Byker Biker

Rose tints are part of the problem not part of the solution, take them off.

Muck Fe! I've seen the BSPA/L blamed for everything now, why didn't I think it was their responsibility? Probably not woke enough.

To be pedantic knife point. It was the Probation Service who kept him out of jail when he first set out in Speedway. He had such potential that he was given his first second chance with the cooperation of Chris Morton and David Gordon who both interfaced with that service on a regular basis. Keeping him clean and out of trouble was their challenge that went horribly wrong when they were kicked in the knackers by another club that pinched him from Belle Vue. Once at the other club there was no control so it was only a matter of time before he would need his second second chance. This man has had many second chances both in and out of Speedway not many have been brought to the attention of the public.

You are correct in principle but the loss making company may keep people in jobs and or be a supplier or forward facing business of the profitable company. OR it could be an ego boosting business like a yacht charter company, football club or Speedway. It also allows a profitable company to sponsor a loss making sports club that in turn makes the sports club profitable too, ideal if you may wish to sell at some point. That's all legal of course

I believe it was inevitable that some would turn against Chris if there appeared to be little progress or positive news. This isn't the first time he has threatened to sell or withdraw from one of the leagues to the other when faced with certain challenges. In truth Ipswich for many, many years has had extremely good benefactors behind the scenes which has allowed the business to develop and bring some of the world's best riders to Foxhall consequently Ipswich fans have been very lucky to enjoy stability of management and ownership. Times have changed significantly with clubs (like any small business) facing horrendous costs which has placed an even greater reliance on "benefactors" / sponsorship. We all know that in reality this is unsustainable and without a credible plan the sport will continue to lose participants. Why on earth should any business owner put everything at risk? Chris will have made a living out of Speedway, not a fortune or an adequate return for the risks or money utilised, for years his life has been Ipswich first, second, third and so on - he's not my cup of tea but if he's come to his senses don't be too hard on him. Just think how much better things would have been if some, not all, of his BSPL colleagues did likewise.

They're just not capable of it Dean

Я хочу 7500 фунтов стерлингов за встречу; авиабилеты для моего польского механика и менеджера, а также чтобы вы каждый раз забирали нас из аэропорта Станстед и отвозили обратно. YA khochu 7500 funtov sterlingov za vstrechu; aviabilety dlya moyego pol'skogo mekhanika i menedzhera, a takzhe chtoby vy kazhdyy raz zabirali nas iz aeroporta Stansted i otvozili obratno.

You're a bit short on the guarantee 🤑

That's a fair question, I think it's about egos having more power than the engines so vanity not sanity.

As Dean alludes, the ACU have got themselves in a right mess with Grass Track and have lost Track Racing Committee Members one after the other since they treat Paul Hurry very shabbily. It currently has a "steering" group made up of ACU officials and representatives from regional clubs holding the fort until a solution can be found. They can't make their mind up which way to go so are conducting a "root and branch" review of the sport before deciding a way forward. Have a look at the press releases on the ACU web page and you'll see it all has a familiar ring to it.

This may be of interest from almost 50 years ago, a passage from an Ivan Mauger book first published in 1976 which attributes the piece to George Barclay; "If 1976 was the year that saw a comparative explosion of press and television coverage, I hope '77 will be a year that sees speedway being accepted by the media nationally. To establish this we must put our house in order and lose the incidents that make us seem a joke sport. After all,what other sport has it's rules and regulations drawn up only to see them over-ruled by "special dispensation" on so many issues? In what other league competition can a competitor appear for teams other than his own, and by doing so jeopardise his own teams chance of championship honours? Walk outs! Either by individuals or by whole teams. These and many other silly facets can only cause harm to speedway, and the circumstances leading to them must be eradicated once and for all. For surely they prevent our sport being respected as a serious one and worthy of "press" attention even though it is so largely supported. The time is long overdue for the relative ruling bodies to get together in amending the rules with speedway the consideration. We know it would benefit us all eventually." Oaksey was the editor so I dare say there's a bit of his own agenda in there.

Wrong forum for him but if he did join this forum he could come on as Gareth Nutley or Arthur Rogers....

This unfortunately is the profile and image of Speedway in this country. A "Bobble hat sport with jumpers for goalposts"

That's because it's media spin, better known as Bullsh1t! The "contract" is actually a "rider agreement" form and doesn't usually take effect until it's been registered and countersigned by the BSPL thereafter the opening date of the season. Promoters are really telling their competitors "he's mine, hands off"

You forgot "and a bigger share of the TV money for me"