waytogo28

No big hitter for sure. Lebedev should prove entertaining IF he lasts the course of the season. It does look like a struggling team and the major question is will it attract enough of a crowd?

I think Buster has done very well with developing KL but I feel he is out of his depth with the necessary "political" business strategies over Leicester / Coventry/Belle Vue. He is a sincere well intentioned and honest man - straight talking - which many don't like even within the BSPA . However the BSPA are so desperate to stop the rot in speedway with falling interest and attendances, that they gave him the chance to try to do it his way. The Sky contract needed all three of those tracks to be operating in the Premiership. One problem is that there are always polarised views on every topic and in speedway the Gerhardt engine may be an expensive dead end if substantial numbers of riders do not start using them ( and continue using them ). Or will it be brought in in 2018 as the only engine acceptable for UK racing?That would be so divisive among riders and would likely be legally challenged if it was attempted. I am concerned about what is the new BSPA marketing spin Buster announced as being planned for this season because I feel Buster will stand or fall on wether this publicity does attract, in reasonable numbers, new fans. And speedway in it's present form will likely stand or fall on this one issue.

Sadly Philip Rising, how wonderful it would be if we could get the true facts given to supporters. The SS either has factually correct information it can prove OR it hasn't. I don't think that the truth will ever be known. Whatever the real reasons for the first night / first few weeks debacle at the NSS - Gordon & Morton failed to pay the rent ( we are assured this a fact) and that was never going to be acceptable in the modern business world. It was not the MCC who took away the promoters licence, it was the consortium of other promoters who make up the BSPA. There has to be some serious reason for that to have happened.

Reading that 2015 story over TV rights does help speedway fans to get it into perspective that speedway is very much a tiny minority niche sport as it just crept in before darts and snooker ( both of which generate more money as a "sport" than speedway ). I will be amazed and pleased if there is Sky coverage of the 2017 speedway season but doubt very much if a renewal of the contract beyond then is being seriously considered by Sky or BT!

Inevitably in landlord / tenant disputes the tenant who refuses to pay their rent as due will be kicked out after a legal process ( sometimes lengthy sometimes not ) butt he end result is always the same. The tenant is kicked out. In this case the tenants own association stepped in promptly in order that the sport didn't lose the use of the stadium. Ergo Gordon and Morton failed in their obligations as tenants. I don't believe that G&M had absolutely no say in the design and building of the track - how else would Bob the Builder know what to do? They might haver watched videos of Kirky Lane and then what would you have ended up with as a supposed NSS?

Will there be far fewer of those pop-up brothels in Swindon after Brexit is completed? Will all the young ladies and their eer "organisers" have returned to Eastern Europe? If so won't they have too many in places like Poland?

Is it a "farewell tour" then this year with Pearson & Tatum going round various clubs doing their stuff but with no Sky broadcasting for the 2017 season? When will we get to know?

Brandon Estates IS Sandhu ( or is controlled by his family ) It sounds like Good cop / Bad cop to me, as if Mr Sandhu is as kindly disposed as he says he is and IF Brandon Estates is owned by his family then it's all a smokescreen re non access.

I feel that it is extremely unlikely that speedway will ever return to Brandon because of the extent of the removal of fixtures and fittings including those which are ultra expensive for anyone to replace ( floodlighting and essential H&S equipment ). It was a statement of fact " I control things here" and no-one in speedway is prepared to foot the bill ( not cost effective ) and no one can pressure the other party into doing it either. No major investor will front up such a process just to stage only speedway racing. It can no longer stand on it's own feet financially.

I am sure that his new presenter will prove to be competent and hopefully interesting and help to fill in the "emptiness" between heats - in a knowledgeable way. But please upgrade the audio system or at least check that the location and efficiency of speakers in area where fans congregate to listen, At the moment it is very patchy on the left side of the main stand. This need not prove expensive! Changing the presenter is of no use if he cannot be clearly heard! This is especially the case when radio mic. interviews happen in the pits or on the centre green. To improve the show do go back to basics and cross the t's and dot the i's.

Disappointing that DWP says " I'm not going to tell you what my rider gets per point in each country" Hmmm says it all. Most fans would be staggered if they knew of the extent of rider's deals - not just per point, but inc. ALL of the "extras" that's why no rider ever makes it public. 6 bikes, 3 vans. and then we hear " at the end of the day there is not much personally for him". That is being ridiculous! Fans are not so stupid as to believe that. Please, DWP do tell that rider to get an 9 -5 job if we are expected to believe in his "plight"! As for feeling sorry for Buster or any promoter re finding sponsors the BSPA has had 15 years of being on Sky and have never bothered ( did they try?) to use the TV as a marketing tool. Fans have chosen to walk away because the product they get at an average match is very poor value ( more than just too expensive, which it is). It's no good just " talking it up" because that will not put more bums on seats and when these hordes of new fans experience what they get at a live in stadium match they are unlikely to go back or talk it up with their friends when they get home. Thank God that they do not know how much the riders are getting! And if there is very little profit in it for promoters ( after including what sponsors put in ) none of them would continue to run speedway. They are businessmen and women as well as fans of the sport but they are not going to pour too much good money after bad are they! Of course they are making much less profit than the days when crowds were measured in their thousands rather than their hundreds and it is very likely at the point where it is not worth carrying on. I accept that.

Long before there is any possibility of a return to Brandon ( if there ever is or was such an opportunity ) Horton will be bemoaning the lack of fans attending and throw in the towel. This sounds like a generous act by someone ( must be Buster as Darcy said a firm " it will not happen" ) and it always sounds good to keep two teams going ( is that mostly because of Sky's demands on min. numbers? ). Can't see it ending well as both teams need more fans than have regularly attended at Leicester and I can't see enough Bees fans bothering to travel as lets face it the shape of the Leicester track does not lend itself to good racing! The person who took the final decision to cut down the lights and remove so many fittings at Brandon, as to make it unusable and too expensive to re-instate, did so to end racing at Brandon. All a bit pathetic really.

I am firmly in the "it's so much better on TV" camp. I prefer the availability of the replay and the opportunity to listen to ( and sometimes disregard) the experts opinion. Sky have done a remarkable job and the GP coverage is fantastic. They make the product appear much better than it is in real life and when you get to the stadium it is all a bit too flat and empty. And it often comes across as amateurish in the stadium and is very stop start with any building excitement washed away by empty delays and the interval - all too often. The fact that all those years of Live TV not getting a major sponsor is not the fault of TV but of the BSPA, who quite simple failed to use the platform well OR did they sit back and think " all that lovely money, we don't need to bother much about finding more". Poorly managed over the last 20 years ( at least ) too much vested interest and concern only about "my little bit is going OK". Most of the Sky money should have gone on marketing and not for paying No.1's huge fees because those Big Stars have not put new bums on seats.

I am confident that Troy will raise his average by possibly two points this year. But he IS a mood rider and when not in the mood for whatever reason he does not perform and comes across as not trying to perform. which is what frustrates fans. He can be a world beater from time to time but you don't want to be relying on him to win vital heats. I hope that, if fit, the Stars go with Josh Bailey as he is at least as good ( around Saddlebow Rd ) as many of the announced reserves.

It may well be a done deal for Horton to promote at Leicester but even he cannot surely be daft enough to call it Leicester Bees! For some reason Horton is looked upon as a "suitable man of stature" by the BSPA ( which is after all a group of businessmen who slap each other's backs if the face fits - as Horton's seems to ). I think Buster is going to be the main promoter at Leicester ( as he is at King's Lynn ) and that Darcy or Horton will be the puppet promoter. Horton is not a "suitable man of stature" to run and ruin yet another club but nothing in speedway is run in an above board and transparent manner is it?

Like Ove Fundin Fan I have BT Infinity with the TV package and I have to say its 9/10 for use and is a cheaper option than Sky if you can get Infinity in your area. I also bought a "box" online ( a one off purchase ) and that gets me all the Sky channels inc Sky sports. That is however not so stable and I would rate it as 6/10 but viewable and enjoyable.

The main point in this "interval or not" discussion is that all unnecessary delays need to be erased as soon as possible and this includes intervals ( 10 mins max. if essential ). At some tracks it's 20 minutes and even if you wanted a cup of something you could not get served in that time due to limited facilities. Fans ARE more important to tracks than any other aspect of speedway because if they continue "dropping like flies" from the terraces you won't need volunteers, riders or promoters. Fans needs and requests are feedback and that has been ignored more often than not by most promoters. Even simple things like " we can't hear well in this part of the stand" remain the same for years and that is not something that is expensive to remedy. Requests for feedback do not - in my experience - receive even a "thanks" email. It often feels as if the BSPA think - until recently- that the fans will always "just turn up". The most important part of what Buster said in his recent Chairman's announcement is about the budget allowing for much more and better marketing, because if that fails again to attract new fans then the fat Lady IS clearing her throat.

I have many happy memories of matches at Brandon so well run by Charles Ochiltree and his family. Crisply, well organised meetings ( yes 13 heats then not 15 ) and over by 9.15 pm mostly. Those were the days and when promoters were real businessmen and women. I suspect that this mess will mean that I will not witness speedway racing at Brandon again. It looks more and more like Brandon Estates wanted speedway out. Hopefully not R.I.P.

Speedway Star - Due Vigour? Oxymoron. Frightened of their own shadow / printed page in recent years. As much to lose as the BSPA if / when the whole house of cards comes tumbling down.

I am surprised that those 15 daredevils of the track can so easily be talked out of riding by **** as some posters suggest. It is not that simple so it does not matter who **** is does it. Thankfully the 15 were not bullied into riding on a dangerous track to satisfy the ego or pockets of Gordon and Morton.

I suspect that Coventry Bees fans need to look at Mick Horton as the main cause of the "where are we now" situation. His track record of not getting it right goes back a long way at other tracks. It seems obvious that the Bees are not going to run at Brandon in 2017 - unless they start the season in May or June. Sharing at Leicester is going to be a financial flop unless it's just for a couple of months but even that is likely to prove costly.

We all knew it was Tai Woffinden and I feel that he was right AND obviously the other 15 felt so too, when they really considered the matter. Gordon and Morton didn't consider the safety of riders seriously enough. The other 15 riders are not sheep or CGI puppets. Tai is not a hypnotist. They could have said to Tai you are wrong about this. On reflection they chose not to and they agreed with him not to ride. He is not the villain in this. Correct decision in my opinion. What later transpired over the mounting debt crisis can also only be put down to Gordon and Morton's poor decisions as promoters.

If looking at a shortening of race lengths then the one idea would be 1/2 lap races because if you are honest at least 50% of races are over before the 3rd bend. And you could have 30 of them or even 50. With rev limiters fitted the increased number of starts would not lead to more wear and tear on engines. Yes you would miss out on the 3% of real races with passing that are worth watching. If not I go with the idea of one lap races and have 30 in a match. All of these with no "gardening" of course - up to the tapes and Go!

Having spoken at length with S. Holmes it can only be deduced from the known facts that the rider was Tai Woffinden. And it was the right call. Pity it was not Gordon or Morton, who failed the sport by putting their own interests ahead of rider safety and by being desperate to continue at all costs.

That is one of the problems of speedway, that things are brushed under the carpet and the lessons that need to be learned, never are. It is clear that it could have been called off early enough for most people to have not travelled. I can see a similar thing happening to Coventry this year IF they do try to run. The attitude that "it's all OK really " and "it will be all right on the night" prevails, which leads to this kind of thing.