Hawk127

So that true Suffolk link has now gone. No longer in the safe hands of someone who understands what the witches have been all about. The Louis’s have finally sold out which is no great surprise but a sad day for Suffolk speedway. Anyone’s guess as to how long the witches will survive but the reality is that something will have to give sooner rather than later. Three teams owned by the same person and possible dwindling support with sporadic schedule of meetings. It does not address the issues that Louis spoke about in the interview in the EADT. He really came across as someone who wanted to see change but is this the right one for the long term future of the witches. Time will tell whether this is the right move.

Agree. I only reacted to the post from Wealdstone. The only other reason could be that bangers/stock car numbers through the turnstiles far exceed speedway. Spedeworth for example have what appears to be a winning formula which speedway cannot compete with and you only have to look at the numbers at Foxhall for a banger/stock car meeting to see why Speedway is the poor relation.

The original quote suggested that they leave Kings Lynnn to stock cars and move to the EOES. Hence my comments. Here in East Anglia you have Mildenhall with its future unknown, Peterborough’s position unclear, Ipswich may look at the higher league, Rye House position not totally clear, Lakeside gone by the wayside and the possible suggestion re the Stars and all this in a region that has been a hotbed of speedway over the years and tremendous growth of local talent graduating from other two wheeled sports. It may be one of the few areas in the country where the proximity of clubs could make a huge difference to the overall well being of the sport. You could even add Coventry into the equation. Comments are really based on the sport overall and concern for its future in the region and if I am reading too much into things or got it so drastically wrong apologies all round.

So Mr Chapman who has presided over possibly one of the worse years in British Speedway is prepared to walk away from Norfolk and leave the county with no track and any possibility of local derbies with Ipswich and the rivalry that graced the East Anglia for many a year ever happening again. Betray the Stars fans and those who transferred their allegiance from Norwich all those years back. If it is true and it does happen let all those loyal Norfolk supporters and the wider support hope he fails and in doing so suffers plenty of financial hardship while he reflects on on another crass decision.

If Harris is owed money under a contract then he should go through the small claims court in an attempt to recover what is due and failing that go for a winding up order. It is all speculation and any court would probably overturn a ban where sums due had not been paid thereby constituting a breach of contract. The insolvency act covers this point of being unable to pay debts when due. If the company is trading insolvently and directors allow it to continue, they may then become personally liable. On the subject of Rye House and Lakeside as tracks not teams, it would seem that Rye House is the best option for continuation of the sport at whatever level. Lakeside as a track appears to be history. The Lakeside licence is on ice. Who would take that on with the options currently available. Rye House has a track and I suspect it meets current requirements otherwise why would the last few Lakeside fixtures have been allowed to have gone ahead so a glimpse of hope re compliance. Between a rock and a hard place for a team and venue but the sad thing is that the sport really cannot afford to lose two tracks in the South East.

Thanks for the feedback. It does really show why you would have to be start raving bonkers to invest in a track or a club where you are not allowed at the top table for a few years during which you are told when and how you run your business and any decisions made by those who are at best only considering their own self interest yet they can materially affect your bottom line and you have to accept it even if it makes no sense.They also want you to put up a bond in the knowledge that they can change the rules at anytime that can be detrimental to you and your business and you can do nowt about it and if you pull the plug you effectively get fined even though continuation could leave you with substantial losses. You have a sport run by a few incompetent people and yet next step up in the chain of command is the ACU who are in effect condoning the behaviour of a collective body that is not fit to run the sport. Good luck to anyone mad enough to invest in speedway.

I am sure you are right but. What could the BSPA do if for example an overseas club (German, Dutch, French etc.) decided to rent a track in the U.K. and put racing on using licensed riders from their own country? Racing under their own country rules and not using riders attached to U.K. clubs I cannot see that it would be anything to do with the BSPA. A bit like American football renting Wembley albeit not as grand. If a track owner wants to rent the stadia out to the highest bidder and that bidder is an overseas club which can arrange all the necessary insurances, medical cover etc. who could stop it happening? It is just a thought and I have not drilled down to the cost etc. but would it be a restriction of trade if the BSPA tried to block it?

No criticism intended but when people talk about Essex are they thinking south or north of the county. Would former Lakeside fans travel to say to Colchester or Clacton(I am not saying any land is available) which is a fair way off the original patch. Rayleigh fans travelled to Rye House and probably more latterly to Lakeside (or Arena as it was in the early days) but where is the real catchment area. It is important to find somewhere with little in the way of local entertainment and build on the fact that people can readily relate to supporting local sporting heroes and the entertainment is at a price point where people are prepared to spend the cash. I sincerely wish that the sport could find a home in Essex but my gut feeling is that with the demand for housing etc, south of the county is going to be a difficult nut to crack and perhaps any would be track owner/promoter needs to look at less densely populated areas of which you still have some in Essex albeit access is on B class roads. Good luck and let’s hope that another team is not lost to the sport.

1st April 2019

We salute you Workington, team, management and supporters. 2018 Champions and it will go down in history.

Just about it. Congratulaions to everyone at Workington. A well deserved honour. League Champions 2018 - Workington

It would be criminal if in the finest hour, Workington are lost to the sport. Let’s hope that this is not the grand finale and we see them next season and many more

Well done Workington, keep it up. Absolutely brilliant. Fingers crossed you can keep this up and go all the way 28 - 8 a good start.

Listening and really appreciate this and well done to the local BBC station. Good luck to Workington.

Matt Ford. Said he was looking at something abroad and anything north of Poole is abroad.✌️

If Mildenhall have financial difficulties as is rumoured and I am not casting aspersions one way or the other, the chances are that the current promotion will fold and if the riders are out of pocket then maybe that is the reason they are unavailable. If another track and team is lost there is no way back. NSadly the current state of the sport is probably a contributory factor but letting down another team in their hour of glory is probably unforgivable and Eastbourne fans and riders must be spitting feathers. On a positive note what a send off for Mr Dugard. They did you proud Sir and best leave it as the finest legacy any team could have made.

I am at a loss to understand how far downhill the sport has gone. Mildenhall cannot find enough riders for a meeting at Eastbourne and one wonders whether this has anything to do with the alleged rumours over financial condition of the club and the fact that it is supposedly up for sale. Perhaps riders are unsure about being properly remunerated. Here we are at the end of October and still unfinished business in two of the three leagues. In the upper echelons of the sport Mr May is whinging in the SS about comments on forums and claiming people don’t know all the facts. Well perhaps if he and his cohorts who run clubs were open, honest and stopped treating fans with such disdain and put the record straight rather than let speculation run riot then they would have no need to ‘blast off’ as he says. The comments on here and elsewhere manifest themselves primarily because none of you at the BSPA know fact from fiction and if it is so frustrating Mr May do something positive about it. You obviously read some of the comments, get some balls and respond. No one really slags off speedway just those that run it and some who participate or don’t as is the case with riders not bothered about meetings. Why don’t you all reflect on what a mess 2018 has been, admit it and then get your own house in order then you would find fans would have little criticism to make on a public forum, but alas for years you collectively have failed miserably. That Mr May is why people ‘blast off ‘ and will continue to do so as long as you treat the punter the way you do. If it is that bad, shut up shop and do something else, but as long as you involve the public you put your head above the parapet and have to be prepared to deal with the flack. Clearly you are having trouble with it. As the topic implies, it is a fixture shambles which is out of control and gets worse year on year and that sums the sport up as well, a shambles.

So often the Cinderella club but finally worthy trophy winners and the town/supporters should be proud and now just need to deal with Lakeside to cap a fine season and make history for Workington speedway. You all deserve the success and in a season which has been dire run by an inept organisation, Workington is the one bright outcome of a crap 2018. Thank you to the promoters and fans. Enjoy.

I agree. Simply state in the rules that the cut off date is the 31st August for the play off and the league positions at that date stand irrespective of the number of fixtures completed/still to complete. Start the season in April and clubs have five months to complete one home and one away league meeting. Outside those league meetings you can have regional cup (North/South preliminaries and the top of each division meet in a final October to crown regional champions). Those who do not qualify for league play off are put into a shoot out cup meeting. One meeting no home and away. Any team that has a eight point advantage is handicapped in the next race with the highest scoring participant going off 15 metres. It is simply a knockout and the winner goes to the next round and the losers lick their wounds. No second chance. I digress with the above knowing that no one listens but so many on this forum have come up with so many good ideas to make the sport more entertaining with ways to attract new punters etc. yet the collective powers that be think they know what the customer wants. How wrong they are and if by leaving things as they are with no radical changes you believe it’s OK, check your gate receipts next season and let everyone know the percentage fall year on year. With that fall what will you do? Rather than make the product more attractive, you will probably try and reduce the number of meetings further to match the drop in income. No wonder some are on the brink of closure. The BSPA do not deserve the free pool of ideas that are put forward by loyal supporters on here whose loyalty is being tested to breaking point.

And so the shambles appears to continue with the Panthers and Rye House/Lakeside with Workington waiting in the wings and eight days to the end of the month and still nothing decided. Feel sorry for Workington. But what can one say about this joke of a sport. Best decision that the AGM could make for 2019 is scrap the top two leagues and simply have individual meetings. That will give the incompetent lunatics allegedly in charge and control of events time to work out a winning formula for 2020. Until then most supporters have found other things to do because of the irregular fixtures this year so no real loss for the fans who may just crave more speedway if they see some close individual meetings. Alternatively rally around the NL teams that are the future.

It probably has a simple answer but why are Mildenhall not racing the final on Sunday or failing that Friday or Saturday. Thursday seems an odd day and will deprive them of some extra footfall that may have been willing to turn out when no work the following day. Whatever happens Mildenhall have had a cracking season and the trophy really does belong to them and not decided in a lottery meeting.

Just been looking through those few clubs still racing and struggling to rearrange meetings because of the weather. Here we are on October and despite having had a very good summer their have been plenty of teams who failed miserably to get fixtures on when the weather was fine. Excuses will be many but the reality is that no one who is running this so called sport is in control or can manage it. What is wrong with those who own teams that allow this regular annual event to take place? Rules need changing and must be robust. Race by a specific date or forfeit the match. Neither the owners or administrators seem up to the job and they wonder why those who follow the sport are leaving in droves . Has anyone in a position of authority at BSPA level or running a club the balls to come on this forum and explain why come October the fixtures are still a shambles. Clubs at a least two levels have unfinished business and are rapidly running out of dates but I suspect that the usual excuses will be trundled out. Most fans are fed up to the back teeth with the clap trap that comes from the authorities. You have no respect for those who put hard earned cash into your coffers If you are one of those owners of a club and have the balls (and I doubt that no one with voting rights at BSPA level will stand up and be counted) it would be interesting to hear, (and please don’t try and tow the party line,), why you individually or collectively as a member of an exclusive club, have allowed the sport to have almost reach its nadir. Why you cannot be honest and tell the most important contributor, the fans the truth and convince every one of us why we should turn up in 2019 is something I doubt has even been considered. Furthermore what do you intend to do to win back the support of those who have long since drifted off into the sunset. You owe every supporter past, present and future an answer. I would put money on it that none you at club or BSPA level will come on here and tell the truth but I am happy to be proved wrong.

Tai came across very well this morning. Good exposure for the sport. Cannot be bad that the BBC gave the sport this time.

That is a bit harsh. Cheating maybe, champions of a home and away meeting yes but not top of the league that accolade belongs to the Stars. This is just a circus and the clowns are!!!

The Stars finished top of the league with 53 points six ahead of the next team which l believe was Somerset. That makes them top of th3 league and on a full compliment of league meetings they are top of the pile.