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Personally don't think there are any minor Fim events they are all major in each individual age category.

Speedway just can't help itself - even the threads are doubling up in Premiership and Championship now

I am unsure why anybody would be optimistic about this project, where does a crowd come from to support it? Any new people to the sport will surely become disinterested once all the normal nonsense kicks in, guests, late rains off & all the other stuff that has been mentioned to death. Until a complete overhaul is looked at, I fail to see how the Sport is turned around.

The trouble is they're rich enough to buy and run a club but not rich enough to really do anything meaningful to improve things. I was listening to the guy from Mildenhall on the 360 podcast this week and he deserves all the credit for doing what he's done there and the same goes for the guy at Worky but when you listen to them speak it's painfully obvious that they have no real ideas on what to do to improve the sport, especially at a national level. Listening to Rob Godfrey also the other week and he said they've got David Howe's daughter helping them out with the socials. Now I know nothing about David Howe's daughter maybe she runs a successful creative agency, brilliant if she does and good luck to her, but if she doesn't then is that really going to achieve the results that the sport desperately needs?

So, Leicester who have openly admitted to (heavy?) losses over the last couple of years, have binned off their draw card and are in for another season with a (heavy?) loss... yet are still propping up a new team, that is bound to make, erm a heavy loss! You just couldn't make this stuff up! What on earth are those trying to make this happen thinking of? 🤷‍♂️ And that's just a Leicester perspective, Sheffield seem to be in a similar boat though they've kept their big hitters. Can't think that it would be any different for the Aces and Stars.

Not sure if you're being serious or not but Sudden Sam would be a great signing as TM. 👍

Not controversial, but I think the logistics are slightly different with Doyle being in the GPs and if you can believe all that is written about the SPG, riders need to fund the riding themselves because the pay out is pretty meagre. When you consider the cost of travel, accommodation, mechanics etc. which the riders have to cover they are not in it for the money. Both riders need sponsors but Doyle’s income needs are likely to be greater than Tom and therefore needs to get some good sponsors onboard asap to be able to ensure the income is in place to meet the outgoings and still leave some take home pay but is conscious of the fact that to get the sponsors to promote on meetings covered by TV he needs to be sure of where the money is coming from. Selling himself and the sport to sponsors cannot be easy and at a lower level, the same applies to Tom. In summary I don’t blame him for getting his house in order as soon as possible and if that means being assured a team place elsewhere, so be it.

If they have got a spare £200k, and then some, plus £300k, and then some, for riders,, to launch this venture, then they would be far better off putting that money into marketing the UK version of the sport as a whole...

Agree. Especially with Polish league rider restrictions coming in 2027 plus the uncertainty of the league(s) structure in uk for '27!! There's a lot more to consider than just the financial implications.

That's a great side. Especially because Simon Lambert won't need to retire ! Or Danny King!

1. Tom Brennan 2. Simon Lambert 3. Danny King 4. Nicolai Klindt 5. Tobias Musielak 6. Jordan Jenkins 7. Jason Edwards TM. Sam Ermolenko 😉

They’re just kicking the can down the road. Same old same old. It can’t go on .

There are now more threads about the fixtures than there are confirmed fixtures

Workington, Scunthorpe, Leicester run regular sessions, Iwade run a few, could probably add I.O.W. ( but not many ). From the sound of it you can now add Buxton, Glasgow and a probably a few at Mildenhall. Not sure what Belle Vue are planning. Duns hasn't been used for a few seasons . Redcar, sadly, no longer run anything. Lack of numbers seem to have made amateur meetings a thing of the past. Even second half events are becoming rare at tracks now. Whilst Im aware of a few private ‘schemes’ that hire tracks to give people a chance to try speedway they seem to be mainly attended by the older generation just wanting to say they've had a go, with the odd kid joining in. Gone are the days when Stoke, Kings Lynn and Scunthorpe ran regular amateur challenge matches at all levels as there were that many riders taking part.

Being the parent of a rider we have no sense of entitlement as a family we have worked hard to get the boy to the level he at .

No it isn’t sensible, the control board should set out a pay structure and enforce it and riders either take it or leave it, if an amateur rider can’t make it pay that’s tough, it’s amatuer, until we get away from entitlement for riders we will never move forward, nobody wanted to listen when I tried to cut costs for riders, well fine you made your bed don’t complain when the springs stick in your back . I don’t care how any promotion make their money or how much money they haven’t got all I care is the future of the sport and at the moment it doesn’t have one

Klindt testimonial 15th march 1st meeting Ben fund 29th but so far that's the only UK speedway 😮 both leagues fixtures still to be released, fans are wanting to make plans, sponsors want to know what and when they are going to sponsor meetings. Yet they, the so called promoters are NOT promoting the sport to attract fans/sponsors. They they will complain when the crowds are down 😯😡. When are the fixtures due out ??

But it isn't. It's a moderately well-off man's plaything. If a Speedway team loses £100k in a season, that's chickenfeed to a "rich man" Look at football. Look how much, on average, a Premiership football team loses. Look at Championship football, look at League 1, Look at League 2. League 2 is most economical, but even there, each club will lose, on average, around £3 million a year. A £100k loss on a Speedway club is a bargain.

It's difficult to know what you get for your money other than exposure to around 5 or 6,000 people every week for around 6 months through the summer. It's more of a charity donation really.

Surely Iain any right minded business looking to back and sponsor speedway must be off their rocker?

Gutted I didn’t get the Buxton team manager job,,begged and pleaded with them but they turned me down, so I settled for the track to be renamed the Deano Machino arena 😂

Mayfield Sports is based at Silverstone in Northants, and has been since 2014. There's no connection between Mayfield's operations at Silverstone, and Northampton raceway at Brafield, except them being in the same county. Mayfield Sports Management changed their company name to Junefield Associates last May, and then set up a new company, Mayfield Sports Events, in August, which is presumably something to do with their acquisition of the Tech3 MotoGP team last year, and/or their acquisition of the SGP.

Probably still struggle to get fixtures in before the start of September deadline day

plus JD's probably got 3-4 years left at the near top so his need to maximise his remaining income opportunities is more pressing than Tom who has got a couple of decades of racing left in him yet.

Wouldn't that be good to have all those meetings

Good post, You make a lot of good points to be fair.

Yawn

The main and Micky mouse FIM meetings are the big problem for weekend championship fixtures, take my team worky, both Tate and the new young Dane will be in official GP 2 qualifications and various U19 and U24 meetings, pairs and fours, seemed last year was a FIM or European meeting most weekends in June July and August

Just how can the NL ( it can no longer be classed as a ‘D’ league, surely ?) arrange fixtures? when most of the clubs hosting them are in the other leagues and so have to wait till those fixtures are sorted !

https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/16629633 Northamptonshire 🤔 Could Mayfield also be behind getting Northampton up and running as well as Ipswich?

IF Northampton is the magic 6th team, can anyone say if a different planning application by the council is needed ? Or will the stock car planning permission cover all Motorsports ? Does the stadium have unlimited evening consent? IF no to this could be a no go as council planning decisions take ages.

That was issued only a couple of days ago so that’s pretty conclusive that we’ll be running. Not sure they’d be asking all staff to attend on Tuesday for the signing on session if there were still doubts about the club taking part. The wording of their “update” on the sale was interesting to me though. Does that sound like a sale is “done” and it’s being announced next week? Or is it simply a further update on the potential sale? Either way, I expect that update on Monday. Every Tom Dick and Harry will know what’s going on after the staff meet up for the signing on session on Tuesday and it would all leak out from there as it usually does. So I expect the update, will be before that on Monday.

We are all guessing as per usual, but not in November....February 7th, something like 5 weeks before the season normally starts. It's painful, and as so many say, at least we have Speedway at Ipswich this season.....But do we?? But no point in giving an opinion on Louis on here, god forbid it's negative towards him, so keep my opinions to myself on Mr Louis. As for the team, as i say, if we race, and not forgetting the pipe dream by Morris's statement there is a 6th team, we are all just throwing names out there, and hoping we are right. For what it's worth, i agree we don't need Danny King this season, but most of us probably think he is in there somewhere, but as a Heat Leader, how much of a bad look is that for this so called new era, can't believe any new owner would have Mr King as a Heat Leader....Speedway suicide. So let's say he is in somewhere, i would say those that are saying Tom Brennan is at Number 1.....For me No chance, plus Jenkins i believe will be in the side at 6. I think the Number 1 is key to the whole season, again....If we come to tapes. Lambert...Would be a statement i suppose, not sure if us loyal fans would really take to Lambert, but it's better than King being a heat leader. I wouldn't rule out Woofinden, if it is Mayfield Sports, then for me he has to come into the scenario. Rew and Ellis wont be doing UK if you believe what we hear and what both have said, so that's them 2 gone, Lawson, i could see that, but for me the 1 rider who has hardly had a mention, but i think could be in is Klindt. So like the rest of you i'm guessing, can't comment true feelings on Louis and the sale, and the team is pie in the sky stuff. I'm still not convinced we come to tapes, and i'm not convinced everybody will be pleased we have Speedway at Foxhall, if it's a put together side like Birmingham last season, not quite sure the fans will except that, and the blame for that does turn up at one man's door....Oh mustn't say that...Damn 1 Woofinden/Lambert(Pipe Dream),Michelsen,Wozniak,Vaculik,Thomsen....Yes none of them probably can even ride here 2 3 Musielak 4 Klindt/Lawson 5 Brennan 6 Jenkins 7 Edwards The wait goes on........

No idea why the NDL and the Championship havent put their fixtures out... And the same for the four guaranteed to run Premiership teams... The Prem can add in any other fixtures later on their Monday's and Thursday's.. Sponsors may want to bring some business associates, so need to plan, and some fans will want to plan holidays around fixtures..

And its three days after Groundhog Day!, so is it the BSPL equivalent where they live the AGM over and over again untill they get the 'PL - Premier League' right? Or do they just give up and rename it the 'NVL - No Variety League' 🤔

Out of interest, has anyone any knowledge of any work being carried out at the venue? Just a thought but what if it is not Northampton but another former venue where the powers that be have come up with cast iron guarantees over rent etc and then the initial investment for the prospective promoter could be a lot less of an outlay. The offer of guaranteed income is a reasonable business proposition to consider and if the owners of a former venue were given strong assurances why not think about it. The other option for these owners is for the track to remain unused and no potential revenue from a balance sheet asset. Leaving aside the history and attempts to reintroduce the sport to various venues which have been turned down, how many former tracks could you put an offer to?

Richard Coleman, co-owner and Team Principal of MotoGP's Tech3 team, discussed his excitement for the sport's future under Liberty Media in a "Business of Sport" podcast interview, heavily emphasizing MotoGP's business potential while making no mention of his speedway commitments. MotoGP as Top Priority: Coleman portrays MotoGP as an "undervalued sports asset" with massive growth mirroring F1's boom, calling riders "gladiators of the modern age" at 236 mph and focusing extensively on team commercialization, global expansion, and Liberty's $4.9bn investment. He details plans to evolve Tech3 from a "good race team" into a "great racing team" with robust commercial functions, noting the entire MotoGP paddock's marketing resources pale compared to one F1 team like Red Bull's 100+ staff. The full 1+ hour interview centers solely on MotoGP's economics, safety, rider talent, and strategies like cost caps, signaling intense personal focus amid 20+ race weekends, testing, and travel—contrasting sharply with speedway's calendar. Speedway in the Background: Coleman omitted any reference to his Mayfield Sports Events role as FIM Speedway GP promoter from 2026 or rumored Ipswich Speedway ownership, despite recent scrutiny over clashing commitments with MotoGP. Fan and Market Demographics: Coleman rejects MotoGP as purely "blue collar," arguing fans buy £25k Ducati's or Honda's as "luxury products" akin to Rolexes, attracting high-end sponsors beyond oil/tourism—pivoting to "luxury lifestyle" under Liberty. This contrasts speedway's working-class image, as Coleman sees MotoGP's affluent buyers fueling merchandise and team revenue, unlike speedway's grassroots appeal.

Someone had to say it

Tungate is very hit and miss full stop. Well overrated and his reliability is questionable at best

Spot on its a huge financial risk in an untried area for Speedway support I agree maybe do a few open meetings in 2026 to gauge level of support but as you say its probably going to end being the weakest team out of the six which won't help things and if the supports not there and they get stuffed every week it will just close down at the end of the year with some poor sod 100k lighter.

Confused.com 😆 @InTheDeepStuff is usually reliable with info to be fair. Let’s see Edit: Maybe Northampton? Would give them the big star to get up and running

Feb 6th is National Give Kids a Smile Day... or alternatively International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (which would wipe the smile off of anybody's face!)

Do yourself a favour and pop it on ignore like the rest of us. Simon Lambert was/is an excellent mentor who has a huge amount of knowledge available both technical and mechanical (though perhaps not fitness) anyone who listens and adopts any pointers he gives them will be better for it.

The NDL is a great ideal in principle, but in practice looking at some of the riders named by teams it could become financial suicide for some! If you have a promoter with deep pockets who is/are happy to fund things great, but is this a sustainable business model for any longevity of the product? At Birmingham in 2025, the average crowd for the 4 NDT meetings was around 150, less than 30% of the average PL crowd. Deducting riders pay (no Championship riders involved), insurance, referee, medical, track prep etc costs saw a loss for every meeting despite some generous sponsorship! if you factor in stadium hire costs and security every meeting drained strained resources even further. Now some clubs might not have the stadium hire or security costs that the landlords at Perry Barr asked, but assume they do have rental obligations, unless they own their track. As a stand alone venture, I wish Buxton every success as I know the guys financing it have put some serious funds in, but when you hear of the crowd levels in the past at the venue they are going to have get a lot more people through the door!

I just want to add my views on rider pay would be different if 1000s were coming through the turnstiles every week and the sport was flush with money but it isn’t it’s on the brink of extinction and we have to change

They've really not got the average rules right in the NDL for me. Kenzie Cossey races 4 matches as a guest so gets a new average (3.25). When they lowered the minimum average to 2.00, that could've ended his NDL carter before it started, but thankfully King's Lynn have given him a chance. Nathan Ablitt rode 3 NL matches for Steelers & 2 NT matches for Kent Eagles, but doesn't get a new average. Despite averaging 8.92 & 9.33, he'll keep his low 8.33 average for 2026. If they're so desperate to have accurate averages, that they give guests averages, why not combine NL & NT for riders who didn't ride enough meetings? It's not like they won't count NT matches at all, as any rider who doesn't have a NL average will use the NT one for 2026. I just find it bizarre that 4 matches gains you a new average, but 5 doesn't!

I'm sure Connor Mountain is thinking like that, he got dropped for Zischke the previous year when averaging above 4.00!

Personally the likes of Mulford (too good?) & Lambert (experienced) spearheading Lynn doesn't bother me. Mulford is still only 21 & has a sub 5 Champ average, almost surprised the Jack Smith singing didn't get more negativity, I'd suggest Mulford has more development on him than Smith? As for Lambert, I'd hope his experience would be helpful to his teammates, likewise with Smith at Buxton. I like that the points limit was raised to 42, which is only equal to last year's standard, as everyone's average should rise in a low limit, to stop improving riders missing out (ideally). Even if I considered Mulford & Lambert to be taking places away from more "deserving" development riders, I still appreciate that Lynn would be giving 5 team spots & 10 league matches to "genuine" development league riders, which is more than every club who didn't enter the NDL!

Absolutely correct. The points limit is set far too high this season.

Great to have local riders. Hopefully a few more will be named soon.