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So after 4 seasons as a Director & Shareholder that's my time with Birmingham Speedway at an end. An eventful, at times stressful, at times farcical and at times enjoyable experience! A huge thanks to the small but loyal Brummie fanbase that put up with season after season of under performing teams, you deserved better! Full credit and my upmost respect to Nigel Tolley, he wasn't far short with the figures he quoted in the recent speedway star interview with what he invested in the club (there was also a six figure investment from other shareholders during the period I must add). Nigel is as mad as a (top) hatter, but I really like the guy. My only criticism of him (and he knows this, I told him enough times) is that he allowed himself to be influenced by others who failed to deliver for the club! Seeing the day to day finances and operations of the a Championship and then Premiership club is a real eye opener, so a massive thanks to Financial Director Tracey Smith, who somehow managed to juggle the finances to keep everyone happy (most of the time) a truly lovely lady, she has been the glue in a massively disjointed operation, which would have fallen apart without her. Some priceless moments over the 4 years on the management zoom meetings / race nights - I could write a book! You also learn a lot about riders, some smashing chaps around Paco Castagna (legend) Freddie Lindgren, Tobi M, Leon Flint, Sam Hagon, Jason Edwards, Thompson twins all really good guys! No comment about some mind Made some great friends, I will miss Guesty, Dave Rowe, Pete & Dan Ballinger, Chris Adams, the guys and girls from the supporters club and fellow shareholders Steven, Jake and Vic. Such a shame that Birmingham Speedway is no more, but without Nigel it wouldn't have got into 2023 let alone 2025 and for that alone he deserves the respect of those who knock him! Give us a B.....! Cheers Paul

Unlucky Aces, started decent and thought we were in for a long night but we turned it round after heat 8 and kept the foot down to get the job done. Tough conditions for both riders early on and not as big crowd as I expect but weather might had played a part. I want to mention this though… my Polish mother in law came over and she has a close friend who was diagnosed with cancer recently, and she has an operation next month. Her favourite rider is Bewley so today after the meeting we waitied to see if he would give us a minute of his time. He was very polite and listened to the story of her friend, he put his bags down and wrote a message out directed to her, wishing her all the best and signing it. For me, it’s something he didn’t have to do especially after that meeting and not the best performance but he was still willing to be a kind human to help another out and make her day. I wished him all the best for the weekend and off he went, sometimes you can get caught up in the racing but these guys are just humans like us and whether Ipswich won or lost tonight I would remember that gesture of kindness over speedway. Good luck Saturday Dan B.

They could go for a high winds setup with their bikes 🤔

First visit down to new Worky and really enjoyed it, great wee set up and clearly a lot of love and hard work has gone into it, congratulations. The dust was the worst I have encountered since the days of Newport but once I got myself to the 3rd bend all was good. I thought the racing was excellent, no idea what some of the maniacs on here are moaning about. Well done Worky, bad day at the office for our boys, it happens!

Track has been much slicker lately than it was today. Plenty of opportunities to pass, sure I remember Hook going round Harris, most other Comets had to produce at least one pass today, and both Tigers managed to relegate Batch to the back in ht 13 (after he'd also come from the back in an earlier ht). Some of what I'm reading on here is utter nonsense, I've seen a hell of a lot worse meetings than that.

Wouldn’t read too much into this today we didn’t perform as we can or have done. Track was the same for both teams we were just beaten by the better team on the day, it happens and we move on.

No complaints Workington the better team on the day by a considerable distance. Bad day at the office it happens I am sure we will bounce back. well done to Workington rode the track well.

You mean Glasgow spend money on dirt,equipment, facilities for the riders instead of trips to Vegas, big win bonuses for only the 1st match of the season against Glasgow. Are the financial reasons that bad you cant afford some dirt, diesel to run more than one tractor and get your track man an extra pair of hands ?! As for affording Nagel ,what exactly you talking about? The no sign on fee, uses club bike/and club mechanic (who only charges fuel and food), the fact he showed interest in coming to Glasgow after the SGP2 before Glasgow even approached him And your knowledge of the Workington situation isnt even worth commenting on, other than if you think you know half a story take it as you know hee haw. As for the ref's decisions, is what it is, after 15 heats Poole won, no complaints here, thats sports. But there is absolutely no excuse to scrape the track bare on every grade. Tracks come alive after heat 7, Wimborne becames a soulless dirt track after heat 7. If you have a win at all costs attitude then fair play thats your call, but lets stop the BS denial of what you do to achieve that win, and the impact that has for fan entertainment and the core fundamental of bikes riding on dirt. Ironically your team building would still be as strong as they are now with a home track prepared and graded to actually race on,only difference is fans would see what speedway should look like on a regualr basis and not just a handful of heats here and there.

Unfortunately today’s clubs are made up of individual riders who have little concept of team representation but ride simply to make a living from whoever opens the wallet and squanders cash on some mercenary gate and go merchants. Speedway in the UK should stop pretending to be a team sport, it made up of individuals seeking a living and it will never go back to the halcyon days of a team sport. Birmingham played its part but alas it got swallowed up in the shambles that is today portrayed a league of teams which is a joke. Birmingham and its backers gave it the best they could but were never going to be a success in the contrived farce that is league racing in this country. Birmingham, hold your head up as a contributor, you did make a difference.

Starting with your English teacher?

What is this problem that some people have with Simon lambert? Simon is still a very good rider and still a big influence in the pits with his wealth of experience and still gives 100% on the track.He has,and still is,a loyal servant to the club,a rider who gives 100% regardless who he rides for so instead of getting on his back,be grateful for a rider who bleeds Scunthorpe scorpions!

He also said we had a chance of winning the league

UK speedway was never ran professionally & the great chance of creating a future was blown when the Sky money was wasted. The fact that the poles have a product that attracts huge crowds, investment form business & more than one tv company broadcasting the league live is down to their hard work & running the sport professionally.

Can you stop mentioning him now please. There's no better sight than Chris Harris scraping the airfence to make a pass, at any track, but instead today we've seen the Workington riders making passes inside and out, quite a decent entertaining meeting. Well done Workington, good team effort.

I’ve really enjoyed this meeting, racing has been decent

Tbf I tend to waffle and lose track but in what way have I talked my way out of a job? Pretty sure what I’ve said was correct, and I include myself in that category, the club does need to change its attitude. Imagine my job with Ryan is reasonably safe so at least I have that to fall back on.

If the fixtures throughout the season were better organised, rather than having gaps of three or four weeks between fixtures, it wouldn't happen. But it happens year after year and they never learn from it, which, for me, is total incompetence.

1. Leagues to be run on the Danish system of 5 rider teams with maximum of 1 GP rider per team. 2. Each team to name a squad of 6/7 riders. 3. Teams to run on their preferred night and if rider/riders are unavailable, National League riders to be drafted in. 3a. No guests under any circumstances, redeclarations allowed once per month. 4. North League; Belle Vue, Sheffield, Berwick, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Redcar and Workington. South League: Poole, Ipswich, Kings Lynn, Leicester, Oxford, Plymouth and Scunthorpe. 5. Teams having National League teams to stage meetings after main meeting with same format as Danish system. 6. Teams not having National League teams to stage second half with minimum of 6 heats. 7. North and South winners and second places to meet in semi finals and final. 8. League cup to consist of all teams and drawn in first round with 1 from North and 1 from South. Overall winners of each match through to quarter final with team losing with highest aggregate score to go through also. This is all fantasy, but something needs to be done now. Everyone to look at the big brighter future and get over themselves.

i daresay Lambert has done much more for the sport in this country than your stupid comments every week.

Agree but perhaps giving the punter what they want with a weekend race night does possibly reduce the odds of losing so much money. Speedway use to be a good weekend sport but alas circumstances dictate that it is not possible albeit NDL teams seem to cope. This is possibly why a rethink is necessary and perhaps go backwards first in order to progress. I would rather go to a Saturday evening meeting or a Sunday afternoon meeting than go mid week. Thursday is OK but after that having been brought up on Friday, Saturday and Sunday meets I would not bother with any weekday/ mid week racing. Just my view and others may feel different but promoters should race on nights which give them a best chance of a return on the asset/investment.

Don't think his list about who he does or doesn't like? It's about his experience at the Club? ( i could be wrong) To leave people off is a polite way of saying what all Brummie fans with half a brain know already! H Man has closed his chapter with dignity!

I would just like to say thank you to all the Tigers fans who made the journey to Worky today, you guys are a credit to not only Glasgow Tigers but speedway in general.👌

this is how you lose folks with a bit of class glasgow are a quality speedway team they just had a bad day today

Think it is more a case that some on here expect the high level of performance we have produced most weeks. It then becomes a disaster if we get a result like today. Personally I think you have to congratulate the opposition for out fighting us in every department and it should spur us on too make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Must be the most effort he has put in all season

I enjoyed my first visit to Northside very impressed by the overall set up, one look at the track you can see its designed to give riders the opportunity to race so without a doubt that will provide some great racing, the conditions being hot, dry, and with that stiff breeze that was blowing made it very difficult for the track staff. Its does also seem to have the capacity to be developed further as the club progresses, reminded me a bit of Somerset and how that developed. I will certainly be back, at first it looked like the Monarchs were going to win at a canter but Comets made a great fight back to take the last heat decider. A great day out except for the 45 mins delay on the M6 for an accident and a 1 hour delay on the A66 where i believe the air ambulance was called out, but it didnt spoil the day, congratulations to all that brought the Comets back with this facility.

I call him the Goat not just because how many titles he has won but because his ability on a speedway bike, it is far in excess of any rider now or historically, he is an out and out racer and he has provided some of the best 4th to first moves of the last few years, his ability to read a situation and react is matched by nobody, he never jumps the start, he never has mechanical issues his discipline and his will to win are are a hard act to follow, statistically he isn’t there yet but he is 30 and 6 times winner, 8 medals in 9 years 6 gold, that is the Goat

Why do they let Morris f#ck up the track every 4 heats.Itsmust be frustrating for the riders in the 1st race after Noah has done his work.

Speedways greatest ever rider

That's crap , don't let 2 people put you of doing what you obviously love there's more of us on here who really appreciate the time and effort the volunteers do texting and updating hope you enjoyed your visit to Berwick 2 or 3 weeks ago.

... and all on the back of an army of volunteers that move heaven and earth each week to enable tracks to stage meetings and riders to earn money.

Lots of failing businesses bring in a troubleshooter to assess their business model, operating model, and customer service plan... If such a person were asked to come in I am sure they would suggest the following.... * Open your doors when your customers want you to open, not when your employees tell you they can work... * Stop opening your doors knowing you havent enough staff, meaning you end up borrowing employees from your competition, which isn't a good look... * Set a payroll budget and stick to it, and ensure your marketing budget is sufficient to generate the required interest and population reach. Don't overpay employees to the detriment of the marketing budget... * Collectively market the business nationally and target families with young kids with all season round offers, given you are in the entertainment business... * Take every opportunity when on TV to make your premises look full, and make it somewhere those watching at home would want to visit... * Ensure what you are delivering to your customers has credibility, integrity, and is done at a competitive price point that accurately reflects the quality of what you provide, not what you think you actually provide... * Have a customer focused refund system should you not he able to provide the required service on any given night, especially to those who have travelled from further afield to attend your establishment... * Have clear, unambiguous Quality Control measures in place that all must follow to ensure the brand is never damaged. As you are only as strong as your weakest link... * And. As you are only as strong as your weakest link, ensure all work for the overall good of the business, and never in isolation.. I am sure there are plenty of other suggestions too...

What a meeting Thursday could have been, a fifteen heat shootout for the league title. Instead, we go into play-offs that could see a team that finished mid-table, win the title...

I'm sorry but how can it be right that a rider finishing 3rd after 20 races with 11 points can not only lose out to a lower points scorer in LCQ1... but to rub salt into the wounds also LCQ2... what a Mickey Mouse sport this has become

I was very, very lucky to grow up watching Peter Collins.... And BZ is the closest to him from the back that I have seen... They both pass/passed riders almost in slow motion given they are/were several moves ahead.... You simply cannot take a line to block him, as he has already decided where you will go, and he will go... Genius on a Speedway bike.. And, fair play to Brady for keeping it close, given the talent BZ possesses...

Spot on comment about there being an appetite for Speedway... At the NSS there have been two good crowds this year, yesterday and the PCMM... One being ran on a BHM and the other being ran early in the season with a top class field.. If those who attended, me included, saw enough in the product to attend more regularly then 2000 plus crowds would be the norm... Running on a normal Monday simply restricts crowds, weekend is "leisure time".. Running several meetings as "meaningless", as the play off positions are set in stone from May, simply restricts crowds... And running meetings when you know (well in advance) that riders will be missing, but happily replacing them with competitor's employees, simply restricts crowds.. It costs me over fifty quid for me and my lad as he works PT and has much better things to spend his money on, meaning we attend three, maybe four times a season.. Get it down to thirty quid for us both and it would easily be double figure attendance for us both... Personally, given the Mickey Mouse operating model, neither of us care who wins (like many others who sporadically attend), as the credibility of the competitions is almost zero, but we do love watching the racing at the NSS as it can be breathtaking... As you say, that disconnect needs to be sorted... They could start by running meetings on the best night for the fans to attend in the highest numbers.. Run with less riders per team to make supply exceed demand for adhoc and longer term replacements, which then brings credibility.... And set an admission fee that reflects the standing of the sport in the UK, and the 15 mins or so of entertainment that is actually on offer... The core product is still very watchable, the nonsense surrounding it doesn't do it any favours...

Speedway peaked a long time before 2000. The decline started way before that.

Excellent piece in the Speedway Star about the Brum closure... Nigel Tolley has put in two thirds of a million during his tenure... An incredible amount and he deserves great thanks from everyone who were able to keep attending... Crowds of 500 were the main issue and he said it costs £12-13k a match to run a home meeting... And then had the away costs in top! He said that having more UK based riders was vital for the sport, given the cost of flights, hotels, etc... Exactly what's been written in the letters pages of the Star for about three decades, and on here for 15 years or so...!!! If only promoters had realised that...! BZ wanted £7.5k a meeting so didn't get signed... A good interview with Brian Buck too, another who deserves great thanks for playing a huge part in the resurrection of the sport in Birmingham.. Another excellent publication this week from the Star team...

But the season isn’t “Over” is it? 🙄 Couldn’t have said that better myself. This sport collectively attracts the most miserable buggers on earth unfortunately. Whinge after whinge after whinge. Speedway in Britain has always had a finishing date of October 31st. There’s plenty of time to fit in any remaining fixtures. We at Ipswich used to run fixtures right up until Halloween in the not too distant past, with people dressing up in Halloween costumes and prizes awarded to the best outfit!

A simple rule !!! If riders are tied after 20 heats it goes to wins, 2nds and 3rd’s - if that cannot split them then the fastest time set by each rider is the determining factor. It shouldn’t be but it is. All because they couldn’t work out who beat who in the 4 rider tie in Cardiff in 2024.

As you have no idea whats going on between the two clubs and the riders availability , or even if its Poole who cant fit it in, I think your comment is pathetic.

And right there is why I will always want zmarzlik over Kurtz to be world champion, zmarzlik would never of put a ride in like that, he would of busted a gut even for a single point, Kurtz didnt try

I would wear the chocolate hat!

Put the semis on Saturday night at Belle Vue and Sunday afternoon at Ipswich then see how big the crowds would be but on a Monday and a Thursday both terrible nights to run a premium event - as for admission price last night maybe Belle Vue thought stick the price up as won’t be able to in the final as they doubt they will be in the final

How many times have Poole pulled this stunt to get the second leg over the years.

Is it me or is there a deafening silence from AceBelle

You guys do a fantastic job that many people appreciate .

He is using a local NL riders equipment only thing that’s different is he has had a drive belt system fitted to the bikes to keep them like his Danish bikes

When the sport was "successful" it had only the top riders as fully pro... The rest rode part time for very, very decent money when compared to their other job... With second strings earning more in one night than they earned in a week in their "main job"... Now we have pro juniors.... But we also have crowds one tenth of the days of when the sport was successful... And we also have promoters quite happy to indulge Poland and have their leagues lack credibility due to playing second fiddle to them.. We also have promoters happy to indulge riders when it comes to their own individual ambitions by simply running a meeting anyway and borrowing from elsewhere when these riders are unavailable... They even sign riders from Denmark who cannot race on Wednesdays..... For me, all the things many of us have regularly said as being ridiculous on here, have been allowed to actually become part of the fabric of the operating model, so I truly cannot see a way out in all honesty... It has been a slow inexorable death by a thousand (self inflicted) cuts... Three times major radical changes should have been made... 1. When the GP's started to impact domestic Speedway... 2. When Poland started to impact domestic Speedway... The sport should have built its own destiny, instead it fudged and appeased other organisations and riders, meaning the fans got pi$$ed off watching guestfesf after guestfest and voted with their feet... And the third time? Covid... What a chance for a reset, thousands of die hards and thousands of even more lapsed fans eager for the sport to start up again... And what did we get? Well, the current situation clearly shows the answer ..

I'm a neutral - that was my first meeting I've seen at Northside - I'll be back. End of.....