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Most riders these days have "teams" with them in the pits, simply because they see GP riders and think they must have the same. Far too many riders now trying to make a full time career from speedway and the sport just cannot justify this on crowds of 500 to 1,000 a week. Costs have spiralled out of control and most riders have become involved in an arms race, spending ridiculous amounts of money to try and get that tenth of a second quicker. Undoubtedly speedway has become a much more professional sport, but the costs can only be justified if they are met by money coming into the sport, from TV, sponsors or more fans. None of which is happening. Unfortunately riders are killing it for themselves.

Jeez he didn't whine. He said he was disappointed and frustrated just like every Glasgow fan that travelled through. Like the fans that phoned the track and no one answered, like the fans that looked at Facebook and saw a post urging them to turn up, despite it apparently been raining for some time and the fans that turned up when it wasn't raining to be told it was of. So stop trying to divert attention away from the real issue here which is the shocking way the Edinburgh promotion treat fans

better to have tried and failed ... typical of our promotion that they put so much effort into getting the meeting on. Annoying that for the first time they have failed to beat the weather. Would still say that six meetings saved and one lost is a damned good justification for investing in cover ... but feel free to smugly mock.

Wouldn't be a bit of a sad dig on your behalf there, would it?

No one forces a Speedway rider to ride, they do it because they enjoy riding a bike and getting payed for it, and believe me it’s much better than a 9 to 5 job, if they don’t think they don’t get paid enough, simple get a normal job

That's correct. First meeting of 2017 under the new promotion, but celebrating the previous fifty seasons. On March 18th, won by Claus Vissing. The Newcastle match was the following week, March 25th.

Part and parcel of riding for a team that you live hundreds of miles from. Meetings will be called off late, calling the meeting off yesterday at lunchtime would have been madness.

An uncharacteristically uncharitable post, Steve. In all probability the covers WOULD have worked tonight, if there is no more precipitation. But car-park is sodden and the tractors would still have been pulling cars out the mud at midnight. The temperature this evening won't get above 2C and there can be no pleasure in standing or sitting in that, with every possibility of snow or sleet coming in, and a bitter nor'easterly wind whipping around. We all want to have speedway on, but the actual track isn't the only concern for a promotion to bear in mind. And as has been said, if you put covers down nine times and save eight of the meetings at around £2K a time - you're doing it right!

BITTER blow for British speedway as a whole with so many of the traditional Easter meetings postponed. There had been a lot of positivity about the start of the season with noticeably many more tracks using social media, and quite impressively too.

Been waiting for the first time covers fail to save a meeting, because I knew there would be people out there waiting to gloat. Speaks volumes about the mentality of some people.

You want to stand in the rain and watch them race on the covers then I take it ?

Clubs should perhaps be more honest when asked about weather conditions at the track or the likelihood that meetings will go ahead but to a large extent they are damned if they do and damned if they don't with early call offs. I would also argue that if you travel to a meeting as a supporter when the forecast is poor you can't moan too much if you get there and its off. As for Bomber he has a week old child at home so he deserves to be cut a bit of slack for being frustrated. It's a shame people feel the need to put the boot in so quickly on sportsmen or any public figures nowadays.

My best early memory of the phenomenon that was Michael Lee was at Brandon when he easily passed and then chopped up Nigel Boocock ( then a formidable foe especially at Brandon and virtually unbeatable around there ). Michael was the best natural rider I have ever seen and the best English rider, never to have won multiple world speedway titles. A privilege to have seen him ride at his peak.

There's only one plonker here and it's not Harris

We've cancelled the minibus on the basis of the forecast, hate doing that but I think it's sensible....

Some great racing tonight, bodes well for Sheffield with Kyle and Charlie going so well but I thought the would any way, the Tigers have a ready made replacement for Josh Graczonek in Howarth. Well done to all the riders tonight providing good racing on a bitterly cold night. Dan Bewley and Kyle Bickley rode very well on their Derwent Park debuts as Comets.

So,,, if you had attended the opening meeting, your Bentley may have been damaged by tractors ?

The first of many Poole wins this season. If any team can restrict the Pirates from getting 50 points in any match they will have done very well. Let's hope for no mysterious engine failures or issues from ANY team this early part of the season who are looking to fudge averages to bring any ringers in tho.

Maybe you should read the full post before responding.

Remember Wilson giving him a friendly clip round the ear after one race where he beat him, but forgot the other 2. Even more amazing to know the full facts.

desperately looking forward to this one (lets get going) will be in the restaurant with the sponsors super people who just quietly support the club in many ways, big well done to them. In the superb speedway star edition this wk i see the official wolves reporter predicts poole to finish 6th in the league, that certainly is a guy you want to have round for an evening of cards providing he brings loads of dosh with him!

If you check a calendar, you'll find that 26 March WAS "Monday just gone", as Stevebrum said. You're the one who is wrong. You seem to be a week behind.

Haha, you could be right. I walked down the car park with my dog earlier and it is very very soft in places

Stalls are only used for flat & AW racing. Jump racing is a tape start with horeses walking in from a collection area. This is a polite explanation as opposed to a sharp sarcastic one

Unfortunately, they aren't just trying, many are succeeding. To the detriment of the fans. We have to pay more to get in and half the time we see disjointed teams because of fixture clashes. Because the riders 'need' to race for two clubs to make the sport pay. Again, the riders wants are detrimental to the people who pay their wages. Speedway in Britain shouldn't be a professional sport any longer. Riders aren't owed anything by the sport or the fans. Sometimes you have to go backwards to go forwards. The horse has bolted for this season of course but next season riders should have one team and one team only. Because of that we may lose a few riders to the sport. Those who do it for the love of the sport will find a way to carry on, be it by running more cost effective equipment or taking a job outside the sport to help them fund their racing. There are plenty of riders in the levels below the National League who would give an arm and a leg to ride for a team spot I'm sure. So we may lose a few prima donnas and the standard of the leagues may be worse than it is now but it would be better for the fans and the sport in the long run.

getting friendly with the Americans of the time that were 'enjoying' themselves

Always used to enjoy the Shay, and had lots of opportunities to go to watch Sheffield First time in1968 a double header with Halifax against Glasgow and Sheffield they beat Glasgow, 52 - 26 I think and then drew with Sheffield 39 - 39 with Bob Paulson using the banking to beat Boocock and Boothroyd in heat 13 with Larsson last to get the draw

Most places will beat Hull, it’s a sh*thole

Now I have the answer to the the question "Why a KTM Dealereship" , because not only can we sell you an off road bike but provide somewhere you can ride it as well. Truly inspired thinking especially as the weather would need to be really dire to cause cancellation of a meeting and I would imagine Stadium Moto X is likely to stimulate more spectator interest than Speedway. Back in the mid to late 60s we used to go to Rye House and watch Go Kart Racing which used to finish before the Speedway started at 4pm on Sundays so got to watch both 2 and 4 wheel sport in one day and I would imagine that the management are not blind to the potential crossover today either. Regarding the Speedway, if I find my viewing experience is not to my liking I will go to Peterborough instead, despite the distance as having visited a few times as an away supporter of Rye House I found I preferred it as a venue.

Just because Newcastle have a bunch of lazy fans who wouldn’t put the covers down for poor old Steve he’ll have a dig at the track who do.

Trees- I think you may have made the correct decision as seeing all the flooded fields around Leicestershire this morning with more rain due today and a poor forecast for Monday I think an early decision may be made to prevent riders flying in

It's not there until AFTER you sign up and pay. Then it (along with all the other sport channels) appears magically.

In the past there is no denying that covers have saved meetings, in this case I suspect there is no real window of drier weather forecast for the removal of the covers and then track work to happen. Well done to the promotion for an early decision saving people a wasted trip.

Thats a bit harsh Steve, course they don't work underwater.

Remember reading that Wilson who was a hell of a rider himself took defeat very well against the whipper snapper Lee.I think the first time i ever saw Lee ride was in the Embassy international at Wimbledon he came a brilliant third and later in the year 1976 x2 in a league match and was fourth in the Silver Plume meeting at the Abbey the greatest English rider i have seen(never saw Craven).

They used to have men wearing coloured sweat shirts to indicate the rider lanes. Why shouldn't women be allowed to do the same job as men? At Swindon there are 4 girls who indicate rider lanes, exclusions etc. They are supporters of the club. There is absolutely no sexual conotation to it. I see no reason at all why anyone should be against this. The Grand Prix may be a bit different, as there does seem to be sexuality involved, and the camera angles used by some countries' productions can be a bit embarassing. I can see why some people might be a bit unsure about the way they are used, although, personally, I thin it is pretty harmless.

Looking back through my program notes, he beat him 3 times, The first was from the gate, in heat 6; then in heat 10 Wilson made the gate , but on the second lap Lee cut back to the inside to pass driving out of second bend. Lee then won the second half final with Betts second Wilson third... Track started very wet but dried out as the meeting went....

correct it is the scb - inspection was last thurs and guess the licence was issued - no sight lines for riders are blocked BUT just had a thought a fallen rider prob now wont be able to look up and see where his partner is and wont know whether to get the race stopped.

Given the track was heavy and he was tailed off would Kasprzak been a better name for the horse?

Been there. Got the T shirt. Match probably re-arranged right in the middle of my annual holiday. So, after entering my life story in their website and devising a password comprising 19 letters and 7 numerals but no punctuation marks, refund received less booking fee and admin charge. Phone them to complain. "Your call is extremely important to us so please hang on, at premium rates, while our only employee finishes his tea break. In the interim, listen to this awful music." Eventually speak to some guy in Mumbai who doesn't speak understandable English and hasn't heard the expression "effing con artistes". I once got charged a "convenience charge" of £5 when trying to pay a parking fine by debit card online! So I sent them a cheque with a note saying "See how convenient this is for you when you have to take it to a bank in the nearest big town with no adjacent parking and get charged by the bank for paying it in". Not for me, mate. I'll stick to cash at the turnstiles.

So is the consensus that KL look great and professional in team suits?? I am not convinced. On closer inspection it looks like to me that Lewis Kerr's set is different to the rest. Would you see Manchester United players have 10 players in say Nike kit and one in Under Armour?? Going back to the Rebels suits (or lack of them) the cost was quoted at £6K for the whole team which is a considerable amount of money in almost any business. If the promotion hiked the admission price up to cover the cost and pay for those then no one would be happy would they? Mind you Gazza did say if they won at Poole this morning he would buy them!! In all honesty I am looking for the red and blue helmet covers rather than the kevlars when i'm at the OTA. If it is race jackets this year then fine by me, I am sure a few of our friends from Devon would love to have a team to support each Monday wearing anything let alone worrying about team kevlars!

You’re behind the times, everything has been renewed

Yeah apparently that happens as you get old, remember the past but not what ya did 5 mins ago

I have quite a few special memories of speedway but that day, and in particular the manner that Lee beat Ray Wilson has to be in the top 3. Where did it all go so badly wrong.

Really Like the new BV website. Just got an email from Neil Meldrum that Poole are getting a new website soon as well.

Only thing I am not sure about is the averages when will they change for the first time ? I am glad others support my view that a temporary replacement is the best option as going to struggle to cover the meetings

It's hardly 'sacking' anyway when riders sign contracts for a season at a time.

I had tipped the office wallahs off that you were coming up the cobbled motorway from the Mudlands and suggested that since you were a known trouble-maker that you should be put in isolation in the south stand. We'll give you a cheery wave from the heated seats in the luxurious main stand, Have a great meeting!

Ah! days gone by...the Easter 3TT involving Oxford, Swindon and Reading. Oxford on Good Friday, Swindon on the Saturday and Reading Easter Monday. Those were the days!

Considering the financial situation at Newcastle, they are lucky to be running, and the fans should be pleased at that