Little Thumper

Perhaps for the best. Re-arrange for April 2017!

Going to stop raining at 1300 hours!

I was in the pits at Stoke on 14th May, this being the day that Ben Hopwood came in to help the struggling Stoke side. Ben was in the pits getting his bike ready for the battle against Belle Vue and Malcolm Vasey came rushing in and shook Ben's hand enthusiastically and thanked him for coming in to bolster the team. As I remember, Ben's reply was that he was just grateful to be riding anywhere! I think Ben has done his best for the team over the past few months and it seems rather sad that a relationship that looked so promising at the outset appears to have ended in acrimony and dispute. I hope that all parties involved are able to find an acceptable solution. Be careful out there, it's a dangerous world.

Well, apparently she had her tongue in her cheeks. I'm all for flexible staff.

Stoke 55 Buxton 35. Sadly, yet another disappointing defeat for the Buxton Hitmen. I am sure Buxton will be glad when this sorry season has reached it's conclusion and they can consider their options for 2017.

Thanks for that!

Excuse me appearing a little dumb here but I thought Mr Lawlor was "attached" to Belle Vue in as much as he has ridden for them all season, appears in their team photo gallery and it would seem reasonable to assume that he would be riding for them again in 2017. So, at what stage did he become "unattached" and how do you unattach yourself from a club. I am sure I will get my head round this at some stage! Thank you for your patience.

screm, that is very helpful, thank you. Whilst Ben Hopwood's clarification does not provide much further detail, it is informative in that he states, "stoke speedway have not informed me of an official suspension" and "as a result of intermittent payment issues from the club". Should there be no evidence that correct and reasonable procedures have been followed and as a result of this failure the rider in question has been prevented from pursuing their occupation, then this would be an issue. The intermittent payment matter is rather worrying and it would be interesting to know if it is just a single rider who is experiencing difficulties in this area which seems highly unlikely or whether several riders are in the same position. It will be interesting to hear further details from a representative of Stoke Speedway.

But putting the team's reserve in is extracting the urine, surely? Are Ben Wilson or Tony Atkin not keen to represent their club at a fairly important competition? If this is the best that they can do, perhaps it would have been better to give it a miss,

Well, I'm sure it makes sense to somebody!

STOKE: Danny Phillips & Chris Hay Is this meant to be a joke?

Vince, again you speak wise words. I do assure you that I am not presenting the Ben Hopwood matter as straight-forward. I am not aware of the facts of the matter so I am in no position to give any verdict. The point that I am trying to make, and I apologize if my argument lacks clarity, is that speedway riders are either "employees" or "self-employed". Yes, there may be some grey areas and perhaps cases before the Court at the moment, such as the Uber case may offer some guidance to enable better classifications of peoples' employment status to be made. In reality, in makes no personal difference to me whatsoever if all riders are employed (or not) by the Man in the Moon. What does get me a little excited is where I see what could be construed to be an injustice and where one party to a "contract" appears to enjoy rather more benefit and in so doing, detriments the other party. Speedway riders at all levels face hardship both physical and financial and I would hate to think that anyone might feel inclined to take advantage of their good nature. Riders careers are usually relatively short and I think that they should be given every opportunity to, if they so desire, earn a fair and just reward for their endeavours, without being impeded by rules and regulations that would perhaps be better suited to a previous age Just my opinion, obviously.

Golly gosh.........now there's a thought. I notice that Joe Lawlor is having another outing for Buxton tonight. Like last week, he doesn't seem to be classified as a "Guest". His picture is still on the Belle Vue Colts website so one would assume that he is still attached to them in some way. Or perhaps he is just riding for whoever he so chooses? Perhaps it is just an oversight and with him riding so much for Buxton, they have taken him into their flock to protect him from the circling wolves.

With regard to the Ben Hopwood matter, on the Eastbourne eagles site, Martin Dugard says, "Common-sense has prevailed. If Ben had been allowed to ride, then there would have been a free-for-all next year, with riders picking and choosing where they wanted to ride". In a free, market-based economy, you might have imagined that a person who classifies themselves as self-employed would have the right to decide who to provide services for and be able to negotiate the price for the service provided. Apparently, a different set of rules applies in the Alternative Universe known as Speedway Land and a casual bystander may be inclined to observe that the "employers" seem to feel that they should keep a tight hold on most of the cards in the deck. Just my opinion, obviously.

Well, I shall not be going to this as it seems a bit of a pointless contest between two teams who are highly reliant on hired hands and our old friend Rider Replacement. But the interesting news in the Jason Pipe monologue on the Buxton website is that he is looking around for a new challenge in 2017 and would be particularly interested in managing a Saturday night track. So, any bets on where he might appear next year? Perhaps, a track a little further south where the weather is a tad warmer and the clientèle a little more mature and gentile might be just the ticket. Wishing the riders at tonight's meeting a safe and pleasurable experience and hoping that the lights stay on for you. Be careful out there.

Well, I've just had a bit of a look round and I still can't find any kind of preview for this event. Perhaps someone has seen something which I have missed? Surely the BSPA or Kings Lynn could shape themselves just a little and write a few words about an event that is surely of some importance, even if only to the riders! You do sometimes wonder if the NL would be better served breaking away from the umbrella organization and setting up on it's own. At least then it would be free of the constraints imposed on it by people in charge who may be more focussed on the requirements and priorities of those clubs in the higher echelons of the sport. Just my opinion, obviously.

Do we have reason to believe that he is "employed" by Stoke Speedway. If he is not an employee, then clearly he cannot be "sacked". Using the information provided by contributors on another thread, Ben would appear to be self-employed and therefore is free and able to offer his professional services to any party which wishes to use them. It seems unlikely that rules and regulations drafted by the BSPA or indeed any other employers' organization would be found to trump the protections provided by UK and EU employment legislation. Do speedway riders not have some kind of representative or body which stands up for their rights and ensures that they are treated fairly and in accordance with the prevailing legislation? Some of the rules and regulations in speedway are reminiscent of those that you might encounter in a Banana Republic. Just my opinion, obviously.

Why would it stop him riding for Cradley? If he is self-employed, he can ride for whoever offers him work.

Great shame that the urine extractors ruin it for everyone else. Kids, welcome to the world of speedway where being dedicated and honourable will get you absolutely nowhere.

Well, personally I don't think this is good enough. I don't know Ben Hopwood but I have spoken to him on a couple of occasions and found him to be polite and approachable. The statement from Stoke starts by saying, "....to ensure that all parties are aware of the exact position" and then goes on to say very little about anything! I have tried my best with Stoke this year, I have been to quite a few meetings and I even stirred myself to go to the "press day" just to give them a bit of support. But thinking that supporters don't need to be told even the bare bones of the issue is rather weak. I have no idea what the dispute between the club and Ben Hopwood might be but surely the shrinking band of supporters that attend Loomer Road deserve to be treated like grown-ups. I hope Buxton give them a sound thrashing on Saturday and if they do, I shall be on here crowing about it!

I have been to a couple of grass track meetings this year and the facilities were extremely good!

Hammerite coming in as sponsors.........great news!

I'm sure that our footballing chums round the corner could find a use for it.

gustix, my knowledgeable friend, what you say is without reproach. And as you quite correctly point out, I make my comments based on the observations that I have made at some but not all venues. I apologize for my lack of clarity. But at the end of the day, the customer who has just handed over several fine British pounds doesn't care a jot whether the venue that has relieved them of their money is owned by Acme Enterprises or Larry the Lamb. What they do know is that at a venue that is charging money to attend their event then the facilities must be of reasonable quality and therefore providing dirty or inoperative toilets, PA systems that do not work and an environment that is unsuitable or unsafe for the physically challenged is not acceptable in any circumstances. Surely, that is not too much to ask in this day and age? So as Local Boy said, "Fix the fundamentals first". Or as Alan Bennett wrote in History Boys, " You can't polish a turd". Just my opinion, obviously.

Wow! Makes Sports Direct look like a logical and compassionate employer. Sooner or later, someone is going to test this arrangement in a court of law and I am not minded to believe that the position adopted by the "employer" will be tenable. There could be two possible outcomes to such an upheaval - either speedway would disappear as promoters would file it under "too difficult" or speedway in this country would be restructured in a totally new format with a more community, grass-roots bias. I find it hard to believe that any sport's governing body could believe that they operate in their own insulated little world and that they could simply adopt and enforce rules and regulations that are appealing to themselves and to the detriment of others. just my opinion, obviously.