Bunce

As a BT Broadband customer, which I must admit has been excellent with a fast reliable speed, BT have just offered me the full BT Sport package discounted. The first 6 months are free and the remaining 6 months at £7-50 a month via the Sky platform. I do have a Sky box but not Skysport as its way too expensive for my viewing habits. I thought this was a good deal as it works out at only £3-75 a month spread over a 12 month period and I get to see lots of speedway on my big screen TV and I can record it if I'm not at home. I'd be interested to hear if we are getting Swedish Speedway on Eurosport again this year, as it was excellent in 2016. And before anybody asks, I'm not an armchair supporter but a regular at Saddlebow Road since the late 60's, but I still enjoy any TV coverage as well. Looking forward to it.

Who can forget the "exploding" Witches at Saddlebow Road, one of my all time favorite incidents during a local derby.

Billy Bales still lives in Hellesdon, 5 minutes from the site of the old Firs Stadium. He is 87 years old now. Many years ago after he retired from speedway, he ran a car repair business not far from his home, and used to look after my car for me. Lovely bloke.

I'm no poet, but I penned this little poem as a tribute to the sadness all Bees supporters, and indeed all true speedway supporters must be feeling at this time. I've been in the same situation, and it broke my heart. With the latest news, it appears there may be a glimmer of hope for the future. lets hope so. I'm standing here this darkened night, the tears roll down my face. How could they know how much this meant, this track, this special place. The ghosts of times gone by ring out, the sounds of bikes and crowds, of giants of the speedway track, of Champions of the World. They all rode here, the best there was upon this hallowed track, the place where dreams were made, so often when I look back. We won it all in times gone by, the best team in the land, from League to Knockout Cup, oh boy we were so grand. But now the time has come, to say my last goodbye the place is quiet, the lights are out, it makes me want to cry. Why did it have to be like this, to end this winters day I guess we'll never know, as I turn and walk away.

A very sad day for Coventry supporters and Speedway in general. I started watching speedway at the Firs Stadium in Norwich in 1963, the stadium was within walking distance of my home, and it led to a life long passion for the sport. What happened at Norwich all those years ago, was the same scenario, the land the stadium sat on was worth more for housing than the return from the activities at the stadium. Like Coventry, we were promised the moon, how a new track would be found, and we would be up and running in no time! 53 years later, I'm still waiting. Dozens of planning applications came and went. Public inquiries, petitions, you name it we tried it. Fortunately Kings Lynn was only an hours drive away, so since the late 60's I became a Stars supporter. Its not the same though, as having Norwich speedway with its history and local connections, and I'm sure it is the same for Coventry supporters. You want your track in Coventry not miles away or sharing with somebody else. I wish you all the luck in the world, and I hope you have better fortunes than we did here.

Tiddler Turner was a great rider. Like a small child on a bike that was too big for him, he could just about touch the ground. When he started riding, he would carry so much speed he would either win the race, or fall off. It was usually one win to four falls to start with, then slowly he mastered the balance, until he would start winning more of his races. To see Tiddler in full flow, was a sight to behold! Fabulous memories of a great entertainer, he will always be one of my favourite Lynn riders.

According to the Rider database on the BSPA website, Josh was born in Norwich. BAILEY, Josh DATE OF BIRTH: 3 September 1997, Norwich, Norfolk. BRITISH CAREER: (2014-15) King’s Lynn II; (2016) Scunthorpe, King’s Lynn II; (2017) King's Lynn, Scunthorpe, King's Lynn II.

Excellent news about Josh Bailey. This is what the lower Leagues are all about, bringing on the cream of young British talent and then giving them the chance when it occurs. Riding in three Leagues will be very hard work for Josh and his family, and I'm not really expecting him to pull up any trees in the Premiership, but experience is what it is all about and he can have no better example than team mate Robert Lambert riding along side him. He is going to be a very busy lad, but I'm sure he is like most riders of his age who relish the prospect as they just want to "ride their bike" Good luck Josh, you deserve it.

Super interview Mike, it was nice to hear Jason again and I dreamt I was back on the terraces at Kings Lynn all those years ago when we had "Team Australia" Thanks again, and perhaps you could update us all on how the meeting on Saturday goes? Dave.

I totally agree about the speakers. May I suggest Buster that you have a walk around the first/second bend area, when there are bikes running in the pits, and tractors grading the track, and try and hear the announcements! There are too few speakers that are too far apart and pointing in the wrong direction. I have often moved my usual standing spot simply to hear what is going on. Needs attention please.

Perhaps waiting for James Sarjeant? Better get a few sets of spare tapes in stock!

"Maybe no British league speedway, but BT do the GP's (as well as Moto Gps) Problem last 12 months has been Sky do British league, Eurosport doing Euros, and BT doing the World GP's To get all you had to pay into at least 2 of them, the cost to many is a breaker." I agree OveFundinFan. My solution was to have BT Infinity Broadband, so I get BT Sport 1 for free and Eurosport for free. I then bought myself an Amazon Firestick preloaded with Kodi, and watch Skysport and hundreds of other channels and films for the one off cost of the Firestick. It works pretty well for me, as I have a fast 52 Meg download speed, and like you I couldn't justify the cost of paying for Sky Sport, for the odd occasion I watched Speedway. Sky do Now TV which I have tried for a 24 hour sport pass, but that was £6-99 last year. I used it before getting the Kodi and it worked fine, but once again more expense for an old age pensioner! Bye the way, I was having lunch with Ove Fundin at the World Speedway Riders Dinner in Norwich last October, what a lovely guy he is, and looking so well for his age.

How do Lynn fans think Troy Batchelor will go this year? I'm hoping we see a different Troy from last year. He suffered with that arm injury for a long while, and I think his confidence was affected by it. We all know he can do it, and on his day can beat the best in the World. However we also know that if things don't go well for him, his performances can be frustrating to say the least! He is also not a lover of wet tracks, and unfortunately it rains a lot in the UK. I guess we shall just have to wait and see. He has had a good winter in Australia, and I'm hoping he comes back to the UK on a high and can bang in some good scores for the Stars. If he starts well, I think he will be vital back up for Holder and Lambert, and we could potentially have a terrific 3 man spearhead for this season. Fingers crossed and lets bring it on.

"Sky are crap." Sorry, can't agree with that comment damosuzuki. Firstly, you don't have to pay to watch it if you don't like it, and tell me where else you will get a production like that? I think their coverage over the past few years has been excellent considering its not a mainstream sport. I'm surprised at times they continue with it, when you see how empty the terraces are at many stadiums and the number of cancelled and rain affected meetings they have had to put up with. It costs them a fortune to televise a meeting, and then to get it rained off must be very frustrating for them. It was only a few years back when we had NO television coverage at all, and its still generally ignored by the BBC and ITV. I can remember the odd BBC go at it. Usually involved one distant camera on the centre green, going round in a circle to follow the race, and commentary from Alan Weeks. Think yourself lucky that Sky have given us the coverage we have now, as one day they may pull the plug, and we will have no TV coverage at all.

I'm sure everything possible is being done behind the scenes, but it is a worry with only a few weeks to go to the start of the new season, that there are so many unanswered questions still there. I was also wondering what SKY make of all this, and how it will affect their view of the sport in the future? Maybe they should concentrate their coverage on the new Championship League, where there are far more teams, and greater stability each year. I'd be happy with that, after all there is hardly a glut of World class riders in the new Premiership for 2017.

Great rider, and terrific team man. May I wish him a long and happy retirement from the sport, and maybe hope he will still be involved in some capacity in the future. Well done Leigh.

In my younger, more foolish days, we did a treble header. Lynn in the morning, Ipswich in the afternoon and Peterborough in the evening. I remember years ago, doing Lynn v Hackney in the morning, a meeting at Rye House in the afternoon on my way to see the Hackney v Lynn meeting in the evening! Can't remember when it was but fortunately I stayed at my Aunts in Ilford before heading home the next day.

I've also just watched Mike Bennetts interview with Darcy & Lizzie, and thought what a great interview it was. Mike, you always put people at ease, and it was nice to see the two of them so relaxed and positive in their outlook. Darcy must have had many dark days since the accident, and to have a network of friends and fans around him that wish only good for him, must be a big comfort. I hope the two benefit meetings go well for him and he continues to progress well with his rehab.

youtube has a few heats from a number of the state meetings. Search WA SA QLD solos.. Thanks for that, I'll have a look.

Any online videos available for the recent Australian action folks?

Very sad news. Bryn was loved by all who knew him, a real giant in the sport. My condolences to all his family and friends, it just won't seem the same without him.

There are probably a combination of factors that have had an effect on the track, but I'm sure its not been the same since Huggy left.

Thanks for the info Halifaxtiger. I don't follow the Mildenhall news quite as closely as the Kings Lynn news, and although I knew it was an ongoing problem, and a definite threat to the existance of the Club, I couldn't remember reading anywhere what the outcome was. Hopefully that means the future of the site is secure, which is excellent news. Thanks again.

Although I am a Kings Lynn supporter, living near Norwich gives me frequent opportunities to visit Mildenhall on Sunday afternoons. Have I missed something regarding the issues with a noise complaint from a misguided neighbour, who threatened to call a halt to Speedway at West Row? Obviously Mildenhall is running in 2017, so perhaps some kind soul could enlighten me as to the outcome of that issue? Was it resolved, or is the threat still there? I'm hoping there was a satisfactory solution to all the parties involved, and I can continue to enjoy Speedway at Mildenhall in the future.

"Chris Holder is the new No.1 at KL." Is this fact Monster Daz? I thought the final parts of the jigsaw were to be announced at the supporters meeting on Dec 16th. If you are correct (not doubting your inside info for one minute!) then this is great news and will put lots of bums on seats. Thanks also to Maneacat for the link to the Matt Ford interview.