ouch

The tenth Glasgow v Edinburgh meeting went down a storm and was one of the most enjoyable meetings of the season for those fans. Ipswich visited the NSS four times last season and all were decent affairs. I’m guessing your wife missed two of those which is a shame given the quality of entertainment on track. For the coming season just take in two visits per team as has been the case over many years and leave the other visit. Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. This coming season is almost identical to 2021. Could those advocating one big league post a likely Belle Vue v Sheffield line up and the cost of attending so I can judge how appetising it would be?

Looking at the end of season declarations, Jaimon would have been number one at almost half the tracks. There were only six riders from opposing teams that had a higher away average than Jaimon and two of those have ditched the top league again. He is and has been one of the better away riders. His average was achieved at all the different tracks by using his skill has an excellent rider. Both him and Jason Doyle have almost identical away averages, both are terrific competitors and achieved FIM gold at individual level. Must be an Aussie thing.

I’d have gone with the same team as last season apart from the one change we always need to make due to the rules. It’s more than likely that we will be helping other teams again so it may not be possible. Brady Kurtz Norick Blodorn Philip Hellstrom Bangs Zach Cook Dan Bewley Tate Zischke Jake Mulford

With our Max rumoured to be leaving Leicester, it’ll only affect one team. The rule will probably be 1 over 7.86. When the NSS opened I expressed my concern about the leagues numbers dropping. I said we can’t ride against ourselves but we pretty much are. Be good to see the number ones spread out. Max, Brady, Dan, Jaimon & Tom. It would be an Ace league.

That’s an ace team.

Like Fricke to Leicester or Brennan to Birmingham when they both moved up. What I don’t want to see again is a rider who filled the number one spot for a struggling side get poached to fill a number three role for an established team. The bigger picture needs to be adopted by all.

Kings Lynn are currently set to have just 18 meetings next season (16 league and 2 Cup). If they have a good run in the cup & play offs it could end up being more than the 20 meetings they rode in total in 2021. Peterborough rode in 24 meetings in 2022. Hopefully The Aces will complete the same amount this coming season. Meeting the same team twice every 2 or 3 months at the NSS isn’t ideal but for me it’s better than the alternative. A 37 premiership average equates to a 55.5 average in the lower division, add in the number 7 and it totals nearer 60. If Sheffield kept the same team as last season (not including the RS), they would total around 37.50 points so thats the kind of level we are looking at. Sheffield topped the table.

It’s almost like 2021 all over again. Bit repetitive and we could end up riding against some teams 10 times instead of the four we did last season. Can’t see anybody supporting a repetitive league that see teams meeting 10 times in one season.

It’s almost like 2021 all over again. Bit repetitive and we could end up riding against some teams 10 times instead of the four we did last season. Can’t see anybody supporting a repetitive league that see teams meeting 10 times in one season.

The doubling up was crazy over the last few years. It would have been good if teams restricted their double uppers to just two in the top six. It would have made things more credible and do away with the scenario of having a rider at number one for both his teams. I doubt any team could have managed this over the last few years as restricting it to just two out of six isn’t easy and whether it could be achieved moving forward is a big ask, if we ever move forward that is.

Indeed. It should have been invested in new stadia so as to provide punters with a better race-night experience, and moving away from the whim of a landlord. Then moving forward, invest in junior development that might have seen us unearth some medal winning Brits. The list goes on but sadly nobody grasped the bigger picture.

You make a few good points there. It would be worth looking at a way to keep the bulk of the side over many seasons, even hopefully ending up with a one club man’s testimonial. This would give the fans something to get behind. Dropping RS riders Willy nilly needs to stop and clubs need to persevere with these youngsters. Injuries can get in the way but apart from that we need to look to keep them on. Your other point about guests needs more input from clubs. Maybe look to limit them as much as possible say over a five year period to see how it might work. The rules can be a nuisance as sometimes there is no other option than using guest but if clubs could find a way to limit them, all the better. This fad of top league clubs dropping down when things get tough needs to stop. It’s an easy get out and doesn’t make these clubs pull their socks up and improve things. The whole league is guilty of this I think.

As we limp through the 2026 season, there should be putting a plan set in place to improve the sport and hopefully put it on a firmer footing. Ideas to look at include building relationships with the local councils to help secure a new fit for purpose stadium or improvements to the current location. Build or improve tracks to provide the level of entertainment demanded by modern audiences with the Glasgow ethos of racing being the key. Meetings need to be run on a tighter timeline with 9.00 as the finishing target. Grading breaks need to be short and at standard times every meeting. In the down time have something to engage the fans with rider interviews ( preferably on a big screen with replays and scores throughout), games for the kids and a mascot to provide some fun and free sweets. A chance to hear from and meet the riders after the meeting would be good to help build relationships. Running a junior team and U16 meetings should be mandatory to help bring on the next generation. We might even unearth some GB FIM medal winners. Engaging with the local community via youth groups plus attracting families via social media is something to look at and bringing in sponsors, the kind who would look beyond the local and possibly back a UK Grand Prix. Lastly riders need to be looked after by being paid on time and backed when times are tough to help build that bond between rider and club/fans. All not easy to do I know but with the right people it could be achieved. Chris Louis would be the ideal choice to push this through or Stewart Dickson at Leicester. Bates would have been good before deciding to move on and of course Buster could get things done as he has done in the past. There could even be candidates from the lower division with the drive to see this done.

The problem with the BSPL committee members is they’re not looking to take speedway forward or even protect it’s position. They join the committee purely to protect their own interest and get a favourable decision when dodgy dealings raise their heads. It’s no surprise to me to see two jump ship once the waves get choppier. We nearly lost the TV deal that has just lapsed but thankfully Adrian came in at the eleventh hour to save at least something. The gratitude show to him by the committee was to continually sideline him on his many proposals (independent body, junior development, streamlined rule book and competition structure to name a few) so in the end he turned his attention to other business avenues. As a none speedway man he, as is always the case, couldn’t join the old pals club that have presided over the demise of our wonderful sport.

We are already, partly.