Sings4Speedway

Shiny overalls and then dropped his nuts at the crucial moment ?

Whilst admirable of the Mildenhall promotion to try and save further costs for both sides it dramatically backfired and left them looking very much the poorer because of it. Has the track team changed or are the stubborn old guard still present because thay surface is very difficult to save when heavy. Hats off to Jenkins and Bickley for being honest and considering the riders of all grades in each side. Mildenhall can be an unforgiving track when things go wrong.

Feel for everyone who had to stand around and watch the disaster unfold today. Rain shower couldn't be helped, 2 hour track work was a questionable choice and spending 3 hours to no avail is ridiculous. A lot of folks could have been home by then or certainly close. I admire the optimism but ive stood and watched these debarcles at Mildenhall before and the track can rarely be saved. Bad day at the office for all involved and another mess the sport can ill afford.

But that would mean that Anders has to rider for Rising Star money and he chose to be included in the 1-6 and negotiate his own deal (which he is fully entitled to do). Personally i think for the PL RS guests should only come from those not attached to other PL (be that RS position or otherwise) and CL RS guests should come from those on the list but not currently attached to a CL or PL team. The system was "intended" cough cough to offer opportunities for those making their way in the sport to show what they could do at a higher level not just to create a closed shop at different tiers. To clarify this is nothing against Anders he took the booking because he could, the issue lies with the rules that allows him to do so.

Your welcome. Nation regardless Speedway is tough and brutal and draining. There is a whole lot of work to do behind the scenes and many riders have to do it themselves and certainly much higher regarded ones than an assessed 4 point rider who scored begger all. Goret wanted to race in the UK this year and thanks to covid got a lucky break that he clearly wasn't ready for. Happens most years and yes he has a right to be disappointed but to come out and blame everyone else, the club etc is poor form. Sorry you didn't make the grade, life move on an another rider with (slightly) better credentials takes your place.

Looks a nice even match ahead. I would think Kinsley, Gilkes and Spooner will probably edge the home heat leaders, the Colts look more comfortable at second string level and there is one potent reserve in each side. Could go down to retirements falls etc or the crucial 3rd place in heat 2?

Easy to forget that Kennett is having no fun at the moment either only he or those close to him can see what the issues are and if he can turn them around. As a servant to Eastbourne over the years and a solid rider who has carried plenty of others when they have been struggling its only really fair that Ed gets a chance to work through it, form is temporary......

He's clearly disappointed but daft to put out a damning release against the Plymouth promotion as it all but knackers any chance he will get with another UK club. The facts are that he wasn't scoring enough points or even getting accolades of being competitive so he got longer with the Gladiators than he would have at many other teams. News flash Steven there are plenty of other riders who wash and prepare their own bikes, do the hard miles and still don't get the opportunities that have been afforded to you. You made the choice to head to another country and pursue your Speedway future and it didn't work out (only down side is that a Brit didn't get the place first time around and still hasn't). But so long, farewell, au revoir and don't let the door hit you on the ar$e on the way out.

Technik doesn't want it all for nothing and has never claimed to. The point raised was that the streams are in their infancy and some of the reliability issues are yet to be smoothed out which may cause some people to consider if its worth the gamble or not? Would anyone attend the cinema to watch a film if there was a chance that it might freeze for 10 minutes, have a section with iffy sound and then cut off the ending? Obviously the streams are not that bad but there is still the possibility. Clubs won't be able to continue with the streams once normal attendance figures are allowed and indeed they would then be creating competition to their own product. Enjoy them whilst they are around and show your support to the updates once you return to using them.

Ive been watching Brennan, Rowe and Thompsons for a good number of years when they were hacking round doing laps after meetings (the miles Del & Anders put in was mind blowing). The Thompsons could utilise Leicester, Coventry and Brum often in the same week without quite such brutal travel and obviously Brennan had plenty of local track access. Plain & Flint ive seen a bit less of so 6-8 times each and there are others coming up through the ranks who will soon be joining them like Max James and Luke Harrison.

Given that the update service has been a huge assistance to many across the country for many years and all done entirely by volunteers i think that any attack on it and the great people who have helped is morally wrong. I also don't believe that the two are in competition. Someone will stream or watch the updates or neither. If someone has chosen to not pay the streaming fee i hugely doubt the reason is because someone trackside is sending through a 1-2 line update of the race details.

but surely by mentioning that these names will be tearing it up across Europe in a few years rather than plying their trade in the UK shows the big issues in the sport in the UK and as a whole? Also as a side note i don't buy the clubs nurturing these riders, yes credit can be given to clubs who take a chance on a rider without credentials and they turn into something but all those listed above could have their pick of teams and the only reason the clubs are interested is to their own benefit. They were nurtured by their dedicated families and support networks who put all the miles in when they were starting out.

Rider numbers have been rattling around for years and as stated is a hangover from moto x and grasstrack where a rider chooses thier own (unless someone else has nabbed it first). It gained speedway once formula 1 allowed drivers to use thier own numbers rather than allocate down the grid based on last seasons finishing order. The same then came into the GPs with Smolinski and Hancock pushing for individual numbers to help develop a brand e.g CC111 (with the added bonus that there is no questioning the text when someone has Cook written across thier hat)

I fear you are right. Kent have lost heavily on the road each time and only beaten a below average Plymouth side at home. At least 1 RR ride will be thrown at the number 8 but at least it saves giving it to Hurry who sadly unlike other returning veterans has been a shadow of his former self. 3 heat leaders to 1 should set the tone of this one but if any of Kents tail do something positive then the Pirates might not hit 60.

Everybody is entitled to their differing views on what Speedway should offer that is one of the things that makes it great and also one of the reasons why its currently in such a mess. The fixture list is likely not how Martin & Barry want it either but given the short notice and restrictions they have faced it looks decent enough to me and great to action on track this year which hopefully means in years to come also. If you fancy a Speedway reset give the Handicap meeting a try as it guarantees interesting racing in every heat.

Hopeful yes but my big fear is that the cruel world of Speedway will ensure none of those things happen

Can't argue with that, although i wouldn't limit it to just the NDL. The league has served and saved several teams over the years and could well be the case again in the near future. Unfortunately sanctions imposed upon the league to enable the doubling up are also contributing to its destruction.

If the NL was running at crowds of 250 the sport would have been dead long ago. Stoke and Kings Lynn were operating at those numbers at the end but Kent ran 700+ most weeks, Mildenhall always had good crowds even IOW out of summer holidays would beat that figure. The NL is far better supported than you give credit. Yes i accept that the double upping teams can struggle to generate interest but you would be surprised how many would convert for £10 speedway and why many of the top flight clubs want to keep the NL down.

It can be done providing the points monies don't get away from clubs again. But £15 on the gate (too steep but its happening), circa 600 crowd = £9k. £25 per point average across a team, decent team getting 50 points home and away = £2.5k. That leaves £6500 of leftovers. Yes there is then travelling costs, insurances, rent, medical etc but there is still a little meat left on the bone at those figures. The prime juggling act is how to get gate costs down / attendance up to balance each other out then the atmosphere is better etc. Get the points money down to £20 per point (and there are plenty of NL riders who would happily rider for that) and sustainability can occur. Sadly it only takes one or two clubs to buckle and throw silly money at riders and the whole thing collapses again.

Some promotions are in charge, others don't have a voice or vote on the product that they are trying to sell to the public whilst others are pulling the strings and forcing changes onto others. I wish that Speedway was a bloodline sport, that it appealed to the masses and people attended however their team was performing (although lets not cloud facts that football fans are just happy to turn up, they too are looking for a certain standard and complain royally if that is not achieved). The problem is that many of those 'on here' were regular attending fans but have been driven away for a number of reasons and there is almost nothing done to entice them back. Calls of use it or lose it don't matter to those who already think its over priced, strung out, mixed quality racing. They have already made up their minds that they can live without. There is no one size fits all and until the powers that be realise that the sport will keep sinking

Sadly the sport has been split into multiple camps for a while now with supporters of teams and supporters of the sport. These often want quite different outcomes in a match. Throw in the mixed/forced race nights and formats and its no wonder that interest is dwindling. Decisions by a few and dictated to the masses just isn't going to keep every team afloat and in some areas it just may not be sustainable at any level to run speedway. We have X UK tracks, Y UK teams and very few of them want to run the same way and yet they are all forced into doing so.

I feel for Newcastle i really do. The current season is a bust and is about avoiding losing bucket loads of money and being able to come to the tapes again in 2022. If they do get to the tapes in 2022 the team assembly will be on the back foot because they don't have the financial clout of other teams which has been further hampered by this season. There is the dwindling fans numbers due to multiple reasons and then that will largely dictate the budget available for team building next year. Until the cycle can be broken it feels like repeated iffy times for the Diamonds

Fingers crossed that those riders with Island connections make the first leap. Plenty of ex Warriors and away riders who made the most of the extra laps available to them. Will only take a brave few to get the ball rolling. Just hope riders remember those who have provided opportunities to them in the past.

This is very true and Berwicks results thus far have exceeded all my expectations. The bullets have put themselves in with a strong chance of being at or near the top come the end of season but the loss of Leon and strong teams still to face i fear that mid table beckons.

Think he gave up again after the failed comeback. Whilst i never liked him pre leg break it was sad to see him unable to move properly on the bike after.