Sings4Speedway

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.

If the lease negotiations aren't finalised then no commitments can be made to the Kent promotion. Unlike many other shady operations i think this is purely down to a simple task taking longer than it could/should.

After all the "help" he gave IOW it would be hilarious. Also Mildenhall aren't opting to run under NORA, they can't get the track licenced by the SCB due to the highly questionable fence being used.

On the other side is Speedway the best choice of "employment" for a reforming addict? No routine, long travel around the country, late nights, adrenaline highs and so on. Throw in that Jason is late 20's so whilst not over the hill there is a shelf life which may or may not outdate the sport in its current guise anyway. Lets be clear Jason is a complex character and there is probably a whole lot going on under the surface but he has an issue with authority, a known mouth and tendency for violence (prior to chargeable crimes). I know he could have had a sponsored van previously if he produced his driving licence but failed to do so multiple times. Rehabilitation and second chances are vital for those who have made mistakes but its very questionable if the same environments (in this case Speedway) that previous "questionable choices" were made is the right place for them to happen

Will he get a driving licence......?

Kyle is many times a better rider than Max with equipment levels even further above (temperament is a different issue) however the bigger issue is that every year people are bringing up retired/returning riders and thats simply because there isn't enough of a pipeline in place to fill places, thats because the NL's are in a poor state and thats because of those who run the sport.

Comparable to Gusts you make a decent point but to say that Rushen is the better / best option for RS is questionable. In terms of development id argue that both Luke Harrison and Jody Scott are ahead of Rushen in regards to ability and experience at higher levels and they still did admirably but certainly not spectacularly at RS. Every year there is a next big thing and all of those riders are largely progressing nicely but thers a heck of a lot more Sam Hagon's than there there are Dan Bewley's

Obviously found a visa last season with no issues. With no disrespect i imagine a Honda Cub would be enough to get you on the podium of the Seychellois national championship.

But Cluff shouldn't be on a 3.00 he is an actual Aussie and therefore shouldn't have been allowed to drop below 4.00. Whilst nothing against the rider but the idea is surely to incentivise the signing of British riders over imports?

But is it a bad thing having a "spare" rider waiting in the wings? How often is a teams season over before its started because their number 1 bins it early or even before the season even starts.

Will have to save these quotes up for the end of the season when you are singing Harrisons praises. Luke has always been levels above Hodder and will continue to climb whilst i think Freddy has already exceeded any expectations i had of him and much like Perry already found his level. As for Harrison vs Boughen comparison thats years of careful consideration, planning and learning vs quick blast and hope for the best.

Why isn't being a Speedway rider a proper job? Without serious digging i suspect Danny did 50-60 meetings this season across 30 weeks so an average of 2 a week. Then minimum a day in the workshop prior/post meeting so 4 days a week and then his "workplace" is variable commuting distances and comes with fairly unsociable working hours. Im not sure many on here would sign a contract with those terms.

There definitely has been a shift in mindset. There was a time when there was an abundance of youth/amateur/2nd half riders who were all happy banging in laps, racing each other with the hopes of improvement and potential NL opportunities. The pool of riders was large and competition pretty fierce. Today the pool is much smaller and places are handed to those who are competent and have the right kit. This has then driven the bigger issue of riders making the "next step" into CL racing. A rider (and family/assistants/mechanics) now has double the fixture list and more than double the expenditure. This turns a subsidised hobby into a financial black hole. Opportunities to work outside of speedway become reduced so where is the shortfall coming from? Sponsorships or asking for more money and/or a guarantee. Those costs are passed on to clubs and fans and the cycle or rising costs continues. Riders aren't Pirates (except that lot) they should be able to ask for respectable compensation in exchange for pausing careers, dedicating an extraordinary amount of time and sacrifice in order to simply participate. The reason riders don't want to share their income and expenditure is simply because if you viewed it on paper, calculated an hourly wage from it 90% would sell up immediately.

I think Scunthorpe is a bit too far North for Ablitt....but to be fair Watford is a bit too far North for Ablitt

I really like Hook but im not sure there is much improvement on that average whilst Tate will be in demand as he could easily put 2 points on his. Perry also looks problematic to me, not enough physicality about his riding and easily gets out muscled.

Certainly sounds like the input of Mr B Bishop is certainly having a positive effect.....

Another classic for sport credibility. Rushen is now track record holder despite being ineligible to ride. Ultimately he was ok to ride up until the point when Foords meeting was called off, at that point Vinnie should have resumed his place and failure to do so would not have resulted in a facility being granted. The unanswered questions are did Kent know that Foord should have resumed his place in the starting line up? (id guess not) Did Foord realise that once the CL fixture was cancelled he was due to resume his place in the Kent meeting? is Foord actually 'based' in Scotland full time? Now states "NDL and NDT only: absent for any other reason - applicable to riders 18 years old and under, providing 3 days’ notice is given"

Depends on the financing situation i guess? If the deal is to split the home costs whatever then moving venue makes sense, if each home venue is liable for the home costs (and the meetings run at a loss) then i can understand why Rob wouldn't want to accommodate a switch. It might be that paying half a fine (haha) for non completion of fixtures is the better financial decision?

Hypothetically how many people would continue to watch the same or potentially more matches if the sport became streaming only and no live fans? Before im lynched hypothetically..... A regular attendee could watch twice as many matches and still be better off due to saving on food, drinks, transport etc Stadia would not need to be that just a track and pits somewhere industrial and with the lack of paying public have vast amounts of reductions in H&S requirements, red tape and insurances etc Tracks could even be located within large warehouses and therefore weather resistant Thoughts?

No disrespect to any named rider on Saturday but a great example of broken British speedway

Bring back the track spare......limit riders to one bike each in the pits plus one spare bike per team......would massively reduce costs for riders like Vinnie Foord who could only bend one bike per meeting 😁

Nicholls is a great signing but getting Alfie down to reserve is the biggest bonus. If Butcher can gate and be a road block at home then hes doing his job, not an inspiring 2 pointer and a bit soft in the first corner but certainly not the worst option either. Whilst i don't agree that Cluff should get a lowered average he can count himself a touch unlucky, might not have set the world alight but better than Baek, Turner and Goret combined.