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I'm far too busy between races trying to find suitable stones to put under one side of the folding chair to stop it wobbling, rearranging the blanket so it doesn't keep sliding off my knee and trying to get the top back on my flask, never mind trying to remember where I put the sugar.

There's the answer to dwindling crowds and the lost generation of fans, a lending library at every track. Not only would the crowds soon be flooding back but they would have to come back for the following meeting to return their books. Genius.

Didn't think it would take you long to have another grumble.

Very pleased tonight. Deal done with MF. Only 4 meetings left available to sponsor and guess what I've got - last season's champions in August!!

You happy with the 5 currently selected then? A total crock of poop being put together and clearly built on the cheap

And the rider in second place, behind his partner, will be paid for the bonus point, but it will not be used for his official average making him a bigger bargain on the lower average.

Sam will be ok, says he could race in 2 weeks if necessary so 2 months is no problem

There is absolutely nothing that says Layne cannot be a good speedway rider and a music star however In My Opinion to succeed at something and to truly reach your full potential takes dedication and full commitment. Even at solely NL level riders need to find 1/2 days a week to work on bikes, plus hold down a job and include some level of fitness regime all of which prove very time consuming but are required if a rider wishes to achieve their potential. As for annoying you that's your concern. This is a forum for opinions, often peppered with rumours, insider information and gossip. It's certainly not to be taken too seriously or forming personal vendetta's.

I think it's agreed on here that one area which needs addressing is the "spectator experience" An observation from an old-timer who remembers better days, which on its own may sound trivial, but identifies a part of the reduction in the "spectator experience" - and it may not be correct at some tracks, I can only speak of the late, lamented Brandon In the "good old days", for each race, four well-turned out track staff members, dressed in a top and beret/cap of the four helmet colours, would each wheel out a bike onto the track - there would stand the four machines, ready for action Then the four riders, helmeted and ready to race, would walk from the pits onto the track - entry of the gladiators - and mount their bikes The clerk of the course would then indicate that the track staff would push the riders away for their journey to the start line All this would take a couple of minutes, perhaps longer, but was all taking place in the view of the spectators - they would see the bikes, the riders, the preparation - during this time, and be able to cheer their individual favourites (or the opposite!) The race if not stopped would last some few seconds over a minute, and it was usual for the riders - perhaps all four - to complete another lap, whether a lap of honour or just a "warm-down" So there was "spectator experience" of around five minutes for each heat throughout the meeting In more recent times - certainly after the introduction of greyhound racing caused a relocation of the pits gate - riders would appear on track on their bikes heading to the start, pushed off by their mechanics from inside the pits like the GPs (out of view of the crowd) So the "spectator experience" was diminished I said it sounded trivial, I know there was a reason at Brandon with pits gate moved, but it's the kind of minutiae which Charles Ochiltree as promoter would look upon as very important, and the riders too had a part to play by not disappearing off-track asap at race end I discount the trend for copious "gardening" by riders at the tapes - I don't see that as anything other than a pain in the backside of many spectators who see it as a delay, not a build up, to the racing Do today's promoters even consider such matters to be important?

Not rude at all. Don’t mind telling you how much it cost. Wasn’t aware sponsorship costs were a closely guarded secret.

In those days WK it was all about being entertained you are right now it bloody annoys me when people say you have to have riders who can only improve what about riders who give there all and entertain.Winning is not everything try to win but not at any cost winning is not everything there can only be one winner.What would you rather WK ? be entertained have a good night out with friends and win nothing or watch a team that wins every week but the entertainment value is non existent.

Only cos Baldyman started it up again and woke him and Stevebrum up!

Id call it common sense - thats why only a few manage it

Proctor should 5.5 (7.15÷1.3) from his Championship average as he didnt have a Premiership place TJ is different as he achieved a Premiership average and so his Championship figure is irrelevant

This team does not look inspiring up to now, hope Iversen is back.

I think someone isn't using their loaf!!

I just hope that they manage to schedule the meetings with less gaps than last year, and that clubs are forced to run cancelled meetings or comps like the KOC by certain dates so that there is not the usual last min panic in September with multiple meetings in one week.

But because we are leaving the eu the price of bread went up 60p in that week so you lost money as well as having no bread for a week

short on dough then

Aah you should have bought the loaf!! I could have sent you a box of matches.....!!

Crikey, you really don't want to be there do you................

10k well spent well done to Mason is this finally the year he kicks on.

That team with Nilsson at 5 looks much better than the rumoured 7 we will end up with. A lot depends on the new Dane, if he turns out to be a revelation we could be laughing, but I highly doubt that will happen.

If the Stars can't find someone better than Proctor then it's going to be a long painfull season again. I hope the admission price doesn't go up, it's going to be difficult to get people to attend as it is.

Averages are totally ridiculous and anti speedway when putting sides together. What is the difference between rider on 2.13 and another on 2.11? Absolutely nothing, so why not simply GRADE the riders and keep them on track! Lets be honest, Alfie Bowtell( who I consider a really good prospect by the way) would have a practically rounded average of 2 points and which could equate to say a C grading for team building purposes. Makes sense to me.

I've not posted on here for months and look what happens LOL! All I can do is laugh if not I'd cry. Can't say any more!

At kings Lynn fans can work out the next race ins and outs etc and read a book between each race while the tractor is going round and round.

I see you’ve removed the slander against disabled people, you really are a nasty piece of work

How much that's it I am going back to Aldi corn flakes. and I am going to sell the toaster.any offers, new never been used.

Thats bad planning, wouldnt recomend you put in as a team manager. You should have bought the essential loaf first, at least you could have kept eating, albeit not toast. I'll get my coat.

Can’t see us wanting your two Poles!!!

What makes Sings4Speedway think that Cupitt can't be a music star AND a good Speedway rider. Sings really does annoy me with his rubbish statements on things he clearly knows nothing about. I say "Good Luck" to Layne in his online music career and I really hope that he lives up to the obvious potential he has as a rider.

Gutted for Sam. Let's hope the surgery allows him enough recovery time to star the new season. Not a great way to start the year for him. Quick recovery Sam!

Pudding, chips, peas and gravy

I am just thinking aloud here , but let’s take the scenario you suggest, and promoter A signs a rider out of contract who is an asset of promoter B . What happens next ? Step one, can the BSPA refuse to sanction promoter A’s team, in which case he can’t compete without signing someone else ? That would mean it’s pointless signing the rider in the first place. If not, what would be the next step ? Presumably litigation, but the downside of that is that is would take probably two years and a lot of money the get to court . Next question. what would promoter B sue for ? Presimably his only loss would be for loan fees. I dont know what a seasons loan fee amounts to but if it is less than about £5000 it would probably go to the small claims court with no costs being awarded so employing lawyers would probably cost more than the amount involved. Given the dire state of speedways finances would any promoter really want to to take such a case on ? Would any rider be bothered to when he can get another job easy enough? These are thoughts that I have pondered over for a few years now, not saying I am right but it seems to me that given the state of speedways finances, it seems to me that nobody is likely to have the time, money or inclination to do anything other than trundle along* in the same old way. Anyone else have thoughts on the practicality of the situation?

That's obvious - there isn't enough fixtures to fill every week. However, there is no way any team should go 3/4 weeks or more without a meeting like they did last year.

People who are on the internet trawling speedway sites 24/7 know who the line-up is. But there are actually less-sad people out there who have a life outside of speedway, and don't spend every hour November to February trying in seek out every morsel of information in the hope of hearing some item of minutiae before someone else. Announcing 7 riders one-by-one gives 7 separate news items in the local press, and 7 different chances to catch the eye of the casual viewer. Heaven forbid that a non-fan just happens to see an item in a newspaper in January/February about the signing of a new speedway rider for the upcoming season and thinks "hmmmm I might go along and see what that's all about"

Like many I want to know the full team but I can understand the drip feed approach. Last week the announcement of Worrall resulted in a sizeable article in the local press. This week's announcements will probably do likewise and so will the remaining announcements. From the clubs point of view that is much more publicity than they would have received from announcing everyone at once.

Let me guess the order the remaining riders will be 'revealed' Cook ,Fricke ,Bewley ,our new reserve ( Etheridge ? ) And Last but not least ,our new Polish youngster Damian Drodz !!! , bet none of you saw that coming eh?

Guess its down to lifestyle? A nice evening meal out to a good standard restaurant will cost around £2-240 for 2 of us with wine. So 160 a couple seems ok providing the quality is there. I was in Padstow recently with a client and lunch cost £180 at Rick Steins restaurant. I guess some people on here think a Harvester or Beefeater is quality eating out!

Glasgow seem to have gone the same way: "In 2018 Standard adult tickets have also been reduced to £17, with the removal of concession pricing. Club co-owner Gerry Facenna explains: “It’s not a decision we have taken lightly. We already have a lot of over 65’s who pay for a full price ticket as they can afford it and know the club is losing money. We’re extremely grateful to our fans, they understand the situation at the club and have the club’s best interest at heart.” " In 2018, kids under 12 go free at Glasgow Tigers! Alongside this, student prices have been reduced to £10 for those with a valid student ID card. These steps have been taken in the hope that it will encourage the next generation of speedway fans here in Glasgow and maintain the legacy of the sport for years to come. " So short term numbers don't mean too much, it's whether there is a long term increase and these freebies and reductions return as paying regulars over the next decade or longer? All other tracks seem to offer concessins in 2018 which tells you what you need to know perhaps?

Don't know what will happen,but Championship clubs should not be affected by Premiership deciding to let Swindon do as they please.

If a track has to go to Swindon on a Thursday and they have riders that also have a Championship meeting that night, surely the Premiership clubs have to get priority otherwise this is a big advantage for Swindon facing depleted teams

The bottom line for a lot of fans is that they would like to see their team win silverware. I don’t think it really matters to them where the riders come from. The promoters look at the points limit and what they can afford after the conference. Edinburgh’s promotion has always tried to build a team around riders who will progress and increase their average. Guys like Perks and Jacobs are unlikely to increase their averages and some positively struggle around Armadale. Why should the Edinburgh promotion give a place to a British rider who struggles at the track and may or may not be asking them to break their budget just to sign them because they are British. Edinburgh are a track who usually stick by their riders for the season and give them a chance, unlike others who when things are going wrong after a few meetings make changes. For that they should be commended instead of fans of other clubs coming on here and having a pop at their team building. Why did Ipswich or Lakeside for example not sign the riders mentioned. it appears that some folk just want to come on here and have a go at Edinburgh.

ALA . English football and even Scottish football .never win the world cup now . even managers/coaches ( not buses ) arnt english .

Because if the Brits don’t come first and we lose our British riders the national team with disappear, the profile of the sport will sink even lower, the sport won’t be able to afford the extra costs of flying in riders, our league will be at the beck and call of the foreign leagues, just like last season with Poland dictating where riders should ride, there will be less interaction between riders and potential local supporters because they will rarely be in the country, there will be less interest in a sport in which only foreigners participate, all us families who support NL riders and give our time to clubs for free will be lost to the sport ....

Is your second paragraph not the good reason to stop doing the exact same thing you suggest in your first paragraph.

Thanks for clearing that one Neil.

There is no crossover between speedway and the bikes you can ride on the road, unlike MotoGP, WSB and even motocross.

I take it all back then - Klindt is a great signing then