mikebv

Nicki P should be the series Wildcard...😁

Only one rider passing... Head and Shoulders ahead of the rest.. Madsen bricking himself...

"Looking back at the highlights this evening"....? My Pizza arriving should have been included...

Standard Prague fare.....

And not being able to ride the track... Sems to be going sideways longer than the others....

Kurtz struggling to ride bend one... Every single lap....

It's a good job the beer is so good, and cheap, in Prague....😀

Been getting his old speed back over the last few meetings in Poland...

I care..... I am in Stockport...😀

Not on TNT tonight?

Might get some recent racing... The only time Prague has ever dished out entertainment is when the track has been wet...

The post was years were "boom" years given the public's desire for entertainment after the war... The late 60's and 70's, with the onset of major TV ownership, were though the years that elevated the sport with it's 'main sports' slot on ITV many times a season, providing the perfect advert for the domestic version of the sport to build their own business on.. When "England" started to lose regularly and their riders didn't challenge for the World Championship often, it then became a slow decline which has sped up significantly over the past two decades.. Personally, for me, a myriad of opportunities to change the operating model, to a fit for purpose one that reflects the modern digital era, have come and gone, and where we are now is pretty much "rock bottom" with so few teams, and so few "ideas people" involved who have the required skill set to sort out the clear and obvious issues.. I can still remember a KO Cup Final in 1973 against Reading at Hyde Rd where there were over 23,000 there.. I wouldn't imagine there will be 23,000 watching speedway in a week in the UK, if every track ran one meeting a week now.. That is the size of the decline and you will struggle to come back from that level of drop off...

What you got away with donkeys years ago you cannot do know... The internet would literally rdicule and destroy the sport should there ever be mainstream coverage now... Years ago you turned up and only then found the best rider scheduled was missing, and a decent rider from another team had been booked to replace him.... Now, you know three days out, and many then go on line to either take the pee as to how a team can actually improve themselves, or simply many just dont turn up to watch something which now becomes contrived.. Not great in selling the event.. The sport was clearly built on ITV coverage of England's success at international level, which then led to domestic interest by fans who formed part of the literally millions who tuned regularly in to watch given only 3 channels existed.. The domestic racing basically piggy backed off the ITV International coverage.. The decline of the sport can be directly linked to the early 80's when the Danes and USA started to beat England on ITV regularly... With the fans then attending tracks to watch dozens of journeymen Scandinavians, Yanks and Aussies, rather than "local lads" which had been the norm.. There is a reason Poland won't use guests and that is their leagues will have the same lack of credibility that the UK ones do, meaning fans, sponsors and TV would turn the backs on it... Guests are clearly here to stay given the lack of riders, and followers paying in to afford a squad system, but, by using such a system each season and expecting the sport to have any credibility, is like Usain Bolt choosing to have worn a running vest with 2 stone lead weights added to it, and him expecting to have been an Olympic Champion....

And that goes back to the fundamental issue of the admission price being set too hight just to pay competitors to be fully professional... The sport also charges an admission fee that it feel reflects it's standing amongst its peer sports... The truth is, it is miles away from even Ice Hockey attendance wise.. Asking a couple to pay out well over fifty quid to watch 15 mins of action is truly a major ask, and a definite hard sell, even for a marketing professional let alone someone with a zero skill set in marketing and event promotions.. And throw in that ludicrous operating model whereby, should you actually get hooked on the sport, you can spend many hundreds of pounds in a season, and your reward is to see your best rider helping someone else on an ad-hoc basis which can help prevent his own, (and your), team from resching the play offs.. Thanks for your money, roll on next season for more of the same..!!!!😁

It's no surprise that those whose livelihood depends on speedway often produce the best teams... No "expensive hobby" for them...

Several million will be paid to riders this season across both pro leagues .. Who hardly anyone on their own street would recognise for most of them . Yet hardly one penny will be spent on some professionals generating an increase in crowd numbers and an awareness of the sport and it's riders .. Absolute madness.

In his interview he said that hardly anyone in Birmingham knows that speedway exists, and it's similar around the country... And I thought it was his, and his other promoters' job to ensure that wasn't the case..!!! They had ONE job....😁

And when someone says "the tracks sh*t", it will actually be true!!!😁

They could keep the centre green grass trimmed too by eating it... Phil Morris will have them at the NSS doing the GP track... Although they may struggle to nibble on the 4G...

Was that not one of them?...😄

Plenty of them for the top 3 teams, with so few decent teams in the league... If Ipswich hadn't had such injuries they would be paying 60 plus with bonus pretty much every match at home.... Sheffield too will "enjoy" paying out plenty for their home meetings...

Do you need to bring a watering can.??? I hope those photos were taken around 11am...😮

They certainly don't help themselves, (those who run this sport in the UK), do they? 🙁

These BHM tropical conditions..

Jensen was in front, hence his back wheel took Doyle's front, and Doyle had ran him very narrow down the straight, not on a "normal line".. By doing so, there was only going to be one result if Doyle didn't move out... I think he thought he could pin him on bends one and two but Jensen was too quick... Good, hard racing from both, but Doyle caused the stoppage by the line he took, and the fact he was behind when the contact took place..