Hawk127

No problem, I did not think you were. It probably needs to change but those on here can only voice an opinion, the people in charge are not interested in genuine and constructive comments on this forum. Onward and upward😀

I do not disagree. I was talking about the rider not the farcical format. A long way to go to decide the championship but I accept your view re the scoring system hence you could question whether the format is fit for purpose. I do not think it is.

Based on what? He has little opposition and he can only compete with what is on the stage. I accept your opinion and only time will tell but as it stands who would you say is on the same level based on the way the competition is run. You do not have the best riders in the world competing but an amalgamation of nation riders because that is what those who pay to broadcast want to see. It is far from ideal and perhaps selling out the sport to t v has brought about where it is now. I do not know but for now it is the best option speedway has to promote itself even if it is not ideal. On to the next GP.

Smarzlik is a methodical professional rider who will turn out to be the greatest world champion the sport has ever had. It will take something very special to lower his colours. While others try he simply goes about the business of grinding out race wins when it matters and is at the top of his game with little competition. Maybe the format is wrong as you do not see the best riders in the world and until you go back to a series of qualifying rounds with an ultimate final based on the top scorers, it is what it is. Well done to Smarzlik and big thank you to the SGP 3 riders who served up something a bit different and some decent racing. The sport has a future but needs direction.

OK Thanks. Good rider whoever he is related to 😄

Cooper top of the leader board after three races so not bad.

Niki, nephew went like a rocket in that race.

Good ride for Cooper, made the rerun pay. The racing is not bad and these lads are giving everything.

One final point, what the hell has an Ipswich thread got to do with some bit part supporter from Cirencester got to validly add to any debate.

Why. You suddenly become the fat controller. Everyone is entitled to an opinion but clearly you think your view is the only one that counts. If you don’t like it tough, do not read it. As I have said trolls like you are not speedway supporters. I could give you some advice but the powers that be would probably ban me. For now FO.

Promoting stopped back in the late 70’s. I can remember seeing posters etc around Rayleigh and on the A127 etc on most race nights and plenty of articles in the local press. Saturday night and bank holidays at the Weir were packed with families in the stadium and a good smattering of away fans on the back straight. Best were Eastbourne, Ipswich, Canterbury and Crayford but you also had Bradford, Sunderland, Crewe, Ellesmere Port and others who made the journey. Alas this has all gone now and we are left with a shadow of what it used to to be.

Ipswich have been fortunate to have many a loyal supporter through thick and thin as have one or two other clubs. Unfortunately missed opportunities to reinvent speedway itself such as after the pandemic were not taken up and instead the status quo has been maintained which has not helped Speedway UK. It does not have the crowd following, infrastructure, stadia or t v exposure that Poland has and the reality is it never will. Cut your cloth accordingly and look first at the domestic structure and then the global scene going back to the old days of international series and the cream of domestic stars rising to the top to compete on the world stage. As it stands the UK riders in general have ideas above their capabilities and need to get real. A few can make it but 95% are never going to match the Poles let alone some of the other nations. Look at the USA, who had the world at their feet and then it all fell apart. Speedway UK is at the crossroads, act now or it will disappear into oblivion.

Just watching the introductions to the Polish meeting on tonight. Where did it all go so wrong? This use to be Ipswich on a Thursday with weekly meetings but now hit and miss, poor fixture scheduling and a sport that in the UK is on its last legs. Those that run the sport have capitulated and we are left with the dregs. A very sad situation but thankfully many on here will have seen the best of days when weekly racing was the norm and supporters turned out for individual meetings as well as the 4TT and local derbies. Best get to live meetings when you can because it cannot last as is.

Same riders as in Poland but not the same enthusiastic crowds or professional presentation. It is good to see these matches and you can see some good races. but alas it is a bit flat in terms of presentation and along with the UK TNT presentation is a long way behind the Poles in terms of being a spectacular event that makes you want to go along to the track week in week out. It use to be good in the UK with weekly meetings at your local track but no longer. Perhaps the sport needs a European super league to reinvent itself and make it more appealing to the public at large and then leave it to the lesser nations to run a domestic league on days that suit the local track rather than being forced to run league meetings dictated by external factors. It is good to see these matches and live TV but it can do little to encourage punters through the gates when the stadia are relatively empty.

You are wasting your time on this forum. Simply watch, observe and digest if you can and do not bother to respond, this place is no longer for genuine speedway followers but for the trolls who believe that no one else is entitled to a alternative view or valid comment. This use to be a genuine exchange of views from genuine speedway supporters but now, with a few exceptions it is just a cesspool of vitriolic views by few and fewer real supporters of the sport. Watch the response to this to see what it is like.