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Saturday's line up:

I do have one gripe, changing the name to the Buxton bulls, I get they want to stamp their name on the venture but fans can be fickle, remember Reading changing from racers to bulldogs, some fans refused to support it, there is no point changing a name and upsetting a few, get everyone onside from the outset

But! But! But!.... Just think of the massive publicity and financial rewards on offer for winning the NDL!!!! ... Absolute crackers isn't it? Someone really needs to save this sport, and whoever it is, needs to start with saving the promoters from themselves...

The soul of British speedway is back, it’s a stain on the history of this British speedway that it was allowed to close in the first place but it’s back and we move forward, good luck to all involved up in them there hills

Fernando Garcia always dreamt of being a speedway rider and when he was younger he lied to his parents telling them an English club gave him a contract. He had little money but packed his bags and flew to England, he messaged loads of teams asking for a contract. He had no vehicle or place to stay so first night slept in the airport, then next night in a hotel and then when his money was lower (funds for travel) he slept for a week in a train station. He got a message for a guest booking with Berwick and then asked if he had a bike so he said yes, although he didn’t so he found an old speedway rider and bought his bike for cheap, after that he then realised he didn’t have a way of getting the bike to the track so the old speedway riders dad sold him his old van. He completed his first guest booking scoring 3+1, but Berwick then said the injured rider was back to fitness so he wasn’t required. He went back to the old van to sleep and lived off just apples and some fruit from a garden for three days, his phone died and he thought he would call it a day and sell everything and go home telling his family it didn’t work out, when he went to a petrol station to charge his phone Berwick messaged him offering him a contract and with that he lived and rode for various teams for 6 years. The only reason he finished speedway in England was because of covid and he had to move back to Argentina.

The reason Buxton closed was because the likes of cradley and Kent and others were paying stupid points money to riders to ride in the national league and Buxton simply couldn’t do that and it became impossible to field a competitive team, until the last couple of seasons Buxton were pretty much the only team sticking to the pay scales and even when they went over them to compete it was less than half what others were paying

Giving the idiots who organized this ridiculous format an uppercut would be more appropriate. With half the competitors 2 or 3 levels below the top riders why would you expect a crowd. One of the world's best stadiums/venues and nobody in it. Put the lesser teams in a B competition and have them ride at venues where national pride ensures home crowd involvement.

Is Bewley inflatable? A blow up Bewley

The soul of British speedway is back, should never been allowed to close

Part of the problem is those who sit a home and do nothing and then moan about it on forums

Polish League matches had plenty passing at the Week end.It appears to be the way Morris and Co prepare tracks,whether it what the rider want who knows!!

This is a little story from the year after I finished, Buxton had a home match and had 2 riders missing as I think 1 was injured and the other rider had a match for his championship team on the same day so Buxton booked a guest,and used RR for the number 1, this guest was no superstar but it was the only rider really available, he wanted £35 per point plus Tavel plus a tyre plus fuel and he wanted a hotel for him and his Mrs as he was riding somewhere else the next day so was not going home, he was booked to ride at number 4 but on the morning of the match the championship match was called off so the number 4 was able to ride,so Buxton told the guest he would ride at number1 to which he said he wanted an extra £5 per point, for what exactly? ,the meeting was rained off anyway but he still wanted his hotel paid as he was still riding the next day,that was the sort of thing which killed off Buxton, well that and some teams paying gaurentees of £500 for their stars, I’m blowing my own trumpet here but when they had the chance the bspl should of put me in charge of the national league the day I retired.

I see no point in talking about which riders may leave if there is one big league, as they may leave anyway as many have, you can’t stop them. You have to build the product with what is viable and what is available, I think I say it every season, the biggest issue the sport has is running costs, bikes cost to much to buy and run, promoters then have to pay a fortune to them and fans pay the promoters back but everyone except the riders and tuners are losing money. One league or three won’t make any difference until costs are brought under control. At some point the sport in this country is going to have to take more steps back before it can go forward, and I am talking semi pro at best, so National League late 80s but without nine and ten point calibre riders of that time, or the team version of grass track and lots of people go and watch that without big star names. You would have to go smaller size teams until enough new riders can be trained and again that’s where runnings costs comes in plus you would need a proper training program. They had the same issue after the War, different times but the problem is the same, not enough riders.

Buxton were the only Team to stick to the principles that the League was formed for,the others started paying over the odds and look what developed from that.A financial mess that the sport is now in.

... Would you say that you're a tad obsessed with Kelvin Tatum... I stopped at page 2 of your comments with Mr Tatum as life is too short 👍

Same way you can top a league table and not win the title I guess.

Your opinion- my opinion they knew the rules before heat 1 it’s called building the excitement up with a last chance heat- same can happen on Saturday- just go with the flow lol

I have seen some great meetings from Torun.... So why do their track curator's need any guidance from Phil Morris ..? Was he there all those Fridays and Sundays that I watched those great meetings from there?

The winner of the SGP2 should definitely be nowhere near the main SGP series, it's generally years before they're anywhere near the level required to be in the main series if ever at all. The last WU21 Champion currently in the series is Max Fricke who won it in 2016, it's taken him 10 years to get from that level to his current level and he's still relying on wild cards to qualify.

If i want to go to a meeting I go to the venue. What about those that are unable to attend a meeting for family or medical reasons? Nobody is asking you to spend any money on a "cheap and nasty production". I'm not aware that there are any available, anyway. You sound like a very bitter person who doesn't really like Speedway at all. But sensible people regard BSN as a superb service, which provides people with the opportunity to watch the sport they love.

Dan Thompson, Luke Harrison + Luke Killeen.

If it’s still 2 leagues and I think it will be then who are the promoters pandering to?, if the majority of fans want 1 league and I am one of them then clearly they are pandering to themselves and the riders, I understand it’s not straight forward as just merging the 2 with riders, money and dates but quite frankly I was sick of seeing the same teams last season, we can’t keep doing the same thing and expect things to improve, but I’m told there is radical change planned but nobody will say what it is and the riders don’t know either

But what can we do as fans/supporters? I have said for a number of years, speedway is not 'squaring the circle' (cost wise), no pun intended. While you have riders expecting extreme fees/wages for their services, with a mediocre fan base, it's not financially sustainable/viable. The only chance for speedway to survive, is somehow, reduce costs for the riders and the fans. Otherwise speedway will need to 'shut up shop' in it's current format.

Reading Bowes article in SS ,I’m afraid he needs a reality check for a mediocre speedway rider.Most of his burn out and stress are his own making.He is obviously not prepared or has the set-up for his ambitions.There are not many hand outs in speedway.

Have seen many “hell of a talent at that age” small percentage make it too the Top.(talking in General).

Thankfully, not everyone has such a negative view.

Demtri Berge joins Poznan

With Laurence Rogers at the helm, it's bound to be!

I( used to love my trips to Buxton when Newcastle Gems were there. Good luck to them.

Cristian Zubillaga leading for 2.5 laps was probably the highlight of this meeting.

Friday’s SON 2 is live on TNT Sports 3 at 5.45pm- 1st race 6pm 28 straight heats - no last chance, no final. Should please everyone, even though result might be known with 2 races to go !! Saturday’s SON final is live on TNT Sports 3 at 5.30pm - 1st race 6pm

Battle between the Poles and Aussies for the trophy. Lambert will let Bewley down.

I think it's a stupid rule, but no difference than a 4th place team winning the Premiership, 6th place team winning the Polish Extraliga or the 10th placed rider winning a GP! Nowadays an "exciting" ending is more important than a deserving winner / qualifier (sadly)!

Lots of interesting and some irrelevant comments on here again at the end of another season of British Speedway. Hung up my programme board a few seasons ago I admit, and the demise of the few remaining clubs in the southeast of England didn't help ..... but isnt the problem that there is a lack of supporters who have an interest in the sport in the UK ? Too many other competing calls on people's leisure time . Blame who you like for the slow demise of the sport in the UK, but the bottom line is not enought people will pay to watch it.

Thanks for the many happy memories you've conjured up, and for all of your efforts over the years. 👍🙂

All on this forum can try and guess what will happen in 2026 and many have some very good points to make but in reality the powers that be are not listening to the core support and few if any on here have any investment in the sport or any financial interest in the current set up. The running of the sport is questionable given that the clubs and promoters dictate the rules and almost operate on the basis of a Masonic lodge. I accept that it is not my money on the line but if you follow the current premise, the sport is on a downward trajectory as those in charge maintain a self interest and rely on the personal preservation of the investment over entertainment value and attracting a new audience. The closed shop that currently operates believes the current business model works. If that is the case why does it not attract top quality sponsors and why is the wider media not clamouring to get a slice of the action. WBD have seen the writing on the wall by distancing themselves from the promotional side of the sport. That in itself should tell us something. One can only hope that positive changes are forthcoming as the status quo is not an option if speedway is to flourish.

They won't need him if they land Beau Bailey that lad genuinely looks like the next Leigh Adams ,hopefully he is well advised and doesn't try to jump to high to start with even allowing for his bags of natural talent.

How can you outscore a team and not quaify. So wrong

Only in speedway could a team accrue more points in the main meeting such as Ukraine and the team with fewer points in the Czech Republic qualifies for the final. No wonder few take this two wheeled sport seriously.

Still a 🤡

44 heats + build up of Kelvin Tatums commentary so far… dictators around the globe are probably looking into utilising this as the most brutal torture ever endured by man. No doubt about that working overtime jet propelled.

#CoughJubileeTrophyCoughCough...

Argentina story of the riders how they had to buy everything, bikes, equipment, travel, hotels just to be there is pretty saddening. At least you would like to think a big crowd would have been a reward for all their efforts.

Pray god no utter respect to the old boy for his enthusiasm and willingness to chuck money at the problem but I don't think even a combination of John Berry and Ian Thomas at their peak could make a go of Northampton in the current climate, would love to be proved wrong but just can't see it.

I don't give a toss about GP riders here, I really just want clubs to stay open and the future of the sport to be protected. As much as I love watching Fricke at Leicester, I'm not going to be selfish and demand riders like him stay just because he's top quality. IMO there are enough decent riders out there to create a bigger league but it would be a watered down championship. I'm ok with this personally, I love speedway in the NDL as much as the premiership. I think Poole are the best argument for my case, serial winners and the I don't hear any fans moaning about the standard or quality of riders, yes it helps they build great sides every year but I highly doubt Scunny or Plymouth fans are going to be running to the terraces if they join the premiership next season. It didn't work for Oxford or Birmingham did it? and the crowds at Leicester have actually dropped since moving leagues. Trust me I would love it if a few clubs could come back and join the premiership, but it isn't happening is it? And who will it benefit exactly? I cant think of one championship club that would benefit from moving leagues. All the people suggesting one big league wont work haven't come up with any other solution have they? What is it then? A 5 team Premiership? Northampton to join the prem for financial suicide? Poole moving up? ( That wont work because race nights) Glasgow moving up? ( They wont sacrifice the Scottish derby) .

They have completely ruined the world cup week format. back in the day it was a brilliant spectacle , even if the racing was gate and go it was still exciting and well attended. this new format is absolutely pathetic. why oh why do they change things that arent broken but any thing broken they do nothing about?

Tatum is earning his money tonight talking this up!! Made me chuckle when him and Louis were shouting the odds on how GB were on fire in beating Italy 🤣🤣

It seems that no one is interested in this type of meeting anymore. The structure of the meetings/qualifiers probably needs to looked at and just the final put on as a main event not this format. Poland has no interest until the final and all the so called top riders already grace the Polish league so if the final is in Poland for example hold the qualifiers elsewhere where some of the top riders rarely appear. Just a thought.

Generally speaking, the winner of SGP2 is way behind a regular GP1 rider. After winning GP2 series and GP after GP getting beat by top riders could demoralise the young lad and set him back. When Martin Vaculick came to GP1 he did well initially....but then didn't bother with GP1 fora few years to give himself time to mature as a rider. He came back into GP1, with more experience, came 2nd in GP1 just couple years ago. Sadly this year not performed too well, maybe he carrying an injury or something. Just after Fricke winning SGP2 came Drabik and Smektala, between them they won 3 GP2 on the trot. Neither of them yet in the GP1 series full time, Jaimon Lidsey the same. I think Jan Kvech was 2nd in GP2 just 3 or 4 years ago, he will come back in 2 or 3 years better then he is now, hes picked up the experience.... it was just too soon for him.

Regardless of it's one league or two. the sport has to acknowledge, more so the riders. that riding in front of less than a half decent semi pro football team. doesn't warrant them being full time professional Speedway riders. How has speedway got to such a point? Some riders do work, how many I don't know, but a lot of them don't! The older riders like Bomber will find it hard to cope, but lets face it, he's had a good run. But he like a lot of the others will have to cut down on their bikes and all the little extras they ask for and god forbid get a job!. There are too many youngsters who are no where near the standard to be called full time professional Speedway riders. Lets face it, if it weren't for the bank mum and dad they wouldn't be doing it anyway, because the sport has now got so far out of hand. why in the third division even the second division do riders have to have two to three bikes and big Mercedes vans? Go back to the 70/80s 90% of riders in the second division worked. That was when the sport had a lot more tracks, riders and supporters. It's a sad fact that come next season with all the top riders gone, the only option left open will be for riders to go Semi Pro. The sport in GB has to start to cut it's cloth accordingly, or sadly, there won't be league racing as we know it anymore, just amateur racing like over in the Isle of Wight.