Sings4Speedway

The big issue that has crept into the sport is that being good enough is no longer the sole consideration for a team spot. Ultimately if a rider is more than good enough they will get a team spot but there are also a growing list of maybe riders that squeak in for other reasons like locality, sponsorship, recommendations from riders who have no actual interest etc. The grim reality is that very few riders are ready once they turn 15 be that physically, mentally, emotionally or whatever. There have been and will continue to be altercations between riders who are above and below the legal age and it won't always be able to be swept under the carpet. I would happily see the minimum age for NL returned to 16 and could even be higher.

The National League has always struggled with the disparity in crowds at various tracks and therefore the budgets for sides created. Kent would easily pull 600+ weekly at Central Park and double that for a Bank Holiday clash. Likewise in that era Eastbourne, Birmingham, Mildenhall but all were standalone teams. On the other end Stoke and Buxton would draw 150-300 on a good day and don't even think about the bad days. The rest would slot in the middle and like teams built have good days and bad. Len claimed to have turned a profit every year at Kent NL so was it wrong of him to build better sides according to his budget? Scunthorpe entered a team so bad one year that most clubs hosted them as double headers as they knew nobody would pay to turn up and watch, is that a help or hinderance to other clubs?

I completely get that Kenzie gets an average after 4 fixtures and he knew (or should have known the implications) what is wrong is dropping the lower limit to 2.00 and allowing those who achieved under 3.00 to race on be signed on their lower number. Then the team building limit gets jumped back up to 42 allowing stronger sides and if sub 3 point riders are signed a bigger gulf in class. A 9-10 point rider and a 2 point rider in the same heat is unlikely to produce good racing or a huge deal of entertainment.

To be fair to Alfie like all other riders he is free to ask for what he likes and its the promotions job to decide if he's worth that amount. There's a stand off waiting to happen, promotions will have to start saying no but i respect that riders shouldn't have to leave home knowing they will make a big loss.

It was what happened, don't think it is now though and the number of MDL sides would reflect that. If anything the volunteers who were doing things for the love of the sport were pushed/priced out by those who wanted the credit for themselves.......PJL anyone?

Crikey must have had a good day somewhere? Last season might not have felt like a disaster but with newbies starting on a 2.00 this season thats quite an extra chunk of points used up.

Decent expenses rates would feature pretty highly. The number who actually do it "for the love of the sport" are far fewer than many like to make out

To be fair thats how the Workington sides have been built since their return with sh#t or bust riders, unpredictable makes for great viewing (providing they turn up), however if a season of consistency hits then big things could happen. I really hope so. There appears to be a better vibe coming from the club than in previous years. Getting off to a good start and a consistent home surface are key

Yes and they finished 3pts off the bottom, this year i think they will be overtaken by Plymouth. Poole and Glasgow top 2 Redcar, Edinburgh, Oxford and Berwick fighting out for play off spots......probably the most interesting aspect of the season Worky & Plymouth Scunthorpe bottom

On the plus side some fence panels passed! Sheesh only in British speedway is a team introduced to the league prior to passing a track inspection. Hopefully all just minor and easily resolvable issues.....

Because the limit was too low the season before, therefore the rider averages are artificially inflated and now the demand is to raise it to keep riders in team places but then gets exploited because signing Mulford on 8.74 (probably less as i didn't take the brit reduction off before doubling his CL average) is less points used than Ace Pijper or Ben Trigger who had poorer seasons in the CL than Mulford did. I can see a lot of emerging riders being pushed out this year and teams made up of CL reserves and NL non improving journeymen.

With regards to Boughen he may well have been poorly advised but lets not forget he had the opportunity to continue in the NL but his ego had outgrown it. Natural talent yes but impatient and got swallowed up. Simon Lambert should he be back in the NL no, could he be an incredible mentor for someone absolutely yes. Very few know or acknowledge just how much he did for Danny Ayres progression. Dropping the minimum level to 2.00 is a big worry with the heat leader calibre being drafted in as i can see riders getting lapped not through falls just lack of speed and thats a worry.

Shame he's got his fingers in all the pies..... "The Bureau consists of 4 nominated Members, one representing the ACU are Paul Hurry and Gary Thompson, whilst Rob Godfrey (BSPL Chairman) and Nikki Jameison (BSPL Office Manager) represent the British Speedway Promoters Limited under the independent Chairmanship of Jim Lawrence (a former speedway Referee)."

Ironic given how many opportunities the BSPL have gone out of their way to shut down with the weasel leading the charge. A better investment of time would be asking why the recently retired riders gave up.....but they wouldn't like the answers.

True but with 2 BSPL members making up part of the SCB its hardly independent.....

There were/are some excellent amateur meetings and coaching days run by genuinely enthusiastic people who cared about rider development and did produce many good level riders via these routes). Ride n Slide used to have a literal lorry load of equipment available to hire for try out days, Wayne Carter still offers similar i believe? Amateur fixtures were common around the UK with with Southern Track Riders, Dragons and others i forget. Riders placed into their respective ability levels which kept competition interesting and safety up whilst offering a seasons worth of weekend racing to those interested in progression or not. 8-9 tracks from memory hosted these kind of events, i struggle to think of more than 1-2 now.

Job interview..... 1. Do you know where the keys to your glovebox are? 2. Can Polish riders ride in the NL?

Great to hear, i clearly got the wrong end of the stick. Still yet to make a trip to Redcar but all reports are usually positive so sounds like things are definitely being done right.

Loads of merits here, extra track time for the riders, extra value for money for spectators (or chance to nip to the loo etc if they don't want to watch) cost reductions for entry riders, reduced travel the list goes on..... Negatives and probably the biggest is the risk of delay/abandonment to the main meeting due to an accident in the match races. Also the standard of rider tracked needs to be looked at, there was a point when riders found their own level and progressed up accordingly but in more recent years there have been some development league riders who are incredibly wobbly and a risk to themselves and others. An "easy" fix would be an assessment of rider standard at a track post meeting. Can the rider circulate within x time of the main meeting, can they slide the bike, do they look in control? If not then its back to practice days until they can meet the level. Setting the bar lower continually for the benefit of inclusion isn't doing the sport any good.

No offence to James or other returning riders but these names come up year on year simply because there isn't enough good riders coming through and those that do end up abroad. Most CL heat leaders could have been considering retirement 5 years ago but as there simply isn't the numbers progressing and staying in the UK they remain in the sport for longer and longer.

Anyway delighted to see Buxton back. Certainly a unique venue with its own microclimate but thats all part of its "charm".

last week i took £10, this week i took £22.70 that's an increase of 127%

Lets face it filling 6 teams competitively is going to be a struggle. There were development leagues (below NL) flourishing and full of riders driving all round the country to ride 2nd halves for at best a drop of fuel. Competition was fierce and it was a breeding ground for NL reserves and many many big names have passed through. All this despite being treated with contempt by many clubs and countless fixtures cancelled due to curfew or other daft reasons. However more and more blocks were put in the way of the volunteers running these sides that eventually one by one the either gave up or were pushed out. Then the assault on the amateur meetings started, then Nora and it will continue until there is nothing left. The horse has bolted, the numbers in the youth rounds reflect that, the opportunities to have a reset have been fumbled with terrible silencers, Gerhard engines and rev limiters. Enjoy whats left because its not coming back.

Steelers were generated purely to boost the numbers, Sheffield lost interest quickly and more so with new ownership. Scunthorpe won't want to take on the project to run at a continual loss. Redcar was a more optimistic venture given there were plenty of club links and breeding ground for potential CL reserves but from all ive heard its been poorly received by fans and attendances have been challenging. I would be delighted to see both sides take their place in the NL next season but even one would be a bonus.

Hoping to see Buxton included but fear time will be a factor. Belle Vue / Edinburgh / Leicester / Oxford most likely with Kings Lynn and Plymouth. Think Scunthorpe and Redcar want out asap. The positive is that potentially Buxton and Kent returning to make an 8 team league in 2027 would be positive....the negatives ive done 100 times before and as a NL stalwart there is little again to excite me this season or next.