What will 2026 UK speedway bring?

[WookieboyDon]

7 minutes ago, gjcone44 said:

hang on what's the title of this topic.

You seem to be getting yourself confused… 🤦🏻‍♂️

[BluPanther]

16 minutes ago, mikebv said:

 

I can only describe it as being akin to 14 bald men paying six figures every single year to enter an annual lottery...

Where the first prize is a comb!!!

Excellent... 😂 😂

Edited 21 hours ago by BluPanther

[SUPERACE]

3 hours ago, IainB said:

Yep saw all those sides with some great riders, the point is though Ippo went 2nd tier when they did... because it suited them, now it suits them to be top tier, as reigning champions and unfortunately, for Ipswich, they're on their own it seems (maybe with BV)

If its 1 league Ipswich will still be Champions 

[TB1]

3 hours ago, IainB said:

No change there then, so what's to lose with "OBL" (that's not really that big)

Iain, can you stop talking common sense please lol

[LagutaRacingFan]

2 hours ago, mikebv said:

Run on a Friday or Saturday...

Easily, considerably more than 500 there on those nights ..

Loads of other things to do in Manchester on a Friday and Saturday night.

You would be lucky to get 300.

[TB1]

34 minutes ago, TB1 said:

Iain, can you stop talking common sense please lol

All joking aside, as Dean said on 360, we must find a way to get people off grass track flat track or whatever otherwise we'll have no sport to watch. I'm quite shell-shocked but not surprised that Chris has had enough and wants to sell up but if we don't repair the lifeboats then we all drown.

[FishersGate]

God isn't sport depressing. Why do I have to love cricket, speedway and football. England are throwing away the first test, speedway is on its knees and I support West Ham. Thanks dad 🥲

[cowboy cookie returns?]

For Louis to want out something is seriously wrong around the table.

The guy has been at Ipswich since 1989 either as a rider or promoter the club is his life. The louis family have been involved in some capacity since 1969. 
 

He obviously can’t see any future given events over the past few weeks.

Something has gone very wrong since the last meeting at Foxhall in October. At that point he was talking about next year & even after that was speaking to sponsors about next year.

Louis wanting out tells you all you need to know about the state of the sport in the uk. 

A sad day for Ipswich & uk speedway in general. Louis walking away is a hole that can’t be filled & possibly spells the end of the best run & supported club.

But I can’t say I blame him.

Edited 11 hours ago by cowboy cookie returns?

[FishersGate]

So if the premiership is dead what are the solutions? Two leagues (champ and NDL) one super League? Challenge matches? Two seasons combined into calender year so share around riders. North Vs South? God knows. If it is two leagues then clubs like Leicester, Lynn and Belle Vue will be far behind in terms of team building .

[cowboy cookie returns?]

30 minutes ago, FishersGate said:

So if the premiership is dead what are the solutions? Two leagues (champ and NDL) one super League? Challenge matches? Two seasons combined into calender year so share around riders. North Vs South? God knows. If it is two leagues then clubs like Leicester, Lynn and Belle Vue will be far behind in terms of team building .

The major issue is that clubs like Ipswich have fixed costs like stadium rent.

You can run an NDL/champ hybrid in terms of strength but then are People going to fork out 25 quid for that I doubt it.

Louis is getting out on a high & at the right time. As for me & the rest of the Ipswich fans if no one steps in then we’ll miss our speedway but let’s be honest it’s only happening a couple of years earlier at Ipswich than the likely outcome for the uk.

[Hawk127]

If anyone wants some lightness from the gloom and doom, tickets for the 2026 World Cup in Poland go on sale next Tuesday with prices starting from PLN 69.00. Tai has signed for Dackrana, Prague, Riga and Voyens GP tickets are also on sale. At least the entire world of speedway has not collapsed yet!!

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

One thing I really don’t get is the obsession to why we need a premier league, 1 league would just make the championship the top league with more variety for fans, I could understand up till now because of tv money which selfishly the didnt want to share with the championship clubs but that’s not there anymore, the thought of belle vue riding against Poole or Glasgow or Workington is something different for the fans and personally find exciting, the championship has a hell of a lot to offer and imo a lot more than the premier for a couple of years, so I say to the top 5 teams embrace it for a year and if in a years time a couple more teams are back on the scene look at 2 leagues again, we have an opportunity for a reset of the sport here but again we will probably miss the opportunity like we always do 

[TINYS]

13 hours ago, IainB said:

I thought Buster put it up for sale in a fit of pique after one of his tantrums... can't remember which 😂

I remember that but I think he has calmed down now and picked his toys up.

[Lefty]

1 hour ago, FishersGate said:

God isn't sport depressing. Why do I have to love cricket, speedway and football. England are throwing away the first test, speedway is on its knees and I support West Ham. Thanks dad 🥲

As a Wolves fan, I hope you don't mind if I 'borrow' this to also get sympathy and laughs!

[FishersGate]

9 minutes ago, Lefty said:

As a Wolves fan, I hope you don't mind if I 'borrow' this to also get sympathy and laughs!

Yes take it! I think you need it more! 🤣

[mikebv]

 

37 minutes ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

One thing I really don’t get is the obsession to why we need a premier league, 1 league would just make the championship the top league with more variety for fans, I could understand up till now because of tv money which selfishly the didnt want to share with the championship clubs but that’s not there anymore, the thought of belle vue riding against Poole or Glasgow or Workington is something different for the fans and personally find exciting, the championship has a hell of a lot to offer and imo a lot more than the premier for a couple of years, so I say to the top 5 teams embrace it for a year and if in a years time a couple more teams are back on the scene look at 2 leagues again, we have an opportunity for a reset of the sport here but again we will probably miss the opportunity like we always do 

A strange hill to die on for Louis...

And Lemon too, if he decides that the Aces won't ride in what will still be, the top tier...

Strange...

I can only think it is a sponsorship "thing" maybe? 

Anyhow...

Too much doom and gloom on here...

So, to redress the issue,...

We usually have to wait till, at least, around the end of May, (sometimes even stretched to the first week of June), to know which teams will be in the Premiership Play Offs... 

But. As it currently stands, we will know who has qualified next season from March!!!!

Something to sell to your sponsors....

See. Positive News.....

[poole keith]

does louis play poker?? is this a bluff?? which raises the question is he a good poker player??

[Aries]

2 minutes ago, poole keith said:

does louis play poker?? is this a bluff?? which raises the question is he a good poker player??

It isn’t a bluff unfortunately. He’s has an absolute gutful of pi$$ing in the wind. He’s done. 

[IainB]

8 minutes ago, poole keith said:

does louis play poker?? is this a bluff?? which raises the question is he a good poker player??

We could see the re-introduction of the Hokey-Cokey Cup... current holders Peterborough I believe 😂

[YeOldPitGate]

16 minutes ago, Aries said:

It isn’t a bluff unfortunately. He’s has an absolute gutful of pi$$ing in the wind. He’s done. 

And this is the problem for getting new promoters interested especially if they are professional people not rich fans of the sport, first you might well need £100-£150k to set light to, you assemble a team of mainly british based riders so baring injuries your 1-7 should be on display most weeks to try and set a strong relationship with the fans.

Even with that achieved you face the prospect of your opponents turning up most weeks missing half their team and borrowing riders from other clubs, and your having to run on generally unattractive nights also.