fantasy world. You say we can't change back. Well if we don't address the elephant in the room. Speedway won't have long left as a professional sport. Promotors have got big decisions to make this close season. Sticking their heads in the sand and thinking " Theres nothing wrong with product," will not wash anymore. We have come to a watershed moment. If nothing changes, then it won't survive. 1) Do they still carry on paying riders wages that far outweigh the amount of people who come through the gate. Clubs will have to cut there cloth accordingly. Meaning riders will have to be paid a realistic wage for what the sport is. If riders want to turn up with all the kit, no one is stopping them, but the clubs cannot afford to fund their fantasy and before anyone has a go. No rose tinted glasses, but pure facts. In the 80s Most riders worked. They got wages according to their standard. The Leagues were a lot bigger. The crowds were a lot bigger. 2) Do they take the sport by the horns, and make it one league. There are 16 clubs, god knows how many next year. but you can't run two divisions with such a small amount of clubs. " yes they have done, but look where it's taken us" 3) The pricing has to reflect the quality of what you're paying for. Riders will have to make drastic changes. If there is to be one league, I would imagine the top riders would disappear. So the one league would be mainly made up of British riders. Clubs have to stop paying bang average foreign riders, flights and mechanics. People who say it will water it down. Well the standard can't get much lower at 2nd division level. This season most 2nd division clubs have filled their 6 and 7s with 3rd division riders. The top league is made up mostly of 2nd division riders. The standard has been getting lower every season for a while now. if that means a couple of more riders from the 3rd division replacing expensive foreign riders, then that will have to be a price the sport will need to pay to survive. More importantly. two home and two away meetings would stop the silly practise of clubs not having home meetings for weeks on end. The sport needs a reset and It has got to far out of hand and only a massive reset will save it. IMO

To many clubs have a Champagne lifestyle on a Irn Bru budget

Until Promoters stop paying riders more money than is coming into the Clubs the problem will never end.Just the sport.

One of the main problems in this country is you do have enough money coming into the sport in sponsorship etc. to make it a viable proposition for the number of clubs and with riders wanting to be full time employees using kit which is far too expensive it is impossible to square the financial circle. Stadia want the rent, riders demand top dollar to earn a living and maintain equipment and pay mechanics etc and fewer pundits have disposal income to take a family of four week in week out. As Dean has already said, the bikes are not a lot faster than years back but a good deal more expensive to run and maintain. Do spectators really care if the race is a few seconds slower. As long as you are being entertained I do not see race times an issue. The British public are simply not in love with speedway like they use to be and it is a brave person who would invest in the current business model in the UK.

This is imo the actual problem with British domestic speedway, the team concept only really exists in the name not in the practice and therefor the team fan can’t relate to their team and so has no emotional attachment and so doesn’t feel the need to support it, when riding I always felt different to other riders, I really brought into the team I rode for, when I rode for Berwick I felt like they were my fans and I was their rider, it felt like home and when I left I was genuinely upset and I still have good friends there today, i didnt live there but stayed with the Meldrums quite a lot and was often on the beach or in the town at weekends but I knew other riders didnt feel the same and were there for the money and it was the same at other teams, one conversation I always remember was with Barry Evans, I was at lakeside for a meeting and leaning over the fence before the meeting talking about the GP that week, and he said I don’t know why you watch the GPs or any speedway really on tv it’s boring I only do it cause I get paid to do it and I can remember thinking I wonder how the crowd would feel if they knew that ? Perhaps subconsciously they did feel it,As a fan I felt like the emotional attachment to teams ended around the mid 90s, there was always a surge of emotion around the play offs but in general it’s not like it used to be or should be for a team event, how do we get it back or can we get it back ? That’s the question

If you want to run a team sport.. It needs that emotional attachment .. "These lads, good, bad, indifferent, are my team"... UK Speedway does its level best to destroy that concept... Four guests and RR everyone? Let's get it on.... Give us your fifty quid for you and your missus...

You make some good and valid points. This is a major problem in the sport, there are kids coming into the sport now who have really good backing and are sitting on rocket ships. the only way young talented kids will make the grade is to match this and then if and when they do move up a level, they find the established older riders are also on well maintained top quality bikes. So, in essence, every rider is after more money from the promotors to keep up equipment to a level to compete, thus teams are paying more money out to riders that they can't afford and in turn, riders need this money to compete on a level playing platform. Spiralling costs for a rider is a vicious circle that is bringing the sport to its knees.

The fact still remains that for alot of clubs expenditure is exceeding income.

I`ve said for many seasons that nobody should be paying more than £15 at Championship level, £1 per race seems about right to me. You get the feeling with some promotions know that they have a hard chore of customers who they know will turn up pretty much every week and are quite happy to screw them every season with ever increasing admission prices. Cost is an issue, as is irregular racing, its very easy to find other things to do on a race night.

Because they put off by price when times are tough and once they out of the habit they tend to stay out

Sadly its a proper mess the promoters take flak and as Mike BV has said before they are well meaning amateurs, look at poor old Tolley he's made some proper howlers but equally the poor old boy has probably poured somewhere between 500k to a mil down the toilet such is his commitment. Most of the promoters have other business's where I guess they operate successfully, I truly think the last role of the dice might be 8 five man teams operating at current championship standard the rest need to be national league standard but maybe let a couple of foreign youngsters in at that level but only if they commit to the entire season in the UK. Accept we are a training ground for Poland run on the best night to get fans in not what the riders want to work best for them, I love seeing the top lads but my guess is for what they are costings per meeting to extra fans through the gate its probably not enough to cover half their weekly guarantee. Look when Brum got Lindgren crowd figures barely went up, Lambert comes back to Lynn for a few weeks that doesn't mean another 1k through the gate. Also as Mike has mentioned before you have seven teams in top league, two woefully understrength , you see the same riders all the time, with 2/3 home and away, guest fests so you can see why most don't bother until you get to the semi's and the final. I remember in the 80's when Gunderson or Nielson turned up you went as that was probably the only one time you would see them all year. I wish I knew the answers but the doubling up, running on unattractive days of the week, guests galore, Brexit/Visa's, riders signing for a couple of months known up front after people have bought season tickets, Netflix, Sky , Play stations, bowling alleys, multi plex cinema's, hundreds of eateries open on a Sat night massive competition for a quid now. You would though have thought that promoters would have tried to get those who no longer attend to fill in a questionnaire as to why they fell out of love if its not for the reasons already listed.

I used to pay a tenner EVERY meeting to watch the Colts at the NSS... A tenner for me AND my U16 lad... The crowds filled half the NSS 1700 Grandstand and I no longer was prepared to pay over thirty five quid to watch the "top riders" for us both, as the entertainment at NDL level was just as good.. Even if 3 seconds a race slower.. (And guess what, I didn't notice until the announcer told me).….

Workingtons page on here has certainly brought in some good legal experts in the last 24hrs. Let's wait to hear whats gone on instead of just guessing. The one thing I do agree with is the crowd levels, the speedway at Northside is brilliant and has the best views of any track in this country but why fans have not returned since it re-started is a mystery really. I understoood some fans staying away from the NDL league if not waanting to watch that standard even though I thought it was very good. Cost has to be a big factor espesially anyone wanting to attend with kids even worse if you have teenagers as that is an expensive hit. A fixture list that is simply crazy with all the gaps start stop start stop and that's without adding in the inevitable rain off's. I think that the start time is a big factor to low crowds because anyone working on a Saturday afternoon simply can not attend meetings and I know a few in that predicament, add in people doing things with there family on a Saturday plus other sporting events it's a big challenge to get a crowd on a Saturday afternoon.

100% 👍🏻 Maybe 6pm starts in the summer could be an option? I know it's still not under lights but maybe add a few quid onto the burger and beer sales.

But speedway is better for me in the evenings ,better under lights but we aint got any.

Ban the rider then, not cause havoc for 4 teams, doesn't make sense this.

It was a measure of his excellence at his trade and his wonderfully crafted image that he was as much a star and as much an attraction as the great riders of the great era (mid 70's to mid 80's when Speedway WAS one of the top 3-4 Sports in terms of attendence and Main Stream Media profile). If you went to a Meeting, often with packed terraces at the old Perry Barr, Dudley Wood , Monmore green, Brandon etc , the minute MP appeared on the Track there would be an audible buzz "Mike Patrick's here"...he was that well known and recognisable and it added a sort of weird kudos to the Meeting, especially if it was a standard League Fixture. One of if not the best at what he did. It is frankly I am disappointed to say that his passing has not been reflected and commented on by more. RIP Mike

Since the GP riders effed off to Poland when the Sky money ended, this has been the only outcome... However. Steadfastly, season after season, it's been avoided by the promoters... Even COVID saw zero change and it was a free hit to be radical.. Why? No idea, the reality must have stared them in the face, yet they spent the best part of a decade fudging each week and pretending what they delivered had some relevance. (With the collusion of a compliant fanbase)... When Speedway was successful, the top 3 or so in each team were fully professional, with good sponsorship off setting the cost to the clubs.. The other four members of each team usually had jobs but were happy to earn a weeks money worth from their main job, each night, several times a week, by riding Speedway.. Now we have professional NDL riders.... And punters pay for this with ridiculous admission fees given the miniscule size of the sport, year on year.. Utterly effing crackers...

That’s something all of us can easily do already if we haven’t yet and feed this back to the promotion. Whether they listen or not is another thing. We have all asked friends, family or colleagues to attend speedway. Some say no, some do attend but don’t return. The reasons I’ve had are dirty, boring, expensive, wrong demographic. In the main they view it as they would monster trucks being a bank holiday thrill treat rather than a weekly or bi weekly commitment for six months of the year. Thing is they forget to return even on bank holidays or they have something else they would rather do.

It isn't whether the riders think it is important... It is whether the fans do...

Bang on! There seems to very much be a "if you build it they will come" style of promoting that purvades the sport these days, with probably only Glasgow the exception.

It is a tricky one, for £20 plus do fans need a bit more than the racing for them to think it is good value for money and a right good day out ?. I will go whatever but still think it could offer more in the way of ancilliary entertainment especially for kids.

I am having less customers that last year... So... Should I? a) Do some research to find out the truth as to why and fix the issues? Or.. b) Increase my prices to those who still visit me to cover the shortfall? It must be such a tricky one to answer, hence so many promoters seem to opt for b)....

Where is the 'guru'....the once forum mine of information? Come back THJ you're needed asap!!!!!

Cost is certainly a factor, there are many factors though. Speedway's pricing structure is a bit archaic, I linked to crickets T20 pricing a few weeks back and they have many pricing options. It's okay having kids for a quid or kids go free but what happens when they hit 16, 17 or 18 and they're faced with a 2000% price increase and they're earning minimum wage? They're probably lost to the sport until they're over 40 and have carved a decent living out for themselves.

On examining the records at Companies House it is interesting to note that striking off the company was listed in the London Gazette on 1 April 2025 (no joke). In the circumstances this company should not have been used to promote Workington Speedway this season let alone since 17 June 2025 when it was struck off.

Another reason why british speedway is made to look silly... name a RS like all the other teams have. Why should you get special allowance choosing riders for tracks?

And there it is for all to see.

Sad strange times for comets fans, but I wonder what the riders think, they are self employed, have had very little meetings for the comets so far this season due to have 4 in 8 days which 3 of them taken away !! Got to feel for them as well. If this mess is sorted, maybe they could look forward to more regular meetings

I agree, but maybe Government agencies don't.

Maybe he's a bit intimidated by the "big league" riders, it's down to the rest to actively include him in things imo.

With neither Poole or Oxford having a match on Wednesday, thought that would've been the perfect time for their BSN semi final! How often will both Wednesday clubs have a free Wednesday? Totally understand Oxford not hosting their leg as they were at home in the Prem yesterday, but why couldn't Poole host the first leg? Apart from waiting for Cairns to turn 16, which is a poor excuse for not racing imo. Can see all the finals being raced at the end of the season again, always thought it'd be better to have them spread out.

That's true. The Prem will have to sort their crap out themselves.

On Phil The Aces FB page, Phillip Lanning goes into great detail about what the Aces are doing, (at some cost), to attract new fans... Sadly, they are missing the point.. Getting the "lapsed ones" back is what should be being focused on.. Dean says cost of living is an issue, and I agree.. I say Mickey Mouse WWE rules keep people away in 2025, (you could get away with it in 1975 to 1995, now you cannot)... (Four guests and RR anyone? Lovely, form an orderly queue, no pushing in)... Some say the overall entertainment package is poor, and they are correct.. The sport is trying to attract a younger demographic. And it is not the right target market.. These kids are either at Uni dreaming about a zero hours contract somewhere at the end of it... Or, already working on a zero hours contract, with a maximum 16 hours a week guaranteed... Those of us, of "ahem" a "certain age" had full time jobs, and pensions which had full time earnings feeding in to them... "We" (the many thousands of us), who used to go regularly, and still passionately follow the sport, but attend "now and again", are the ones to target... We have the disposable income to spend, the Under 30's often don't... First though, instead of reading and listening to "conjecture and theory" as to why crowds are down... EFFING FIND OUT!!! Get the facts!!! Dont waste marketing money on attracting a cash strapped younger singles and family demographic, who they expect to go once, spend £25 and upwards on something they have little knowledge of, and be immediately hooked, (again folly but that's for another time).. And instead, spend the money on market research to find out why more passionate Speedway fans WONT attend meetings this week than the numbers that will... Find out the collective generic 3 biggest barriers to attending... And fix the b*stards...

You don’t dissolve companies just to “change it’s name”

It has been cancelled due to the Premiership fixture the following day, new date to be confirmed.

Madsen's absence from the Danish Final has nothing to do with his issues on the national team. He simply didn't register to compete in the semi-finals. Also, AFAIK the national team would be happy to have him in the squad...

Yes checking Companies House you find that Northside Speedway Training Track who I gather hold the licence for Workington Comets have been wound up/dissolved. So in effect the Comets operating company no longer exist as a legal entity. I am assuming a new company may be in the process of being formed with an intention to take over the licence. Any creditors owed money by Northside Speedway Training Track will be the big losers here as they won't get a penny.

But they don't know what day it is, never mind approve anything

Where's Grant Henderson Tankers when you need them?

Cook rode aginst Kings Lynn on 12th then missed last nights meeting, no others The first meeting he missed was I believe last Saturdays Berwick meeting

Many years of burying collective heads in the sand, and not listening to those who have drifted away, but still closely follow the sport, has delivered what we have today... Not sure those who have put the sport currently where it sits, are in anyway capable of sorting it out to be honest. The issues, and their obvious solutions, have been staring them in the face for two decades at least, and they have steadfastly ignored them... What will suddenly make them capable now of having a clear vision for the growth of the sport?

What ever it was I reckon you could not have got another person in.Fantastic atmosphere and meetings.