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Not much is stirring in my enthusiasm for the new season. I might go sometimes if the weather looks set fair for sure AND if the opposition has an attractive lineup. But compared to 10 years ago when I just couldn't wait for Tapes Up, I can hardly be bothered now. And it's not because I am growing older it's because speedway is in such a mess. Last season when Scott Nicholls was allowed to ride for BOTH sides in a major event final, brought home to me that it had become totally Mickey Mouse. And this year he is not allowed to ride in the league at all! Bring it on on TV , I love it all and will be taking out a subscription to watch Polish League matches. And go very occasionally to local matches, where the atmosphere is weak, woeful and empty.

There are those of us who have been saying for two years (at least!) that a single senior league of 18/19 teams is the only way to go, even if it means going down to teams of 5 riders + a 3-point reserve doubling up from the NL. People reckon there aren't enough riders to go round, but there were over 350 registered riders on the SCB Rider Registrations as of 25/09/17. That should be more than enough to service 19 teams without losing out on quality of racing. They could even improve riders' earnings by 25% by retaining the 15-heat format, with each of the 6 riders having 5 outings. A single league is the only way to go if speedway is to survive IMO.

spoke to Robin Brundle yesterday and think he's certainly going to make a difference

I was involved with a business partner and a newly formed media group, just ahead of TR in about 2000. I was inundated with questions and for explanations by the BSPA Office, which of course I found later were stalling tactics whilst TR concluded a deal with SKY. It could have been so different. True story.

THEY don't want TV ... believe it affects their attendances. Utter nonsense. Neither BT nor SKY are desperate to cover domestic speedway and if the door were to close it is hard to see it opening again.

Of course beating the likes of Milik, Dudek, G Laguta, Pr Pawlicki, Fricke, Zagar and Kildemand in the qualifiers happened on those well known British tracks Lonigo, Terenzano and Togliatti. The new Chris Harris? I'm sure Cook would be happy with a GP win and several more podium finishes

I'm very pleased to say, I received a quick reply from Robin Brundle to my email query, so that's a positive in my book already. Robin went on to explain that the Club are in the process of reactivating the scheme for 2018, so hopefully that will work well this year.

Some of you may know that Hoggy gives me a lift to home meetings and I have just been speaking to him about his involvement in 2018, because due to business commitments I know that Friday nights could be difficult. He has said that the promotion want him to continue with Saturdays and he is making every effort to come for at least some Fridays. I'll admit I am biased (and my lifts might be affected if I say otherwise ) but I think he is a top quality presenter, so this has to be good news and a reflection on the promotions efforts to retain their existing supporter base and attract new ones during 2018. A big part of Dave's motivation for trying to sort out Fridays is his genuine affection for the hospitality and kindness of the people of Workington, something he has mentioned to me many times. I did have a couple of trips to Dodge City pencilled in but it looks likely that that will be increased at least a bit

Hmmm it must be too very , very nice for him to know obviously

To be honest Halifax Tiger you are a very special case, yourself. Living in Elland and attending 50% of Workington fixtures as well as several visits to Isle of Wight must make you the most fervant and most travelled Speedway Supporter here. Which is brilliant and makes many of your posts informative to many. From my own perspective, as a northern exile in the South East, I can say with certainty that in 2017 (and previous years) I watched every League meeting on TV and didn't attend any meeting Live on those nights. And over the course of the last few seasons my general attendance has gone down as a direct result of having Speedway (incl GPs) on the TV. Whilst I do not consider myself representative of all supporters I believe I may be a LITTLE more so than yourself who must be the UK's No1 attendee. The various bizarre and irrational reasons that other fairweather fans use to make a choice NOT to attend must be quite impossible to imagine for the ultra-commited. But we do. And I do think TV is a real factor that is quite a bit bigger than some here seem to be aware of.

CAN think of countless reasons why crowds have gone down, notably lack of regular fixtures, never quite sure who will be riding for your team on any given day, lack of promotion, but don't see TV as one of them.

Good to see the club launch the new junior members trackside club, hopefully it proves successful and gets more youngsters interested in the sport. I think they will be doing more school visits aswell.

Were all 7 there Tress ? If so that's a big plus. Seems like the Staff at Tesco in Stalham have found a different way of keeping fit.

Track working party URGENT Anybody with some spare time on Sunday, can you come to Brough at 10.00am to help get the track and fence ready for the new season. There is lots still to do so if you can spare the time it would be most welcome. Hot drinks and biccies on as usual and wear warm clothing. Session goes on till about 2.00pm.

The lack of good close competitive racing is partly to blame for even those regulars no longer going as often as they used to let alone newbies. This is could be partly down to the bikes being far too powerful for the tracks but the lack of skilful riders who often seem to be hanging on for dear life is a contributory factor. The art of team riding is virtually dead. Get back to basics and make the sport entertaining rather than processional to the point where you might just well be at a drag race meet rather than a team match. As has been said if the product is good enough then price is not an issue but given that most supporters seem to want no more than a league meeting is it any wonder the racing is what it is with infrequent fixtures, lack of talent coming through and what is perceived as poor value for money with no more than circa fifteen minutes of racing over two hours. In this fast paced instant action society and the lack of patience amongst many, something needs to be done to make it a slicker presentation with more races and perhaps different types of racing alongside the league match. Have a contest for the fastest lap or two laps and allow betting. Each team can nominate four riders if it is two laps then one rider goes first and pulls off the track and the opposing rider comes on immediately to do their two laps. This could be after every three races and the four fastest compete in a grand final after heat fifteen of the league match. Just an idea but someone somewhere needs to think outside the box. At the moment presentation is as dull as dish water. Television does help in some ways but live meetings are not the answer. If you sit at home for two hours to watch a live meeting on TV, why on earth would you want to travel to the track. Put more racing into those two hours and people may think it is worth while but not as it stands with delayed starts, gardening, etc. Which makes it boring and an unnecessary waste of time.

To my knowledge there was a serious attempt In the mid 00's through the combined efforts of the Speedway recording companies, GRT Media, Re Run, Mike Bennett, etc, to do just that, but were met with legal complications from within, and the whole project was dumped. Sad and a great opportunity to sell speedway in a cleaned up version, missing out the delays, track grading, etc and making it more presentable to a new audience.

I find it quite interesting how some are using examples from other areas of sport (?) and their TV marketing success. And yet I don't have the faintest idea of what they are talking about. Clearly the marketing has been good enough to engage many many people who like that kind of thing ... but it has passed me by, totally. Perhaps that shows the mountain Speedway would have to climb to be effective at getting through to folk anything like me. I was wondering does this UFC have a UK league of system of twenty odd venues running March to October that I can attend regularly on Monday nights? And if so, how do they go about getting all the other venues running that night filled, with (say) 1500 spectators or so, whilst one of them is also being televised Live at the same time? Their experience at making that a success may be useful here.

He'd be a big miss, it's a job not everybody can do well, he certainly can.

Let’s hope so - my only concern is he’s allowed to make a difference .

hoggy is prob one of the best , if not THE best presenters in speedway . i think he has a bigger fan base than some of the riders ! its been enjoyable listening to him for the last few years and i hope he has enjoyed the cumbrian craic . i hope he can continue with his banter and wit @workington for years to come . the same must be said for all those people who give up their spare time to help run the club and meeting . me, i am looking forward to the end of march to enjoy the delights of what looks like a good team (with a few! locals scoped in ! )hope you can do a few HOME meetings in 2018 tiger . but that hoggy guy . LEG END or whot ?

Yep you're right. just trying to put a bit of a brave face on it!

Never suggested they could just trying to keep to the positive ethos they want on this thread. I guess 4 out f 7 (if correct) is over half, so fulfils the glass half full philosophy

Busy boy - as also pictured in Glasgow bonding with the team yesterday (that's when the picture was tweeted).

That is one way of looking at it. Another is that TV is still the best mechanism for getting your sport in front of millions of eyeballs. It is then in the gift of the promoters to put on a spectacle which makes armchair fans into pay on the gate fans. Just look at UFC. They use TV coverage excellently, not just to showcase the live fights, but to do build-up (when was there ever a build-up programme to a speedway meeting), reality-style training series, "best of" programmes etc. The consequence, they sold out the O2 Arena in minutes when tickets went on sale earlier this month for a fight card which doesn't even contain a championship bout.

If promoters actually promoted the sport properly in their local areas then the TV coverage could be a huge promotional tool going forward...for every person lost they should gain 2....if there is no promotion and no TV then nobody is going to even know about league speedway and it's future is far bleaker ..TV is a must..

Podium - Woffinden, Zmarzlik, Doyle. Top 8 - Sayfutdinov, Lindgren, Dudek, Janowski, Zagar Close but... - Hancock, Vaculik Also rans - Pedersen, Pawlicki, Laguta, Holder, Cook.

Two points a meeting in the Premiership isn't going to cover his costs I would have thought. He needs to ride at the lower level for his confidence and earning potential to afford to ride in the Premiership I'd have thought.

Yeah, Ivan's bike was slowing the entire race, the engine was gradually seizing up, though he did well to block the track for as long as he did. The following Ole Olsen & Gordon Kennett went past either side going into turn 3, by this time Ivan's bike had pretty much stopped, Olsen went outside but Kennett clipped him whilst going past in the inside, causing him to fall. I wasn't there unfortunately but saw the highlights on TV soon after the meet had ended....

You're a sensible person, Philip, but . . . . you cannot see that the opportunity to view a league match at home, or down the pub or wherever, instead of attending at track in person, is one that many folk have taken, and will continue to take Part of the attraction is the visual aspect of tv replays, and information from the pits - neither of which can be enjoyed in the stadium Of course there's the cost element too, and if it's a family rather than an individual which decides to view from the armchair, there's a significant saving to be had Please explain why you don't see it - you suggest that some promoters do! I do too - in advancing years and reduced income, I have limited my attendance as the tv alternative has become available

I went to the 78 world final when if memory serves me right Ivan was the current world champ I think, I stand to be corrected tho. He had a nightmare that night falling in one race. As a youngster of 17 I was gutted. Then I realised all Ole had to do was win he's last 2 races to be champ which he did. I think Ole was still at Wolves that year so I was not happy. Stand to be corrected on any of the above due to memory and a night up the pub

...plus the likes of Reading and Wimbledon and highly likely Swindon it just doesn't bode well.

But will it have any shale on it ?

I'm sure if something positive happens that adds to my experience of being a Stars fan I more than some do shout loudly. This winter from the club they've added nothing that I should get excited about. I feel the team is poor, training announcements irrelevant, link up with UEA that'll have no bearing on the sport as a whole and my experience. For all that an extra £1 for the pleasure. So far the winter break has been as poor as the 2017 season itself

More sponsors paying more to be on TV?!

They have no intention of building a new stadium in Swindon, it was merely a ploy to get planning permission for houses.

NEW Ivan Mauger section in the speedway museum

Think that we need to research that a bit. How about you avoiding the thread for 10 months and we'll see if it survives

I think you are absolutely right. But if I were in some promoters shoes, with my own money on the line i would FEEL quite a bit different and I would be 'bitching' like mad i would imagine. The prospect of running many meetings on (say) graveyard-Monday against TV Speedway elsewhere or (worse still) at my track with no adequate guaranteed compensation if it is unprofitable would give me the real colly wobbles. And all the (correct) talk of the greater good, sponsorship opportunities etc etc would do very little to ease my night's sleep. But then I am not a Promoter. And nor are most of those here who are deriding those poor buggers (whose gonads are on the line) who have misgivings.

GO Speed (Terry Russell) no longer involved with TV negotiations going forward but deal for 2018 has already been done, although a small number of promoters are still bitching about it.

Freesports are going HD later this year.

Unfortunately until the human race discontinues to decimate the natural world and ivory, for example (whatever the date it was exploited) is totally banned and deemed worthless, there will be a continual need for animals to be held within some sort of controlled environment...whether it zoos, wildlife parks and reservations otherwise we will continue to see the gradual (albeit increasing) extinction of many species. I grew up when zoos were less than satisfactory (concrete pens with bars) but things have moved on dramatically and there are some superb collections where conservation programmes are the norm.

I think generally it's a good thing that these two riders look like they'll be able to ride in the second division after all, as it makes the league more competitive and gives two Brits more racing. However to stop a team (Lakeside) from signing them back in November and then effectively putting them back on the market three months later is really poor. Why can't speedway get its house in order as soon as the season finishes so everybody knows exactly where they stand? It always seemed daft to exclude Nicholls and Kennett from doubling up while still allowing Morris, Harris, Cook etc to do so if they wish. Once again something not thought through at all.

Sadly the BSPA makes these errors alarmingly too often. The buck falls with them for sure as they are the ones making (and changing) the rules to suit. Rye will equally get some criticism from fans of other clubs who find signing riders on false averages as abhorrent. No one likes a team with 'ringers' in. Unless it's the home fans I guess.

The fixed night's of Monday's and Wednesday's will be a complete disaster. For years Belle Vue have tried to get away from racing on a Monday night which is the worst day of the week for getting people out. then they are back there again. With live TV on a Monday night this will effect attendances at the other Monday meetings on that night, resulting in even less people at the tracks. Much better to have the old system of racing on different nights which has been in operation since the beginning of Speedway in the 1930's. I will be very surprised if this new system lasts for even one season