Northampton 2026

[BlueIn2Red]

7 hours ago, Jon Boy said:

What amazes me is the amount of negativity towards the new promotion team. They are sinking much money into getting things up and ready to be in a position to run by May. They will live and die by their decisions. 
 

Just because they are not jumping to the timelines desired by people without any financial involvement or backing them is very unfair to keep bashing them. 
 

People need to get behind them and stop knocking them for trying to bring speedway to Northampton. 
 

Soon the keyboard warriors will be complaining about whatever nickname they decide on, then it will be the seven riders signed, then the design of the racesuits, then the cost of entry, then, then, then, the list will go on which is grossly unfair. 

UK speedway is dying on its arse and people need to unite and stop with the negativity towards pretty much everything and everybody who tries to run and finance UK speedway tracks. 

Excellent post.

[Eagle77]

Wouldn't be the worst idea for someone at Northampton Speedway to have a word with Karlito and see if he can help with spreading the word...

I'm sure that the vast majority of posters on here are fully behind the venture at Northampton and hope it will go on to be a great success...

Any perceived negativity is purely down to the fact that they don't seem to be giving themselves the best chance of succeeding...

As Karlito says... it doesn't take a lot to get the interest started... and once it starts momentum can build...

The total lack of news can only lead to many of us thinking that there are big problems that still need to be resolved and could be putting the whole thing at risk of ever happening...

 

[midlandred]

14 hours ago, Haza said:

I just can’t see how this club can be marketed to the Northampton people in just little over a month to the first home meeting with no fan base . They really needed the whole closed season to get the word out - who would sponsor a club this close to the first home meeting with no information on club owners riders . 

It would be a tad easier if the track was actually in Northampton.  The fact that it’s out in the sticks won’t help!

[Ray Stadia]

8 minutes ago, midlandred said:

It would be a tad easier if the track was actually in Northampton.  The fact that it’s out in the sticks won’t help!

If it was in Northampton, both stocks and speedway wouldn't happen, or at least, would be constantly under threat from development. Mind you, my last point didnt help Arena Essex. 😔

[midlandred]

13 minutes ago, Ray Stadia said:

If it was in Northampton, both stocks and speedway wouldn't happen, or at least, would be constantly under threat from development. Mind you, my last point didnt help Arena Essex. 😔

I know what you’re saying, but my point is, it’s out in the sticks, between villages, it even in one. Certainly not Northampton, or in Northampton. For a “new venture”, that seems a bit of a drawback to recruiting fans, unless there’s plenty of transport laid on.

[mikebv]

10 hours ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

Think you’re missing the point of peoples concerns 

100%...

Everyone who follows Speedway, as close as everyone does on here, will want the venture to succeed, hugely....

That doesnt mean though that everyone becomes a "Happy Clapper" when discussing it...

Let's be honest, some of those involved hardly have a fantastic record at promoting the sport at their own tracks do they? With many of them leading the sport to its current situation...

Therefore, I think it is natural to have concerns as to how the launch will go..

And the longer the only message is "no news is good news", the longer the concerns will, quite naturally, grow..

PS. And if you are launching a brand new to the area business, "no news" (definitely, one million percent), isn't "good news" at all!!!

Let's hope for the best for both Northampton and Buxton, as I, like many on here I am sure, look forward to visiting both this season...

[Jon Boy]

16 minutes ago, midlandred said:

I know what you’re saying, but my point is, it’s out in the sticks, between villages, it even in one. Certainly not Northampton, or in Northampton. For a “new venture”, that seems a bit of a drawback to recruiting fans, unless there’s plenty of transport laid on.

Yes, I see your point. Would probably find being called Northants Bombers or something less localised geographically may appeal to a wider audience. I know areas like Northampton and Wellingborough have quite a local rivalry. 
 

Somerset Rebels was a good example of naming a new team to appeal to more than just people from Highbridge. 

[crescent girl]

18 minutes ago, midlandred said:

I know what you’re saying, but my point is, it’s out in the sticks, between villages, it even in one. Certainly not Northampton, or in Northampton. For a “new venture”, that seems a bit of a drawback to recruiting fans, unless there’s plenty of transport laid on.

Edinburgh run 25 miles from the city while in the recent past neither Eastbourne nor Somerset were anywhere near civilisation!

[Mr Bee]

Following up on my post from yesterday, I think it’s important to clarify one thing: some people seem to confuse concern with criticism. My comments come from a point of genuine worry, not just for the situation at Northampton, but for UK Speedway as a whole. In Northampton's case, I can only assume the deal isn't fully over the line yet. As Karlito mentioned in his video, why wouldn't there be at least some social media activity? It’s free advertising, yet there’s a total vacuum.

Speedway has been the backdrop of my life and my brother’s for over 40 years. We’ve had the highs and lows following Coventry, travelling the country together when we were younger. Mum and Dad taking us to Coventry away meetings in the 80’s are great memories. When the Bees weren't riding and we could drive, we’d be at Cradley or Stoke on a Saturday. Dad would take us to Long Eaton and Birmingham Wheels. When I moved to Woking for my first job after Uni, I was at Reading every Monday. Now living in Lincolnshire, I’m at Scunthorpe for every home meeting. This isn't just a hobby; it’s a lifetime commitment. My Dad is 80 this year and has been a regular since he was a boy. Now, he has nowhere to go. The sport hasn't even got a proper TV deal for him to watch — and yes, I know BSN exists, but it doesn't solve the visibility issue.

If I were a promoter right now, I’d be turning to the one big asset every club has: its fans. I’d be appealing to the fans in the Speedway Star and the club programmes for help, because some of us might just have some good ideas on how to actually run a business and turn things around. Clubs seem to treat us as the enemy these days rather than engaging with us. I can think of one fan who runs a very successful business: Alex Brady. Yes, he’s been involved before, but I believe someone like that has incredible transferable skills. You only have to look at his company’s social media output to see that they know what they are doing. Both himself and his business partner, Jamie Minors, have gone from strength to strength from a cold start all those years ago. They are young people who know how to engage with a young audience as well.

In my view, promoters and speedway managers should stick to building teams and using their contacts within the sport to do that. Yes, the promoter also puts his or her money in. But seek out people who actually know how to drum up paying customers. Not just wait for them to magically appear out of thin air. At Scunthorpe, I think they get a lot right. The price point is spot on, and the programme is a no-frills scorecard that does the job keeping cost down. Their biggest bonus is the track itself, which serves up terrific racing. They deserve bigger crowds. But the social media output and the website are poor. They could put some great races out on their social media as advertising from the EWR. I haven't been into the town centre, but I can’t imagine there is much around telling people the Speedway even exists, or in any out of town shopping areas. There is a big sign at the entrance to the car park.......

It shouldn't just stop at Scunthorpe looking for fans, either. Lincoln isn't far away, and I’d be heading straight to Lincoln University and other UNI’s nearby as Lincoln isn’t the only one. I’d be seeking out the Media and Graphic Design courses and offering those students the chance to promote the club. Give them access to the social media channels and let them crack on. When I was at school, we were taught to keep a display book of our best work for interviews; this would give these students real-world results for their portfolios. I notice my own football team, Coventry City, have let Coventry Uni Graphic Design students handle some of their social media content and it looks superb. They also have a "City Unseen" video on YouTube—watch it, it’s brilliant. You could do the same at any Speedway club on a smaller scale.

I’ve heard the "wait until May" argument for Northampton, but I try to imagine that logic in my own professional life. If my directors asked for an update on my latest £1.75m project and I told them I was just waiting until May to see what happens without telling anyone about it, I’d be out of a job.

It’s not criticism; it’s concern for something that has been part of my life for four decades. If promoters stopped treating the fans like the enemy and tapped into the skill sets, we have, we might actually be able to help this sport thrive again.

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

When it comes to social media exposure Northampton and the rest of the premier league could learn a lot from the Buxton promotion, even using catchy slogans like get your backside trackside and tales from the dales 

[Mr Bee]

I notice they have put a race from Scunthorpe up on the British Speedway YouTube channel from last Sunday. While that’s great to see, it appears to be the first post in four months. Just because the season had ended, it doesn't mean the content should stop; you don't grow a brand by going silent for a third of the year.

Edited 2 hours ago by Mr Bee

[mikebv]

14 minutes ago, Mr Bee said:

Following up on my post from yesterday, I think it’s important to clarify one thing: some people seem to confuse concern with criticism. My comments come from a point of genuine worry, not just for the situation at Northampton, but for UK Speedway as a whole. In Northampton's case, I can only assume the deal isn't fully over the line yet. As Karlito mentioned in his video, why wouldn't there be at least some social media activity? It’s free advertising, yet there’s a total vacuum.

Speedway has been the backdrop of my life and my brother’s for over 40 years. We’ve had the highs and lows following Coventry, travelling the country together when we were younger. Mum and Dad taking us to Coventry away meetings in the 80’s are great memories. When the Bees weren't riding and we could drive, we’d be at Cradley or Stoke on a Saturday. Dad would take us to Long Eaton and Birmingham Wheels. When I moved to Woking for my first job after Uni, I was at Reading every Monday. Now living in Lincolnshire, I’m at Scunthorpe for every home meeting. This isn't just a hobby; it’s a lifetime commitment. My Dad is 80 this year and has been a regular since he was a boy. Now, he has nowhere to go. The sport hasn't even got a proper TV deal for him to watch — and yes, I know BSN exists, but it doesn't solve the visibility issue.

If I were a promoter right now, I’d be turning to the one big asset every club has: its fans. I’d be appealing to the fans in the Speedway Star and the club programmes for help, because some of us might just have some good ideas on how to actually run a business and turn things around. Clubs seem to treat us as the enemy these days rather than engaging with us. I can think of one fan who runs a very successful business: Alex Brady. Yes, he’s been involved before, but I believe someone like that has incredible transferable skills. You only have to look at his company’s social media output to see that they know what they are doing. Both himself and his business partner, Jamie Minors, have gone from strength to strength from a cold start all those years ago. They are young people who know how to engage with a young audience as well.

In my view, promoters and speedway managers should stick to building teams and using their contacts within the sport to do that. Yes, the promoter also puts his or her money in. But seek out people who actually know how to drum up paying customers. Not just wait for them to magically appear out of thin air. At Scunthorpe, I think they get a lot right. The price point is spot on, and the programme is a no-frills scorecard that does the job keeping cost down. Their biggest bonus is the track itself, which serves up terrific racing. They deserve bigger crowds. But the social media output and the website are poor. They could put some great races out on their social media as advertising from the EWR. I haven't been into the town centre, but I can’t imagine there is much around telling people the Speedway even exists, or in any out of town shopping areas. There is a big sign at the entrance to the car park.......

It shouldn't just stop at Scunthorpe looking for fans, either. Lincoln isn't far away, and I’d be heading straight to Lincoln University and other UNI’s nearby as Lincoln isn’t the only one. I’d be seeking out the Media and Graphic Design courses and offering those students the chance to promote the club. Give them access to the social media channels and let them crack on. When I was at school, we were taught to keep a display book of our best work for interviews; this would give these students real-world results for their portfolios. I notice my own football team, Coventry City, have let Coventry Uni Graphic Design students handle some of their social media content and it looks superb. They also have a "City Unseen" video on YouTube—watch it, it’s brilliant. You could do the same at any Speedway club on a smaller scale.

I’ve heard the "wait until May" argument for Northampton, but I try to imagine that logic in my own professional life. If my directors asked for an update on my latest £1.75m project and I told them I was just waiting until May to see what happens without telling anyone about it, I’d be out of a job.

It’s not criticism; it’s concern for something that has been part of my life for four decades. If promoters stopped treating the fans like the enemy and tapped into the skill sets, we have, we might actually be able to help this sport thrive again.

Great Post....

In my ex world of business we often, store to store, region to region, shared "best practice" and all, as one, benefitted from ideas that invariably came from people who were innovative...

With the more pragmatic who didn't possess such a skill set, (like me), building on these ideas to ensure profitability and legal compliance...

Before we launched this "New Way Of Working" into the Operating Model of the business..

Glasgow and Poole, in particular, seem to be able to engage people to watch their teams, therefore why not, nationally, make what they do part of the "Operating Model"?..

There may be others who also do "good things" individually that could work for others, eg social media sites, selling yourself to sponsors etc, etc..

The on track action is, in the main, decent to watch, it is very much the off track leadership and marketing which hold it back...

There isn't an excuse though when some can demonstrate how they do it well...

 

[mikebv]

3 minutes ago, Mr Bee said:

I notice they have put a race from Scunthorpe up on the British Speedway YouTube channel from last Sunday. While that’s great to see, it appears to be the first post in four months. Just because the season had ended, it doesn't mean the content should stop; you don't grow a brand by going silent for a third of the year.

Over half a million have watched the fight between Wright and Allen last season..

If every club had its own YT programme they would have had a link to these 500k people, via the YT algorithm...

A decent phone and a lap top to edit what you film...

[SuperStarsFan91]

On 3/23/2026 at 10:38 AM, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

Doesn’t stop them announcing who is running it unless buster picked up an injury on his tractor and the others are so busy doing other things 

What does Buster have to do with Northampton speedway? 😂

[Mr Bee]

31 minutes ago, mikebv said:

Great Post....

In my ex world of business we often, store to store, region to region, shared "best practice" and all, as one, benefitted from ideas that invariably came from people who were innovative...

With the more pragmatic who didn't possess such a skill set, (like me), building on these ideas to ensure profitability and legal compliance...

Before we launched this "New Way Of Working" into the Operating Model of the business..

Glasgow and Poole, in particular, seem to be able to engage people to watch their teams, therefore why not, nationally, make what they do part of the "Operating Model"?..

There may be others who also do "good things" individually that could work for others, eg social media sites, selling yourself to sponsors etc, etc..

The on track action is, in the main, decent to watch, it is very much the off track leadership and marketing which hold it back...

There isn't an excuse though when some can demonstrate how they do it well...

 

I couldn’t agree more with this. In my professional life, we do exactly the same thing. In fact, we had a monthly meeting just yesterday where part of that is sharing "best practice" across different departments. We look at who is innovating, what’s working in one area, and then we roll those successful ideas out across the rest of the operation to ensure everyone benefits.

It’s common sense in any other industry. If clubs like Glasgow and Poole have cracked it, why on earth isn't that being formalised into a national "Operating Model" for the sport? Work together.

As you say, the on-track product is usually decent. The racing isn't the problem; it’s the lack of off-track leadership and professional marketing that’s holding everything back. There are individual clubs doing "good things", whether it’s social media, sponsorship packages, or community outreach.

On that note, I genuinely can't understand why the British Speedway Podcast has been cancelled, along with the national media day. Surely the sport can manage to put on a media day somewhere. And as for the podcast what is the actual cost of production? It can't be that prohibitive. I stand corrected if it is.

I listen to "That Cov Pod", run by three Coventry City fans. They put out an excellent show after every single game, and they’ve even managed to attract a couple of sponsors. I can’t imagine it costs them much more than their own time to record, edit, and post it. If three fans can produce a quality show for football, why can’t a national sport manage one? Who is taking these decisions to strip away the few pieces of media we have left?

If one club finds a way to increase gates by 20% through a specific digital campaign, that blueprint should be shared immediately across the league. There is no excuse for the rest of the sport to be lagging behind when a few clubs have already demonstrated how to do it well.

Edited 2 hours ago by Mr Bee

[macky]

I spoke to my sports mad brother in law yesterday to ask if he was likely to go to Northampton for the new speedway team and he had no idea what I was on about and he lives in Oakley, 17 miles away from the sports arena. He follows all different sports and tells me that he has seen nothing in or on any local media outlets.

if this is the way Northampton intend to open a new business and make a go of it I wish them all the luck in the world as they are going to need it. They are not helping them selves at all, assuming that they do intend to run. I suspect that they have hit major issues and are not going to run this year. Does anyone know if work has started on the track/stadium?

[Eagle77]

Another strange contradiction where Speedway is concerned...

They're happy to ask for volunteers for menial things like track raking, stadium maintenance... etc...

But when it comes to things that could actually have a positive influence on their business... advertising... marketing... promotions... they don't want to take advantage of the great wealth of knowledge that could be at their fingertips...

Very odd...

[ouch]

1 hour ago, Mr Bee said:

Lincoln isn't far away, and I’d be heading straight to Lincoln University and other UNI’s nearby as Lincoln isn’t the only one. I’d be seeking out the Media and Graphic Design courses and offering those students the chance to promote the club. Give them access to the social media channels and let them crack on.

Spot on. It’s something Belle Vue have engaged with recently and has seen a massive uplift in our social media output but it’s new and it’s baby steps. 

Below is one of the many tie ins with the various student groups around the area.
 

https://www.ucfb.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1339901534-–-PG-on-campus-Prospectus-2024-25-Digital-Pages.pdf

 

This was from the tie ins with the Hide Out youth zone.

 

https://www.hideoutyouthzone.org/hideout-attends-belle-vue-speedway-race-event/

[mikebv]

46 minutes ago, SuperStarsFan91 said:

What does Buster have to do with Northampton speedway? 😂

Buster is doing the track work....

[piston197]

1 hour ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

When it comes to social media exposure Northampton and the rest of the premier league could learn a lot from the Buxton promotion, even using catchy slogans like get your backside trackside and tales from the dales 

Northampton's catchy slogan  is more likely to be , "Can you tell what it is yet ?" and hope they are more popular than the last bloke who used that catch phrase ?