mikebv

And give the club something to engage younger fans given the two lads will be only a few years older... Clubs like Poole and Glasgow have very decent fanbases which resemble the majority of the top tier, however, I am not sure they would increase crowds from where they are, consistently, should they go into tier one... Having BV with Kurtz and Bewley there would see higher numbers through the doors, J Holder too, but not sure, (no disrespect meant), that other tracks would drive up numbers sufficiently to make any move into tier one cost effective, given the outlay involved... And race nights obviously being a huge stumbling block... £100k each of TV money though, for the top tier teams, would see it expand I would suggest... But. Given the way the sport is ran, that must be a very tough sell for those tasked to deliver it ...

Unfortunately the way the sport is ran, they don't have what could ordinarily be described as "meaningful relevant competitions"... Hence it has the following and media coverage it gets... Poole, when in tier one, realised that around ten of the fourteen riders that rode for them and their opponents each meeting at home, also rode in tier two, but for less money... Meaning they were laying out considerably more for riders who roide in tier two, and on top of that, two or three "top earners" who didn't... (I seem to remember the promoters saying it was around £150k difference between the costs in total).. "Dropping down" (if that is actually a thing), meant they had the majority of the same riders, could still ride on traditionally, and clearly, the best night for their business, charge less for punters to get in, and save a six figure sum... An absolute no brainer... If Speedway was ran like most other team sports with aspirational growth, with ever increasing financial rewards the higher you got, then that would be a completely different scenario, and one that the Poole promoters would, I am sure, adapt to and be successful within...

Poole will get as much national publicity, or financial prize, for winning tier two, as whichever team wins the top tier... The difference being they will have laid out a lot less.. Before the start of this season, their promoters did say crowds had dropped last year, so maybe there could be a bit of "winning fatigue" setting in and fans will pick and choose their meetings depending on the opposition... However. They did also say though that they were going to ramp up their local promotion, and marketing, plus target sponsor recruitment as they felt lots of opportunities existed... Poole fans have shown a winning team keeps them attending, with a losing team, impacting crowds.. No point in spending six figures more, and "maybe" being successful, when you can spend six figures less and, whilst never guaranteeing success, give yourself really good odds...

1715 at Kumla? Fair play to them... It looked absolutely Baltic!!! Something quite "British" with their camping chairs, fur lined hats, gloves, scarves, blankets, and big coats, watching Speedway nearly into mid May...

Rob Godfrey must be spinning......

I think he secretly is an Aces fan.... As he seems to go into minute detail about their riders' capabilities, almost worrying for them whether they will do well or not... He seemed quite upset last season when Kurtz didn't perform well in the PO SF, just 48 hours before the biggest meeting of his life, (a meeting where Dan also scored four, including two lasts to Kurtz's one, with Kurtz getting paid for five points)....... Most Aces fans, on the various forums, by a huge margin, completely understood why their rider(s), would have been focusing on something of a much higher priority, especially on a track that wasn't exactly prepared for taking any risks... It was almost like he was the most die hard Aces supporter ever, totally in despair about Kurtz's performance... Hopefully he goes tomorrow and Brady gets a fifteen max for him, to make up...

I don't think there needs to be... Speedway is just another different discipline of motorcycling, and Ashton is obviously a very talented motorcyclist who can move across several motorcycle disciplines... He started off well in Speedway but clearly lost his way quite quickly given his short time in the sport... He definitely had the talent, as when in front coming out of turn two, could win races, and by some distance, the challenge for him seemed to be when other riders were around him.... That was when he would come off the throttle and let them past, or just drop further back if behind... No shame in not quite making it as a Speedway rider as countless others have tried and failed too... Who knows? Given his obvious technical aptitude he may give it another go, if not, at least he tried... Hopefully his new discipline sees him continually successful....

Not in Speedway.... (The UK version, obviously)....

Another very good, and close, meeting from Sweden...

The home team finally realising that riding mid track isn't the quickest way round... Maybe, usually, by this time, the inside is too slick, but clearly this evening it isn't...

Is a "workshop" injury, a Speedway related injury?

Pretty decent, especially given the watering the track got.... Phil Morris would have been proud!!! The inside is still a bit too grippy due to the moisture, meaning the wide line isn't quite working well enough... Still a good watch, two pretty even teams.... With Jason Doyle probably the difference...

Great team riding from Berntzon... Blocked his team mate and let Doyle ride underneath the pair of them... Hold the line and would have been a 5-1...

If you are injured, do you get on the back of the Paramedic's E scooter????

Famous last words, but... I have seen some fantastic racing from this track, when it has "peed down".... Here's hoping..

That decision alone pretty much summed up UK Speedway.... A team found a "sweet spot" night to ride on, so were getting better crowds, and then got stopped from doing so as it wasnt their "official night" meaning there were not enough "guests" now available on Fridays... FFS!!!!

I seem to remember Dave Goddard saying it was coming from Indianerna this week?

I can foresee a solid fifth again this year for the Stars... #consistency...

At least Richard Lawson should turn up...

Apart from NKI... I presume he takes the ferry to Poland?.. Sadly, no ferries now run direct to Denmark, but there is a route via Germany and Holland...

And all the "stupid o' clock" starts!!! Must be a nightmare in logistical planning too... Flights, Hotels, Bike prep whilst away... Getting enough decent sleep to keep alert enough to ride a Speedway bike must also be a challenge.... And then when you get there you may not ride!!!

Exactly the kind of thing every club should do on match day... 15-20 mins on YT...

He is clearly a very talented motorcyclist ... Given the way he "backed off" when surrounded by other riders when riding Speedway, maybe having brakes on a bike gives him the confidence to keep riding "full on", knowing he can stop the bike whenever he needs to... Even towards the end of his Speedway time he could still get out of the start and win races comfortably, showing that on an open track he could ride full on and fast... Hopefully he can still return to the sport and overcome his obvious challenges, as he certainly is more than fast enough to be a decent level rider...

Enjoyed that, not much in the way of passing, but as seems usual in Poland, most races have at least three riders in contention for most of the races.... With every race a stand alone event in the eyes of the fans... A drawn heat? Meh... A lost heat? A disaster of biblical proportions . A won heat? Let's get the party started... A big crowd, away fans, a bit of tribal atmosphere, and you have something worth attending again...

Good to see Zengota back, still a decent rider...