Hawk127

Instead of speculation perhaps the authorities should canvas those riders who are prepared to commit to riding in the UK first and foremost and calculate how many riders are available to ride every week on a race night that suits a UK club, not Poland or any other European league fixture list. Reward those riders who are willing to make a go of it in the UK by guaranteeing x number of meetings based on the commitment to ride. On the basis of the foregoing, determine the make up of teams, be it five, six or seven riders per team. Then look at whether it works on one home and away or two home and away or a mix with 4TT plus league racing. Also have a Season long individual UK championship with rounds held at every track and a grand finale at say Bellevue one year then Glasgow the Poole etc, share it around. The idea is build for the future on what you know you have not the uncertainty that prevails today where it is a case of finger in the air and hope. True speedway followers will be happy with competitive racing week in week out, others who crave the worlds top riders will follow them through the many individual tournaments be it a GP or Euro championship or Poland where in the case of the latter money seems no object when it comes to enticing the top riders. Speedway UK cannot compete with any European racing partly because of Brexit but also it races on a night when riders can earn some pocket money here because no other league is daft enough to pick Monday as a race night and I suspect that most who ride in Poland etc do not keep the best equipment in the UK so you are probably not seeing the riders at their most competitive. Unfortunately all those on here who could make up a committee that could give some direction and work with the promoters to get the sport back to where it should be would be largely ignored yet they are the same people who week in week out put money into the clubs by crossing the threshold of the turnstiles and helping keep the sport going. A message to those in charge, engage with your punters.

I think you are being a tad cynical, everyone knows on sits on the top table that the presentation is fit for purpose why else would it continue if it wasn’t? On the other hand it could do with a tweak or two, black leathers to start with and possibly use of the latest Jap engines and introduction of a track spare (and that is not the person running the shop) and of course 13 heats to save on costs. Maybe introduce a rule that allows only Aussie, South African and Scottish riders to compete in the league. Those changes would fix it for sure.

Whatever the good folk on this forum think and you can read many a worthy suggestions that could make a difference to the sport, the problem is it is a niche product run by a closed shop of promoters looking primarily after their own interests but trying to market a sport with no level playing field as far as machinery used is concerned with riders basically dictating what days they will race because that have commitments elsewhere around Europe. On machinery, back in the day when the bikes were roughly the same a rider could jump on the track spare and still win races and was partly down to rider skill and not the power of the bike. Up and coming riders using the same type of machinery could often run heat leaders close and sometimes get that surprise win. Today you have throttle jockeys on highly tuned machines that cost an absolute fortune to maintain trying to negotiate a range of tracks that were just not designed for today’s machinery. Wholesale changes are needed from the way the promoters run the sport to presentation, machinery, rider attitude and lot of thinking outside the box to take the sport to another generation. The trouble is no one on the top table is either interested or has the balls to rock the boat because of the ramifications from the closed shop controllers. One can only fear for the sport and the sad decline due to so many factors some of which could have been avoided/stopped in their tracks but no one could step up and say no. It probably says more about the lack of respect on the top table for the fellow owners of clubs that no one listens to each other.

Too many years of putting heart and soul into Ipswich having stopped it going under in the 90’s and then pandering to the hierarchy who run the sport to not selling out to Mr Chapmam to not having weekly meetings and being left with what is a shadow of what the sport was just a few years back, just how much does an owner/ promoter persevere before you decide I am flogging a dead horse. I remember weekly meetings at Foxhall with good support and every effort was made to get a meeting on despite the weather etc but now that has all gone by the wayside. The Louis family have put more than most into the sport but surely they eventually draw the line on a failing business model.

You clearly don’t read a lot of the crap on this forum but as yo say everyone has an opinion but on this forum but free speech is not allowed.

Your opinion it who cares. You really are an FCW

Watching Ben Cook tonight in Poland he does not seem to be having too much trouble riding his bike. Lynn fans are being shafted and that extends to this chap sticking two fingers up at UK speedway. He needs to made an example of and not allowed to ride in the UK for the rest of the season. Most supporters are fed up with people like Ben who treat supporters over here with such disrespect.

Spot on and the Ipswich promotion have always worked hard to get the backing needed to track a competitive team and you never hear of a rider not getting paid. All the years that I have been going, you know that Chris and John have always put heart and soul into making the witches a success. Other promotions could learn a thing or two from them when it comes to running a club. One minor concern is if it goes one league and the product is watered down that will not sit well with Chris. Maybe Emil and Jason’s recent performances could be down to being told that next year they cannot be fitted in so why bother busting a gut. Who knows but whatever the Witches do they will always have good support because they manage to create the feel good factor.

It is not just the number of riders that are or are not available that is an issue, it is the format/presentation that needs to change. Scratch races over two laps etc and a range of point gaining options are needed not just four laps of strung out races. The sad thing is nothing will change with the way the sport is run.

Unfortunately I doubt any Polish rider would want to commit to racing in the UK given the uncertainty of a fixture going ahead and the strung out fixture list where some clubs can go two or three weeks without a meeting. These Poles are successful because of the track time they get on the continent and since Brexit it is too much of a hassle to move equipment back and forth to the UK. It would be good to have a Polish squad tour the UK but I doubt that would happen either.

Impressive and maybe this is down to investing in younger riders and giving them more track time. It would not happen in the UK because of so few tracks and the reluctance of punters not wanting to watch riders who are honing their craft. Younger riders need the tracks to offer more in the way of competitive racing and if the decision is to run with one league, have five man teams for the the first match and the second match is made of teams of riders under the age of 21 who over time are feeders for the main team.

Yep. It also says it all when the usual streaming services cannot be bothered. Sad really that the sport if you can call it that has reached its nadir. I guess the NDL teams and riders are the future because these riders want to race on any day that earns them a buck and they are in it for the sport and willing to give it the all and who would not want to support that sort of commitment. Speedway U K needs to take an inward look at what it has and come up with a formula that will attract punters. What it has now is dire.

Resting? No need to over do it when the result is in the bag. A good meeting and thank you to both sets of riders for putting on a great show and entertaining the poor relations in the UK who can only dream of stadia and crowds likes those tonight.

Brilliant win and a great evenings racing, what more could you ask for.