Hawk127

Three rides do not need to go back into the pits. Time to stop this farce of given riders a second bite of the cherry. Freddie possibly if the bike is damaged.

S4C - Phil Morris commentating

Cannot make easy for them. They need to be tested!!! Only joking but they are all dropping points but it is what it is.

Compare the latest stats to those in the first group of races and you can see how things begin to even out. It is amazing the number of incidents and these guys generally walk away and get back on and ride as if it is part of th3 job. Not many other sports would you see high speed crashes and these guys bounce back. Something for everyone in this GP

Nope. It is more about the talent and that excludes the riders. Seriously the racing has improved in the latter stages and hopefully Dan can bounce back. Need to on pin Bart back but let’s hope we have a good close final group of races.

He has already done the ego thing with the quiz shows he has won and the success of his business ventures. Does not need speedway to boost it, it does not pay enough

Vatcher is part of the management team who all believe that he is gods gift to speedway. Still not sure if he ever rode a speedway bike and certainly he would have trouble inspiring paint to dry. Speedway in the U.K. needs a severe kick up the arse and putting pillocks like this in charge only confirms why the sport is on its knees. Come on Vatcher get on this forum and justify your position and explain your actions. I will not expect to see a response from you or the other clowns who run speedway in the U.K. Still waiting to hear where Woffinden and Bewley were. Poland’s best can turn up but I guess it is beneath the current crop of GP riders.sums up speedway in the U.K., look after number one and sod the rest of the potential talent

Thanks. Thought it was just me who recognised him as an FCW. Was he not in charge at Arena Essex and showed himself to a total dip stick? Still the powers that be hold him in high esteem and rank him amongst the great managers in British speedway who no one recognises and would not p... on him if he was on fire. Louis or someone with experience and credibility needs to get a grip and take control of these young chargers if GB is to be successful. Where are the GB Grand Prix riders and why are they not helping these guys.

That is what happens when you have an inexperienced pip squeak in charge. Like the rest at the BSPL he should go but in their eyes everything is great. Vatcher the man who threatened Kent Kings and no doubt who else. Why don’t you, Vatcher, do British speedway a favour and crawl back under that stone and let the sport flourish.

What team did team manager Vatcher ride for during his speedway career? Are any British top riders in attendance offering encouragement?

How qualified is he to know what is a good or bad track? If you are are a decent rider you tackle what is in front of you and adapt your set up accordingly. I guess the top scorers are crap because the track was the worse he had ridden. Basso get a life and learn from your peers, you are not in the same class as those around you. Come back when you can match Doyle etc.

Yes and I think it is 10 p m but if I recall it relates to the p a system. I remember way back watching races with no announcements as to who was riding or the results but it may have changed.

On the updates as at 20.53, 730 looking at Poole and 715 for Birmingham. Not quite the draw you would expect from a Poole fixture.

Maybe not but I would rather watch Doyle and others compared to Schlein, Ellis and Few others and if that is what it takes to qualify them to compete then so be it. The current line up hardly inspires you to watch lay alone attend.

Perhaps it should renamed the Commonwealth Final and you could have Doyle and few other decent riders in the line up and likewise the Australian Championships could invite a few Brits. Hold it at a weekend when the Poles are not racing and you might get an improved attendance. As it is only track locals locals a few waifs and strays from other tracks will make it on a weekday night. Devalue the product by attendance and race day and you have the best they can come up with. Says all about those in charge.

Not overly impressed by the line up for next week’s championship. No longer the prestigious meeting it once was. Also rans in the main. One to sleep through!!! Best you can hope for is Dan to win and Tom to come second and that gives a new face in the GP in Cardiff

Probably not ideal but could the Panthers temporarily use Mildenhall if it was available? At least it would keep the name/club alive rather than put the licence on ice as we all know that is the death knell and rarely does the club return. Perhaps the Panthers could track share with Ipswich and Kings Lynn. Good luck on whatever can be done to keep the club alive.

Totally agree but the way Kent has been treated by the authorities beggars belief. No doubt Vatcher has had an hand in the way Kent have been bullied and the rest of the governing body should hang their heads in shame but in the cold light of day they probably could not care less. They allowed the IOW to drift away and yet the IOW seem to be doing reasonably well because they understand the business model that works for them but you look at the sports governing body and they seem to despise those who want/need to do something different. Fixed race nights do not work given the rate of the current outstanding fixtures and need to extend the cut off date, you no longer have the flexibility in the running of 5he sport. Whatever happened to the days of open licence tracks? Where are the current day promoters who did what it said on the tin (Len Silver, Dave Lanning, Johnnie Hoskins, Charles Ochiltree, etc.) who entertained the punters and engaged with the supporters to create an atmosphere that made the rivalry an art. Under today’s regime you have the power brokers whose mantra is do as we say. If I had a track the only game in town would be Nora with invitational meets with top riders invited on the assurance of top quality sponsorship. Maybe easier said than done but I am sure if you plan an event with the best in town riding and exposure through the most popular media channels targeting the widest audience, sponsors would be interested. Sponsors are not interested in league meetings simply because you do not have the top riders competing against each other and they have become boring because of the contrived rules and regulations. Teams like Kent need encouragement and support, not penalising. BSPL think on.

The family seem to have gone to extraordinary lengths to keep the club going and gone to hell and back with their health and really do deserve support for the valiant efforts. Just a shame about the threats earlier on from the BSPL or whoever over the staging of Nora meetings and obviously with the intention of making the raceway a viable proposition. I really hope the BSPL are proud of themselves. You have to ask though why people like this go out of the way to keep the sport going when being kicked in the teeth by the governing body. Just shows that deep down some people really do care about the sport even if the bullies in charge prefer management by fear. Good luck with the fund raising and hopefully the club will be around for many years to come.

Great meeting. Saturday night racing, what more could you want.

Looking back at some of the big individual meetings, many were sponsored by well know names and as such the rider rewards were much greater and the big names wanted to take part which In turn attracted more punters through the gates. If you could get some decent sponsors with some top class riders from Europe to take part because it would be financially worthwhile and stream the meeting on YouTube or similar then it might work but it would take some organising by track owners/promoters and that in itself might be a major sticking point. They probably cannot be bothered. Team racing does have a role but team riding does not exist as we once knew it. Every rider generally looks out for number one. The Poles have dragged the sport up to a level which attracts big money, so it can be done with enough appetite to succeed and while it may not reach the meteoric state in this country that the Poles have, unless people start to look at what you could do rather than look for obstacles all the time the sport is doomed. Many supporters did use to look forward to the individual meetings and that had a lot to do with the fact that you had so many characters riding, favourite heat leaders, up and coming number 6 and 7 riders who sometimes got lucky against big names and you would get to see overseas riders. Then you had some real classics like the 16 Lapper at Ipswich which was a real spectacle. It needs a concerted effort to up the game in this country because with fewer and fewer meetings, the cost per meeting goes up as the stadium owners are not going to reduce the annual rental to accommodate a sport that cannot get its house in order and run a decent business. You are already seeing signs of reduced meetings with stadiums taking on other sources of income and speedway falls down the list as a priority client. Speedway needs to change or it will soon be a fond memory.

Agree. It use to be good over here with a plethora of meetings on Saturday and Sunday. Fond memories of standing on the terraces of Rayleigh listening to the results coming in from around the country on a Saturday night. Where did it all go so wrong?

Well done Dan Thompson, did not seem that his fellow colleague was interested in looking out for a joint effort and that is why the sport is like it is. Look after number one so team riding is a joke. Why bother?

Thanks. Falls a bit short of a Polish league meeting but it is difficult to know what will ever get u K punters through the gates of a British league meeting and you have to be concerned for the sport with the apathy of both riders and punters. How do you drag the sport back from the brink?

Other than the dozen or so on what seems the back straight, are any other supporters in attendance?