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Thoughts on last night... Had to queue to get into the car park, but I think I arrived just at the time when the main car park became full and they had to open the mahoosive overflow car park. Gaining entry to the stadium was a bit of a shambles, after watching the video earlier in the afternoon where it said the e-ticket gates were situated on the left side of the turnstiles, when I approached all punters were being funnelled in through the same cordoned area, a lot were just ignoring this and just heading to the e-ticket gate and nipping under the rope, which I also did (shame on me) but because everybody was being funneled in the same way there was actually nobody using the credit card turnstile and there were another 2 cash turnstiles open to the left of the e-ticket gate, again with nobody queuing! Teething troubles I know but a bit of forethought could have been used. It took an age to get through with my e-ticket as well, not sure if there was a problem with the system as nobody seemed to be gaining entry for around 5 minutes. Surprised to see the grandstand actually on the back straight when I entered. I then had the decision of where to stand, it was a choice between backstraight/turn 2 with a very bright sun shining directly in my eyes or turn 1, 3 or home straight. I plumped for the home straight but it was difficult to see with the perimeter catch fencing in place, especially with the sun shining on it, this ceased to be an issue when the sun set and the excellent lights took effect. Early on gate 4 seemed to be a huge advantage but the track does show promise, as I've said earlier when it's prepared better, it was far too dry and looked a bit choppy in places, there weren't really any (successful) big blasts around the outside but some good tussles with riders easing their opponents off the line on the inside coming out of the bends. It reminded me a lot of King's Lynn with the stand, the grey fencing, the concrete infield and Buster milling about. There did seem to be a lack of sponsorship, the team, as far as I am aware are not sponsored and there were no sponsor signs on any of the fence panels, even the league sponsorship banners were non-existent. Presentation was a bit subdued, Dave Rowe in the box and Craig Saul on the roving mic, they're both good at what they do in their own style but there was no real hype going on, no come on get behind your team, no real hyping of the riders, just the usual reading out of the heat runners and a few interviews all interspersed with music from the 80's and 90's... all very Speedway 😁 Getting out wasn't as smooth as it should have been either as we seemed to have to exit the same way we got in through the turnstiles, all of which weren't open, there didn't seem to be a big gate to let punters out and by the smell of the bogs just in front of the turnstiles, they were struggling to deal with the crowd as well 💩👃. I thought stadia had to have proper exit routes in case of the need for evacuation 🤷‍♂️ Then getting out of the car park took a while, which was to be expected with a large crowd but they did have some folk marshaling the traffic, so it wasn't quite a free for all. That's the trouble when everybody leaves at the same time though, if more tracks did what Leicester do and interview the riders in turn after every match it gives the chance for those that want to leave straight away to do so, while others not so much in a rush are still engaged, especially important I would have thought with a new team that should be trying to build a bond with their new fanbase. Didn't see the Premiership CEO in attendance or the Chairman of the BSPL, not to say they weren't there, I just didn't see them. All in all it was an entertaining evening and once the small teething issues have been addressed it should sit very nicely alongside the other clubs in the PL. I'll certainly be returning whenever the Lions aren't riding as it's a pretty easy 1 hour trip down the motorway for me 👍

Joined the crowd for my second meeting at Brafield last night. 60 years ago (Brafield v Cradley 'B') I was with my new bride, this time we were 3 generations ! Speedway Champions

Congratulations to Northampton on a smooth and successful opening night - I'm glad I made the effort to check it out An easy 2hour(ish) journey from Ipswich, simple to find and pretty well organised parking A good location to take advantage of those supporters sadly missing their own teams A great turnout (3-4k?) Lots of 'neutrals' but hopefully a good number will become regulars Track very slick with any outside dirt pretty much unusable particularly on 1&2 where the significant descent negates the camber A number of decent battles without oodles of passing. The general buzz of a bigger crowd meant these probably came across better than had it been an empty stadium (take note promoters - atmosphere is a big factor in perception) I can certainly see that there should be an improvement in the racing with some relatively straight forward adjustments to prep Gate 4 was a huge advantage , with gate 1 a graveyard - a couple of clever/experienced first bends off the less favoured gates made the difference in the Witches favour - Score totals 1) 13+2 2) 21+6 3) 22+2 4) 34+2 Decided to make a dash for it during lap 4 of heat 15 to ensure our exit was possible in decent time Generally a very positive evening for the sport

Well I was really impressed. A great crowd, all the facilities you need and the track looks a good shape and size with plenty of room on the banked bends. The track was a bit slick tonight and gate 4 was an advantage but I’m sure they’ll improve the track preparation as the season progresses. Great to see the riders going full tilt with no concerns and also good to see the crowd react so well to any Foxes heat wins. Looks like plenty of home support and not just folk there for the event which augurs well.

Only in speedway could a Bears rider help the Comet's win away so that his own Bears now have to beat the comets at their place to go through.

I watched from the turn 2 exit (with the Danny King fan club) but moved to turn 4 for the last heat Did the same as Bojangles - there were a number of exits direct to the field car park for a straight forward quick getaway I was back in Ipswich by 11:15 having beforehand feared that might be the time we left the car park if there had been teething problems/delay with the meeting and then car park carnage Thankfully there were no such issues

Agree with all you said, except exiting the stadium. I think it depended where you were standing. We were on bends 3/4 and there were huge gates open (as well as 3 or 4 other gates) directly leading into the overflow car park. So we managed to escape straight after heat 15, were in the car within two minutes and drove out before the congestion started. Worked perfectly us, and something to consider if you go again.

Well I thoroughly enjoyed my first night at the new track, even if my Foxes couldn't get the win! Let's get that out of the way first: it's not a great team and will absolutely need surgery sooner rather than later, but there were positives in the shape of Thompson and Harrison going great. But that can be sorted. What can't be sorted is if your opening night goes wrong. And it didn't. Not by a long shot. A massive crowd - probably about 3,000 if I guesstimate right - and some good racing, with times all within a second of each other. I said good, not great, because the track will need time to bed in and neither side had anything resembling an out and out racer to test it. But the shape is good and there's some banking on three and four that can be worked with, so it's all there. The facilities are good, even if the queue for the men's toilets at the interval was an issue, and there's room for improvement if needed. And it was a brilliant night for it, too! All in all, a success! Whether I'll be back next week is to be decided - it's £25 a go and that's not great value, even if it is the "going rate."

I've been reading on here for months that there's been no publicity, no-one in Northampton even knows there's a new speedway team, the promoters have been hopeless in…er…promoting. It'll all be doom and gloom. And yet here we are, everyone reporting a good crowd. I blame the promoters.

Even the biased Moanarchs TV commentators were baffled by the decision

Both injuries, Battye and Kildermand have been caused by other riders. When your lucks out your lucks out

This new woman is useless... she's not asked a single rider if they're going to make any changes 😂

Always amusing to watch... Can't remember which Leicester rider it was in the PO Final who got told by Abi that there was six points in it. (One of the Aussies I think).. "To us?" He asked. "To them" she replied... "Crikey! We need to get our fingers out then don't we?" he said laughing...

Parnitskyi showing he should be nowhere near the SGP series!

Will Cairns is a joke of a Number 5 and not having a pop at the lad himself. Unprofessional from the Management.

If only team GB had a good reserve to replace flint in his last ride 😜

Watching it on USA Mav tv on fire stick

I have been at work sorry for having a career

Link for SWC here, live shortly before start time: https://vk.com/video-234681448_456239167

While that maybe true, he has it now and it doesn’t go away on its own, I’ve seen it a few times over the years to recognise it, I also said about him at the start of last season when I said joining a track like kings Lynn was maybe a mistake because it’s the type of track that will bite you if you’re not full committed, his issue caused the crash with Zack Cook at Poole where shut off going into first corner and Cook suprised by it went into back of him with nowhere to go, then went on to beat Richard Lawson hanging off the fence for 4 laps, that isn’t pressure or lack of talent that’s a mental block

The official cop out for that one was the regulations being 'interpreted' as a rider that has never achieved an official match average as opposed to being assessed Lambert had of course achieved a match average prior to that time and although officially (re)assessed at the time of the booking this was conveniently 'clarified' to allow his inclusion

Nobody is doubting the lads talent and abilty, he was a natural on a speedway bike and could easily beat top riders but would shut off totally when in close contact with others, he has a mental block and unless he has sorted that it will happen in flat track

I did... must have had dust in my eyes 😂

Sounds like a big success all round... One promoter once told me that crowds usually settle to around a quarter and a third of opening night, however that was for tracks that had "come back" so already had a following until they closed.. Not many will remember Brafield I would think, so it is more like starting from scratch in this venture so it will be interesting to see how crowd levels move... Last nights crowd would have seen plenty of "generic" fans so, hopefully, those attending from the local area will spread the word, and the consortium also have a strong promotion package in place to build on last nights positive occasion... Were any discount vouchers given out last night?.. The next five meetings for, say, twenty pound a throw could help get people used to attending and build some emotional attachment to "their team".. In such a short time, the consortium have certainly done a fantastic job in getting the place open... Let's hope healthy crowds are the norm, and the "novelty factor" remains through the season as more and more people from Northampton, and sponsors, gradually latch on to their new sport, and team...

Great to see a positive start for Northampton.

There were massive queues to get in, slightly delaying the start. I’d say 2,500-3000 fans. It was rammed

Looks excellent. Great size and shape. Decent amount of banking on the bends. Looks a very fast track will only get better as it settles in and the track staff have more time to work with it. Plenty of track equipment due to arrive in the very near future so all looking very positive. Some good racing tonight, very impressed by both foxes reserves. Gutted for Thomson in heat 14, spark plug problem with half a lap to go , cost him an easy win, the foxes a 5-1 snd the crowd, a last heat decider which the meeting merited.

Maybe Poole are waiting to see how he does at Leicester first 😉

That was his 1st season, so not too bad. He went on to have a good career at Glasgow.

You might want to think again as he is already upto speed as he finished 2nd in the Italian championship meeting and it was the very first meeting he’d competed in !

The 396m was apparently the barrier 310m is the kerb (or 1m from the kerb which I believe is the official way to measure)

Changes definitely needed... and fast

Godfrey too tight to get the problem fixed, had this tapes issue from start of 2025 season

Get in boys fantastic result

Must have been obvious if Mike has doubts.

Attended last night thought for a first meeting was as expected great crowd, track needs to settle. Get more shale down and should make for some good racing plenty of room for passing. Came from Leicester back home for 10.15pm. Luckily we got a parking space outside the entrance gates whilst arriving 6.30ish. Easy to find from junction 15 of the M1. Impressed with Harrison will keep an eye out for him this season. Look forward to returning when the lions visit later this month and hopefully pick up a few other meetings during the season. Huge congratulations to the team in the short period of time to set up this new venture. As some may of noticed my moaning on the lions tread nice to see the racing with the stadium lighting...lol.

Workington going to struggle with that team, Howarth good guest, no surprise Cook unavailable!

Hurry said on Radio Suffolk that Jordan Jenkins is guesting

Hagon & Mulford going by Scunny website.

Good to read, the sole reason I didnt go last night was i suspected a big crowd would go and there could be delays etc - but I am keen to get to see it this year sometime. Lets hope even half that crowd returns regularly!

Was one of the mainstays in Glasgow Title winning Teams.Very stylish rider.

Our first visit and we found it easily, the car park is massive and getting in was fairly easy despite a very large crowd, food outlets seemed ok although we didn’t try them but plenty around us did. The grass banks were somewhat uneven to walk on but there was plenty of room despite a huge crowd and we eventually settled at the back of the first bend. Viewing was good and the speakers was clear and certainly loud enough, probably a bit too loud. The track unfortunately wasn’t, it looked a good shape and prior to the meeting looked ok as they watered it but clearly the damage had been done in the afternoon From the first heat it was clear that despite a long run to the first bend their wasn’t much dirt on the track and most heats were processional after the first corner, their were a few overtakes but they were few and far between and the majority of the heats were decided at the the gate. We were aware that a lot of the track surface was brought in from Peterborough's circuit but being a hot sunny day and with the afternoons practice it clearly hadn’t been watered enough and it very soon showed with dust after just a few races. The meeting was conducted at a fairly brisk pace and several riders tried to overtake using the bend banking but despite going wide it was clear their just wasn’t enough material on the outside to provide the grip to get by which was a shame for such a good opening crowd. We managed to get out quick and got home to Peterborough in about 45 minutes but the racing wasn’t good enough to tempt us back on a regular basis although we might return if it improves.

Gilkes it is then.

To be fair, one is an individual event, so he only impacts himself, and the other is representing your country.... He is hugely better than young Cairns at this moment in time... If GB have an injury tomorrow, early (ish), in the meeting, they may not qualify...

Born 4/3/69 and first rode in the UK for Newcastle in 1987.

No disrespect to the lad but if he aint got over the mental block of throttling off soon as someone gets near him he won't fair no better in flat track racing either.

Got to get rid of Bowes and bring Gilkes back. Have Gilkes at 4 with Lewi and when Cooper hits his proper average you can partner him with Lewi. 1 Lawson 2 Gilkes/Newman 3 Kerr 4 Rushen 5 Cook 6 Cairns 7 Newman/Gilkes Don't need Bowes.

620m as you have posted twice

I think he's burned his bridges down here,but if he did come at least he would have a semi final to look forward to 🤩