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Good riddance to them then 👋, if you want to run a credible sport in this country

Job done in emphatic fashion last night , to start off with three 5-1's was amazing . You can only beat what's in front of you , but that was the worst Ashfield performance from a Monarchs side in many a year . Great to watch how our young pair at reserve are progressing week by week . Bring on the Pirates

And teams sign riders knowing full well that they cannot fulfill meetings on certain days of the week, as they are already contracted elsewhere on those nights, so go to tracks having to use guests... It's all a bit Mickey Mouse, so riders giving the UK a miss for their own reasons, or pressure from elsewhere, doesn't make much difference... The guest system is a major part of the reason riders miss these meetings.. No guest system, (and you either use RR or a 2 point unattached rider), and teams would simply not accept the situation, and the rider would have to be there.... As it stands, some clubs can arrange a meeting knowing that they have missing riders, but have already lined up "track ringers" to replace them, making their team better!!! Ludicrous in a so called professional sport... A 28 day ban, given so few meetings now take place per month, is also no deterrent... Maybe a season long ban (and next season too), would sharpen their focus?

It means that BV can’t gate

Being top of the table and never winning a meeting... The point gained for being within six, for the away team, was dropped, it was said, due to the home teams fans leaving the stadium feeling less than positive that "one point was dropped".... And home victories are, as we know, the main objective to keep a crowd level... Now they can leave feeling that they have lost, after they didn't!!! Typical UK Speedway though... Let's contrive something... Something that didn't need actually fixing too... Maybe spending more time in delivering a fit for purpose operating model, and a joined up, collective, national wide, and innovative, marketing plan would be more beneficial to UK Speedway?

That's exactly what I was pointing out.....

Heat 13 was pretty awesome - Emil sublime there - made both Dan and Kurtz look pretty ordinary!

Just seen her going into the stadium..

Without credibility, no business can hope to prosper... Or maybe even just survive... UK Speedway is a classic example where that lack of credibility has slowly, but surely, eroded the fan base... The Poole v Oxford was a semi final of one of fhe few competitions ran, and was planned in knowing one rider wasn't available as he rides elsewhere on a Wednesday... It's telling that the sponsors of the comp, like so many other sponsors of the sport, are "in the Speedway bubble", as "outside money" would be more than a bit cheesed off with the lack of respect shown to it, and them, by such decisions.. As I said previously the Mickey Mouse guest system allows such things to happen as it can even deliver an advantage.. The sport needs to take a long look in the mirror, and deliver an operation where it stands on its own two feet, with riders giving equal commitment to it or face a lengthy ban.. They coped without Nick Morris for two years, so I am sure those three mentioned, and others, won't be indispensable... Especially if they match team numbers to availability commitments... In short, they set the sport up so supply exceeds demand... Whether they have the will, or the capability, is another matter...

I honestly wouldn't have noticed Gusts missed a match for no reason. I'm so used to Cheetahs having guests in every match, I just assumed everything was as normal. Which isn't a great state for British Speedway to be in.

It’s a gimmick made for TV which is what speedway became many years ago. It might add something for the neutral but what about those at the track? You see your team battle to a draw or salvage a point only to then walk away feeling like you lost.

Ht13,what a race!,plus various others,but ht13 shows you dont need superstars to give you a cracking race.

I have changed my position on Glasgow streaming meetings. Long live the absence.

The super heat and aggregate bonus point should be removed in my opinion… a draw should be a draw, 1 point each 👍🏻 match win - 2 points match draw - 1 point each team match loss - 0 points Simple but effective and much easier to understand 😂

OK, make a cup of tea, sit down, put your feet up and get ready to read one of the longest posts ever posted on here! It is 60 years to the day since I saw the best and most memorable speedway match I have seen in all my 65 years of going to speedway. A match I can still remember vividly. In that year, one of the Quarter Final matches of the KO Cup saw a local derby London tie with West Ham drawn at home to Wimbledon. Before the tie, the two teams appeared to be evenly matched and so the match proved. With one heat to go the scores were level at 45-45. That final heat saw the Wimbledon pair, Olle Nygren and Reg Luckhurst, “fired themselves to the front” (as Kelvin would say) over West Ham’s Brian Leonard and Norman Hunter and it looked all over for the Hammers when suddenly Luckhurst’s engine blew up resulting in a 3-3 and a tied match at 48-48. Having drawn at West Ham, Wimbledon looked a good bet to take the tie in the replay on their own track. But there was even worse news for West Ham as their top rider, Sverre Harrfeldt, was injured the previous evening at Hackney and unable to take part and their third heat leader, Norman Hunter, was also unable to ride as it was his wedding day! There were no guests allowed so the Hammers had to resort to filling the places of two heat leaders with Tony Clarke, making his racing debut, and a Wimbledon junior, Geoff Hughes. Only Ken McKinlay was a recognized heat leader and, although by now a team regular, it should be remembered that at this time, although gradually improving through the season, West Ham’s 19 year old Malcolm Simmons was still no more than a good second string. No-one, not even the West Ham supporters present that afternoon, gave the Hammers much hope. By heat six it looked as though Wimbledon’s superiority was about to assert itself as Wimbledon skipper, the great Olle Nygren. along with the experienced Jim Tebby, took a 5-1 against West Ham’s newcomer, Tony Clarke, and second string, Brian Leonard. The lack of two heat leaders looked as though it was now beginning to tell. But as West Ham were six points in arrears it meant they could use a tactical substitute and they wasted no time bringing in Ken McKinlay for reserve Ray Wickett in the very next heat. The line-up for heat seven was therefore Bob Dugard and Keith Whipp for the Dons, Malcolm Simmons and Ken McKinlay for the Hammers. The young Simmons shot away from the gate with McKinlay behind him and that’s how the heat finished. A 5-1 for West Ham and four points pulled back. Simmons’ time of 66.2 was the fastest of the night. The next heat saw McKinlay out again, this time in a scheduled ride, with old campaigner Reg Trott lining up against Reg Luckhurst and reserve Mike Coomber. Some brilliant team riding by McKinlay and Trott kept Luckhurst behind them and with Coomber falling, it meant another 5-1 to the Hammers and, unbelievably, at the half-way stage, West Ham now found themselves with a two point lead. With Nygren and Tebby lined up against Simmons and Wickett in heat 10 it looked as though the Dons would edge back into the lead, but, once again, Simmons rose to the occasion and beat Nygren in the second fastest time of the night. Heat 12 saw another astonishing turn of events as Wimbledon’s Bobby Dugard fell and was excluded from the re-run. It was a simple matter for McKinlay and Trott to defeat Whipp and take a 5-1. It was now West Ham who were six points up and it was now Wimbledon who used a tactical substitute as they brought in Nygren for reserve, John Edwards. Unfortunately, it did not have the desired effect as, for the second time that night, West Ham’s new hero, the young Malcolm Simmons, beat Nygren, leaving West Ham still six points in front. This time though, Simmons had done it the hard way, coming from behind and taking the Wimbledon captain on the last lap. With just three heats to go, time was running out for Wimbledon and the impossible suddenly looked possible. However, a Nygren and Dugard 5-1 over Trott and Leonard put them back in with a chance and when, in heat 15, Tebby and Coomber pulled off a 4-2 against Clarke and Hughes, the scores, were back to level with one heat to go. The line-up for that final heat saw Keith Whipp and Reg Luckhurst for Wimbledon against Ken McKinlay and Malcolm Simmons for West Ham. The tension around the stadium was palpable. Everyone was holding their breath. A match which at the beginning of the afternoon had seemed likely to be very one-sided had now come down to a last heat decider. To some extent the final race as a race was a bit of a disappointment as Simmons once again flew off from the start and never looked to be in any danger and with McKinlay settling for a steady third place, the match was won by West Ham by 49 points to 47. The small band of Hammers’ supporters who had made the trip across London couldn’t believe what had happened. The hero of the hour was the 19-year-old Malcolm Simmons. He had beaten the Wimbledon captain, Olle Nygren, twice and had set the three fastest times of the night. In fact he still wasn’t finished. In the second half scratch race event, he won the first heat, beating McKinlay, Luckhurst and Dugard and then went on to win the final, once again beating Nygren. As if that wasn’t enough, a special Handicap race was held with Simmons starting off 20 yards, Nygren off 10 and Trott, Leonard and Tebby off scratch. Yet again, Simmons got the better of Nygren, even with his handicap. As for me, although that match was held 60 years ago I can still remember it as if it were yesterday. In fact I can remember it better than matches I saw last season. It was just such an amazing afternoon. I went along there with a few other Hammers’ supporters expecting a reasonable match but when it was announced just before the meeting started that neither Harrfeldt nor Hunter would be taking part we seriously considered going home. The Wimbledon supporters around us were saying things like, ’You’ll be lucky if you get 20 points’ and ’This is going to be the biggest thrashing of all time.’ Of course, we gave back as good as we got but in our hearts we felt they could well be right. But suddenly there was this rider called Malcolm Simmons, who we had seen rise from the ranks of a second halfer at West Ham to a good second string but no more, taking on and beating the likes of Olle Nygren and Reg Luckhurst on their own track in the fastest times of the night. He was just phenomenal. Following that match, and now with a fourth top-class heat leader, West Ham remained unbeaten for the rest of the season, taking the treble of League, Cup and London Cup. Recalling the match later in an interview I carried out with him, Malcolm Simmons told me that the West Ham team had gone to the meeting thinking they would get thrashed but somehow the whole team had risen to the occasion. He went on to say, “It was the first good meeting I ever had for West Ham. I just came good on the night.” He also told me that he didn’t clean his bike for weeks afterwards as he was afraid of upsetting whatever it was that was making it go so fast! As we now know, Simmons went on to become one of Great Britain’s greatest ever riders and runner-up in the 1976 World Championship, World Pairs Champion in 1976, 77 and 78, World Team Champion in 1973, 74, 75 and 77 and British Champion in 1976. He was capped 80 times for England, seven times for the British Lions (touring Australia), five times for Great Britain and four times for the Rest of the World. But it all started that night and I feel very privileged to have been there to witness what must have been one of the best matches of all time and one of the most outstanding personal performance of all time. I should add that the rest of the team also rode exceptionally well, especially Reg Trott, Brian Leonard and Tony Clarke, who all rode far above expectations.

Belle Vue always pull the crowds it's have been doing it for years with the riders we have always had through the years

I'm guessing the GP wildcard selectors haven't been watching Janowski riding for Oxford?

It means a proper value for money evening of Speedway entertainment... Full of throttle control and crowd pleasing technical riding...

Track not looking the best tonight, shame the riders haven't got the engines to cope with conditions

The situation with Klindt is an absolute joke, cannot really blame Plymouth its the knobheads in charge of the sport who keep letting it happen who are to blame. same with Knudsen at Oxford. How many meetings has he missed now?

Rubbish. He did very well and was open and frank on here at the time. But a few took it on themselves to insult him and the team so that was that. Led to the dramatic 2004 WC at Poole in front of ten thousand fans and the final heat, where Hans Andersen took it on himself to block Nicholls allowing Peter Karlsson to win it for Sweden. Plus Nicholls IIRC pulled up when a member of the crowd flashed a red light.

Yep...you are in for a treat weather wise. The forecast for Saturday is simply stunning ! Max Temp 21 Degrees. Hopefully you will see a good deal of racing, which many other tracks find difficult to provide ! Enjoy your visit !

The Klint situation is ridiculous ,pathetic.

Weather looks to be fine and warm on Saturday with a high of 21 degrees at 6pm, hope you enjoy your first visit to Northside .

Im looking forward to my first trip to Northside, prefer the earlier start time compared to Derwent Park, just hope the weather keeps behaving. 😉

This one will go to the wire. On the fairest track in̈ the country. Thomson an upgrade on Lasse.

Also tough on the fans travelling to support the comets 😛

I might not be as strict at that, but definitely think there should be a deterrent in place to stop the Gusts / Cook / Klindt situations happening. 28 day ban with no facility (75% guest) would be my preference. If clubs feel they are hard down by tough, sign a new rider! Preferably one who will turn up each week.

with all due respect i couldnt give a toss about leszno that said i dont think ben will need to take too many risks to score well or for lynn to win

That’s my thoughts too.

Stars and Birmingham have lot to live up to after Young Stars and Plymouth set a high bar last night.

Sheffields own social media team getting in on it 😂 Quoting Nick Morris... “I’m motivated now more than ever to have another crack at it.”

Bike setup does appear to be more important than riding technique these days, you could argue that bike setup is also a skill but too often it appears to be down to a rider hitting a bit of luck with the setup and then honing in on it.

You are Clark Osbourne, and I claim my 5 pounds. (one for the youngsters there). Remember the idiots who said Workington would never be back? Remember the fools who thought Belle Vue's NSS could never be built? Remember the dumb-dumbs who thought Oxford would never re-open. Speedway tracks may come and go, but there will always be nobheads like the above.

Given I was there I can tell you that the updates got heat 9 wrong - it said FTG - the reality was Brennan clamped Bewley on the inside on 1st / 2nd bend whilst King roared round the outside for the 5-1 - great riding and the crowd sure liked it 😉

Wouldn't take notice of any of his British form as last on his list of priorities.

Now then a workman should never blame his tools.😂

It just means ya lost / majority of the 3k here seem happy with tonight 😉

from the gate lol

Spoke to soon 😂😂😂😂😂. We’re bloody rubbish

Etheridge almost looked like he fell off by himself there, seemed to have recovered from the initial contact and then binned it by himself

big crowd in tonight - good to see

Hope its a good one, it was a draw in the KOC meeting.

I quite liked what they tried a few seasons ago, but simpler 3 points for a win 2 points for a draw 1 point for losing by 6 of less Same for home and away teams. No bonus points (always helps tracks with bigger home advantage) and no super heats....

He was probably surveying the big crowd and doing a bit of 'Garry May spotting' !!🤣

Yep, a nice over take from cairns on an experienced rider and he rightly gives the big crowd something to cheer, and there’s someone on here calling a 16yr old kid a clown. Comical

To my knowledge trackmen listen to everyone & take their advice on board.... ...Then produce the same track they prepare every other week!!

Transfer window passed. But as it’s the Aces it will probably be allowed. 😉

Anybody who thinks Etheridge and Hagon are good guests for Gusts and Knudsen should apply for the position as Peter Shroeck's assistant.

Let's all take a breath and look at the bigger picture here. After years and years of ridicule and belittling towards British Speedway and it's structure, this week we've seen one of the best two legged fixtures in recent times in the second tier, culminating in a breath taking conclusion last night. Where do you start? First of all, massive credit and thank you to all the riders involved last night. They were a credit to their sport. That was fully committed, no fear speedway from everybody. I'd like to think I speak for everyone in sending our best wishes to Lasse Fredriksen who it sounds like will now miss the rest of the season. I was on commentary on Gladiators TV last night and that Heat 3 crash was perhaps the worst I've seen at Plymouth. To the crowd, what a night for Plymouth sport and British Speedway. They were crammed into the track and what an atmosphere. This goes for both set of supporters and it was a knowledgeable and respectful crowd. Everybody could see and appreciate the efforts the riders were going too for our entertainment. The noise at the end of the meeting with Plymouth getting on top was incredible. Plymouth is very quickly becoming a very difficult place for opposition teams with the atmosphere that's being created. Finally, to Mark Phillips and the whole Plymouth track staff. I take my hat off to them all. Not only was the race surface in great shape last night but their hard work to get the fences fixed not once but twice was astounding. They were rewarded with a fitting finale and I was glad that the stadium announcer got a warm round of applause going for them at the end of the night. Congratulations to the Pirates who take the bonus point and all the best for the rest of the season but haven't they been pushed all the way by a battered and bruised Plymouth?! I do think it's a shame the direction this forum is heading in these days with a lot of the unnecessary jibing that goes on from all angles. Speedway is a sport that is in desperate need of some help and assistance in this country and is facing some bleak times. Everyone, regardless of your personal allegiances or differences should always be supporting those putting on the show and doing what they can to boost the sport. Plymouth as a club is changing before our very eyes. The city is really getting behind the Gladiators and the club are doing all they can to provide a fantastic night out for all the family. It was great to see the fancy dress last night and the kids race being so popular. Heart warming to see the amount of Plymouth Argyle shirts on show, with people taking advantage of the season ticket offer. I've already had one message on Argyle's forum from someone who attended for the first time with his family last night and despite the long night, they loved every moment of it and will be back. We shouldn't be sat on this thread today attacking one another, we should be grateful and proud of the effort and character we saw from 14 riders last night who put on a terrific advert for British Speedway and showed if you do things right in promoting the event, if you have all the necessary safety precautions in place it can be a heck of a spectacle. Thank you Gladiators, Thank you Pirates - What a night!