mikebv

Somerset, Rye House, Lakeside, Coventry and Buxton were all owned at one time by the Speedway Promoters weren't they? Somersert currently, and Rye and Coventry not long ago... Buxton still is owned by the promoter there I think.. And Workington could very much still be in existence if it hadn't (ironically), had been so successful and been allowed to have ridden on nights when it could get it's best crowds.. It says much that the owners of the tracks tried to promote the sport then let someone else have a go and pay them rent instead..

Presume they must have someone lined up or otherwise you wouldn't get rid so quickly... If it is Doyle (and I can't think of anyone else), then will there need to be two changes.? Doyle did initially say that Sweden didn't offer enough meetings when compared to the UK so he signed for Swindon... Edit. NKI could also drop Sweden and ride here, but I wouldn't think he would improve KL that much from where they are now given his form over the past few years..

Could Sheffield sign Cook for Thursday away meetings?

Given the state of the sport would you want to let it out and get a few grand rent, which may disappear at any moment given the current track closure run rate,, or get a fair few hundred thousand, or maybe even more, in one go...? I know what I would do....

And when something unforeseen like Covid smashes the 'umbrella' businesses that has subsidised the tracks year in year out, (be it as a 'plaything' or because it was tax favourable), then the sh1tstorm really begins...

You would hope that the closure of yet another track would make those running the sport take notice and ponder "does anyone amongst us actually really think we are doing things right"? Unfortunately it is hard not to think that the first thought of some when hearing the news was "quick get on the blower and see if we can sign 'so and so'" for next season".... I think that is now seven tracks gone in the past four or five years... In no particular order.... Coventry, Buxton, Rye House, Lakeside, Somerset, Workington, and Stoke... With only a rarely built new stadium saving Belle Vue from joining the list this year and Swindon still waiting for 'summer' to start so the builders can build their new facility... WOW!...

My first thought too... Basic facilities but excellent racetrack. . Couldn't someone have made it work at NDL or Championship level..? Another one bites the dust unfortunately...

Get 14 riders down to a track.... Make the most experienced two the team captains for the night... Line the remaining 12 riders up against a wall... Get the two captains to turn away and the ref can randomly number the lads 1 to 12.... Each captain then takes it in turn to shout out six numbers... Two full teams of riders guaranteed.... And doing it this way will also mean no one feels upset, depressed or anxious at being picked last because it will be random selection.. We are all winners here....

When i used to go I had exactly the same outlook... ie "just watch the racing, the result doesn't matter"... Gradually though I eventually decided I couldn't justify the outlay for me and my lad (and its £37 quid this year)... To be honest, being surrounded by those who happily colluded with promoters that what we were watching was a 'proper sporting contest' also used to wind me up too.. "If they are wearing the Ace of Clubs then they are my team"....

Especially if it's a designated seat with social distancing restrictions around it.. It could be sold again at the next meeting and two people have the same seat.. Add in another rain off and three people might have the same seat.. Be like a circus balancing act... Let's hope all have had both vaccines..

Spot on.... And in reality that is SIX teams racing on Saturday nights.. (Unless any of the above race against each other obviously which lowers it a bit).... I presume the FIM/FIME seem to think that by publishing its calendar well in advance, that this should be sufficient for UK promoters to use common sense and work around it, and not race league meetings needing Guests on the same nights which destroys the credibility of the league?... How very dare they come to such a conclusion, don't they know how Speedway is ran in the UK.. ... NB: Maybe we could run more meetings on Fridays? Oops. Forgot, we once did that and it wasnt 'universally' liked was it?

So the cost of flights and tests were ok last week for Dan Bewley to get to the NSS a day after racing in Poland? And Jack himself after riding in Poland the same weekend.. Amazing isn't it how it worked out ok then? Also amazing is how when a No1 is missing it always seems to be not at his home track but when riding away? I wonder if it was a Tigers v Witches fixture if their number one 'drawcard' would have been missing? Still, I suppose they have that many fans attending that one or two more deciding 'enough is enough' won't be even noticed... Just like those who already have given up over the past decade in particular seemingly haven't been noticed yet...

They had pretty much a 'free pass' this season.. They could have tried some new operating model with six or five man teams based on UK domiciled riders who are not riding overseas... They could have tried a new heat structure, they could have ran with less heats but reintroduced a full 2nd half for juniors... They could have done lots of 'experimenting' to see what worked and what didn't... Instead it's the same old, same old... A gift horse looked fully in the mouth.... Takes some doing to waste a 'free pass'....

No one will complain.. As they know that maybe next week, or the week after, or the week after that etc etc etc... They will eventually also need a made up Mickey Mouse ruling to be given to them 'in the interests of speedway'... Imagine trying to get a major blue chip company sponsor involved with a sport ran like this...?

On another thread I have said that those who go won't complain as they clearly accept it.... It's the 'ex followers' who are not there anymore, and the silence from the spaces that they used to frequent, in the four fifths empty stadiums, that should be 'listened' to.. Wont happen though, we all know that..

When you say hardly anyone takes it seriously, I presume you include promoters in that too? They've basically given up haven't they?

Maybe Jack has been given permission to ride in Poland? Seem to remember him being allowed to do so before.....

Rain off time...? It says he isn't available due to a rearranged fixture in Poland... Surely that means the UK have priority? Isn't that a 28 day ban if he doesn't ride over here?

They do... And sometimes it's even been down to it raining...

The extension lead wasn't long enough...

Have you seen Man Citys figures at the 'Emptihad'? Even during lockdown they announced 60,000 each week.. Even when they were away...

With Mickey Mouse as its jockey..

What happened to the plan for track covers? Didn't Berwick use them quite successfully on several occasions? There are still a great many meetings called off due to 'damage done' well in advance of tapes up time, with the day/night of the meeting completely clear of rain... Wouldn't using the TV money now provided to buy covers be a good way of improving the long term success of the sport? TV companies pay a lot of set up money out to show live sport so would much prefer a higher chance of it taking place I would think. (Especially when covering such sports that can be rain impacted).. Covers may help gain further contracts as well as providing "unsure" fans with more confidence to attend... The last TV contracts didn't appear to produce any tangible lasting improvements to the sport so maybe this one can?

Premier 1 showing it..

But that is 100% the frustrating issue... It clearly isnt an 'impossible situation' to run the sport properly.. Running with three riders you 100% know will be missing is 'self inflicted' nonsense.. As is every meeting they run on nights which mean guests when the FIM already have a meeting in place.. And invariably on 'FIM nights' the missing riders are the better ones who, by definition of being at that qualifier or final, should have been one of the 'main fan attractions' at the league meeting.. The promoters will no doubt argue when in their own 'echo chambers', that... "No one in the stadiums complain about the make up of the teams". And that may be 100% factual, however.. Its the 80% empty terracing at the vast majority of tracks that they should "listen" to.. That "deafening silence" from those who still keep a keen interest in the sport, but are no longer prepared to pay out their hard earned to UK Speedway, is the 'noise' they should be listening to and learning from.. As has already been mentioned, this year was always going to have some 'travel chaos', (you didnt need some superhuman psychic skills to predict that)... So therefore why run with their usual operating model when it was so obvious huge logistical challenges would exist? Why still run with 7 man teams? Why still run with a plethora of overseas riders? And, if running a wider NDL league as they have planned, why not instead do a combined level league using an amalgam of British based Championship/NDL level riders, rather than run the two leagues seperate, (which no doubt will result in even more fixture clashes where riders have to be in 'two places at once').. Not 'impossible situations' at all... Just more of the same self inflicted nonsense which has gone on well before the pandemic, and no doubt, will continue a long time after..