Hawk127

I think due process has to be done. You and no one else has any rights to,act as judge jury and executioner. If what you say is true then the authorities will deal with it in accordance with the law. You have no rights to know anything at this stage and it could prejudice the correct outcome of what may be a serious allegation. Do everyone a favour and curl up under your Aussie shell and mind your own business. Let due process take its course. Your assertions probably have little to do with the Rye House current track/meeting issues and add nothing to the substance of the debate.

The comments were made on facts and based on what is in the public domain. Late filing of accounts etc can be verified by going on to the Companies House web site. The references to other issues is not relevant and for the record I have no knowledge of any suicide or the full facts re the Stoke situation. Those points iarebnot for this thread and doubt that they have any bearing on the cancellation/ postponement of meetings for Rye House. Sticking to the issues is probably the best advice as anything else may just be over stepping the mark.

Maybe the problems revolve around the financial status of the company that runs the speedway. Warren George Scott is a director of several companies including BMR Speedway Ltd, BMR racing Ltd and Warren Scott Racing Ltd. Three companies in which he is involved are on notice about late filing of accounts and that includes both the BMR companies. Warren Scott Racing has a major controlling interest in BMR Speedway. All three companies have given security including charges to Clydesdale Bank. It is possible that the businesses are cross guaranteed and if one or more are in financial difficulty, this would create events of default as far as the bank is concerned and unless the default is rectified within a fix agreed period the bank could crystallise its security to protect its position. It could take just one creditor to file for a winding up order and life becomes difficult. The speedway issues or more particularly the fall in income could be the catalyst that have forced non related parties to take action due to a deteriorating financial position where possibly the business is unable to meet its debts as and when they fall due. The suspension of racing would in effect protect the directors particularly if the company were to be trading insolvently. Hopefully the aforementioned scenario is not right but if it is then it may take sometime to get all parties onside.

Whilst the powers that be can share some of the blame for the current state of things, perhaps the fan base being so fixed in their ways does not help. Many tracks dare not run anything other than a league or cup meetings simply because the fan base does not want to see individual meetings and running the club on the limited number of meetings is in itself no longer enough to make it viable given the pay demands and cost of machinery. I still don’t quite understand the lack of interest with individual meetings when some of the better racing on TV has been those featuring individual riders. Perhaps if you had an individual championship that meant something to all participants and it could attract a sponsor or decent pot of winnings this might throw up one or two characters which the sport needs. You could have riders representing clubs and the gross points scored by those representative riders go towards awarding a team championship. On the reverse it might just be that league racing as currently set up will not work in this country any longer. Perhaps it has had its day as a seven man team sport. Riders rarely ride as a team and as has been said on many threads most riders want to earn a living and really don’t care who they ride for as long as they are on the track being paid. Clubs should be allowed an open licence and the new perhaps have the option of running league racing where strict rules apply to teams and rider availability and others run at NL level with individual meetings and challenge matches etc and if necessary put on a two wheeled evening with a reduced league racing format, short track and perhaps some other form of racing. It is difficult but one thing for sure i# that joe public have fallen right out of love with the current format, lack of meetings and racing on nights that don’t work for a variety of reasons for most of the punters. i still think that it needs to put its own house in order and if that means going back to basics so be it but forget the other nations, start ploughing our own furrow.

I think two leagues. One NL and the rest and if it is the same number that are open today in the pl and cl then it must be regionalised for financial survival. North and South each with own league and final being between winners of North and South. Cup competition on a national basis, best pairs, 4TT and individual British championship with every league rider eligible with qualifying rounds and final in September for the top scorers. Anything that stops the rot and wholesale closure of tracks.

The sport in the U.K. tends to have a history of racing seven nights a week and clubs rode on those nights that suited the local fan base. With few exceptions popular race days were Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Others found success on alternative nights because of the number of clubs in the various leagues. Now the sport has to share the action with other nations this is not conducive to the uK business model. Tinkering has failed. Ignoring the fan base has failed. Only the NL (except Stoke) seems to be getting on with entertaining the punter and providing opportunity to new riders. The BSPA have failed to listen and learn. They think they know best and that may possibly be right but those that really count, the fans do not agree.

If the team are unable to continue and that in itself is a sad state of affairs and the blame must sit with the BSPA who voted through the changes that have had such a detrimental affect on clubs and in turn lead to supporters not turning up on ‘off’ race nights one must hope that the speedway track is retained and perhaps an open licence can be granted to run some individual meetings and possibly share with short track until something more permanent can be sorted out. The sport really has hit a nadir and those in charge should hang their collective heads in shame. Time to have an emergency BSPA meeting, sort it out now and not November and allow clubs to revert to race nights that offer the best chance of getting punters through the gate and clubs generating some income. Sod Poland and the other nations, start thinking of number one. Are you listening BSPA?

I agree with Dean on the point of riders being unable to control the machines or having any track craft. Take a look at the Wolves match last night and most riders were all over the place. Some blame the track and the shale etc but the fact is the bikes are simply Set up in such a way they are overpowered for the tracks and conditions which demonstrates the lack of knowledge amongst many to read the conditions. Most riders are a liability to themselves and others and this is probably why many races are strung out and team riding is generally a thing of the past. Riders trust neither the machine, their own capabilities or those of the other three riders on the track. Years back this was not the case. Irrespective of Stoke’s woes, no one wants to see a track close and let’s hope a way forward can be found to resolve the issues.

This really is a poor public display and when you listen to the line up,with guests etc. This is one reason why supporters are drifting away. The sport is a joke.

The sad thing is that despite the many valid points for and against the fixed race nights raised herein and in particular how the sport could be improved no one who is in charge of speedway in the UK is listening or gives a fig and the riders tend to look after themselves. Supporters, fans, followers, all area irrelevant, the only thing management and riders are interested in is the entrance fee paid and the income from other areas such as food, car park, programmes etc. that go towards paying over inflated wages and money spent on bikes etc. The sooner the two guilty culprits realise that funds/followers simply do not generate sufficient income to make their demands viable. Why else are so many clubs in dire financial straits and so few new potential riders of the right quality and skills coming through the ranks. A radicle change is required but it will not happen. At the moment you have fewer meetings and lack of continuity with some clubs racing at home once every three weeks and this is another nail in the coffin. I doubt that any of the current encumbents at the BSPA are capable of pulling the preferable rabbit out of the hat and fewer clubs will be coming to the tapes in 2019.

Sad news indeed. Looking back it seems that some sort of controversy arose over Kelvin where Kings Lynn were claiming he was theirs. The good news was that he donned the Rockets colours on Sunday 4th May in a league match against Crayford scoring three points from four rides. The match result was 39 - 39 with top scorer for Rye being Brian Foote with 11 and for Crayford Laurie Etheridge with 12 point maximum. As an aside after 13 heats you had a further 8 races. The cost of a programme 10p. Kelvin went on to be one of the characters you never forget with that cheeky grin and as already been said, another type of speedway character that just simply does not exist today. RIP and thanks for being a ‘special one’ who made speedway entertaining.

Yours and Ipswich then bring Scott back to where he belongs. One last hurrah with Ipswich having Scott , Chris Harris and Rory leading the team they could then look at some up and coming NL riders who the old timers could train and educate? At least it might be entertaining and building for the future with the NL riders learning from racers rather than gate and go merchants. Then again the the idea of entertainment is of no interest to those who run speedway and the trainees think they are better than they really are so back where it started with no team racing and over inflated egos.

Unfortunately the way the meeting schedule is it would seem that many clubs have little chance to turnaround their fortunes. Stop,start for a variety of reasons and the inconsistency of racing feels like the whole thing is falling apart. Witches came close to shutting down once before and while it has a loyal following the lack of regular Thursday night meetings must be worrying for those running the club. Add to this the poor performance of one or two riders and the chance of making the play offs is seemingly a long shot with the current team. Success leads to better gates but the fans have only so much patience. One has to wonder what is the future for the witches. This great name is being dragged down into the mire by circumstances beyond its control. It is sad to think that not so long back it was the good old days, you had regular Thursday night speedway from March to October. Now it is a pale shadow of how good it once was and when you look back at so many great names who have graced Foxhall and worn the Witches race jacket, Jarek, Mark, Tony, Jeremy, Tobi, Ben, Chris, Tony, Piotr and many more who rode with pride for the witches. It is not rose tinted glasses. The reality is it was better not so long back and unfortunately it i# going down hill rapidly. Now it has to be fingers crossed which teams will come to the tapes in 2019.

Perhaps the reality is that the sport is dead in the water financially and it will need to eventually revert to semi-amateur status to survive. Not sure about the licensing these days but in years gone by tracks had an ‘open licence’ and could run individual meetings but not compete in the league. Maybe that is the only way some stadia can keep speedway tracks open. Rye House use to be one such track. I don’t know the answer but weekends and regional leagues might see more travelling support etc. but many hardy supporters are even unlikely to travel any distance if it looks cloudy as they have little confidence in the meeting actually going ahead. For too long the punter has had a raw deal and the powers that be have a long hard journey ahead of them if they want to rebuild the faith and gain the confidence of the supporters. Something radical probably needs to happen but with these so called businessmen allegedly running tracks/teams at a loss you have to question their sanity. If they are trading at a loss, are they trading insolvently? If the answer is yes then some should be calling in the administrators now otherwise the directors become personally liable as the limited company status no longer protects the shareholders/directors. Will the truth ever come out. Only when it is too late and most of the problems are because the sport is managed so badly.

The execution of this decision added to which you have fewer meetings in the Championship meaning that no team/rider can get some momentum going and probably a further reduction in fans going to mid week meetings probably will result in disaster for some clubs who may not come to the tapes in 2019 and others with a bloody nose financially speaking. Racing does not match the quality seen in individual events such as the British Final yet most supporters are fickle and only want league racing which is and will never be what it was many years back. Bikes have changed, with few exceptions riders can’t team ride and the double up is a joke and with no hope of the top stars ever returning to British racing you have a sport in its twilight years. It is going nowhere and those in charge have dug such a huge hole from themselves it is unlikely they can get out of the mire that they have created. The current fixed race nights are a disaster for the sport and would only work if the fixed days revolved around weekends and for that to happen and possibly see clubs survive, the sport at domestic level has to forget the other nations and start to rebuild for the future. The chances of that happening are nil.

Hats off to the GB guys. What a result. Well done to Tai, Robert and Craig. A great team effort.

Well done to the Czechs for putting up a show and the lesser nations who made it entertaining but the Aussies make it. A pity but last chance saloon for Aussies who scrape through and on to Friday when hopefully the competition really begins. No different to the World Cup as far as qualifiers so let’s see if the next rounds match previous years WTC

Yes apologies for not being clearer on the highlights. I meant all fifteen heats. I do not think it takes anything away and would perhaps encourage people to try a live meeting. The highlights is in effect what you get with repeat of GP and it seems OK on Motors with the Ice Speedway. Highlights in a magazine format might be more interesting with decent interviews with riders, promoters and referees rather than a few minutes with those who believe everyone understands what they are jabbering about when they end each sentence with ‘You know’. No we don’t otherwise the question would not have been asked in the hope of a sensible reply. Coverage of what is going on in other countries given that so many riders in the UK also have team places abroad. Widen the information given out and make it interesting. When was the last time anyone mentioned during a live broadcast anything about the bikes and the acceleration capabilities with no brakes. Rarely if at all is the answer. It always assumes that it is the diehards watching and not new fans. Many including myself could go on with this topic but life is too short and nothing will change. It is what it is both live and recorded TV as well as track attendance. You pay your money and make choice but is it any wonder that more and more have become armchair viewers when the whole idea of a meeting being on has become such a lottery.

If need be BT could do worse than contract to show both leagues given that the quality of racing, competiveness and standards are not a lot different but overall questions marks must hang over the sport that is so far in decline. Live racing is probably a bad choice. Highlights of a league meeting and extracts from other European league racing may attract a few moreuntes. The Freesport offering does seem to outstrip the BT offering and given the state of British speedway, I do wonder why BT sport makes any bids for domestic racing. I can understand the GPs but that promoted by the BSPA Is simply not worthy of national exposure. Time will tell where the U.K. exposure ends up.

Probably with the exception of the GP where you have a group of individuals going hell for leather against each other ‘team’ related meetings are dire because the skill of team riding and looking out for your colleague is a lost skill. League racing through to pairs meetings shows the same traits as the GP with individual riders looking out for number one.The gate and go merchants and those half a lap or more behind supports this up to a point. The SON format may not be ideal but the World Cup was becoming so predictable you might just as well had a race off for second third and fourth and given Poland the cup. People think speedway at the U.K. league level was dire but the mediocrity across most nations at least gives hope to the also rans. Probably best to draw judgement once this tournament has run its course until then treat tonight as a bad day at the office.

Time to stand up to the Poles who seem to want to rule the speedway world. This should be the final straw but cannot see the U.K. authorities doing anything other than roll over and let the Polish clubs treat the U.K. with contempt. Unlikely to happen but someone ought take the ‘fight’ to them. Change the format in the U.K. to one main league and the NL. Meetings to be run Thursday,Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday (for TV). Overseas riders permitted except Poles who cannot commit to league racing over here because their association will not allow them to ride on these days. Look towards internationals with the likes of Germany, Latvia, Czech etc. Have two parts to a meeting. The reserves in any team must be NL riders who double up. Squad system if necessary for all clubs. Something needs to be done to defend British Speedway.

Few countries if any can compete with the standard of the Polish stadia. In the UK the sport has ideas above its station and sooner people stop comparing it to other speedway nations the sooner it can get back to basics and start to rebuild. As it stands the stadiums, racing and coverage are nowhere near as good as Poland and never will be and what we have now is going down hill fast. A revolution is needed to change things not a bunch of sad businessmen who have lost the plot.

NIMBYs. Thanks for the clarification. I remember where the stadium was an it would have been a great venue. So many good stadiums/tracks lost to this sport over the years and the sad state the sport is in at this time, you can look back with fond memories and how lucky we were in the late sixties and early seventies. Just one part of the golden era of British speedway never to be repeated.

Yes I seem to recall that moving to Crayford was the original plan but some sort of problem arose and at the 11th hour the move to Rye House was agreed. Remember the first season very well as many ex Rayleigh supporters (me included) took the coach from the Weir to Rye. Still do not understand what happened to the plans to build a stadium in Rawreth Lane which would have a couple miles as the crow flies from Rayleigh Weir. At one time rumours also circulated about Southend dog track stadium staging speedway.

Maybe this is where the British speedway fan has decided to spend the hard earned cash rather than the mediocre weekly racing that is served up in the U.K. Most fans are perhaps now more discerning when it comes to the spend and with team racing poor to non existent, individual events at various levels are perhaps far more attractive proposition and spending the same amount as a weekly fix spread over a season but on quality yet fewer events is perhaps where the sport Is going and without some serious changes league racing is dead in the water in the U.K. It simply cannot compete with the top tiers of league racing overseas. We must all wait and see how things unfold both domestically and at international level.