mikebv

To be fair, more experienced riders have struggled to do the same over the years...

Just typifies how amateurish the infrastructure is... The ref can see surely that the inside rider is facing right, and the outside rider is facing left... And if he/she cannot then they shouldnt officiate...

I presume starting at "all angles" is an optional extra in the UK?

It will be a great meeting now you are expecting the worst.. And Bomber by himself is always worth a few stand out moments. . And it's obviously one of the few occasions anyone will get to see him ride anywhere in the UK this season... I won £60 on Drabiik scoring over seven yesterday so contemplated giving it to the Aces... But. On reflection Getting a take away (on a Monday) instead... Enjoy your evening... Happiness is 46-44.... Edit. Just noticed that Woves v Stars is the TV meeting.. Where's that 192 Bus timetable,...

Must be missing something with Hansen.. Why do they use him? He seems well out of his depth..

Yet another cracking meeting from Poland... Every point getting contested.... Running a last means so much given how close the teams are...

Great ride from Cierniak. .. Just one of several top class juniors currently in Poland... Smektala, Kubera and Drabik will soon be looking over their shoulders and start to feel like veterans.......

Maybe they asked everyone to "bring a friend"?. ... Great to see the "Lublin end" full too.... Must be a great atmosphere having so many away fans there as well....

A fair few thousand there today....

It certainly looked a distinct possibility the way he went into the fence, and his reaction as he lay on the track. .. Could have been worse given the angle he hit the fence at....

Someone had to replace Rory....

Can't remember which Chariman it was a few years sgo who said that getting all the teams through a season meant "success"... But that probably summed up the level of ambition they have for the sport i would suggest.. Hence so many work in SILO and do "the best they can" (with varying levels of capability and success), to keep their part of the sport going.. We take the pee on here about "five year plans" that they try and follow given they seem to have a new one every other year, but the reality is that given there isn't any mutually agreed clear direction of travel, due to having no vision of where they want to end up, (or even what they actually want to be, ie an "actual team sport" or an "entertainment"), then it cannot be anything other than living "hand to mouth" and "making things up" adhoc as they go along... It will be interesting to see what they do when Poland do relax their rules, and if tracks do come back, as it will mean more expensive riders in every top team, and even more places for "mid level" riders to be spread out across the leagues.. I would suggest that any thoughts of ever getting "mainstream cut through", or "big name sponsors" are very distant ones, given the operating model they follow can never allow for either, therefore, it is what it is and the sport will "amble on" at best, with some clubs doing better than others, but with the collective entity as a whole never meeting its obvious huge potential...

Bad crash fior Erik Riss.. Hit the fence just after the air bag, clipped the back wheel of the leader and went in legs first... Sat up but going in the ambulance after getting legs strapped...

It was always "a bit Mickey Mouse" from a long time back... The huge difference though of course is that in those days any "level of stupidity" was invariably only found out after you had paid your money and gone into the track... And you often still would have had several "superstars of the sport" to watch, which was often the main reason for going.. Now the teams are known on social media in advance, meaning fans then can decide to "give it a swerve" if they feel it is "too contrived".. It certainly won't be in the plan to run the sport "less contrived", so not informing anyone of changes would be easier to do, and wouldn't adversely impact the crowd numbers.. Maybe that is a scenario we could return to? Especially given how low crowd numbers are now in relation to the "olden days"... Meaning that even just double digit drops in numbers can be a problem for some tracks...

And then run R/R for Bomber....? Meaning he can ride at least one race instead of himself, and maybe take a Tac Sub ride instead of himself too...

Hans Christian Andersen wrote the press release...

100%... But. Dont forget Promoters love being associated with the "better riders" so will do whatever is needed to accommodate them.. As winning any of the leagues "really means something" doesnt it? Hence Div 2 clogs up a clear development pathway from Div 3 by using so many Div 1 HL's and SS's... And with only six teams in Div 1 then the tail will always wag the dog...

Sheffield running on the Sunday I think ultimately "did for Buxton"... As most of their fan base seemed to be Tigers and Aces fans when I went, (3 or 4 times a season).. Maybe it could have worked for them with Sheffield open the same day but it probably wouldnt have.. Saturdays could have been a possibility I suppose but plenty of 2nd Div meetings took place that day meaning NDL heat leaders already in action... The track certainly wasnt the best but it did bring through a fair few riders in their early development.. They still do the "skid days" there I believe... A bit of track reshaping (quite a bit of space still around the track for widening), and a big screen put up to stop quite a few people paying to watch the Stox and their Speedway for free and it could still be a decent NDL venue... A good way to spend a pleasant Sunday afternoon when the weather wasnt arctic... And when it was, sit in your car and enjoy the racing from there...

Where is Bomber this weekend? Seems a really strange idea to sign one of the most entertaining rides in the sport in the UK, and then run meetings without him... Given his LT commitments, and individual Speedway ambitions on the european and world stage, is a weekend track the best place for him and the sport in general? Bomber getting replaced by other teams' best riders does nothing for the sports reputation and of course he ends up missing meetings and another pay cheque.. (No wonder he guests so much)...

Finally realised he possessed so much talent and that if he applied himself a bit more he could definitely compete on the world stage.. Just a shame it wasnt a few years earlier given how good he actually ended up... Maybe "enjoyed himself" a bit too much for too long down at Eastie? A true character of the sport...

Was always good value on the TV too when on commentary... Pity he still doesnt do it..

£60 quid family ticket competitively priced? Really? I would suggest £40 nearer the mark to get a family of four there.. £20 each the adults and free for the kids... You are looking at circa £35 tops for the movies or ten pin bowling on a Monday night for a family of four...

I always think there is good racing at Monmore, but it is when the level of rider there is of a higher standard.. Ht 13, and 15 stand out often when I have been there, given four quality riders usually take part.. It's when the second strings and reserves ride that it becomes very spaced out and follow the leader . British Finals always seemed decent from there as an example given most races had three or more Div 1 heat leaders in them..

The unpalatable truth for some was that the level in those days was "the perfect one" for UK Speedway.. Hardly anyone really takes any of the competitions seriously anyway so watching young lads of a similar ability level, making their way in the sport, augmented by a few seasoned riders, at a price point that delivered excellent value for money, was an excellent product.. That level of Speedway, with a true "top league" being clearly of a significantly higher standard, would have been the model to follow.. That though would have had Championship promoters frothing at the mouth...

As, dont forget, every new club in whatever league is a threat to the teams already there.. They might even use some of the riders currently contracted to other teams.. And. Heaven forbid, they go on to win one of the leagues.. Leagues rendered almost worthless by the very operating model that those incumbent "custodians of the sport" utilise, but they will never see that... The phrase "you couldnt make it up" was never so apt as it is for UK Speedway.. Best of luck with your plans, the more teams out there "spreading the word" has to be more beneficial for the sport as a whole long term, than having old Speedway clubs with decades of running the sport successfully lying idle...