Bagpuss

Massive opportunity today to revolutionise speedway in the UK, get a proper all encompassing streaming service set up, race on the nights we want to with riders who will be fully committed to the leagues and their clubs with a fan base who are going to be desperate to see some speedway if and when it gets going this year.....but will they take it? How much faith have we all got in the folk running British speedway?

He’d be daft not to.

Who are the leading contenders to wear the purple helmet

Feels a bit like vultures picking over the bones of Swindon’s carcass, talking about Doyle.

https://www.swindon-speedway.com/_mobile/news.php?extend.3490.1

The title of the thread is ‘Dream Team’ which implies the strongest possible team right now and on that basis the team in the first post is spot on.

Like I said, it works for him. Iversen has also ridden in every league and the GP’s before but most other top class riders are happy to just ride a couple of times a week and rest more/travel less. I can’t speak for other Lynn supporters but I defended Woffinden when he stopped riding over here, and winning world titles afterwards vindicated that. I’ve never had a problem with any rider quitting the UK, it’s been a steady trickle over the years unfortunately and Lambert is just the latest one. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how little backlash there has been towards Robert on social media especially, I thought most people would hammer him for it but from what I’ve seen it’s been the opposite with most people appreciating his position and decision.

Absolutely, he was a late developer and rode in our second division for a long time before he became world class and it suits him to race here now but for most others it doesn’t any more. Every rider does what is right for them, this country is pretty much at the bottom of the speedway food chain nowadays due to being so spectacularly mismanaged hence so few top riders appearing here but if it works for Doyle then good luck to him. I’ve never really agreed with the ‘loyalty’ thing though, clubs hire and fire riders as they see fit so it works both ways.

You’ll have to remind me of those occasions as I was thinking today what a good servant to Lynn he’s been since he turned sixteen, maybe there are incidents I’ve forgotten?

I think the last line is key, ONE GP rider who rides over here, and if his family wasn’t based here I suspect he wouldn’t. Lambert no longer resides in the UK and as well as his two leagues will be doing GP, SEC and presumably GP qualifying. Riding once a week in Sweden rather than often twice over here plus the extra travelling and less down time must be a big factor in his decision. Loyalty doesn’t really come into it for me, he has to do the best for himself and his career whatever that means. Tai is obviously a role model and mentor for him and his achievements since he cut out UK racing speak for themselves. As I said I don’t blame him at all and hopefully he goes from strength to strength and continues to develop into a world class rider.

It’s a great pity but I don’t blame him in the slightest.

......sitting up a tree, K-I-S-S-S-I-N-G Absolutely agree, thank you to both

Not a responsibility though is it? Good on him for doing it, and I expect it’s for the benefit of GB too.

Money in Sweden might not be much of a issue anyway, if riders are getting very good wages in Poland they might be content with a once a week runout in Sweden on nice wide tracks rather than a longer journey to the UK for more fixtures and more hassle even if it’s for a bit more points money.

I respect Dean’s opinion but I would pay to watch speedway at Belle Vue whether it was Toruń mark two or a track in a field. As it is the NSS is a pretty good stadium anyway and I have always found the view and atmosphere excellent on either straight. British speedway has had little to enthuse about in recent years but the NSS really is. One of the best tracks in the world without a doubt.

Spot on. You get the feeling that the track and the grandstand were the absolute priorities and the rest was managed with what funds were left. The back straight is obviously a temporary structure but I enjoy watching from there as much as the seating in the opposite side. I’m sure with a bottomless pit of money the NSS could have been the greatest speedway arena in the world but in reality there were financial constraints. Having a blank canvas misses the point rather.

Perhaps I’m generalising a bit but most places are from Thornham round to Weybourne have a fair element of pretentiousness. And of course locals who grew up in those places can’t afford to live there when they leave nest.

Is an hour really a short drive There are plenty of nice places in Norfolk without going to the pretentious and second home dominated north coast.

The sport is full of them with degrees of wrongness I’d say

Yep, nothing to do with the fact that Philips is a wrong ‘un I’m sure.

Exactly this, the first Sky deal was in 1999 and plans should have been put in place back then to safeguard and develop speedway. People point fingers at recent chairmen but the rot was starting to set in and money was being squandered way, way before that.

Dan Roan on 5Live also mentioned it being for winter sports

I think it’s more the case that eleven sports which aren’t football are to receive handouts and if speedway isn’t part of that then it would be interesting to know why not.

A £300m rescue package covering eleven professional sports has been announced, other than both rugby codes, basketball and netball I can’t find details in the sports covered, I wonder if speedway will be one of the beneficiaries?

This is an interesting debate. Personally I think it boils down to what these young riders want to achieve from their careers.....based the the assumption that British speedway is reasonably unaffected by COVID then they can learn their trade in this country and probably end up earning decent money doubling up across our two leagues and emulating the likes of Cook, King, Wright, Worall and Harris. If they aspire to be more like Woffy & Lambert and want to give themselves the best chance to earn the big money in Poland as well as getting into GP, SWC and SEC then broadening their horizons now as teenagers and getting themselves known in Poland and learning the tracks etc is a must. Being an expert around Eastbourne, Edinburgh and Wolves is no good if you want to be riding on the biggest stages and making the grade on them one day. There may be setbacks along the way as it’s a cut throat business over there but if they want to see how far they can go and really push their potential to the limit it’s got to be done.