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Dont waste your time mate.... The last time I went to see him I asked for a real 12ft Dragon, one that flew as high as the clouds, and could breatlhe fire... He told me that there were certain things that even Father Christmas couldn't promise to deliver so, just in case he couldn't get me a real, flying, fire breathing Dragon, he asked me what my second wish was... So I asked him if he could make UK Speedway affordable, popular, exciting, ran with integrity and credibility and relevant as a sport in the 21st Century... He pondered this for a while, looked away, and thought intensely for a few moments, then looked me straight in the eye and said... "What colour would you like that Dragon lad?"...

There is a lot of talk about teams like Belle Vue and Ipswich (if they run) having to "drop down" next season, but, of course, if the Premier League as it currently exists is no longer, the new single league will, de facto, be the top league, so, actually, it is a matter of the other teams moving up! It's just that the standard won't be so good.

It was literally three or so weeks ago that Chris Louis and Ritchie Hawkins were on local radio stating the hard work was already underway to build another top challenging team for next year. So this isn’t something that has been brewing for a while, something has happened at the BSPL meetings very recently that has made him throw in the towel. Fans of other clubs have been very quick to stick the boot in on the bloke. But in Louis’ defence, he has stated quite clearly that he’ll be working “tirelessly” over the coming weeks and months to make sure the club is left in safe hands. After everything he’s done, he deserves that time, and the benefit of the doubt to see what exactly these “safe hands” the club has been left in, are. If we end up with no speedway at Foxhall in 2026 and the club left in limbo, then he’ll have tarnished the whole Louis legacy and I’ll be the first to criticise.

I just love all these business experts popping up on here, and giving 'advice' on something they have absolutely no clue about. Hilarious...😂

I, personally, cannot wait for one league... Loads of new tracks to visit, several weekends away... My concern is we end up with two leagues of Mickey Mouse, contrived, same old/same old, bollox.. Like we have had for 20 Years and more... What an opportunity for the sport to reset itself, relaunch itself, and make a UK Speedway Brand...

I'd much rather have that than no Foxhall to go to on a Thursday night thanks!

Then eventually the whole thing will go broke so the choices are Overpay and go broke Pay what you can afford and reset the whole sport on a semi professional basis if that what it takes. It might not work but it's much better than going skint

The issue is a real drop in standard but not being able to drop admission costs to match. coupled with less sponsorship money coming in & the likelihood that gates would drop. That lower standard turns what was a decent business model at Ipswich in speedway terms to one that loses money.

That’s another one I do enjoy listening to. Yes I do like a bit of humour. I was wondering if the top league does continue with 4 teams it could be a first for kings lynn. To reach the playoffs and collect the wooden spoon in the same season !!

we would rather have a premiership with all the top riders, i am going to ask father Christmas if he can sort it.

It’s been brought about by decades of self-interest and mismanagement across the board. The top league wasn’t sustainable, it was a money pit and that has been evident for longer than the last month or so. It’s not a knee jerk implosion. Let’s not kid ourselves that it is.

As we have a chance for a major reset in UK speedway, I’d like to ask any mechanical boffins how easy is it to make the kit massively cheaper? You can’t just change regs overnight in a big way as that sees riders with expensive & unusable out of date parts but can costs be driven down with minor tweaks as time goes on? A speedway bike will always be a speedway bike but it would be nice to have a cheaper alternative to the highly tuned rocket ships currently blighting the domestic scene.

I personally have nothing but respect for CL he has been a wonderful servant to s/way as a rider and promoter ,I am certain in real terms owners /promoters in s/way do it for the love of the sport . I tried in the 70's to persuade my father to buy a speedway team (he was a massive fan of the sport) his reply was it is thankless and profitless passtime at best. Chris L has made a huge decision I would image it is one of the hardest things he's had to do in his entire s/way career .

I didn't say he had, I said that's what you don't do as a business owner... not if you want to realise it's full value. All we know at the moment is that he's "stepped down" from the club, whatever that means? He's perfectly entitled to put his business up for sale, continue running or close it down, that's his decision. But it's not just a business is it, it's a sporting club with a long and rich tradition that many people have a strong emotional attachment to and they've not really had a mention. ... So stick that in your "pipe" and smoke it

Fair play if he can afford to buy Poland just by pulling his sponsorship of Sheffield.

A shredding machine to put your hard earned cash straight into and what you have left the bspl will send their special magician round to mysteriously make it all disappear in to the pockets of the few, just incase some think I’m posting an in the know post, it’s just a bit of fun, you don’t get a shredding machine

No different to no Championship club wanting to move up No different from (allegedly) Premiership teams being blocked from joining the Championship No different from those blocking 'one big league' in various guises All as bad as each other then really....

Pretty sure their only requirement is that next season is financially viable. So let's hope it meets that. For ALL clubs

Statement from the city of Gorzow as to rising costs and unfair system where smaller speedway cities such as Prague / Riga etc are demanded much less of a payment to SGP than “larger” speedway cities. Gorzow decided to relinquish their GP this year to get finances in order… “Councilors pointed out that Praga paid less to host the Grand Prix than Gorzów. They believed this demonstrated that the rules imposed on cities were not equal. "If Praga pays less than Gorzów, something is wrong. This demonstrates the absurdity of the entire system," the councilors said. In 2024 and 2025, the city donated PLN 2.5 million each to organize the Grand Prix at the Edward Jancarz Stadium, and in recent years, a total of nearly PLN 10 million has been spent on the Grand Prix. This difference in costs, they argued, demonstrated that the conditions imposed on cities were not transparent, and that smaller cities could be treated as "budget donors." Councillors admitted, however, that the absence of the Grand Prix in 2026 could be a financial relief for the city. Perhaps this is the time to clean up and resume talks, but under normal conditions. They pointed out that the Grand Prix was becoming increasingly expensive, and new promoters might demand even more. Councilors said that Gorzów should not abandon major events. They pointed out specific directions. The councilor mentioned the Edward Jancarz Memorial, which for years was the most important tournament before the league's launch. Piotr Paluch emphasized that the city could return to speedway events, but must do so in a way that doesn't burden the budget. "Normal rules first. Only then should discussions about a return," concluded Councilor Piotr Paluch.

Re-brand it as the 'British Super League' for national media attention and 'Bob's your Uncle', job's a good'un !!

Humans Of Speedway podcast has been off for a couple of years, but coming back. Got Bruce Penhall first up hopefully in the next week, it’s almost finished but will also be with video on Spotify and YouTube. But there’s nearly 60 previous episodes

Four ex promoters, all fighting back the tears whilst describing their own tales of woe regarding the loss of their teams. Developers, said the first. I couldn’t make it pay said the second, I really tried. My landlord kicked us out, said the third, they didn’t want us, it was so sad. They look to the fourth as they all hold hands united in sadness and ask, what about you? He replies, sobbing, I didn’t get my own way this time.

And he hasn’t done that has he Iain? You haven’t got the first clue what is going on so pipe down. It’s not your money or business at stake here. If Louis feels what is currently on the table isn’t something he wants any part with, he’s perfectly entitled to make that decision. His money, his business.

Don’t think Guy Nicholls needs any tractors he has plenty of his own

Well this would be an interesting time for the fans to come good and buy the club 😉 In another sport - AFC Wimbledon announced recently that a fan owned model isn't sustainable in football at the level they operate at, I rather suspect it wouldn't in top tier speedway speedway either!

The value of any club is questionable and depends who owns the track and stadia. To categorise what may be for sale, firstly you may have the assignment of the lease where a club rents the track but the landlord is unlikely to agree where the terms of which do not match the current lessee’s obligations. if you overcome the assignment issue then a sale in terms of assetS will be determined by a fair valuation of what is on the balance This will include the security deposit paid to the BSP, and a few other fixed assets and I suspect that rider contracts are not binding on transfer of the business ownership and the renewal thereof will be based on a number of factors. After the foregoing it is reality what is left in terms of fixed assets such as graders, air fence, track prep machinery and anything which one could consider as a fixed asset. Who really knows the value of a club/team/track but is a lot less that most sane people are willing to pay and notwithstanding the good will based partly on the supporters etc, no one would pay more than a £1.00. It is not a sound business proposition as it stands as the return on equity is nearly non existent. Maybe ideal for profitable corporations as an offsetting tax opportunity exercise but basically you would need to be as mad as Mar h hare to put money into a sport the way speedway is currently run

Finding out he's worky bound 😄

Possible disappointment

A K-Tel Hits of the 70's Album?

One league it is then. Let’s just hope that meets Glasgow’s and Poole’s requirements.

So Chris is criticised for doing what is best for him as the result of the decisions made by the others that are doing that as it is best for them (no one moving up, blocking entry requests, rejecting one big league etc) All those others have been praised (in the main) for sticking to their guns......

and not the real artists.

Very much with you there, Prague is a favourite SGP of mine, but Easyjet are currently quoting £306.98 to fly out fly out of Edinburgh Friday and back Monday. Unless that changes, which is unlikely, I will be giving Prague a miss in 2026.

Haha you are on form!

There's been better clubs than Ipswich that have failed to sell, what you don't do as a business owner is close that business down to sell it, you sell it as a going concern to realise the full value. Emotions are obviously running high down Suffolk way at the moment and I hope Mr Louis can find a way of collecting his toys up, putting them back in his pram and start acting like a true custodian of a Speedway club with a strong and loyal fan base.

The uncertainty over Ipswich running may have left all the other clubs in limbo though. Fans don't know yet if it will be 1 division or 2, and if it's 1 surely that was relying on Ipswich running. Just because Chris Louis says he will work hard to find a buyer doesn't mean that he will find one, or find one quickly. Where does that leave the new Ipswich owner in terms of team building for next season? Would a rider take a chance on signing for a club that might not run or might not want them on their old promoters contract? Does the new owner just get left with the riders that didn't fit elsewhere? It's too early to know the answers to these questions, and it's Chris' money and business to do what he likes with but it has created more uncertainty in a winter that's not been lacking in that at all. Has he just undone all the work that was done to get to the slightly cryptic potentially good news from Rob Godfrey last week? Again time will tell, but at the moment it looks like Chris Louis has thrown a spanner in the works hence the negative reaction to his announcement

I suspect there are very few clubs these days that are worth much at all. A would be investor will usually need deep pockets as many have found out over the years.

Said it at the time he was announced, think it's all to do with how many followers he has got on various social media platforms, link to monster energy and his appeal now to younger people through his DJ activities, the people who run the GP are hoping these people will buy a ticket to see him riding speedway

From Edinburgh/Glasgow, down to Poole/Plymouth, the league would cover a fair few conurbations, with several million people living in them, and look like it fully covered the country, pretty much from top to bottom.. "Northern Tours" for all last seasons Premiership teams' fans on Friday and Saturday may even get coaches and hotels booked and "supporter's clubs" could maybe rear their head again... Sheffield on a Thursday, the NSS on a Friday and "further up north" on Saturday would give the more southern based clubs' fans, even more of a "Northern Tour".. With the clubs in the further north all riding Friday and Saturday it would be perfect in getting a fair few away fans there from teams who haven't even been there in some cases, and not been there for a good while in others... Who knows, maybe clubs could package special offer reduced price deals to the away fans to encourage their attendance..? Ipswich on a Thursday and maybe KIngs Lynn on a Friday could also deliver some "East Anglian Tours"... Sheffield/Scunthorpe on Thursday and Friday could also get some away fan traction... And there will be many other "mixing" which could take place to "get an away crowd" there... There would be a big novelty factor which should be rode to the max, until it came to its inevitable end.. By which time, you would hope that the sport was on a clear upturn and big momentum was in place to keep it growing...

"Couldn't be arsed" Seriously, thats what you think?

These days what do speedway clubs own if they are for sale. It appears due to rules the clubs don't own any rider assets they are just employed from march to October, most clubs only rent a stadium from a 3rd party. The only asset I can work out is the licence from the BSPL to run speedway, and as it stands unfortunately that won't be worth much the way them in charge are carrying on

JJ also confirmed for Opole in Poland. A bit of careful weekend fixture planning will be needed.

Exactly this, the 1 big league with Ipswich and belle vue in it is actually quite an exciting prospect imo

I cannot understand why he would bluff... What's to be gained? A seven team Premiership last year was crap with four teams a shoe in for the Play Offs from before a wheel was turned... A six team Premiership team this year will be even more crap... Anyone channel hopping whilst watching on TV last year would see the league table and think there was just seven teams in the UK.. And if they get a TV deal for next season, just six teams was deemed acceptable... Dreadful optics to put out to anyone watching.. At least with a 14 team league table the channel hoppers may notice their own town mentioned, or maybe a town nearby, and, for the first time, find out a Speedway Team exists near to them.. And a 14 team league table makes the sport look like it's "National", not a tiny entity ran in just six or seven places..

Surely one rider riding for the same club in different competitions gives the sport credibility? The alternative is William Cairns riding for Belle Vue at Leicester, then swapping teams to ride for Leicester in the NT, which happened this year. I'd suggest this gives less credibility to the sport than my suggestion.

It’s all very quiet on the bandits front. Nothing on social media, the last post on the website was “part one” then nothing. “The dirt extra” which I really enjoy hasn’t had a new post since before the start of this past season. Oxford congratulated PK on his wedding, nothing from Berwick. I’m not expecting groundbreaking news but maybe a little interaction with fans wouldn’t go a miss.

Pride of the East - Unofficial King's Lynn Speedway Podcast

100%.... I stopped attending regularly about five years ago as by Monday I had watched so much Speedway on TV over weekend!!! I can see GP riders riding Friday, Saturday and Sunday if a GP weekend... Dozens of times a season... Therefore, when they appear over here "in the flesh" then the "wow factor" simply doesn't exist... BZ will 100% get me to the two GP's at the NSS as he doesn't appear over here too often.. In the halcyon days of the sport, the likes of PC, Ivan Mauger, Ole Olsen, Anders Michanek, etc etc may only appear once or twice at your track, hence they pulled in a crowd of several hundred more than average... Nowadays that "mystique" doesn't exist...

Can't believe none of you remember the absolute awful tracks which were presented at world finals in the 70s and 80s. Wembley was never good but didn't stop the crowds did it. Need to look elsewhere for reasons for the decline in fan numbers and you mention some of the things here.

And unfortunately the SGP2 was even worse that year, track kept breaking up, they even closed the roof to keep the heat out, unbelievable really for the UK but the next year which was very poorly attended it was much better and I thought a decent meeting. Having it in Manchester does not have the same appeal and it is a shame the sport does not seem to be able to support a larger venue more in keeping with what the event should be in this country.