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We jokingly call the back straight terrace , where we watch from , the Charlie Monk stand . I cant think of a more fitting tribute than Glasgow to name the grandstand to honour the memory of Jimmy Beaton . Officially naming it the Jimmy Beaton stand would serve as a lasting thanks for all he did for the club .

Whatever his actions they were far less detrimental to British Speedway that the course taken by Holder and Rathbone....

Sad news indeed mate , at Glasgow we have much to be thankful to Jimmy for , would we still be in existence without Jimmy Beaton - probably not . RIP Jimmy your legacy will live on everytime a Glasgow rider takes to the track .

Why on this forum do I keep reading that Mick Horton owes money ? Can somebody specifically and with accuracy say who is owed what ? I do not believe that he would have obtained a licence to run Speedway at Leicester ( or anywhere else) if money was still owed to anyone. Admittedly he has not been the most successful Speedway promoter in the past at Peterborough and elsewhere, but that does not mean that he has defaulted in payments. Although I am not a bees fan, I think he is to be congratulated on trying to keep the Bees alive in this way, almost certain to lose money ( though I hope not). Why he gets such abuse on this forum I do not know.

I get all the put British riders first , but clubs want to try and be as competitive as they possibly can . Sure it might only take a couple of riders to improve significally and you have title contenders , but the more riders who do that increases those prospects . It's unfortunate that the likes of Jacobs and Perks have so far been overlooked , but while the sport is average driven there is always going to be arithmetical casualties . And riders in the bracket between 5 and 6 are always the most vulnerable regardless of nationality .

Then you get the likes of ellis perks, has his best year yet, goes from a 2.3 average to a 5.08, most improved rider of the year yet doesn’t get the chance to improve further in 2018, doesnt always help to be successful in this sport

From my perspective its all about value for money and being entertained. Even following NL at the cheaper end of the scale i picked my meetings this year at Kent as i was becoming bored of big home wins with limited entertainment. Im not going to visit every week just because a meeting is on i want to be entertained. Its also down to false economy as i didn't think twice about the fuel in the car going to Peterborough just the entry fee but i did receive good entertainment with the racing in return however i couldn't justify it every week. Speedway fans are no longer happy to blindly hand over money whenever any team visits they want a two sides of equal quality on a track that can produce decent racing and they will be happy. The formula is simple and yet its still often messed up.

Depends on the market which the company is trying to appeal to, obviously.

Have said before but if i owned a big company and he came knocking he wouldnt get over the front door he looks awful with those tattoos ,would u want an image like that representing your company .

Name a track where the following doesn't occur - an away rider gates but the home rider more often than not seems to pass therm because they know the track better.

Just Another Vodka & Not A Role Model also in the line up - seems to be Darcy Ward themed race.

With comments like that you deserve all the s...t thrown at you throughout the year you give Poole supporters a bad name for me you dont represent the true Poole fans.

A bit like your good self, n'est pas ?

I've never understood speedway trying to promote itself as a family sport. All nicey nicey. Just a thought but the Polish fans don't seem that way. Does Polish speedway promote itself as a family sport anyone know

I know its early doors , but encouraging to see Rohan Tungate on fine form down under Could be a big year ahead for him at Belle Vue ?

sad to read on the Glasgow site that jJmmy Beaton has passed on . any loss in the speedway world is a great loss to all . but i think jimmy will be a greater loss to those who had known him . 91 yrs old , it must be the irn bru ! R.I.P. . J .B.

Yes. In fact I'd suggest that the crowd might be slightly higher if it wasn't on TV, as a few armchair fans might be tempted into attending. The big difference with Cardiff though is that the meeting is almost a side attraction for the whole day (or weekend in some people's cases). Everything about attending Cardiff is an experience completely unique to anything else in the British speedway calendar.

What you want to have, in order to keep fans entertained between races, is riders who are excluded standing on the track gesticulating at the ref. Fallen riders stomping over to the pits phone by the starting gate because they've been harshly excluded. None of this is allowed now. It should be encouraged.

Dzieki...cipa. Best wishes to Starman aswell as i've missed the last few weeks here.

Can Kyle fulfil the number role, I think he can. He seems to thrive on the pressure and responsibility, he did every heat 13 when fit and did his fair share of heat 15's especially away where he probably did them all, and his away form last season was a revelation. If you look at Kyle's home and away averages they very similar for me he is one of the best all round riders in the league. Lasse, is as good as any rider around Sheffield, maybe needs to make some improvements on some of the away tracks, but he is capable. Todd surprise me last season fully expected him to show his best form away from Sheffield, as he in past had not done too well around Sheffield. But it turned out to be the complete opposite and his away form was very patchy whereas his home form was really good, in saying that he did on few occasions and important win away from home that turned a match around. People bang on about what is the way to build a title winning team, strong heatleader trio, strength in depth, strong reserves. None of this matters to win the title you need Stay clear of injuries (luck) Have rider or two that put a point or two no their starting average. More importantly win all of your home matches. Last season their was only one team that won all of their home meetings. That team topped the league and went on to win the Play Off Final.

On reflection, don’t you think it would be a better policy for clubs to do their utmost to foster British riders rather than to live by the mantra “we don’t owe them a living”?

Thank god for that.

PERHAPS the FIM will do something about the Poles and their self-imposed rules and continual moving of the goalposts. Incidehtally, a couple of pigs have just flown by my window.

Just continually trying to improve things , making it in such a way to enable us to enjoy exciting and thrilling speedway . The track was too one line last season , the aim is to have a track that riders of both sides can attack and give the paying public the type of speedway to do justice to it's surroundings . No point having Chris Harris and not giving him the track to entertain us .

A very special happy birthday to Lenny Read. 100 years old today. And still in good health and fighting fit.

1.JPB 2.Dwyer 3.Armstrong 4.Ruddick 5.Greenwood 6.Halder 7.3 pointer

Is he sat at home watching heat 13 from the second leg of the Grand Final on a constant loop?

Bit like Holder older. Probably can't compete with the next generation anymore.

I’m not fully up to speed on the details, but I believe results in previous Australian state championships are taken into account — the target might be a top four spot, someone on here such as Tsunami will know. Campton confirmed at the end of season Comets awards night that he had a visa for 2018.

Look don't get me wrong as I am a Chris Fan (as a rider that is). I was not aware re the twitter as have not seen it but exactly the same was put out on his website yesterday. The point I am making is that he has only put out the official announcement in which even that only has Matts comments with nothing in the way of comment from Chris. Its is normal for riders to put out a personal comment from themselves saying they are pleased or happy to be riding in 2018 for ??? and are looking forward to riding or in Chris's case returning to the club. Is it me or is there nothing in the way of any personal comment from Chris, which is what is making me think he is doing this near enough against his own wishes and only because without Poole he had no other option which perhaps could also have maybe affected his visa?? Someone like Hans Andersen would have made a comment about how happy he would have been to be returning to Poole as no doubt most other senior heat leader figures (or even normal middle/lower riders) would have put out more personal messages other than just forwarding the clubs statement which had no personal input/comment from the rider himself. Its hardly welcoming himself back into the hearts of the Poole supporters although I suppose irrespective of what he thinks, ultimately its what he does on the track that matters. I am sure if he doesn't perform then we know what the ultimate outcome will be either mid or end of the 2018 season. Lets hope that's not the case. Would have been nice to have seen something from the guy personally though and I think many Poole fans would agree.

Add Kildemand to that list too , they certainly produce a certain type of rider in Denmark . Yes Claus has that going missing trait , but he has proved in the past , particularly at Edinburgh , that in the right environment he can consistently produce the goods . Whether that will be the case at Glasgow remains to be seen , but I sincerely hope so .

Ray he is a rider who is so exciting, at the Abbey at the end of the season he was great value imagine him and Bewley at reserve for Belle Vue it would be exciting times for there fans.

I think you will find they are injuries caused by getting off the handcuffs put on him by Mr Ford

RTD is at plymouth Mitch is at Birmingham

Didn't they drop the price at Belle Vue to £10 about 6-7 years ago? From what I was told, there was a brief surge in attendance but after a month or so, the attendances leveled out at pre price drop levels. All that the Aces got in the end was the same crowd levels for two thirds of the income. Interestingly, when they abandoned the experiment, and returned to the £15 original admission, the old faithful kept on on coming, even at the higher price. Perhaps the next person who wants to tell us about demand and supply economics should look at the concept of "price elasticity of demand" too, and explain that as part of their theory.

there will always be a fastest way around any track . the inside or the outside . not many tracks have those many lines , its like formula 1 , as long as you stick to that certain line , you have won . good luck in finding that magical route around your track , best track that i have seen with many lines was the old Hyde road . superb racing there . . you can tell the N.S.S. was built with the old Hyde road in mind . you have 2 good guys trying to find that special something in your track , lets hope they can find it .

Pretty much sums it up. It's how many feel, who have either given up on the sport or who only go because of the company you keep rather than the spectacle you see.

The full 1-7 is in place, and will be announced shortly I believe. Mick Horton and my successor will be ‘The Promotion’.

I went to all the Leicester matches and Sunday ones at Peterborough.

The gypsies have now departed Brandon after the intervention of the Rugby Council leader.. Lets hope more pressure is put on Brandon Estates to ensure proper security oh the site.

I thought Todd would be the weak link in the team last season, but he did the hard job of riding at number 2 and he did very well, So the same again will do and upping his average a bit would be a bonus. Losing Josh G will be a big miss and filling his boots will be very hard. He was an out and out number 1. But i feel the team is stronger overall. If all the riders ride to their potential we should be right up their ( i hope ) utt.

Surely if Shanes is Fords preferred option,the final riders average should fit around Shanes average not the other way around.If Shanes is preferred,you have two spaces left put him in.

The Problem with most of the riders in the NL is their matches are strung out over the season so riders don’t seem to get racing every week which I think they need to be racing every week to progress there were some teams that had no matches for 6 weeks then fitting them in at the end of the season on tracks that are not enjoyable

Good of NKI to turn up for Lewis Kerr's fund raiser at Heacham last week.

Been in Poland for the week so not seen forum for a while. However, Pedersen bike was given to Buster by Nikki years ago. It’s been office corner since new office was built. I would guess - “ we need a photo of Buster and Robin to announce Robin as promoter, let’s use the bike as a backdrop” I wouldn’t read anymore into it.

Sings is passionate about his speedway, I don't always agree with him but he does always make his points fairly and sensibly. And tbf to him, I would of had the same opinions as him 2 seasons ago. Since a family member joined the team in 2016 I have been more active around the pits and riders etc and have more of a feel for the work behind the scenes. I think because Chris and Len are not as active on social media as say Connor Dugard, or not as active on forums as say Jane Moss it's easy to assume all things outside central park are unknowns to the kent management but they are as proactive as anyone else. And riders like Rowe,Thomas,and even Shansie don't just fall into your lap. The problem is with youngsters is, that not only does the sport have to fit around thier schooling, but also around the parents employment. So riders will usually prefer thier local track or a track that races at weekends. Anyway looking ahead with the side we have so far. Luke Bowen - At this level as good a number 1 as is possible. And the last couple of seasons he really has grown into a proper skipper. If you stand back and watch him off track he knows which riders to put an arm round, and which riders who respond to a kick up the arse. Something pointed out to me at Stoke away at the end of the season was he was talking the the two riders as a pair before more or less every Heat. Always has Immaculate equipment. And interacts with the fans as if everyone is a lifelong friend. Jack Thomas - Having progressed so far in two seasons, Jack should be looking at this season as his final National League Campaign before jumping in with the big boys. To do this he will be needing to challenge Luke for the number 1 jacket. Comes on a bargain average really too, when you consider the number of mechanical failures in points positions he suffered . level headed, polite lad. And he interacts with the kids through to the pensioners so naturally and professionally. But with a joker in him as well. Nathan Stoneman - Mr excitement, you can never relax until all 4 laps are completed with Nath. 100 percent trier with bags of potential and the ability to go all the way. Needs an injury free season and could well make it a 3 way challenge for Lukes vest. Proper genuine likable joker, and him and Jack together are quite the double act. Came in last year with a bit of a rep for poor equipment but last year I don't recall any issues at all. Anders Rowe - Anders had a great first season and will hopefully continue his progression towards the business end of the speedway pyramid, it should not be forgotten that he will still only be 15 when the season starts at easter. Very quiet and shy lad and much like Jack comes with great, clued up, and level headed parents in the bits. Another with immaculate equipment, and hopefully will come back more physically developed. Taylor Hampshire - on a 4 point average this can only be a great signing. Came to kent towards the back end of 2017 with brum in a challenge match and scored a big double figure score and rode for us at Stoke at number 5 and gave a good account of himself. Most knockers of him say he has bad equipment but I can't see uncle Len allowing his equipment to be sun standard. Jacob Clouting - Somebody I ve heard has a good solid style but may lack a bit of speed initially but apparantly has good equipment. But to be honest I ve only seen pics and vids, so can't really judge fairly. So a proper number 1 and skipper, and 5 riders with potential to up thier averages, I think we look in good shape. Personally I d like to see James Laker given his shot at 7.

Speedways corrupt anyway promoters looking after self interests

The 2017 season was the worst yet for the many fans, the number of restarts from the tapes and the riders stopping at the pit gates to muck about with the bike before going back to the start. Cutting the two mins to a one min time would help and stop much gardening etc. They should reduce the delays between races, and at certain clubs, the amount of tractor racing and get on with the meetings, especially when it is cold. The main meeting should take no more than 90 mins, unless there are many accidents or air fence issues and fans can then either go or stay on for a second half of either practice or a 4 or 6 heat junior type event.

Heartbreaking.

In the New Year, 'Arena Cross' hits Manchester... Indoor Motocross.. I would urge any Speedway Promoters who can do, to attend... I went three years ago with my lad and so much of the total evening 'entertainment package' on view could easily be translated over to Speedway.. From an autograph, selfie opportuniy meet and greet with the riders, completed 60 mins before racing so plenty of time to browse the merchandice stalls and get a drink and food.. . (Each rider had his own posters and photos for sale too). Riders coming out in darkness doing a lap of honour under a spot light. Could tracks do something similar to create atmosphere?. A 'centre green' announcer who was loud (he had to be over the bikes and music), brash (well, the Promoters were American!) and informative, detailing background information about each individual rider and commentating on the action as it happened. (That last bit maybe not needed in Speedway?).. Before racing and during gaps in between for track maintenance, (all tractors were working by the way), their Promotion team fired their own T Shirts into the crowd via an 'pump action air gun'... Many were, it appeared, Small and Medium meaning many adults caught them as you would expect but many of the kids ended up with the T Shirt.. (My lad got one from someone five rows back who passed it on when he saw it was an 'S').... There were no gaps where 'nothing happened' between races, so the crowd was kept interested.. The interval took place half way during the evenings racing and was 30 minutes prompt.. Before the interval they told us about the 'mini moto' they had suspended from the ceiling. Just text your name to etc etc and you could be taking this bike home. Texts cost £5... There was a 7500 full house and I would suggest well over half of 'the dads' were texting away during that interval. That bike certainly paid for itself and more! (Certainly I contributed a tenner towards it)! Now maybe Speedway couldn't do the same but they could do something around winning Season Tickets, VIP evenings etc.. The winner was announced prior to the Final and came down and received his bike... The cost for me and my lad was over £70 but I am going again next time as it was fantastic value for money... How did I know they were coming back to Manchester? I got an email from them in October telling me so with a nice book early 15% saving... Three years they have had my email address and now have used it knowing I had previously attended. My own Speedway team still doesn't have my email address... How did it advertise itself? Lots of Social Media and it played on how "awesome" (as I said they are Yanks!) it must be to watch 'dirt bike racing' in the middle of a City Centre.. And let's be honest as a concept it is 'pretty unique' isn't it? Apart from obviously it already happens many nights of the week around the Country from March to October..!! It was a 'one off' so you could argue that it is 'different' from Speedway, however maybe if Speedway promoted EVERY meeting as if it was a 'one off' they would be delivering many, many more through their turnstiles.. Watching 'dirt bike racing' in a City Centre is "awesome" don't forget, so says the guys who play to full houses and make money out of doing so... NB: No mention of it being a 'family sport' but plenty about 'speed', 'danger' and being 'gnarly'! (Whatever that means....) In fact the only downside to the night was that I, as a 47 year old at the time, felt 'very old' when I looked around the rest of the crowd.. At Speedway, at least I still feel like a 'spring chicken'!!