FAST GATER

Excellent analysis this was exactly the position when we looked at purchasing a club in the 70's "you are buying smoke " you haven't touched on the the most costly non asset element the RIDERS !

That has been true of British S/way for the last 30yrs plus ,like it or not the wage demands what we would call "star riders" ( not saying whether a rider is worth it or not ) has alwys had to be mostly if not totally underwtitten by third parties .

I personally have nothing but respect for CL he has been a wonderful servant to s/way as a rider and promoter ,I am certain in real terms owners /promoters in s/way do it for the love of the sport . I tried in the 70's to persuade my father to buy a speedway team (he was a massive fan of the sport) his reply was it is thankless and profitless passtime at best. Chris L has made a huge decision I would image it is one of the hardest things he's had to do in his entire s/way career .

Think NIcholls as a second string would be great signing at home he could still beat anyone and be a nice way to sign off his career .

A wise promoter once said to me many years ago 40/38 and how you got there was more important than a win even , it's true you can forgive a home loss if the racing plus result are close and exciting IMO ! The last thing you want to see is countless numbers of 5/1's and four riders strung out with the last one parking up on the centre green with a lap to go .Whilst I don't want to see 1970's World of Sport wrestling ( fixed and badly rehearsed) something in between maybe achievable . There is nothing better than two riders side by side elbow to elbow entering the last bend and one winning by half a wheel, ,demanding skill trust with the result being in many respects irrelevant . As far as I know there are no great rewards for winning the leagues in this country , extra income for the play off's but who cares who wins it's how they do it IMO .

Sadly I think that may well be the situation most of the people I speak to or come in contact with have zero knowledge or interest in the sport ,when you start talking about it they often "glaze over" (in the same way I do about football) or think that it ceased to exist anymore . IMO the sport needs someone to inject a significant amount of money and raise the profile ,not unlike Wrexham FC a perfect example of what money can do !

Much needed here IMO

I stand corrected on Doug T

Speaking as a former sponsor rider's start off grateful end up demanding , maybe just my bad luck but it happened almost everytime

Second left Charlie Monk Second Right Doug Templeton

The fan I spoke to at the weekend said Bomber and Scott would be the dream duo and a great way to end their careers .

Had the good fortune to meet an avid Plymouth fan over the weekend he informed that immediiately Scott N arrived the whole team and club seemed to get an incredible lift .In no time at all his merchandise was flying off the shelves and he was being lauded by almost every supporter .His approach to riding ,team mates and the fans meant in his opinion his return for 2026 was crucial even if he may no longer an out and out number 1 at Champ level . It was great to witness this enthusiasm which we don't see a great deal of within our sport these days !

I think it was more of personal/ family matter rather than injury finished him .

Scott will be pushing 48 yrs old by the time the next season starts ,thought he would of had a final season at Oxford ( he had said he would finish there in the past ) so maybe wants to break the half century as a rider !

BZ Mauger P Karlsson

Thought Scott was seeing out his career at Oxford assuming 2026 will be his final season as a rider

I can't quite agree with that statement as we ultimately withdrew all our sponsorship in the sport as a result of the spiralling costs which over a very short time just became ridiculous . In the sport we went from half a dozen riders using Japs with the rest on two valve Jawas all of which could be home serviced by the average( Journey man) rider or an informed individual .You had Ivan & Co on works engines but to a large extent the rest of the riders operated at an affordable level . Enter first the two valve Piper Conversion ( not a huge cost ) then the Street conversion ( half the cost of a new engine from memory ) Weslake ,four valve Jawa and Godden in the mix as well all in a matter of a few years . Riders being as we know are influenced very easily chopped and changed at a whime ,we spent upwards of over 25k( on engines alone ) in three yrs and this was in the seventies . Imo that period is when the dynamics of the sport changed the riders took control to a large extent part of their reasoning was the inceased cost of being competitive .Up until this point the average rider didn't have a tuner lucky to have two bikes and went to a primary job the next morning .This was when the the sport was at it's peak now it has all but dropped off a cliff and your average rider wants to make a full time living out of it !

That's why IMO BZ is the GOAT no gate and go ,almost all his races are box office !

Not quite sure what you want of him to do ,I find his English is better than my Polish ( non existent I might add) he appears to me extremely modest likeable young man . He dose all his talking on the track IMO he is an excellent advert for the sport ,had Krutz won he would have gone home for the winter and would have only been seen in the UK next season because he rides there !

Problem is it's a team sport using sub contractors metaphorically speaking . I've been in rider negotiations where they were demanding a certain place in the pits ! It was rediculous what goes on with these so called "star riders"but it's hard to resist if you have someone who can knock in double figures week in week out . I've seen so many that would ride at a training school with ice on the puddles end up refusing to ride after a light shower of rain a few years later . I don't see anyway of reining the riders in unless there is a true concensus of agreement between the promoters and the govt body , I won't be holding my breath on that one !

Doyle or Fricke ,Vaculik,Michelsen for me

Proper speedway !

I wouldn't quite go that far!

I wouldn't quite go that far!

GB should get 7 this time !