Grand Central

Not entirely sure that says more about Frank Ebdon than Carl Stonehewer, though, to be honest.

Of course Frank Ebdon was front and centre at the time of the tape touching rule change in the mid eighties. When certain riders had great difficulty in making the transition to a different procedure. But the current day issue of unsatisfactory starts that plagued meetings for the last few years, and destroyed the last GP, was just not a feature back then. I wonder how Frank would have handled it. As an aside, when was it actually, that the jumping the start issue really changed. When did the sport change from accepting 'a flyer' to not accepting them at all. It ruins meetings for me so often. But I can't quite remember when the changeover in attitude happened.

Indeed it is. But I think there are many people involved in promotions who have left having suffered a fair degree of pain and loss (especially in their final year or two) that has been funded by their outside businesses as the Speedway business could not be described as viable in its own right, The rules of the sport and the bond with the BSPA tends to make sure that they get a gullible buyer with cash to blow on the sport to take over before anyone actually goes bust. And the cycle continues. Of course the Sky money made a big difference. Making some financial decision look sane when they were quite the opposite. The reality of life without that windfall could make the 'clubs going bust' numbers increase markedly. Unless they get a grip this winter.

Hasn't the reason the 'previous promoter leaves' been because he has lost too much money to continue ?

Strange how this thread has turned into 'Plumbers Weekly'. And I cannot undertsand the relevance. I just thought the laws of supply and demand have been understood for well over 200 years. So hardly a necessary task for us here. But now we have have established that those people who go into a trade that is in great demand and there is a lot of avalibale cash; can earn great money. Which applies to some Plumbers in Britain. Can we get back to the issue of people going into a trade that is not in great demand and there is not a lot of available cash.. Which applies to most Speedway Riders in Britain.

Whilst I appreciate the humour in that reply. I'm not so sure that the distinction is one of semantics alone. I do not think that Speedway is a profession for MOST Speedway riders. Nor ever has been for many. It certainly has not been seen as such for many of the years I have been attending. For SOME it may have had the attributes of a profession. But not for MOST. For most it has been a job that has lasted for a few years. Often as a 'part timer', And has been done alongside another form of occupation outside the sport, especially over the winter. Most ex riders are later employed in careers and professions that have had a longevity far exceeding their few years they enjoyed being a rider. To pretend that, today, when the Sport is in it's current state that the young riders have 'graduated' to a better place than their predecessors just tells us how deep seated our problems are and how difficult they will be to solve.

A job.

Everyone should have a pipe dream.

Yes. And for everyone of those 'out of the ordinary feats'. We all know of dozens more riders of the seventies, eighties and nineties. Who did the mundane thing of juggling a day job with travelling to meetings all over the country week after week. These lads, today, don't know the half of it. I know Philip Rising does not believe that the riders are 'bleeding the sport dry'. But their demands over the past few years and their 'wants' today. Are leaving it looking pretty damned anaemic. No matter what he says.

I am VERY happy to be corrected on that one small point. But still only what you can afford.

Exactly. As has been true for the entire life of the sport. But in far healthier times than these. I presume Richard Clark and his team would regard themselves as underpaid. And would certainly be able to get better money writing for more financially bouyant publications. Maybe even as plumbers. But they don't. I say thank you to them. From the bottom of my heart. But back to work on next weeks edition. From a dwinding audience who will only pay £3 We cannot afford to pay anymore than we are doing. In all walks of life. We are all in a similar position. Speedway riders don't deserve anymore crocodile tears than anyone else. Realities need to be faced and the riders need to understand that more than most EDITED To remove this section that I have been informed was factually incorrect. I imagine that The Star also has a large section of its writing done by unpaid people who have a day job elsewhere. It makes sense in the current economic climate. .

In the battle of the editors. I'm on the sensible McDonald side. The alternative is to believe in fairies.

Yes a very good assessment of the situation and possible routes to some solutions. But probably pointless if one hears the blinkered self interests of riders. Most of whom are listened to by promoters despite their, generally, limited intellect.

Years of following Speedway have informed me that no particular form of meeting can GUARENTEE 'decent' racing. But I think it is impossible to have watched the SGP for the past few years and not been impressed with the consistently brilliant racing. Far better than decent. In my opinion.

Well, it was simple enough for me to do straight after I subsribed. It does represent very good value at the current price and with the plan to add extra pages will add to that. But that is just the opinion of this old duffer. My name? ... Oh yes, J.. R .. Hartley.

As a correction to the above post. Online version of the Speedway Star works very well on my iPad, laptop and windows PC. Via either the app or at their website. Simples.

A very good post.One that puts that case very well. Made me rethink my position just a little. Maybe Mssrs Doyle and Holder could do with you to help their PR. Nothing that they say seems to ever project the reasonable view. They always do it in a way that provokes a 'stuff you' response from many of us

I am not arguing for it as a venue for Speedway. But on my many vists to the Queen Elizabeth Park and The London Stadium I have found the bars and resuarants in, and around, the adjacent Westfield centre to be well up to or beyond the standard in Cardiff.

The more one hears from Doyle, the more he reveals a personality and character that is just unpleasant. I don't like to think of myself as being xenophobic. But what with him and Holder. I'd be happy to wave goodbye. They make me wonder why anyone could come up with the the term 'whinging Pom'. When these dour Aussies have moaning and bleating down to such a fine art. They are in a different league. And perhaps they should stay there.

The piece really does bring home the true state we are in now. i imagine that keeping The Star Ship afloat, whilst the promoters systematically torpedo the vessel from all sides, is quite soul destroying for those involved. I have always been open in criticisng some of the reporting and editorial policy over the years. And still will. But I would be quite lost without my weekly fix. It really is a great magazine and needs to be supported. At the moment it sounds to be suffering . I now have my subscription online, and after years of collecting hard copies, I just love the exact editions version. With the back catalogue instantly available for reference. The idea to odd to that with more online pages is an excellent idea. I hope that increases online subs to add to the coffers. I know no one listens to a word I say on here. But for once I hope people will listen and respond.. If you haven't got one already buy an online sub to The Star.

I think it is fair to say that current riders and ex riders as a collective display the general variation in intelligence and ability to analyse their own opinions in exactly the same way as the rest of the 'normal' population. In my experience some are quite astute. But many are as thick as two short planks. Just like us all. I just get decidedly irritated by their views being taken as being better than others. Just 'because they ride'. As an almost statement of fact. It just smacks of the 'My Dad is bigger than your Dad' way of settling a discussion.

Well of course plenty of people thought it was right AND plenty of people thought it wrong. That is why we are discussing it all, for goodness sake. It May even be 50-50. My view remains the same with what I saw. But I am always unimpressed with geriatrirc pit-dwellers being vaunted as having a more valid opinion. Just because they once rode. Rarely has that ever proved to be the case.

Got to say I do like Smolinksi. Anything that gets PR to start a thread about pussies will always get my attention. I wonder if Peter Oakes could look into this 'in more depth' now he has got Toto out of his system? The German guy is right. Referees are all to often taking the namby pamby option of excluding riders who ride hard and just ever so slightly not so clean. The ones with Balls. And letting the guys who opt to drop the bike 'to get a second chance' way too often. Plus that constant shouting of NP/KT about 'was there contact' every time there is an incident. Really wrankles. It should not decide the man at fault every time as they seem to constatntly bleat. Pussies the lot of 'em.

it certainly looks that way. Every word he has written seems to display a 'personal' element. Like a histrionic teenager trying desperately to let everyone know that 'they' are in the right. Must feel quite cathartic to have access to a magazine to 'vent' publicly.

Couldn't agree more. This week's extra bite at the same subject that was done to the death the previous week was a bit bizarre. Over and over again saying the same thing. We got the message. The guy has mental health issues. What on earth is all the fuss being made about him. I think Peter needs to calm down, he's got terribly over excited about this. Has he just got the internet or something? In truth there are al lot of weirdos out there. Just avoid them.