Hawk127

I think that the the whole concept has now been lost. Supporters use to watch/follow the sport for the racing not just team meetings which in reality no longer exists. Gate and go merchants with no real control of the machine and the ability to team ride is totally lost on the majority of riders. Whatever happened to a good competitive race. Track time is essential so no meeting is a gimmick and with a little bit of forethought a pairs meeting as previously suggested with a flat £7 or £8 entrance fee and kids for a £1, is a calculated risk but more a case of speculate to accumulate in the hands of the right promotion who know how to sell the meeting. If every meeting other than a league match is a gimmick then the idea of it being an accepted two wheeled professional motor sports is dead. League racing has become a bunch of individuals who are no longer team players/riders and the income calculation is no longer conducive to a team sport. I can understand that the idea of racing other than for league points will in some people's view be a waste of time but what is it that attracts most punters to watch and in my opinion it is the risk not the team. Leaving all else aside it is still a good form of entertainment and the riders have my utmost admiration. Leigh Latham, every Ipswich supporter owes you tonight. Well done Scunthorpe

If Ipswich do not make the play offs how about one more meeting being a handicap pairs meeting with the riders from Mildenhall or any NL team pairing up with a witch and in each race the witches rider starts off on a 15 MTR handicap. This would give fans a chance to see the type of riders coming through the ranks and also provide a good old fashioned farewell to the witches riders. Perhaps Chris Louis could ride a match race againt Mr Tatum for the 'king' of Sky presenters trophy. Probably a daft idea but with all that is wrong would it not be nice to finish a season as many teams use to with some light hearted fun and games.

If Ipswich had been run by the likes of those who have in recent times promoted Peterborough, Oxford, Birmingham and others, speedway would not exist at the Heath. If anyone can afford to step up and guarantee a sound financial base for years to come I am sure both Louis senior and junior would step asidebut given this is highly unlikely, be thankful you still have speedway at Ipswich. Other teams around the country have a bleak outlook so think long and hard before you deride the efforts of the current encumbents. How about laying some of the blame at the inept performances of one or two riders and the fact that that the sport is run by a closed shop and until an independent body is formed to run the sport, the majority will have to put up with an inferior product and those that screw the system and those that play by the rules

If Ipswich are not fortunate enough to get through to the play offs and do not win on aggregate against Edinburgh, with just the 16 Lapper left, could Ipswich stage the meeting that was lost at Nortside as a result of vandals or stage a meeting with mixed engine sizes and the new up and coming talent? It would be good see what the future may look like.

I am not sure if it is feasible, possible or worth asking but tracks like Ipswich are likely to have spare dates so would Chris Louis consider allowing Ipswich to host this round after all he has been intimating that the future lies with these young riders so why not. I like many others would like to see some future talent. I would even put up some modest prize money if it came to Ipswich - say £500 if it is held at Foxhall Heath.

Possibly one answer could be to scrap the current league set up with seven man teams and instead have a squad of riders represent a local team or a team of sponsors in a season of individual meetings held at every track. The season is made up of qualifying rounds and then your have a series of different matches that constitute a sort of play offs. The top scoring individuals have a one off final. Then you have the top two from each squad race for a pairs championship and then the top four in a 4TT and then a final team match of seven riders made up of the seasons top scorers from the squad (no points limit). Four teams contest. This format may be attractive to the top riders who have now turned their back on the British league. You could operate a similar arrangement using pl and nl rriders. It would need some working out but might just reinvigorate the support with a chance of seeing top riders with those coimg through the ranks getting the chance to race against some of the euro and gp stars. No longer rr or guests just sixteen riders in each meeting racing for points and season ending glory. Alongside this they could introduce other classes such as 250 and 125. Just ideas and thoughts and ready to be shot down in flames but it might work and could attract more sponsorship with sponsors renting tracks from clubs for meetings.

The coverage is like the sport, passed its sell by date. It is going to take someone special/something special to turn around domestic racing to make it an exciting product for general viewing. GPs will survive and a few individual events plus those leagues that feature top riders but everything else will become an inferior product and will Not justify the airtime. For fans to get a fix, streaming will eventually be the only option unless someone with pots of money wants to start a channel of satellite devoted to two whelel sport and includes regular speedway. Perhaps a subscription channel may work

Is it more about the skill of a rider and the ability to learn his/her craft and then proceed through the ranks in terms of engine size/power. As I see it and I am no expert whatsoever but we see far too many riders who are simply not in control of a 500 cc bike on the current range of tracks. Speed and lap times are not the be all and end all. Few if any of the current crop of riders in the existing three leagues can team ride and many are gate and go merchants and the skill or art of racing seems to have been lost. My view is learn the track craft needed to race on small circuits, and graduate when it is clear that as a rider you have some creditable skills and can handle the bike. No need to push any youngster further or harder then they are really capable.

The fact that speedway live or otherwise has been on Tuesdays is still better than the efforts of Sky this season. However it appears that most forms of 'oval racing' are suffering a decline in spectator interest. Watching Motors TV, the numbers watching stock cars, hot rods and bangers at Ipswich and other raceways were woeful. Is this a sign that however scarce the coverage is,people would rather sit at home and watch highlights or the odd live TV meeting than attend a live oval motor sport event

If NP is as bad as other riders have been suggesting, why not collectively refused to ride in a meeting when he is due to ride. If they wish to make a point refuse to race against him in the GP. If not accept him for what he is and get on with the job.

Thanks DutchGrasstrack your feedback is very much appreciated. Best make sure we pay homage to Assen and give it a good send off. To some it may seem early to ask the question but we don't all have the luxury of taking holiday when we would like to and need to plan well ahead so Ghostwalker your comment is neither helpful or has any point to what was simple inquiry therefore, why you bothered replying is hard to fathom.

When does the fixture list become available for the world championship? Does anyone know the dates for the meeting in Berlin?

I asked a simple question and cannot fathom some of the vitriolic responses. I do not support Lakeside but went to Arena when speedway originally started at this track and it was more out of concern for losing another track/team that I posed the question. In part it was answered in that they will run in 2016 but if land could be found elsewhere given the pressure for house building in the current vicinity of the track would a move further afield be considered or feasible. For example the Clacton/Tendring area of Essex has various spots where it might be an option given the limited season that Elite tracks operate. Would the temp planning permissions now work given they have so few home meetings? All of this is from someone who is concerned about the sport in general and I do not want to sit back and watch the decilne to amost extinction of a motor sport that was once one of the best to watch and support

I read about the offer for the televised meeting, how long can Lakeside operate at the track? Are they looking for a site close to the existing track or in Essex generally?

Thank you to you all for the replies. Public transport and walking appears to be a minimum of two hours. Best pack a picnic as I am bound to get lost!!!!

Totally agree with RMC it was all about the racing and the team not the top stars. I wonder if those who follow NL feel the same. Seeing the top riders in the 60's and 70's was always interesting but I have to say you thought nothing of it standing on the terraces on a Saturday night at Rayleigh and hearing the results from the other teams racing that night having just watched Boston or Canterbury or Romford. Happy days regular 1 to 7 and no prima donnas. Hard racing, team riding and not just gate and go. Why we bother with league racing as it stands is something I simply don't understand when teams are made up of borrowed riders, guests, r/r etc. Change the format so that it is either 4 team racing or regionalise to get local rivalries going. No disrespect to either team but Plymouth versus Berwick or Edinburgh does nothing for either side in terms of travelling support etc. people are no longer willing to travel great distances given the costs and the sport needs to wake up this fact. How does it reinvent itself, is difficult to say but something needs to happen and perhaps going back to grass roots and standardising bikes etc might just be a start

Can any Berlin fans let me know the start time for the meeting this Sunday and the best/quickest way to get to the track from the centre of Berlin (Sauvigny platz)

What is going wrong with Ipswich? Foolhardy to run tonight! Struggling team! Poor management decisions and fans drifting away at an alarming rate. Where do they go from here or is it just the sport in general? After many years of being a supporter starting with Rayleigh in 1969 It really is at an all time low and it is going to be difficult to recover. A huge revamp is needed because as it stands speedway is dead in the water in the uk. Promoters really need to stop burying heads in the sand, wake up. Fans have finally had enough and they should stop taking the proverbial. Either stop pretending and run it as an amateur past time or get professional

Is it time for a last throw of the dice and revamp it entirely. Say six or five man teams (given the injuries and shortage of riders plus that fact that so many teams are running with guests or R/R) or even go the whole hog and operate on four man teams and each league meeting is a 4TT similar to the way Germany run. Alternatively, split the teams North & South and see if it helps with travelling support and have end of season North versus South (top two from each contest finals in early September. Replace some of the league meetings with Pairs meetings and have a season long British Individual Championship with every track in the Country including NL tracks holding one round. For riders to be eligible to compete they must commit to ride in the UK for a minimum number of meetings in the season (say twenty and these can be league and pairs). Change the meetings to be made up of two/three disciplines - Speedway 500cc and possible 250 or lower and the Short Track and maybe sidecar. The aim here would be to try and attract a more diverse crowd. Just thoughts but something really does have to change otherwise you could see it becoming just a few NL tracks operating and the odd individual meetings. PS Any news on a new home for Coventry?

Having never been to an ice meeting, I was impressed and particularly the way the Austrians rode. The crowd were enthusiastic if in some case a few were a little the worse for wear re the beer but Berlin did a great presentation and the riders gave a good showing. If as a traditional speedway fan you have never been,give it a go you will be surprised. Pity I cannot make Assen but I'll certain do more meetings next year. Anyone interested in the Berlin meeting watch Motors Tv this thursday. Anyone going to Berlin next year, spend the money and go for the main stand or first bend near the entrance. Having stood on Saturday on theback straight i would not recommend it.

Why not allow the IOW to run open meetings and make it the main track to race the 'formula 2' open speedway meetings. Alternatively affiliate riders to premier or elite teams and have them enter four man teams to the type of speedway rather than NL and see if they progress any better with a lower cost product to attract new talent to the sport. Another solution, hold the super seven events at the IOW track.

Maybe the sport as a team event is not as entertaining as the individual meetings such as the GPs and European Championship and needs to be changed to get the numbers back on the terraces and make it a bit more interesting for the viewers. Team riding is rarely seen these days and if you accept some of the professional comments about the bikes being too fast and in some hands, out of control, then maybe the answer is two fold. Look again at the bikes and attempt to standardise them to a point where greater rider skill comes into play. Next change the format of league racing so that individuals can race for themselves and as a team by making league meetings four team events. This may attract back the top riders if you can limit the number of these Elite four team event league meetings. Each team will have four riders picked from a squad plus two reserves. Ideally this is run in the period May to August with a play off in September which is held as a festival of speed weekend at a neutral track. In between you then have two leagues where the current Elite teams can also enter a team in either the PL of the NL. Each team will have six riders only and compete over twelve heats. They then have a second half which is an individual event for the UK Individual Championship with the top six scorers from the team meeting eligible to rider in the individual event. Again in September it culminates with the top 20 riders from each league in a final to be declared champion. Having repackaged the sport then try again to sell it to TV. Just some thoughts and a lot more work needs to be done but if you compare the crowds in say Poland and Russia and other countries where top riders attend individual meetings then perhaps the answer is to compromise and try something different.

Rayleigh - Ivan Miller, Brian Foote, Ted Hubbard, Terry Stone or Red Ott, Tiger Beech, Trevor Barnwell, Geoff Maloney, Bob Young, Hughie Saunders

I also noticed that Ipswich and Plymouth have been promoted to the Elite League (according to Sky's fixture list anyway). Has anyone told the other teams yet!!!

Forgive the possible ignorance on all that goes on in the NL but one of the things that seems to affect the riders/clubs is the lack of meetings (and I mean not just due to the weather) and track time and this will get worse if you have fewer tracks operating. Therefore would it be possible to have the league meetings, the KO cup meetings and a NL British Championship where every track gets to hold one or two rounds of these individual events. Those who find it difficult to operate a league club could be given 'open licences' which use to exist years back so that they could just hold the ocassional individual meeting. And it is probably a no for most speedway followers but why not have mixed meetings with speedway and short track if that is what it takes to keep the various marginal tracks operating until better times come along. Why does it just have to be speedway, why not festivals of speed with other two wheeled motor bikes who could race on shale. Afterall, what stops short track riders formimg teams as well to run alongside the speedway. While the EL and PL do what they do, it is the grass roots level where perhaps they could make a stand and with a mix of disciplines and show what an evening of two wheeled entertainment could be about.