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So after 4 seasons as a Director & Shareholder that's my time with Birmingham Speedway at an end. An eventful, at times stressful, at times farcical and at times enjoyable experience! A huge thanks to the small but loyal Brummie fanbase that put up with season after season of under performing teams, you deserved better! Full credit and my upmost respect to Nigel Tolley, he wasn't far short with the figures he quoted in the recent speedway star interview with what he invested in the club (there was also a six figure investment from other shareholders during the period I must add). Nigel is as mad as a (top) hatter, but I really like the guy. My only criticism of him (and he knows this, I told him enough times) is that he allowed himself to be influenced by others who failed to deliver for the club! Seeing the day to day finances and operations of the a Championship and then Premiership club is a real eye opener, so a massive thanks to Financial Director Tracey Smith, who somehow managed to juggle the finances to keep everyone happy (most of the time) a truly lovely lady, she has been the glue in a massively disjointed operation, which would have fallen apart without her. Some priceless moments over the 4 years on the management zoom meetings / race nights - I could write a book! You also learn a lot about riders, some smashing chaps around Paco Castagna (legend) Freddie Lindgren, Tobi M, Leon Flint, Sam Hagon, Jason Edwards, Thompson twins all really good guys! No comment about some mind Made some great friends, I will miss Guesty, Dave Rowe, Pete & Dan Ballinger, Chris Adams, the guys and girls from the supporters club and fellow shareholders Steven, Jake and Vic. Such a shame that Birmingham Speedway is no more, but without Nigel it wouldn't have got into 2023 let alone 2025 and for that alone he deserves the respect of those who knock him! Give us a B.....! Cheers Paul

Unless you're a deliveroo rider... hang on... I've just had a thought 🤔

Unlucky Aces, started decent and thought we were in for a long night but we turned it round after heat 8 and kept the foot down to get the job done. Tough conditions for both riders early on and not as big crowd as I expect but weather might had played a part. I want to mention this though… my Polish mother in law came over and she has a close friend who was diagnosed with cancer recently, and she has an operation next month. Her favourite rider is Bewley so today after the meeting we waitied to see if he would give us a minute of his time. He was very polite and listened to the story of her friend, he put his bags down and wrote a message out directed to her, wishing her all the best and signing it. For me, it’s something he didn’t have to do especially after that meeting and not the best performance but he was still willing to be a kind human to help another out and make her day. I wished him all the best for the weekend and off he went, sometimes you can get caught up in the racing but these guys are just humans like us and whether Ipswich won or lost tonight I would remember that gesture of kindness over speedway. Good luck Saturday Dan B.

Hi all, I don’t often comment on here but I do feel the need to clear this up. we did plan to run rr at home as we felt it was the best option and would reasonably cover for tofty, plus give our riders an extra ride. However as some of you know Kyle’s partner is heavily pregnant and is due anytime and late Friday night he informed me that she was having what they thought maybe contractions, it turned out to be a false alarm but myself and Rob felt it was too much of a gamble to run rr incase something happened before the meeting. Kyle also had my full support in whatever he chose to do. Getting a suitable guest was difficult, we tried all these riders and more but for whatever reason couldn’t or didn’t want to do it, it was never a financial issue as it never got that far. Ashton was more than happy to do it and yes it didn’t work out for him but if we had run rr and something had happened to Kyle Sunday morning the club couldn’t have put a team out as we had already exhausted all avenues, ok granted it didn’t happen but it could have. well done to Poole on their deserved victory yesterday, they are a formidable team that just keep coming at you heat after heat but I won’t let it take the shine off what has been a good year, we just came up short at the end. cheers David

Cash only is due to the unreliable signal/lack of phone line to the arena. Say what you will about this but as a business owner myself, I know how much each transactions costs to take a card payment. If the management team are spending time counting cash rather than paying transaction fees on card payments. then I don't think that is unfair or illegal. It just means they are getting every penny that comes through the gate. And most teams will certainly need that right now. To call the team running the club crooks is completely unfair. They have achieved something spectacular at Workington and they deserve every success and good luck.

Some people want to see the crash to process what has happened and move forward, I understand that you don’t and neither do others and that’s fine but others might and that’s fine too, personally I want to see every crash, not because I like it but because it’s how I process it

Wherever he ends up he should be encouraged rather than vilified a young kid who clearly has talent but a raw talent. Starting a thread questioning if a young kid is dangerous is over the top.

Or simply a promotion that is passing on its experience in growing its fan base to give Worky a fighting chance of becoming the success that it deserves to be. Since the Facenna's took over Glasgow, they have spent 10 years trying to build the fan base in a city that only see's green or blue and have seen what works and what doesn't work, if Worky can benefit from that 10 years experience along side the business experience of Allied then that can only be good for British Speedway.

What a very strange & insensitive comment. Clearly, as stated, the family have decided to let Tai decide when & what details are released regarding the injuries and treatments he has had to endure. In the meantime, his wife & mum have taken the opportunity to sincerely offer heartfelt thanks & recognition to the folk who in the immediate aftermath of the incident made all the right calls to save Tai from an outcome far more final than from what you think are newsworthy injuries. Those of us who share concern over the health of one of speedways greatest riders have been please to read the message and will continue to abide by the request not to speculate any further in preference to waiting for further official updates to be released at a time whenTai and his family decide is appropriate.

It's better late than never. Perhaps you should have re-read you post as well...which is considerably shorter. Stop having a go @TTT, he posted an update (which perhaps he should have read, although it's pretty obvious it's a translation issue), he's now edited it and has been very courteous about it, which is more than can be said of you!

Having read a lot of the negative comments about Plymouth speedway from other teams "supporters", Ive come to the conclusion that they are fuelled simply by JEALOUSY. Plymouth isn't a big money club run by faceless people. It's a smaller almost "family" run club. Looked after by volunteers and people who do it fir the love of the sport. Not people who run it with a "win at all cost" mentality. Yes it's nice to win matches and silverware but at Plymouth it's more about an evening out with good mates and enjoying good racing. Other teams could do with buying in to the Plymouths ethos.

Introducing... Elsie Kew

I just don’t understand the riders attitude like Lawson of not wanting to ride, firstly it’s the British championship, then you have the carrot of a GP outing of which 95% of riders will never get that opportunity again and they may not think it or even care but they are contributing to the downfall of speedway in this country, I would of jumped at the chance to ride even if that chance was no chance of getting anywhere, I honestly believe some of the modern riders are just oblivious to the privilege of earning a living from something they are supposed to love doing and are showing absolute disrespect and contempt to the fans of our great sport

Let's all take a breath and look at the bigger picture here. After years and years of ridicule and belittling towards British Speedway and it's structure, this week we've seen one of the best two legged fixtures in recent times in the second tier, culminating in a breath taking conclusion last night. Where do you start? First of all, massive credit and thank you to all the riders involved last night. They were a credit to their sport. That was fully committed, no fear speedway from everybody. I'd like to think I speak for everyone in sending our best wishes to Lasse Fredriksen who it sounds like will now miss the rest of the season. I was on commentary on Gladiators TV last night and that Heat 3 crash was perhaps the worst I've seen at Plymouth. To the crowd, what a night for Plymouth sport and British Speedway. They were crammed into the track and what an atmosphere. This goes for both set of supporters and it was a knowledgeable and respectful crowd. Everybody could see and appreciate the efforts the riders were going too for our entertainment. The noise at the end of the meeting with Plymouth getting on top was incredible. Plymouth is very quickly becoming a very difficult place for opposition teams with the atmosphere that's being created. Finally, to Mark Phillips and the whole Plymouth track staff. I take my hat off to them all. Not only was the race surface in great shape last night but their hard work to get the fences fixed not once but twice was astounding. They were rewarded with a fitting finale and I was glad that the stadium announcer got a warm round of applause going for them at the end of the night. Congratulations to the Pirates who take the bonus point and all the best for the rest of the season but haven't they been pushed all the way by a battered and bruised Plymouth?! I do think it's a shame the direction this forum is heading in these days with a lot of the unnecessary jibing that goes on from all angles. Speedway is a sport that is in desperate need of some help and assistance in this country and is facing some bleak times. Everyone, regardless of your personal allegiances or differences should always be supporting those putting on the show and doing what they can to boost the sport. Plymouth as a club is changing before our very eyes. The city is really getting behind the Gladiators and the club are doing all they can to provide a fantastic night out for all the family. It was great to see the fancy dress last night and the kids race being so popular. Heart warming to see the amount of Plymouth Argyle shirts on show, with people taking advantage of the season ticket offer. I've already had one message on Argyle's forum from someone who attended for the first time with his family last night and despite the long night, they loved every moment of it and will be back. We shouldn't be sat on this thread today attacking one another, we should be grateful and proud of the effort and character we saw from 14 riders last night who put on a terrific advert for British Speedway and showed if you do things right in promoting the event, if you have all the necessary safety precautions in place it can be a heck of a spectacle. Thank you Gladiators, Thank you Pirates - What a night!

When are the King's Lynn fans really going to question this club?? We cannot keep blaming Poland. Baggy has said Cook is fully committed to British Speedway. Yes, until he came to King's Lynn. Musielak - never let British Speedway down, yep, until he came to King's Lynn. In 2023 - Pickering did the same, never let anyone down until he came here. Laguta & Tarasenko too, couldn't wait to get out. Year after year after year somebody can't be a$$ed to come back. Which other Premiership teams suffers with this every single season?? The most common denominator is this club, not Poland.

As some of you may know, for my sins I am Director and minor shareholder in Birmingham Speedway. Now isn't the right time for me to comment on the rights or wrongs of Promotional decisions on team building etc. Nigel Tolley has bankrolled the club for the past few seasons and for that the Brummies fans and sport in general should be grateful, otherwise the club would have folded at the end of the 2022 campaign and a poor team is still better than no team at all as I am sure many fans of defunct tracks would agree. With 2025 being the final year for the club at Perry Barr, Nigel obviously wanted it to be a successful one, so his plan was to put together a side that on paper looked as if it would be in with a shout for the play-off's. As I say the make-up of that team or planning around it isn't for me to comment on at this time, but what I will say is that unfortunately the support in terms of numbers coming through the doors and promised commercial deals have failed to meet expectations. I am not sitting here typing this to disagree with anything people have said on this thread, far from it. I am just highlighting that intentions were for the best even if execution wasn't and that expenditure had to be reduced to ensure that the club continued to fulfil all it's obligations. Cheers, Paul.

i still think the downfall of British speedway started when Rye House were allowed to track foreign riders. if we still had a division of British & Commonwealth riders we'd be in a much healthier position. if, and from what i'm hearing is true, it goes to one league next year, then riders will say thay can't make ends meet if they can't double up. in my day we had jobs and took one bike to a meeting. so many riders never use their spare bike anyway, they jump on a team mates bike when they have a spare in the pits! tracks should be allowed to ride on a night that suits THEM, not be forced into changes. and years ago when the sport was successful here, how many teams raced on a Saturday. not having time for supporters to go to away meetings due to work etc has had a serious knock on

This is where people who know nothing about the situation simply do not add further rubbish into the conversation. This is a hard working man trying his damndest to hold speedway in the town against the current speedway dilemma in the UK. The level of speculation/abuse on here is insane and needs toned down. The press release told fans as much as they need to know at that moment. Once further news is known im sure this will be done via the relevant channels!

They could go for a high winds setup with their bikes 🤔

Cook, ban him, revoke his visa too, kick him out the country, we don’t need tossers like that taking the pee out of British fans, sick to death of riders thinking they are bigger than the sport

https://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/people/peterborough-city-council-urged-to-rethink-decisions-for-1500-homes-and-leisure-development-of-showground-5217002 AI Generated content. Check important info as it can make mistakes: **What does a “pre-action protocol letter” mean?** The article mentions that solicitors for Forever Panthers have submitted a *pre-action protocol letter* to the council — and that’s actually quite a big deal. It’s the formal legal warning shot before taking a council to court through judicial review. It doesn’t mean the case has started yet, but it puts Peterborough City Council on notice that their decision (likely the approval of the 650-home plan or the way the call-in was handled) may be unlawful. The letter gives the council a short window — usually two weeks — to respond, explain themselves, or fix the problem. If not, the group can then ask the High Court to intervene. It’s about whether the decision-making process was legal and fair, not just whether the outcome was unpopular. In short: the legal wheels are turning now, and the pressure is officially on.

Despite the comments made on here by others I am willing to give you an overview of the improbables of answering your questions from an ex promoters point of view. In 2018 my heat leaders in my championship team were earning less a than a certain rival clubs number seven. I had two riders on a ‘minimum guarantee’, i.e. if they crashed in heat 1 and didnt ride again then they got a minimum wage. One of these was to satisfy a work visa criteria. Some got a bonus if they scored over a previously agreed points score. Heat leaders got more than second strings and they got more than reserves. Travel was paid to all at the going rate of certain pence per mile. Now all clubs pay different rates depending on their income which includes turnstyles takings and sponsorship. Some clubs did not pay their riders weekly, I did and I never not paid on the agreed pay day, some clubs paid when they had the cash to do so, some didnt pay for weeks. The whole of speedways finances are a secret and a mess. No two clubs have the same income or outgoings because of stadium rents, riders wages, staff wages , maintenance costs etc and everything is dependant on regular home fixtures as you pay your own riders home and away so if you have one home fixture and two away, then you have three wage packets to pay but only one income fixture. So the basic answer to your question is….. depends on the club, the riders, the scores, the attendance, the sponsorship , the bills etc etc etc. That is why Im an ex promoter !.

I’d say Andrew and the rest of the promotion are entitled to alot more respect than the label of a “Crook” Im sure you’ve witnessed the amount for efforts and money that has been put into Workington Speedway at Northside , regardless of what people speculate this promotion have done everyone proud in the work they’ve done.

It's scandalous that the Championship dropped the process - both reserve positions should be British newcomers in the 2nd tier No non Brit should be allowed near a 2nd tier reserve position

With all the feeling of Groundhog Day with the injuries yet again, one thing has gone under the radar and that is the consistent form of Danny King. He’s already fully justified his selection and proven just how much that hand injury was holding him back last year. So pleased for him he’s one of the good guys is Danny.

And you're a fine example of somebody who loves to attend speedway meetings in person right? Shame you said the exact opposite three months ago....

First visit down to new Worky and really enjoyed it, great wee set up and clearly a lot of love and hard work has gone into it, congratulations. The dust was the worst I have encountered since the days of Newport but once I got myself to the 3rd bend all was good. I thought the racing was excellent, no idea what some of the maniacs on here are moaning about. Well done Worky, bad day at the office for our boys, it happens!

Track has been much slicker lately than it was today. Plenty of opportunities to pass, sure I remember Hook going round Harris, most other Comets had to produce at least one pass today, and both Tigers managed to relegate Batch to the back in ht 13 (after he'd also come from the back in an earlier ht). Some of what I'm reading on here is utter nonsense, I've seen a hell of a lot worse meetings than that.

Took this photo of the Red Arrows yesterday

No need to be nasty about Craig who despite his problems has given a lot to British speedway over the years

It was an awful crash. All four riders were still pretty bunched coming out the last bend, and when Jonatan Grahn whacked the fence on the home straight his bike careered straight into Danyon's path. He somersaulted right over it, coming down on his head or neck, with his bike (which may have caused the real damage) landing right on top of him from a height. While seriously hurt, the news that he is awake, and has full movement is a great relief. To the person, the idiot, who complained about the meeting not concluding, I can only say that while the club operates dual medical cover, the severity of Danyon's injuries meant that both paramedics and their staff were quite rightly fully engaged in working with him, right there on the track. Some things in speedway are more important than getting the next race on. Get well, Danyon. You are one of the happiest, friendliest chaps I've ever met. Why do bad things happen to good people?

Even in this keyboard warrior social media semi delinquent age, I cannot seriously believe what I am reading here. Top Class Rider Top Class bloke Credit to the Sport and very Club he has ridden for. Clearly has a serious neurological issue that affects his eyesight. Just dwell on that for a minute! Clearly has a serious neurological issue that affects his eyesight. Yet we have people with no compassion no care and probably no understanding of the seriousness of the situation arguing about whether he sould get a 7-28 day exemption, is witholding his services and other clap trap. The guy is in a potentially life changing situation for christs sake. Think of him, his family, his friends and Redcar Speedway. Give your heads a wobble and lets all support Erik and hopefully see him back once he is fully recovered.

I keep reading on this forum - mainly the premiership section - that speedway has loads of problems, for example, track preparation, no atmosphere, no kids, no young adults just 'old folk', riders not interacting with fans and missing riders. Track preparation - Despite the heat, it was still 25C when I got home at 10.30pm, there was no dust whatsoever and there wasn't an over watered track just a superb smooth one that provided fantastic racing. No atmosphere - the main stand which was virtually full, roared when the 2 youngsters got their first 5-1 in Heat 2 and thereafter when Barker and Howarth, etc, etc had great battles yet again people got to their feet cheering, clapping and clearly enjoying the evening's entertainment. Nicolai Klindt seemed amazed at the applause he got on his laps of honour and came around again after his last race. The back straight terracing and other stands also were busy. No kids - there were a lot kids some of whom participated in two races one for under 10s and one for over 10s - an idea I believe pinched from Plymouth! No young adults - again good numbers some of whom had brought along their kids. Old folk - yes quite a few but all happy to let some of the new fans know what was going on. No interaction with fans - laps of honour saluting the fans and lots of autographs later. Missing riders - both teams a full strength. Yes speedway has problems but last night was just pure entertainment. There were a couple of fans from Leicester in the stand and they seemed a bit surprised by the whole package. Proved you don't need to doctor tracks to win meetings at home, Mr Dixon 😉

A real pity they didn't split the wild cards, one each for Wright and Harris would have been good.

Wouldn’t read too much into this today we didn’t perform as we can or have done. Track was the same for both teams we were just beaten by the better team on the day, it happens and we move on.

No complaints Workington the better team on the day by a considerable distance. Bad day at the office it happens I am sure we will bounce back. well done to Workington rode the track well.

The legendary Polish former National speedway team coach, Marek Cieslak, commented in sportowefakty.pl results of Poland’s sport Personality 2024 plebiscite announced yesterday. When mentioning fifth placed achieved by the 5-times world champion, Bartosz Zmarzlik, and problems with speedway, Marek Cieslak said this: It is a complex issue. We need the successes of our national teams, which we do not have. We have achieved the best league in the world, which has great viewership. The problem is that the Grand Prix series cannot keep up with this at all, and it is folding down. This is visible, for example, in the locations. There are no new ones, and in addition, large stadiums are slowly disappearing. The FIM and the promoter Discovery are responsible for this. In addition, the best riders in the world do not ride in the series. The recent nominations for wild cards and their translation into geographical terms are a joke. All this means that the Grand Prix arouses interest in fewer and fewer countries. I have the impression that even here (i.e. in Poland) it does not generate the same emotions as it used to. If it were, the successes and the phenomenon of Zmarzlik would have a much greater echo in the country. Do you think that it is time for Artiom Łaguta and Emil Sajfutdinov to return to the series? Initially I was against them, but now I think they should be in the series. Zmarzlik would also benefit from the presence of Artiom Łaguta or Emil Sayfutdinov. I have no doubt that he would still win, but then his successes, this rivalry with the Russians would arouse much more emotions. In this way, the audience would be larger. Please remember what rivals Tomasz Gollob had. He had to compete with Tony Rickardsson, Greg Hancock, Billy Hamill, Jason Crump, Mark Loram, Hans Nielsen, Leigh Adams, Ryan Sullivan and many other great stars. Each of them had papers for the title. Now the series lacks such figures.

Will the new Whizz kid signing give Sheffield a Sniff at the league title? Sheffield couldn't let the season go to Pot, and needed to Weed out the underperformers. Expect them to Shoot Up the table now. He'll certainly bring some Speed to the team, and offer the Tiggers a bit of Meow-Meow. However, it'll be some Blow for Kerr and Sedgmen. With little passing at Sheffield it'll help to have someone who is good on the White Line. Just hope he's still got the bottle. They don't like it up 'em.

You know you're Glasgow's bitches now 😂

I’ve sat back and let people crack on but after reading through page after page, I’m gonna say my bit. The amount of people first off running there mouths saying some disgraceful things about Andrew etc is ridiculous. There’s absolutely no need for it. People thinking they’ve got it cracked what’s going on, throwing about silly rumours just to get everybody riled up doesn’t help the situation. I suggest you’s all take a back seat, and await further information. 99% of you clearly haven’t got a clue what’s going on and think you’s do. Wind your necks in, stop abusing the promotion that’s put their hearts and souls into bringing speedway back to the town and stop acting like an entitled bunch. The only people who should know what’s going on at this stage is the promotion, then comes sponsors and when’s the times right, the public will be updated.

Anyway enough cackling about what we don’t know let’s just get Workington back to the tapes and wish them well in this current hiccup

How has speedway been allowed to get into such a state? Riders in this day and age and I'm not talking big names here. Riders in the 2nd division and even the 3rd division turn up with kit that a GP rider would be happy to have. Paid mechanics, Big fancy vans. It's a fantasy world. You say we can't change back. Well if we don't address the elephant in the room. Speedway won't have long left as a professional sport. Promotors have got big decisions to make this close season. Sticking their heads in the sand and thinking " Theres nothing wrong with product," will not wash anymore. We have come to a watershed moment. If nothing changes, then it won't survive. 1) Do they still carry on paying riders wages that far outweigh the amount of people who come through the gate. Clubs will have to cut there cloth accordingly. Meaning riders will have to be paid a realistic wage for what the sport is. If riders want to turn up with all the kit, no one is stopping them, but the clubs cannot afford to fund their fantasy and before anyone has a go. No rose tinted glasses, but pure facts. In the 80s Most riders worked. They got wages according to their standard. The Leagues were a lot bigger. The crowds were a lot bigger. 2) Do they take the sport by the horns, and make it one league. There are 16 clubs, god knows how many next year. but you can't run two divisions with such a small amount of clubs. " yes they have done, but look where it's taken us" 3) The pricing has to reflect the quality of what you're paying for. Riders will have to make drastic changes. If there is to be one league, I would imagine the top riders would disappear. So the one league would be mainly made up of British riders. Clubs have to stop paying bang average foreign riders, flights and mechanics. People who say it will water it down. Well the standard can't get much lower at 2nd division level. This season most 2nd division clubs have filled their 6 and 7s with 3rd division riders. The top league is made up mostly of 2nd division riders. The standard has been getting lower every season for a while now. if that means a couple of more riders from the 3rd division replacing expensive foreign riders, then that will have to be a price the sport will need to pay to survive. More importantly. two home and two away meetings would stop the silly practise of clubs not having home meetings for weeks on end. The sport needs a reset and It has got to far out of hand and only a massive reset will save it. IMO

Was this the picture?

The blame game has started I see. Shocking accidents happen all around the world in speedway so see no need for people to be saying "Poland again" or words along those lines like I have read elsewhere on the forum and social media. Garry Stead and Lawrence Hare both had nasty accidents which left them in wheelchairs in the UK and there are many more. Its a dangerous sport and accidents will happen. Main thing is Woffy makes a full recovery. The way they went into the fence, I would be amazed if the outcome would be different on any track in any country.

Crump and Adams you dumped after a year after bringing them over. Doyle and Chris holder both started at I.O.W before Poole and Jack holder started at Plymouth before Poole. As lewy has also pointed out Zack cook started at Plymouth also. So not really invested in the Aussies either, oh dear. So your point is utter nonsense.

No wonder the sport is on its arse with posts like that

I do however think there should be a test for some fans before they can access social media

Just to let everyone know, all that can be done is being done. We have had unprecedented amout of rain this month. Last Fri I pumped off any standing water, Saturday I let it dry , was best to stay off the track, you can do more harm than good if you try and work it while it's to wet. Sunday I worked the track for 6 hours, it was bladed several times, wheeled many times, spun in, then graded, finally packing it for an hour with the lorry, if I knew how to post a pic of how it looked on Sunday I would, it looked really good. Monday and today we have had nothing but rain! My pump has been working since a week last Sunday. Sam has been up today to get any surface water off, horrible job in the wet and cold. As soon as is possible the track will be worked on tomorrow and Thurs, we are trying, very hard !!