Leaderboard

Sad news coming through that former Sheffield number one Bob Valentine passed away this morning.

No, I have old copies of the SCB rule book from when I was a promoter for that. 🥴

It is noticeable that over the past few years the Speedway Star has become more critical in it's comments on the running of the sport in the UK.. With plenty of giving voice to the fans off the various social media accounts linked to the sport.. I would imagine they had to be more circumspect when their sales came in the main from the tracks... After all. You don't bite the hand that feeds you do you? I presume sales now come more from online, hard copy subscription, and retail outlets, given so few tracks... Nowadays it is a very good read, giving plenty of fans a voice, and not slow at challenging, but constructively, and fairly, (recognising the challenges promotions face), the current malaise that exists... The New Year addition covering every league and every major competition in the world was particularly excellent...

That was apparently not a defence according to our wonderful court system. It was such a shame the house burnt down during the legal proceedings!

"2026 Season With the 2026 Season fast approaching, we would like to keep our customers informed of the current situation. With the well-publicised delay to the British Speedway AGM, our arrangements for the new season have been pushed back later than usual. We are currently in talks to confirm a new contract and building new packages alongside the BSPL to bring even more speedway to your living room for 2026. BSN remains fully committed to British Speedway and excited for the season ahead. As soon as we have further clarity, we’ll announce our plans and 2026 pricing via our socials, website, and email." Looks like things are far from settled for the 2026 season. I wonder if BSPL are looking to make up some shortfall in lost TV money from BSN?

I wont be going when Worky are at Poole if he is signed then. Definitely dont want to be near anyone like that. Yes, i know he'll be other side of the stadium but not far enough imo.

Transport provided by Rick Shaw.

Get mine online and it is there every Thursday morning, plus keeps wife happy as no Speedway Stars taking up attic space

Perhaps they going to introduce the 6th team in the playoff like the joker, who knows at this point ?

It's way too strong. The NDL must always be below 42 to allow the riders who have reached the limit of NDL to move up to Championship, and be replaced by fresh new 3.00 talent. Unlike the professional leagues where the mean average is 42, the mean average for NDL should be around 36. This allows a 9 point rider to move on and be replaced by a 3.00. All a 42-point limit will do is serve those who are on an ego trip to win a trophy, clog the league with 30 and 40 year old has-beens, hold back those who need to move onwards, and block out the 15-year-olds.

I think you need to factor in the riders who exit the NDL pool as a consequence of having moved on to higher things [or retired in Ben Trigger's case]. With Prem and Championship places already will Cairns, Rushen and Scott be looking for NDL places, and have Joe Thompson and Luke Harrison outgrown the league? If some of these riders don't take up NDL spots I think you are looking at 40 or even 38 as the sweet spot for the limit.

I can't imagine running a team at this level is financially viable for any club... but they still do it, for the development of the future. All teams should have some sort of junior meetings, whether that's NDL or NJL/MDL. At least Belle Vue have a stadium already going with the Aces. Unlike say Buxton who are stand alones.

Very fondly remembered by Cradley fans as well. Spent his final British season at Dudley Wood in 1977 and was a very popular and successful cog in the first Dan McCormick team. RIP

The lot who run our sport are the most useless bunch of pricks you could find on the planet. No other professional sport is run this bad. When you tell other people who follow other sports about all this they laugh their bollocks off. No wonder people walk away from Speedway and no new supporters follow the sport when you have total pricks who are so bad at their jobs running the sport.

Well, as far as i can tell, there was a very brief reference to comparing Kings Lynn and Leicester 2026 reserves (despite Leicester only so far naming one of them) and otherwise the majority of posts seem to be Ipswich and Kings Lynn oriented, such as about Danny King and Robert Lambert. Eff all about Leicester

Hoping to see Buxton included but fear time will be a factor. Belle Vue / Edinburgh / Leicester / Oxford most likely with Kings Lynn and Plymouth. Think Scunthorpe and Redcar want out asap. The positive is that potentially Buxton and Kent returning to make an 8 team league in 2027 would be positive....the negatives ive done 100 times before and as a NL stalwart there is little again to excite me this season or next.

Joined Comets from Sheffield second team (Sheffield Cubs) in 1970 - fans at Workington loved him.

Of course, but for me it’s the ultimate bog read. LOL

Oh dear so sad to read this. Bob was my first ever speedway hero when as a Comet in 1970 he used to thrill the large Derwent Park crowds with his overtaking skill. RIP Bob forever remembered.

Well if you read the thread you would know!

83, the year after Penhall retired. Gundersen, King, Wigg, Alan Grahame, Phil Collins, Ravn & Jan O Pedersen. Cross had a few meetings when Pedersen was injured. I think Pedersen & Ravn finished the season as 7+ averaging reserves.

Ah, so what's all this got to do with Leicester?

That really is sad news . George was a lovely man and as you say an unsung hero both on and off the track.Always cheerful and always asked how I was. He and Linda ran a training school at Lakeside, not to make money but for the love of the sport, and was shabbily treated by Jon Cook. I think he suffered from ill health and dementia in recent years. Len Silvers book describes how he got his nickname. I can’t remember all the details but it was something like Len Silver had offered him a better deal than West Ham but he had already given his word to West Ham and wouldn’t break it. That’s the sort of person George was, although in later years he rode for Len and Len held him in high regard . He was by any standard though, one of natures gentlemen. I endorse your words Norbold - thank you George.

Cooper Rushen has signed for Kings Lynn and Poole.

He made his Elite League debut in 2004 aged 17 (for Ipswich). The previous season he rode in the Premier League for first Reading and then Arena Essex. In 2003 he also rode in the British League Cup (an intermediate competition) for Ipswich

Same reason for me not renewing. I think at least three times in the last year of subscription I had two issues turn up together. Probably over half the Monday or Tuesday by which point any relevance to the previous weekend was irrelevant. Luckily my local Tesco has them so I probably buy 1 in 2 now. it is a shame as I think the quality of content has improved in the last few years.

New to the sport is Scottish sensation Jock Strap who is given a place at reserve

A lot? I think you're overestimating the moral of some Workington people. A lot of people who attend won't know what this said rider has done, and who he is. I, personally, will still attend if he does sign. Yes, hes done some bad things, but it won't stop me attending fixtures. I reckon you'll get less than 20 people who would stop going because it

Probably waiting to see if one of the riders returns to jail before the season starts. 🤔

The best ever IMO - and that's from a Witches fan that would love to say the 1998 was the best

Seems a lack of thought regarding posting this to the world. Its only on facebook, and lots including me, are not and do not wish to be on facebook ! But usually you can still view vids even without a facebook account. But when I click the "play" icon, nothing happens ! Guess like many others, I will just have to miss out !!!

I rate him. Just think it's beyond a tough ask for him to ride @ No.6 when he's not even got any CHAMP experience let alone PREM experience under his belt.

It looks like we are neck and neck with Scunthorpe in the competition to be last to announce the 2026 teams. Just a bit longer and we can win. TBH its boring now.

He froze himself out, in a way! Declined at least two invitations to ride for clubs he judged "too far north" didn't he?

I don’t think anyone can really begrudge the lad a reduction. He’s a young British lad that will more than likely be froze out the sport otherwise! Anyway he might not be in the team after all!

Could argue Gusts and Knudsen were on the sidelines last year as well the amount of meetings they missed

Nothing will change if they continue to let riders dictate the pay rates.

Radical changes can't save it, nothing can. We have to accept that 99% of people have zero interest in speedway, and it's not even on the radar of young people...

I love the debate that comes around guests necessary evil etc etc & what the alternative is. Its not a necessary evil, Poland & Sweden run with out guests they use a squad system. Back in the day the old National League under the management of Stekesbury & co banned the use of guests. At the time the NL was a fair better & more professional outfit than the BL. Guests & doubling up come about because of the absolutely ridiculous operating model that the uk have gone with. If you go back to the 80s & early 90s every team had a junior team which meant most clubs had their regular 1-7 with them a back up of anywhere between 4-7 good junior/second half riders. If you were running in the NL basically you had a squad of 11-13 guys the juniors would be called in to the team to cover injuries. The promotors decided to bin that off reducing the number of available riders though lack of opportunities to race remember those juniors rode in their own league match’s each week. While every other ‘professional’ sport have invested in increasing their squad systems & opportunities to compete & train British speedway has done the opposite. There is a route out however that will take time vision & creative thinking. The out of control guest & doubling up system is a condition unique to British speedway brought about by the way the governing body has chosen to operate the sport. It wasn’t ever necessary!

Logistically it isn't an issue. Especially if you are a rider wanting to line your pockets without the inconvenience of having to be good enough to be asked to ride in Poland. The problem is deeper than that though. Starting with it causing the disconnect between fans and the riders who race for their team. Ideally riders should have one club, having another club overseas is borderline acceptable. Ideally that wouldn't happen either. A lot of top tier riders have ended up with second tier clubs due to a relaxation of rules (doubling up numbers allowed and average conversion rate) 15 odd years ago. They've then hogged the team spots and stopped other riders from racing at second tier level and thus reaching a competitive standard. That is directly to blame for the lack of good enough riders now. To top it all off, most of them are now in their mid thirties plus and when they retire, which they'll have to some day sooner rather than later, leave a massive void in both leagues. These things hurt Speedway's credibility. As does guesting, which isn't a necessary evil, it's just an evil. It makes the sport look amateurish in the extreme to Speedway fans, let alone someone who may be a newcomer to the sport. The sport has to look credible to keep teams active, to help new/returning teams get back on track, to try secure another television deal and ultimately to draw in new fans. All these things that look stupid to outsiders (because they are stupid) need to be removed from the sport. For the good of the sport.

Development needs to go into overdrive from this season, never mind 2027, to cover the potential impact Poland may have with their "one extra league" rules, and the amount of DU's who are much nearer the ends of their careers than the start... I remember the SJL with, I think, three rider teams racing over six heats. . Maybe after every four heats of every meeting they could run two heats of this level of racing? Four heats, then two heats of NDL level riders, then the track grade for the main meeting to carry on... The NDL level meeting would be completed after heat 12, and running them every four heats would mean the track had slickened off, but still would have some grip, rather than them racing on a fresh, grippy track which may test their capability, or a track, post main meeting, bereft of any grip at all.. Extra races for the punters too, and it may unearth an "I was there" gem... It would be very much an expenses only opportunity for the riders... The clubs have all said they are committed to development, well, they ALL need to show it, rather than only a few doing anything.. The 8% reduction per year missed could bring some riders back, however the hole needing to be filled over the next few seasons isn't going to be small..

Doubling-Up was originally set up to allow young brits to gain experience in the higher division/league, while still riding regularly in the lower division/league. That is great as a principle, but it was allowed to get out of control, so that any rider (depending on converted average when doubling-down) could race regularly in both divisions/leagues - so much so that there have even been accusations of senior riders dropping their top division/league average so they they qualified to double-up. If you can't see a problem with any of that, then fair enough - as always, we makes our choices.

198 Guests used last season across both top leagues.. When other leagues can cope without a single one, it shows just how poorly the UK version of exactly the same sport, with access to exactly the same riders, is ran... No excuse for such nonsense is there? A "necessary evil" I believe it is said to be....? Using 198 of them suggests its more of an easy cop out, rather than running a team sport properly to ensure you deliver the required emotional attachment to your team.. And if you don't engender that in a team sport, especially in the digital 24/7 news, and the constant social media review, and potential ridicule, of what you deliver today, then you have no chance of being successful...

That makes sense but I read the following on Fb, If and when Buxton Ductair Bulls are given the BSPL go-ahead to return at third tier level, the first meeting at the hillside circuit in nearly eight years will be the Regina Chain-sponsored four-team tournament on Easter Sunday, April 5.

Is he bitter or just stating the facts? 😜

Right or wromg Bob Dugard always showed passion for the sport and when he and Eastbourne used to come to Arena Essex for matches i just couldnt wait for the match to come around and begin as the friction mounted even more so when Jon Cook was in the Lakeside pits!! I sooooooooooooooooo much miss that passion as todays matches you get nothing!!!BLAND build ups to matches is the norm these days.

On facebook first comets hero bob valentine has died,sad news.

Won't be a problem RFG will just have guest rider priority every day, in the best interests of the sport of course.