old bob at herne bay

Yup , know that ...... BUT assuming that the track and the staff will be available for one weekend even in PL doesn't run in 2026 ?

Bewley signed , thats good to see one English top rider in the UK speedway leagues. Got to be doubt over the affordability of Kurtz (even if he can be assed to race in the UK ) with the lack of money aound in PL 2026. unless BV have a big money sponsor

Yup , NEW faces are needed right across the sport , from the promoters stadium owners sponsors the team managers and riders. Someone to capture the fans’ imagination for 2026

Hypothetically of course the BSPL could ignore those two rules in the interests of the sport 😮

Surely will not be released at least until after the BSPL AGM and confirmation that the PL will be running in 2026 ?

Thank you for the update. I can only admire your patience and tenacity. Recently saw pictures of the local area being seriously flooded, including the nearby Railway Station.

The Dean Machine .... theres a common theme here with Speedway being kicked out of stadia, whilst the stadia continue operating other sports be it greyhounds stock cars etc. Do I sense that speedway racing and all its baggage is just too much hassle for stadia owners.

Nope .... sorry they would have to "buy" the club from Christopher Louis. Not sure that would ever happen.

Think the BSPL have a cunning plan. The clue was in their statement " a league of at least 5 teams" Come the AGM they have either Ippo sale confirmed and ready to go OR they have jointly agreed that they will run Oxford stadium as a BSPL "sponsored" track with a team in the PL. So at least 5 teams whatever happens to Ippo. Hopefully this has been signalled to Christopher Louis , who can either sell the club for 5 shillings or not at all and receive sod all. Either way the BSPL will run a PL in 2026.

Thoughts on a return of the Spires in 2026 , the saviour of PL 2026 ?

So Oxford could have their arms twisted and be the saviours of the PL 2026 ????

safe in the knowledge that there's no possibility of a PLor CL track opening within 100 miles of Old Bobs manor ... the out of season entertainment on this forum has reached new heights this close season. Thread of the year has to go to 2026 Premiership is Go! - At least 5 teams by Round the Boards

Yup check out google earth IainB ....... amazed that the GoKart track remains in place tbh. Maybe Lewis Hamilton practised there as well as Rye House 🙂

Ye olde pit gate , A per pro my earlier tongue in cheek guess, Google earth as of March 2025 shows the shale oval and the tarmac outer stock car track still visible. The first bend building has been demolished as have all the bus shelters on the back straight. … the steelwork of the home straight shed remains minus its roof. Never had a fence back when it first opened back in the day ….just some sticks to mark the track perimeter . Do I honestly think it’s a contender …. NO….the landowners want to build 600 houses on it at 500k a pop …. Not rent out a speedway track at what £2k a week for 2O weeks a year.

Think if Dean Machine and MD say no to an Eastbourne speedway revival then that’s NO .

Think if Dean Machine and MD say no to an Eastbourne speedway revival then that’s NO .

In summary seems Minimum of £100k needs to be chucked at any potential venue whether or not its a former speedway venue to satisfy the BSPL. Our AGM is on the 6th January, so get your skates on please. No late payments of membership fees will be accepted. On the granting of our licence , then you are guaranteeed a season of 8 maybe 10, or 12 maybe 15 home meetings in a league for 5 or 6 teams. We havent yet decided the number of teams allowed in our league , nor the exact fixture format. Fixures may be erratic and not run in some months at all , please bear that in mind when negotiating rental deals with your track owners. Please bear with us. Please don't try and run any other speedway meetings on your track without our permission or you will be expelled. We usually run meetings on Mondays or Thursdays, but as you are the last track to join the league you will have to fit in around either day to suit the existing tracks. Previous seasons have shown no clubs have turned a profit in this league, even with generous TV sponsorship which is not forthcoming this season. There are still some riders available to hire that have not been employed by the other clubs in the league. You will ahve to haggle with them to agree terms and as you are the last team to join the league you wll have to take what's available.

Ed Sheeran 👍

Never a fan of the p.offs, they were an invention so that TV could be at the meetings that decided the “league champions” over a 2 legged winner takes all final. with no tv and few teams they are just there to give a few extra fixtures in a PL season that looks to struggle to last more than a couple of months. Still stuck with the 15 heat formula for every meeting , maybe they might get a little more inventive and use different race formulae for the B and C fixtures ?

Lakeside Arena Essex Thurrock Raceway

As I and others have said before, and I will say again. What's the value of a speedway club for any potential buyer ? A bunch of fixtures and fittings. Goodwill (value heaven only knows) in 2026 in a league of 5 or 6 or another number Forecasts of future gate receipts based on last years books expressions of interest from some of last seasons riders to race for the side expressions of interest to past sponsors your team support from BSPL and Speedway Futures who really need you in their league Against that you will have to fund BSPL joining fees and guarantee bond Riders signing on fees new air fence Advance rent for stadium truck load of shale insurance

As I and others have said before, and I will say again. What's the value of a speedway club for any potential buyer ? A bunch of fixtures and fittings. Goodwill (value heaven only knows) in 2026 in a league of 5 or 6 or another number Forecasts of future gate receipts based on last years books expressions of interest from some of last seasons riders to race for the side expressions of interest to past sponsors your team support from BSPL and Speedway Futures who really need you in their league Against that you will have to fund BSPL joining fees and guarantee bond Riders signing on fees new air fence Advance rent for stadium truck load of shale insurance

all this suspense and intrigue.... it must be good for the speedway media to get some publicity and boost sales of the Speedway Star. But oh no this is speedway ..... don't use this as a publicity opportunity to spark interest in the sport to get the name Speedway into peoples minds ... KEEP IT A SECRET.

and there you have hit the nail on the head ........ the reasons that this old boy stopped attending speedway in the UK. What a bore.

hahaha ....... a bit like Gary Havelock then who won the WC after the track was waterlogged halfway through the meeting .... or Egon Muller who won on a specially prepared track ...... or Jerzy Szakiel wwho won a specially prepared Polish track ..... Come on - they are all World Champions , they won the championship to the rules existing at the time. Screen never made the top because he really couldn't gate. He could have reached the top...... yes I agree. He did not though. Poole Pirate Loram wasn't much better at gating , but he was consistently good enough for one season to give England a World Champion. Some other lesser riders like Hamill and Rickardsson were not as consistent on all the tracks and finished 2nd and 3rd.