Hawk127

I cannot see what the problem is. It adds another dimension and those who are forced to ride in Poland is tough luck. Why not give it a chance. It is a learning curve for everyone and for those who are not purist it adds something that can only improve the status of the GP. Yes it becomes technical re starting positions but it now seems to take on, not just the bikes or the track but tactics. My view and it is personal but it is a welcome change. Well done all involved and if it is done properly how many polish league tied riders will want to miss out on practice. Well done Polish speedway, you are spoilers for the most important competition and your self righteous view may eventually come back to bite you on you Polish arse.

According to BBC Radio Suffolk, Bomber is having his scaphoid screwed back together but still hopes to ride on Thursday. Madness to perhaps contemplate this but who knows. Just remember ‘act in haste repent at leisure’

Why is it that a sport which has quite a few young riders cannot attract the younger fan base. Clearly this young rider base cannot connect with these fans and it is simply a sport that from a participation aspect is beyond the reach of the average youngster unlike it use to be when grass trackers progressed into speedway. It is costly to get into, not high profile enough and won’t make the newcomer a fortune or famous overnight. Perhaps low cost standard bikes etc and not the high performance machines that are used today might make it an option for a few more but in reality people will just have to accept that it simply does not work for a younger generation and never will given the choices that are available today. It is only a matter of time before it becomes a part time amateur status option for a few in the U.K. and those who are professional will have primarily Poland to race which continues to be a hot bed for talent and supporters something the U.K. will never replicate.

A genuine question. With all that housing around the stadia how long can it last? Knowing how some people can be, surely the residents will get together and petition the local authority and then further restrictions could be imposed in terms of start and finishing times etc. and the Robins then face an uphill struggle to continue. I really hope it works out for the Robins but I would not trust any of the non speedway parties involved.

That is the point, they no longer exist. Go back a few years and you had home grown local talent from the local grass track scene etc. and if you are old enough you should know them and no one needs to list them. If you are not of an age and attended in the golden years then read a few good books about the history of Ipswich speedway and all will be revealed. Suffice to say that today you have seven individuals most of whom could not team race to save their lives and it makes you wonder why anyone bothers with league racing and simply does not hold individual meetings and the those riders linked to a club who have accumulated the most number of points try to ride as a team at the end of a season and you then have the play offs. Avoids problems with rain offs, postponements etc. And you simply have a cut off date. Of course this is far too simple to work and the BSPA will continue to live in a dream world.

I think it is a bit much to refer to it as a team given that it is no more than a bunch of individuals with no loyalty or local knowledge or upbringing riding under the Ipswich Witches banner. Even Harris whinges that he had to start finding new sponsors having lined up a few around Peterborough and is possibly in transit. Most witches fans were able to support and follow local home grown talent and more recently rely on the Louis family to be the back bone of Ipswich speedway. That last remaining foundation has gone so expect criticism from here on in given that someone north of the border has got his hands on Suffolk’s number one team. Sad to say that the frequency of home meetings has not improved and the golden days of weekly speedway at the Heath are just history and will be no more as long as the farce of two leagues carries on.

Maybe all that has gone on is a trial run for team squads. East Anglian teams sharing the Chapman preferred riders with media and management centrally controlled by numero one. No one believes any press release let alone the cobblers involving the aging Mr Harris. CL probably did get fed up with the way things had worked out in the lower division and decided to drop out of being responsible for the Witches but sadly if the pre season shenanigans is a foretaste of what is to come, then that is it. Surely it is time for those promoters who really believe in the sport to make a stand and form a break away branch. While it may be too late for the East Anglian teams who knows what could come out of a rival authority with a vision to take the sport forward. Nothing on the team building front or the press releases are likely to entice new supporters or win back those who have drifted away having found other things to do on a Thursday evening. The golden era of the Ipswich speedway is long gone and possibly as a form of entertainment it is now past the sell by date.

I wonder whose choice that was. Confirms who is pulling the management strings. Sad that it has reached this state. A bit like politicians no one will believe what CL and co say ever again. They sold out and let down most witches fans.

I think you are partly right but many loyal supporters who are not forum members will turn up. Sad that single handedly and in such a short space of time he has managed to be so devisive and brought the sport into such disrepute yet being in charge he really could not give a fig. Lies, misleading stories, no public denials and staff silenced would appear to sum up his style. Sadly he appears to be less than a professional businessman and he lacks man management skills and his public persona does not endear anyone to him or his cause, look back at his interviews on TV. Unfortunately it is his money and he is calling the tune and the only way to get back at people like this is hit them in the pocket. That means boycotting meetings. Who is really going to do that? Supporters have a choice and can make stand but will they do it. Add to the unhealthy situation of one company owning three teams in one league in one part of the country and that is bad news for the future of the sport in this region. Add to this the monopoly known as the BSPA which needs breaking up and/or given a bloody nose says it all about the sad state the sport is in and the dire situation that speedway in East Anglia faces. Fans of all three clubs must be wondering what they have done to deserve the current situation.

Agree with this except that the sport has done away with individual meetings, open track licences etc. and therefore is a closed shop. Ride for a club and do as they say or your options are limited to non existent. The riders are not a special case it is those in charge who limit or restrict the options for young talent to be involved in competitive racing which is what they need to really test them and they do this by saying in the main, it is team racing or nothing. You could also blame the clubs who vote through decisions at the AGM and cannot see further then the next team meeting. Without the open meetings and/or a decent second half to the main match in which it is open to all comers of a reasonable standard where they can race against more experienced riders, the talent that is around will take much longer to come through the ranks and probably lose the will to live before they ever make a mark in the sport.

The question is how many more have to go to the wall before Chapman and co realise they have little left to manage. He has patched up one league for his own benefit but seems to forget that if the paying punter does not like it they simply will not turn up. Nothing has changed and Ipswich nearly closed once before. History has a habit of repeating itself. Could it happen again at Ipswich? Possibly because like so many club supporters that have drifted away, all the majority wanted was a weekly fix with riders who would race for their team and not a ‘team select’ but this not going to happen. Rider costs are out of control and punters have a view re the value they are prepared to pay. The gap is too wide and cannot be made up by sponsors any longer. They could have one professional league and two amateur leagues with part time riders. To expect three leagues to be sustainable on a professional or semi professional basis is living in cloud cuckoo land. The BSPA need to get a grip and take a long hard look at what they have done to the sport, bite the bullet and deal with costs and look at whether the sport can survive the next five years and how many teams they are prepared to lose on the way. Alternatively relax the rules and let clubs operate open licences and try a stop the decline in track closures. Once lost rarely do they return within a reasonable time frame.

People paid to watch eight riders compete in a 16 lap speedway race at Ipswich so what is the difference with eight riders doing the same in flat track. Perhaps you have not seen the 16 lap final.

Agree. This thread needs a bit of livening up and you can always ignore the flack knowing that at least a few of us are behind you. Maybe a long way but we are right with you.

Possibly. Evans has failed to invest and picks a manager who was out of his depth and not up to the job. Louis picks a partner who not up to the job and is unlikely to invest in an asset. Next we will see Delia cook the last supper for the tractor boys and the witches. Sad but the Norfolk brethren have the upper hand and it is not going to be Suffolk’s year. Still we have the Fen Tigers to keep the flag flying and Foxhall in the safe hands of Spedeworth.

Would Antonio Lindback or Vaclav Milik be options or even Kai Huckenbeck. Is Chris Holder able to ride in the U.K.? Whatever happens they really do need some fresh new faces to wear the Witches race jacket and not fall back on the ‘old guard’

For just a split second I thought Chris had pulled off the all time rabbit out of the hat when I read on page four of this week’s speedway star, ‘GP at Ipswich?’ . No wonder team building had taken a back seat I thought then the let down, bloody Aussie track. Oh well can but dream

A European rider was mentioned as a possibility. Would any of the following feature, Jarek, Andrei Lebedev, Martin Smolinksi, Zagar, Nicki Pedersen, Andreas Johnson. Alternatively given the state of the sport could we expect a team that includes Scot, Jeremy, Chris, Paul Hurry and Swirderski (only joking about Chris). Seriously, the silence or lack of information is not good for potential season ticket purchases and sponsors. I just hope that the Louis clan do not rue the day they sold out the good folk of Suffolk and Ipswich to the arch enemy north of the border. Buy back agreements are questionable and when you are dealing with Chapman and co count your fingers after a handshake. You may find yourself short changed.

Agree.

Name them.

Nothing of any substance, waffle, hot air and all pretty meaningless. No riders named which is what most are seeking and in Louis’s case he probably would not put out a release like that thinking it to be a waste of time and an insult to the intelligence of the fan base.

Perhaps Chapman has an embargo on press releases etc. when it comes to team announcements and he has to approve everything before it goes public. It is his show and he will call the tune, Louis and GED are just puppets and he would not want one of his lackies stealing his thunder. If you sell your soul to the enemy most know what eventually happens. Perhaps someone who uses twitter could try contacting one of them and see what feedback you get. Louis would seemingly be reasonably open in the past, if he is not now, you have the answer.

I am afraid I totally agree. That unique identity that made Ipswich special with a rural feel and grass roots challenger riders who made good and gained respect from the rest of the league as they travelled and battled hard. Suffolk riders that made the Witches what they were and no real glamour stars until the latter years. Even those world class riders that joined the club were adopted by the good folk of Suffolk and made welcome and were appreciated. Good local support with riders you could identify with and at least Ipswich was independent. That has all gone as the club has been sold down the line as a commodity and that is how the new owner will view his investment. Don’t believe the rhetoric it is nothing more than a commercial opportunity that if it does not work out will be dropped like a hot potato. Let’s hope that fans do not rue the decision of those you thought you could trust.

I suspect that the option is if Chapman was approached by a third party to buy Ipswich, Louis would be offered first refusal but if that bid by a third party could not he matched by Louis, Chapman would sell to the the third party. No one knows at this stage whether these deals will work in the short to medium term but it is what it is. I still find it difficult to believe either of them particularly in light of the EADT interview. Louis must have known at that stage what was on the cards, the deal was not done last minute. He has afterall known the Chapman family for many years and last season was probably the straw that broke the camels back. Disillusioned by what happened on the track and the antics of a few riders must have made him question if it was all worth it. Cannot help feeling that something very special has been lost by a Suffolk born and bred promotion selling out let alone to the arch enemy north of the border. Few will trust any results between the three teams. Won’t take long before the seeds of doubt re match fixing are sown.

I agree, it is time to worry and when you look back and see at times his body language last season and take for example when riders refuse to take to the track, you have the tail wagging the dog. On this basis you cannot blame the Louis family for taking the money and getting their feet in the traps ready for the off. When you have upstart riders dictating the way today’s sport is run rather than adapting themselves and bikes to track conditions and consequently ruling the roost why would any right minded invidual continue to underwrite financially a business which is largely out of the control of the owner. Chapman has history on subject of rider rebellion and with the likes of Rory able to influence others and in doing so bringing dissent to the sport without repercussions sums up why as an owner you should be ertified. Sadly this sport has changed irrevocably and those days of local loyalty from the top with real characters who have charisma in the sport are but a distant memory. Ipswich and Suffolk Speedway will never be the same. Today that door closed.

Someone else owns the club so Louis’s word are pretty hollow. It is irrelevant how long you know someone, Chapman will do what is best for HIS business. If the change brings back overseas riders such as the Poles to Ipswich and also provides weekly speedway than that is fine, a possible step in the right direction but what chances of both happening. Will the local East of England clubs also run NL teams or development teams? Has anyone of these characters ever considered the thoughts of supporters? This move simply shows how vunerable the league is with two clubs dropping out and no one else willingly seeking to join the top tier. What price the survival of this league. Surely this is not answer to the state that speedway finds itself in. I give it a year before it finally implodes.