HGould

I think that you are spoiling what could be an interesting thread by living in cloud cuckoo land. 90% of tracks are the shape and size and have the dimensions they do out of decades old necessity. You write off one track based on a video clip and have an obsession with another. Any rebirth or renaissance has to be practical possible and sensible. I'm out.

Berwick have a great one. Made of wood Teams names and scores updated after every heat bit like an old cricket scoreboard.

may be you should go and read last weeks Speedway Star. Nicholls / Harris and King review various Tracks, looks like they are going to do an A - Z. All Class riders and all saying the same thing broadly. There is a place for all types of track, the ones where you stick you backside on the back guard and throttle full on (often boring and processional in my opinion as there is only 1 line) and the ones that are far more technical and require throttle control and rider to turn the bike (can be equally boring as the riders who have the ability to do that are often head and shoulders above the rest and a dying breed) Converse thinking is you can and do have great racing at big fast and technical tracks. I've seen great racing at most tracks and equally boring racing at those tracks, Generalisation is easy. If every track was built like NSS which I think is a good track but over-rated wouldn't racing be boring in general as the vast difference in types and skills required would be nullified. The greats could ride anything, from Crayford to Crewe, they never moaned and complained. Look at the 10 point average riders in those days, cream rose to the top, look now, there aren't any basically, as all much of a muchness. We have a generation of riders (those that came after Nicholls / Harris and King who can ride anything) who only know one way to ride, very few have actually learned proper throttle control and the engines are revved to destruction. De-tune, limit revs, bring onus back on to throttle control not throttle bashing and the sport would improve overnight. I did Trials and Road Racing, I learned how to ride fast and how to ride the bike properly. I didn't have the natural ability to excel at either but I'll tell you this, anyone can ride a bike flat out, takes a rider to learn throttle control!

Some of the more progressive Promotions have already announced that this will be the case. I highlighted last week a few who have already made announcements with Free Offers and significantly reduced Admission Rates. Other Clubs will no doubt follow once the actual position about chances of Racing in 2020 are known. It's not all doom and gloom out there far from it. The biggest danger as I see it are the dinosaurs amongst the current Promoter population just carrying on regardless and killing the Sport in the process. A breakaway of the progressives at some point might be the best solution and that takes us full cycle back to the 60's.

Mike, I love reading your posts and respect your views very much. To consider though that any but a handful of CL tracks would break even let alone make money for such an event would be more accurate an assessment. I don't get the obsession with finals at the NSS either?.. I think a lot of promotors with a September start will be thinking 2 local derbies home and away to cut costs optimise crowds and make few quid for the long winter as season tickets and sponsorship next winter just not going to happen.

With age dynamic of supporters and cost of modern electronic boards not sure how either are going to have any impact at all. Standard engines are fine as long as a single manufacturer can make enough. Jaws who supplied ice racing engine to IOW Nice Challenge would struggle to make enough available. Could be real milage in R2 and bring mainstream manufacturers in to the sport. One big regionalised league, set pay rates per win, 2nd, 3rd 4th like the 80,s, and a max admission of £12 with Clubs forced to adhere to pay rates would be a start. Abolish BSPA and create a new independent body.

I made this point precisely during the winter when teams were announced and at which point there was only 1 team in the 19 Clubs in the PL / CL with 7 British riders and a couple with 6 British riders and a smattering with 5. The issue though for Promoters is that the richest Clubs will sweep up the British riders, especially Clubs like Wolverhampton (2020 team not a single British born rider), who will suddenly seek to do something they have rarely done and be interested in British riders. For many of the Australians in the CL though Poland/Sweden are NOT an option so there would have to be some non UK born riders allowed to race here as they would base themselves for 6-7 months in the UK.

Mine not arrived yet but arrived Saturday last week so fingers crossed...sounds very positive feedback from all who have read.. Great news.

Don't think Belle Vue is on a par with some of the Polish Tracks. There are some exceptional races there but many is who gets the dirt line first and very spaced out Racing. There is a space in our sport for that type of sit on the dirt and just screw the throttle on, just as there are for some of the more technical throttle control tracks like Cardiff and plenty in between. I've turned off matches at BV as just down to horsepower and turned off Cardiff as too rutted. Of all the tracks I went to in 2019 the new Swindon shape is exceptional and will provide even better racing when it matures and Glasgow is also now excellent track and hopefully Berwich being similarly widened can provide some great action. CL wise the 4's at Peterborough and Pairs at Somerset were as good quality as BV.

Need some reality I think. Why would BBC / ITV want to or have the need to show Speedway at this time when they have tens of thousand of hours of 50 other far more popular (to mainstream TV Sports). The 3 obvious Sports exclusive channels we could expect to see Speedway on are Sky / BT Sport / Eurosport. As we all know though as usual fate has not landed kindly for Speedway! Sky gave up the ghost a few years ago and is now apathetic at best. BT Sport got the product on the cheap, very cheap, only upped the ante when they realised they could lose the product, have lost UK rights now and lose GP rights from 2021 Eurosport gained UK coverage but not yet any to show and have access to some recent Swedish / Euro Champ if they want to use it. Devil and Deep Blue Sea seems to be the best description. Sky won't be bothered, BT Sport toys out of the pram can't be bothered and Eurosport can't really help very much at this time. Meanwhile all 3 show other forms of 2 wheel and 4 wheel motorsport highlights of the past. No blame here just fate!

Great news thanks

Too many Clubs are still in dark ages of Cash only.

Countries will slowly you would think slowly relax social gathering and start to define numbers. What will constitute a "large gathering" and when. So it's currently 2! At the point it becomes 1000 or 2000 and at the point at which the significant majority of people are prepared to be in Crowds of 1000-2000 then in the UK we have Speedway (subject to Medical Cover). When that is ??? The Government will dictate the ability to stage an event by numbers that's the easy part, the general supporting public being convinced it's safe will be harder! NOBODY knows. I am now reconciled to it being no sooner than early 2021.

I'm hoping to see some Brummies Away matches down South at some point in 2020. £19 at Kent and no concessions for OAPs like me! Poole and Eastbourne letting my NHS working wife and daughter in for free and Poole offering me concession price and Eastbourne reportedly £10 for early meetings or a concession if not! Bit of a no brainer for us!

(right thread this time) Star still getting to local Supermarket thankfully - well done to all involved. Post seems to be very delayed from some areas, had a letter sent from Bank in Sheffield today posted 31 March 1st Class yet had letter posted in Scotland on Thursday 9th April at same time. Got to be patient.

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Read that Poole and Eastbourne have already announced some free NHS deals. Hope more will follow.

Very enjoyable. Loved the Sam Norris update. The short Eastbourne fight clips told us nothing other than Cook was probably the biggest "idiot" on the night.. whether you insert Craig or John is entirely up to you!

They certainly are and it's because they devote time and effort and financial investment. Everything about BSPA Media is cheap and reactive but as long as a few people can milk the system it will be no different nor any better.

Might be a nice bloke, might have methanol in his veins, Scunny is a decent track although poorly supported numbers wise . As the head man of our Sport though and on his record as Vice Chairman he was and still is way out of his depth. No marketing ideas, no vision, no charisma, look at the Scunthorpe programme (a joke) website (an embarassment) social media ( non existant ) and then compare with Barry Bishop, Lee Kilby, Peter Faceena and a few other Promoters and the likes of Rob Painter GB man Sport is cooked with "dumb down Godfrey" in charge. Time for an Independent professional approach.

Totally agree with DC2. Can't we all accept that Covid-19 is a variant of Flu - IT IS and that's irrefutable. Can't we all accept that if normal flu was reported in the same way as Covid-19 there would be far more incidences of normal flu reported. Can't we all accept though that it's a particularly virulent strain for those that develop pneumonia (or similar complications) and that death rates amongst that small percentage are a lot higher than other flu strains but that as Covid 19 has global attention and been reported differently it is clearly a bigger danger to susceptible groups. Can we all accept that 95% of the population could have it and either not know or have very minor short term symptoms but that 5% could develop worse symptoms of which a yes undetermined but significant number could die a very painful death with little than can currently be done to save them.

I went to Eastbourne last year to see Brummies twice and both times Pits open before and after meeting, Stadium Tours and Home Riders mingling with Supporters in Pits and on Centre Green after the meeting. Got to talk to Brummies riders I usually can't get to see at PB although that had changed by end of the season. Went to Shield Final at Arlington with a mate from Leicester, what an effort then put on, dozens of Harley's and a Harley parade and again Pits open before and after and a Parade for Leicester who won the meeting. Brummies too making real efforts last season with Groups and features and involving kids at Interval. David and Peter Mason deserve great credit for that and notable improvement through the season. Same when I went to Somerset and Redcar. Trips to Wolverhampton though on the other hand far less enthusiasm same old Presentation as 10 years ago.

There you go again though, generalising based on one Track one annoucer. Every track is different some better than others. My visits to Swindon, old configuration and new have always been very enjoyable.

there were children on some occasions always with as many if not more adults and at one of the tracks (can't remember which when I went away) all seemed to be adults - was announced as a major Company... may be pointless to you with respect but not pointless to the Clubs!

Saw that at Birmingham last year predominantly in School Holidays, and also when Brummies were at Somerset and Redcar and at Eastbourne. Groups invited Free being shown around and being made a fuss of. Some of the best work is done in the Championship from what I've seen promoting wise.