norbold Posted 9 hours ago Report Share Posted 9 hours ago 3 minutes ago, YeOldPitGate said: Remember the Belle Vue opening night ? I wasn't around in 1928. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YeOldPitGate Posted 8 hours ago Report Share Posted 8 hours ago 29 minutes ago, norbold said: I wasn't around in 1928. You know what I mean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ouch Posted 8 hours ago Report Share Posted 8 hours ago 1 hour ago, mikebv said: Oh, you cynic... But. With your inside knowledge, and my years of following the sport, I can only assume you are very much probably right!.... On a separate note, Mark Lemon in his Speedway Star interview, mentioned how important to the "integrity and credibility of the sport" this sixth team is... Reading further, it apeears that there are several (all, who knows?), other BSP promoters actually running the show, with riders already spoken with, and team planning in an advanced stage... So... This means that promoters of teams in the same top tier competitions are compiling the Northampton team... The very same team that their own team(s), (already announced) will race against.. "Integrity and Credibility"??? Imagine a professional sport being ran that way, with spectators then being expected to take it seriously...? I think integrity in this instance applies structurally rather than morally in that without a sixth team the whole system could have tumbled. Morally, speedway has had little to no integrity for decades and it will take more than Mark & Rob sitting at the top table to alter that. With regards credibility, speedway has the same as wrestling or monster trucks and the sooner they realise that and lean into it the better. Speedway is a thrilling entertainment not a creditable sport. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neila Posted 8 hours ago Report Share Posted 8 hours ago Video on Northampton shaleway Facebook page showing the inside mud/grass bank being removed, so it's level on the inside for Speedway. So some progress being made on the infostructure but still silent on team and no publicity 😧 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebv Posted 7 hours ago Report Share Posted 7 hours ago 49 minutes ago, ouch said: I think integrity in this instance applies structurally rather than morally in that without a sixth team the whole system could have tumbled. Morally, speedway has had little to no integrity for decades and it will take more than Mark & Rob sitting at the top table to alter that. With regards credibility, speedway has the same as wrestling or monster trucks and the sooner they realise that and lean into it the better. Speedway is a thrilling entertainment not a creditable sport. 100%.... If you cannot run it as a bona fide team sport, (which they obviously cannot), then, simply, don't... Instead, promote it (properly), as "Sports Entertainment".... Still a great night out if you can ignore all the current, an ongoing, nonsense infrastructure around it..... Spend less on riders and more on marketing the event if you cannot afford to do both... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawk127 Posted 6 hours ago Report Share Posted 6 hours ago 16 minutes ago, mikebv said: 100%.... If you cannot run it as a bona fide team sport, (which they obviously cannot), then, simply, don't... Instead, promote it (properly), as "Sports Entertainment".... Still a great night out if you can ignore all the current, an ongoing, nonsense infrastructure around it..... Spend less on riders and more on marketing the event if you cannot afford to do both... Totally agree. If it is entertainment and you want to attract a new generation of punters, then you do not need those riders who are costing clubs a fortune. No new punter or family will have heard of any of the top names, so as long as the racing is competitive and you have match race’s featuring different age groups to entice youngsters as well as a meaningful match or individual meeting then that is all you can ask for. No one seems to want to try a two wheeled speed event including for example flat track riders etc. as well as speedway. As it is now you have the same old same old format which with all the ridiculous rules and doubling up etc you will never convince the media that it is credible and without the media the punters are not going to pick up on it. Give them something different (proven by increased numbers who attend the play offs when you something to go for but not the qualifying matches) and just maybe they could start on that very long journey of attracting new fans, sponsors and possibly media attention on a national scale. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Preston Comet Posted 6 hours ago Report Share Posted 6 hours ago Northampton wont attract new fans. Its in a field in the middle of nowhere, and the facilities are extremely basic. An uncovered stand, or grass banking, looking thru a big mesh fence. This wont appeal to newcomers midweek, when they can sit at home instead, glued to their devices! 12 old duffers from Peterborough with their home made knitted bobble hats, and a 30 year old programme board, wont make the place a success 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Littleze Posted 6 hours ago Report Share Posted 6 hours ago 13 minutes ago, Preston Comet said: Northampton wont attract new fans. Its in a field in the middle of nowhere, and the facilities are extremely basic. An uncovered stand, or grass banking, looking thru a big mesh fence. This wont appeal to newcomers midweek, when they can sit at home instead, glued to their devices! 12 old duffers from Peterborough with their home made knitted bobble hats, and a 30 year old programme board, wont make the place a success Nailed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Littleze Posted 6 hours ago Report Share Posted 6 hours ago Just now, Littleze said: Nailed it. I’m f*c*ing bored of Northampton already… 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebv Posted 4 hours ago Report Share Posted 4 hours ago 1 hour ago, Littleze said: I’m f*c*ing bored of Northampton already… You may be... But the good people of Northampton aren't... (Because they haven't been told much about it yet)... 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamish McRaker Posted 4 hours ago Report Share Posted 4 hours ago 1 hour ago, Littleze said: I’m f*c*ing bored of Northampton already… Well you know the old saying? "If you're bored of Northampton, then you're bored of life". (or it could be London, i forget which) 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spidvej Posted 2 hours ago Report Share Posted 2 hours ago On 3/18/2026 at 10:24 AM, Steve Irving said: And they were correct. At the time of your whinging that no promoting was going on, no deal was struck! So you were whinging for the sake of it. You’re like an old bloody woman with your constant bleating! Ok, now a deal has been done questions can be asked, but if you take the time to read the press release in the Speedway Star, it’s quite obviously a huge rush job to get everything up and running in time for tapes up. There’s an awful lot to do, and very little time to do it but things ARE going on in the background. You were exactly the same on the Ipswich stuff. Demanding updates and answers on a regular basis, until Richard Coleman explained fully why those updates weren’t forthcoming much to his own frustrations. I bet you were one of those kids that hunted around the house for Christmas presents because you couldn’t wait until the big day to see what you’d actually got 🙄 Calm down ffs. I think we’ve finally cracked the mystery of the BSPL’s undercover PR man — step forward, Steve Irving! In nearly half a century following speedway, I’ve never seen such single‑minded loyalty to the party line. For Steve, every corner of the speedway garden is blooming, and every promoter walks on water. It’s almost touching — almost. Maybe pop an AirTag on that self‑respect, Steve, in case it wanders off again. Now, if he took a moment away from cheerleading, he might notice what’s happening elsewhere in motorsport media. Crash.net and others are reporting that Richard Coleman is “fully focused” on his MotoGP duties as Team Principal with Tech3 — and that’s no small commitment. Remember, 2026 is the final season for 1000cc engines before MotoGP moves to 850cc in 2027, which means non‑stop testing and development is already underway. Yet, somehow, Coleman also claims to be giving his total focus to MotoGP, the Speedway GP series, and Ipswich Speedway. Quite the feat! Perhaps he’s mastered quantum cloning. Realistically, though, Ipswich fans should expect Andrew Chisholm to be the one holding the reins at Foxhall this year. Steve might want to grab a selfie with his idol early — Coleman sightings in Suffolk could be rarer than unicorns by mid‑season. And before anyone complains that this reads like an essay — guilty as charged. I must have missed the point in time when education and critical thinking became surplus to requirements. Maybe that’s why “Hawk127”, who is seemingly bereft of a dictionary, thinks "woke" is an insult. It just means being a decent person — who wouldn’t want that? Anyway, I’ll leave the PR spin to Steve and the BSPL. Some of us still prefer our motorsport journalism with a touch of reality, not rose‑tinted propaganda. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OGT Posted 2 hours ago Report Share Posted 2 hours ago 7 hours ago, YeOldPitGate said: Remember the Belle Vue opening night ? And Brum in 2007. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Littleze Posted 1 hour ago Report Share Posted 1 hour ago 1 hour ago, Spidvej said: I think we’ve finally cracked the mystery of the BSPL’s undercover PR man — step forward, Steve Irving! In nearly half a century following speedway, I’ve never seen such single‑minded loyalty to the party line. For Steve, every corner of the speedway garden is blooming, and every promoter walks on water. It’s almost touching — almost. Maybe pop an AirTag on that self‑respect, Steve, in case it wanders off again. Now, if he took a moment away from cheerleading, he might notice what’s happening elsewhere in motorsport media. Crash.net and others are reporting that Richard Coleman is “fully focused” on his MotoGP duties as Team Principal with Tech3 — and that’s no small commitment. Remember, 2026 is the final season for 1000cc engines before MotoGP moves to 850cc in 2027, which means non‑stop testing and development is already underway. Yet, somehow, Coleman also claims to be giving his total focus to MotoGP, the Speedway GP series, and Ipswich Speedway. Quite the feat! Perhaps he’s mastered quantum cloning. Realistically, though, Ipswich fans should expect Andrew Chisholm to be the one holding the reins at Foxhall this year. Steve might want to grab a selfie with his idol early — Coleman sightings in Suffolk could be rarer than unicorns by mid‑season. And before anyone complains that this reads like an essay — guilty as charged. I must have missed the point in time when education and critical thinking became surplus to requirements. Maybe that’s why “Hawk127”, who is seemingly bereft of a dictionary, thinks "woke" is an insult. It just means being a decent person — who wouldn’t want that? Anyway, I’ll leave the PR spin to Steve and the BSPL. Some of us still prefer our motorsport journalism with a touch of reality, not rose‑tinted propaganda. QUANTUM CLONING… 😂 lovely stuff.. and well written. 👍🏻 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowboy cookie returns? Posted 55 minutes ago Report Share Posted 55 minutes ago 5 hours ago, Preston Comet said: Northampton wont attract new fans. Its in a field in the middle of nowhere, and the facilities are extremely basic. An uncovered stand, or grass banking, looking thru a big mesh fence. This wont appeal to newcomers midweek, when they can sit at home instead, glued to their devices! 12 old duffers from Peterborough with their home made knitted bobble hats, and a 30 year old programme board, wont make the place a success Can’t beat a little piece of positivity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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