Leaderboard

Which fans should they listen to? The ones who want one big league at Championship level or the ones who want a stronger top league? The ones who want 13 heats and a second half or the ones who think that 15 heats in a match is better value? The ones who want the play-offs or the ones who don't want the play-offs. The fans who want modern music or the fans who say the music isn't important as it's all about 4 blokes on bikes without brakes? It's all very well saying "listen to fans", but in the end they'll just agree with whichever fans give an opinion that they, themselves, like. Because the fans don't all have the same opinion.

Viewing is personal preference. I never minded going to RH a couple of times a year when the weather was nice and ejoyed the close up viewing but I wouldnt want it every week and for regular viewing I much preferred Arena, where I could always see the whole track from the main stand or entry to bend 1. As for racing, what you said is simply not true.Rye House is a converted stock car track. It is also a small track that rides like a big track, I.e.full throttle and if a half decent rider makes the gate and keeps the throttle open he won't be caught, especially as the straights are relatively narrow. . As for Lakeside being too flat, you only have to stand on the stock car track at the apex of the Speedwáy bends and you will see the Speedwáy bends are banked to around knee knee height. The racing at Lakeside was improved when the shape was changed to give more width going into the bends. Neil Middleditch described Arena as a thinking mans track, in other words a rider has to be thinking two steps ahead of where he is on the track all the time. Kelvin Tatum said that because it is mentally demanding a lot of riders are beaten in their minds before the race even starts. I think referee Chris Gay summed Arena up pretty well, he said Arena was not the best track he officiated at but it is in the top half. Unfortunately you, like several others on here want to impose your opinions as being absolute right or wrong, but there are plenty of long term Lakeside fans who take the opposite view. To see a rider like Peter Karlsson going from last to first with one of his famous cut backs, or riders like Ed Kennett or Lewis Bridger scraping the air fence and firing themselves off the banking at Arena is as good as you'll see anywhere. The great thing about Britsh Speedwáy is that all tracks are different and the style of racing is different. The problem is that some fans are too closed-minded to acknowledge that.

Probably just words of support Hammer180, I remember when the club were looking to drop the NL, Richard asked if there was anything he could do to ensure the club continued to race at a higher level, Top man is Richard Lawson. If you made a list of the top 5 most likable riders the club has had in its entire history, Richard would be in that.

I could ask the same question of you. You are entitled to your opinion of course and there has already been a rebuttal of a couple of your viewpoints. Watching from a little further back allows a greater field of vision, especially when we have 'the two races in one' scenario and, also, in my opinion Arena was a much safer track. Rye House is too narrow and had Nick Morris had the same type of incident as happened in the first attempt to run Heat 15 against Glasgow, he would have piled into the fence - no wrap around the corners airbags at RH! As for the quality of racing, I find it really difficult to even put RH in same league as Arena which at least offered riders options on the lines they take rather than just open the throttle and blast round for four laps.

A very positive initiative THJ which requires the wider fan base epecially the 'hardcore' supporters to embrace in order that we can continue to have the sport we love. It's not that many months ago that Whitehaven Rugby league apealled for help from the wider community to help raise something like £60K. I was recently informed on good authority that the club are now debt free. If this was possible for them then why not the Comets ?. So come on everyone lets all look very seriously at what we can do to help secure the future of the club. Up the Comets !!

Well Danny king has tweeted today, that 3 weeks ago today he had his surgery, and following a visit back to hospital, in his words " my bicep is waking up"

Hi to all Workington Fans. Here is the rub, running in 2019 will be very difficult and honestly it still is in doubt as to whether we will be coming to the tapes next year, however I am proposing something different and developing a business plan (with others) to save the club and to ensure it runs at least for the next three years whilst Derwent Park is still available, what happens after this period we can worry about then. What I am looking for is some commitment from fans; local businesses or anyone who has contact details of anyone who can offer support who I can talk to, the proposal is to form a new partnership (LLP) to run the club. For obvious reasons I can not go into much detail on here however, I do have the bit between my teeth; but I can not do this all on my own. I am working with the promotion to formulate a plan to take the club forward and continue with the sport in Workington. The Club "end of season bash" is at the Workington Railway Club this Friday and I will be open for any discussions then where the plan can be discussed or if anyone would like to PM me I can provide details. The Speedway Trust who have provided invaluable support over the last two seasons and will be heavily involved along with all of the fan base. It is an open secret that the club isn't financially viable and has had cash flow problems, hopefully my proposal will go a long way to correcting this. As the BSPA General Meeting is coming up fast this proposal is time limited unfortunately as certain assurances and guarantees have to be met at the BSPA AGM. So come on Workington how much do you want Speedway, its your call. Once its gone I very much doubt you will ever get it back Regards THJ

Not defending the rider. as you and your other Scunny fan has pointed out Phillips was not scoring the points all season, so why did it take your Team Management while after the cut off point for team changes to decide that he needed dropping. Your Team Management were caught with their pants down, I find it more than frustrating that you vent your frustration out solely on the rider the rider, why not the Management team as well?

Never mind then. Let's just leave things as they are. Let's have an ever decreasing number of them riding for various teams every night of the week whilst their mates (and I'll mention Joe Jacobs again) having to pack in because he can't get a ride. Let's have fans who want a team to support continue to drift away because they can't take the sport seriously (Chris Harris just missing out on the play off's with Glasgow but winning a league winner's medal with Poole and a cup winners medal with Somerset). Just let things continue as they are and see how many riders can be full time then. The answer will be none, because the sport will cease to exist.

It'll be new season, same old sh!t.

It's true that quite often fans want different things but anybody reading through the BSF would see that there are many things that most of us agree about. Most agree that the sport needs to reduce the amount of messing about at the starting gate and the time spent at the pit gate before a re-run. We mainly agree that the presentation needs to be slicker and geared to the 21st century. We agree that the fixtures need to be better planned to provide continuity and to avoid the chaos at the end of the season and we mainly agree that there should be a continuity of riders in teams to allow fans to better identify with "their" team. Any professional organisation would look at those and all of the other issues of concern raised by fans and where fans express different views, analyse those opinions and try to identify remedies that would appeal to the majority and not alienate the rest. What is certain is that any organisation in the entertainment business will fail if it does not provide what it's customers want.

What is the NL then, benefits cheats and trailer trash ?

if the new track is to happen it will not be for a few years and that could be to long to keep a fan base as I have already said. jon did not say that a track on the old site was the only option there were several others but for some reason the developers and council do no like one of them. jon also said there had been a lot of positive phone calls during the day maybe there is someone with the deep pockets needed for it to work is out there. I would like to know what was so special about the phone calls from adam and Richard were about for jon to mention it. re next season if all parties at rye and lakeside can find some common ground then it could work there for the few years needed to keep the club alive of course that's depending on someone stepping up to the plate in the next couple of weeks or the powers that be give the likes of us and Workington an extention of say 3 months to get things in to place wont hold my breath on that one.

It’s an unfortunate choice of word for Rosco to have used but as the current system stands that’s probably how it’s seen. I do agree, however, that JD is self employed and that technically he has no master and serves which ever teams he pleases. The asset system should be one of the items on the agenda for discussion to bring the ‘ownership’ of riders in to 21st century. The current rules are a nonsense. All riders should be tied to the governing authority of UK speedway only. Negotiations should be done on an annual or bi-annual basis depending on length of contract offered and the rider returned to the pool at the end of it. The governing authority would be responsible for ‘transparency’ in such matters and clearly defining the contract position. In addition, they should look at all riders currently riding in the world as at today’s date and assigning them a UK average. Either based on an average obtained in the UK previously or if they are new to the UK, an assessed one. These averages should also be published before the start of the season, so everyone is fully aware and also defining their contract position within the UK irrespective of whether they are riding here or not. Averages written on the back of a packet of Swan Vestas and made known to 3 or 4 people is not acceptable! Who would have thought that this would be so bloody difficult...

Well you didn't seem to know so much in your original post!

Luke is hardly starting out is he........he has plied his trade in the States, which is the reason most British tracks would welcome him!! I'll let you into a little secret..........tight technical tracks are pretty common in California, so your valued advice seems to have been heeded. Having witnessed Luke on his home tracks, my opinion is the best choice of track for him in Britain (should he choose to ride here, which is far from forgone) would be Sheffield!!!

Wow. I expected far more reaction to the news about Stuart Douglas. Just goes to show how jaded the fans of the club are, I suppose, and who can blame them? Whilst I think that is the final nail in the coffin, he is right that a Lakeside out of Essex isn't Lakeside at all. I've always had a lot of time for Stuart Douglas. I think when someone stays in the background so much it's easy to forget the input they have in keeping the club going. That he is still talking about pouring heart, soul, and money into getting a new track in Essex after all the trials and tribulations over the years, that his heart is still set on not only chasing, but catching that dream, shows the total dedication and commitment of the man. The class and humility in his statement speak volumes. There aren't enough good words I can say about him, but "gentleman" is one that will suffice for now. Thank you for everything you did for Arena, Stuart.

When the head of the BSPA says there is nothing wrong with the product you know the sport is stuffed.

All joking aside, I don't understand why the Rye House supporters would not support a homeless team from Lakeside, using their track. If you were happy to go to the stadium to watch Rye House speedway, but were forced to liquidate, surely you would return to the stadium to watch another team? After all, most teams, as we know, are different year on year and during the season. Whatever you call yourself, is virtually irrelevant. I would love to see both teams line up in 2019, but at the moment, it is possibly neither.

I think what Rosco was getting at was it makes sense to consider negotiating with a rider you do not have to pay a loan fee out for ....not really seeing the point of a debate over what an asset means other than simply that

Move into Hoddesdon,drop the K and swap the A and E around and there you have it-Leaside Hammers. It's your only hope.

Birmingham Mail, Sutton Observer weekly columns.

Many on here pick up on less, including you.

I hated Mauger as a rider, especially his antics at the tapes. When i was invited on the great mans farewell tour of Poland in 1985, i found that away from the track he was a totally different person. Ivan and his family treated me really well, and made me feel guilty about how i booed him as a kid!

50/50 id say - happy to take the positives at the moment Danny certainly is the type to show the determination required to make it happen if its possible

When the lottery takes place, we’ll be in the basket called ”teams most likely to not win team gb 5-1 and nobody cares if they in or not” and thats why we’ll be riding in the manchester quali. has bugger all to do with finances.

Oh don't get me wrong i completely agree that costs for all need to come down if the sport is to survive in this country but i personally feel that its the add ons that need reducing....get your own van, pay for your own flights, smaller / no sign on fee's and less points money.....still want to ride? yes great no ok there will be someone else who will. At the moment its not the big riders that are holding the UK to ransom its the average ones who are still profiting hugely.

aye , nice guy is richard ., shame about the fingers he gave to the crowd @ workington ...........league final meeting . but still a good lad .

And go to the highest bidder. Scrapping the asset system would result in even higher costs for Clubs.....those Clubs that anyone can see must be struggling financially. It would mean more money out of Clubs and more into the riders. Speedway in the UK has far bigger issues than the 'asset system'.

Rider of the year - Drew Kemp most impressive team - Mildenhall team rider of the season - Jason Edwards (huge number of bonus points scored) one to watch - From this year's league - Alex Spooner. For next year Dan Gilkes meeting of the season - Belle Vue v Mildenhall - (Last heat decider. Should have been Mildenhall's only defeat of the year.) surprise of the season - Ryan Kinsley (unsung hero of Mildenhall team) underperformers team - Stoke unluckiest rider - Danyon Hume newcomer of the year - Leon Flint

Why didn't you just arrive earlier?

Quite ..you would think that Phil would have had better things to do than pick up on a minor choice of words .

It's Robert Lambert

Can I ask why you have a picture of Roy Clarke as your avatar?

No need for anyone to vote. You've won it hands down.

Ryan Douglas secured 3rd place in last Saturdays Victorian State Championship which qualifies him for a visa in 2019. As previously stated, he finished 2017 on a 6.12 average but that was based on 34 matches. I have now gone through the last 20 meetings for Ryan in 2017 as that is now the limit of meetings for an average. I did say he improved his game when he changed back on to his GM & from 88 rides scoring 143 points I have him on a 6.50 average. Whether this is right or not, I'm unsure.

I agree that race alone should put bomber name first on next season team sheet

Your Workington bias is understandable , it"s not every season one feels the euphoria a treble brings . Just make it a four timer by coming to the tapes next March to defend your titles .

As a Plymouth supporter I would disagree with your choice there, we had as many injuries as Birmingham but being as far west as we are and riding on a Friday it seemed difficult to get replacements. We were still in with a shot until the last few meetings :-)

Its a bit unfair to single out individuals when there are so many interesting and knowledgeable contributors to this section of the forum . Yes there are also a few numpties who's sole purpose is to wind folk up and also one or two of the nasty variety . But thankfully they are in the minority and the rest of us love the sport and i enjoy the quiet moments reading the various threads . I remember the days when i went to the speedway ; went home and didnt have anyone to talk to about it until the following week , so this forum has been a godsend in that respect . Long may it continue to flourish .

baa humbug , didnt even get a look in .

Anyone can stick a few pegs in the ground. It would be nice to have some photographic evidence of the work actually starting. It's the least the Swindon fans deserve.

The same people who want to unfix the race nights will be moaning about the number of guests due to continental commitments. The uk won’t have priority. It will be like 2017. 1 season of fixed race nights isn’t really a gage. If at all possible stick with it for another year or so and people will start to know speedway is Monday and Wednesday. If you keep changing things just because it’s not working for 1 or 2 teams then we will carry on wateringdown and it will all get farcical again with the number of guests. It will suck. if Leicester hadn’t lost vaculik early on their crowds would have been decent with a successful team but that’s sport and somebody has to finish last and their crowds will fall to hardcore. 1 pawlicki/Woffinden/lindgren masters morris Thorsell covatti m riss/grieves? kemp/Brennan if this is anywhere near fitting. As an outsider this to me would be a team I’d take notice of if they came to my track

Every man and his dog knows heroin is addictive. To take that first shot is your choice. You make that choice to be an heroin addict. Nobody who takes that $#!+ deserves sympathy, especially ripping your own parent off for £40k plus. I don't consider my life as boring and I done drink, smoke, do drugs or gamble. Even with all the health issues I'm currently dealing with, unable to work for 2 years so far, I will not go down that route of taking up things that become addictive. I don't expect people to feel sorry for me so I have no time for someone who's an addict. All addicts are scumbags and have no thought for others.

You sound nice.

Having been confined to hospital the past week, your attacks on my posts mean nothing. The morphene seems to make them even funnier. I have a broken femur and shoulder, really painful, the fault of an idiot who apparently didn't see me when he pulled into a junction and i crashed over his bonnet, hit my head on his screen and then fell onto the floor. Most painful experience I have had. A 12 inch rod knocked into my leg and screws everywhere. Now, the driver has admitted it was his fault, the police too, and the taxi driver who caught it on his dash cam. But not one of them could provide proof that my freebie had brought speedway to where it is now. But they said at least I survived my near death experience. What is speedway, they asked.

Agreed, do not give a toss about the stands or back straight bog or the bloody awful food for sale.

After a meeting full of arguments, backstabbing and threats the best AGM ever, the BSPA have come up with plans for an exciting new era.. Doubling-up: It's clear that this is starting to become a slight problem. Teams will be limited to having 6 riders who double-up. Fixtures: There have been a few difficulties this year so from 2019 onwards all teams must have a 6 week period during June-August with no fixtures taking place. This is to ensure the annual scramble to fit everything in at the end of October takes place. Teams finishing their fixtures in early September will simply not be allowed to happen. Fixture planning: After his successful intervention this season, Rob Godfrey will compile the fixture list and any changes/re-arranged fixtures must have his approval. Guests: Teams should only use their contracted riders if a suitable guest is not available. Admission prices: In an effort to increase attendances, admission at all venues will be capped at a maximum of £10. Clubs may also add an exit charge of up to £20 which fans will be required to pay before being allowed to leave the stadium. Abandoned meeting policy: If a meeting is abandoned for any reason after the meeting has started, the captains of each team will take part in an exciting new addition. Using the Barry Briggs homologated rain-off hat, 4 coloured balls will be placed inside. For every race still to be completed, the captains will take turns and whichever colour is drawn out first is deemed to have won that race, drawn 2nd is 2nd and so on. This will take place on the centregreen and fans will be invited to watch it take place for a fee of £1 per heat. Improved presentation: Before the rider introductions on the parade both teams will be required to take part in a club war cry. All music played should be from the 1980s and 'The Final Countdown' must be played before heat 15. Failure to do so will result in the meeting being awarded to the away side. Social media: Recognising this is vital all clubs will be encouraged to keep their official websites up to date with a detailed match report expected within 48 hours. To celebrate these plans it can also be revealed that a new 'Chairman Chapman' Wulfsport coat will be available from December. Pre-order now for a guarenteed Christmas delivery - the ideal present!

I like going to the pub and I like going to the speedway. Both of these pastimes have been in serious decline over the past few years and people have stopped going to both in droves. Some of the reasons can be found in both of these pastimes. It's hard to tempt people out of their houses and pay money for beer when they think it's overpriced and the same can apply to speedway. The pubs that just do the same thing that clearly doesn't work time and time again, and just throw their doors open expecting the public to flood in are the one's that die. This is what speedway 'promoters', by and large, tend to do. They offer a product which does not represent value for money and do nothing to keep the fans they have got, never mind attract new ones. Some pubs are thriving because they offer what the customer in their community wants. Some offer live entertainment, some offer food, some offer karaoke nights. My local offers a warm welcome, a nice pint and friendly people and it's busy most nights. The landlord drives around in a Mercedes and has a holiday home in Florida. It works where I live but wouldn't work elsewhere and the promoters have to work hard at getting their product right for the audience they want to keep and attract. To do this they need a product. The product they are offering is potentially one of the most exciting sports in the world and surely, this must be a good starting point. However, what they provide is an overpriced chaotic shambles of a sport with no direction, no identity and no credibility. They need to get back to basics. Offer a full and attractive fixture list with a team of riders that ride for one club. Not the current situation where any seven riders who pull on a race jacket is called a team. It isn't. People will moan on about the 'not enough riders to go round' myth. There are enough riders, they are just riding at the wrong level. Grand Prix riders should not be riding in the second tier, half the third tier riders should be at Championship level and the poor kids stuck in the Development League should be in the National League. If they must charge £17 to get in, at least give the fans £17 worth of entertainment. Unfortunately, 15 races of 55 seconds interspersed with 50 minutes of track grading does not justify parting with £17 in cash. The continual fixture list farce demonstrates absolutely the reasons why the promoters should not be allowed to run things for themselves. I am sure they are all successful businessmen and women in their own right but they have no idea how to work collectively for the benefit of the sport. It is all about vested interests and stabbing each other in the back. I cannot think of any other sport where the owners of the clubs run things themselves. It needs someone with authority and respect to run the sport. There needs to be some way of cutting down on the rained off meetings. Is it any wonder there is hardly any travelling support when riders refuse to turn out if someone spills so much as a cup of tea on the track. I know that if it's tipping it down at start time then there will be little chance of racing but some way of covering tracks cannot beyond the capabilities of the human race. It is also about time we stopped penalising success and rewarding failure. We go on about the lack of riders yet Joe Jacobs, who made massive progress with Belle Vue a couple of seasons ago can't get a team place the following year because his average is too high, whilst another rider who under achieved and threw tantrums was rewarded with two team places the following season because his average fitted!! Finally, the riders have got to come to their senses. If you want to be a full-time rider and are either rich or riding in Poland in front of 15,000 fans, then fair enough and good luck to you. If you are second string in the 'Championship' riding in front of 500 people, surely you cannot expect to be full-time. Look back at the Peter Oakes' Who's Who book in 1974 and the vast majority of the riders had jobs. Now, for some reason, all the riders seem to feel that they are entitled to be full-time, thereby expecting the wages that would enable them to sustain that lifestyle. It cannot continue on current crowd levels. However, having wasted half an hour of my life typing this, I expect that the 2019 season will result in three small leagues, riders riding for multiple clubs, more riders being frozen out of the sport, fixture chaos, declining crowds, arguing promoters and more tractor racing. I'm off to the pub.

No... But it's nice to dream and it gives some posters an opportunity to write massive long "blueprints for the future" posts to waste everybody's time