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With comments like that you don't do Poole speedway any favours at all

I liken British Speedways problems to the British Superbikes series' predicament in the early nineties.... When Carl Fogarty was in his pomp and Sky fell in love with the World Superbikes series, giving it the massive exposure which resulted in 'Foggy' becoming a well known sportsman across all mainstream sport followers. BSB didnt try and compete. How could it? WSB had the best riders, BSB had the next level down. But instead of trying to match the WSB they ensured they delivered a great weekend of racing with the calibre of rider that they had which then grew their own 'brand'... They also realised that inevitably their best would eventually go off to seek fame and fortune in the WSB or Moto GP and test themselves in the 'higher standard' of racing. Therefore BSB invested in plenty of track time over their race weekends for the next generation of riders. With standard 'out of the box' one make Championships included to keep costs down and attract 'entry level' riders in.. The result? Thousands still attend their race weekends and plenty of British lads have made succesful careers racing at no more than a 'domestic' level.. If the likes of Dan and Robert can earn vast amounts elsewhere and improve quicker by racing against the Worlds best then good luck to them. 100% let them ride in the 'WSB' that is Poland.. However any rider wanting to ride in the 'BSB' of British Speedway needs to understand that British Speedway, and that alone, is his priority.. British Speedway has two options... Run itself like a 'proper team sport' on days and nights it's fan base can attend, paying for itself from an income delivered via a price point the fan base sees as value for money, and be as radical in delivering this as they need to be.. Or... Carry on doing what it always has.... And we know how tremendously successful that has been... The current model simply does not work and is miles away from what they need.. And as is blatantly obvious. The sport is down to the bare bones of its fan base.. Opening Friday and Saturday nights, and Sunday days, are a one million percent fundamental necessity for any business running in the entertainment sector, which is unsurprisingly why Poland (and Motor Racing in general) choose them! (How strange?!).... Simple choice... Find a way to use the weekends more, and let all tracks run on nights they know will get their biggest income... Or.... Carry on cobbling together Mickey Mouse Team Speedway meetings in front of an ever reducing fan base, running the meetings on days/nights to suit the riders but not their customers, at a far too high a price point for those customers to recognise it as value for money. I would humbly suggest that if they keep doing the latter, it can really only end one way..

I have to say that I am shocked and appalled by this. We live in a democratic society where an individual's right to free speech is absolute and not a privelage. I have read many of your posts and at times some are incoherent and others I may disagree with, however I absolutely support an individual's right to express their opinion.

I'd tell them where to stick it personally. If they only want happy clappers then it'll end in tears

More chance of understanding the Poles than Ermolenko

Does it REALLY matter if some teams might be a rider short if Rye House run on a Saturday or Belle Vue on a Friday or Swindon on a Thursday. Does it REALLY matter if your team finishes 2nd, 3rd or 4th I suggest it REALLY matters that 8 teams finish the season at the correct time

Charles Wright and Ricky Wells in, Danny King and Kyle Newman out

That's because Poole are crap at the moment

like a load of vultures.....hoping for a rye house collapse, so their own team will benifit

I honestly can't believe what I am reading here. I know why Jenga has apologised, but don't see why he should have been put in that position for expressing his opinion in the first place. I think that it is a certain Mr Whitehead that needs to apologise, not you Jenga. As others have said we live in a society (thank goodness) where we supposedly have the right of free speech. If our promoters are so sensitive to criticism from one of their most loyal supporters that they are prepared to ban him from attending then they are in the wrong profession, and we as a speedway club are on a far slippier slope than we all thought. One of the reasons Jenga is so prolific on here is because there is a huge vacuum where the official Comets website should be keeping us all up to date with what is happening and (this year) not happening with all things Comets. I don't always agree with Jenga's posts and yes sometimes they are a little confrontational, but for goodness sake we are mostly (if not all) adults on here and it is a forum for public debate. One thing that is obvious is that Jenga cares passionately about the club and if the promoters are willing to ban the likes of him, then we really are truly f***ed.

I am not trying to defend him, I am genuinely appalled that an individual's right to free speech is threatened in this manner.

This is the most appalling piece of heavy-handed bullying tactics it is my misfortune to come across in British speedway. The minute we witness team promoters taking action reminiscent of 1930s Nazi Germany is the time to pack it in. I for one will not be visiting Workington Speedway again and would urge other fans to do likewise. Jenga is a prolific contributor to a popular fans' forum, has amused us on here for years and I hope will continue to do so.

Back on topic and just wanted say well done to the promoters and staff on the Island. You get a genuine welcome from their staff, friendly banter, tidy presentation and in Barry Bishop a man who puts his paying punters front and centre. Took time at the start of the meeting to give us a warm welcome, explain their shale problem and possible dust problems. He is always visible and approachable and then kindly took some on to watch from the centre. They may not have the best team but they sure do Speedway proud.

Ok going to give you all a serious post now. No joking around. Personally I would let Rye House have the Saturday race night back ASAP. Yes patched up teams and an unfair advantage would be a joke but at least we haven't lost a club to British Speedway. I say let teams actually have a facility for a missing rider/riders who have a Polish commitment and then that's fair. Rye House remain in the league. Teams are granted a facility for a missing rider or riders then we take it from there. British Speedway simply cannot afford to lose yet another club and tbh fixed race nights will 100% be scrapped next year anyway because clubs will not agree to it due to finances. This is the final era of British Speedway and it would be a massive shame if it was to end with club's folding one after the other. 2 options patched up opposition for 4 months or lose a club all together. Easy decision and that's patched up teams. Message for everyone. With every club that folds it's one step closer to your club shutting down not because of finances. It's because you wont have anyone to race against. Apart from Glasgow teams will not step up from the Championship to replace the Premiership teams. This is a time when people need to stop being selfish and look at the bigger picture. It's time to put Rye House first now and not our own clubs. We're at a time where there is no shining light at the end of the tunnel. It's all about survival and taking it year by year until the final day and the final nail gets hammered in. No point talking about 1 big league next year and all that because it's not going to happen for a number of reasons. Which I wont get into because this is a Rye House thread. All I'm saying is go back to basics now and just see out the season. Let Rye House have those Saturday's back and continue to run because it's better than losing the club as I said earlier. Then every promoter needs to do what's best for British Speedway as a whole in the off season.

The problems are far more than FRN for Speedway in general , the disjointed fixture list, run down stadiums and poor promotion of the sport are just a-few. the attendances at Workington have been very poor for many years but we manage to somehow get to another season......2019 not a hope I fear.

Would it really of been that difficult to say something along those lines with their postponement announcement on Tuesday? It just shows how clueless people within Speedway are when it comes to PR. I think 99% of people would of accepted that they are looking to resolve it and wished them well, but the whole "say nothing" approach and keep the fans (the ones who they are going to be desperate for in the coming weeks) in the dark is idiotic in my opinion.

First time poster,long time fan. The decline,I've many points & observations.Firstly,they should start with image/1st impressions. That's cut grass,tapes that are tight & don't flap in the wind. There should be standard start Marshall attire at every track,all black Polo Shirt/Sweater/black Chinos or the like with Start Marshall printed on the back,he should be no older than 35 & slim/athletic looking. No parade on a tractor (tacky) with riders waving at clouds.Walk out,introduced,allowed a couple of laps (as Coventry did) No chairs on centre green with start girls texting (which I've seen) As regards promotion of the sport,I've more of a social media presence than many/most clubs. It should be mandatory to have/use.. SNAPCHAT/Instagram (with online merch shop)YouTube channel/Twitter & Facebook.. These are all free,give you global exposure to you & riders/sponsors etc & in an instance,these can also be monetised.You only have to look at Arsenal Fan TV who have 800k followers & no product to sell..they have betting companies/Vanarama sponsoring & adverts during their content.Often there regular contributors get on SKY/5LIVE/TalkSport. I recently asked a promoter via Facebook messenger (he said I could ask him a question(s) as to why the club had very little/good online presence (see above) HIS ANSWER... HE DIDN'T GIVE ONE OR REPLY... This was Rye House & prior to the season starting/close to season/p&p. So why should I or anyone else turn up. Oh & the bloody traffic cone they use to stop the tapes from blowing is another embarrassment,they use a prong type device in Poland which looks good & unobtrusive... They may seem like small things.. But they count...

Lets all hope that Rye can get Sat racing if that is whats needed to keep them racing I like a lot of fans think stuff the other countries we need to get our league viable for the clubs riders and fans so we can watch the sport we love

Poolepiratesfanatic, Gater1, KKS, and taking you back a few years kingbatchelorspeed, michaeljepsenjensenracing......and many others.

Totally agree Wilst Jengas posting style is not everyones cup of tea I rarely see any posts that could be considered as any great offence Certainly shouldnt need to apologise for any of them to avoid a ban

Banned for freedom of speech ? What country is Workington in ?

How many changes is that now for the 1-7 that certain Poole fans predicted to be unstoppable?

Thank you for all the condolences and stories. It's been a truly overwhelming experience to find out not only was he a legend to us; his family; but to many others also Leigh

Much of a muchness to be honest.

Traditional race card for 2018 Danish GP:- https://www.keepandshare.com/doc16/21109/gp-2018-d-pdf-39k?da=y

get a job, p/t if necessary, use half days, whatever. Do your own engines, get a bike rack for the car. The money isn't there to give them a living and we need to wake up to that pronto!

Sadly, and from every source I have ever heard, its fact.

Ah-haa...Rye House should carry on hemorrhaging money, just for Belle Vue's benefit? Maybe the rest of the league, or even the sport in general should subsidise Belle Vue's advantage?

Live YouTube stream here https://youtu.be/oOVM5h9z4Rs

So the way forward is for all Premiership clubs to run on the night of their choice and go back to the fiasco of teams made up of guests / RR due to fixture clashes / World Championship commitments like we had last year.

Probably because they have not got any money available to pay their riders.

It was only heat 15 that went past 10pm - Think it was probably more to do with the promotion wanting to complete the match for the paying supporters - given you had Berge and Auty in the last race and we were down to one fit heat leader, I doubt we ran it with the view of stretching our lead, the reverse was more likely

I am sure all fans would not want any club to close including Poole fans.

No doubt some will be targeting Dan Bewley's U21 dates.....

Another, think of winning at all costs Don't matter if there's 3 in the league as long as Poole win it....

Thanks for the links to the live feeds guys.Good final race to finish.

Cheers, thank you.

Yes - someone asked the same question on Redcars Facebook page. Can’t take alcohol in though.

The promotors are the bapa so the make the rules unfortunately the dont do a very good job and seemingly we looks as we have lost rye house because of the fix race nights

What, don't arrive early and bring your own sustenance!

So it’ll be ready for the annual October double headers then

Crowds are down at Poole and that has nothing to do with FRN

I was comparing it to recent seasons not 10 years ago

Connor got it

No 'facilities' for anything... All that has ever done is create an opportunity to cut corners, fudge issues, deliver sharp practice, and always play the 'aah but this is Speedway' get out of jail card, that allows nonsense decisions to happen under an alleged concept of a professionally administrated sport.. Sod the rest of the World. . Look after No1... I don't seek permission off my competitors when I can open my business.. If I did they would want me to open from 11pm to 6am whilst they all opened 6am to 11pm... Simply run whatever night gives you the best crowd. . Publish a fixture list well in front of the rest of the European Leagues, (before the end of this season?), avoiding all 2019 FIM meetings.... And inform the riders of the fixtures before this season ends.. Tell the riders that when they sign up that they must ride in 100% of the meetings and any messing around, for example, being injured over here whilst riding elsewhere, will see them with a 12 month ban.. If DU is a 'necessary evil' then no fixtures should ever take place that means any rider needs to be in two places at once.... Run seven man teams, six man teams, five man teams etc etc. (Delete as applicable), Just as long as enough riders of a similar ability level take to the track most heats in every meeting.. Run one league, two leagues, three leagues, four leagues etc etc (Delete as applicable). Just as long as the League itself has credibilty and integrity, therefore meaning there is some actual value in actually winning the damn thing.. And maybe even bring in a salary cap with punitive action if any team flouts it... Charge max £15 for adults in the 'top league' and kids in for free.. Budget for 1200 punters (on your best night for Speedway surely possible?) meaning you take circa £14.4k after VAT on admission. Any programme profit, car park, bar take (if applicable) etc is extra, as is any sponsorship.. That £14.4k would deliver around £10k to pay riders for the home and away meeting if costs were around £4.4k.. 'IF' the numbers add up then simply build your teams with riders willing to ride at least twice a week for this money, how many actual riders per team to be determined by your £5k a night budget not by "we have to have seven because......" In short, run at whatever standard is affordable to deliver a realistic price point of admission, on nights you can attract your most income, and ensure what you put out in front of the fans has the credibility and integrity expected of a bona fide Sporting Championship.. Must be worth a try surely? For once....

There aren't any utopia-seekers on here (they'd be in the wrong place if there were). I've only seen fans who dutifully turn up at the turnstiles week after week and pay their £16 and feel (rightly) that their financial contribution to the team's continued success gives them a right to express a view on the rights and wrongs of team performance. The people on this forum may not all agree with each other - or the promoters - all of the time but they all have one thing in common: they're all die-hard fans of speedway.

Also it has a knock on effect to a visiting team if visiting riders are unavailable on a Saturday.

The only thing is that if they let rye house do it then what's stopping belle vue and the like asking for Friday's back

It's just too expensive to attract and keep new fans and particularly families. My speedway experience is to pay £16, enter a stadium which is dilapidated and, (unless I want to watch from behind the glass, which I don't), is in a worse condition now than it was in 1974 when I started going. There are no seats, just dusty steps. The pre-meeting entertainment is to listen to Now That's What I Call Music number 124 and watch a pathetic introduction of the riders by a half-hearted announcer. There is then about 13 minutes of action over the next hour and a half to two hours with a raffle akin to the ones people used to have for a tray of meat in the Working Men's Clubs of years gone by. There is no second half, nothing to entertain the kids or anyone else - nothing. The riders all seem to manage to ride around in vans as big as a starter home and even the reserves at 'Championship' level appear to be full-time. So, the equipment costs a fortune and riders want paying a fair return for the expenditure and the risks they take. I have no problem with that, but the situation cannot continue. The sport has to find a way of reducing costs of equipment and riders have to realise that it is not sustainable to be full time when they are riding in front of crowds of 500-1500 people. Promoters have to promote. All they do is to open the gates, expect people to come and pay their money and come back again the next week when many of them do absolutely nothing to encourage a return. Times are hard for a lot of people and there is better entertainment to be had elsewhere. I've been to the ice-hockey a couple of times recently and it's not my cup of tea to be honest. But there were thousands there, many in replica kits, games and entertainment for the kids, a brilliant arena and cheaper than the speedway. I prefer the speedway because I've been brought up with it but in terms of value for money there was no comparison. Speedway, on its's day, can be the best sport in the world but it needs someone in charge who has a vision and some radical ideas. The promoters have to promote and the riders have to be more realistic and realise that they can't all be full time.

A guest required - how apt