Fortythirtyeight

Well at least you got the first seven words right.

So you list TWO tracks who do ‘practices and training ‘ and one of those , Leicester, which you will probably need a bike and kit for ? Thats alright then ! Im talking about your local track , where ever that is, from Glasgow down to Plymouth giving the opportunity for someone to turn up and say “ Can I have a try please ?” Its this blinkered attitude thats brought the sport to where it is now.

That crowd wont pay Sheffields wage bill tonight……but it might Oxfords !

Let’s face it, there just isn’t enough interest from females in riding speedway and we currently struggle to get new males interested. The Belle Vue event had 25+ females attend, all invited and given free access to bikes and kit for the day and it was given massive publicity . How many of those took part in this years event ? ….two? three? Whilst Hellowell took part she rides for fun ( nothing wrong with that ) and doesn’t really compete at regular meetings or ride in any form of team racing. Gordon seems to have packed in as nothing has been heard of her this season other than the odd practice early season. That’s about it, I’m aware there’s one or two turn up at practices here and there but none of them seem to ride on a weekly basis so this FIM event is just a publicity event to tick a box. Just how do we get any new blood interested in the sport when tracks just aren’t providing the opportunities to have a go ?

Redcar are really struggling for riders as they no longer run practice days, Amateur meetings or the old hire bikes they used to do, don’t know why ? Katie Gordon seems to have given up and I’m told Dan McTeer ( who was a novice but improving ) has now given in too due to a bad crash affecting his work.

As Rachael Hellowell is the British Champion surely she’s rated more highly than Miss Gordon who seems to have disappeared as she’s not riding in the NJL for Redcar any longer.

It’s speedway, makes no sense to most people.

Few of you might want to reconsider your views in Zischke , Saved the Bears the bonus point!

Clubs have to asked by the club wanting a guest, who then give permission or not.

Riss would have scored a hat full, if fit, which he isn’t. As for Kerr & Cook , they possibly didn't fancy doing Edinburgh tonight and Workington tomorrow or maybe their clubs said NO ( clubs are approached first over use of their riders ).

Because he lives close and will be cheaper than southern based options ? Guests can be very expensive as they can demand over the going rate as they know you want them. Bears havent had a home meeting for ages and have two away fixtures to fork out for with no income through the turnstyles. Perhaps Mr.Parr reckons his other six will score enough to cover a low score, if that's what he gets. You never know, he could be the trump card !

……”Give 16 riders a grand guarantee, with some prize money on top, twice a week, for 26 weeks...” of a lesser standard than the premiership and probably most Championship heat leaders who currently earn more than that in a week. That ‘two grand’ doesn't cover an engine service ( done after ever half dozen meetings ) never mind their routine maintenance bills, tyres, Clutch plates,cables, chains etc. So now we are talking NDL standard riders riding in individual meetings and we know they pull big crowds…..not. and just how does a club survive running one individual meeting , with thesame riders, every few weeks? I would think there would be quite a few takers..

I don’t have an answer as I think the sport is doomed in its current format as the leadership are clueless. A complete overhaul is needed if the sport is to survive. At the moment there will less than a dozen clubs next season and you think some of those can survive on those figures ?

MikeBV…BSB does "more than OK" using UK riders with a few aspiring overseas riders who for many, see BSB as a stepping stone to WSB and MotoGP... If this type of model was the only Speedway on offer, I would suggest crowds would attend.. As you suggest, throw in some support classes to ensure a conveyer belt of talent coming through as the top names organically moved on to Poland, and the sport would continue.. Just like BSB does when their riders move on to the higher level racing.. It must cost circa £30k to lay out for two home and away meetings in the top tier, so use all, or some, of that, to put out some decent prize money and see if 1500 or so at @£20 will attend, and 10 sponsors will pay £500 for "a VIP night out" on nights that the entertainment industry is most successful... you know that the large majority of BSB riders don’t get paid to ride don’t you ? In fact they actually subside the ‘teams’ they ride for! How many speedway tracks can now attract 1500 paying spectators ??? One? Possibly two ? keep dreaming….

Like the amateur meetings at Scunthorpe? , or even grasstrack meetings? which attract about as many as a W.I. Meeting in a village hall.

‘The club is run by a crook time to wake up’ 2ndbend123 Quite a statement !, can you back it up with facts? For a guy whos put his own time and substantial money into a ‘dream project’ I find that hard to believe, has always come across as a very genuine and enthusiastic person whos trying to keep the sport alive in Cumbria, perhaps he may have been a little naive in his book keeping, but many people have been that in speedway !

Possibly because other Friday nights wont play ball .

But declined to travel to Redcar on a blank Friday night as it didnt suit them. What goes around comes around….

Whilst it’s an opportunity for youngsters to ride the fact they can’t field four rider sides on a regular basis is a sad sign of the state of the sport . it’s dying from the bottom up !

One troubled sole for another.

Cos its not working!

Yes….its nil nil till the meeting actually starts.

Riss normally good for big points around Berwick, but he is a ‘gating tart’ at times , Mulford should be able to beat his opposite number on a big track , shouldn’t he ? Not sure what they’ll get from Lambert. Tight one but if Bears can’t win at Berwick I don’t see them winning any silverware this season despite all the predictions.

Because it’s not about giving British youngsters a chance, it’s about winning ! 😜

Sponsors aren't always speedway fans and when they are, they tend to vote for their favourite rider not necessarily the rider who was the ‘star of the night’.