FAST GATER

I think it will be interesting to see if Andre Compton can step it up at reserve he should very quickly improve his average and could be the dark horse of the team as it were .In theory he should be up to h/leader standard if it was only ring rust and bike setup that held him back last season or will he join along list of riders who never make that dream "comback ".

True but this is 2014 and the product and the demands of fans has changed NL racing ( with "ALL" due respect) bares no resemblance to the racing we enjoyed then at Stoke and in this day and age a decent basic facilities aren't much to ask for.

I for many years said any speedway was better than none but have for sometime now changed my mind ,it in fact damages the sport that is dying on it's feet .

Well done to you all great to see supporters and clubs working together

As you know Mr B I was one of MV fans when he came to Stoke and appeared to make all the right noises and even posted on the unofficial Fan's site with informative and honest views.What and why things changed I have no idea other than ultimately the old adage " he who pays the piper calls the tune" and we all know who that is at Stoke.I still believe that given the right support MV could make decent fist of running a team in the Nl and possible the PL but way things are going at Stoke we will be lucky to see anything other than Stock Cars sadly. Could not agree more but common sense and business acumen seem in very short supply there !!

I am fairly certain the promotion at Stoke lease the stadium 24/7 52 weeks of the year and are responsible for the condition of track and stadium in general ,they also I am lead to believe sublet to the stox.I think they can take full credit for the presentation of what was once one of the best tracks in the country now resembling a bomb site .

"Rolling starts" gate picking and tape touching Yes Please !!!! loved it and the oid 70's T/S rules while your at it.

He had said that he would race for two more yrs when he dropped down so it is no surprise but a great racer going out in style with his reputation in tact all the best JS .

Could not agree more one thing that has changed is the council and as I have said already they may well take a different view than the previous one,we can only live in hope maybe Mr Mole will revisit the idea in the near future.

If down to the lease agreement then money would talk ,I am sure there would be a way to work round this if all parties involved were willing to let it happen.The council is not exactly flush with money and any regular "extra " income( in allowing a change in lease terms) would be most welcome but what the views of the leaseholder on s/way sharing the stadium I wonder?

The Rochdale licence was transfered to Elle Port so that maybe why some of the B/vue riders were involved and the link was formed ,when Jim Sefton bought the club from Thomas the Contracts had the name of Rochdale Hornets mentioned on it .I was told this by Sonny Dewhurst( former B/Vue rider) the team manager who witnessed the transaction ,I believe he was also a personal friend of Jim's.

My all time favourite it's all been said hope he has many quiet happy years ahead of him the "bench mark" for ALL that followed him best wishes

A true credit to the sport in every respect I do hope that that he is able to make a full recovery and not carry the legacy of this injury for the rest of his life .That would be be a sad end to a wonderful career by a true die hard sportsman that may just have gone on that that one season too many all the best Havvy .

IMO when I have been late for meeetings and they have started the most obvious noise is the PA system not the bikes ,when they are racing the noise is there but is not as annoying as music and the announcer .The race lasts 60+ seconds where as the PA can be heard for an hour and a half or more, so from a noise point of view that IMO is a greater problem to those outside the staduim than the actual bikes .

How long is a piece of string sums up what is wrong with this sport ,IMO there is no one factor or reason but my main concern is those that have and do run the sport now.There is no doubt that the costs to riders has had an affect ,the desperate urge for more power and speed which quite frankly is hard to appreciate as a spectator .The ridiculous annual rule changing that seems in most cases to be knee jerk reactions to say the least and the fact that the rule makers have in most cases vested interests in the sport.What has happen to the sport from a youth point of view is that the cost and demands to get involved have increased while the appeal of the sport in general has diminished to the point that I believe the average age of a fan is about 40 yrs old.The product is old dated and in most cases presented in less than desirable conditions in all but a handful of cases ,my wife will not go because of this anymore.The GP'S prove this well presented marketed my one complaint is that there are too many and it has damaged the British league through rider availability ,plus I believe that it has given Olsen far too much power and influence on the sport.The TV rights should belong to the sport and not one individual thus under the right guidance putting much needed revenue into the sport.I am not more dirt on the track ,two valve upright and open face helmet preacher ,the sport can't go back but standard engine and frame specs are possible and workable if peop[le want them to be .To sum up this sport fell apart over many years because of the attitude of no long term planning some very greedy people taking more than it could give.

It maybe that I am deranged in your opinion ( and that is all it is) but I did know that Sky have the rights you mention and in my opinion it would do the sport no favours to be shoved on the likes of BBC3 etc .The reason I mention using NL riders was to try get the interest of a younger fan base as I am lead to believe that most regular s/way fans are by an large middle aged. I maybe all that you say in your post but a least I can express my opinion ( again that is all it is ) without being rude and critical , it people like you that get this forum a bad name.

IMO they should offer PL racing rights for free if it gets them air time what an advert it would be for the sport as long as it was not on in the middle of the night or on BBC3 or alike.Sky is of no use to the PL so why not try other means of putting the sport on the box and attracting a younger fan base back to the sport, use young up and coming riders from the NL to give it a youthful look to the interviews .

IMO with this sort of injury the decision will probable be made for him the worrying thing is nerve damage and the long term affects with regard normal life never mind taming a 500cc motor cycle for four laps .I hope he makes a full recovery and enjoys a life the other side of the fence ,he deserves it and would be a great asset to the sport in a multitude of other ways .

Hope no real damage done joking aside i heard it was a nasty flip and enjoy a well earned retirement maybe it was a hint that it is the right time to go best of luck Dean.

Just remember "ANY" person who rides a speedway bike flat out with three others has "BALLS" and IMO s/way in this country is in a complete mess not just at NL level but across the board "turkeys voting for christmas has always been the problem.

One thing I remember was the clutch side of his handle bars had about two inches cut off ,I assume this was because he found it easier in the turns can't think of any other reason .

Older riders are not damageng s/way the powers that be who are not investing in the sport are to blame ,like any business you have to look to the future and they just pretend to.In the early 70's when I started watching what was the old NL you had a wide cross section of riders coming up Chris Morton,John Jackson,Joe Owen and Kenny Carter and then you had Mike Broadbanks,Pete Jarman,and even Jimmy Sqibb to give a great balance the league IMO.None of the older riders hindered the progress of the younger ones ,quite the contary many learnt and benifited from them being there in the first place.

I understand the premise behind the NL and it should be for developing young riders but they IMO benifit from riding with older riders in their team.I have always felt that a rider should be allowed to race regardless of his AGE and lose his team place to a better rider not be forced out by the system. Also in recent years the sport has lost a lot of it's Vets ,I really think that there are very few of these riders remaining in the sport today and their inclusion can only be good IMO.

Shadders You missed a real treat the track was massive and probable IMO the fastest ever built in this country lined with railway sleeps it was a frightening experience for any visitors.A real engine breaker and the racing was unbelieveable although the Kings were all but unbeatable at home "Happy Days".

Well done tmc another great read as always Kelvin was one of my all time favourites and the fact that he raced the last 2yrs of his career (one legged almost) carrying such an injury.His last visit to Poole when he almost beat Ricco( still at his best ) was amazing considering the pain and effort it took for him just to ride the bike .