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At the recent fans forum we were told about the tie up with the Polish club and the advantages to both teams youngsters. What was also said was the owners are aware that Poland is the most successful speedway nation in the world, that their business model is obviously working, and that it is something we can learn from. This is looking ahead to also improve Belle Vue as a club and the way its run seeing how they do things and if we could implement certain ideas.No doubt if a certain southern based club were doing this some would be telling us how innovative this is instead of trying to diss it. The sport in this country needs this kind of forward thinking instead of treading the same old path that obviously isnt working.

I can't imagine anyone being against team race suits. Can you imagine putting out a football team with players wearing different strips? When they were first introduced I thought finally the sport was being taken seriously by promoters and to not have them now is a backward step IMHO.

No brainer, they are a must in terms of a professional image nowadays.

I don't like either team suits or race jackets. There's no scope for merchandise. i.e. joe public wouldn't wear either out and about as people tend to with football/rugby/cricket/ice hockey/basketball/NFL/baseball kits. The kevlars should be considered as safety kit worn under a team shirt, that supporters could buy replicas of. I seem to remember Boro Bears (and others) trying these in the 90's but the designs were awful, they were baggy and the riders used to cut the arms off to display more sponsors so they looked shabby. Designed correctly they would be relatively inexpensive and could be made available to supporters. Got to be better than those god ugly wulfsport anoraks. Guaranteed to make any new supporter run a mile.

That's about the right mentality of British Speedway, the sort of thing you'd expect to hear in a year 4 art class - not a professional league full of different teams. Massive marketing opportunities missed by not having team suits and a complete amateurish feel. Teamsuits are an absolute must. I think it's poor that even some National League teams have them and they aren't being considered by some teams in the Premier League.

It’s no trade secret - Nicolai Klindt, I just asked him how many suits did Poole supply you with in 2016. He said one, same with all the team. The Danish rider I manage, rode in Uk 2013-2016 and the 2 teams he rode for only supplied him with one suit per season.

A big yes to team race suits from me.I support the Belle vue aces with a passion and I like the club I support to look like a team.Just like any other team sport I can think of. Like most supporters of any team in any sport the teams colours and logo are a big part of sport.Seeing my team dressed in red white and black with a big ace of clubs on their chest gives me a buzz even before the 1st race begins.

Exactly. Except that was a long time ago, so the point stands, the racing isn't the cause. It's the gradual decline in crowds due to lost fans due to natural wastage not being replaced by new ones. As the crowd dwindles, the atmosphere dwindles, the same race seems less exciting.. any newcomer is greeted by a less good atmosphere and doesn't get hooked into it.

I’ve never known any team supply a rider with 2 kevlar suits in a season. If the suit got damaged would have repaired/sewn patches etc. or during a meeting gaffa tape does the job. Re logos on Kevlars, in my experience team send rider a template design of the suit. Official team sponsors logos are in place on suit or the positions are marked as reserved for team sponsor logos. Riders then can place personal sponsor logos in the unreserved spots.

Id disagree with that 100%, in my opinion the riding standard today is the highest I have seen since I first watched in the 60's. Modern day riders do things on the bike that their forebears couldn't have imagined doing, some of that is down to bikes and tracks but they still have to be the ones doing it. Not only the that but the commitment of the majority riders to each race is higher as well in my opinion.

Controversial it may be but a goodly number of those who have walked away have done so for that reason - the racing is a poor standard compared to even 15 - 20 years ago ( never mind 40 years ago ). And that is not a view through my rose tinted glasses. First away ( or out of the second bend ) and the vast majority of races are over. Newbies are not into the subtleties of speedway and are not likely to be impressed by what is now "speedway chasing". I am close to walking away for that and other reasons and will certainly pick my matches this season.

Team suits all day long for me Not having them now would be a big backward step Cost is a red herring too - each suit is the equivalent of a routine service for an engine

Somebody has mentioned some Swedish sides not using them and how that doesn't look as good. Any team, whether that be a club or national side, looks far less professional and like a proper 'team' if they don't have matching race suits.

Atmosphere makes so much difference to the overall experience Thats why some of us in the back straight stand at Foxhall got together and made a very conscious effort to make some noise - horns, bells, whistles, megaphones allsorts. It has grown and spread to other parts of the stadium and has made a noticeable difference It has also helped to reconnect the riders with the fans which itself has built on that difference to create something approaching a real buzz which had been missing for sometime

pay no attention to the Poole rider, you should be listening to Starman, he knows best!

Jeez, the internet hasn’t turned People into a bunch of soft ollies. i can remember going to press day and no-one knew who any of the team were. A team that then went on to win every competition put in front of them. Don’t panic!

If we are talking TV let's go a stage further. It is very difficult to tell one home rider from another (and away rider) by helmet colour alone especially on TV. If each rider had a lycra* (or similar) top that fits over kevlars, said top could still have all the team sponsors, and individual ones on. The kevlars underneath could be to the riders own design and worn abroad or in individual meetings. Such tops would be far cheaper to replace when riders are sacked or signed mid season. Riders in blue obviously have tops with blue as the base colour, Riders in red have a red base etc. *The tops must be tailored or stretch and not baggy flappy things. I agree with all the comments about baggy tops/bibs etc not being professional but surely a top that fits and looks smart to go over kevlars is not impossible to achieve.

£12000 I would assume was not 7 riders, but plus others who replaced riders during the season. When it comes to Kevlar suits there are some good quality and some very poor quality ones. A good quality one with leather logos sewn on rather than printed on suit will cost over £1000 + vat

Well if they cant stick to the original plans and the stadium not being relocated is a problem to the houses then the houses need to be demolished..... That makes sense to me!

No it isn't. Doesn't matter how many times you say something when the evidence to prove your statement false is available to view on a number of platforms. I've already explained it numerous times. An average race in a big crowd will seem like a great one. The exact same race in front of a sparse crowd will seem poor. THAT is the problem now, lack of crowds, atmosphere and the racing doesn't seem as good as a result to most.

There is a huge difference between riding and racing standards. The dedicated speedway fan may find a great ride by someone way out in front absorbing and impressive, but I suspect most are more interested in seeing a race. They're the ones we need to get back and please.

Let's face it well over half the meeting is all about time wasting. How often do we see 4 riders coming up towards the tapes when one will turn round and do a scenic tour of the track often back to the third bend only to see him return and then another will decide to turn back. As they finally get in position at the start after much faffing around the tapes go up -- a false start they call a rerun and then the pit gates open and the whole saga starts once more. Often rain is forecast later in the evening and with all this time wasting the rain eventually reaches the track, eventually after more time wasting the meeting is either called or postponed, then they wonder why the crowds get smaller. I realise that without all this time wasting the meetings would be over in 45 minutes, but sometimes this time wasting get excessive and it just becomes one whole farce, at around admission for around £15 a head this does not appear value for money.

The only people who prefer bibs to team suits are the dinosaurs of the sport. Frankly the dinosaurs have done enough damage. If we want this to be a professional sport then we need to start acting professionally. Unfortunately many of the promoters have resigned themselves to trying to please the old folks and have practically given up on fresh blood.

It's not even the non professional look that worries me as a complete oversight by teams, it's the fact they've failed to see the massive marketing opportunities in front of them. Instead of seeing it as a waste of money, they should be viewing it as a massive way of MAKING money - that's the biggest concern!

It has to be good real forward thinking was Dent Oliver years ahead of his time ? his passion was producing young riders.It does not necessarily have to be British riders any nationality if the club produce young riders how that has to be good for the club.Also like Hyde Rd the track is that good that riders will want to stay long term and that creates a position where you can keep a core of a team most years.

In any walk of life where teams are involved its a must that they ALL have the team suit / uniform on. Its part of having pride in the team you are representing. It also makes it easier for members of the public to differentiate between the teams. A long time ago Brian Clough evicted one of his players from the team coach whilst on the way to the airport because he did not have his club uniform on. Its a backward step to do away with team suits.

Totally agree i have heard if you go to Polish clubs you learn a lot certainly on the mechanical side it has to be invaluable really learn something it has to be good.!!!

And we get loan fees for both, of course

I think most of us do especially after the dog track. You could get good racing there but it was entirely different, not fast and close with many racing lines but usually dependent on riders making mistakes or home track advantage. Nowhere near so exciting to watch and far fewer good races. A track like the NSS proves that racing can be as good today as it ever was.

I go back further than that to the 90's when I remember the racing as being the best ever. However.. I've got every single match from that era on dvd. When I put the highlights dvd in I think wow, it was so much better back then.. but then I put in full matches and riders are quite literally on the back straight when the winner crosses the line. The racing in many races was more strung out than ever. Natural wastage occurs in every sport, they don't just stop going due to circumstances, they stop because they aren't enjoying it as much as they used to. I have three uncles, all were long term season ticket holders at the Molineux. Two no longer go, they still follow Wolves, can still afford to go, they just stopped and that's it. There are many others slightly older than me that I know are the same. There are clearly many thousands given the number of youngsters who attend matches, they must be replacing someone as crowds tend to hover around the same amount. I'll agree to an extent with Wolverhampton but then I think much of that is us having been spoilt with some of the riders we were watching. The Karlssons in their prime, Lindgren etc. The silencers you often mention have had some impact but the issues were there long before that. You say if all those who have been lost in the last ten years came back, but ten years ago the conversations were exactly the same, dwindling crowds, nowhere near as many as ten years prior, but the racing was still good at that point you say.. so your argument doesn't totally add up. You're right about the crowds at Wolverhampton. Being away for much of the year and then coming back it's so apparent the bigger gaps on the terraces, the utter lack of atmosphere. Like you, it's the social side that makes the night enjoyable. The overall experience isn't as enjoyable as it was though, which is very sad. Now if I'm feeling like that, someone who is hungry for live action that's a very bad sign. Throw in the constant dumbing down of the league which has driven more fans away or make them feel it's not worth it anymore. There are lots of factors that combine , but the overwhelming one is, as crowds continue to fall, more and more will find it less enjoyable regardless of the racing., I think on that we can agree.

I think if you asked any rider with a top flight British club the answer would be one racesuit per person.

What should riders wear then, jeans and T shirts. You come off a speedway bike and as your arse is torn off, you can be thinking “I’m glad Club didn’t fritter any money away on my protection “ Its a professional sport, so Club should supply each rider with a good quality Kevlar team suit. Riders have to supply all other equipment, bikes, helmets, under protection etc. Certain Hamilton doesn’t supply his own F1 car, fire suit etc. Rooney doesn’t buy his own football shirt and has to bring a ball to play with. Ok some will say there isn’t the same money in speedway as F1 / football. There isn’t I agree, but is the sport professional or not. If a Club can’t afford this, well they shouldn’t be running as a professional speedway club and if all can’t afford it, British speedway should be an amateur sport and let the Poles, Swedes and Danes run professional speedway.

I agree there is not much wrong with the product its the same and as good now as its always been.Its the atmosphere that has now gone.The best meeting I have been to in years was a meeting my team lost it was the 2016 play off final 2nd leg against Wolves at belle vue.The atmosphere was electric the crowd were up on their feet chanting for the whole meeting.Like it or not but it got the crowed involved there was interaction between the crowd with on the night bad boy Woffinden. There was on track altercations between riders which got the crowd involved.Riders of both teams showed a lot of passion when they won or got a race advantage, the whole meeting seemed to cause the crowed to react and join in verbally, the whole meeting was awesome. Hard I know with the crowds we now get is to try and create some of the old atmosphere and get the crowed more involved. Bring back the bad boys who wind up the home fans,get the home riders to interact with the crowd more after race wins get them to cheer more etc.Get the announcer/mascot to try and wind up the crowd more get them to cheer even encourage them to boo it all gets the crowed to interact and causes more of an atmosphere.It has to be worth a try its got to be far better than just filling in your programme between races and getting bored waiting for the next race to begin. So for me the only way the sport can grow is if there is a way to get the crowed more involved and create a better atmosphere,fans will have a better night out if they join in more and any newbies or retuning fans are more likely to return and the larger the crowd the better atmosphere you will get.

Once a rider has got a helmet & goggles on & is on a bike, can you actually tell who it is? Individual kevlars identify the rider through their own sponsors as well as on the bike covers. I do agree with Star Lady in that a stretch waistcoat type top with club colours, emblem & sponsors would be a better & cheaper option.

That will help a little bit, but one of the biggest time wasters is allowing the pit gate to be opened after a restart and mechanics coming out to the bikes. If it was stopped the restart could get away before the two mins was up. The ref should have the power to turn off the clock when all riders are at the gate.

if we don't run, its WKD I'd feel sorry for,,, after spending years in exile, a bet he's chomping on the bit to get back and see his hero in action

The meeting finishing at 9 - 9.15 is fine especially when the weather is like it is now, but some meetings go on and on due to pointless time wasting which is what is putting more fans off from continuing to attend. Last season we had so many call backs to the start it became rediculous and must have looked awful on tv, especially when the ref did not put the 2 min on as soon as the recall was signalled. Most watching on tv would have been put off going, and many recorded it and ff through all the delays.

More difficult? No. More expensive? Yes. It's just another example of how tin pot the sport has become compared to times gone by.

When I was a teenager and allowed to attend meetings for first time by myself I had to be on 10pm bus home or no chance of going the following week. 10 min run to bus station from Monmore but I missed it quite a few times. Most meetings I attend at Wolverhampton are done with between 9:00 and 9:15 these days which is fine. Christ how boring it would be if riders just came round, all settled down immediately at the start and away they went. If you're not happy with a rider pulling back from the start, fiddling with goggles, etc, let him know.. create a bit of atmosphere.

Norbold I have just finished your wonderful book and your description of your childhood mirrors my own memories, although I was born a bit later than you in 1954. My first meeting attended was Hackney vs Belle Vue in 1966 and as they say once your hooked. A mate of mines dad worked on the gate and used to let us in for nothing when his boss wasn't around. Don't tell Uncle Len. I too lived in a "detached bungalow" in Chalgrove Road just off of Morning Lane and partook in the "Food of the Gods" at F Cookes in Dalston. I didn't quite make it to Parmiter's but my brother did and so I had to make do at Upton House instead. Even if you're not an eastender this a fascinating read in social history and is highly recommended.

With less than 2 weeks to press & pratice, I think It's about time to press the panic button. We are obviously struggling to obtain the services of riders that we can afford and I believe that there is a minimum points limit as well as an upper one so we can't just sign anyone. Worst case scenario, there is an announcement in the next two week saying unfortunately we're not running as we can't afford it.

All of them - its a compulsory factor for pre season practice

Team suits are annoying from a fan's point of view but a must for a pro look!

I don't recall having to send a photo of my genitals when I set up a profile on here, in order to verify my gender. Mind you I forget a lot nowadays.

Sod the interclub stuff. This is surely a great partnership if it helps give the Aces British youngsters a way into Poland earlier.

I'm old school. I don't like team race suits.

I was sat in G block at the meeting where Wilkie was injured, it appeared a simple fall considering what you can witness at speedway, I remember saying Wilkie will soon be up from that considering he was as hard as nails. I couldn't believe the extent of his injuries, it just goes to show its not always the force of an accident but how you fall. Wilkie for me epitomises what a captain should be, he carried the team along. A true Belle Vue hero, and lets not forget Jean who has stood by him all these years, a great lady. I was at Kings Lynn the day Wilkie raced up to the referee,s box to dispute a decision, who could forget that? Along with many other such stories, look at the old photo of him being held back during heat 13 of the home meeting against Leicester when a free for all occurred, the passion jumps out at you. That Wilkie is still spoken about fondly around the tracks after so many years speaks volumes about him. I would like to have seen Nikki Pedersen try his moves on Alan

My first 'hero' as a seven year old in 74..... A true leader, fearless, and someone who showed clearly his feelings for the team rather than the individual... His book is a testimony to his humility and resilience. No self pity for him, and no regrets.. He comes across in his book as someone who feels blessed to have enjoyed the career he did and for him the chance to earn considerably more in one night's Speedway than a week in his 'real job' was something he appreciated greatly... Sometimes Legends are not only 'winners' those born with 'God given talent' and beat all who come before them, sometimes they are created by nothing more than a steely determination, will to win and out and out bravery... Wilkie was (and still is) a true BV Legend...

Rosco: Hold my clipboard

Maybe if Nathan wasn't British he would have stood more of a chance of 2 teams .