Birmingham Speedway

[IainB]

2 minutes ago, mikebv said:

As it should have been as soon as the GP rider mass exodus started over a decade ago..

The frustrating thing is it's not rocket science. We'd lose the "top stars" but riders like Tom Brennan, Josh Pickering, Sam Masters, Luke Becker, Ryan Douglas, Keynan Rew and all other riders in that bracket would have to make a decision of whether to commit to the UK as the new "top stars" with around 40-50 meetings or ride Poland, and for the non British riders, base themselves in Poland.

[SJA]

18 minutes ago, IainB said:

The frustrating thing is it's not rocket science. We'd lose the "top stars" but riders like Tom Brennan, Josh Pickering, Sam Masters, Luke Becker, Ryan Douglas, Keynan Rew and all other riders in that bracket would have to make a decision of whether to commit to the UK as the new "top stars" with around 40-50 meetings or ride Poland, and for the non British riders, base themselves in Poland.

I think for a number of those riders would choose Poland. I could see the Aussies getting together and being based near each other to provide each other with a ready made support network. 

[IainB]

5 minutes ago, SJA said:

I think for a number of those riders would choose Poland. I could see the Aussies getting together and being based near each other to provide each other with a ready made support network. 

That's fair enough... we'd have to go without them

[Derrickn]

16 hours ago, spin king junior said:

Stock cars have a completely seperate pit area to the speedway. The stocks used an area behind the 2nd bend where the old training track was- so would have no effect on the speedway.

 

The greyhounds are going nowhere and therefore the stadium is going nowhere. Think people have seen the news with the stock cars and presumed incorrectly.

There were only 3 stock car meetings last year,and I think they have moved them to Bradford.

[GiveusaB]

Leicester v Bham on Monday now!

[Happy Hunter]

37 minutes ago, GiveusaB said:

Leicester v Bham on Monday now!

Leicester still at Sheffield in the evening. Leicester v Birmingham 12 noon start.

[IainB]

DELETE
SUNDAY MAY 25: Leicester v Belle Vue (NDL)

INSERT
MONDAY MAY 26: Leicester v Birmingham (Prem) 12pm

DELETE

THURSDAY MAY 29: Leicester v Birmingham (Prem)

        

Edited May 21, 2025 by IainB

[cowboy cookie returns?]

9 hours ago, IainB said:

Realistically it needs to be one big league only with riders committed to British Speedway, 2H2A, no doubling up, on the best race night for the club.

I can’t see how that would work. Not enough riders to cover the required spaces especially if the likes of Brennan Masters & Rew decided to quit the uk. 

On top of that for such a watered down product the admission fees would need to be vastly reduced. 
 

unfortunately I think it’s now clear that the writing is on the wall for uk league speedway & with it the majority of tracks.

[IainB]

12 minutes ago, cowboy cookie returns? said:

I can’t see how that would work. Not enough riders to cover the required spaces especially if the likes of Brennan Masters & Rew decided to quit the uk. 

On top of that for such a watered down product the admission fees would need to be vastly reduced. 
 

unfortunately I think it’s now clear that the writing is on the wall for uk league speedway & with it the majority of tracks.

If it needs 6, 5 or even 4 man teams, so be it. The current model is obviously not working. 

[mikebv]

25 minutes ago, cowboy cookie returns? said:

I can’t see how that would work. Not enough riders to cover the required spaces especially if the likes of Brennan Masters & Rew decided to quit the uk. 

On top of that for such a watered down product the admission fees would need to be vastly reduced. 
 

unfortunately I think it’s now clear that the writing is on the wall for uk league speedway & with it the majority of tracks.

It needs to be a radical plan..

Five rider teams maybe to ensure enough riders fill the spots...

You could have 12 teams in the top tier, 2H2A, and then 'x' amount of teams in tier 2 running at NDL level with the same 2H2A...

60 riders needed for tier one, with all clubs racing on the best night for them, and not Poland, Sweden or Denmark...

Bringing back the GP stars hasn't, as far as I can see, brought back thousands of fans who have stopped going in the past 15 to 20 years, with the UK's Mickey Mouse operating model, and dozens of play off qualifiers, resulting in many who still follow the sport on TV, and going over to Poland, simply "not bothered" enough to attend the POQ's in the UK..

As for admission charges dropping? Good! So they should given there will be a clear drop in level from the current tier one and tier two. The lowering of admission would more certainly reflect the standing of the sport more accurately, rather than the current numbers which are only in place to try and pay riders who are expected to spend big on their kit..

At the NSS, as great as the racing is, it is £54 for me and my lad to watch essentially 15 mins of action. That simply isn't sustainable for UK Speedway..

Less number of professional riders, spending less on equipment, will mean less admission costs needing to be charged..

Charge me and my lad £40 and you would definitely get us there far more often than is currently..

I can watch the GP stars on TV, and over in Poland when we visit, so them not being at the NSS won't stop me from visiting...

The current admission costs in place to pay them ride in some "contrived" competition, on a Monday evening, does...

 

 

 

Edited May 21, 2025 by mikebv

[IainB]

Has anybody heard Nigel Tolley on this week's British Speedway podcast?

32 mins in:

 

 

Edited May 21, 2025 by IainB

[bluejam]

6 minutes ago, IainB said:

Has anybody heard Nigel Tolley on this week's British Speedway podcast?

I haven't.Please enlighten us Iain?

[IainB]

3 minutes ago, bluejam said:

I haven't.Please enlighten us Iain?

See above, 32 mins in

[gjcone44]

hope joe can take advantage with borrowing dans bikes for sgp 2 meeting

[bluejam]

38 minutes ago, IainB said:

See above, 32 mins in

Thanks for that👍I put a post on this forum on May 1st on the Ipswich v Birmingham thread which kind of summed up my feelings.For old times sake here it is:-

I know exactly where you're coming from😉Since Jason Lyons retired(his words to me were "it's time to get out of British Speedway"),Tony Mole retired and sold to the next owner who didn't have the funds to take it forward and so on and so on and folk have just kind of given up🙄There are people  I used to go all over the UK with watching the Brummies have just drifted away and just are sitting at home saying WTF(I am for sure).There has been a total lack of ambition by certain folk(apparently the Brummies would be completely knackered without him)who just want to be part of the speedway set up in the UK and have no aspirations in acheiving any kind of success going forward and are just happy with an existence/complete failure(surely try to attract lapsed speedway followers from the Midlands who have no team to follow anymore through no fault of their own).There are quite a few hardcore followers(as you well know)who'll put up with any crap so long as the team exist🙄I'd like to know the answers as I,along with many other folk(famous speedway teams in the Midlands who no longer exist)wonder where this is going to end up?Are there any administrators/involvement from the Brum set up trying to attract new followers,sponsors,businesses to come along and have a look at what goes on every couple of weeks at Perry Barr,or have they just given up too and accepted all is over at the end of this season? My apologies for being the Grim Reaper but it's no fun anymore being a speedway follower/lapsed at Brum when you know that nothing anytime soon is going to change.🙄 

Obviously NT and whoever involved haven't seen this as it may tempt myself back into watching speedway,but maybe too late🤔 

Edited May 21, 2025 by bluejam

[gjcone44]

going to make the effort to come down, when belle vue are there.

[cowboy cookie returns?]

3 hours ago, mikebv said:

It needs to be a radical plan..

Five rider teams maybe to ensure enough riders fill the spots...

You could have 12 teams in the top tier, 2H2A, and then 'x' amount of teams in tier 2 running at NDL level with the same 2H2A...

60 riders needed for tier one, with all clubs racing on the best night for them, and not Poland, Sweden or Denmark...

Bringing back the GP stars hasn't, as far as I can see, brought back thousands of fans who have stopped going in the past 15 to 20 years, with the UK's Mickey Mouse operating model, and dozens of play off qualifiers, resulting in many who still follow the sport on TV, and going over to Poland, simply "not bothered" enough to attend the POQ's in the UK..

As for admission charges dropping? Good! So they should given there will be a clear drop in level from the current tier one and tier two. The lowering of admission would more certainly reflect the standing of the sport more accurately, rather than the current numbers which are only in place to try and pay riders who are expected to spend big on their kit..

At the NSS, as great as the racing is, it is £54 for me and my lad to watch essentially 15 mins of action. That simply isn't sustainable for UK Speedway..

Less number of professional riders, spending less on equipment, will mean less admission costs needing to be charged..

Charge me and my lad £40 and you would definitely get us there far more often than is currently..

I can watch the GP stars on TV, and over in Poland when we visit, so them not being at the NSS won't stop me from visiting...

The current admission costs in place to pay them ride in some "contrived" competition, on a Monday evening, does...

 

 

 

The idea is all well & good but we all know that a weaker product won’t reflect in lower admission prices. At best they will be held at 2025 levels for a couple of years.

Has having some top riders back in the uk improved the attendance levels I can’t comment to much as I don’t travel to away fixtures.

the crowds at Ipswich certainly appear higher since the Jason/Emil double act have been in town they have certainly brought myself & a few others that I know back to regular attendees not missing a meeting from attending the odd one or two a year.

The radical overhaul should have happen after Covid, the promoters had an entire season written off where they could have used the time to come up with a blue print.

The sport has been on a steady decline since the late 80s. The Stewksbury plan of the early 90s to revive the sport failed because of infighting. One big league failed because of infighting in 95/96. The last chance salon of the elite league with sky tv money failed again due to in fighting & lack of vision.

I’m not sure the majority of promoters want radical change that might stop the rot & improve things. 

[RBThirdbend]

Tough to see how you can make it work without being prepared to lose a pile of cash

Edited May 21, 2025 by RBThirdbend

[PhilTheAce]

what cant he tell us till end of the season???

 

Maybe its that hes taking over the Raines at sheffield next season

[Mr Bee]

2 hours ago, PhilTheAce said:

what cant he tell us till end of the season???

 

Maybe its that hes taking over the Raines at sheffield next season

The end of the year will come and go and there will be nothing announced.  

He means well (I think) and fair play he's kept Brum going, but the reason that people don't go and watch Speedway in Brum has nothing to do with the word "Speedway" being omitted from the fans replica team shirts. His bit about the motorway service station and people not knowing what he was wearing was comical..... Its because year in year out he builds a crap team. Its poor management, it's the same in any business. No doubt, he runs a successful business, a world he understands, but when you listen to him, its clear he knows very little about running a Speedway Team. A little bit like when we had Mick Horton. 

If the team was winning, or at least has a semi decent chance of winning at home, more people would go. And in a city the size of Birmingham, there are plenty of other things to go and spend your money on. I appreciate its difficult though as Brum are always left with the riders no one else wants, and as a result all ride out of position. 

EDIT: You compare Tolley with Peter Facenna later on in the Podcast, which was a great listen, and they are worlds apart. A person who clearly knows what he is doing and has the right team surrounding him. 

Edited May 22, 2025 by Mr Bee
Addition