mikebv

Another ultra competitive season.... Exciting stuff!!!!!

To be fair, Poole do have a different fanbase to the Aces, and have shown "success" keeps them attending, and "no success" sees them drift away, hence those who run it know their business well, and try to ensure their fanbase is given every reason to keep attending .. The Aces do have a pretty decent "hardcore" who have attended down the years, regularly, each season regardless of the level of teams put out, (and a fair few have been dire). and not having to lay out for Bewley/Doyle will also help the coffers I would think, and, just as long they win most meetings at home they will maintain that 1200/1300 or so who attend each week.. It certainly is a track that provides significant home advantage when riders get dialled in, with visitors usually taking several races to find the set up, and some never actually finding it!!... Fourth is as good as first, so building a team that does that will be the priority this season I would imagine, with the end of the season being often very different than the start, rider wise from team to team due to injuries...

Good luck to Dan... Great to see one of the world's best, (and most exciting), riders, choose to keep riding in the UK...

Another big meeting at Ipswich... #witcheslegend

Three riders are stepping up, as Zichke is becoming a second string.. Good to see some continuity, and loyalty, in a sport that does its best to destroy it, but, as you say, a gamble that all three will need to deliver even their current figures, although, all are on an upward trajectory in their careers so possibly they will adapt well to their new positions in the team... Brady's average should go up given he won't have a top level partner in Heats 13 and 15, (and any TAC SUB rides), to take points off him... A team set up to win at home seems to be the key behind it, (without the big margins of last season), in a hope they can keep it close (ish) away from home, and all three riders had some"decent" away meetings last season with each delivering, at least one, "match winning performance".. There are only two teams to beat to reach the play offs, so you just need to be better than them.. And, having three riders who, in all honesty, more than likely will drop points from their average could facilitate some team changes later in the season when some of the better riders may decide to pick up a few extra quid... Jason Doyle dropped Sweden for the UK last year so it can be done.. Fair play to Mark Lemon in sticking with those lads who made significant strides last season rather than replacing them for doing "too well"... A strategy unique to UK Speedway and one that does it few favours...

It wouldn't be a shock would it??. Obviously nothing has been confirmed yet, however, it does look like a current GP rider is being assessed as just 50% better than a RS... A quite ludicrous situation, however, as with so many things they do, they paint themselves into a corner by over complicating things, and end up adding more and more additions for what is, after all, just a team sport... If only they spent as much time promoting and marketing the sport as they do writing, and rewriting, rules and regs...

Five Promoters (on speaker) - "Hi Richard, I believe you've signed Kim Nilsson and want him on a 4.5 average?" Richard - "Yes that's right" Five Promoters - "And why do you think that this should be allowed?".. Richard - "Because its in the regs, the regs most of you wrote".. (30 seconds pause).. One of the Five Promoters - 'Quick! Someone get me an effing pen"!!!

"In the interests of Speedway"...

The Tallest Dwarf is the The Premiership...

And who would actually ride for them?.. They'd have seven U21's..... Well, six and Simon Lambert ..

Just looking at the criteria gives you plenty of loopholes I would think... And as has been mentioned, Riss on a converted average will provide plenty of room for guests if his head injury comes back, after he has ridden enough Premiership matches.. A "proper sport" would of course say anyone who has achieved "elite status" by reaching the GP's, should be 7.00 (at least), especially as so few HL positions exist over here due to only six teams, suggesting any GP rider should be in the "top 12" of UK Speedway, given so few top level riders ride over here.. And anyone who has to pull out of a meeting due to a known recurring injury should mean his team only get RR, at best, as a facility.. I am sure Richard Coleman will enjoy himself pitting his wits against the other promoters..

No, you must track two U21 riders with at least one having to be a home nation rider... The second can be UK or foreign...

It's nonsense isn't it?... We have averages for the riders, but we won't always use them.. When you don't use what is already there you then get subjectivity, which then, understandably, leads to questions of integrity... Riders have an average, gained by what they did, and could have gained that average in a league with a higher standard then today, or maybe weaker, we won't be able to tell, hence subjective reappraisal is done... Regardless of any time lapsed the average you last delivered should be the one you ride again on, as basically the UK end up rewarding riders for giving it a miss... The sport needs to be far, far more transparent..

Zmarzlik said the same, then signed in Sweden again for next season... Lambert is going to be a dad soon so, very understandably, won't be wanting to be doing too much travelling, over and above the already "loads" that riders do.. Edit. I still personally think that the Thursday meetings, which make up the majority of UK tier one meetings, won't be a great "pull" for the top riders who don't live over here...

The Danish league last season raised its game considerably... Looks like it is intent on doing the same next season...

The Speedway Star has a page dedicated to "this week "x" decades ago", and it is truly incredible how the same things get mentioned... With usually at least one promoter being quoted as "this needs to change", (to something that still hasn't changed), or "we need to work together to get more people into the stadiums", (still doing well that one!!!).. The 2036 edition (if UK Speedway is still a thing), will no doubt have 2026 comments quoted which echo those quoted in 1996!!😁

Last year's agreed regs were done prior to Northampton being on board, but averages didn't change when they did.. The play off structure changed from the top three in five, to top four in six, but nothing else..

Which would defeat the object of having them wouldn't it?.... If all you are doing is letting them ride against lesser riders it just says it isn't fit for purpose... If the aim is to make the top two tiers clearly different in standard, using the RS scheme in the top tier simply won't allow that to happen..

Just like Tom Brennan...? 😁 "Supported his career" over two whole seasons ..?😄

They did say that last season's plans were for three years didn't they?... Or was it two??? Either way, I presume all is sorted for 2027 and it is "as you were".... With maybe a TV deal on a mainstream or satellite channel as potentially being the main difference .

They do get judged against the mans game, which is ludicrous given the difference in capability... They are also not helped by the incessant media hype and coverage which tells everyone that it is great, and only sexists wouldn't see that.... An incredible amount of mainstream media coverage too, which doesn't reflect its size or stature, coverage UK Speedway would kill for.. As for the standard? My lad, when 16, (six years ago), and in a League One teams Academy played a one half friendly game against a Woman's Super League team and won the 45 mins 3-0... And it could have been much more given the physical differential, and speed difference, between the two teams..

I dont think any Aces fans are "in tears" given everyone knows how successful teams get broke up... One Aces fan may be winding up a few fans of other teams with his comments, and I am sure they will know what they are doing... (Seems to be getting bites too)..

There are several interesting podcasts, and media pieces, doing the rounds about the WSL and that since it's launch, in it's current guise when it took over the reigns from the FA in 2023, crowds have dropped from an average of 7,500 that season, to 5,300 (so far) this season.. The most worrying aspect being that any start up businesses should by now, three plus years in, be showing "rapid growth" if it wants to keep investors happy, and attract new ones as the initial "quick buck" investors leave, and not be losing over 20% of it's customers.. The reasons quoted? Amongst them.. A lack of tribalism with the events being more a social occasion than a major sporting occasion.. A disjointed fixture list meant planning to attend wasn't simple.. A lack of jeopardy as only certain teams can win the title due to their spend on their women's team. (One team has had a billionaire put in over £40m to ensure her "hobby" is successful, including paying a player a million a year)... A lack of prestige and kudos in winning the competitions.. Too many changes to teams' players, as the larger clubs buy the better ones, meaning that fan affinity isn't built over a sufficient time to engage fans' loyalty, and there results in too far a disparity between top and bottom.. If they had added in "too many guest players" it could have been UK Speedway's operating model..🥴

A great piece of work... Particularly this season as it provides a great reference point as to who can still ride in the UK under the new rules...

A unique sport (in the UK), where everyone basically becomes "free agents" every year... Meaning of course they then can freely seek out better terms elsewhere, or, to keep them, you have to at least match those better terms, which then adds to your budgeted costs, which may be unaffordable... People talk about development of riders, but as they often have two teams on the go from an early age, (more if they are clearly going to be any good), then no one team can really say that they were responsible for any riders development... And, of course, some will mention loyalty, however, in UK Speedway you could ride for every other team in your league over a season, therefore loyalty to any particular club would be a difficult concept to be seen as integral in UK Speedway... Especially as you can lose your place in any team for doing "too well" if your new average allows your team to replace you with someone they see as being better at that figure .. If Dan leaves the Aces, (he already has as the season has ended), then good luck to him... The only loyalty I would suggest he has in Speedway is to the Polish teams that have paid the considerable amount for his rehab when he has suffered serious injury... Even when the injuries happened elsewhere... It would be good for the UK to have him riding over here given he can be so exciting to watch...