KK62

Still happening in 2018 although it was for a very different reason. I booked two guests from the same club and both of them told me, before the meeting, that ‘their’ promoter had told them not to do well for me as he didn't want us getting anything from the meeting. They both rode well , one got double figures I think, and we took the ‘bonus point’, because they were honest and they got rewarded accordingly. It was the only time I witnessed that scenario but then that particular promoter was always causing issues . Im very confident it was a one off as now every club uses guests on a regular basis ( unfortunately ) so it wouldn't work in any ones favour. There isnt any club loyalty anymore as riders ride for so many teams, they are just interested in their wage packet, quite right too the way the sport is currently.

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.

Its supposed to be a development league, the ‘winnings’ should be potential riders for the future, not a shiny £10 trophy and a picture in the Star. If clubs stuck to the principles and the recommended pay rates , there wouldn't be a ‘them and us’ attitude and clubs like Buxton , Mildenhall and even the Isle if Wight may still be running in the NDL but some clubs, and we all know who, have a win at all costs attitude and do what they want and not necessarily whats best for the sport. This coming season will see very few new faces in the league, just a couple of lads turning 15 will be about it as there has been precious little new riders taking up the sport. Attitudes need to change , more effort made to get kids on bikes, make the sport cheaper and not dearer as the new regs are doing or there wont be a future. There will always be winners and losers but at this level, it doesn't really matter !

Have you ever considered the possibility it may just be YOU? Having had dealings with the Triggers for a number of seasons and on a weekly basis last season I found them all to be lovely people, Ben is still just a kid , looking to have fun, and occasionally has ‘too much sugar’ but you get that with all kids looking to enjoy life. Lighten up !

I’ll score you 3/7 😉

Whilst this may look like an opportunity for more track time for NDL standard riders it looks to me to be another sticking plaster approach just like the promised ‘ more opportunities via individual meetings’ that they said would happen in 2024. The fact was that only three/ four of those meetings actually took place. Whilst we don't know the full make up of teams yet, the fact that they expect riders to double up sets the alarm bells ringing. Some of these NDL riders who appeared in 2024 will not be riding next season for reasons of ‘too good’, retired or simply cant afford it with the new silencers and rev limiters being required ( about £600 to be found per bike ). So already the SIX NDL sides are hunting for riders , some for two or even three . Yes, theres a couple of 15 year olds to come in , but not loads so just where do the rest of them come from ? The TROPHY sides need to find riders willing to ride and also willing to ride mid week and travel , they might yet struggle to find enough riders willing to double up as the rumoured pay rates will not attract riders who hold down a full time job. Fixture planning needs to be very carefully thought through. Is there a long term plan attached to this idea ? Will current NDL riders be cueing up to get in a Trophy side ? Let’s hope it thrives…….time will tell.

You should be a promoter and get on the committee, its not like you do much else.

Playing Devils advocate ( as always) but you’re doing a team manager out of a job ! Why cant 10 plus teams run without separating the league ? The riders are crying out for rides so the more matches the better……oh, hang on…..not enough riders ? This is why they need to get their support for newbies and the youth sorted out as thats where the riders will come from. The SCB should be running speedway try outs -schools at any track that will host them, invite moto x riders , school kids, fans to come along , for free , and have a ride. The SCB/BSPL should supply bikes, basic kit and tutors to travel around and promote the sport other wise it will be dead within the next few years. This sticky plaster approach isn't going to save it.

Sorry Steve but your a bit off with this one and have your stat averages/rules mixed up. Spencer is a slow burner but likes the Redcar track having attended many practice sessions and a few Amatuer meets , he also has a major sponsor here in Ged Rathbone so a definite NDL team place is a serious possibility and it makes it even more attractive if he’s to be the Bears no. 7 and before you ask…..no I don't know the team ….but theres some hilarious guesses on here !

No.

So if heat 13 is a cracker you definitely don’t want to repeat it ! so replace it with a two man race ? You think a promoter wants to save a few quid but actually lose it because fans don’t want a reduction in proper four rider races and even more will turn their backs on the sport.

Can’t find enough riders to make Amateur meetings worth running and even struggling to find volunteers to help run them . The sport is at an all time low with not enough investment in the future , with either hire bike days or proper structured training days . Edinburgh are trying but there’s not much else at the moment, there will be a major void in kids coming through in the next few seasons. Allowing 5 point NDL riders to compete against novices in the NJL last season hasn’t helped .

The 4 TT days at Redcar were always great days but probably never to be repeated events due to the low number of riders these day, plus the expense of running a stand alone meeting like the 4 TT since the SCB withdrew any financial support and the clubs had to fully fund the meetings themselves. I do wonder how many teams might enter the NJL next season as only Edinburgh have a number of local kids coming through to fully field a team.

Only need 8 ish or more to make it work as a second half event.

Not sure what Steve has got ‘ factually slightly wrong ‘ but the essence of the discussion is that there are riders, 125 & 250 , available but you are saying they won’t travel mid week, which is understandable but does seriously limit their options when it comes to riding. The MDL has struggled since the nomad teams were kicked out, another brilliant SCB interference, and it seems won’t include 125’s for reasons known only to themselves. The NJL never had an issue even though they had three Friday night tracks but attitudes are different now and riders would rather ‘practice’ at a home track than ‘race’ at an away track. The NJL will struggle to field meaningful teams in 2025 and I have suggested in the past that perhaps it’s time to look at a ‘ GP Style ‘ individual meetings, for each class, held perhaps twice at each competing track to give all riders meaningful racing and riders can chose which rounds to ride in but must compete at least once at each track. Just a thought….

The NJL has lost its way since the Swales controlled days. Too many individuals looking for team glory rather than the interest of the juniors, rules changed to suit one club and recently incompetent leadership from the ‘co-ordinator’ leading to the loss of stalwart managers at clubs. Now there is a shortage of kids coming through to fill the existing teams with more and more amateur meetings being cancelled for just that reason. Lets hope the NJL can be revived back to pre SCB interference days.