PersonalResponsibility

It looked like Workington would be consigned to the history books not all that long ago. I think you'd be mental if you're feeling alienated because Jacob Hook hasn't been signed.

Great work from Glasgow as ever. They're in a different stratosphere to the rest. You know they'll completely maximise the angle of Hausl/Seychelles too, and rightly so.

The inherent flaw - in my opinion - is not the unworkable system, nor is it expecting 14 "top level" riders to keep their diary free to ride with Arran Butcher and Jack Smith, it's the reworking of the format. 15 heats, 4 riders, 4 laps. 3-2-1-0. 60 seconds. It is the most straightforward format you could ever wish for. The format is probably one of the very few things that (British) speedway has going for it. It doesn't need to be replaced with a three stage act. If this league structure came into play, I'd immediately make my racenight a Sunday, sign the best of those not riding in Poland, and then watch mercilessly as team after team turned up with R/R and 5 NDL riders.

Top marks for effort (asking AI to create it), but this is probably the single worst set of ideas I've seen and that's despite the BSPL operating our sport in this country.

It makes you wonder if they'll get a taste for it. Poland on a weekend, knock out Sweden/Denmark in successive days, and all drivable to boot. No need to set up an English base or even arrange flights really. It might be a one-season thing because of the uncertainty in the UK, but I could see a few deciding to stick with it.

To quote the comedian Stewart Lee: "yeah, you can prove anything with facts."

In much the same way that £1 in 2024 is the same as £1 now. Except it's not in reality, is it?

Just 20 short months after he delivered the "golden generation" too 😔. Life comes at you fast these days. https://watch.britishspeedway.co.uk/articles/morris-hails-golden-generation

This is the Pila who couldn't even match Josh Pickering's demands, too. If Harris has broken his Polish abstinence for that type of money then the writing must be on the wall.

How would they manage play-offs with 5 teams? Top to the final, the other 4 in a play-off to get there? Makes the whole season pointless. Top 4 as always - one team missing out isn't ideal. No play-offs? Though this is probably the least of our worries with a 5-team league.

Good for you. It's pointless discussing it any further when there are bigger issues, like the future of your own club, to talk about on here. I'm not "obvious to that fact" on that one.

If you can't understand the post then I think an explanation would be wasted, but I'll try. Promoters should tell riders: take it or leave it. History tells us that it's very unlikely promoters will do that. When things inevitably blow up, it'll be because they didn't do that.

I don't think anyone's oblivious to anything. The Premier League existed quite healthily before doubling up and down started. Clubs don't "need" to increase rider's wages to make up for them losing a Premiership club. They pay what they can afford and the riders take it or leave it. Sadly, the reality will probably play out as we all expect, and they will overspend, but that'll be the fault of the promoters paying excessive wages and nothing else.

Very, very concerning news for British speedway you'd have to say. Even more than that, losing someone like Chris Louis is a big blow to the sport. If one of the few progressive, forward thinking promoters, who's family have been involved for 70+ years sees enough to make him want to sell up...I dread to think what the outcome will be.

Interesting they've gone back to the GP Challenge in mid-season, good move I think. Anyone been to Terenzano? Wouldn't mind combining it with a holiday around the area. Is it easy to get to?

Sounds as though they're just using our profile to get themselves some easy publicity. It's shocking, really. You'd never get speedway using a football connection to do the same thing.

I think that was their point? Poole have been far more successful and probably viewed as a bigger club than Oxford in recent history, so Oxford not making it work isn't strictly relevant to whether Poole could.

Yeah, but what a publicity stunt it was. A colleague, who I'd never heard mention speedway before, was just saying he caught that 50-word snippet in The Sun and would be buying his whole family season tickets for his local club. Another mentioned they'd heard all about his interview at Poole and had become fully converted to the shale sport as a result.

It used to be a top 4 finish. If he finishes any worse than 3rd against that lot then he probably isn't worth the hype yet, though.

54°34'12.0"N 1°14'06.2"W

Almost everywhere we've been in Poland has had trains passing, or terminating at Łódź. Less than 2 hours on the train from Warsaw too. Ideally located.

No big surprises other than perhaps Łódź. Strange why Belle Vue has been given 2 again but c'est la vie, at least it's good racing. I think we'll be going to Landshut and/or Riga, a weekend of SWC and a GP is a cool idea. God knows what the state the track will be in by the final of the GP, but a fun weekend anyway! It's also good (in a selfish way) that Landshut, Prague and Warsaw all fall on UK bank holiday weekends. A nice little bonus.

You say that, but how could any charity not look favourably on speedway in its current plight? Surely they can take some pity on us? 😆

Yet we're always told that the primary reason clubs close down is due to external factors (e.g., development of stadium land), not lack of money or interest. This being the case, how do the majority of promoters manage losing massive amounts of money every year? There's exceptions to this, but most promoters come across as keeping fairly run of the mill businesses, so how can they afford such significant losses every season? I'm asking this sincerely btw. I know most of them are fans and see it as a labour of love, but there must be something that keeps them coming back year in, year out?

Bewley will be great to watch around Northampton*. *depending on where Northampton ride.