HGould

Vicky Blackwell is the personal and business partner of Rob Painter who seems to be a Director of Speedway Futures ltd. Both have done outstanding work as creators of Team GB Speedway since taking it over.

You can't buy a brown envelope anywhere within 100 miles of Rugby. Now we know why!

Thankfully Cooper Rushen emerged fit and well, god knows the ramifications had he been injured. There is no justifible reason NOT to pay Cooper Rushen, he scored points in good faith, he was in no way at fault and only he had the rides. It does beg the question, who knew what and when? Presumably the Referee , experienced one , asked the question about the dispensation for the Guest and that it complied with the declared 1-7 and advertised team, I can't see how the Referee could be held responsible. The $64,000 question is who is responsible for the fact that VJF could and should have met this commitment and who knew what and when, and if the transport question passes the "sniff test" of credibility? The rider must surely be sanctioned and if Kent management knew in advance that the dispensation for Rushen was not actually valid and failed to tell Rushen, the referee or the BSPL then what sanctions should be applied to them. Or do you spin the coin and say the BSPL should have not assumed kent would change their team and told them that a Guest was no longer applicable. One suspects that had this been a PL or CL match that the BSPL would have been FAR MORE proactive but the fact they don't seem to be merely sums up their complete indifference to the NDL or what ever different bits are now called.

Not the first time that's occured. I know of riders who were owed a lot of money in 2019 by Leicester (when Bates in charge) - 6 to 8 meetings in arrears - it was paid eventually, I must stress but riders who complained usually shipped out. Other Clubs were sanctioned, put on special measures, closed but a blind eye was turned if it was a Club linked to Management Committee or favoured Clubs.

My gut reaction to 2026 is that it will still be a 3 tier structure. Specifically Chris Louis will cling on to the TV Money and GP stars like King Canute trying to stop the rising tide, he'll be supported by KIngs Lynn / Belle Vue and Sheffield, and enough pressure will be put on Leicester to remain in a "top tier" and if they have to, they'll go 5 team League with even more of the TV slice. I can't see Glasgow playing that silly game, the Facenna brothers have a clear goal and aim in terms of the GP / GP2 / International Fixture status of their venue and like Poole, frankly don't want nor need to play silly buggars with the egotists. I suspect Oxford will run Championship as their main team with the existing teams remaining in that leagu and no one going up nor down. Belle Vue / Edinburgh / Leicester / Redcar / Oxford / Kings Lynn / Plymouth and the standalone Kent Eagles will form a competitive NDL League if enough Riders can be found to service 8 Teams. I suspect that would be the max number for 1 league and don't think Scunthorpe / Sheffield will be back (If Workington / Mildenhall or any other side wanted to play NDL level, a geographical split may be x 2 x 5 yeam leagues with a top 2 in each playing off?) Hardly ideal but I think prizing the TV Money and GP stars away from those PL Clubs will only happen when there are 4 or less left to continue the folly!

This will be our last meeting of the ways. I could write 10,000 words but may be just a few are far more relevant for me. Like many I have grown weary. I am sad of watching you exist. A DNR sticker is the best recourse. Like a parent, a relative, a loyal pet, a great friend, it breaks my heart to see you in pain, living a sad existance. Not alive but existing. I will shed a tear but i will be thankful that the pain is over and I can remember all the great days and not the bad days! Stay safe my friend . May be we meet one day again, at that perfect Oval up in heaven!

Massive credit to Ben Barker That performance with the injuries he had would be up there with some of the old Peter Collins and Kenny Carter feats of the past. Barker has been his own worst enemy many times in the past but that natural ability has always been there! Plymouth, as I wrote about last week seem to have found a bit of a "magic formula" entertainment / action and a really positive vibe. If they could somehow retain Scotty for next season and get a full time no1 then they can be a real play off threat. No one works harder than Mark Phillips, he deserves MASSIVE CREDIT. Finally my take on Heat 3...seen footage from a guy on that bend, when you slow it down frame by frame it clearly shows Kerr clips Thompson on way in, that just wobbles Thompson in to back wheel of Lasse just as Kerr wipes Lasse out. I don't think it was dirty, but hard racing and whilst a broken arm for Lasse is desperate bad luck, it could have been far worse...

Visited Plymouth for the first time this season on Saturday. Very interesting to see what they have created and to chat to a few local fans. They have created "an EVENT" and brought in, I was told, some University kids to do social media on the Event Day and have turned it in to a Saturday Night out. They have developed it strikes me a combination of a bit of a Millwall " no one loves us we don't care" mentality amongst the usual Speedway Supporter base and a "this is great fun and we can interact and participate" type vibe for the many who seemed to be both newcomers to Speedway and far less interested in the result than in the excitement. You'd never have figured they were bottom of the League with their top Rider missing, it didn't matter. It was buzzy vibrant and exciting. The Racing wasn't great to a Speedway fan, but to the majority, the noise, the smell, the atmosphere and the interactions with riders was what sold the event and it seems Crowds are UP down there! Well done to all concerned.

The FACT with the Track is and always has been ACCESS TIME. The best TRACKMEN in the World cannot deliver a Race Track in a few hours per week with limited access to water and time to prepare it. I'm not defending the indefensible here but sometimes people need to understand the very strict timescales Brummies have ALWAYS had at this particular Stadium to understake track prep.

With a bottle of coca cola of course, don'r forget the coca cola bottle.

Talk is easy, logistics much harder. (1) is it not a fact that many Polish Clubs can insist riders in Poland by midnight before meeting? (2) assuming Klindt left Plymouth at 10pm....find him a flight from Exeter / Bristol / Bournemouth / Southampton / Birmingham / EMA to arrive in Poland before midday tomorrow. In reality you're looking at a 5-6 hour van drive from Plymouth to a South East Airport before any chance of getting a suitable flight out mid Sunday morning... Talk is cheap, logistics much harder!

I think a Guest rather than RR in this intense heat is a very wise move! More so if one of your reserves or second strings has a bang or a knock. Appendix is a hard one to judge, even in the days of keyhole surgery as the area can be very tender and Ben isn't exactly a light weight or a spring chicken. Be interesting to see if they consider a change if he's going to be out more than another week or so.

Quite an enjoyable evening. Decent racing from those you'd expect on both sides. Etherington looks a fine prospect. A couple of the riders, Hargraves (spelling might be wrong sorry) no where near NDL standard I'm afraid. Two obvious talking points (1) the Superheat exclusion of Hodder, I don't think anyone in the admittedly sparse crowd saw why? (2) the Shroekesque team management decision to run Hodder in 15 and Superheat and not Vinny Forde (unless there were some mitigating circumstances we weren't aware of ?) My last look at NDL at Perry Barr, it's starting to dawn now that the likeliehood of us ever seeing Speedway again in Brum is pretty minimal. Unless the SGP can revive enough interest to may be utilise the new City Of Birmingham Stadium(s) planned for the old Wheels site, apparently a 65k all seater big enough for T20 cricket / Birmingham City FC and an American Football Franchise - (with reduce seating 45k for the cricket) or the smaller 20k Stadia next door for Birmingham City Ladies and also to try to attract major Athletics or Global Sports Events with a Training Athletics track....but that is not likely to be ready until 2032 - way past my likely bedtime I'm afraid!

Danyon is a good lad, always gives 100% Thoughts and prayers for him and his family. Very unlucky again and many of his injuries just fate at being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Fingers crossed he makes a full recovery.

Even in this keyboard warrior social media semi delinquent age, I cannot seriously believe what I am reading here. Top Class Rider Top Class bloke Credit to the Sport and very Club he has ridden for. Clearly has a serious neurological issue that affects his eyesight. Just dwell on that for a minute! Clearly has a serious neurological issue that affects his eyesight. Yet we have people with no compassion no care and probably no understanding of the seriousness of the situation arguing about whether he sould get a 7-28 day exemption, is witholding his services and other clap trap. The guy is in a potentially life changing situation for christs sake. Think of him, his family, his friends and Redcar Speedway. Give your heads a wobble and lets all support Erik and hopefully see him back once he is fully recovered.

The Companies House documentation is as conclusive as it can be I fear. I would not post anything that did not come from a reliable source but i have been told by someone well known in Midlands Speedway circles for many years that on Friday morning the BSPL were close to pulling the plug and making riders available for moves. At the 11th hour Workington were able to give enough positive information as to give the BSPL confidence to extend the suspension for a further 7 days. I think it's clear though that new limit may be the final time stamp for something to have happened to resolve the impasse. My understanding is that only a very sizable payment to HMRC; who are the main Creditors seeking to get renumeration here ; and who have massive clout, will ensure recommencement of activity.

The Speedway Star on Thursday (web edition) in NDL section definitely reported as part of Springer article that Ashton Vale had also indicated he'd retired. Don't shoot the messenger 😁 Obviously it will be great if he hasn't retired. I can confirm I do know my Boughen's from my Vale's though...not quite that senile...yet!

There is one blindingly obvious move. IF IF Scott Nicholls decides he is fit and wants to race he would just fit in to replace Barker. Would transform Plymouth Team in that eventuality.

Very worrying trends to see a number of young riders "retiring" almost as soone as their adult careers have begun It seems Springer and Vale were excellent prospects, done very well at Youth level. Team Speedway might be a reason why they feel more pressurised, although it hardly bodes well. Fixtures in midweek may also explain a few , but again doesn't bode well. Obviously there are costs and more pressures with being paty of a Team and having to turn up on dates that may not be suitable, whereas with Youth dates are weekends genrally and set well in advance. The fact the NDL have been "split" to offer more rides for the riders could now be compromised with some teams relying on more "guests" than riders again is hardly satisfactory. More for the Fixture planners and PL / CL promoters to consider. Do we need a 8 -10 team main league home and away twice (40 matches) and a 6-8 Team NDL offering 12-16 Matches. The issue is if the main League is TOO many it will rule out a number of clubs currently running PL or CL and NDL Lots to consider!

The fact with "communications" is that (a) if your initial message is wooly and not transparent and (b) you don't try to answer any questions that may be asked with plausible answers up front, then each time you issue further communication it becomes harder and more risky. Speedway is not known for its transparency at the best of times, it's worse than the worst Masonic Lodge. Reading between the lines, and that's not always wise, but in this case there are pointers there would seem to be at leat 2 issues (a) some sort of administrative issue that is relevant to the sort of agencies (Home Office or HMRC) that fill the BSPL / SCB / ACU with dread. I mean by that something not just Workington specific but which may draw attention (I'm thinking visas especially) to other Clubs. Not pointing any fingers but punishments in these areas can be beyond punitive! (b) evidence of past and present late or non payment that causes BSPL / SCB an issue. There is also some anecdotal evidence that the Bond paid by Workington may be NDL level at entry and not ramped up due to the urgent need to get them to step up to CL, not the first Club forced to do that. Having announced the suspension, and clearly having lost a degree of "trust" that it can be sorted out, it would seem that the BSPL will require a lot of boxes to be ticked, especially for outside agancies but also to cover their backsides and the Sport in general. Having gone off "half hearted" with the initial statement of suspension, the next one will really need to be clear, very factual and very unambiguous. Don't hold your breath on that score. Geoff may be partially right "no news is good news" for now! It at least indicates a willingness to resolve rather than pull the plug from the Governing Bodies.

Dean, I massively respect your opinion. In this instance i'll have to agree to disagree given there is a big difference between a "training track" scenario and a full scale Speedway Fixture held under the governance of SCB / BSPL that requires the Promoting Company to be an Active Registered Company under valid Companies House authorisation

So lets cut to the chase. The Management of Workington Speedway raced last weekend in the full knowledge that the Oerating Company had been "dissolved". What would have happened if god forbid any of the 14 riders had been injuerd or worse. Strictly speaking at an unlicensed Track as the BSPL registration, the Insurance and so many other factors are directly linked to the Limited Company operating the venue.

It was a measure of his excellence at his trade and his wonderfully crafted image that he was as much a star and as much an attraction as the great riders of the great era (mid 70's to mid 80's when Speedway WAS one of the top 3-4 Sports in terms of attendence and Main Stream Media profile). If you went to a Meeting, often with packed terraces at the old Perry Barr, Dudley Wood , Monmore green, Brandon etc , the minute MP appeared on the Track there would be an audible buzz "Mike Patrick's here"...he was that well known and recognisable and it added a sort of weird kudos to the Meeting, especially if it was a standard League Fixture. One of if not the best at what he did. It is frankly I am disappointed to say that his passing has not been reflected and commented on by more. RIP Mike

No one has yet asked the obvious question??.. IF IT IS VISA RELATED! Surely any Meetings where a Rider without correct Registration has performed have to be either (a) have match score adjusted for illegal rider scores to be expunged or (b) rearranged and ridden again. Time constraint would surely mean te early season Regional Competition be left alone BUT surely must apply to the League. Certainly in any professionally run Sport this would be the equally relevant and important topic.

I can't think of anyone in the recent past who has been as articulate and sensible off the track and he is a steady improver on it. If he lacks anything it's just the kind of horse-power that some with less ability and dedication seem to attract. He does a lot of work to promote the Sport too and it's a shame that his spell at Birmingham will now ony be for a season. Credit to the Sport