allthegearbutnaeidea

To quote you - “To maintain the standard at the 2026 level you would need to find 25-30 riders at or close to the standard of Harris,Lawson,King,Nicholls,Wright etc “ You choosing to use 5 of the top 10 averaged riders in the Championship is just trying to sensationalise your argument.

Why do we need 25-30 Championship number 1’s to maintain the standard of the Championship, for 5 more teams? It would be the likes of Ben Cook, Lidsey, Chris Holder, NKI, Klindt, any of them wanting to stay in Britain, which plenty of them will with a decent fixture list, coupled with a few newcomers to the league on assessed 6/5/4 from around the world, and the next 5-10 NL riders to step up. It would certainly stretch the Championship out and racing wouldn’t be near as good due to the differing standard of riders, maybe you resort to 6 man teams instead, but you don’t need 25 number ones, you’d get them from the Premiership I think. BV - Ben Cook/Blodorn/Lidsey Sheff - Chris Holder Lynn- Klindt/NKI Ippo - Brennan/Rew Leicester - Douglas/Becker Northampton/Pboro - Tungate/One of the above

Want - Etheridge, Lambert, Perry Expect - Hume, ?, Smith

Tragic reading this for a Saturday night

You’re coming across as an entitled pillock whether you mean to or not. Virtually all Championship clubs are getting 600 as a poor figure, and upwards of 3k as a higher figure for league meetings, which of course is the reason why none of them are for sale or pulling out the league, coupled with not paying £1K per point for their superstars. Wages should not be 100% of turnover, it’s basic business.

You just don’t get it do you? Yes we should all bow down to the Ipswich way, and have gone bust by April because we’re paying the town’s average salary on one rider every week. You have a great sponsor in Guy Nicholls, and get a good crowd from I’m sure successful promoting, but that doesn’t mean everyone can follow you. Team speedway has levels, the nine teams in the Championship are in that league because the promotors feel that is where they are most sustainable, for the FUTURE OF BRITISH SPEEDWAY. But the Premiership clubs, oh no, Championship clubs must follow them, as they’re saving British speedway, look how healthy and sustainable they are. Birmingham only lost a reported 500K in 2 or 3 years, Oxford couldn’t afford to pay underperforming ‘international superstars’ come the end of the season. Belle Vue lost an absolute fortune as usual, but presumably have someone to bail them out, possibly Council grants? Sheffield put up for sale, Ipswich put up for sale. Lets all down to the Ipswich way, if we did, there wouldn’t be a team sport in this country. Half would fold trying to pay £20K a meeting to a foreign superstar, and the other half would follow the Ipswich promotor and put the club up for sale when they didn’t get their way at a meeting. Who’s buying those clubs? No one with any sense, that’s for sure.

Yes but he hadn’t been announced when he posted that had he.

The 9 championship clubs will stick together to protect themselves, as they have some form of business acumen. One big league could work, but it most definitely is not feasible to try and plan in December, it needs to be decided in the summer ready for the following season, and it may well be that this happens next year ready for 2027 like you say. But Ipswich, and Belle Vue, need to realise that it is unsustainable to continue to bring in GP superstars, forcing teams who can’t financially afford to compete to go to the wall and go under for the sake of two or three clubs.

Jye Etheridge will have something to say about that I think

The Worky accountant been pulling strings again

I’d love to see that vote count.

You have one problem with your one big league for 2026, and that’s the fact that none of the 9 championship clubs will bow down to the Ipswich way.

Where are those averages available? You’re looking at it from a Poole pov, I’m a neutral, Kyle Howarth and Scott Nicholls are better than Zach Cook, both average wise, and just from watching them. Zach Cook scored 5pts at Plymouth three times, 4 at Edinburgh, 4 at Berwick last season, those 3 teams weren’t amongst the best in the league (slightly harsh on Edinburgh from myself, but it was a 3 horse race last year really). He was at Berwick before the signings of Morris and Jeppesen and only managed to beat Smith, his 4 other points came from falls and retirements. At Edinburgh he beat Grahn and Starke, his other two points were from retirements. This was all whilst riding at the considerably easier number 4 position. Compare his scores to Kyle Howarth, who’s lowest score was 6, at Poole, and a bunch of 7’s, but ultimately far more consistent around the tracks, at number 5. Scott Nicholls scored 7+3 away to Edinburgh on his comeback meeting, a poor score of 3 on his home debut then managed at least 9 thereafter.

Ok I’ll bite. Lawson wasn’t the best rider in the league last season, Sam Masters was, hence his higher average. Definitely second best, and a top top number 1. Zach Cook definitely won’t be the best number 5 in the league, Howarth, Nicholls are better, and Palovaara/Morris, and Riss/Rowe are all similar to him, I’d take a bet that one of Morris or Riss has a better season on a lower average than Cook, if he is indeed the number 5. Bowes is no where near as good as you think he is, although he did have a good meeting at Poole, and if he keeps that up then I’m sure he’ll have a fine season, but has a terrible attitude, which normally doesn’t end well at Poole with Middlo does it (a strange signing for him I’d say). I agree on Kerr, Cairns, and if Rushen is the number 7 Poole certainly have the reserves with the most potential. Poole will certainly be in the playoffs, but I think you’re over estimating how good the team is, could be league winners, but it isn’t a foregone conclusion like some previous years, and I agree with others who have said it’s the poorest starting 7 they’ve had possibly since the start of their Championship days.

That quote doesn’t suggest that? Although from what I’ve heard Kemp has possibly backtracked and Palovaara is presumably the replacement.

I hope not

I think if Drew wasn’t staying they would announce it, and the time to do it would have been when they announced Palovaara, seems strange.

Agree, and let’s hope he did.

Well Kemp signed for Daugavpils in September/October, so they would have known then if he was signing or not, you never know, he could still be to sign. Would leave us very top heavy but could work?

Hold on, are you insinuating that Jacob Hook has proved himself out of a space with Workington, the lad who lived in a supporters house all season? Rather than the promotion just deciding to go for Etheridge and Zischke on similar averages, which is of course fine, but it does make a mockery of the sport. If Hook didn’t improve, he’d be signed, just like Zischke, Foord, and I’m sure two of Etheridge, Voulas and Batchelor too.

Speedway is mental isn’t it. Punished for improving.

I’d like him at Berwick, but I’ll believe it when I see it

He scored 3 points in his only visit this year, so you might want to take that comment back.

I don’t think it’ll be near that. Jye will be a Comet, Lambert will be a Scorpion, Gusts will be busy on Saturdays.

I have no words anymore.