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The campaign group has no allegiance to anyone, and any evidence of “all the trouble the group has caused” would be welcomed. If I in any way felt that what was being done was not being done in a professional or respectful way I wouldn’t be putting my name to it as one of those involved - especially as I am quite openly involved in various ways across the sport. You’re welcome to come to a campaign group meeting, you might learn something - but I guess then we might also learn your identity, which presumably you don’t want to happen.

Ivan insisted on having a say in the riders that were signed and the running of the teams he was involved with. It is no coincidence that Belle Vue, Hull and Exeter were all successful during his time with them. I'm sure he negotiated good deals for himself but his commitment to his teams was beyond doubt.

FOR those who haven't bought a copy or read Wilkie's book, there are copies still available. And, of course, it is helping Alan and his long-suffering wife Jean. Available by sending a cheque or p.o. for £15 plus £3 p and p made out to JA and JA Wilkinson to 7 Cavendish Road, Worsley, Manchester M28 2TQ.

To be fair, he has had a few hits

No, but I did early 80's so pretty close. However, it's not particularly relevant. Here is my view, to explain it in more details. A race will always seem better the bigger the crowd and the better the atmosphere. A good race becomes a brilliant race. An average race becomes a good race and so on. The same principle by definition applies to the meeting as a whole. The perfect example of this is the 81 Wembley Final at which the racing was overall average. Yes a couple of great heats but many poor one. BUT.. the atmosphere was fantastic and as such it's remembered (rightly so) as one of the best meetings to have been at ever. Had the very same meeting taken place in front of 1000 people it would get called a poor meeting in reality. So, in the 70's and into the early 80's there were good crowds packing stadiums across the country. The atmosphere was great, local derbies and rivalries were aplenty. Even poor meetings seemed good because of the crowd. Then came a series of events.. Penhalls retirement, the death of Sanders/Carter, the troubles of Lee.. and most importantly the race fixing scandals which killed off a lot of press coverage and caused a lot of fans to walk away. As the decade went on, the age demographic of the sport continued to rise. As with ALL sports as fans grow older they can lose interest, stop attending as regularly (even in football I know of many who were season ticket holders not so long ago but now as they get older have stopped attending). Of course sadly fans also pass away. The sport failed for the most part to attract a younger fan base. The image of it began to be one of mostly 'older' people and it became less trendy for youngsters. Throw in the loss of a number of popular tracks and their support base (not to mention the rivalries they had) and the problems became worse. As we continued into the 90's and then the 21st century most sports realised they were fighting new battles against other attractions. Many re-invented themselves to an extent.. whereas speedway just carried on with the same old, same old. However now, as the crowds began to fall.. good meetings seemed like average meetings, average meetings became poor meetings. The age of fans continued to rise, the number of youngsters attending continued to fall. Then throw in the weakening of the top league season on season to drive yet more fans away. The 'dodgy' (being polite) way the sport has been run with regards to the implement of certain rules.. all contributed to driving ever more fans away.. which again adds to the cycle. Now what were previously good meetings to have attended become poor and so on. Speedway is still a fantastic sport, it just doesn't feel like it often enough anymore.

Spot on... What so many promoters over the past twenty years or so have failed to grasp is how important that 'emotional attachment' to your team actually is... The riders mentioned (and many more) helped engender that loyalty bond between fan and 'their' team.. Nowadays two random, cobbled together septets riding under a couple of 'flags of convenience' masquerading as body colours, simply can never engender that loyalty... Running a team sport with such a concept and expecting enough of a fan base to buy into it to make it successful is frankly ludicrous in the extreme... Oh for Wilkie and others of his like today...

But at least we get speedway on TV mate surely, got to be better than a slap round the face with a wet kipper.

Well boys when’s your ‘management’ going to pay Kim Nilsson then? disgusting...

Chris Holder will do just fine when he returns to Saddlebow. provided. 1 It’s Dry 2 The track conditions are to his high standards. 3. He is in the mood to be assed to race, 4. No one upsets him or says anything nasty to him... Bless 5. It’s not close to a Grand Prix. Will Holder get back to anything like he was in his pomp or is he a spent force who is on a downward spiral.? Time will tell

Seems to me is if you cannot pay the riders the club should not be in business.

Surely it's time to put the Holder/Batchelor thing to bed. Nobody can change what's happened in the past, so lets forget it, enjoy today, and look forward to tomorrow, life is to short.

VERY few promoters attend Cardiff ... which says a lot really

Long rambling post which offers no evidence to back up the claims. Whereas I can point to every available piece of evidence to back mine up. Gates and 'quality of racing' quite simply aren't linked to any great level. Otherwise Belle Vue would be sold out every week. Scunthorpe, Peterborough and other tracks that we hear have fantastic racing week in, week out would be attracting big crowds. They aren't. The reason the sport is in the mess it is quite simply is it is TOO much like the 70's.

Chris holder will be just fine, he's back home were the promotion look after there riders

Should have got Glyn Taylor in to sort it!!! lol

Wow! Look at the expression on Wilkie's face. You can see why it's taking 3 blokes to hold him back. Great days when people had a bit of passion for what they did rather than constantly thinking how much money they can screw out of it. Anybody who can identify all the riders gets a bonus point.

There is no doubt that Stoke has its faults & that finances are a large factor of this but there are plenty of positives too like the track shape is good, it can produce good racing & the viewing is excellent. What often lets down visits there is the approach from the club. If they had the IOW style upbeat attitude along with a welcoming atmosphere you would find many are far more forgiving. Every year i hope to see Stoke succeed on the track but for them to succeed off track they need to accept the failings and look to address them one step at a time rather than deny they even exist.

Loved watching Gollob at his peak. His strength was how he could race on big grippy tracks which was spectacular and could never be written off during a race. Unfortunately put him on small tight or slick tracks and he looked (for him) a totally different (worse) rider. Mike Lee on the other hand on big, small, tight, slick, grippy tracks at his peak was almost unbeatable. As a Lions fan I hated it! Given the strength of speedway rider talent on display in the UK almost every night at that time it really is a challenge to think of anybody ever being better than Mike the Bike was at his peak.There can be no "he could have been," he was World Champion and top of the strongest league averages by a country mile. Shame he found it so easy, got bored and became distracted/disenchanted with the sport

Danny Phillips it is

You can add Newcastle to that list as well. He helped others like local lad Mike Watkin, and a lot of the riders we signed had the same nationality or were friends of Ivan. Still very fond of Newcastle and every time he came into the country he made a beeline to visit our track, and just used to appear without being announced, have a chat with the Kiwis and disappear before the end of the meeting, and go and see a local family that he was associated with from his time with us. Having a Geordie mechanic, Gordon Stobbs, I asked him if he could get Ivan to come along to my training school on the Sunday afternoon. He had about 4 other events to go to, but sure enough halfway through our session in walked Ivan, and he proceeded to give a lesson in riding and how to train a rider. Never forgot his roots and the young riders, including Liam Carr, will always remember being tutored by Ivan. Pictures of Ivan and the young riders are on the Newcastle Training group Facebook account.

I added the 3 up.My mistake if it was 1 debt and not the 3 I took it as.

It certainly wouldn't be up to me to tell her.

Well said Dave. Keep up the good work, you`re doing a great job.

Nadine and Julia Frenk were two sisters on Longtrack/grass https://sites.google.com/site/racingteamfrenk/ The Grosser twins were highly rated by Egon Müller,but never really got on once they moved up on 500cc bikes.They did a season of practice sessions,but don't think they ever raced in proper meetings once they left 250cc events https://www.shz.de/lokales/landeszeitung/schnelle-zwillinge-aus-krummwisch-id9403731.html

Have the AGM Cardiff GP week it ain’t rocket science I’d imagine all promoters from all leagues would be at the GP but knowing the BSPA that would be to easy

To be fair to the BSPA they've done well to get a deal to 2020. Now they need to get product spot on, big opportunity.

No.4 is Alan Ciowland, the rider Wilkie originally had the on-track (racing) difference of opinion with, No.1 is probably Ray Wilson, I believe one of the guys (rider) holding Wilkie back is Malcolm Mackay, John Boulger can be seen in the background looking amazed at the unexpected action and I think the rider dealing out a left hook in the style of a gentleman is either Graham Plant or probably Tom Leadbitter. The Belle Vue no.1 on the night in question still in the pits, and therefore missing out on the fun, was Ronnie Moore guesting for Ivan Mauger. I read about the episode in an old 'Star and if my information wrong, happy to be proved so if the case....

I saw some young ladies "mixing it" with other youngsters in Gustrow (Germany) on my visits there last year and the year before. Proof that if they are strong and talented enough, they can wipe some smug smiles off some chauvanists faces. Worth remembering that Lisa Kelly off Ice Road Truckers was a State Freestyle Motorcross champion in her youth.

One of the more depressing aspects of speedway's "experts" is the inability of too many to understand subtlety. Too often they deal in extremes. The past was either perfect or today totally wrong and so on. There was bad racing in the past just as there is good racing now and there always has to be a bias towards the first out of the gate wining due to the size and surfaces of the tracks. So we're not talking about a move from perfection to the complete opposite. What I have seen over 46 years is a decline in racing with the bias titling further towards poor racing. I saw bad meetings in the 70s just as I see good matches now. It's the split that has changed. I particularly object to 'experts' telling me that I am incapable of having an accurate memory. I remember in the mid 70s standing on the terraces with my friends debating how the introduction of four valves was affecting the racing. I also remember becoming depressed in the eighties at the sight of talented riders opening the throttle, going for the outside pass but finding the track too poorly prepared to give them the grip to allow them to succeed. I am not some simpering idiot clinging to false dreams of an idyllic youth. I am someone with an academic background in history with a lifelong passion for learning more on the subject, not just speedway but in many, many other areas. Generally historical progress is positive but there are losses as well as gains.Yes some people cling to fond memories of their youth and only remember the sunny days. I am NOT one of those. Life is far more complex than that. I also have the ability to reason, and remember. The evidence is clear in speedway. Compare the gates in the 70s with those of today. It's not a question of TV coverage but that the product, overall, is no longer an attraction to the general public. Playing the 'rose tinted glasses' card does damn all to help speedway. It's got a problem and needs to wake up to it. The solutions though are totally in its own hands. Improve the product, get the racing right, get the rules right, regain credibility and loyalty and for god's sake stop shooting the messenger!

Not that it was in doubt, bout time too. http://sport.bt.com/speedway/bt-sport-to-continue-as-the-home-of-british-speedway-until-2020-S11364256812953

.. and it wasn't the Belle Vue Dinner Dance.

seems like he has

I would suggest that it's a great idea (the Blue/Gold cards) to value current fans (particularly getting their contact details), however the pricing structure doesn't do much to entice new people through the door.

A free brew at the "press and practice" day would be a good start. I went a couple of years ago and it was all pretty embarrassing. There might have been 20 or so supporters there listening to the riders telling us how they were going to be the team to beat. Even Ben Wilson sounded a tad unconvincing. It was freezing cold outside and it was even more freezing cold inside the Loomer Road "restaurant" building. Then of course, there was all the usual guff from messers Tattum and Vasey about how the glory days for the Potters were just round the corner. The smell of brewing coffee at least offered some comfort to the bored rigid fans who would soon have to go outside and be the frozen rigid fans watching the latest band of Potters mercenaries do a couple of pointless laps each. You might have expected that as a gesture of goodwill to the hardy souls who had pitched up for this sham, then at least the Potters' coffers might have stretched to a bit of hot water and a few cheapo coffee granules. The outstretched, taloned hand of Mrs T indicated that you get nowt for free at Gloomy Road. I wouldn't mind but it was a pretty sh*t cup of coffee. I watched a few minutes of riders taking it in turns to have a spurt around the uneven surface that was pretending to be a track. The young lad who had trolled all the way down from Scotland with his dad and was meant to be one of the reserves went out twice, fell off twice and was never seen again. I mounted up, rode out and vowed that would be the last of those that I would be pitching up to. A press and practice day is surely a great opportunity for promoters to get the fans involved, give 'em a free brew and make them feel involved with the club that they try and support. Perhaps now that Stoke have a "commercial manager", this year's jamboree might have something of a more professional and inclusive feel to it and hopefully, should anyone decide to go along, they might be kind enough to let us know how it pans out.

major changes at Sheffield greyhounds there spending a fortune on building executive boxes so has to be a big plus for speedway fans

Team sponsorship announced http://kingslynnstars.co/news.php?extend.30579

No they weren't. Every available piece of evidence shows that to be the case. Why do you think it's ALWAYS been said first from the gate wins. Hoping the clowns finalise things and announce it soon.

As good as Darcy was, we will never know if he was as good as J Parker, P Craven,O Fundin P collins,M Lee, B Penhall, T Richardson, E Gunderson the list goes on and on simply because of the bike differences. So whilst I can understand the Poole fans opinions on D Ward, we will never know the facts

From the outside looking in it does appear horribly convoluted, but does enable them to say they are still cheaper than Glasgow..... If you buy a Gold Card, scratch your nose, do 10 squats, buy online, take the dog for a walk, buy a Blue Card and turn up before lunchtime on a Friday. Job done.

Hopefully, the fixed nights this year will greatly reduce the numbers of missing riders. Belle Vue in recent seasons have retained a lot of the same riders from year to year and so have some other teams so, if fixed nights do work, it should be possible to build up that missing relationship with the fans. We shall still have doubling up and riders racing for teams abroad but I think that matters less if they are present for their meetings here.

Got out of bed the silly side this morning and the post was meant in jest nothing more or less. Supporters clubs do a lot of good work and I applaud all those involved

Can't agree with you there, it's Lakeside raceday and not a Premiership one, simple as that really. Obviously the extra pennies on the gate are worth it to Somerset even though it will weaken them against the best team in the league.

Grajczonek, Howarth and Wells announced as the first 3 joining the 7 Comets for the Cumberland Open, shaping up to be a cracking opening meeting.

The people who I trust here are the people trying to save the stadium and that is Jeff and David. Yes Mick did attend a NSSC meeting and fair play for doing so, however at the meeting a few days before the rug was pulled under us I am sure he said mistakes had been made and he understood our frustration etc. Some 12 months later and the same tune is being whistled, where had he been all winter and if financially he is backing this venture that is a very big risk to take as what research had been done regarding fans actually wanting a team and going to Leicester? 12 months ago we were not in a financial position to be able to complete the campaign in the view of the BSPA, what's changed in regard to this as if no fans turn up then there will be incomplete fixtures? His remarks about keeping it professional regarding criticism from ex employees such as Bomber, Colin Pratt etc. I don't think they have said anything yet that has been ultra damaging and they are both highly regarded and respected in the speedway world. Respect and loyalty is earned and I don't think that's really sunk in with the current promotion. It does seem you are in a Sandhu corner or a Horton corner. Both parties failed us to a point, my only question regarding Sandhu is the banks didn't just say sell tomorrow ! he had time to maybe sell to somebody who would keep the stadium the way it was being run. However I trust him a whole lot more and on the whole 90% of us would think the same. As in the podcast Mick correctly states that he owns the Bees and would be selective to who he would sell too? That opens up more questions as to if Sandhu would even be an option if a new site was to be built on as they would have to work together, Sandhu has capital and the stox rights, once this is all sorted Mick will have no assets just the rights to run a speedway team.

perhaps we should declare rider replacement at no 1 on a cma of 9.5 then we can replace him every week with a number 1 from the other 10 teams .................

Lets also not forget the likes of Tommy Jansson when talking about special talents and tragic endings to careers, Tommy was a great talent and another who could have so easily gone on to be world champion.

Exactly. I'm not comfortable with Lambert being compared with this rider or that or having massive expectation lumped on his shoulders. He is currently the best young rider we have and he should be left to develop at his own pace. He is getting good experience across Europe and while there are no doubt things he can improve on both on and off the track he is learning with every meeting and has potentially twenty years of career ahead of him. Best thing is to support him and see where he ends up.

Maybe you should skip the hand warmer then, Ian, or go Canon! U should just allow the lens to get to the temp it is outside. Then when you done for the day, put it in a plastic bag, seal it (if you have those moisture peas in a bag, put some in) and let it become room temp again. Going back and forth cold and warm creates moisture and makes the lens freeze. I know, it’s a choice between freezing your nuts or lens. Dutch people apparently can do both!

Exactly... Another grip of mine is the 'PIT STOP' café' Am I the only on to notice that the prices go up for Speedway and Stockcar meetings. When you use the café during the week the prices are substantially lower. I understand the logic of a captive audience , but if you wish to look after your supporters the last thing you want to do is rip them off If the prices are adequate to make the Café viable during the working day, then why would it be necessary to increase them when you have a far bigger custom base....

I've no idea if he is 4 or 5 but the problem with your argument is that you're being logical and sensible. Drozdz is assessed at 5. Even though I doubt very much that you'll find many, if any, people who would argue that at this stage of his career he is a better rider than Woryna. As I've said many times the sensible approach would be to use a formula for each foreign league to calculate a UK average for every rider who does not have a current UK average, just as we do when riders in the CL without a PL average move up or, vice versa, when a PL rider moves down. That way every rider would be assessed on their current performances not on an outdated average or an assessed average.