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Moving with the times, well done.

These championship team fans need to be careful what they wish for, saying their league is better than the prem yet if the prem didn’t pay the likes of Z.Cook, Lawson, Wright, King etc big money, thus helping them ride in the second tier, they wouldn’t have many good riders at all. Take out their riders who ride in the prem and it’s a pretty poor standard. Everyone can say Prem is better or Champ is better but the fact is Speedway needs to be better.

It is really a perfect sport for some half decent marketing company to promote... Given how few of the country even are aware of it, let alone attend, it is almost like launching a brand new sport to the wider sporting viewers.. You are pretty much starting from a blank canvas.. However.... A five team top league will be a hard sell for TV given the same teams will be on far too regularly.. And so many meetings that currently get run without jeopardy does the sport little favours, as it doesn't create interest in getting people to the track or watching on TV., and a five team top league will mean just one team missing out, and, usually, there is one team that gets put well adrift far too early in the season.. The lack of a big money prize also holds it back hugely, as the public get engaged by sports with the huge prizes on offer, so finding a way to get some "big money" into it is fundamentally key for me... There are though huge opportunities, given its current starting position for the sport to develop, and rapidly if the correct marketing and hype can get brought in.. Just 400 or so regulars at every track would mean a massive percentage increase at even those tracks who currently get four figures.. Such a tiny number, but bringing such a large positive impact, shows the size of the opportunity...

Plymouth have launched a speedway app , with direct links to all the clubs websites , live scoring from the home matches , news feed etc …links to the live stream , rider profiles …. FUEL THE FUTURE … App Store / Google play Plymouth Gladiators

Nobody cares what you're doing on Saturday night just say you can't make it would suffice.

It is a moment all Panthers and Speedway supporters should take great pride in. We’re not there yet, but a foot is in the door.

When was the last time he completed four laps and finished last? This can be costly if another rider then pulls up when the score is tight. As I have said before, I’m surprised Dickson tolerates this. Out of respect for the paying public, riders should be completing four laps unless there is a genuine mechanical failure.

Local Essex boy would have been great at Arena but we cannot beat Google at the moment! Poole will offer him the most dosh so he will go there.

Don't worry, I will be there with me Mr 'Barry' Sheen ! 😀

So... you are not anti Antti, then?? LOL

Au Contraire Lisa, he would rather Poole lose than Ipswich win and slags off our track at every opportunity. He said recently he didn't care who won in the final!! He cares passionately that we lose. Really strange individual.

Not really that difficult to understand, is it? Almost guaranteed trophies, a stable club, doubtless a good financial/sponsorship package. I assume it's also one of the closest Championship tracks to him, too, which helps being a 16yo. I know Glasgow fans are still unhappy about the track in the PO final, but if you're in Rushen's position and Poole are interested then it's very easy to see why he'd go there.

If money isn't an issue at Kings Lynn does that mean Buster won't be there.

I'd like to see someone like Pollestad, Bedna, Drejer give a go

I wanted Ipswich to win it this year because I’ve felt they’ve deserved to for building consistently one of the best teams, and arguably the best in recent years and been so unlucky for one reason or another. Now they’ve won it, I’m aboard the Leicester train for 2026. Runner up twice in a row, I’d like to see them go one better next time. Make sure to retain Fricke as priority, and work down from there.

Thanks for that, remember to bawl out the first thing that comes to mind as loud as you can.! That's what I do and it seems to work.

Unless they get special dispensation to delay until say Jan 1st, then expect an announcement next month at AGM.

He can overtake already!

I was thinking earlier who was the originator of the tassle. I remember Ray Bales wearing them, not sure if the whole Mildenhall team did?

Brennan is nailed on and so he should be IMO.

The original tassel boy. Doug flyer Wyer .

Chris Louis to be greeted with another award next month I see!

Woffinden not doing UK in 2026, concentrating on Poland and GP’s. Take a brave promotion to take him on anyway at start of season on his high average having missed 18 months

Top three of Harris, Howarth and Flint (I’d add Morris to that four but pretty sure he’s back at Berwick on what is a steal of an average) should grab a decent amount of points one and away, a less top heavy team will allow to have one slightly stronger reserve at 6 and hope there’s a 0.5 point increase each in the engine room and reserves in case some mid season tinkering needed 1 Harris 8.90 2 Jake Mulford 4.26 3 Leon Flint 6.95 4 Tate Zischke 5.43 5 Kyle Howarth 7.92 6 Sam Hagon 3.48 7 Freddie Holder 2.63 Averages = 39.57

Lots of rumours of only one rider over 8….. Belle Vue have to let someone go and it won’t be Kurtz

These look like the sort of tassels Jack Sparrow would wear

Offload Kemp

And that’s a ball🤣

Two four point young future wunderkind superstars from overseas and a 7.39 rider... Get the visa requests in now!!

Did he have a Polish club when he signed?

heard he likes it up north

Ellis seems really popular behind the scenes as well. Nice words from Louis there. Wouldn’t be at all surprised if he was kept on too.

Postponed until Friday due to tonight’s rain forcast.

And let's not forget how good he was in 2024.

I wouldn’t worry. Just been reading on another thread that money isn’t an issue at Kings Lynn so I’m fully expecting the chequebook to be opened and a big hitter signed up at number 1 👍🏻

Nobody would get remotely close to them at the NSS with that side.

No he isn’t, and yes it is. I’m sorry Bagpuss I’m not trying to be argumentative here for the sake of it, but of course it’s to do with Money! Chapman could have more money than Elon Musk, I never said Chapman wasn’t wealthy. But his personal wealth is completely irrelevant to the point I was making. Does Jason Doyle still live in Norfolk? The fact of the matter is that if Lynn offered a better deal to Doyle than Ipswich then Doyle would be riding for Kings Lynn. It’s quite clear that no matter how much money Keith Chapman has, it means very little if he isn’t prepared to compete for the top riders. That of course is his prerogative, he sets a budget to build a team every year and that budget doesn’t seem to stretch to paying for a Doyle/Bewley/Emil etc. Now that IS all financially relative isn’t it? We’re in danger of veering away from my original point here which wasn’t to do with Keith Chapman’s personal wealth. If the top three are going to be forced in to not re-signing one of their heatleaders to allow Lynn and others the opportunity to sign them, are those clubs going to offer the top money that these riders will still demand? I personally have my doubts but time will tell on that one. In an ideal world, every club would have the same financial clout OR, willing to invest more of their personal wealth to compete but unfortunately that’s just not reality. As I said before, there will always be the have’s and have not’s and that’s not restricted to Speedway, it’s all sports. The Championship is no different. Would you bet against next years play off final being contested by Poole and Glasgow again? I wouldn’t. You can bring in points limits and different rules to try and make things as equal as possible, but there will always be in demand riders on bargain averages that will always be snapped up by those with better resources who will stay one step ahead of the competition. With all due respect to them, the likes of Scunthorpe under Godfrey who builds his teams to a tight budget, are just there to make up the numbers. It’s just the way it is I’m afraid. ALL the heatleaders have now been “freed up” Bagpuss. Every top heatleader that rode here this year, and want to ride here next year, are now available to Keith Chapman and anyone else who wants to sign them. If finance isn’t an issue as you and StarBoy have said, then Lynn don’t have any excuse not to sign one of them do they? Outbid the top three and you’ll bag one of them. We’re going around in circles here. It’s not so much “freeing” up riders for others, it’s a question of if those other clubs can afford them and/or are willing to pay for them. If they can, then fair enough I’m not against bringing in rules to help spread the top riders around. My concern is that they bring in a rule that prevents the clubs that CAN afford to sign them, from doing so, and those riders are then lost to British speedway because they’re not happy with the lower terms offered by others.

True, but you'd think he'd be more interested in Ipswich winning than our track! 🤷‍♀️

Would love to see Nicholls back for the Gladiators for 2026. Seemed to really enjoy his time in Devon where the pressure was off for him and he was able to just enjoy being back on his bike. Feel like Joe T is likely to return along with the hugely exciting Klima. Think Barker did enough in the Poole fixture alone to earn himself a spot back in the team. Would be open to seeing Tobias race for the Gladiators next season, he was excellent when guesting for the club. I think what we will see is plenty of people have had their opinions on Plymouth changed within the sport over the last 6 months with how things have played out for the club. This is very much a club who are trying to beat the curve and sail forward with the wind behind them. Crowds through the roof, atmosphere at home fixtures unlike any other, fantastic racing on the track too. Plenty of riders spoke very highly of appearing for/at Plymouth last year and I think Garry will be very happy with the options he'll have available to him when building the team.

The interview with Matt Ford in the SS details the thought process for Poole.. And it is hard not to agree with him... The considerable cost increases for the top league won't get covered by extra admission numbers, or extra sponsors, for a business that is "stand alone" and not some "plaything" for some who can afford an expensive hobby.. The bottom line is hardly anyone who doesn't follow the sport could tell you who the fop tier champions are this year, or last, or, indeed, any particular year for decades.. And Poole, in Div 2, will have plenty of finals to generate big crowds, and will gain as much publicity winning 2nd tier trophies as they would top tier ones.. The top tier need the second tier to try and then justify why they are "different" and the "highest level" and more expensive to watch... The second tier need the top tier as those who double up can then afford to ride for them for 2nd tier money... The likes of Poole and Glasgow could be seen as being happy to be "big fishes in a small pond".. However. The whole of UK Speedway is more of a "big puddle" when compared to pretty much every other professional team sport in the UK.. When there is such very little financial reward, nor national publicity, for any success at any level, and crowds get hit by so many meetings running with zero jeopardy and consequence as to who qualifies for the play offs, you can understand why running your own business, at the level you can make it profitable, has to be the best idea..

Let’s hope for a 39-point team limit… Ryan Douglas - 8.2 N Klindt - 6.46 J Kvech - 6.91 C Harris - 6.7 (6.53) R Lambert - 8.00 (7.8) A Bednar - 3.00 C Rushen / J Scott - RS Total - 39.27 (38.9) This team wins the league imho

A buyer would be a good place to start

i always am when it comes to kings lynn

Why is it smoke and mirrors ? The rule quoted was from the British rule book and was in relation to racing in the British league. Yes he was declared for 2025, but never rode in the British league before he was injured again. Nowhere does the rule say that the period missed has to be related to the same injury. Therefore, by the wording of the rule, he has missed more than one full season due to speedway injury.

Steve was never banned. His twin brother, Richie, was and still hasn't returned. Steve is rumoured to be retiring at the end of this season.

Wrong again, mark Phillips is not barker's uncle.

Has he won a state championship in Oz to qualify for a visa

A typical well meaning rule to try and even up the league more... And then also, typically in UK Speedway fashion, they eff it up by allowing the No1 pick to say "I'm not riding there"... (Which I get if offered more money and have local sponsors elsewhere).. In the US draft system, the bottom team gets several concessions from the teams who want their pick, should they not want to use that player .. Eg The team with the highest average last season would have needed to offer Birmingham either money or a rider/riders.. Instead we had Birmingham being out of their depth again which did them, nor Speedway, any favours . Basically. Either do it properly, or don't use it at all... Personally, out of their depth No7's do nothing for the sport, nor them, in any league ..

The trouble we have now is the result of the relaxing of the average conversion rate between the two leagues and doubling up becoming a free for all about 15 years ago. Before then there was a noticeable difference in standard between the leagues (all three leagues that is). Sounds like that one was driven by rider power, but the promoters also allowed it to happen. There’s now not enough riders of the standard of team spots available. I think this is half the problem, nobody wants the sport to be watered down. It feels like a necessary evil though, because those “good enough” riders just don’t exist in large enough quantities so we’re lumbered with the current incredibly flawed system.