Sings4Speedway

Heck of a fall to break it in 3 places. Desperately unlucky on both rider and club as he looked a real value signing this season. Very little about in the 4.5-5 ish averaged riders still available, i would think Scott Campos could almost name his price at this point.

Buying advance tickets online would have a far simpler refund process than the nonsense that occurs once within the stadium and meeting is abandoned

I can easily see the advance tickets being here to stay even in a partial way. Most other clubs that have advertised the entry process say that season ticket holders are guaranteed entry and full quota deducted from available tickets to be purchased in advance. But even beyond May/June why not keep the advance tickets maybe £1 saving or similar? it would speed up the queues getting in as advance tickets could use a separate turnstile to those who wish to purchase on the day.

I didn't read the press release as all affecting the speedway side but that doesn't mean its not the case. The water bowser that Brum had was certainly a useful tool and well suited in size for the multiple tasks it performed. It will be both tricky to replace and also scary as if these oiks continue operate outside the law thee is the fear than any replacements could be destroyed too. There are plenty of solutions to the issue i can think of but hardly any of the legal.

Certainly many points of interest here. On the speedway "breakaway league". exiles league or whatever they may be formed of good luck to them. The sport needs more opportunities at every level from pee wee youth through to veterans and everything in between at all standards, elitism and snobbery is one of the big drawbacks of the sport and every venture should be supported and nurtured "in the best interests of speedway". As for the ball kicky stuff its a bold move and should be considered a one way venture but the last sporting breakaway (darts) went pretty well. Im not saying that the football venture will become the leading light and the lower divisions will ultimately crumble but it has proven that by setting the bar at a certain level only the cream compete and the standard has continued to rise. Its not a closed shop though and only those who remain present are those who are there on merit

Whilst majorly unhelpful to the overall cause i guess the stadium break in didn't directly affect the Speedway side until the last spate of petty vandalism/arson that destroyed much needed equipment. The difficultly in replacing specialist items must be the harder task rather than the financing of items (theres barely a bowser in the country worth more than a couple of grand) despite the inevitable hint f needing to raise funds. I know all clubs are in a precarious position at the start of the season but comments like this do nothing but cast doubt over the viability of the project

How many guests and RR's will be utilised IF it goes ahead?

The blatancy of that night was pretty galling and amusing at the same time. The rivalry between Kent and Eastbourne that has built over the years is a fire that Len has happily stoked, these events and dramas just build up the matches between the teams, adds the atmosphere and ultimately boosts ticket sales. Meetings at Kent need a strong referee to keep them moving early one, a sensible interval, the two minutes to incorporate any gardening time and as few instances of RR as possible. I have no idea if the CL matches are going to run smoother or be more chaotic ?

This is where the sport has two very distinct fan groups and are at odds with each other as how Speedway should be. One side are the club supporting happy clappers who care mostly about the results of their own team and will defend even the worst riders until a better option comes along, those who happily sling mud at other teams but will not attend after a run of bad results. The other side are the Speedway fans who want to be entertained and the result is often secondary providing the racing on show is up to scratch. Obviously there are exceptions but for the most part there is one fan base split into two groups, you can't please everyone and yet the sport needs them all.

Sadly rent increases seem likely and access to the stadia which Len has always enjoyed quite freely to prepare the track could also be reduced. In the short term there may be no affect but as you state a longer term forced change of available race night may dictate which league the Kent side(s) are able to run in. Roger Cearns has provided great backing for the teams over the years but he is still a businessman and his involvement will remain as long as the ventures are still making money, Len has nothing but vision for the club but all dynasties need succession plans and there are limited numbers of crazy people out there willing to throw money into Speedway clubs that are not already doing so.

I have a vague recollection of the evening and do remember Len going rogue on that occasions but not by what degree. In fairness the anti residents log complaints throughout the winter and whenever there is a rain off so the validity of those is extremely questionable. Given the Council are the current owners of the facility they are not overly helpful for its usage and would be left with a heck of a white elephant if Speedway and Greyhounds walked away.

The lease or the stadium? i "thought" that the council owned the stadium and Roger Cearns held the lease?

Looks like a few stinkers occurred especially in a line up weakened by withdrawals but big congrats to the top 3.

I have to admit things have been far too quiet regarding Spooner for him to not be fixed up somewhere so makes sense

Would be the only way to ensure he actually arrives for a match at Edinburgh .......

I think Kent are hoping for the usual mass turn outs on the bank holiday meetings. pack in £1000+ for these at £15 a head for NL and they will be in a strong position, get a rain off on either of these and there could be trouble. Kent have returned a profit every year so know the total footfall they need across a season to make it pay. I just hope that widening the gulf in class in leagues so drastically for just a £3 difference could see very small crowds at Kent especially at the end of the season.

The financials aren't the issue its the feeling of value for money. Throw in making a bit of a day out rather than a midweek rush and the temptation to venture further afield grows stronger. I still may pop by for some CL meetings if the earlier reports of meetings are good.

As im already tarred as too negative it won't matter. £15 for this level of NDL is a pi$$ take and i will be taking my money to Eastbourne / Mildenhall

From more recent memory didn't jawa release a demo DOHC engine that was being backed by Sam Ermolenko? All went quiet after they were found to be wildly oversized?

Ok in my opinion a successful and entertaining NDL has been a far better value product than the CL for the past few seasons. The rules imposed widen the gap between the two leagues and by weakening the NDL more hides the fact that the CL has been diluted also. You have your opinion on the Visa situation and i have mine. I know of plenty of riders who were/have been signed and have the accommodation, basic salary and extras supplied as part of the requirements of their Visa. Not saying that accommodations may not have been basic (small flats/caravans) but they are still a paid for roof over the riders head. I have been a huge advocate of the NL and lower development leagues for a long time and recent decisions have left me very disillusioned with the sport as a whole. I wish i could see things with a far more rose tinted view but it isn't that simple despite having the simplest format for a sport going. Put 4 similarly talented riders on a half decent track and the happiness will follow. Put 4 riders of vastly differing abilities out at the same time and you won't be entertained whatever the league level may be.

Kent probably have the best 1&5 combination in the league but that is largely where the excitement ends. I think the disjointed fixture list seeing just 5 matches until the end of July and then 8 in the space of a month between late August and late September will be telling. If the riders can get sharp elsewhere the team could be ok but if the riders are race rusty this team could take a few hammerings and hurt the reputation of both rider and club.

Nah sitting around and listening to people moan all day sounds very tedious Yes i am upset, disappointed, saddened, angry about the decisions that have been made and the BS spin that has been served up with it. In a couple of years when all the four leagues are flourishing i will happily congratulate the board for their superior forethought. If as i suspect there is only two and a bit leagues left i hope others acknowledge that writing has been on the wall for a while.

Yes you must no place for positives here. The opportunities did exist in previous seasons and was run as the MDL/MSDL. Second half races run under the same format that did allow up to two NL level riders per team, hardly any took up the opportunity due to the fact it was an unpaid ride and the possibility of being beaten by those after their place. It ran very successfully driven by the hard work of very under valued volunteers until the ghost team ruling was passed thus driving out most competing teams and paving the way for this re-brand / claimed new event (all hail the BSPL). Five of the six PL teams have entered development league sides previously and all withdrew the level of support to these competitions. I see no reason why they simply couldn't have entered teams into an existing league and possibly created North/South groups from that if the travelling was a genuine concern? I would be delighted to be proven wrong and that this is all for the benefit of the sport with zero self serving interests but i fear this is just another step to pave the way for a final destruction of the current NL as we knew it.

The NDL has been threatening the higher leagues for ages in that it did deliver entertaining racing at a price that was relatively affordable. The paying public were able to see riders learn and develop and form an affinity with British riders rather than watch fortunes paid out to overseas mercenaries that blight the higher divisions. The wages for most clubs were entirely sustainable and indeed Kent declared a profit every season it ran at NL and IOW always maintained that break even was the minimum requirement. Yes the rates have crept up and theres no hardship giving them a bit of a trim but the imposed rules are to solely benefit the CL. The CL want reserves on £40-50 a point but are happy to pay massive guarantees to washed up PL double downers and throw plenty of funds at the visa requirements of unproven riders. It would certainly be interesting to see how much a 4 point Brit would improve over a season if they were given a base salary, accommodation and all the other frills that goes to non eu riders. The NDL was a sustainable product hence why several clubs dropped down to regroup after experiencing financial difficulties and ironically (or pre planned) the lower grade product will be a much harder sell to the paying public compared to the CL.....a coincidence? i think not.

Sunny night usually leads to a delay as the sun sets on the wrong part of the track.....currently the junior riders are easily dismissed as they are riders without team places the new setup appears to be utilising riders who have NL places so these will be far less quiet about any cancellations are far less likely to return (or indeed lure there midweek in the first place)