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Ipswich Witches 2026


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13 minutes ago, Aries said:

I’m guessing somebody will have to declare the Witches running or not tomorrow 🤷🏼‍♂️

Everyone else has waited long enough. Fixtures need sorting and season tickets need to be sold. Not looking promising is it. 

It’s even the smaller things like team suits. They take time to manufacture and produce, and you need to know what seven riders are going to be in them before you even start! You can get around that by going retro and chucking them all race bibs, but it isn’t ideal. 
 

It’s surely too late in the day for Ipswich? Not only has Louis got to agree a sale, the new people will have an awful lot to do in a very short space of time to get them to tapes in March/April. Not only all the red tape and administrative stuff, legalities, sponsorship, team manager, track man? Presenter? And an actual team of riders. 
 

Odds against I’d say but hope springs eternal. 

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2 hours ago, Steve Irving said:

It’s even the smaller things like team suits. They take time to manufacture and produce, and you need to know what seven riders are going to be in them before you even start! You can get around that by going retro and chucking them all race bibs, but it isn’t ideal. 
 

It’s surely too late in the day for Ipswich? Not only has Louis got to agree a sale, the new people will have an awful lot to do in a very short space of time to get them to tapes in March/April. Not only all the red tape and administrative stuff, legalities, sponsorship, team manager, track man? Presenter? And an actual team of riders. 
 

Odds against I’d say but hope springs eternal. 

One of the reasons why speedway is so costly for the promoter. Yesteryear, the riders provided their own leathers, no cost to the promoter (unless the promoter bills the rider for the suit(s), which I doubt?). Or are the suits usually sponsored by the companies that have their decals on the suits? It is a good point that you make, probably very little time to organise the various necessities, unless it's been going on in the background? 🙂

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4 hours ago, Aries said:

I’m guessing somebody will have to declare the Witches running or not tomorrow 🤷🏼‍♂️

Everyone else has waited long enough. Fixtures need sorting and season tickets need to be sold. Not looking promising is it. 

Agreed hopefully something will be pulled out of the bag but I'm getting a horrible feeling we could be going with four teams I really hope not.

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Dick Lawson seems not be fixed up in the PL 2026 ?
 

You would think Christopher Louis could do a one year deal with a prospective buyer for the value of real assets plus an amount based on a percentage of the achieved operating profit in 2026 ??

Unless he’s thinking he can somehow claw  back the money he has probably invested into the speedway operation over the years ?

 

Dont see a speedway club as a good investment tbh ……you own sod all …..and operate in a rented stadium from a third party who can kick you out at any time.

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1 hour ago, Ray Stadia said:

One of the reasons why speedway is so costly for the promoter. Yesteryear, the riders provided their own leathers, no cost to the promoter (unless the promoter bills the rider for the suit(s), which I doubt?). Or are the suits usually sponsored by the companies that have their decals on the suits? It is a good point that you make, probably very little time to organise the various necessities, unless it's been going on in the background? 🙂

Suits are sponsored, at some teams, the company or a fan pays for the suit and at the end of season it's yours to keep, that's what Workington do 😀

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37 minutes ago, Ray Stadia said:

All a million miles from the days of John Berry! 😪

Yep John was a brilliant promoter but despite the current mess up until the bombshell Louis was the best of the current promoters the thing they both had in common is the Ipswich Witches being probably the best supported club in the UK.

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2 hours ago, old bob at herne bay said:

Dick Lawson seems not be fixed up in the PL 2026 ?
 

You would think Christopher Louis could do a one year deal with a prospective buyer for the value of real assets plus an amount based on a percentage of the achieved operating profit in 2026 ??

Unless he’s thinking he can somehow claw  back the money he has probably invested into the speedway operation over the years ?

 

Dont see a speedway club as a good investment tbh ……you own sod all …..and operate in a rented stadium from a third party who can kick you out at any time.

With the out lay that he needs to make in 2026 vs having no tv revenue & a frankly awful looking premiership there is every reason that a club that was profitable in 2025 wouldn’t be in 2026 & Louis isn’t prepared to take the risk. 
 

As you said yourself a speedway club isn’t a good investment at the moment & Louis doesn’t want to invest to invest in the sport any longer. I don’t blame him to be honest especially if you put a sensible way forward & others are not interested.

A lot of ifs buts & maybes however if the content for the rental of Foxhall has expired then he could sit on the licence for a year with no financial cost to himself.

Louis is a very intelligent chap & a pretty sound businessman he won’t be doing anything that poses a risk to his future or leave him with costs that need covering.


 

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9 minutes ago, cowboy cookie returns? said:

With the out lay that he needs to make in 2026 vs having no tv revenue & a frankly awful looking premiership there is every reason that a club that was profitable in 2025 wouldn’t be in 2026 & Louis isn’t prepared to take the risk. 
 

As you said yourself a speedway club isn’t a good investment at the moment & Louis doesn’t want to invest to invest in the sport any longer. I don’t blame him to be honest especially if you put a sensible way forward & others are not interested.

A lot of ifs buts & maybes however if the content for the rental of Foxhall has expired then he could sit on the licence for a year with no financial cost to himself.

Louis is a very intelligent chap & a pretty sound businessman he won’t be doing anything that poses a risk to his future or leave him with costs that need covering.


 

And yet Louis was a director of the BSPL that could have seen this coming and made provisions for a different way forward before the end of the season? 

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27 minutes ago, Marky_Mark said:

And yet Louis was a director of the BSPL that could have seen this coming and made provisions for a different way forward before the end of the season? 

The way his statement was worded I think he tried but couldn’t drag the others or enough of the others with him. The term things no longer align seems to indicate something along those lines.

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46 minutes ago, Marky_Mark said:

And yet Louis was a director of the BSPL that could have seen this coming and made provisions for a different way forward before the end of the season? 

But Chris had seen this coming, he's been banging his head against a brick wall for a long time now. Six man teams in one league was a suggestion many months ago, but a large majority of clubs refused to enter any worthwhile discussion. And now the ship continues to steer towards the rocks...

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8 hours ago, Aries said:

I’m guessing somebody will have to declare the Witches running or not tomorrow 🤷🏼‍♂️

Everyone else has waited long enough. Fixtures need sorting and season tickets need to be sold. Not looking promising is it. 

I forsee the can being kicked down the road for another week or so. And start of season in May

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