Leaderboard

Reset and Relaunch.... Invest the money saved on "top stars" and employ a marketing company to nationally promote the sport... I would be amazed if 95% of the 80m population have ever heard of any GP rider... Run on nights you get your best crowds.. In short... Learn from your mistakes that has led you here, and start the sport again!!!

So it’s one league then, good, not the proper way to get there but we are there, so let’s make it work, welcome the 5 teams from above and their sulking promoters and make the damn thing work, you have the basic tools, the product is there just work damn hard to make it succeed

Hey. As it stands Kings Lynn are in the play offs...😄

For me... Pretend no one knows about the sport... (Won't be too difficult).. And launch it as if were brand new... Build a profile for it, make it a brand, get its name out into YouTube etc, with 10 mins behind fhe scenes vlogs, focus on making riders the personalities of the sport, share all merchandise costs and profits using a generic look but with each individual club having their insignia on their version of the merchandise.... Employ people who can influence and hype up the sport to a younger demographic, make websites look like they were designed today not when the internet was invented, use an interactive UK Speedway App, with clubs having their own individual interactive versions... Stop being so insular, staying sat within a "Speedway Bubble Echo Chamber" and instead open yourself up and bring in people much younger from outside the sport (if the skill set doesnt exist within it already), who can bring fresh ideas that white, middle aged men wouldn't even consider... Put the fans' "match night experience" front, back and centre of everything you do... In short. Look at what successful sports do and use as many of their ideas as is possible to help grow Speedway.. But, most of all, run it on the bloody nights that your fans find are the best ones for them to attend with their kids!!! And also find a way to get a fair few dozen away fans in attendance to add some bloody atmosphere!!!

The blame is to be shared all around. 1.Riders demanding too much wonga 2. The BSPA running the sport poorly and unprofessionally 3. Losing Sky tv contract 4. Poland 5. The Grand Prix 6. TNT being rubbish 7. Poor crowds 8. Poor advertising/lack of modernizing 9. Lack of investment from clubs 10. Houses being built I could go on forever!!! There's plenty more.

They think the Premiership is in trouble... it is now...

I don't think anyone's oblivious to anything. The Premier League existed quite healthily before doubling up and down started. Clubs don't "need" to increase rider's wages to make up for them losing a Premiership club. They pay what they can afford and the riders take it or leave it. Sadly, the reality will probably play out as we all expect, and they will overspend, but that'll be the fault of the promoters paying excessive wages and nothing else.

People thinking the club was in any problems are mistaken. It’s not that Chris can’t do it anymore, it’s that every other club can’t run as professional as his so they have to create one league which Chris is against, he would rather walk away with his team he wanted than bow down to other clubs forcing him to ride in one watered down league with a weak team, I don’t blame him. People keep wanting one league, have it now, and watch all of British speedway fail. I am very glad we finally won a league title under Chris and with such an amazing squad! PS. Having Harry has clearly moved the sport forward.

Agree try keep as many teams running next year because once you stop running it’s hard to get it back sometimes you need to go backwards before you move forward and we need to get a decent NL format or there will never be any more riders coming through

your argument was to run prem for one more year to see if anything would change . us anti British speedway fans knew that was going nowhere. a reset is the only way forward, obviously no gp riders and i would still go to Bellevue to give it a try, you obviously dont want to watch no hopers, so who is anti British speedway.

Well I have to say I am gutted as both the clubs I attend Sheffield and Ipswich are up for sale / facing uncertain futures. The truth will come out and we can all decide if Louis was taking his ball home or not (I suspect not) - but lets see - clearly someone who has devoted his entire life to UK speedway wouldn't just walk away on a whim / fit of pique!!

Ipswich as a town only has it's football team (who don't win much), but have recently discovered a new sport called "Boxing" I beleive!. They don't have top level Rugby Union or League teams on their doorstep... They don't have top level Basketball or Ice Hockey teams on their doorstep.. They don't have a top level County Cricket team on their doorstep... They are not in a major conurbation surrounded by towns with Football Teams who can deliver five figure crowds each game... Therefore, Ipswich Speedway has a real opportunity to keep going I would think, as their population will see it as being 2nd to Ipswich Town I would imagine.. Missing Chris Louis will be a blow but the crowd numbers and excellent sponsors will be a huge legacy he leaves... It would be a shame if they don't come to the tapes next year...

Best close season evs! 😂

I personally love the NDL and the championship so I'd be fine with it.

And that is one of its major flaws... It isn't really a "professional sport" at all is it? It is in reality a bit of a contrived "sports entertainment" that "makes do and mends" continually to hopefully reach the finishing line each season with all competitors still in tact, and also, hopefully, able to go again the following season... And the "governing body" is "themselves" with each of them wanting different things from running a Speedway Team... Some pay their mortgages and live their lives from what they generate, whilst some are quite happy to have an expensive hobby and, as long as losses are within their expectations and affordability, are quite happy to carry on throwing their own, and compliant sponsors', money at it.. With all quite happy to put "any Speedway" out, regardless of whether it is a credible offering or not, or even if the fans actually want you to race on some of the chosen nights...... It has very much become something set up for the riders to remain "professional" rather than something that, in the wider world of sports, can be taken too seriously... With no one really "in charge", for the last "forever" we ultimately arrived where we are today.. As was always going to happen...

Confident club will be in the PL next season there will be a PL, lots of progress made in last 7 to 10 days never applied to be in championship sounded upbeat, hope it is true, only downside didn't win the quiz

not sure whats happened to the ipswich fans, finally won a trophy after years of trying and now theyre all on there 'premiership' high horse. you were also rans in the second division for absolute years, maybe you will be again soon...

Yes let’s hope a resolution can be found and quick and Ipswich come to the tapes in 2026 and the sport can get back to arguing about points limits and superheats

Sounds to me like he's one of the few sensible men in the room, making a judgement that for his financial health/personal life/sanity it is time to get out. And who can blame him.

So sad given that the supporters and many others fought to save the club back in the 90’s. Whoever takes over, if it happens, will have lost that true Suffolk/Ipswich bond of Louis family at its heart with a club that has, on many occasions plied its trade with the local riders over the years and as such a speedway tradition may well be lost forever. Heartfelt thanks to Chris and his family for what they have done for speedway in Suffolk and beyond and hopefully his experience is not lost entirely to the sport. Now all that is needed is to find sufficient local folk with the wherewithal to take over the club to keep the sport alive at whatever level in Ipswich so that the proud tradition of speedway at Foxhall continues.

But you only became PL in 2019!

The reality is that's not as daft as it sounds Clarkeson's farm has been uber popular do to all the stresses and problems in the UK farming industry if the farming ship was running smoothly the series wouldn't have got past one season. They should try and approach Amazon and say look we have huge problems , Harry is super popular with Jo public if your willing to chuck 1-2 mil in you would have some great tv as there's about a hundred fires burning currently which nobody really has any idea how to put out, imagine what great tv it would be watching Harry deal with 15-20 other promoters all with different views, work permit problems, riders not showing up for meeting, guests galore and the general unworkable rule book. They could get three seasons just out of the above stuff.

What a very avoidable mess.... Don't listen to your customers, and only open when your employees tell you they want you to open, whether your fans can get there or not, and you get your exactly what you deserve... The top tier has to be gone now surely?

Sounds as though they're just using our profile to get themselves some easy publicity. It's shocking, really. You'd never get speedway using a football connection to do the same thing.

Another excellent Speedway Star this week... Covering the current malaise in detail with a thought provoking piece by Paul Burbridge, and also Peter Oakes making a suggestion for two leagues of seven, but of the same level, and with promotion and relegation involved.. Reading both pieces it looks like they must "lurk" on here... Which does give hope that at least some insiders within the "Speedway Bubble Echo Chamber" do see opportunities that are not same old/same old, rinse and repeat ad infinitum... For anyone wanting details, it costs £3.60, and is available on subscription for less, and digital for less... And is a cracking publication considering it covers such a poorly led sport... NB. There is also an interview with Richard Coleman of Mayfield Sports re possible GP expansion outside Europe... I am amazed he found the time to do it!!!!

dont you start with the 6&7 rubbish on here 😂

But that would only leave just over 10 for the fourteen teams to use.... Impossible to run one league.... It will kill Speedway.... Lights touchpaper... And steps back to a safe distance... 5 4 3 2 1... Incoming!!!

I can just imagine the big wigs at TNT heaving a sigh of relief that they can plug a European football gap with British Speedway. Give over.

It is quite baffling isn't it? Millions shelled out over the past 20 years, as a collective... Non stop, year on year... And all to deliver what we have now? Quite incredible... Not for one single moment it appears did anyone within the ruling body think.. "You know what, I don't think that this is working"... Yet. Thousands and thousands of fans of the sport, by their lack of regular attendance, and social media comments, were clearly telling them that... Millions spent collectively to try and win something that they then choose to destroy the credibility of... I can only describe it as being akin to 14 bald men paying six figures every single year to enter an annual lottery... Where the first prize is a comb!!! A quite amazing two decades or so...

Why is he ‘ acting like a spoilt brat ‘ ? if you don’t like the way the business your involved in is being run then why not walk away ? He obviously knows the full picture of what’s being proposed and wants nothing to do with it and has every right to walk away from it. I think that the fact that someone as successful as Louis is walking away tells us the death bells are ringing for the premiership , if not the sport , and that it needs a revolution from within or you won’t have long left to vent your rants at.

No change there then, so what's to lose with "OBL" (that's not really that big)

Just maybe he has had enough of the way the sport is run by amateurs and if you knew anything about the sport in Suffolk and was a local you might well have a different view but you are entitled to your opinion.

If you can't understand the post then I think an explanation would be wasted, but I'll try. Promoters should tell riders: take it or leave it. History tells us that it's very unlikely promoters will do that. When things inevitably blow up, it'll be because they didn't do that.

you are one of them you wanted same as last year,

I've said on here before I think the slide started after Penhall quit at the end of the 1982 season he was probably the most box office speedway rider ever. As a deja vue scenario a few years later promoters realised things were going the wrong way and got the ex Ipswich promoter John Berry (Berry was the best promoter in the early 80's and again Ipswich was the jewell) to be the big chief. If anyone could have turned things around it was Berry but from memory less than a week into his new role he quit as he couldn't implement the changes he wanted to do, fast forward forty years and the modern day version of John Berry has now also thrown the towel in.

I think most people would really know the work he does for Ipswich and speedway is amazing. Sad loss to both club and speedway in general, as they say best to go out at the top......

I'm sure we can still run the premiership still , It would be brilliant and so smart to see a league that consists of Leicester, Kings Lynn and Belle Vue. Just sounds so exciting!

Not often I disagree with you Mike but even though its the best run club in the UK personally think anyone buying it would be mental, given Sheffield and Leicester ideally want out of top league by all counts, the 6th club if it happens will be a bodge, you could buy the crown jewell of speedway but it would sit amongst burning ruins. I admire everything Louis has done but personally think he will struggle to give it away given the state of everything else in speedway world.

Don't say that, The Anti-British Speedway mob don't like hearing the truth. Just know that you're speaking FACTS and don't let any laughing emoji reaction tell you otherwise.

Very, very concerning news for British speedway you'd have to say. Even more than that, losing someone like Chris Louis is a big blow to the sport. If one of the few progressive, forward thinking promoters, who's family have been involved for 70+ years sees enough to make him want to sell up...I dread to think what the outcome will be.

Less Clubs + Doubling Up = Less opportunities = Less new riders 👍

FIM have announced that Ashfield will hold a SGP Challenge Qualifier on 30th May

That is the selling point.

Speedway had that before (1991-1994) and in those 4 seasons, 3 of the league winners refused promotion. It went to 1 big league in 1995 but the 94 winners had refused promotion in 93 and also would have refused in 94 for the same reasons. Those same reasons still exist in 2025 so I can't see it working

I'm expecting 2026 to be very much as you were with the 5 remaining Premiership teams going with that and the Championshio carrying on with 9 as planned. If there is a last minute 6th Premiership team I'd not expect it to come from within the 9 Championship teams I actually think that's the best way forward at this stage What is imperative though is that the details for 2027 (and surely it will then be the radical change) is agreed and set in stone prior to 2026 starting Ideally that plan should also be made public

Bloody keyboard warriors 😃

When Poole decided they couldn’t sustain top tier racing that should have been a huge red flag to the rest of the sport. For the best part of the last couple of decades they’ve been the standard bearers of British Speedway.

Personally I think it would be horrendous if an 8+ rider missed the start of the season because there were 10 wanting to race in the Champ. While averages can always dictate a rider missing a team spot, to introduce a rule that guarantees a riders misses out is an awful idea. The thought that an 8.01 would become unemployed, but a 7.99 rider would be the most sought after in the league, is just what I'd expect of Speedway, sadly!

So many Glasgow fans on the Poole thread. Are they worried about the team Matt and Danny are putting together? Our lineup is looking good if a tad inexperienced. The two other heat leaders need to have that experience to back up Lawson and give advice to at least two riders who are new to the league. Going to be a fun 2026.

Football? Is that still going ..😝