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ONE really good race all night in the last race after 14 heats of a processional yawnfest and Tatum spouts on about a "superb night of speedway and a great advert for Premiership speedway"!!....the man needs sectioning!

Whatever the good folk on this forum think and you can read many a worthy suggestions that could make a difference to the sport, the problem is it is a niche product run by a closed shop of promoters looking primarily after their own interests but trying to market a sport with no level playing field as far as machinery used is concerned with riders basically dictating what days they will race because that have commitments elsewhere around Europe. On machinery, back in the day when the bikes were roughly the same a rider could jump on the track spare and still win races and was partly down to rider skill and not the power of the bike. Up and coming riders using the same type of machinery could often run heat leaders close and sometimes get that surprise win. Today you have throttle jockeys on highly tuned machines that cost an absolute fortune to maintain trying to negotiate a range of tracks that were just not designed for today’s machinery. Wholesale changes are needed from the way the promoters run the sport to presentation, machinery, rider attitude and lot of thinking outside the box to take the sport to another generation. The trouble is no one on the top table is either interested or has the balls to rock the boat because of the ramifications from the closed shop controllers. One can only fear for the sport and the sad decline due to so many factors some of which could have been avoided/stopped in their tracks but no one could step up and say no. It probably says more about the lack of respect on the top table for the fellow owners of clubs that no one listens to each other.

the question should be, why the hell was i watching fishing, im ashamed of myself

Drama Queens 👸

I was stood on the first bend & because of the air fence I couldn’t see the gap. After watching the clip on line it’s clear the referee got it 100% correct. The terraces given Kerr a hard time & booing was totally understandable given what was a stake. If it had been the other way round & at Saddlebow Road the Lynn fans would have done the same. It shows passion from the supporters, adds atmosphere & provided a massive talking point.

The old Elite League fast track format was like that. I thought it was a really good format, heat leaders meet more often, reserves meet more often, should mean closer racing, which is beneficial to the fans & help develop the riders too.

And I have been to the NSS at Easter and the meeting was delayed for longer because the track was a shambles. They bladed all the surface to the outside & piled it up against the airfence. Or maybe both tracks got heavy rain st the wrong time but you obviously know better using your one eye to get a balanced view.

Our reserves scored 4 points between them so we got their ave

Iain is quiet. 😉

Yep, they could just nip back to Leicester throughout for some inane pit interviews.

really looking forward to this, Sheffield should win in an absolute canter. Track will be interesting.

For a TEAM SPORT to be successful, it requires some very basic fundamentals that need to be box ticked... They are, in no particular order of priority... To have a level of prize size that grabs the attention of the public and media... To have jeopardy and consequence in every match that takes place.. To engender a tribal following with a decent number of away fans at every match to create atmosphere... To ensure any followers of a team have a close emotional attachment to their representatives, with, ideally, affinity built up through years of loyalty from their "heroes"... To have credibility, whereby each team stands alone on their own two feet, for good, bad or indifference... To deliver matches to their fans when the fans can, or want, to attend, not when their employees tell them they can hold the events.. To organise events regularly, so the fans have continuity, and don't get out of the habit of attending.. To charge an admission fee that reflects the level of entertainment on offer, organic size and standing of the sport and current cost of living challenges, and not one that just reflects how much their employees want to be paid... To work collaboratively with each other, knowing that the league itself is only as strong as its weakest team... To have a joined up, fit for purpose in 2025, marketing plan that sells "the league(s)" as a collective, rather than each team just going it alone with varying degrees of capability, reach and cut through.. Sadly, UK Speedway currently ticks none of those basic fundamentals, and, until it does, it has zero chance of growth, and, in its current guise, quite probably even threatens its long term survival, in the UK, (as a team sport).... Something akin to moving the deckchairs on the Titanic simply won't work anymore...

You can call off every meeting days in advance as far as I'm concerned... just award 1 point each and don't faff about trying to rearrange them.

Not hasty at all,this will be the 3rd day of rain with plenty of torrential downpours too.Looks like another excellent call by Buster🫣🤪

Dont worry about holes? if he can ride Perry Barr this season, he can ride anywhere! 😄

Norfolk can claim Boston if they want as most of us in Lincolnshire don't want them.

Good signing.That should strengthen the side. well done too the Promotion.

Great heat 15 ruined because the camera has the same zoom on it required to see craters on the moon. TNT = tinpot.

Keeping hagon and releasing Edwards is another Birmingham masterclass of team building and management.

They have... it's about as straight as Julian Clary though!

Why not show more from Birmingham instead of the usual 2 minutes

Normally they only get a drink and maybe an orange....... 😁

It's not rained since about noon and none forecast for the rest of the day so with better drainage this meeting could have been on.

I thought Max did well. Freddy did struggle for pace.

"Guests for the semi-final(s) of the KO Cup can only be selected from teams that have been eliminated from that competion".Sheffield were eliminated,so I can't see a problem. Edit:I can't actually see anything stopping the 2 teams that make the play off final from using a rider from the other two teams knocked out in the semi finals if needed.

That's a very good point Bash I'm very disappointed in myself for letting that one slip past me!

The simplest way would be to have a strict cut off date, if fixtures haven't been run by that date then the home team forfeit two points for each meeting not run. No reason why twelve home meetings cant be run in five months.

NKI’s injury comeback in Poland yesterday did’t go as planned. Riding for Gdansk in Krakow he won his 1st 2 rides but the injury had not healed, pain returned and he didn’t ride again and needs more time to recover.

Yesterday, I went to the Youth Championships round at Iwade on 20th July. What a brilliant meeting it was. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and only £5 to watch 31 heats of speedway (which, by the way took under 2.5 hours). Despite the weather, the meeting still went ahead. A big thank you to all those involved in the running of the event, but more importantly the young competitors and their families for providing a brilliant spectacle. I would encourage everyone who enjoys speedway to go and watch the youth championships and I hope it comes to Iwade (my nearest track) again next year.

Well done to all the kids and to Iwade. A great day of racing.

You might get one of them back

Bangers is Busters bread and butter. If he calls that off, then things can't be good.

Yes, Pirates TV cover all Poole home matches when BSN are not streaming there. https://livestream.poole-speedway.com

Flint missed the Glasgow meeting to be a reserve in a European Pairs meeting on the Saturday, where he didn’t even get a ride. If I was a Glasgow fan I wouldn’t be happy with that at all.

Cant say I blame him with the sh#te track week in week out!

Then of I was Birmingham I wouldn't say it was a mutual decision, just say "we're disappointed Jason doesn't want to return". At least that way, they're letting the fans know they aren't trying to weaken the team.

Just to clear a few comments up from previous post, I want the biggest and best names in British speedway. Watching Fricke the other week in that insane heat from riding from 15metres back was something special. Since Leicester have moved up the premiership the crowds have reduced, not massively but enough that its noticeable. I know not every club is like mine but nobody has given more one decent solution on how to fix the premiership. Not one. We can barely run it on 7 teams and its going to be reduced to 6 and you never know about Oxford, Sheffield etc. We need change and right now can anybody actually say that the current system works? It doesn't one bit. A 5/6 team premiership doesn't work for me and 7 is still too low. Now the premiership isn't just root cause of all British speedways problem, we can go on for pages about the issues we already have. The reason why I'm so passionate for change is that I am not even 30 yet and I'm dreading what it looks like in another 30 years time. I want to be able to take my kid to watch Leicester one day and I fear it isn't going to happen. I'm willing to make a sacrifice in quality if it meant I can still support my club for many years to come. I want every single club in British speedway to actually MAKE money, not lose it or scrap the barrel every season.

Just make the rule that heat 15 is between the top 2 scorers on the night, then there is no arguments.

Yes you do,outscored Plymouths reserves easily a few weeks back easily,hence Plymouth making changes

So we've tried one big league and it didn't work, we tried the "Elite" league and it worked to some extent with a nice juicy tv contract, what we have now is an Elite League Lite with a meagre tv contract and who knows if that's going to be renewed. So we either limp on as we are with ever dwindling crowds or do something radical. Whether that be 1 big (small) league of 14 or an Elite+ with all the riders Poland use... the latter ain't going to happen without a massive tv contact or at least a 50% increase in admission prices. A 6 or 7 team league where the play off places are nailed on before a wheel is turned like we've had the last couple of seasons is not a great watch. The FIM ain't interested, they're currently too busy running their own SGP series into the ground, the only way would be to break away from the FIM, to what I don't know, I'm not sure we currently have the talent in place to run a ruling body.

Heat 13 is designed to have the best 2 riders in it … Doyle Emil Kurtz Bewley Holder Holder Fricke Masters Heat 15 is nominated hence the title …. I think if you are 20 points up going into heat 15 then why risk your best riders

One big league has been tried before, watering down the product to cut costs has been in action since the late 80s neither have worked. Unfortunately money should have been spent in raising the profile & making it a better show & rider development when the Sky money was flowing in. If it goes one big league what will happen, the championship clubs will raise their admission prices because as sure as eggs are eggs the premiership teams won’t reduce theirs. You’ll end up the the championship supporters paying out more for a lesser product while the premiership supports pay out the same for less. That doesn’t sound like a great marketing strategy. Real change needs to start with the equipment to make it not only more reliable & cheaper to run but also to provide a better spectacle. The sport is on its ass everywhere expect Poland. The FIM need to lead from the front to make equipment changes mandatory to reduce rider costs. The bottom line is that in its current guise Speedway isn’t something that appeals to the masses & one big league severing up a lesser product UK wide isn’t going to address that. The really annoying thing & it was proven at Ipswich on Thursday with a group of first timers in the sponsor lounge is that if you can get new comers in they do find it a great spectacle & want to attend again. The issue comes later when the operating model of doubling up rampant guest fest & the many other things that eat credibility start to become apparent.

Just hope the lad avoids all those ‘holes’ in the 3rd bend. Hopefully he's had a read through your posts about them and takes a wider line 🤞.

1. Leicester vs Sheffield will be called off… 2. Birmingham vs Oxford will be called off… 3. This meeting was not due to be televised, thus not affecting the “TV Schedule”

This seems to be a common trend unfortunately. The moment anyone with anything resembling vision and foresight touches British Speedway, the small-minded promoters around close ranks and hound them out. Its our ball. You can't play with it.

They say it can’t get any worse, with the current lot in charge, oh yes it can! Everytime a new promoter comes into the sport with fresh ideas like Stuart Douglas did, they get pushed back by the old guard who continue to drive it into the ground.

Although I did vote for him in RoTN how Bowes wasn't excluded for unfair riding I just don't understand, he completely baulked Worrall. 012.1.14 Foul, Unfair or Dangerous Riding The Referee shall immediately disqualify any rider who they consider indulges in foul, unfair or dangerous riding. If, in the opinion of the Referee, such conduct produces an advantage to the rider involved or affects the chances of one or more riders, the Referee may stop the heat and order a re-run. When was the last time this rule was used I wonder 🤔 I've given him stick on here in the past and I hate to admit it but Batch was absolute class tonight 🤮

Loftus bike was taking HIM round most of the night,lucky only too come off once.Bowtell didn’t do much wrong .IMO

And yet the biggest cheer of the season apparently was when your GP star Fricke came from 15 metres to win on the line in spectacular fashion. I’m sorry but you ain’t getting that kind of star quality from the Thompson’s or even Ryan Douglas. How people are happy to see these riders depart is beyond me.

I have always been surprised that Poland chose Friday, Saturday and Sunday for what is, after all, something part of the entertainment business.... Who would have thought that the weekend would attract the most attendees...? Same with the GP's .. Monday or Thursday for me should have been the call...