Ben91

Rye have a proven track record of running in the second tier and not going under. The trouble started when we stepped up. With all due respect, Plymouth have tried and failed in the second division before.

Len has been based in Kent for a long time. I think he sold up at Rye in the first place because of his interest in Kent, which is closer to home for him. Would love to see the Rockets back on track, my only request would be the return of the blue and yellow with the traditional rocket on the race suit. The BMR rebrand was garbage. I’d probably attend more in the third tier too. The price shouldn’t be as expensive (hopefully) and the top two divisions are a shadow of what they used to be.

I’m out of touch when it comes to who is a good prospect and who isn’t these days. Since Rye House closed my interest has dwindled (it was heading that way before we closed in fairness). But there seems, and always has been this way, to be the opinion that being Australian makes a rider better than a Brit automatically. Some are, some aren’t.

This is speedway, someone with a stopwatch will do. If that fails then use the second hand on the time keeper’s watch.

Being Australian isn’t any guarantee of being good.

John Sampford. Was Rye House team manager while Len was promoter of the Rockets.

Lawson can’t ride Championship and NL as I understand it as he’s had an average of over four in the second tier.

They don’t have to make a three point average these days, the minimum is two.

You didn’t say that initially though, you said this: Over the years there have been plenty of riders in the second tier who haven’t been up to scratch. Jenkins, and to a lesser extent Phillips, aren’t in that bracket.

Jenkins is five years younger and has been involved in league racing since 2016, Phillips started in 2012. Jenkins has more potential IMO.

Would rather have Jenkins than Danny Phillips...

Perhaps Charles Wright’s performances in recent times have reignited James’ interest in riding. To my mind James was certainly the better of the two for quite some time. That won’t be the case now but if he’s up for it then there’s no reason he couldn’t maintain a four point average I’d say.

Nobody is saying you have to have another form of entertainment but plenty of other fans of the sport are looking elsewhere for their entertainment because they are fed up of the way the sport is governed and “promoted.”

The fan experience at speedway, facilities etc. is comparable to non-league football which doesn’t cost £40 to watch. Even at your price of £40 that makes a minute of football cost just under 45p. If we say a speedway heat is one minute long (they’re usually less than that) then at the £16 Somerset were charging last year equates to over £1 a minute. Speedway is not dirt cheap.

There are umpteen other forms of entertainment that offer better value for money.

I found a nice restaurant a number of years ago, I’d go there regularly to eat. Over the years the prices started to rise and the standard of food started to slip. The last time I went I was served a steaming pile of turd in a bun. I told the proprietor I wasn’t going to eat it or pay for it, he told me to take it or leave it so I left.

Perhaps the books don’t balance because the riders demand too much in the way of wages. Speedway is dirt track racing, it shouldn’t be considered a professional sport if the crowds coming through the door can’t support just that. Most sportsmen practice their chosen discipline as a hobby until such a time as they reach a standard where their skill merits that they are paid to do it as a full time job. It strikes me that Speedway riders expect a living from the sport and the promoters are happy to go along with it to the detriment of the fans (doubling up being a salient point here). There will always be enough riders about, there won’t always be fans of the current trend of putting prices up and lowering standards continues. I’m sure Najjer would go to watch NL standard racing if the entrance fee represented the standard of racing on offer.

I haven’t visited Harlow dogs for a long time, but when I did as a Speedway mad youth my first thought was “I wonder whether a speedway track would fit in here?” From what I remember the dog track is quite small so any speedway circuit would have to be very small. Any prospective promoter would do better to look at Rye House, particularly at this level. There’s a ready built track of better proportions and there would be no restrictions on what day of the week meetings could be held. Someone opening up in Harlow would limit themselves to one night a week and probably be the final death knell for Rye into the bargain.

The crash of 2008 had nothing to do with the decline of Speedway, the way the sport is run here took, and is taking care of that. You’re certainly not speaking for all Rye fans when you suggest that BMR coming in was cause for optimism about a new ambitious promotion. They quickly showed they couldn’t build a good team for toffee and then they went on to move a team based in a town of roughly 40 thousand people into the top division. The short sighted fans out there saw it as an opportunity to see Scott Nicholls and Chris Harris every week, in reality by the end of that first season both were riding in the second tier too anyway. Rye is well located geographically from the perspective of a rider coming into Stansted Airport, not so much for travelling fans. Once you’ve lost your club you may pop in to the next nearest club now and again but not many fans make a weekly pilgrimage, particularly when as is the case in Hoddesdon, there’s nothing really to do here. Rye can sustain second or third tier speedway. I’d love to see us back in the third division and start from scratch. The track has a selling point in as much as it can be used any day, any time within reason.

Not sure where Thomas is based, probably closer to Leicester than Glasgow. Wouldn’t be surprised if that was a factor.

Haven’t been to Kent for a couple of seasons but the track reminded me of the track at Rye from Len’s era. By most accounts Peterborough’s “improved” track this year isn’t producing very good racing. No doubt Kent are charging too much for NL speedway but Robert Ledwith probably provides more intrigue and excitement than Richard Lawson.

Workington had a team signed up already. The other sides would have found riders. There’s plenty of them out there.

Chessell has probably been at his level prior to his recent period out of the sport. Would be surprised if he gets back to that, let alone becomes a Championship level rider. Glasgow may not be able to find a rider who scores more for them now but there are plenty out there who have more potential in the long run.

No. Speedway riders get injured and/or are unavailable sometimes. The teams aren’t pretending to have seven riders...

This is his eighth season in the NL. Not saying he can’t or won’t get better but he’s been at the level he’s at for a while now. The NL needs older riders and those with more experience too though.