cowboy cookie returns?

By the time of the Mauger away guest facility of 1984 the decline had well & truly set in. Crowds were big compared to today’s levels but had dropped since the 1970s & track closures & those facing closure were increasing. The whole reason for the Mauger ruling was to get Exeter to move up from the NL to boost the top flight & try to at least make them competitive. The Mickey Mouse rules had started to erode credibility by 84 & that process has only increased since then, 43 years on & non of the warnings have been heeded & the sport now faces total collapse in the uk. One or two promoters on the 70s/80s could see the issues coming John Berry was one as is clearly outlined in his books. The other Stewkesbury who wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea fan the NL in the late 80s & ran the league without guests & some of the other daft rules that operated at the time in the BL. In addition the NL circuits had dirt on them which helped to improve the spectacle while offering lower running costs. The NL at the time boasted more tracks than the BL a more credible competition & better crowd levels. It ultimately met its demise with the amalgamation of the BL & NL prior to 1991. This brave new world was then doomed to fail because of the infighting by the former BL promotions not liking promotion & relegation. 30-40 years on nothing has really changed has it, apart from ever declining attendances.

Should have been isn’t

Let’s be honest no one is going to replace Thompson, if Hume beats his opposing number he has done his job. At the moment R/R for Doyle & having a weaker number 6 isn’t working. It’s a shame Nicholls is still sidelined as he would be a shoe in for Doyle at home. We really need Brennan to hit double figures & Ellis to have his gating gloves on. I believe we can sneak past Lynn overall but it’s going to be tight. Kevach seems to love Foxhall & conditions will also be much more to Harris’ liking than on bank holiday Monday. The only good thing is that if they are more to suited to Harris it will make Klint less effective. in truth we could do with the rain winning on Thursday.

Six points to make up from the first leg at the AFA on Monday……thoughts?

An up hill battle this for the Witches. However it could still go either way. To be on the safe side we could do with Buter running out of pit gate spares on Monday morning. 😂

Very true Ippo spoken to Dudek & Zmarzlik last year amongst others no takers

To be honest the best team won last night. Becker is the best visiting rider I’ve seen this year so far & it’s probably the best I’ve ever seen him go. The same could be said of Kemp. The Lions had more in the tank than the Witches, fair play to them. For Ipswich we move on, however unlike last year when the local track specialist was available week in week out to cover Doyle we might need a temporary replacement. You simply cannot replace Dan Thompson so were going to struggle in that department too.

The idea is all well & good but we all know that a weaker product won’t reflect in lower admission prices. At best they will be held at 2025 levels for a couple of years. Has having some top riders back in the uk improved the attendance levels I can’t comment to much as I don’t travel to away fixtures. the crowds at Ipswich certainly appear higher since the Jason/Emil double act have been in town they have certainly brought myself & a few others that I know back to regular attendees not missing a meeting from attending the odd one or two a year. The radical overhaul should have happen after Covid, the promoters had an entire season written off where they could have used the time to come up with a blue print. The sport has been on a steady decline since the late 80s. The Stewksbury plan of the early 90s to revive the sport failed because of infighting. One big league failed because of infighting in 95/96. The last chance salon of the elite league with sky tv money failed again due to in fighting & lack of vision. I’m not sure the majority of promoters want radical change that might stop the rot & improve things.

I can’t see how that would work. Not enough riders to cover the required spaces especially if the likes of Brennan Masters & Rew decided to quit the uk. On top of that for such a watered down product the admission fees would need to be vastly reduced. unfortunately I think it’s now clear that the writing is on the wall for uk league speedway & with it the majority of tracks.

Possibly, however at the moment I can’t possibly see how the top flight can carry on. Brum going we’re down to 6 possibly 5 if the rumours about Sheffield are true. Enjoy this year because I can’t see a league set up next year that allows for the likes of Emil to grace these shores.

Possibly or watching the averages for next season 🤣

I’d have taken a 2 point defeat before the start, especially with Emil & Tom having off nights.

And I see today that Ipswich have attracted another club sponsor in an international freight company. Louis is clearly doing something right.

To be honest Boughen looked broken yesterday. Gave up at the back & then walked back to the pits head down….looks like he has had enough. Remember him beating either Emil or Doyle around Foxhall before, certainly a shadow of what he was a year or so ago.

These day time meetings ate never the best. However it’s still worth the promotion doing as the attendance is still clearly well up on a normal Thursday night. There were a few decent races & signs that the winter track work will supply more lines & lead to better racing. Lynn were by far the best team we have seen so far & i expect the KO cup semi final to be a decent meeting.

These day time meetings ate never the best. However it’s still worth the promotion doing as the attendance is still clearly well up on a normal Thursday night. There were a few decent races & signs that the winter track work will supply more lines & lead to better racing. Lynn were by far the best team we have seen so far & i expect the KO cup semi final to be a decent meeting.

Totally agree something different needs to be done. The product has been watered down over the last 30 odd years to try & save the sport, it doesn’t work. However I suspect what will happen is in the next couple or so years we will end up with one league of the 11 or 12 last standing clubs who will limp along for a few years before it finally implodes.

That was at a time when the top riders still wanted to ride the uk in high numbers. More to do with what they could earn than anything else with all the Sky TV money floating around. That’s no longer the case. From what I understand Emil wouldn’t ride anywhere else in the uk. If he is in the GP then I’d be surprised if he returned to Ipswich.

Where have I said anything about winning things? I was talking about Louis work rate & attract sponsorship 🤦

Birmingham & maybe Sheffield

To be honest watering the product down & changing to 6 man teams isn’t the answer & similar ideas over the years are proof of that. To grow the sport its needs to attract the best & to be an ever improving product, the race to the bottom via diluting the product will only see the sport dye. Having said that with it looking certain that Birmingham will be no more at the end of this season & now question marks around Sheffield it does make you wonder if it’s all to late.

It does. To be fair to Louis he works exceptionally hard in all areas around the club to ensure it’s the best that it can be. A good friend of mine is looking to provide some sponsorship to the club & Louis has spent time talking to him on the phone to understand the business needs & has gone away to work out a package that works for both parties. A some point Buster had Guy Nicholls on board but managed to lose his support to Sheffield. What has been achieved at Ipswich over the past few years is proof that hard work pays off. Don’t forget in 2020 & 21 our box office signing was a way past it Jason Crump. Louis & Morris seem to be of a similar mindset hopefully it’s not too late for them to turn the tide with UK speedway. In the meantime as a Foxhall regular I’m just going to enjoy this Ipswich side & the likes of Doyle & Emil while the uk speedway model allows for it. It’s been a long time coming for the great days to return to Foxhall.

About as many as you’ll find on any uk track these days. Although credit to Louis he has spent the winter altering the track again. On the evidence so far certainly more racing lines just need a team to turn up who either want to or can race.

In that case wins of any kind become a bore!

Correct riders will ride where they want to & also where they are looked after. It’s not always about the have & have nots, Ipswich have enjoyed some of the best gates if not the best gates in UK speedway for a longtime. They have also always enjoyed good sponsorship backing from the local business community. It’s only the last 3 or 4 years that we have been competing. Trying to constantly weaken the product has gotten uk speedway to where it is today on the point of extinction.