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Good post. It was interesting reading last weeks speedway star about how to attract a younger audience to speedway. Unfortunately the things that first hooked us 40 somethings in the 70's and 80's was as described in the star "the strong aroma of Castrol R, the throaty roar of the 4 stroke 500 hundred cc engines. Add to that the speed and the crackling atmosphere on the terraces for the big matches under the lights and you had a magical experience as a kid. Move on 30 years and the smell has gone and so has the noise ,taking with it the atmosphere in the stands ,a somewhat watered down version to what we had .Watch some old footage from the 80's on Youtube and you can hear the crowd before each race starts. Is it any wonder youngsters are not hooked any more, todays machines are also not compliant with the tracks in this country any more, it might be fine in Poland but only the new purpose Belle Vue is anywhere near of the shape and preparation required. As someone who was hooked, I'm now unhooked on what I'm watching in Britain, most of the time the racing is poor, processional strung out stuff with little excitement, speedway is lucky that many of those over 40 still attend out of habit and the social side rather than the excitement of what they are watching. Unfortunately the future looks grim, the machines are not going to change and neither are the tracks on which they race. Speedway in Britain may have been in decline since the eighties but it has been more rapid since 2011 when the new silencers were brought in.

Looking forward to seeing Jacob thorsell wear the aces bib in 2018....... oh hang on a min. Sorry wrong thread

It’s all very well claiming at Peterborough we’re behind this that and the other but lakeside tried to sign nicholls and kennett months ago, were told sorry they’re not eligible for championship racing this (something I think is unjust and ridiculous I might add) but rather than sulk and get to nearly February without an alternative they said right what are we going to do then that’s messed our plans up.....put their heads together and signed Lawson/morris, similarly Lawson was going to Sheffield until this happened - Sheffield aren’t still sitting here saying we should be allowed so sign scotty or lakeside should have been so we can have Lawson - plans changed they were proactive got on the phone to lasse and brought him back i genuinely think it’s ridiculous that kennett and scotty and maybe Hans (although don’t know if he really would’ve dropped down) have been blocked, seems a pointless rule harshly affecting very few riders and achieving nothing, but it’s not like they’re not allowed to sign for just one club....it was the same for everyone, it’s equally unfair to move the goalposts 3 months later to benefit a couple of teams when everyone else has built their teams within the parameters set out.

“No doubt”? Hmmmm if you mean being able to lean and bunny jump your bike this way and that way, Darcy was brill, but if you mean honed skill and dedication over twenty years with the trophies to show for it, there’s only one winner. It’s tragic that we’ve been robbed of Darcy, but his temperament casts doubt on whether he would have applied him self sufficiently to become another Ivan Mauger.

It's pretty obvious the panthers are waiting for the rule change to be made official and then they can announce Scott and an other. The whole thing is yet another total farce.......perfect for speedway.

Depends which world you live in. Rather then controlling the costs and concentrated on the sustainability of this sport, the bosses felt it right to pay the extravagant fees required by the top riders, even to the point of self destruction.... This has driven up admission fees, and by getting rid of the second half's , it cuts down on VFM once enjoyed by the fans... Looking at the majority of Stadiums , most are in a poor state of repair, this is also caused by the lack of funds. It appears to me the riders has all but bleed this sport dry and now turning their backs when their fees are questioned... Sometimes I wished, I never lived in the real world

This is about fairness. There is no rule about 6+PL riders being barred from the Championship, Cook, Morris & Harris are three examples. The rule is unfair because it makes an arbitrary decision on whether you rode in that league the previous season. All riders are out of contract at the end of one season and start again with finding clubs - if the points limit is set to make it fair for all teams then the eligibility should be the same for the riders. I don't think the rule was made to penalise certain riders but it's clear that that is how it has turned out. A Premiership No.1 and also a GP rider can rider CL but Kennett, for example, cannot. It's simply favouritism and positive discrimination for those who can. Effectively, we're progressing to one league and as some have pointed out, as a CL side could actually have stronger heat leaders than a PL one!

Hope Kennett & Nichols are riding in the Championship next season, because on their day, they are very entertaining. If it's not Panthers, I will still enjoy them when they ride at our track. It will also make teams more even, which should provide a close league.

........ and of course most of us will.

Only on paper at the moment just like last year untouchable better to wait and see I think

It was tongue in cheek think you need to lighten up a bit on here.

So you are saying Ivan Mauger won all his six titles by bending the rules is that right ?. Mauger won all his title's because he was the best rider in the world and he worked damn hard to do it ,you cannot even mention Ford in the same breath as Mauger Ivan had integrity and class.

Hi Sydney, 'So where did it all go wrong? ' such a simple question with so many answers, all from ones opinions, coupled with facts . I have often asked myself , had it not been for my upbringing of motorbikes, would I find today's speedway as appealing as i first experienced going to the Firs at Norwich all them years ago. acknowledging that time sometimes distorts the facts, but I can vividly recall those special nights... Living some 60 mls from Norwich meant an early departure, sometimes missing tea. The journey was log and tiresome, travelling in an old A35 along a narrow and bendy A47 always seemed a long way. The place was always heaving with car parking a premium . We usually arrived plenty early. As the start time got near so the shouting got louder, orchestrated by the man in the middle. " 1-4; 2-4; who the hell are we 4.;; N O R WI C H " everyone appeared to join in. The atmosphere was electric , even when the racing had stopped the buzz from the crowd was still evident... Everybody was happy and chatting away and each with a smile on the face. Strange part of all this, I can easily recall the occasions, but the actual racing becomes blurred with time. The vision I have, is everything was dark, the Leathers, the shale, the stadium , even the fans were dressed in dark coats and hats. even the token floodlights added to the atmosphere with everyone trying to get a better vantage point. Being part of it was all that mattered.... That smell would linger for days.. It was like we were the privileged ones to experience something so special... For 3 yrs we never missed a home meeting , each day was counted down until we went again. We had a good team Ove Fundin, Aub Lawson Billy Bales even a very young Terry Betts. Mostly we won but the competition was always tight. Results were not decided until those final heats meaning nobody left early. The journey home was just as tiresome, and it was gone midnight before we got to bed. Thankfully we always recovered with that Sunday morning lay-in. Jumping now to modern times, I can leave home with 20 mins to start time, and be back in by 10pm Car parking is not a problem, the place is usually empty and we have a choice where to stand, Light is plentiful and colours are so evident. The racing is ... ... faster and competition more spaced out. usually results are predicable, but not always.. What I miss most is the lack of connections, both with riders and the club, its as though we don't matter and are taken for granted. The biggest gripe I have is that the BSPA have concentrated all their efforts to keep the top riders here at the expense of everything else.... Excitement, and entertainment are in short supply. VFM is questionable and affordability borders on the line of madness. But they still never listen to the fans......... So to answer my original question, would the sport appeal to me like it did in them early days, I'm' afraid the answer would be a definite no...

Cracking team imo. Could possibly win everywhere apart from Wolves and a shame they won't be coming to the Showground, looks box office .....

Feel he would have won the majority of the seventies ones.

Certainly will, next Tuesday I Hear. Neither promotion was at the AGM for different reasons, so it can be argued the rest voted for something without realising they were chucking top British talent on the scrap heap and leaving teams understrength with no genuine no 1. U turns are all the rage in politics so why not BSPA.

Good job it was one off World Finals Ivan won, Shudder to think how many he would have won in a GP format!!

Bit over the top. Good news it is though, and proof that all the whittling and worrying people did over the winter was unnecessary.

The talk of track covers has been going on for years. Berwick seem to have got the hang of it, but I can see almighty problems with them. The pure size and weight of the sheets would need an army to handle. And where do you store them ? How do you move them ? I'm very curious as to how Berwick do it. Can someone tell me ? HOWEVER, the point that strikes me is...Are they worth doing anyway because when it is looking like rain, the public stay away anyway, so a massive bit of work laying sheets so that you can run to an empty stadium...doesn't sound like a great idea to me.

Powerhouse lineup. Once the new lads get dialled in they should dominate. No weak links and even our number 7 is stronger than some other sides number 6. And if Shansey does find it tough at certain tracks we have a rock solid number 6 to cover. Last season I felt the team had journeymen happy with their position in a heat after the second bend. Matt Ford has tried to eradicate this issue and bring in a team of racers. Riders who are not happy to settle for a point but want to score more. Happy days.

If as it seems only play off clashes then Swindon should be ok and possibly only have to change a few meetings.

over time, I think so

You're clearly living in some alternate world.

You should change your 'name' to Tommy Cooper after that little peach

Trevor could have attended if the will was there, as he would still have been an active promoter.

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.

In those days, the Promoters realised that the Supporters were there to be entertained - and that was all part of it. Like burning Johnnie Hoskins' Hat. All part of the fun. Apart from the actual racing, there is little else for Supporters to watch these days - apart from the Tractor.

Now Sarj is on board the management are probably thinking that stronger start gate elastic is needed! Not a good idea. In these times where health and safety over rides everything, there is a potential injury risk to spectators on the 4th bend if Sarj catapults himself backwards due to an over enthusiastic start and the start tape remaining intact. Joking aside, if he can learn to trap at BP ( without being penalised) he should outscore all visiting reserves and maybe some second strings.

Leicesters team is good, no doubt about it. No injuries and they make the playoffs. But better? I believe fans on here who don’t follow Polish speedway on tv every Sunday are in for a pleasant, or unpleasant (non Poole fans) surprise. spanner showed his worth in last years SEC and topped the averages in Polish league one. While Woryna was one of the top riders in the Polish top flight. Once settled I think both wil put a good sized chunk on their starting averages.

Yes i did think KK would be good but potentially with or without KK this team is much stronger in nearly every department. That said it may take a few meetings to gel but it going to be exciting.

You and others constantly told us last year teams was massive favourites.. KK was a different rider for Poole etc.. nothing about this Poole team looks better than how last years looked at the beginning and i still think Leicesters team looks better

Praised us!! Condescending comments its a good team then saying its no better than last year's haha!! It is miles better you know it just won't admit it.

Is it just me who finds people who hold grudges several years later irritating? Also please let me know which second division teams that Tungate, Fricke, Vaculik, Pieszczek, Andersen, Iversen, Doyle, Batchelor, Thorsell, Kasprzak, Kurtz, Woryna, Szczepaniak, Holder, Jeppersen, Andersen, Lambert, Cook, Bellego, Masters and Musielak are riding for this year as I think I must have missed it

So that leaves just Berwick and possibly Lakeside who will be riding on a GP night. I don't think it's going to be a major issue if he's allowed to ride in the Championship in 2018,

I can’t understand why Mildenhall have given Cradley permission to use Drew, there fans will not ne happy if he gets injured whilst riding for Cradley

If you find out who it was and need help getting even then give me a shout, got to be the worst sin, harming a motorbike

True, but Darcy was something else. To say he hadn't got there by the time his career was cut short is a little unfair. Darcy only had 1 and a half seasons in the GP series, missing several fixtures in his first series and was only 20 years old too. Darcy had an exceptional feel for the bike and he manoeuvred the bike in ways I've never seen anybody else do. Darcy was busy being a young man. If he hadn't of got injured, and he put his adult head into the game, I really do believe he would have been world champion time and again.

difficult to compare riders with so many years in between, but for those who never saw I Mauger, he was perfect on his bike very similar to L Adams, but Mauger had the killer touch that won world titles, something sadly Adams never had. As for D Ward we will never know how many if any at all world titles he could of won. I remember posting a number of years ago on a topic about Darcy and his ability to win the world title. I said that IMHO he will never win a world title because he never knows when 2nd is good enough.

Personally I would like to of seen Cook....Worrall...Fricke....Tungate....KK....Bewley....Smith. Perhaps they tried, but KK priced himself out, hence Smith's place was forfeited to fit Drodz and a higher averaged reserve.

Blown away by Kings Lynn’s radical new approach of announcing signings with a fanfare .............. a week after we all knew.

Looks Like the League Title is all yours Shovvy, I guess Its all yours to lose....Then again with the backdrop of choking that has gone on previously..... one can never be quite sure. Anyway Allow me to be the first to offer the warmest of congratulations on your Title win. Or to on the other foot..... I'd like to offer you £1 a bucket for ya 541te

He mentions he would be open for a return later on in the season, and not necessarily for wolverhampton.

Tell me about it Needs must though

How do you know Boomerang spends his time slating the team if in your words you are “ New to the forum” ???

I see on the Lions website that Specsavers are now sponsoring us. Have they not been involved before, providing rose tinted pairs for the previous management?

I wouldnt say the promotion got ruthless........more like riders like Karlsson and Skornicki got older and other like Tai didnt want to ride here. Wolves i would say are one of the most loyal teams out there. 5 of last seasons starting 7 were from the season before This season coming one of Lindgren or Thorsell had to go but Masters and Howarth and Greaves and Schlein are back and the returning Morris.

On Saturday 17th Feb @7pm there will be a night with Kyle bickley at the Waverly hotel, tickets are priced at £10 with under 12s free. It will be hosted by Natalie quirk and other guests. There will be an auction and all money raised will be going to charity.

Good! They've pi@@ed me off for years

Somerset are really lucky, they have many volunteers doing a great job.