Hawk127

I think that sums up the difference between managing a team/running a club and presenting a meeting. I would say that the majority of those owning/running clubs have not got a clue when it comes to presentation and it comes across as Mickey Mouse. Speedway well presented can be second to none but in the hands of hopeless idiots who even fail to acknowledge the punters standing on the terraces and continually take them for granted sums up why the new punters who are around give speedway a wide birth, no value for money, piss poor presentation and cloth cap attitude that runs through the heart of the speedway promoters. Well hey chaps, it ain’t working and former as well as potential followers are lost/not going to fill the terraces because you guys in charge really do not know how to sell the product let alone promote it. And you wonder why speedway in this country is not on the entertainment radar.

I don’t think that is the case. The sport needs an open minded approach as was the case years back and an example is Rye House before the Rockets moved from Rayleigh in 1974. Before that Rye use to operate on a open licence and I believe one of the main open meetings was the Ace of Hearts, happy to be corrected on this point. Going forward what is required is a reality check. If some tracks could offer open meetings but not team racing and if others want to participate at a level which is a notch down from what we have now but is designed to be competitive and a stepping stone for riders so be it but until clubs encourage growth from the grass roots upwards the sport is continually chasing its tail for a stream of talent to break through into a potential professional league which in reality is only the top league. The sport in this country can only afford to provide a full time income at the top level where because of the top names they can attract a certain level of sponsor but below that reliance is on local sponsors or run by offsetting losses against the main operating business of the promoter (not speedway related so it is a hobby) to fund rider contracts but this is a precarious route when you look at the financial situation businesses across the UK find themselves in with increased costs from NI to business rates(where applicable) energy costs, medical cover, fuel costs etc. What right minded sole would enter the speedway arena where you have a cartel running the sport, lack of training for young talent and rules that are set to stop all riders breaking into the sport. It didn’t happen years back and you now have Nora because of the intransigence of a few who in charge for some reason have the attitude it is my way or no way. How many riders have been lost to the sport because the rider points average has impeded a riders progress and promoters ignore development of the sport in favour win the league at all cost and manipulate the rules to achieve success. Every existing track in the UK (running now or dormant) should automatically be granted a licence to run meetings. The level they want to operate should be declared by each track operator at the end of October and the league racing participants as opposed to open licences be declared in the first week of November and then the leagues can be determined from which the following seasons planned programme can be agreed. Of course that depends on a number of other factors but for now you have disarray with riders looking to plan for next season but the UK is dragging it’s heals which is the same as usual year on year because forward planning does not feature in the operating model. No rider in their right mind is going to hang around on the basis of a promise. The UK authorities need to up the ante and consider the mean of the word ‘professional’

I know this might seem a daft question but is any local radio station doing a live commentary of the meeting. It has happened in the past with other final meetings but I suspect that old technology has been superseded by pay to view. Shame really when many a local stations still cover football live.

No you are right and if you go back even further Canterbury on a Saturday and Eastbourne on a Sunday. Many a happy time following Rayleigh on the visits to both these clubs and throw in Crayford, Peterborough and Ipswich, happy times back in the late sixties and early seventies and good crowds with the odd scandal involving fuel additives etc and Dave Lanning or Johnnie Hoskins stirring the pot and the tribal following came to the fore. Romford was another track in the group so you always got good crowds. After the meeting at the Weir all roads lead to the blinking owl cafe on the A127 where the riders also use to go.

Watching the coverage tonight really rams home how poor the t v presentation outside Poland is, they have most angles covered and treat it as a professional sport and if only the rest of Europe and the UK could adopt this. This afternoons meeting showed a young and enthusiastic following with that tribal attitude and that formula needs replicating across Europe and this evenings meeting is another spectacle. We live in hope that others can follow.

Why not repeat yourself to make a point!

A good afternoons entertainment and with it nip and tuck and an enthusiastic young crowd it had just about everything you would want from a finale. On to the next meeting alas the last this season.

Tension mounting what a heat 13.

Great race by Kvech. Deserved that win.

Harsh on Keynan but that’s racing.

Anyone who has access to Facebook take a look at Ipswich stadium and it is packed to the gunnels. Crowds that speedway can only dream of but hopefully a GP at Ipswich and let’s hope BelleVue can stage one and generate a good deal of interest for the sport in the UK. Until then take a look at tonight’s match in Poland to remember/realise how good it can be.

What more could you ask for but some of the best riders entertaining you on a Saturday night. Takes me back to the days at Rayleigh on a Saturday night and Len Silver putting on a meeting that was guaranteed to entertain and waiting for the results to come in from the likes of Coventry, Canterbury etc. Tonight’s Polish meeting is top draw and sad that we have now reached the end of the season. Another days racing tomorrow and again thanks to the guys who help give us this insight to European speedway

As an aside to all the tribal discussion, just seen the World Championship banger meeting starting today at 4pm at Ipswich is sold out and the only way to watch the meeting is on Spedeworth TV. I guess the stadium holds circa 10k and if Spedeworth can organise an event like this then no reason why Mayfield cannot fill the stadium for the GP.

A decent meeting and the last four heats had some of the best racing. Well done to Leon Madsen. These individual meetings in Europe bring out the best in the riders and I only wish we had more individual meets in the UK with some real prize for being the winner. Dream on as far as that is concerned and thanks for the links for this and all the seasons meetings we are indebted to Racers & Royals and Stewmac for the valuable contributions that they make which enable many to watch European speedway. Cheers guys.

Yes that was it and unfortunately I witnessed that one standing on bend 2. Getting old so the memory is not what it was but that was one of the worse crashes I have witnessed and the silence while they attended to Mark was awful.

Did they also run one from Felixstowe or am I imagining that?

I think you might find that the local residents behind the pits area of the stadium and East Suffolk council who are very strict objecting to music and bars added to which the curfew which in itself is amusing. The bikes can race but I believe they cannot use the tannoy system to announce results. Years back the meeting overran and while they raced to the end of the meeting no announcements. It is amusing though that the bikes noise lasts minutes whereas a stock/banger meeting races go on relentlessly for several hours(with short breaks to clear the track) but it always seems that the complaints are about speedway. The plus points are the planned changes to the stands and track and historically the fact that the speed weekends have regularly attracted thousands of supporters, so a GP can easily be accommodated albeit hotels may be an issue for overseas travellers as most are in the centre of Ipswich and i don’t believe that they have direct public transport links to the stadium so that is something that needs to be considered for punters staying in the town centre or arriving at Ipswich Station. I believe that it can be a decent venue for a GP and those who have a downer on Ipswich holding the event should wait and see. Don’t base views on what has been, RC has ambitions and he has a point to prove so let’s give him and his team a chance. Remember he only rents the stadium from Spedeworth and if he has convinced them to make the changes then don’t under estimate what can/will be done.

That was a decent meeting this evening and thanks to all the riders who made it worth watching and thanks to the guys who provide the links so that we can watch some of the best speedway available in Europe. Onward to next weekend.

Most can argue on here the rights and wrongs as to ability of each team competing in this league and the Aces have been smart so you cannot knock what they have done but each team can only perform against who turns up on race day. Ipswich failed to use home advantage and that sums up the position. I really do not believe that the majority of Ipswich supporters have an axe to grind and accept that this season has been a make do and hopefully every team and possibly a few more can re-group for next year. The Aces have been smart and deserve a crack at winning the title and most on here look forward to a competitive final and a safe outcome for the riders who go all out to entertain.

Pretty tame affair from a t v presentation aspect and those on the terraces look like they are attending a wake compared to the enthusiasm and gusto of a Polish meeting. This type of presentation confirms why, apart from Poland, the sport should not be shown live. This is not going to attract punters.

God help the sport if they think Ipswich is a venue that should hold a round of the GP. Ideas above their station comes to mind. Speedway has lost its way if those in charge seriously think that Foxhall Heath is a creditable venue for the sports premier event. Stranger things have happened.

This is a far cry of how things use to end and it is a shame for those who turned out tonight for the last meeting of the season. The Aces have also been short changed as the second leg is a non event and if it were possible it would better to save money all around by not running it and the Aces await the opposition from the other leg. Why waste money on opening up the stadium to run a meeting which has nothing riding on it and will no doubt cost the club money.

The Aces deserve the win, the Witches are a shadow of what they used to be and this is not what the play offs were meant to be about, the climax to an exciting campaign of racing but not what you have on show today. No wonder the punters have left in droves and thankfully terrestrial t v is not showing this live or otherwise. Excuses will be forthcoming but frankly memories of what use to be far outweigh what is served up now with a piss poor league and too many outside factors influencing the quality of league racing. It is not entertainment it is an endurance test.

Does it matter given they are the best available and Joe Public ha not got a clue as to the standard and hierarchy in the sport in the UK. Speedway in the UK does not and cannot compete with any other league in Europe but those viewers who tuned in and looked at the event found something different but they have not got a clue as to who the riders were and at this stage it is all about attracting punters. You could have conference league riders but it is all about four riders on bikes with no brakes going head to head on powerful machines that would scare the sh.t. From the average bike rider. if packaged in the right format viewers will follow. Trouble is the presentation needs honing to sell it as a great form of entertainment and not chase the idea that it should be shown live as spectacle. Live televised meetings are the achilles heal of speedway and no sensible promoter would suggest that the live meeting are the answer. Any punter who attends a live meeting recognises that t v transmissions are a disaster and the armchair audience simply accept what is served up which compared to the Polish t v offering is in the UK rubbish

Seems very encouraging and the reasons behind not showing the Premiership play offs makes sense but given that the final tends to draw in the crowds I would have hoped that an edited version could be shown on ITV as a round up to the season and whet the appetite for 2027. Also interesting to read Phil Lanning’s views on the subject. This also has some merit with a weekly round up rather than live meetings but the main thing has to be to get the sport in whatever format on a free to air channel to reach the biggest potential audience.