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Speedway is mental isn’t it. Punished for improving.

It might be a case that we just have to accept the sport in the UK at the level we have known it previously is now over. I mentioned before i stopped going in my late teens in the early 90's when I discovered nightclubs , fast forward 33 years and nightclubs that pulled in thousands of people on a Saturday night then are all gone. The nearest city to me had 10 night clubs in the early 90's now it has one tiny one, and loads of pubs have closed over that time frame also, places that from 1990 -2005 if you had said to me one day all these will be gone you would have thought never going to happen but it did. Its accelerated since then with social media really taking off a lot of the youth of today have near zero interest in going out, online gaming, dating app's so you don't physically have to trawl out rounds pubs any more looking for a likely partner. Why bother with restaurants get Deliveroo to drop off a pizza to your door, Blockbusters video gone the way of the Dodo when streaming caught on. I occasionally look back at threads on here from 10 years or so back, and there's loads of names I come across who are no longer posting, I would guess there is maybe 50 of us die hards on here now posting and hoping a miracle happens so even this forum is probably on last knockings. Really sad how its ended up all be it the sport has actually limped on for far longer than i thought it would but these days its a struggle to attract punters even when you are offering a professional leisure opportunity let alone when you are trying to attract people to a sport where the riders all ride for different teams every other week and after the first month in you can pretty much guarantee every week from the two teams on show there will most likely be at least 2-4 of the combined 14 riders missing. It really does look like checkmate is nearing I would say one big league but the argument that there has to be some form of even dire top league to subsidise the bottom league as far as rider earnings goes does have merit as an argument, so it really is a case of least bad outcome. I would imagine it will be a five team top league in 2026 with a view to finding a sacraficial lamb to get it up to six in 2027 unless someone with a load of money and no business sense can be shoe horned into getting Northampton running in 2027.

Agree 100% Speedway in this country as we know it is in a state of collapse, high wages, high stadium rents and dwindling supporters are the norm these days. GP standard riders wages are expensive AND if no team will meet there demands they take there ability elsewhere in Europe to ride which is fair enough. How many races have we seen in the past couple of seasons where there are two races in one? Top riders a straight length ahead of second strings or reserves battling it out together So as more teams fall by the wayside so will the GP riders. The way things are going at present within 5 years any teams that are left will have to have riders that are semi-professional racing mainly at weekends again, maybe back to the 13 heats and a second half once more where the supporters can watch the juniors improve week on week like we used to. This is the only way I can see speedway completely surviving in this country starting from the grass roots again and rebuilding.

You make some very good points, I agree with a lot of your ideas. What the BSPL need to do now, is change all the negatives into a positive and have a total reset. Own up for once, say the structure is not working but we will go with what we have in 26 but the structure will change in 27. Now, if that's two leagues with the NDL included or if they want 3 with top riders then they will need to make it financially viable I would go with one top league followed up with a National league to bring the youth on. if clubs can't affford the GP stars or they won't ride for what is offered, then so be it. The sport needs a total reset in the UK, step back to move forward.

1. No he hasn’t, so stop making things up. 2. Who has blamed the promotion? All anyone is said is they’re surprised he’s not back.

I'd rather have socks 😚

Thankfully won’t be for Poole 😁

Troy batchelor will be a great Christmas present I agree

Some of you Poole fans are weird. You’ve been babbling on about Rushen for months (not weeks), yet a Wimbledon fan posted a picture of him with an Oxford pen - and suddenly you’re wanting to shut up Oxford fans who have hardly said anything.

Welcome to Poole, Dan! Great signing and if he can stay injury free he will easily add a point to his average! I’m sure the signing everyone was expecting will be delayed until the week up to Xmas Day and delivered as a perfect Christmas pressie for Pirates.

Perry rode very well at berwick this year so would be good rider to sign on less than a 3 point average

So Cooper Rushen has today announced Wessex Marine (Poole's Main Sponsor) to his personal sponsor list!

Plenty of lovely ideas but where is the money coming from? Big screens will cost many, many, thousands £ to set up and with most speedway tracks out of town and standing empty most of the time, a lot of paid security would be needed. Where are the youth clubs you refer to? Who pays a younger generation to manage the social media presence? I have attended speedway for over 50 years and recall some of the semi pro days as some of the most entertaining. Given the lack of paying public, nationally, we cannot keep spending money that isn't there. Although it is good to see the GP standard riders every week, once or twice a season, at your home track, would become a rare treat, maybe in the form of a short series of international competitions. The sport in the UK cannot afford GP stars every week, so let's have one big (Championship Level) league plus a junior league for each team. 13 heats for main team and maybe 6 heats for juniors.

This could have been written 25 years ago when the GP's started to impact UK domestic Speedway.. Then when Poland did the same a decade or so later.... Instead, we had the top riders taking the largest portion of the TV millions, and weekend meetings made up of guestfests as they were elsewhere. With these meetings still being planned in knowing some top riders wouldn't be there... And, all the while, due to the lack of UK talent being developed with, instead, dozens of journeymen foreigners taking up spots, they then had to make the top league Monday and Thursday so doubling up could enable one rider to cover two team spots in two leagues... And a few top riders could earn a few extra quid, and, again, hoover up most of the TV money... Does anyone really have any faith that 2027 will see the radical change needed after we (once again), cobble something together, and "make do and mend" for 2026..?

He said he used to go and watch the Glasgow Tigers and Edinburrow Monarchs in the 70's when staying at one of his properties in the Scottish part of England... His favourite riders were Bernie Hawkins and Brian Collings, plus, of course, Barry Briggs, who he used to go out to dinner with regularly... He used to take his sons too, and they adored Bryce Penhall... He is quoted as saying... "We love Speedway, we really do. Speedway is great, and everyone should go to Speedway and Make Speedway Great Again".. He then adapted that slogan to base his Presidential campaign on...

... meanwhile in North Lincolnshire

Plenty of winter activities planned, how teams announce there lineup is down to them. Personally I don’t think there is a wrong or right way it’s solely down to what way suits them.

Was that named rider Beau Bailey

Great signing. Well done Poole. Didn’t see that coming at all. If he stays fit, he’s a match winner

If Lewi had not had engine problems early in year his average would have been higher. Great to see him back, his form later in season helped Poole win two out of three trophies.

Didn't stop Redcar and Glasgow!

I think despite our misgivings Kerr had to come back, he showed signs of better form during the season and on his average very few are as good.

Please stop!

A decent 1-7 should be battling for all trophies again. Kerr needs to prove to himself that he can show better form than last season.

Am I the only one who didn’t see that signing coming?

Maybe you shouldn’t be stalking a minor on social media.

Until the sport reinvents itself, I don’t see how anything changes. You need salaried riders, a squad and no averages (for team building purposes) but you can’t do that, as no money, not enough riders or interest in the Sport, it’s not football where all you need is a ball. If riders can/do manipulate their average then you’re essentially watching a bent product, which was probably part of the *sports undoing back in the day. This is before modern stadia, all weather surface or preventable measures to minimise rain offs, then you may have some credibility, which is a starting point…but that is all it is.

Take a bow.. this thread should now be locked after this post, magnificently worded

Guaranteed we will see Jack Smith as an improving rider as usual.!!!!

I think theyve sponsored him for a while, its not a new relationship.

Should have done all the above when the sport had the Sky TV money instead it was squandered only the promoters to blame .

If Drew did sign and if i was a betting man i don't think he will would leave 9.86 for 3 riders so would be back to square 1 a good top 4 and weak bottom end

Again the "Championship have got this right" line comes out But no acknowledgement that to build to what they are planning requires a Premiership Without it you have 2 choices One big league with a drastic reduction in standard with the exodus of all top riders The liss of 4-5 clubs making the Championship the defacto 'top league' with a significant increase in costs to maintain a similar standard or the loss of a number of the remaining top end riders certain in 2027 even if 2026 muddles through

Great book. 😀

Over the weekend I have been reading Norman Jacobs excellent book 'Speedway in East Anglia and it reminded me that we were in the same situation in January 1996 when John Louis stated that he was 99% certain that there would be no speedway at Foxhall that year. The local MP at the time Jamie Cann together with the Evening Star mounted a campaign organizing public meetings and raising funds which allowed the club to continue. The big difference between then and now is that then Ipswich had a local MP that cared about the town and its residents and we had a local newspaper that had actual investigative reporters.

All this talk of Beau Bailey but it’s now becoming clear that he was never going to fit into the team with a 5.00 point average? Anders starts the season on 7.38 and if he pulled out late and is now replaced with Zach on 7.34 then Poole would never have had 5 points available for the number 2 position and therefore Gilkes was probably always in the team. Poole 1. Richard Lawson 9.58 2. Dan Gilkes 4.59 3. Lewis Kerr 6.77 4. Fraser Bowes 5.63 5. Zach Cook 7.34 6. William Cairns 3.81 7. Cooper Rushen 2.00 = 39.72, with Anders it would have been 39.76. Therefore there was never an extra 0.41 to have had Beau instead of Gilkes .

The reason a team announcement is dragged out, is it usually gives publicity to the club over a few weeks. This season the make up of the league is not officially known, but seems the promotion know which direction the league is going , I was told all 7 riders are signed, BUT due to the official league set up / number of fixtures involved not known until rubber stamped at the AGM the full team may not be announced until after the AGM.

Zach is signing as you well know.

He was fantastic at reserve and that’s why his average is what it is, as I said he averaged 5.91 when at number 1 which is far more comparable for me as he’ll be starting the season in the main body. Theres a reason Edinburgh have chosen Sedgy and probably Paco over bringing him back. If he proves me wrong fair play but it wouldn’t be me taking a punt on him.

Looking back at scores batchalor would be a good signing for plymouth

Yes, that’s unfortunately the way speedway works sometimes. Hooky was excellent last year but when you do well in the sport, occasionally it can go against you. The promotion obviously believe there’s more room for improvement with the riders they’ve brought back than there is in Jacob (not entirely sure about that) Tate should definitely improve back to 2024 levels and hopefully last year was a learning curve for Vinnie and he can kick on, he’s never short on effort. Certainly makes things interesting for Workington, should see some new faces. Have to feel big time for Jacob, hopefully he gets a place next year.

How about Dan Thompson Justin Sedgemen Erik Riss Paco Castagne Johnaton Grahan Dayle Wood Jordy Loftus This totals 39.88 I am sure that I read somewhere that there would be a surprise so perhaps it is Erik which leaves out Kye. I just feel that Dan and Justin need another strong heat leader to give us the top end strength. I just put in Dayle who would be perfectly acceptable to me although the young Aussie Whalley has been mentioned. Possibly a bit early for him but may fit in the NDL team.

Absolutely gutted by this news - was 100% rider of the year in 2025. Should have been first name on team sheet!! If this is a Comets decision, it's at risk of alienating fans.

Yes I didn’t even consider him not coming back , for me he was nailed on for next years team. Guess it goes to show you never know what’s coming during team building. Im assuming the promotion have our full team already in place now so time will tell what our 1-7 looks like, but id like to thank Jacob for all his efforts this year great to watch and top fella hope to see him with a team soon!

Lol. Only team in that league that would sign Palovaara on that average is Berwick. Says it all.

I think it's a great team. Both 'newcomers' have previous spells at Redcar so it is a team that Bears fans can really identify with. In Edwards, Jenkins, Mulford, Scott and Pijper they have no less than five riders with significant potential for improvement. Just needs Allen to find his mojo.

Remember the play off semi final against Oxford at Ashfield when he left Pijper in against Boughen. The pair crashed with Pijper possibly lucky not to get excluded. However he wasn't fit enough to go in the rerun and Complin was brought in. He put in a great ride which turned the meeting in our favour and took us to the final, the one we won. CB got out of jail that night.

Does that fit with my previous post on another thread stating Oxford had been saying they would continue in the Premiership at all official meetings whilst in the background having different intentions?

wont go down well at BSPL towers for revealing this. very short sighted by everyone involved in running this sport

Are you planning a monthly attack on the Speedway Star? For the record I think they do a very good job.