mikebv

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...

Shame it isnt on a Friday or Saturday night.. 3000 crowd I would think guaranteed on either of those nights, regardless of live TV... Must be a Friday when all the Polish lads are available, one where Dan rides on the Sunday?

Get to the NSS around an hour before the start to get a parking place on the street... Then use the excellent Burger Van outside the stadium on the same street.. Watch the bikes getting warmed up for a while then go in.. Usually get in about 10 mins before start time as always order tickets on line.. Liam Neeson to play me if a movie gets made of my night out at the Speedway escapades...

Fans of a fair few teams could say that about him....

Same could be said for Australia Sweden and Denmark's current situation.. None have too many outstanding youngsters coming through to usurp the old guard.. Some of the UK lads are getting exposure in the Polish U24 league which will help them hugely given how much importance and investment the Poles have given it.. The British Final should be a good meeting with many of the riders being of a similar level... Not a "top class" level granted, but a decent one...

R/R for Starke? Or a Guest?

Then change the operating model.. Arguably 3 out of the best 10 riders in the world for the first time in decades..? So use it.. Dont blame the players, blame the game..

They know only too well that the second Bartek dons a set of Wroclaw kevlars to stand in for a missing Majic then the sport is truly "Donald Ducked" ... Passionate Tribal Fans. National Media fighting each other for contracts to show the sport. And National Company Sponsors willing to be associated with a huge sport in Poland, will all be gone in a flash quicker than it took Bartek to put the Wroclaw colours on... Hence we have the U24 League... Protecting their asset and brand...

Next one on the rank... Level headed kid too... Glide path spot on at the moment. .. HL in the Prem next year the next phase,.. Needs to be a bit harder I would say... Lambert has learned that, Bewley slowly getting there the same but needs to speed it up a tad... The future looks good given the excellent talent of those three... Let's hope the UK Speedway promoters can utilise their talents to promote their own sector of the sport.. Bewley and Lambert now Ht 15 regulars in the toughest league in the world.. Not bad that is it?

Great meeting to watch... Atmosphere seemed brilliant. .. Riders giving absolutely everything. .. And a young Brit leading the charge regularly now for his team against world class opponents.. If only we could bottle some of that and bring it over here one day.... Speedway. ...

Maybe Ed should go and spend some time in Poland...? I believe the air over there can heal Speedway riders in particular very quickly...

Might be able to get Andrew to do it... His diary won't be too full I would think.... And in true Speedway fashion he could cry off and send some random Earl as a guest to replace him...

Who said that?

Much later as they get almost an extra day...

Shades of Eric, Ernie, and Andre 'Preview'... The ref said... "I am pressing all the right buttons, just not necessarily in the right order"..

Charlie Brown.. AKA Giuseppe Marzotto.. (Wonder what happened to him?)..

I am sure they will too.. But it does help them get to know potential riders, how professional they are, what their personalities are like etc.. Even if they extend to a 10 team top league there is still only a maximum 30 places available to overseas riders therefore knowing who is capable, and who isnt, will assist the ongoing succes of their brand.. With the young riders getting to sample what it is like to ride in a professional organisation which look after you well, but put huge expectations on you to succeed given the size of the prizes on offer..

Bomber was riding as normal, but this time for one of his own clubs?

Can't remember which thread it was in but the proposed pay rates were on there.. Considerably more than over here I seem to remember. The Poles are using the league to develop young talent of all nations so they have enough riders for the long term to keep their leagues the ones to be in, and therefore keep the massive sponsorships and TV coverage.. No doubt though they will still keep rules to protect Polish places in the septets.. Dont sit on their laurels the Poles.. Thinking everything will stay the same forever was a clear failing of the UK in the early 80's by reducing team spaces for British riders, and towards the end of the 90's as the GP's came along and they failed to react to them..

In 1977 though the promoters were paying most of the riders "good second job money", which was usually more than their main job... And most riders (the vast majority who were, just like today, 'non superstar" status), didnt expect to earn enough to have six months off each year... The majority classing themselves for example, as a "Wagon driver who rode Speedway" not "A Professional Speedway rider"... The sport as a collective takes in millions, and pays out millions.. "To achieve exactly what precisely?" would be a question worth asking themselves when they next meet..

Indeed, We have on the forum some within the "inner sanctum", who see at first hand some of those who run the sport "doing their best", hence they get very, very defensive... Unfortunately making excuses, justifying poor performance and condoning mistakes doesnt help, as you then become part of the issue yourself, rather than part of the solution.. Speedways greatest opportunity is to market itself as a collective, to sell "the sport" rather than any specific club, and make national team success the over riding priority.. Sadly, you still have some who see winning leagues that hardly anyone cares about, and will have minuscule impact to the sport collectively, as being "the priority".. These narrow minded people, who collude with those who run the sport that it has some relevance, get exactly the contrived nonsense of a sport that they deserve.. Cannot believe Poland doesnt follow the UK operating model to be honest given it works so well, definitely missing a trick the Poles aren't they? ...