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There were a number of “Big Guns” as such in the original plans, but Poland arranged sparring matches and as it is their day of the week they pulled rank unfortunately. It was not riders refusing to do it, Paul Ackroyd said this yesterday. They possibly do have insurance but that isn’t the point, for example within minutes of a rider crashing insurance doesn’t arrange to pay for transport or a hotel for his family to be at the hospital, and look after them once there. Or in some cases pay for a flight the next for the family to fly from wherever in the world to be with them. Or even just to have someone on the phone organising things for them when in a split second their lives are turned upside down. And then the immediate weeks and months or helping with bills, until the insurance might come in which could be a while. Nor does the insurance kick in 30 years down the line for an operation to help fix a speedway injury long after the event which wasn’t a problem at the time, but through age you need a hip replacement. Or those who need ongoing care, like Ricky Ashworth or Garry Stead, regardless of whatever else they may get (if anything I don’t know), getting extra support to make life a little better surely is the point.

While I respect the views of the 'good old days' brigade I think we are way past the point where random bikes and kevlars for team mates are acceptable or appropriate for our sport or any other which claims to be professional. British speedway gets plenty of things wrong but the correct team image is vital with social media, live streaming/TV and merchandise sales etc. Can't think of any other team sport where a side looks like waifs and strays and doesn't all wear the same kit.

I'm not sure I understand all this stressing about the name. People are talking as if Foxes is synonymous with Leicester. If that is the case then why are the Speedway team called the Lions, and the Rugby team called the Tigers ?

I don't know... A 30 something year old, grey, now far too small to cover a gut, Iron Maiden 1992 Tour T shirt, matched with a pair of dirty blue jeans, (also now too small), allows for a surfeit of "arse crack", when bending over and fixing a chain, which always looks professional on the TV...

Kevin certainly doesnt get put off by less than perfect track conditions due to weather. The lad can certainly gate, ride slick or grippy, can ride a tight inside line and when pushed to the outside isnt fazed either. Extremely professional approach , fantastic determination and looks like a great signing for Glasgow after outshining several heat leaders who know Ashfiled like the back of their hand.

I would rather trust that departed bigwig to bring change to the sport than the other 2 and I think when we finally find out why he departed it may well be that he was stopped from bringing change, bringing a new team isn’t change it’s a new club joining a failing system no matter how much its cost or who its cost, n new club is a positive step but until change happens thst club will be in the same boat as the others

I agree and this should extend to the mechanics and officials too, optics matter

Links for today: https://vk.com/video-234681448_456239080 https://vk.com/video-81427162_456239772 https://vk.com/video-53550004_456242516

Is it really the case that people won’t attend due to the name Foxes? If so I’m either really laid back or out of touch with modern sensibilities. I just hope Mark doesn’t bring along his bleedin’ podium.

Barker, Brennan (who flew in from Poland and flies back out today) and Thompson spoke very passionately in interviews on BSN about the Ben Fund and what it means to them as riders regardless of the fact they will be insured.

BBC couldn't forecast tomorrow is Saturday never mind the weather 7 days away

Premiership season kicks orf tomorrow and nobody has started a thread 😂 when was the last time that happened in years gone by? Been a winter of turmoil and it’s obviously (understandably) affected people’s enthusiasm. Anyway, fancy an away win here. Belle Vue are always a strong home side but have a tendency to start the season slowly and Sheffield have a better side.

I’m not knocking the 2 said individuals and their will to improve the product as did the 50 or so forward thinking promoters who went before them, I know there are good people in the sport, my point is they have conflicting jobs in the sport and therefor they can never be objective so shouldn’t have a job on the board of the sport, I know rob godfrey doesn’t understand the word independent but you do

And so it begins......

So a no to the new Northampton promoter introducing himself in his tracky bottoms then 😂

If it does contrary to rod Godfrey saying they all get on, they don’t and within time ego’s will come into play (they always do in any business)hopefully it’s a big success and makes money to keep those ego’s at bay

I don't think it's too much to ask and expect to know where the money is going, just like other charity appeals, Children in Need & Comic Relief always show on their shows how some of the money is spent, it may even help with donations, but as usual with Speedway, information is very hard to come by. Alongside their undoubtedly much needed grants that have been given, have been a couple of reports, in recent times, of how money has been spent for, at best, more dubious reasons that don't really fall within their stated aims. 🤔 All I'm saying is a little transparency is a good thing, especially when asking for people's hard earned.

Best to ask Reg Fearman or Alan Jones why Lions name was chosen in 1968. Leicester Tigers name goes back to 1880 and the local regiment after which the club was named. Leicester City FC has had Fox identity for a long time (I'm no football historian) but have used it increasingly in marketing since maybe 40 years ago. Leicestershire CCC has had Fox badge for as long as i can recall and like LCFC the club has increased its use in marketing and "brand identity". When Leicester Speedway was reborn in 2011, LCFC and LCCC had the Fox branding well and truly established and so it rightly continued the Lions branding even with a 28 year gap, regardless of why the name had been chosen in 1968. Leicester/shire is something of a sporting Mecca, and it would be very messy if all of them were called "Foxes"! But even so, Leicester/shire sport does have a strong Fox identity, and its attempted appropriation by Northampton speedway is a terrible and unbelievable mistake. Should be Falcons in my opinion

Hopefully it returns as we get stuck in to the season. We all love our Speedway despite the noise and the habit is difficult to shake off at least for the majority of us. Stick with it Iain we DO have a positive in that we’ve got a brand new track up and running, and let’s hope this time next year we have another one or two joining the party and things look a lot healthier.

... and City are of course "Citeh" 😂

Except Ipswich, where the loocals call their teaum: Towen - with the cheery encouragement "Uppa Towen!".

Cold night in Glasgow but some superb speedway on show , well done all !

The line-up matters very very much. These "Big Guns" need to be less selfish with their time for a great cause that is there for them. If anything happens, they'd be quick sharp on the blower for a hand out. All monies don't stretch very far in 2026 so an afternoon of their time wouldn't go a miss.

He indeed spoke very well, and was very professional, you can see that he is a level up from everyone else within the speedway community, very open about how people within speedway are only interested in what is good for themselves and not what’s right for the sport, I liked the change regarding FIM points system next year and his input into that! I was impressed with most of what he had to say, even touching on Grand Prix in GB vs in Europe and the amount of issues this country causes in terms of costs and putting on events.

Well done Glasgow and the riders. An excellent meeting with some great races. Nothing better than watching good riders go at it.

Just been watching World Superbikes and Moto Gp what entertainment superb action.

Think you’re talking about me there in my mechanic days

Belle Vue to win the home leg but Sheffield on aggregate as Belle Vue have built a side that the top 2 apart can’t ride away tracks

I’d agree with that and it would no doubt help in speedways much needed aspect of creating personalities, good & bad for fans to engage with.

It depends what you call the 'good old days' because to me the 'good old days' were exactly the days when every team member did wear the team colours - black leathers and a team race jacket. Well I say every team member wore black leathers but there was always the odd maverick such as Nigel Boocock and Mike Broadbanks (as he was then!)

The name doesn't really matter, does it? Northampton Foxes sounds good. That's it. (Although the town crest has lions on it so maybe Leicester could swap if they're that bothered...) Both Cobblers and Saints are protected commercial properties, and as someone from Northampton, I'm sick of shoes.

Great debut from Kevin Juhl Pedersen, considering he was racing against a few number 1's in the Championship,he certainly didn't disgrace himself. Definitely one to watch this season, hope Mario does well too.

I dare say The Northampton "Hamptons" was considered but Foxes does make for an easier race jacket and merchandise design!

To maybe attract a younger audience the thunderous "Northampton Nitros" could have worked or Northampton Thunder makes you wonder

Some god racing tonight , well done to all the riders Glasgow have a real star in pedersen

Talking to Fraser earlier and he says no problems from injury so should be ok

Always the same riders commit to a meeting with a well deserved cause, but pull out last minute, then people wonder why fans won't travel to support said meetings especially as it's not a good forecast

The Guests - they'd have a different line-up every gig!

Should have called them the "Lasts", big nod to the shoe making industry...

Tik Tok is a very useful tool for sports clubs. All it takes is a video to go viral and boom. I went to see Deftones at the NEC a couple of months back and I couldn't believe how many youngsters were there. They've been together for over 30 years, but they're not really big these days. Turns out one of their songs was used in a TikTok video that went viral and now they're appealing to a whole new audience. Maybe the BSPL should get a band together. I wonder what they'd be called 🤔

I know Paul from Birmingham. I found him to be very approachable and knowledgeable. He constantly mingled with the fans, seeking their views and opinions and most importantly, seeking to take those views snd opinions on board. I hope this is going to be a great success snd with Paul at the helm, I am very optimistic.

I’m not about to read every post on this thread, and I apologise if this has been covered and discussed by you on previous posts, but I’ve seen enough to know that the silence coming out of Northampton is staggering. Unless someone who uses this forum that lives or works in Northampton can say any different, there appears to be absolutely zero noise in the local area. We are now in late March—barely five weeks away from the season starting for Northampton — and what have we actually heard? No confirmed team name, no full rider line-up, and next to no presence. How on earth do they propose to build a fan base from a standing start without drumming up any local support? Are they telling the Northampton public that they have a new Speedway team to follow? They will no doubt get a decent crowd level from existing speedway fans around the country at the beginning of the season for the novelty factor, but that won't last if they haven't done the groundwork locally. It feels like the management is just relying on disenfranchised Coventry and Peterborough fans to fill the void because we’re missing our own tracks, and the few Leicester fans that exist to pop along. I’ve personally started three different offices for companies from cold starts, and I can tell you now: this is not how you do it. You don't just open the doors and hope for the best. When you're launching in a new territory, you must be aggressive. You must get out into the local community, pound the pavement, and actually sell what you’re providing. If the person walking down Northampton High Street doesn't even know there's a world class sport (I use the term World Class loosely in the UK) appearing on their doorstep in five weeks' time, the marketing has failed before the first heat. And when those involved directly in the running of the sport and the decisions read things like this, they'll no doubt accuse me of being disruptive and moaning. They’ll claim we don’t understand the "complexities" behind the scenes. But in reality, there are plenty of Speedway fans who actually know how to run successful businesses, how to start a business from nothing, and how to keep it successful. In any other industry, if you launched a product this quietly, you’d be out of business in six months. You must create a "local anchor" — give the people of Northampton a reason to claim the team as theirs. If you don't build that local identity from day one, you aren't a club; you’re just a nomad team at a neutral venue. If they don't start shouting about this soon, they’re going to be racing in front of an empty stadium once that initial novelty wears off. I’d like to be proved wrong and see it be a massive success, and I might be wrong and all of the above is actually happening behind the scenes. But if the actual Speedway world doesn't know anything about it, I highly doubt it is.

Of course the lineup matters, if you expect people to turn up and support it. The early ones had pretty stellar lineups, then it seemed to tail off to become an NDL level meeting before picking up again in recent years... seems to be on the decline again.

The line up doesn't matter The cause does. It's an early season meeting where riders are blowing off the cobwebs and in my opinion since it was brought in one of the most important British meetings of the year.

I dont think its ever anything to do with the track who stage it, and I belive the riders ride for free which is why 'top stars' very rarely appear.

Poor motox bet they wondering what they have done to deserve that 😂

Bollo*ks more like. Another negativity know it all…🤦🏻‍♂️

Bewdley cannot ride in the British Final as its the same night as the pairs tournament in Iceland where both riders represent small towns. His team partner is Rushden.