HGould

I'm happy to be corrected but I think Leicester recent success has been down to 3 things. The Bates family underwriting by approx 50 to 60k per annum investment to build successful teams An excellent sponsorship via JCB and associated Partner financially and infrastructure Stewart Dickson and an incredibly hard working team people like Alan Jones etc Bates shoots from the hip but without them the Club would not have achieved what it has.

Thought has dawned on me that Dicko has gone to Brummies, who may be losing PB imminently to development, to entice Nigel Tolley to invest at Leicester. If Wolves close too Leicester would have massive catchment area. 2 + 2 doesn't often add up though

Big shock to read that the Bates Family have decided to leave Leicester at end of the season. Marc claims due to health issues and time involved and although I'd always associated Damian with Leicester it seems he can't run both and the family business. Looking for some one more local to take it on. They have pumped big sums in over the years since there to keep it open and doubt that without that constant investment its ever been genuinely self sufficient. No idea having not been this year if the Crowds have increased wnough to sustain PL as opposed to CL but they always paid top dollar in CL and lost money doing so. Damian also in Star explaining increasing issues at Owlerton in finding suitable dates as more going on there now like drive in Cinema and also some issues with an adjacent business and noise issues if speedway runs. Worrying times for Leicester for sure. Easy to criticise Bates Brothers on occasions but they have always put their money where their mouths are and supported 2 Clubs who otherwise may not be around.

Quite simply the Sport is in its deepest hole since the split of the Legaues in the 1960's. There have been peaks and troughs for almost 100 years but this current situation feels seismic. A dwindling supporter base, a massive number of alternative attractions, a cost of living crisis that we are going to have to endure for at least the next few years and governance that is simply turning a blind eye and has dug a huge hole. Putting Club loyalties aside, there are probably 5-6 profitable Clubs who can succeed based either on crawd attendence, large benefactors or large Sponsors or a combination of those. There are some Clubs who are having to deal with Planning, Development and Stadium sale issues, irrespective of whether they are successful or not. Land Values only exacerbate this issue. The sport needs a vision that the current Management Hierarchy seems to lack , some of that is intellectual and some is down to their understandable desire to protect their own. We cannot compete with Poland or have any delusions of grandeur that we can. We cannot survive with 2 tiers of "professional" Clubs. The solution is both basic, pragmatic and blindingly obvious. An independent overseeing non partisan Leader An Elite "professional" League of 6-8 Clubs who can work within set guidelines and structures A second semi professional / amateur level with a League structure covering expenses and littl more with any income levels STRICTLY maintained (not like the NDL of the 2015-2019 period) Other forms of motor cycle sport work very well on an amateur run basis , Banger / Stocks attracts big crowds on the basis that participants pay to enter and then share small prize money. Speedway can promote itself still as a "niche sport", the model though will have to be more like the German / Czech smaller scale models than Poland or even Sweden. Any one responding with club alliegances and putting Clubs first is I respectfully suggest completely missing the point!

Allegedly they dug up and banned concrete starts as Charlie Dugard had an oil can at Arlington

Pretty stupid comment and not Poole specific response. If a Team does a Track walk at 6.30pm for a 7.30pm start then the Start Line (or any other part of the tRack) can be significantly changed by a minimal amount of watering, grading, rolling, rain, sunshine, temperature drops etc. I've always been very surprised , considering it's supposed to be a professional sport, that Teams don't have someone specifically allocated as part of the "management" of the team at the Event to keep an hawk-eye on this sort of thing and to report any fiddling via the Clerk of the Course to the Match Referee IF it does go beyond the bounds of fairness. Ultimately any team can request a Referee inspect a track at any time and said Referee can insist on changes. With regards to Poole, having been there in the 70's up to recent years on occasions, I think it's the MODERN bikes that have turned it in to a "gaters track". Very similar to what had happened at Blunsdon before they changed the Track. straights too long for the tight bends with bikes now revving far higher than they used to so making it much more of a one line track. That's part of the demise of speedway in my opinion, laydowns, engine revs and tuning and the ridiculous extra costs on the financial side and bikes no longer fit for purpose at many of the traditional UK tracks on the riding side. Interesting that the BEST race tracks now are either modern or significantly amended e.g Belle Vue, Glasgow, Redcar as prime examples.

Cheap transition Just get daddy to do his hair and flog him some knock off product. Civil partnership with Roo Paul TV special at the Chateau

Erm that's why I started "no chance of speedway at Dunstall Parj" Whether they wanted it or not.

No chance of Speedway at Dunstall Park Horse Racing Track. It's surrounded on 2 sides by Housing and you drive through housing estate to get in. South Staffs would include areas between Wombourne, Penn and Finchfield along the road out it Bridgnorth, too rural I'd suggest and inaccessible for anyone without a car One area that might work is the A5 between Gailey and Cannock where A5 Trucks top is. Lots of land round there some brownfield but not that accessible for many. Lots of old industrial sites and brownfield sites between Monmore and Birmingham New Road on Monmore side of town but that's likely been considered and ditched. Really left field is Wolverhampton City Airport formerly Halfpenny Green old RAF base that did stage big Grass Track Meeting in early 1980 period, very inaccessible again for many.

Probably best crowd I've seen there this season but take away a fair but by no means large Poole contingent and the core Brummie support remains frighteningly low around 400 mark. On the track frankly outclassed. No lack of effort in the main but disappointing effort from heat leaders and Alfie possibly tried too hard. Dicko saying he's getting 7 rides and expecting big points can put unnecessary pressure on Sadly the let's make the most of it as it's not going to be long now before the inevitable vibe seems ingrained. I can't see any impact from incredible amount of money Nigel has blown or any reason for him to waste any more. Thats a sad but pragmatic view. I doubt Ian Thomas and John Berry at their best could make much difference Promoting wise.

Brennan probably carrying an unfair weight of expectation as next Lambert or Bewley. He's over performed for Team GB and on occasions for Belle Vue especially at NSS He's doing well in Poland. He's getting plenty of European experience in other GB options. Probably over stretched equipment wise and travelling and it's a long old haul from Midlands to Glasgow and back if he's commuting to Europe and back twice a week. If Glasgow go top tier would probably help him. He's not good enough to ditch CL but not ready to ride 6 or 7 days a week either. Biggest mistake Glasgow have made is making him Captain. Don't think he's ready for it on or off the track Next 18 months will decide where his next level is at. Plenty in GP though have plateaued in early 20s and then come back very strong later on.

Glasgow like Redcar again showing that if you develop a proper race track with suitable banking and a racing shape that the sport can still deliver great entertainment. Those tracks should be the template for any new ones if at all possible.

Loads to do in and around brum In City Milenium Point ICC / NIA area New Street / Shopping Area Brindley Place / Canal Trip Fort Dunlop Star City Outer Areas Sutton Park (biggest Urban Park in Europe) Black Country Museum Dudley Zoo + Caves Stourbridge (World famous Crstal Glass) Crystal Mile West Midlands Safari Park Lichfield - lovely Cathedral City All within 45 - 60 mins or so of PB Drayton Manor Park + Zoo

Rumour on terraces is failed test but the rumour seems to be from social media. Lack of RR facility suggests that track paramedic would not issue a certificate for what ever reason, if failed test would be nothing to do with paramedic anyway but lots of ifs and buts. Track is poor, atmosphere is dire, probably 600 in a fair bit more than last twice I've been. Typical brummie rumour linking coke bottles and coke, either way hard to see Morris back here again.

Is Discovery / Eurosport / BT / Sky not actually "the elephant in the room" What money the Sport has received from those it has truly "spaffed up" and increasingly it's become a CLOSED SHOP! BSN has shown that in-house streaming can deliver a product that is not in any way a "poor relative" for Speedway fans and if correct delivered a near 5 figure sum to CL Clubs last year. To each of the Clubs via Pooling resource. HOW MANY NEW FANS ARE ATTRACTED BY MSM - (the above) Is it not time to take Speedway OFF MSM and to make it stand on its own 2 feet? BSN delivered more financial input to CL Clubs last year than "the above" have done in the past decade. Back to Basics, cut costs and cloth accordingly and rebuild from the bottom up with "whats left" and what's sustainable. Better to be paid £50-£80 per point than NOT paid £100- £200 a point and 4 figure guarantees. LOCAL Advertising, LOCAL initiatives FAR more likely to attract NEW support than DISCOVERY. Local Radio does a cracking job in some areas as an example.

Plymouth will remember Brennan cry baby strop to get last seasons fixture called off due to a damp patch. Heavy rain in South West at weekend and yesterday, I was in Tintagel for the weekend and raining all way back up to Bristol yesterday afternoon. Bomber is a big draw still down there so they probably want best possible weather to attract the Cornish hordes. Wise early decision will be appreciated by Glasgow too probably.

Would be nice but surely any new entries would have to start in lower level unless they had massive verifiable known backing.

I think you've hit the nail on the head. He's been left with 2 teams, one with no Promoters, the other KL with an experienced but non investing one. With deals done by others that probably in the region of 20k to cover all costs. Are 1000 going to turn up at 20 quid a pop, no chance. The other issue which cant be kicked in to long grass IF there is a return fixture its the same scenario in reverse. Are we realistically looking at BV Sheffield Leicester Ipswich Poole Oxford Glasgow Redcar ------ Scunthorpe Berwick Edinburgh? Plymouth? Birmingham? Mildenhall Workibgton Kent 2 Divisions next year with top league a PL CL composite and Other a CL NDL compisite

Watch some of the more experienced guys like them and they feather the throttle so that they don't spin and open it as they head towards the bend. So many of the younger riders or ones with no MX experience just hold it on the end stop revving the balls out of the engine and wonder why they spin. Amazing how little time in youth development is spent on gating its all about sliding and turning. Riders develop bad starting habits they can't kick.

Financially you'd think NDL on a Saturday may be best Didn't seem a problem for Leicester nor Eastbourne but both were very much closer to major airports.

Good to read Mark Phillips advocating switch to Saturday Racing in the Star this week. Very logical as they had a thriving kids set up in NDL on Friday nights and actively sought and got decent family sized groups in. Only Berwick now in CL on a Saturday so scope to pull in crowds not only from all over SW but further afield OK the M5 can be a "car park" on a Saturday but by late afternoon it's generally a lot quieter. Good luck to him as no one works harder.

Bomber is not at the peak of his powers now (understandably). Basso is the type of rider that can look world class on occasions on the right tracks and surfaces but really should be a 3rd heat leader at the moment Brennan is probably the most disappointing, has plateaued this season in the UK , back at reserve for Belle Vue and probably struggling with captaincy and expectation at Glasgow. No doubt adjusting as younger rider have to with the expansion of riding in Poland. The others are pretty much riding as expected with young Pijper outperforming expectations and massive credit to him for that.

A slight ridge.. More like Rourkes Drift

Having logged up tens of thousands of miles following Speedway in the 70's, 80's 90's, when there was no internet, no social media (if you were very lucky old Diddy David or Mayo on R2 might mention "speedway off at XXXXX tonight" , I've often travelled VERY long distances, many times got in to Tracks and paid, to find track unraceable and a pink readmission ticket for next 3 meetings. In recent years many more cases, some tracks have / had excellent weather reporting , some make early calls (indeed PLymouth from my recollection often have) some try their best. Ultimately it comes down to personal choice, do I risk or not, eventually you, me , everyone has to take some flipping PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY and not blame somebody, anybody, everybody else, other than oneself. PS. I've got no known bloodlines to Colin or Troy

Can just imagine it. Annoyed its rained off and the first person you meet is Moaning Mike the biggest whinger on BSF.