SteelShoe

this is also my understanding

Riders who win races and just go back to the pits really annoys me too, It is this aloofness towards fans that pay their wages that gets my gander up . Like you say where is the passion and appreciation of the fanbase. A lot have multiple clubs and are just interested in making as much money as they can while they can, least that's how it comes across. Not many give much back, wish they were all like Bomber .

Thanks Normski much appreciated👍

seems like this was not correct, nothing serious apparently hurt his ankle but nothing broken.

Abensberg isn't so far away from Landshut so surely with no flights was he ever going to be riding Saturday ? . Don't know the relative Landshut meeting and GP Qualifier practice start times which may have had an impact ?.

long way to go for a rain off

Worky couldn't get a guest for Antti today if the meeting had been on.

yeah missed that thank you

Reported to have lost consciousness as a result of the crash and taken to hospital. Verification required.

Agree! SGP Qualifier on a Monday and you can't ride in the UK on a Saturday evening what is it coming too. Is this an FIM ruling ?

the weather down in the south west looked awful today, surely this could have been called sooner.

The Monarchs gonna miss VP at reserve, he has been phenomenal.

Solid performance from Poole's 1 to 6 won them the meeting, hard to beat a team with everyone chipping in like that. Flint and Howarth looked under par from what we have seen so far this season for the Tigers, that was the difference. Expected the Tigers to shade a tight contest especially with having Barker in for Ashton.

Track was near perfect yesterday but wetter this morning after the overnight rain. With a better forecast tomorrow it wouldn't have been in doubt.

Still not great , what other summer sport has such a disjointed schedule.

Yes but are the SGP dates known before the fixtures are compiled? . If not they should be.

I think it is the forecast for most of tomorrow that has done for the meeting, today's forecast isn't bad at all.

Maybe the award was for the number of UK teams managed, or mismanaged depending on your point of view 😃

Been frequent very heavy showers all afternoon today, more rain forecast thurs, fri and Saturday. Sunday being reported as driest day of weekend.

SGP Qualifier

could you post it please Neil ?

Comets have a fair number of what I would call occasional supporters ie will come sometimes but don't need their speedway fix or love it as much as the hardcore fans. By hardcore I mean fiercely loyal and will turn up whatever the weather or circumstances. If Speedway country wide continues to decline it is partly because it is not attracting enough people to cover the current costs. Those running the sport have to acknowledge this as a matter of urgency and take action to lower the cost base while making the sport more attractive to supporters. Current fan numbers at many clubs generally struggle to cover costs such as rider demands, travel expenses, medical costs ( around £1200 per meeting) Insurance costs, Stewards costs etc etc. I wouldn't be surprised if Workington would have liked to build a stronger team but were very mindful of the losses incurred at the back end of last season when crowds dipped. It is a catch 22, fans want a competetive team , the management have a certain budget probably based on expected break even numbers through the gates. If the fans don't turn up in these expected numbers on a regular basis then not as much money is available for team building. Offers to more capable riders are more likely to be bettered by lets say richer clubs. If the signed up team turns out uncompetetive or underachieves then this affects the numbers through the gate as the fickle won't come to watch a losing team. This increases financial loss even further putting a clubs ability to afford to race at a certain level in doubt. In my opinion the sport does not attract the attendances to call itself a professional sport any longer. It is increasingly questionable whether rider demands are sustainable on current attendances. The days when many riders had a job outside of speedway may well have to return. For me the way forward is one British League, let the riders who say they can't make one league pay make the choice.

Big thanks to the fans who turned out today with a shout out to the Monarchs fans who made the journey. Unfortunately quite a few were missing which was disappointing from a number of angles. Some decent races today without reaching the heights. Thought Comets had wrestled the initiative from the Monarchs after going 8 points up after heat 10. Then came the unfortunate heat 11 with Antti packing up 1st corner after making the gate and blocking Jacob Hook. This started a run of three 1-5's in 4 races for the Monarchs which resulted in Comets needing a least heat 5-1 to a draw . Batch and guest Leon Flint made no mistake. Must have been a bit of a surprise for Steve Lawson when dust came up in heat 1 considering all the overnight and lunchtime rain. The 2 Swedish riders Palovaara and Grahn riders were standouts for the Monarchs, very shrewd bit of business there by the Monarchs.

This is indeed a factor, Tate, Fraser, Antti (although rode at Armadale last season) won't have tackled small technical grippy tracks at all.

Yeah that was some turnaround, you guys had a certain Victor Palovaara at No2 who failed to score, seems to have come on a bit since then 😃. You also had a certain Eric Riss at 5 and Josh Pickering at No 3. Unfortunately miracles don't happen twice, last nights defeat was the biggest I can personally remember for a Comets team at Armadale perhaps some stat person/s could verify ?.