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Magic had to go! Correct decision

New Pirates signing revealed! Kim has signed for the rest of the season but could miss the home meeting vs King's Lynn on June 13th if the US-North Korea summit goes ahead the day before. However recent sightings in the area of a man wearing a 'Make Poole Pirates Great Again' cap have led to rumours this could be held at Wimborne Road.

So your real name is Starman then ?

I'm afraid we were never given a reason. This event took a lot of planning and was going to be one of our biggest events of the year so it has been very disappointing. However we do not want to fuel a witch hunt. In the end we had a great evening in the company of the ever professional Steve Brandon with an upbeat update from Jeff Davies on the latest situation at Brandon and a chat with Dan and Joe Thompson on the No Limits programme. For many years we have enjoyed great support from all walks of speedway life. Riders, team managers, referees, promoters and the media. They all give up their time to entertain and inform us and all proceeds from the events go to support Neil Vatcher and the GB Young Lions U16's. We are proud of what our little club achieves and the support we have. Our next event is a welcome return for Somerset's Debbie Hancock on 7th June (no pressure Debbie) We then have a special night on 21st June when all proceeds will be for the Speedway Riders Benevolent Fund. Our guests are Paul Ackroyd, Garry Stead, Stuart Robson and as Paul said one of his best customers, Adam Roynon. We have a couple of surprises planned and a raffle and auction to try and extract as much of your money as possible.

Try to imagine this situation with Pedersen in it instead of Woffy. Everybody would be thumbs up for Lindgren.

Freddie should have been disqualified for his move on Tai

Both magic and nicki both tried to play the ref , both could of stayed on but choose to try and get a rerun , ref right both times

Set of glasses for Shovlar!!! Oh wait Magic used to ride for Poole lol

Classic Pedersen bale out, some things never change.

I said many years ago that Chris Holder would not stay at the top for long, due to his lifestyle. His choice I know but I think his performances have proved me right. I agree that having Chris Holder in last season on a 12.53 av would have been madness for Poole & Matt Ford made the correct decision there. I honestly believe that if Chris had changed his lifestyle, he would have stayed at the top for longer. Modern sport requires much more attention to fitness, even if you are riding a bike.

Trouble is, when he gets his first Poole average he’ll be Kim Jong One.

You have a big attitude problem. How about you get your head out of your arse!

Not the best GP I have ever seen, but the Marketa has been in the past very much gate and go. Few incidents to debate, My take Pedersen/ Lindgren no contact referee got the right decision. Janowski/ Sayfutdinov, Janowski ran into the back of Sayfutdinov correct decision. Lindgren/ Woffinden, very very tough move from Lindgren but just about fair but only just. Would have been very interesting to see what the decision would have been if Tai would have dropped the bike, I think Freddie may have seen his exclusion light come on.

This is speedway man, not motogp.

Woffinden different class with that pass on Pawlcki, quality last bend bravery.

Well done Craig, sensible ride and the points should boost his confidence.

Hope this tennis is soon over, these girls are dragging it out, inconsiderate really.

Maybe he should just retire then, can't keep playing up those excuses its ridiculous.

Then perhaps speedway shouldn't be his job anymore

I see the resident troll is still spouting his/her? poison in the pathetic attempt to gain attention and unfortunately, it continues to work. I can't see us getting much if anything out of this meeting until some changes are made but I still remain confident we will be in the playoffs then we will see what happens!?

The thing is, even the so called top riders i.e Kildemand seem to come in and take the piss. The whole of British Speedway is an absolute shambles. Neither league are as strong as they used to be. Can you imagine a prime Jason Crump or Rickardsson in this so called top flight now? Theyd only lose a race all season when they raced each other!!! As much as I like Jason Doyle, top bloke and rider and brilliant to watch... can you imagine him topping the EL averages and winning the world title when the likes of Rickardsson, Adams, Crump, prime Pedersen etc were about? the fact that many teams heatleaders are also heatleaders in the second division underlines what a mess the sport is in. nobody wants to invest money into it and why should they? grotty stadiums, a sport stuck in the past with its presentation.... its no wonder the top riders here leave their top gear in Poland and Sweden. They can turn up in the UK on second rate machinery and still earn a wage whilst making a mint on the continent riding their best gear. Im a carpenter and if I had two jobs, one paid $100 an hour the other $50 and I had to have a set of tools for each job, id have my top tools on the $100 job and cheaper tools on the $50 an hour job. Until money that matches Poland and Sweden appears in the UK somehow then the sport will get worse. Doesnt help how the promoters and leaders of the sport are an absolute shower of sh1te either.

Now I'm confused. You say he can work in Poland and Sweden, presumably also travel between them without a passport but he. Cannot do so in the Czech Republic. As they are all in the EU why not.

Sadly Phillip being the father of a british child means nothing, trust me I know personally, fathers, especially unmarried ones, have little rights to their child over the mother, so for that I sympathise with him. However everything else, whatever it is, will roll on slowly, after all he is only a speedway rider, if the desperately needed doctor's, with jobs promised, can't get get visas . Can't see why he can't travel around Europe though.

Because there is clearly something strange about this whole situation that has yet to be revealed.

Why ? Gavan puts very constructive, knowledgeable posts on here....!

Seven.

To be fair (and bring some balance) they are only 2 points off a playoff place!

I remember last year when Kennett just about beat us on his own. We were a million miles away from getting even close. But fortunately the whole team ethics has changed. We have got rid of those Prima Donors, and the team is now made up of keen, focused, and enthusiastic riders, all willing to fight for the cause. Although we will be considerably weakened by the absence of Niels, especially in those important heats 13 & 15, it is the first time for some years i feel confident that we can go anywhere and be in contention. Gone are the days when we made up the numbers, this year we know we will go there to fight. What we come away with depends on many things. Rye House's top four of CH, SN, KK and EK are all experience riders and are more than capable of winning races. But they will all need to score points. In the end, I think the Niels factor will be too much to overcome, and we will have to be satisfied with an away point, but you can rest assured the Stars will battle to win...

Second that jenga! All this moaning on the forum can we not think ourselves lucky the workington owners have secured speedway for another season. Let's get behind the team because I've never seen such encouraging away performances since I started following the comets since the stonehewer days!!

Haha!

Traditional Race card for 2018 Czech GP http://www.keepandshare.com/doc16/view.php?id=20964&da=y

I said many years ago that the consistent dilution, annually, of the product on offer, combined with increases in price could only lead one way. More for less is great, but less for more? Now we arrive at a situation where my club is forced to run on either a Monday or a Wednesday (neither great nights) without even having a vote in the matter. The result - a considerable drop in attendance/revenue and history shows us that once fans are lost, very few return. But hey ho, all is fine and rosy with the BSPA - the sport is in great shape, attendances are on the rise, fans are happy to watch "select" teams racing each other, so no problems. We'll see come the end of the season.

I actually think bringing 'ex fans' back is a lot easier than generating new ones.. And let's face it, there are a big number of 'ex fans' on EVERY clubs' doorstep... There are many, many social media outlets to browse, not to mention the Speedway Stars letter pages over the past ten years or so if Promoters still need a clue... If each track could get just 500 of these 'ex fans' back it would make a huge difference to the Sport. (An incredible 'small' number in the grand scheme of things but that just shows how far the sport has regressed).. Listen to why they stopped going, lose the egotistical attitude of "we are right, they are wrong, and if it wasnt for us there would be no Speedway" and put fixes in place to correct what is wrong... As a starting point... Credibilty, integrity, with an evening of entertainment at a price point commensurate with what's actually on offer...

No Updates from Newcastle Speedway what a joke!! No wonder people stop going and lose interest

Lets be honest here. Woffinden messed up in the final, trying to go for a gap that wasn’t there. Lindgren shut the door, fairly, and that was that. Woffinden messed up his chance in the semi when Lindgren passed him to get the inside gate and put Woffinden on the outside. As a fan of neither Lindgren or Woffinden I can at least look at it with neutral eyes.

So its fair to knock a rider off by riding across him and sweeping him off? Clear cut call and ref got it wrong imo.

Must admit I also fear for Poole in this meeting. Dont think Brady Kurtz has ridden this track too well in the past and if you number one may struggle to get 7/8 points then the rest don't bear thinking about. If Wolves riders become complacent maybe the damage may be limited to 10 points but I somehow doubt it. Also even though this meeting DOESN'T affect the new GSA's for Poole in June (now on SGB site), I doubt it will matter to the result. Thankfully for Poole they don't have to go there in a regular league match again this season after Monday. Maybe not again this season anyway if it continues as it has this season. BUT wont give up hope just yet until we know Ford's rider plan for June. Not over hopeful on that in honesty.

I believe that Eastbourne only signed Georgie Wood, and all their riders, on the understanding that they wouldn't sign for a CL team.

You really are a pathetic, moronic troll.

Most people on here know Pinny! I agree he is a gobby git, but he'd admit that himself he's not one to make stuff up, so I rather suspect the fact he is alluding to something that Holder has done off track, will be correct...

Well that's the way it works. I have to submit my passport to get visas to travel for work, and sometimes it takes weeks. That's why I have two passports so I can travel on one whilst another one is sitting in the embassy. The UK government has also stated it wants to create a hostile environment for immigrants, and this is the practical outcome of this. Why should speedway riders expect special treatment - the sport can hardly be considered economically or culturally import to the country.

Run the sport at a level to what is affordable through the income it generates. Delivered by a price point that reflects its current position within its Sporting peer group, (rather than a price point agreed upon just to try and desperately cover unsustainable running costs).. On nights/afternoons you can attract most locals to visit you.. The World Champion, Jason Doyle, could walk through the centre of Manchester today and 10,000 people will walk past him without the slightest inkling of who is his.. Therefore trying to sell a Speedway meeting in Manchester (for a minimum £18), with the main thrust of your advertising that Doyle is there isn't going to encourage many takers.. Time for the Sport (in Britain) to go back to year zero, unravel all the myriad of reasons told to those who run the sport by the many who no longer attend, and start again... Seven man teams? Six man teams? Five man teams? One League? Two Leagues? Three Leagues? Four Leagues? National or Regional? Maybe even No Leagues?! Agree a structure that provides clear aspirational movement between levels for riders and teams, and bring in clear unambiguous rules and regulations that all supporters get to see and have explained to them.. In short. Bring credibility and integrity. Deliver a price point that perceives value for money but covers costs, and a level of racing that delivers four riders per race of fairly similar capabilty, that are 100% committed to British Speedway... If that doesn't work then give up... But we are a long, long way short of that vision at the moment..

ominously? FFS yeah, you can't get on the site, we're shutting down

Something is definitely a bit strange about this Holder situation....

Since it looks like nowone have published the full squads yet to the competition here they are. Race off 1, Teterow, Germany USA: Greg Hancock, Luke Becker Ukraine: Andrej Karpov, Aleksandr Loktajev Russia: Artem Laguta, Emil Sajfutdinov, Gleb Chugunov Slovenia: Matej Zagar, Matic Ivacic, Nick Skorja Germnay: Kai Huckenbeck, Martin Smolinski, Mikael Härtel Latvia: Andzejs Lebedevs, Jevgenijs Kostigovs, Olegs Mihailovs Denmark: Michael Jepsen Jensen, Kenneth Bjerre, Frederik Jakobsen Race off 2, Manchester, GB Czech Republic: Vaclav Milik, Josef Franc, Jan Kvech Finland: Timo Lahti, Tero Aarnio GB: Tai Woffinden, Craig Cook, Robert Lambert France: David Bellego, Dimitri Bergé, Gaetan Stella Sweden: Fredrik Lindgren, Antonio Lindbäck, Joel Kling Italy: Nicolas Covatti, Michele Paco Castagna Australia: Jason Doyle, Max Fricke, Jaimon Lidsey Final, Wroclav, Poland Poland: Maciej Janowski, Patryk Dudek, Maksym Drabik Source: http://se.aktuellspeedway.eu/2018/05/23/trupperna-till-speedway-of-nations-offentliggjorda/

I think that's a question of swings and roundabouts. Some can make Fridays, some Saturdays. You can see the logic in moving to Friday with Cook riding in the GP's - there's every chance people will stay at home to watch a truly local boy race at the sports highest level. The problem to me is less about the day and more about the irregularity of fixtures but that affects almost very club, not just Workington. I'd say run every fortnight until June and then pack the fixtures in every week until the end of August. At least people might be able to get into a regular habit.

Neither am I, I don't have twitter or facebook, but you can still see what has been posted on twitter Here, https://twitter.com/diamondspeedway?lang=en without needing an account

Gav, let me get this straight, are you saying you had serious reservations about this Poole team from the outset?

Wont be joining any British club this year I dont think!!!

I guess it gives someone the opening to voice an opinion and while it may relate to a general theme regarding the state of speedway in the U.K. the idea of the forum is generally provide a platform to make point. Many other threads are from disgruntled, disappointed or disillusioned supporters and the one common factor is that on this side of the fence many fans old and new are not happy with the direction things are going and on the other side you have those who are merely custodians at a point in time, totally disregarding the swell of opinion. All the hot air that the BSPA come out with re FRN and top riders coming back etc and a minority believing that it will happen one day are both wide of the mark. Possibly a waste of time but I guess the point will be proven one way or another when we see who comes to the tapes in 2019 What is not in doubt is that Speedway in the U.K. cannot financially support top riders of GP standard. U.K. speedway needs to find its own level and stop pretending that it can compete at the highest level at this point in time. It cannot and the sooner that the realisation hits home and that financially and tactically team building does not need to revolve around top GP riders or the Danes, Swedes and Poles. U.K. is probably more on a level with Germany, Italy, Czech, France and other lesser nations so why not accept it. Rebuild using British and other European options, reinstate test matches home and abroad, introduce North and South Leagues with the chance of more travelling support to away matches and put the sport back to being weekly fixtures between say May and September. Either side of this period clubs can run whatever fixtures they want. Introduce standard bikes which could mean rider skills are improved rather than the gate and go merchants that grace the tracks today. This not turning the clock back but trying to build for a future which ensures clubs survive. The fact that some believe less meetings are better as it reduces the potential losses beggars belief. That is only putting off the inevitable. The only way perhaps those in charge might listen is to receive a written petition from the fans delivered in person to BSPA HQ with as much publicity as one can muster. Will the sport survive across the country as it stands, probably not but it does have a chance if they stop looking at it through rose tinted glasses and hanging on to the very few good points such as the young talent coming through and start looking at trying to entertain the fans. As has been said so many times, it is a spectacle if the racing is close and good, but it is simple, four riders, four laps on equal machinery. Why complicate it when the reality is it is dangerous, fast and furious the riders put their lives at risk. Sell it as it is. One final point, if only they could try and promote the racing in a a similar vein to the FIM and its trailers for Ice Speedway. The film, music etc is very good and gets across, the cut, thrust, speed and danger.