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Ipswich Witches 2026


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3 hours ago, mikebv said:

There are two GP's this weekend in the UK, at one of the best tracks in the world, with one night already sold out..

That alone shows that the sport in this country can draw plenty of people "when done right", and also shows plenty of UK fans are still willing to pay out plenty to watch it..

Showing there is still a strong affinity from many towards it...

Hopefully, the likes of Richard Coleman can lead the changes so every UK meeting is "done right" and the future is a positive one...

What is the crowd for both night though Mike ? I'm all for anything that drags the sport up by its bootstraps but pre-covid the british round used to pull in north of 40k I'm guessing belle vue will be somewhere between 6-10k each night which is half that old number.

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Just now, YeOldPitGate said:

What is the crowd for both night though Mike ? I'm all for anything that drags the sport up by its bootstraps but pre-covid the british round used to pull in north of 40k I'm guessing belle vue will be somewhere between 6-10k each night which is half that old number.

Last weekend there were a few hundred tickets left in the East Stand that they build for the GP's, on the Friday night...

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2 hours ago, mikebv said:

Agreed, but Zmarzlik v Kurtz will still be worth the visit...

Looking forwards to watching Woryna too...

Plus Lambert...

And Doyle, Madsen, and hopefully Lindgren and the others who don't ride over here...

 

 

Always respect your views Mike as you have said previously there are ten's of thousands of lapsed fans of which I am one.

I used to live near Lynn so in my late teens I could drive to Saddlebow in ten minutes and then be in the stadium, now I live about an hour and quarter drive away so roughly two and half hour round trip on a school night.

I should be able to semi retire at sixty in three years time so might go a few times then but its the usual things that put me off, £25 (I'm guessing to get in now), track seems to have a bad rep these days against mid 80's early 90's when it produced great racing, plus likely guest fest and r/r as well throw on top probably £20 for fuel and another £20 for a dubious burger and a flat pint and your looking at getting on for a £75-£80 verses staying in and watching something of choice on 100 plus Sky channels.

Its ever tougher for the sport to attract peoples dollar not just speedway but pubs and nightclubs decimated over the last 20-25 years and look like they are never coming back sadly.

As I say to my to lads "in my day you had to go out and find a woman none of this online stuff, my generation had to take ---- off to the face" but great time also pre-mobiles and internet.

Its a shame as the last four races of the world cup held in Poland when Poland just beat the UK were some of the best racing I've seen for years so it shows the sport can still be every bit as good as it was in the 80's and 90's.

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2 hours ago, mikebv said:

Agreed, but Zmarzlik v Kurtz will still be worth the visit...

Looking forwards to watching Woryna too...

Plus Lambert...

And Doyle, Madsen, and hopefully Lindgren and the others who don't ride over here...

 

 

F*ckenback replaces Lindgren

Edited by IainB
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35 minutes ago, YeOldPitGate said:

What is the crowd for both night though Mike ? I'm all for anything that drags the sport up by its bootstraps but pre-covid the british round used to pull in north of 40k I'm guessing belle vue will be somewhere between 6-10k each night which is half that old number.

6,500 each night, most of them the same people

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Just now, IainB said:

6,500 each night, most of them the same people

Thanks a long way off the mid 40's of ten plus years back sadly ,lord knows how the sport is to be saved in the UK if it even can be now. I sure don't know the answers its just tragic to see what can be such a brilliant sport absolutely bottom the pile as far as fanbase, sponsors and media interest goes.

Its probably going to have to totally collapse and maybe an Eddie Hearn type figure might emerge to try and restart it but I can't help feeling team speedway will be finished in 5-10 years time and individual meetings will just be held ad-hoc round the UK.

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7 minutes ago, chun said:

Nil points for PHB in Sweden tonight.  Was slow out of the gate.  Will take a few meetings to see if he is up to it

 

7 minutes ago, chun said:

Nil points for PHB in Sweden tonight.  Was slow out of the gate.  Will take a few meetings to see if he is up to it

I’ll get my pushbike out

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1 hour ago, proud panther said:

Yet more rubbish from the clown, apart from the Poles, who are brilliant in my opinion, the majority of the rest will be Brits.

Hopefully they get their pyrotechnics in....B)

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3 hours ago, IainB said:

6,500 each night, most of them the same people

And with the vast majority of tickets being sold being adult ones, and the cheapest being £69, with around the same number of tickets much more than £69....

Even if they only get 12,000 at an average of around say £85 or so in total, it will deliver a fair few quid, (over a million)...

With the booking fees, programmes, the car park fees and food concessions are very nice bonus...

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12 minutes ago, mikebv said:

And with the vast majority of tickets being sold being adult ones, and the cheapest being £69, with around the same number of tickets much more than £69....

Even if they only get 12,000 at an average of around say £85 or so in total, it will deliver a fair few quid, (over a million)...

With the booking fees, programmes, the car park fees and food concessions are very nice bonus...

Don't they have to pay the FIM to stage the GP, a very tidy sum as well? 

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24 minutes ago, mikebv said:

And with the vast majority of tickets being sold being adult ones, and the cheapest being £69, with around the same number of tickets much more than £69....

Even if they only get 12,000 at an average of around say £85 or so in total, it will deliver a fair few quid, (over a million)...

With the booking fees, programmes, the car park fees and food concessions are very nice bonus...

But some of the grandstand seats are £150 😲

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2 minutes ago, Neila said:

But some of the grandstand seats are £150 😲

Around 3000 are the £69 ones so it was a guestimate at an overall average..

If it is higher then even better for the promoters of the event...

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4 hours ago, YeOldPitGate said:

Thanks a long way off the mid 40's of ten plus years back sadly ,lord knows how the sport is to be saved in the UK if it even can be now. I sure don't know the answers its just tragic to see what can be such a brilliant sport absolutely bottom the pile as far as fanbase, sponsors and media interest goes.

Its probably going to have to totally collapse and maybe an Eddie Hearn type figure might emerge to try and restart it but I can't help feeling team speedway will be finished in 5-10 years time and individual meetings will just be held ad-hoc round the UK.

You maybe right but not quite. 
6500 is the maximum capacity for the NSS. 
Find a facility with a larger capacity and the fans will come. 

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19 minutes ago, SPEEDY69 said:

Don't they have to pay the FIM to stage the GP, a very tidy sum as well? 

It did vary from event to event, depending on size of capacity, and whether a full house could be expected....

The Speedway Star published the costs a few years ago and it started, I think, around £200k up to almost £300k...

The rights owners getting the money as they had paid the FIM for the rights...

With Cardiff being ran by the GP owners themselves given the big income possible from that event..

If the promoters have paid half a million for both meetings then they should still do more than OK from this weekend...

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