KK62

But when run correctly , with the right pay rights for the level , then it CAN be profitable . Redcars crowds for NL , on their regular race night , prove that.

So if you want more matches then how about creating more competitions for the N.L lads like a 4 T.T. Competition ? Inter League cup between the stand alone NT teams and the NL clubs ? Even a GP style individual comp. with rounds at all NL clubs . What happened to the BSPA ‘s promise of more meetings for NL standard riders ?

Every club will be slightly different but you are mostly correct depending on who or what owns the land/ stadium. The club ‘assets’ are the value such as the fittings. , air fence , starting gate, probably some structures solely used for speedway equipment and the like. Just be aware that not all track equipment will be owned by the club as a lot of sponsors and individuals provide machinery for the clubs use. The track name, licence, lease have no moneyterie value . Any new promoter has to be ‘approved’ by the BSPL ( dont think they have ever turned anybody away ) You are basicaly purchasing the ‘rights to run speedway’ at the venue .

It’s well known who pays what in speedway , if you speak to the right people. Riders talk to other riders and their mechanics and also their sponsors, who, in turn talk to others and so it goes on. As someone who did actually pay riders wages I can tell you no two clubs are the same and nearly every riders deal is different and that goes for NDL riders too. Whilst the NDL has reduced its points money rates at most clubs no club has FULLY followed the recommended NDL pay rates for their 1 to 7 as they simply would not be able to attract a competitive team and there's a reason why some clubs are always towards the top of the league and others are regularly towards the bottom, different attitudes and different pay rates. The days of the Buxton type attitude are dying if not completely dead as the sport has now become so expensive it almost demands to be treated professionally and not like something to do every other weekend.

Hoping the injuries aren’t too serious , it was an alarming incident to witness. Glasgow have a history of having matches awarded in their favour against Redcar , even after the SCB initially said the fixture should be rerun . We wait and see…..

Whilst I don’t doubt he has ‘released’ certain riders ( by text ! ) , that’s nothing new even if the manner is a little disappointing, but resigning ? Well some dramatic changes to the way the sport is being run are needed but who else would take up the challenge ? Can’t see there being a long list of candidates.

Without being there difficult to tell and there may have been mitigating circumstances but Scott was probably safe for a point in heat 12 and Zischke had a win , probably from the gate (?) so hoping he would repeat it but I dont dispute Pijper rode very well and on another day may well have been given one or both of those rides.

You can ride on any night you can arrange just not clash with Premier nights of Monday & Thursday. Redcar regularly have to ride on off nights and have used Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays to fit fixtures in and have raced regularly AWAY on their home race night of Fridays , like Scunthorpe , or the fixtures would never get completed .

Not all clubs pay riders on a weekly basis so some riders will always be behind with their owed earnings. That could be to do with waiting till they stage their next home meeting to generate income. I know who you assist and did hear the issues he discussed with you know who, who stated it would be settled very soon, knowing the club involved I don’t think there’s a need to panic but I would say that as I’m not owed money.

Upping your crowd is very commendable but doesn't mean your making money.

Glad to see another point of view. If you watch closely as Wright crosses the finish line he hits the rut in gate 4 which puts him right into the path of Jake, he had a split second to sort it out and got it wrong , don’t think it was deliberate but he could have turned straight around on track and apologised but it made for great entertainment anyway. All loved up again afterwards and felt sorry for Jake as the blown engine didn’t help his mood .

Thats no mechanic…..thats the LEGEND that is Ben Murray !

You ever ran a speedway team ? Ever tried to find guests for a Friday night when Team GB have an event ? I know the answer so you needn't bother .

Your still barred !

Thank you for your positivity. Do you really think Redcar would not have looked at every available option before booking Jye ? Have you ever been a team manager? Looking for a guest to ride on a Friday night ? In Glasgow ? With 6 teams in action ?

Not true, more the way the sport was being run . As it wasn't my club , I ran it for the owners, it wasn’t my money I was losing , and by the way , the owners were very happy the way I was running it.

Two years and because the stress of running a business at a loss ( I had reduced the losses by half on previous years ) , combined with the sports some times ludicrous internal politics meant it was one rule for one and different for others. Best decision I ever made was to stop being a promoter but I left the club in a far better position than my predecessor and happily the promoters since then have continued to improve the club.

Despite the comments made on here by others I am willing to give you an overview of the improbables of answering your questions from an ex promoters point of view. In 2018 my heat leaders in my championship team were earning less a than a certain rival clubs number seven. I had two riders on a ‘minimum guarantee’, i.e. if they crashed in heat 1 and didnt ride again then they got a minimum wage. One of these was to satisfy a work visa criteria. Some got a bonus if they scored over a previously agreed points score. Heat leaders got more than second strings and they got more than reserves. Travel was paid to all at the going rate of certain pence per mile. Now all clubs pay different rates depending on their income which includes turnstyles takings and sponsorship. Some clubs did not pay their riders weekly, I did and I never not paid on the agreed pay day, some clubs paid when they had the cash to do so, some didnt pay for weeks. The whole of speedways finances are a secret and a mess. No two clubs have the same income or outgoings because of stadium rents, riders wages, staff wages , maintenance costs etc and everything is dependant on regular home fixtures as you pay your own riders home and away so if you have one home fixture and two away, then you have three wage packets to pay but only one income fixture. So the basic answer to your question is….. depends on the club, the riders, the scores, the attendance, the sponsorship , the bills etc etc etc. That is why Im an ex promoter !.

50/50 chance of getting it right.

Not many British youngsters left in the sport now Steve, and this is just one of the many reasons.

That scenario has gone on forever in speedway. When I rode in the very early 80’s it was exactly the same so a little unfair to blame the current northern tracks, especially Berwick, who have always done their best for youngsters even without running a NJL side of late. Try blaming your more local tracks for not running more regular competitive racing for juniors.

Not quite sure what you mean by saying ‘clubs treat them with contempt’ as my dealings with other NJL club sides would suggest the opposite, these clubs try their very best with the youth but some times the riders cannot afford to be available on a regular basis and seem to prefer to spend their money on a days practice rather than 3 rides in a league match, which is their choice but certainly frustrated me when trying to arrange matches for them. Of course some clubs don't bother sorting anything out which must be even more frustrating. The BYC sessions always attract good numbers but not all of them want to take part in the NJL for their own reasons.

It appears the NJL is just a name now with clubs no longer having enough local riders to fill sides so it will be a case of just fitting riders from anywhere into fixtures whenever available to give the youngsters valuable track time and complete ‘team’ fixtures. With Edinburgh leading the way and Glasgow now having a training track hopefully things will improve. There could be a huge discrepancy between the 500 riders in terms of experience but the 125’s have had that for a while so let’s see what happens.

Whilst I share you disappointment regarding Saturday afternoon racing , which will affect the crowd levels, its probably got more to do with rider availability for both home and away teams as Spencer and Pijper will be riding for the Bears most Fridays and other teams heat leaders could be at Glasgow, Edinburgh, Scunthorpe . Its just the state the sport has got itself in.