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Jesus Christ people you are watching speedway on ITV for free and they finally got a deal done and all you miserable buggers do is moan. Better turn your phones / laptops off and just watch the racing because your negativity is embarrassing somewhat. If you want to moan at speedway on ITV for the first time in 41 years go ahead, but don’t you dare moan about it not being on TV the next time around.

I think most people would prefer it if you were hidden and out of sight.

there's some strange posts on this subject, it beggars belief that something so positive receives so many negative posts. Will Saturday nights showing change the face of speedway, of course not....having it on a "normal tv" is real positive as opposed to just a speedway club stream(no offence to club streams!). There are far more positives than negatives to come out of this. Bravo to all concerned in making this happen.

Lawson gets grief for either being late or just on time, and for bikes not being spotless.. Yet holds down a full time job and has a young family... When the sport was in its halcyon days the minority were full time professionals, with the majority seeing Speedway as a very decent second income, with many able to earn in one night of Speedway what they earned for a week in their "main job".. Nowadays we have reserves trying to be full time professionals... It's total madness from a business and operating plan perspective.. Especially as winning any of the comps has no real value or worth...

I thought it was a decent evenings entertainment. Clearly not the usual broadcast team from the TNT days, more a budget broadcast team, but that’s down to ITV who were never going to throw tons of money at a one off production. However, I think British Speedway can give itself a pat on the back and consider it a job well done, rider presentations were on point, background promotional material looked fresh, the racing got better as the meeting progressed. The interviews were a bit ‘bumpy’ in places, but I don’t think it detracted from the overall presentation. More importantly there wasn’t any cock up’s!

So anze grmek rode last night at Plymouth then caught the same flight to Poland as Dan Thompson who rides for the same team as zach cook. Cook could have rode at Plymouth and got the same flight but Poole thought they could bring in Edwards who rides Plymouth better than cook but the powers to be were wise to this hence the reduced facility i.e 75% average blatantly caught out trying to cheat or complete lack of commitment from cook or maybe both you decide but these are the facts. Win at all costs backfired on the cheating pirates.

That really is the problem with speedway. It's not a business, it's a sporting activity. Certainly in the UK. The sooner speedway realises it is an amateur sport and stops pretending otherwise, maybe it will survive going into the future, in my opinion.

This is fantastic news. Phil said ticket sales are poor, they need to hand out a load of free tickets and pack the place out then because this is a huge opportunity to sell the product at the best race track in the country. Makes a world of difference with a packed stadium and great atmosphere.

It's hilarious how its always 'we were massively weakened' when the guests don't work out yet when ringers score big points its never 'we were massively strengthened'.

Redcar must have serious questions for their riders, they've just been beaten by what was virtually a three man Berwick team.

"Thankyou for that very moving Eulogy"... "And now, can I ask the congregation to all stand and join me in singing Psalm 23, The Lord is My Shepherd"...

I’ve shared the advert on my facebook urging people to tune in. But why haven’t the promoters of every club not been posing every day running up to the event asking fans to like and share with a CHANCE to go into a draw for free tickets. Lasts years final should have been reposted by all clubs and ask the fans to share and repost again. Costs nothing but another failed opportunity to really push the biggest chance to promote the biggest advert on terrestrial tv. these promoters are not fit for purpose. Couldn’t organise a car boot sale.

That is not solely what this is about and if a few more turn up at the local track that is a bonus. It is the exposure on free to air television first and foremost that the sport will get which has not happened for years and if enough tune in it could open the door to a television contract which the u k sport needs to survive and rebuild for the future. Like many on here you may not like it so don’t watch. If this could lead to top league speedway from Poland being televised on ITV 4 even it is a recording of the match then the exposure of what it can be like could only help UK speedway. Still with all the negative contributions on here, it might as well fail so that all the critics can say we told you so yet those critics do sweet f a to promote the sport.

Until championship speedway returns to a semi professional sport it will never be sustainable. How can our level of speedway be expected to finance flying riders around the world to ride. Leave that to the premiership and return our league to how things used to be when riders had jobs as well. Hardly a big ask when you're lucky if there are 4 meetings a month.

It's an interesting interview with JD, he's always been an honest guy. So has basically just told it how it is. Might get missed but he said that the club is in no danger at this present time, but I can totally see why it wouldn't be sustainable long term to run next season and beyond. I heard an averaged figure that the club is losing per meeting and although not ideal is probably pitance compared to what loss Sheffield and some Premiership clubs are running at. IMO it is more a problem with certain factors out of our hands. The UK cost of living, rising costs of running a meeting and compounded by the British Speedway logic as a whole, when I look around the Arena the crowd levels don't strike me as that bad, the number of sponsorship boards is remarkable, crowd levels are probably what I would expect given what we are and where we are, and the fact we don't live in a pre-90's (pre-digital) age anymore, which is often forgotten on here. Big changes are needed, and promotors like Mark Lemon need to get their head out of their arses and stop believing that a Premiership model with GP riders is sustainable for the good of British Speedway, and think of the bigger picture for every speedway club to survive, that in itself does more damage than anything I believe, it is proven time and time again that the 2nd tier racing is the most competitive and exciting league IMO. 5 man teams would be a must for me for starters, and for the Comets it's amazing how much of a diference the crowd is when we face Glasgow, Redcar, Edinburgh etc. so more localised speedway would help. Fans still seem to travel in numbers to away meetings from what i've seen, and Comets fans certainely repay the favour, there was loads that travelled to Redcar recently for example.

Good to hear Tate is back home with no broken bones. 9 day concussion protocol.

The riders wages demands at Championship level are really a major problem but that will never be resolved now.Crowds certainly don’t cover the costs nowadays at most track in UK.Workington is a brilliant set up,shame if that going to be lost to League.The appalling fixture planning (again to suit riders needs) is another factor.Regular fixtures needed to keep fans interested.IMO

Message from former Berwick rider Connor Coles posted on social media. The last few months have given me a lot of time to reflect. As I’ve been working through my recovery, I’ve seen the thousands of messages, comments and well wishes that were sent while I was in a coma and afterwards. There are too many to reply to individually, but I’ve read them, and I genuinely appreciate every bit of support. To everyone who took the time to send a message, say a prayer, donate, support my family, or simply think of me – thank you. That support carried me and meant a lot to me, Kirsty, Isabella, Poppie and everyone close to us during one of the toughest periods we’ve been through. I’ve been asked a lot about whether I’ll race again. After long discussions with my family and medical team, I’ve made the decision to retire from professional speedway. It’s not how I ever wanted things to end, but I have to be realistic about where I’m at. Like every rider, I always thought I’d choose the moment myself, but that choice has been taken out of my hands. Speedway has been a massive part of my life. It’s given me good times, tough times, friendships, and experiences I’ll never forget. I’m proud of what I achieved in the sport and proud to have been part of it. Right now, my focus is simple – keep working on my recovery and be there for my family. Thank you to every club I’ve ridden for, my teammates, sponsors, mechanics, volunteers and the fans who stood by me throughout my career. I’ve never taken any of it for granted. That’s the end of my racing career, and the start of a new chapter. Thank you.

Hi everyone, apologies, but it's a bit of a call to arms and we are asking the speedway community to help us on the current Birmingham Local Plan. So Birmingham Council have issued for consultation "The Birmingham Local Plan Regulation 19 Publication Plan" which closes 24th September 2026 This plan is designed to hit their housing targets for the next 18 years. In that plan is Policy GZ14, within that policy is paragraph 19.10. This paragraph references the the demolition of Perry Barr Stadium. It states "Efforts are being made to develop replacement speedway provision at an alternative venue" and "The long term lease holder is exploring options for the future of the site". This isn't water tight enough to keep Birmingham Speedway. We need to stop this plot of land being made available for redevelopment in housing. This is where we are begging for your help. We need to get the wording changed in Policy GZ14 19.10 and unfortunately they don't have an email facility, it needs to be through the Birmingham Council Consultation Portal. Portal found here: https://consult.birmingham.gov.uk/kse/ So, when you have a spare couple of hours, it's easier on a lap top, a phone can be a bit more clunky (not impossible) using the portal. Click the link above Click "Go to Event" on the Birmingham Local Plan Regulation 19 Publication Plan. This will open a 180 page document. There will be lots of add comments on the right hand side. If on a mobile press the word "Proposal" to view the document and not the headings. Press on of the "Add Comments" and register on the protal. Once registered it'll take you back to the document. You can either scroll down very laboriously until you get to GZ14 and within that section the paragraph 19.10 If on a mobile you could look for "Perry Barr" in the contents and click the ">" icon, to zoom to GZ14. Dont press anything else, you come out of the document and have to re-press go to event again. If on a laptop press the word Perry Barr, not the ">" as again it'll push you out of the document, it really is that user friendly. Look for the paragraph 19.10 and click add comment, one the next screen the paragraph contents should be displayed at the top. Populate your Name, Email, Commenting on behalf of myself, agree to the terms and conditions, agree to the private policy. Press "Next" First Box, Do you considered the plan to be legally compliant. "Click Yes". Second Box, Sound. "Select No". Please provide details of why you consider the local plan is not legally compliant or is unsound. Here you need to add something like "in GZ14 19.10 you must not develop Perry Barr Stadium to anything other than a venue or facility for the Birmingham Brummies to race speedway". Next box is Please set out the modifications you consider necessary......... Here you need to add something on the lines of "Perry Barr Stadium must not be redeveloped unless an alternative venue or land is found, and Birmingham Speedway are using that alternative venue to race speedway. Next select no to participate Select Save Then press submit Thanks for reading! To help this was a draft google ai prepared for me, you could draw inspiration from it. I am writing to formally object to the proposed site allocation of Perry Barr Stadium for housing development within the Birmingham Local Plan Regulation 19 Publication Plan. The plan as currently drafted is not sound because it fails the tests of being justified and consistent with national policy regarding the protection and replacement of community sporting infrastructure. · No Evidence of Surplus: The historic Perry Barr Stadium—a vital community hub hosting the Birmingham Brummies Speedway alongside other sports—is demonstrably not surplus to requirements. It remained highly utilized, and there is clear, ongoing demand for speedway racing in the city. · No Equivalent or Concrete Replacement Provided: The wording in the Publication Plan explicitly states that "Efforts are currently being made to develop replacement Speedway provision at an alternative venue." This is an admission that no replacement venue has been identified, secured, or evaluated for viability. The Allocation is Not "Justified" Relying on an aspirational statement that "efforts are being made" does not constitute robust evidence. Allowing the allocation to go forward without a legally binding, identified, and allocated replacement site creates an unacceptable risk that a major regional sport and heritage asset will be permanently lost to Birmingham without any alternative ever materialising. It fails to guarantee the continuity of social and sports infrastructure required to sustain healthy, vibrant communities. 5. Please set out what modification(s) you consider necessary to make the Local Plan legally compliant or sound. To make the Birmingham Local Plan sound and consistent with national policy, the following modifications are necessary: 1. De-allocate or Defer Development: Remove the housing allocation for the Perry Barr Stadium site from the current Local Plan period, OR defer its allocation until a comprehensive, legally binding alternative site for Speedway provision is explicitly identified, assessed for viability, and formally allocated within the plan. 2. Strengthen Policy Safeguards: Amend the policy wording to explicitly state that “No development shall commence on the Perry Barr Stadium site until a replacement Speedway facility of equivalent or better quality has been fully delivered and made operational at an alternative, approved location.” This brings the plan into compliance with Paragraph 103 of the NPPF.

I go to watch my team ride speedway win or lose,have seen glory days and bad days ( 1980) but its my team would never not turn up and there are lots like me,perhaps just not enough .

So Rowe of Sheffield guests FOR Ipswich after guesting AGAINST them for Leicester in the previous meeting His performance in each meeting will potentially affect who makes the play offs and in which position (including his own team) Just as well it means the lesser part of feck all in the scheme of things

Depends on your definition of boring. Season after season of gate and go but some fireworks and a shiny trophy at the end of each season, or season after season of meetings with most meetings worthy of season finale standard? Your trophy cabinet might be bursting but your track is far from anything to be proud of. Success at the cost of the sports integrity.

When they erect his headstone, we should all go round and knock it down, and place a little speedway track on top .

Well I liked it, enjoyed the racing on a saturday night and most of all it was free to watch. Not the greatest meeting but it kept you entertained and some of the younger riders showed a lot of grit. This is what we need and I hope ITV4 put more events on.

Think a lot of Redcar fans being quite harsh on your team in terms of throwing it away. You have to remember Ashfield generally creates a better home advantage in the second half of the meeting, home advantage race lines become more apparent to the Glasgow team and tried and tested bike set ups used sooner. Think credit to both teams for great night of speedway and a brilliant travelling support both in number and in voice. Another week where speedway was the winner IMHO.

You'll be claiming he only found the will to become World Champion because deep down he knew one day it would secure him an Aces race jacket Without that motivation he would never have made it 😋

Spot on... Strong viewing figures bring sponsorship to the sport... And adverts to the TV company... If the sport is ever to turn around the tanker then it has to start somewhere... Saturday being that first opportunity...

Congratulations to whoever has pulled that off. British Speedway now needs to make it an event that brings the crowds in

Hang that in the Louvre

Oh dear, nevermind 🤭

Painful to see sides ravaged by injuries and absences, especially at this end of the season. Jason Edwards isn’t a number one and Dayle Wood isn’t a number four; he’s a reserve. If Morris is out too, then it’s verging on ‘what’s the point’ territory. I’ve no idea what the solution is. We have a key fixture against Poole tonight and we’ve got Anders Rowe who is highly probable to give us a Drew Kemp level of guest performance. Meanwhile, Poole are missing Rushen and no-one seems to know why. The losers are the fans and when that keeps happening, the sport is edges closer to somewhere we don’t want it to be.

I saw the vid of him playing with his son on social media and it didn’t look good at all. His hand was effectively just hanging there. And then watching his interview on BSN last night was pretty upsetting I have to say. He was very honest and very emotional because there is a possibility that this could end up being the worst case scenario. We all hope that isn’t the case and that the surgery that will more than likely be needed is successful. 🙏🏻

This is something Nigel Pearson excelled at. Used to bang the drum for speedway and plug meetings at various tracks at every opportunity he could when he was commentating. Sadly missed.

How good is Emma Jones? Very professional, excellent at her job and comes across as a really down to earth nice person too.

Maybe you should leave the room then?

Jody Scott is always great to watch. I enjoyed seeing him tonight and was very pleased to see him win heat one. He was the only away rider to knock a point off Bomber tonight and he did it by passing him twice. With so much attention on Cairns and Rushen, I really don’t think he gets the praise he’s due.

I wouldn't say Belle Vue are too strong at all. But we are suffering from the winter problems caused by the Ipswich/Chris Louis situation and the Northampton late start. Arguably Sheffield were stronger than Belle Vue, and were the favourites for the title pre-season. The difference is that Belle Vue moved quickly to replace the injured Dan Bewley while Sheffield didn't replace Jack Holder and have been running much weaker since his injury. Leicester could still finish top of the league above Belle Vue if they replicate their "A" fixture wins at Ipswich and King's Lynn. King's Lynn are a solid side, with a GP no.1, who pushed Belle Vue all the way at the NSS last week, but don't seem to be getting on with their home track (King's Lynn used to be one of the absolute best, what has gone wrong with preparation these days?) Ipswich were done dirty by Louis, but with the new owners, they won't be this weak next year. Northampton of course were badly hindered by the late start and having to start from scratch. But they have a good set-up, decent crowds, and have had EIGHT matches which they have drawn or lost by less than 6 points. It wouldn't take much to turn them around into wins and they'd be quite successful. So certainly nothing is as black as is being painted here. Let's get a good ITV deal, get back Coventry, Swindon, etc, and build everyone up to the Belle Vue/Sheffield level. Let's not be negative and start weakening.

Putting Paco's calamity celebration to the side, last night's meeting was a great example of what speedway should be like. Good track, passing, nip and tuck all meeting, riders pushing for the full 4 laps and a super heat to put the cherry on top. Well done to both teams.

He maybe has a child who needs looking after 🤣

Interesting read also in the Speedway Star this week is the Kyle Howarth interview, where he’s said even the riders are sick of racing at the same places 4 times a season and that alongside the massive fixture gaps is why he’s taking a break from it for remainder of 2026. It’s good to see a rider speak openly about the current position not working rather than speaking the party line of it’s all rosey in the garden. The one big league with 2H and 2A would give them more variety and also a decent amount of meetings to negate the doubling up that a decent amount of riders are doing. The promoters/owners need to look at the bigger picture here and not just what suits them, OK it might upset a few big hitters that want to ride/live in UK but can’t if go down one big league and team average isn’t a crazy amount, but they aren’t going to be around for ever and it’s not like there’s an influx of foreigners wanting to ride over here, so take the bullet now get a baseline in position for the sport and take it from there. If the one league doesn’t work out then can revisit alternatives but whatever have now just isn’t working for riders or fans.

To me that sounds like they have options for signings, but are happy to use guests as they feel they are stronger (perhaps not for long) and want to find the best rider available (obviously). So I don't see why the BSPL should grant am extension of the guest facility for Bowes in this instance. For a heat leader, I can understand clubs struggling for a replacement, but for a reserve, when there's options (Fredriksen, Bowtell, Morley) 28 days is long enough. But this should be for all teams, not just Poole.

Bunch of muppets in here. Batch has never missed a meeting for Comets since he started. To suggest he simply didnt want to ride a track so has pulled out of every meeting this week is ridiculous. Yous lot can't put your hate for Batch aside for one second even though you have riders scoring 0 every meeting.

Craig Cook reassessed to a 5?

CHAMP has been far too strong for a couple of seasons now to a point where it's been exploited by certain Clubs. Merge the NDL and CHAMP together to lower the wage bill and then put a block on riders who ride in any Polish League or Top Flight Danish/Swedish League from competing in the CHAMP in 2027. No fixture Clashes, Lower wage bill and a clear gap in quality between PREM and CHAMP over here.

A great days racing from Poland that had everything from nip and tuck racing to enthusiastic crowds. You could not ask for more as the riders never back off and chase every point. Thanks to all riders/teams for today’s entertainment and special thanks to those providing the links that enable us to watch great racing.

Bloody drones. Show replays with drones if they must, but not during the race.

Please don't quote the idiot as when you do i can see his posts

What abuse have you seen? These individuals have destroyed a 90 year old stadium with no planning permission. Some peoples emotions are going to be highly charged. Some comments are bound to be a bit fruity and you're very naive if you think that's abuse. No council or planning inspector will take notice of any social media post. This will be decided on evidence in regards to planning laws. You're an absolute hypocrite as well. How about I come and build a padel court in your back garden with no planning permission? Far more benefits for the community. Wally.

Not just Ipswich I would say, the sport is in a mess and the loss of any one team would have a serious effect on the others being able to run a proper model. Your promoter talks a lot of sense, but so did Stuart Douglas when he brought Arena Essex and none of the other promoters would listen to him either because he was new and they don't the idea of change, even when things are in the gutter.

100% disagree with that. I'd argue it's better to have a weak field that qualified than a strong field who got seeded. Problem with using averages is some positions are harder than others, riders could miss difficult meetings through injury, Zmarzlik's team mates don't race against him or are they in fact hindered by finishing behind him if bonus points didn't count. I do believe it would be better running the GP challenge after the final GP, top qualifiers vs bottom GP riders for the remaining spots, probably more chance of the top riders qualifying then.