waytogo28

He - Buster Chapman, has done nothing but compound the problems of UK speedway. With Godfrey alongside him, they back up each others poorly thought out plans and bulldoze on in a downward spiral for the sport. No-one else in the BSPA wants to take on the poisoned chalice of "leadership" because they know the end of the sport here, as we know it, is fast approaching.

Anyone who believes ( including Rossiter ) that the new track can be completed in a week, never mind the stadium is beyond crazy. Clearing the existing site will take longer than that. Never mind the winter weather.

First improve the core product, so that 75% of it is not so boring. Riders not making any effort if they fail to make the gate. We know how difficult it is to pass nut that does not make it OK to not bother at all. People might criticise Chris Harris but at least he makes an effort 50% or more of the time, to turn a heat into a race.

That is exactly what I demand for my money at the turnstiles. The fact that I have not had it for 3 - 5 years is why I go when I feel like it and when circumstances are "perfect". And to watch Robert Lambert.

What a pity that the older (?) Duke of Edinburgh cannot do so well on the roads.

Beyond strange and a clear indication of a man who believes he is above everyone else and will always do things his way. There being NO other way to do things ( in his mind ). Nero fiddled as Rome burnt - quite a few similarities there it seems. Six months later it will be "Use it or lose it" and fans being blamed for losing interest.

If that is so then it's a Championship side in the Premier League. One more step towards One Big league in reality.

He can never do that until he is able to substantially UP the average crowd. That is at the heart of speedway's problems regardless of who rides where and even who owns which club! A minimum 25% increase in new supporters is a "must" over the next two seasons. If things continue with a 10% loss each year of existing supporters, it's Game Over.

Given up hoping and dreaming of such things in UK speedway - honesty and transparency. Long ago vanished ( if it ever existed ). IF Buster really wants that - which he hammered on about before becoming Chairman and with his disastrous foray into a LIVE online "performance" it has been downhill all the way since he took over. Now he wants "the Jewson lot" it seems.

He is flying back from New Zealand on a Dreamliner. The perfect vehicle for him. Back to his UK dreamland.

True but sadly Buster Chapman is no 21st Century Mike Parker! It will all end in tears on both sides of the speedway fence.

Soon, very soon supporters everywhere will feel the same and turn on the other promoters who have allowed the rise of the dictator. He will stand on the burning pyre of "top-level" UK speedway within a year. And common sense will then begin the slow rebuild of semi-pro UK speedway. Riders need to make hay while the sun shines. The times they are a changing - as someone once sang.

Around 199 guineas for Peterborough and a little more for Ipswich ( perhaps 250 ). No-one would buy a speedway club as an investment I feel sure. Buster's "empire" is all part of an Emperor's New Clothes fantasy game. Called the Three Out of Seven Blazers?

Hear Hear! It was what I was hoping might come out of the latest AGM. Quite how the BSPA imagine their "actions and decisions" at the AGM will attract a new generation of fans ( or even get a considerable number of ex-fans back ) in 2019.

Oh Yes You Do! And even more than you would like to believe you do need to be. Just imagine if Buster won the Big Euromillions lottery and bought the blooming lot ( well the PL anyway ) he could pee off 97 1/2 % of the fans in that league. There are some at King's Lynn who do swear by ( not swear at ) the man and his methods.

Hardly matters if you are working for the same man, with his own same view of what must be ( and how it must be ).

Oh Yes He Is! In the pantomime of UK speedway - which is what it has become. Buster will continue to ensure that a contract is not worth the paper it was written on. Was there one, in fact, a contract? Definitely making an example of a rider who dares to do an Oliver! Who did Harris make the deal with and was that person really in charge of Pboro? Oh No He Wasn't. Ipswich next to feel the wrath of the Main Man?

The iron grip of Buster Chapman brings its own ways of doing things ( yes it is his money and he who pays the piper always calls the tune ) but it is an Iron Grip ( the ONLY way of doing things ) at King's Lynn, Peterborough and Ipswich - almost half of the PL. Is he the 'saviour" of what is called top level UK speedway or is he the Dark Destroyer of it?

Actually, gustix wrote the above - I too agree that ONLY something like the format used in California is likely to attract significant numbers of new fans and hold a good proportion of them. After 65 years of watching UK speedway I too am bored when seeing 2 or 3 decent races out of 15 - which is what it has come to. Far too many tapes to flag non-races most likely due to the high powered bikes of today ( as well as rider attitude - " I missed the start so this will do" ) . Dismiss this as yet another "dinosaur" growing too old to enjoy what's on offer, if you wish but vast numbers of fans have just decided to give UK speedway racing a miss over the last 10 -20 years. And yes, PL & CL riders are paid more than the sport can afford. Managed decline IS real.

If he has emigrated, it is very easy to remain "in control" with modern technology - even without raising your voice! One bonus might be less "essential grading breaks".

Nobody in their right mind under 40 would "invest" in speedway ( unless they come from a wealthy speedway family ) as there is no return in such a sport, other than the imagined kudos that anyone wishes to purchase by putting money into a UK speedway team. You would need to double the average crowd at almost every UK track to get into the black! Or know of a wealthy business person who wishes to buy the kudos of being the main sponsor.

Buster is known as the Tonka King at Lynn so you should hope that he does not do the track for Pboro. There will be far more tractor racing than speedway racing if he gets the Big Toys out during a match.

And that has been the case for all of this century. Firstly the BSPA saw the Sky contract as doing enough to "market" the sport in the UK . Oh and for the "loadsa money" that came with it - almost none of which was re-invested in the sport. And with the evolution of the internet that meant they could do the "marketing" almost FOC - and believe that it will do all the work for them!

I did get that side of the point but feel that 'blaming" older fans or making them feel irrelevant is more than unfortunate. Of course, UK speedway does desperately need younger fans to re-stock the terraces but the BSPA seem to make marketing to the outside world a low priority. They believe that just by being present on social media they can sit back and wait for the under 40's to just turn up!

I bet they don't read much of the forum because they see all feedback as negative and derogatory. With the head of the BSPA being a 100% in agreement with "my way or the highway" philosophy what can you expect? As for replying to a post - I am confident that they see it as a"below them".