ouch

And the KO cup in March where unbeknown to us he was saving himself for tonight. I’ve got that right haven’t I?

You cannot compared riders from different era’s and you cannot even compared results over the last few years as they are always peeing about with the points scoring system. 3,2,1,0 then add them all up.

Broken chain decides it. Dam Aces luck again.

I was given an Aces scarf as part of my season ticket package the other season. Very nice it was too. I agree with you that other clubs should follow suit.

He only scored 7 in a league meeting for Swindon before the GP round at Teterow in 2017, when double figure scores were the norm that season. Like Brady, it was just a bad night and there is no need for bogus conspiracy theories to be made up in either of these instances.

Brady isn’t great at Ipswich but the timing of the meeting has made some see a lack of effort on his part when this wasn’t the case, it was just Brady at Ipswich. What was the reason for his low scores there earlier in the season? Last year Brady’s most important world championship meeting was the GP challenge, in some ways more important than today’s meeting as the long term financial benefits of being part of the GP circus are huge for a rider and it was something he had missed out on time and time again. The day before he won the challenge he rode unbeaten for The Aces as our captain leading us to another league title. Rather than make up a conspiracy that isn’t there maybe focus your attention on why three of the most spectacular riders in world speedway were unable to strut their stuff in one of the most high profile meetings of the domestic season.

Disappointed with The Aces but you cannot win them all nor should you expect to. I’m pleased for Ipswich and hope they go on to win the final. If other second division clubs see teams that have moved up not only do well but positively challenge then all the better. I’d rather these teams prosper than see support dwindle again to the point they need to drop down a league as we need clubs to ride against in our league. Roll on next years play offs when hopefully normal service will be resumed - injury allowing that is. Go for gold witches and here’s to another winners medal for our super ex RS Tom.

It’s pretty good at Belle Vue as most of our team ride for only us in this country with many who have never ridden for another top flight club. Most are quite long standing Aces with Dan being with us since 2016. It’s not the norm but something we like to do with our team. As with decades ago points limits, like rider control sees us forced to lose riders, we would have loved to have kept Max and Tom for instance but it’s good to see these riders continue to prosper at other clubs. Several riders are in the Craven suite after the meeting and mingle with the fans chatting and having photos and this has helped create a real affinity with the fans (many decked out in club colours) who see them as part of our Belle Vue family.

Belle Vue can sort their fixtures in time for the play offs and we have a busier schedule than most. The desire needs to be there. I did mention at the start of the season that Belle Vue are always the first to get to 75% of fixtures thus reducing our window for potential injury replacements. Any club that cannot fulfill its fixtures in an appropriate manner a week or two before the play offs needs to give their head a wobble. Guests have always been around but not with the regularity of these days. In the most famous KO Cup final which we won after THAT run off, we had Jim McMillan guest for Chris Pusey. Guests can no longer be described as a necessary evil as there was a perfectly fine rule in place in 2022 whereby you could quite rightly replace an injured rider at any point of the season. This rule was dropped in favour of guests (or the less than effective RR). This guest move has been actively applauded by many on here following the 2022 season when the rule was correctly applied to both Peterborough & Belle Vue. Never been a fan of the play offs and I’m still yet to see the full 30 heats of any since its introduction, such is my apathy towards them.

I don’t think that will be the case at all as the play offs have something riding on them, not like the qualifiers that have filled the calendar long after the top four were settled (even if not mathematically). Brady’s most important meeting last season was the GP challenge the day after he scored a maximum and led his beloved Aces to another league title. I think we will see the Brady & Dan we saw last night come the play offs. Our bottom five have rarely set the world on fire this season and we only get around 20 points away and 25 at home. That leave Dan & Brady with potentially 28 points to add. When deciding on the winners it’s just a case of how many points you knock for those two from the potential final score of 48 away and 53 at home.

I agree and it’s a very different world today than only 10-15 years ago. Data capture and engagement with customers is so much easier and with AI keeping tabs on such data, tailored marketing is the way to go. You’re correct that keeping hold of customers is the hard part and deals are a must to keep them coming back. I’ve asked many times “What is that seat worth to you?” and the response is always £25. My argument is it’s currently worth zero as it’s constantly empty and an empty seat looks and feels bad so fill it in any way possible. We use to block out around 50 seats in F/G section for schools and the Hide Out Youth Zone but take up waned though the offer is always there. I would always have a full looking stadium for TV meetings, by hook or by crook as it adds a fomo factor to those looking in from their armchairs. Clubs need a dedicated marketing person and not treat it as an add on by one of the current staff. The more accomplished they are the better with remuneration being based on results. Over the years it’s always been someone’s mate having a go (I was one such mate back in Perrins era) and the focus is never quite there. Better still would be a British speedway sales team fighting for our portion on the leisure pound.

Nope. Increase attendance but not revenue before attendance dropped back to normal levels with a decrease in revenue. All the initiatives haven’t worked to any great degree in the past though it could be said we are filling a leaky bucket given the age of our fan base so even standing still can be seen as a little victory. Being optimistic for a moment the current push for families using more modern channels of approach seems to be paying off with an always well attended bank holiday being very well attended, so the battle continues.

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/other-sport/aces-on-offer-983611?int_source=amp_continue_reading&int_medium=amp&int_campaign=continue_reading_button#amp-readmore-target https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/other-sport/prices-cut-as-aces-thank-loyal-1002582.amp We still do things of a similar vein but just to be clear we didn’t stop doing the specifics mentioned in the links due to them being so successful. We can all get a handle on where speedway sits in the public consciousness. I’ve asked this twice but I think fans lethargy dwarfs that of any promoter. Invite 20 people you know to attend a meeting with you and let us know their reaction whether they attend or not. These are “hot” invites as they know and like you so it’s infinitely easier than a “cold call” invite. Having your 20 responses will give you a sense of what speedway in the UK is up against. Just to add, you don’t need to do this. You can all do nothing or even better just keep telling other folk where they are going wrong.

Pleasing result for The Aces with better a performance from our reserves. Shame about Jaimon but these things happen and even an average return from him would have seen another away win, not that it was needed. I was 250 miles away but even I could hear Brady say f*#^ that in his last two rides and it difficult to argue against that when comparing a late season filler to the world crown. After this, I’m very optimistic about our play off meetings given the form of our bottom four and the scores to be delivered by our top three. Exciting times again on the domestic and world front for Aces fans.

Whilst taking the sport to the kids again is worthwhile we have hundreds a year with their parents walking past a 50 foot image of Dan Bewley before walking across the speedway track to play football. https://www.playfootball.net/venues/manchester-belle-vue-sports-village/community-sessions

I’d utilise bank holidays and school holidays to attract families. The first meeting of the season is always well attended for speedway starved fans, so I’d run a Sheffield meeting then and put the PCMT on a Saturday later in the season. I’d do the same with the British Final if no other club wanted it. That first night plus bank and school holidays would account for 12 meetings, all being well attended hopefully. The league title should go to the top of the table team with the top four competing for the KO Cup as this would make for more meaningful meetings. Run a wooden spoon cup for the other two, if it’s a six team league again like four years ago. I’d offer more special deals (endless options to try) and freebies to bump up the crowd as we saw on Monday that a big crowd can elevate an ordinary meeting. All this should be done if we stick with Dan & Brady types or not. If we throw them out then we restructure completely with rules making equipment cheaper to run and admission reflecting what’s on offer.

Decent enough meeting for an end of season filler. The racing was compromised due to the need to keep the dust under control on a hot and breeze day. Only 6 heats had anything of note happen after they had sorted themselves out off the start by B3 L1. This meant it could appeal to the racing fans and the gate’n’go brigade so win win there. Big crowd and great atmosphere with the usual excellent presentation added to with the sound and pictures from the big screen. Shame a Tate EF in the away fixture cost us the bonus but if we are to have our usual bad luck, then have it in a qualifier. This unfortunate loss and our aggregate win against the lions earlier in the year just leaves Ipswich who we have failed to tame. Given the fact we pulled back 14 points over just 9 heats suggests we can be successful again when it comes to giving trophies out. It’s squeaky bum time though as our annual play off injury jinx is due in the next fortnight. Opponents take heart.

Apologies if this is already on here but I’ve just registered my support for this via https://development.wiltshire.gov.uk/pr/s/planning-application/a0iQ300000FdUf7IAF/pl202506229?tabset-8903c=3 It can only help.

I think that the bloke on the kerb from gate one is moving off the inside due to his momentum from that start position, thus allowing the gate four bloke the opportunity to undertake him, all due to the gates they started on. We will have to disagree on this one but I respect your opinion.

Absolutely NOBODY has said that.

I know for a fact that speedway isn’t the best kept secret in town as we have done the following over the years to bang the drum. Have an advert on local radio over an extended period of time. Have an advert in local newspapers over an extended period of time. Have an advertising board on some of the busiest roads in Manchester. Have posters in shops and businesses. Had out flyers in local shopping areas. Have a float or attend local fairs and carnivals. Attend local trade shows. Give out free tickets to schools and businesses. Take bikes and merchandise into schools to accompany the talk they deliver on the sport. Be featured on local tv news’s 4 or 5 times between March and October. Have a regular editorial in local papers. Have a 30 minute highlights programme on a local tv satellite station. Form a tie up with local groups and offer free entry and supporters club membership. Attend (and win) local sports team of the year awards. I know I keep saying it and it’s a bitter pill for us all but as a generalisation, people do not like speedway. I asked recently if you could all ask family and friends to attend a meeting with you. I had no response but I’m guessing if each asked 20 people then out of the collective thousands that were asked the answer would have been around a 100% no. This is from people who now know where and when and how much the local speedway is and the opportunity to attend with a knowledgeable friend but still refuse the invite.

With regards attendances, the lore is fans overestimate home crowds and underestimate away. Clubs aren’t happy with their crowds and if you’re making a bob or two then great but no club has any bragging rights about attendance. Manchester has so much going on in the battle for the leisure pound. The average man/woman in the street (which is exactly what a speedway fan is) only has so much expendable cash so should they attend one of the many many shows or concerts etc at £50-£100 a pop they do not have the money to visit speedway. They can catch the speedway almost any time but when a particular show or artist comes to town for a short run or one night only then it’s easy to see who wins. Add in the plethora of sporting greats in and around the city then it’s amazing that such an unfashionable sport as ours can hold its head above water in the area. This is not a dig but I spent a week in the B&B Hotel in Ipswich at the end of last October. I struggled to find anything to do. No theatre (one production had been cancelled), no gigs and no comedy. There wasn’t even a pub quiz night. I had to travel to Cambridge to get my theatre fix. I found Ipswich to be a lovely town and had it been summer then a walk along the waterfront together with a drink and a meal would have been great but winter time offered me little. With limited competition for the leisure pound it’s little wonder that places like this and Poole get fairly decent crowds.

With regards attendances, the lore is fans overestimate home crowds and underestimate away. Clubs aren’t happy with their crowds and if you’re making a bob or two then great but no club has any bragging rights about attendance. Manchester has so much going on in the battle for the leisure pound. The average man/woman in the street (which is exactly what a speedway fan is) only has so much expendable cash so should they attend one of the many many shows or concerts etc at £50-£100 a pop they do not have the money to visit speedway. They can catch the speedway almost any time but when a particular show or artist comes to town for a short run or one night only then it’s easy to see who wins. Add in the plethora of sporting greats in and around the city then it’s amazing that such an unfashionable sport as ours can hold its head above water in the area. This is not a dig but I spent a week in the B&B Hotel in Ipswich at the end of last October. I struggled to find anything to do. No theatre (one production had been cancelled), no gigs and no comedy. There wasn’t even a pub quiz night. I had to travel to Cambridge to get my theatre fix. I found Ipswich to be a lovely town and had it been summer then a walk along the waterfront together with a drink and a meal would have been great but winter time offered me little. With limited competition for the leisure pound it’s little wonder that places like this and Poole get fairly decent crowds.

FTG is no longer a derogatory term as many fans have expressed their liking for this kind of heat and find the passing at some tracks boring. There is no need to defend FTG anymore, nevertheless this defence goes on with some examples being plain daft. If you can’t fathom the intricacies of the first few seconds of a heat and the impact a riders start position has then you need to rewatch some televised meetings. The commentators discuss at length the options open to a rider over the first part of a heat or more importantly options not available. Any passing up to the exit of B3 L1 is almost exclusively influenced by the start position and this is why I call a heat at that point then compare the order come the checkered flag. This is by no means an insult but yesterday only heat 3 & 15 saw a change in order after B3.

I’d be happy if this was the play offs as we can pull back a 14 deficit within 9 heats. In every meeting at Foxhall this season we have suffered 5-1 in heat 13 & 15 which is unacceptable given our top two. In both fixtures we were in touching distance on a close defeat of small win as the rest of the side had done their thing. Harsh on Brady & Dan but everyone has a job to do in their particular slot. I’m confident that they will succeed in these heats come the play offs and help lead us to the ultimate prize once again. Whether they go on an unbeaten 29 ride run again like last year is debatable.