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Really proud to tell you all that Martin and I, on behalf of everyone who believed in us, volunteers, our fans, visiting fans, sponsors and riders, won the 2018 Isle of Wight Radio Local Hero Awards for Sporting Achiever. This is absolutely great to be honored up against every other sport, sports club, sports person who represents or is on the Isle of Wight and is voted for by the community. We are both, as should everyone associated with the club, very proud today. Thank you

I hope that the AGM does not take too much notice of the opinions of Bomber Harris. If that is how the majority of British riders feel then speedway has no chance of rebuilding itself. "Can't go on" without doubling up. "Not worth the risk" without doubling up. Bomber is a terrific speedway racer but outside of his own backyard no-one in the outside world has heard of him and many of the 25,000 UK fans of speedway do not want doubling up. He needs to talk to more of them. If there were 250,000 UK fans prepared to pay to get in and were baying for Chris Harris then he might get the rewards he deserves for his racing skills. What he did or didn't do at school is not the responsibility of supporters and he needs to really think about the day which comes to all riders ( except it seems Greg Hancock ) when they have to retire ( or want to retire or no-one wants to employ them ) life after speedway for all riders needs careful preparation and thinking about at a deep personal level.

If Bomber had done better at school he would understand this... As he didn't, he doesn't

Who actually cares what nights that Poland uses? Friday, Saturday and Sunday are the best nights for attendances, so we should use them. The riders then have a simple choice. It's about time the tail stopped wagging the dog.

One league of 18 team would give 34 league matches + play off +koc or any other competition + any challenges , that’s around 50 meetings 25 home 25 away , season is only 26 weeks long , that pretty much 2 aWeek , how many do they need ? , I like bomber but his interview was selfish and at odds with what the sport needs to do to move forward

All I remember is attending Coventry, Cradley, Eastbourne, Swindon etc etc on Saturday nights and always in front of healthy crowds, the ONLY thing that should dictate what night a club runs on is the availability of the stadium for the night a club wants to run on. GP riders seem to be able to make it to a Polish League match on a Sunday afternoon from wherever the GP event has been held on the Saturday night so why any other riders couldn't I fail to understand, Poland is 3 hours away max, on an early morning redeye they could be at the stadium by 11 am. Some riders are going to have to make some tough decisions either 30 odd matches in the UK or a handful in Poland. British Speedway can't be running it's business to suit others, it's never been at a better place to lay down some of its own rules, all of the prima Donna riders have been weened out of the league and with the country brexited by the start of next season there'll be no restriction of trade laws to block British Speedway doing its own thing. I think we all agree something radical needs to happen, Poland really shouldn't be an issue anymore!

Probably average 2 meetings a week so that’s £900 per week and like I said not bad wages, BUT if you read my first post I am willing to work 8 months of the year, the days where riders can live off speedway are gone atm. So if you divide that 8k by 52 weeks that’s £152 per week, can you live on that? I can’t and I don’t expect to and that’s why I drive lorries

My background in motorsport was Enduro, but in the days when everything had to be paid for by myself, I afforded it because I enjoyed it. I had to work my HOBBY around my full time employment. Time speedway riders and promoters in the lower levels realised this, and got back to basics, it is not a full time job, it is a hobby at this level. perhaps one tier being run at a professional level giving the amateurs something to strive for.

Spot on... Sign up 100% to ride over here.... Or dont. ... The Promoters will need to play their part by putting together a fixture list early enough, and sticking to it obviously... I know, I know, I am laughing as I type...

Why would stadiums be empty on GP nights? I watch very few things “live” at transmission time and much prefer to record and watch on delay. This allows me to skip past Adverts , replays and endless studio chats. I’m sure a lot of people feel the same way

I’ll tell you exactly what I was on if it is of such importance, it’s no secret, £60 per point, 15pence per mile and £1000 sign on fee which was split into two parts, now I don’t know exactly the amount of points I scored so let’s say 300 max and I’m being nice to myself 300 x 60=£18000, great wages, Now let’s take out the 10k it cost me to race so that’s 8k from April until mid August, not bad but not great wages BUT I have a job, I don’t expect speedway to pay 24/7 anymore, anyone who thinks that the majority of speedway riders are earning loads are deluded. Now please, don’t get me misconstrued I get that riders cannot demand what isn’t there but please, please don’t think riders are on mega bucks because it simply isn’t true

Unless riders accept the realty it’s going to be a 100% reduction, when I listen to today’s riders talk its like they think they have invented the wheel and before their career riders didn’t exsist, had a long chat with a former manager/mechanic of a world champion a few weeks ago and he was saying riders of today don’t realise how easy they have it , he said they did twice as many meetings as today’s riders and they had to drive all over Europe in a transit ,not flying like today with bikes and mechanics already there and then wash and prep the bikes and run a business too., before doubling up reared it’s ugly head riders would do around 50 british meetings a year and most had a job too , when I was at Berwick our no1 was a postman

I think that what Chris Harris maybe needs to keep in mind is that Speedway Rider isn't a proper job, so if his income needs aren't being properly met in that way, he needs to find ways to supplement that income. Saying that he wasn't any good at school and implying this prohibits him from doing anything else is utter piffle, which I'm sure he knows. What is he expecting to do, carry on riding speedway for a living until he turns 67?

IMO the two normally go together, especially in Speedway

If Buster does take over, I can wait for both Peterborough and Kings Lynn to fight over the signature of Simon Lambert. Lets hope Kings Lynn win!

I love watching Chris Harris ride but he is so far off the mark with his opinions it is unreal. So Chris wasn't too good at school and needs to ride for two teams at least to make ends meet. Sorry Chris, but can you explain how this is possible on 500-800 fans paying to get in? It seems a large proportion of everyone else in the sport want the doubling up system to end so that the sport can try and regain a bit of identity and credibility thereby attracting new fans and keeping the few that we have but Chris is happy for the sport to be run into the ground as people keep drifting away. I don't think that doubling up is the only issue as to why speedway is struggling but it's certainly one of the main ones and Chris needs to realise that the sport as a whole has got to come first, not the needs of a few riders who do not have the capability or willingness to do something else.

And don't forget he then doesn't work for 4 and a half months of the year... I remember a few years back when Jeremy Doncaster made his comeback and he said he was using an engine he found in his shed! He didn't do too badly on it either!

Bomber is a prime example of riders who are driving the price of the sport up. He spends season upon season complaining about engines and speed and throws money at them to generate results and therefore his signing on demands are high but with the right averages he is a good signing so clubs give him the money. Then at the end of the year everything is for sale. So for example a rider does 30 meetings per league per season. Very good bike with all the right bits costs 10k. If and its a big if a complete bike can be sold for 3k at the end of the year a rider has done well. Thats a 14k loss over 8 months that he is trying to find out of fees and points money before he has even started. I cannot believe that 1 bike cannot complete 120 races before being passed it, thats only 2 hours old! Riders need to look at maintenance of machinery not immediate replacements, A bike should be able to easily do 2 seasons and in reality many would last far beyond that.

Just the most important people then.... Chris Harris' comments this week absolutely epitomise how far removed from reality most riders are - their selfish approach is a huge factor in the mess UK speedway finds itself in. I am one of the long-term fans who has been disillusioned by so many things (particularly the way the sport is run for everyone but the fans) that I'm not sure I have anything vaguely resembling enthusiasm to give a toss if/when they are fixed.

Exactly, my point is I raced because I wanted to, because I wanted to prove something to myself, not because I was going to earn millions. I am better off not racing, but is life as good? Hell no.

To be honest dean I have no idea how many or how many points I scored, that isn’t the point I am trying to make, and no I didn’t double up. The point I am trying to make here is that riders are not on what “some” people think there are. now if we get to the real crux of the argument it’s different, riders cannot demand what isn’t there and this me,me, me attitude can’t be sustained. We need to work together, riders, promoters and fans to get this great sport back on track. i am lucky I didn’t work from 1998-2014, now I never had any real money but bloody hell I had a good life, I gave up my job for 5 months knowing I could go back, not for the money but for the life but as soon as it was over I was back at work, it’s the only way I could race

Dont believe for one minute the uk could support a super league at this moment in time

I can't see that a super league structure with a second team at Championship level will work. It doesn't matter how it is dressed up, fans will regard the championship level team as the reserve team and it will not attract fans in sufficient numbers. In 2017 the Aces had an average crowd of over 1400. The Colts averaged less than 500. Arguably, the racing was as good and the facilities, presentation etc., the same but fans wanted to see the best on offer and for that and for some, not being able to afford to attend both, voted with their feet. It would be a big financial gamble to run a super league team. Clubs would no doubt have to increase the admission cost to pay for the super stars and it could be a financial disaster if fans didn't then turn out in sufficient numbers for either, or, both teams.

If we sign up to the ISLB agreement. Maybe we shouldn't do that. Riders would have a choice - they ride in Poland or they ride over here. We need Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. If this year has proven anything, it's that running mid-week (with the notable exception of one or two tracks) is financial suicide. Put speedway on a night when the fans will come, because you need to look after the supporters as your No 1 priority. And then the riders have to fit into that. As I said, no more tail wagging the dog.

Perhaps THJ is suggesting a new/revised approach for 2019.....

You were doing reasonably well until that last bit. Riders averages are based on 4 rides, 7 riders per team equals 28 rides equals 14 heats - so 42.50 should win you the meeting!

As has been proved again this year, there will be loads of guests regardless of using fixed nights or not... Which means there will still be loads of contrived nonsense meetings.... Therefore, you might as well run this nonsense on nights when the majority of the population enjoy their leisure time, ie at weekends... Those who still go are obviously not bothered about the lack of any credibility in what they are watching, so will turn up anyway, so run at weekends when you may get an odd ex fan or two (or heaven forbid a newbie), deciding occasionally to make Speedway their weekend night out.... We have dozens and dozens of meetings made up of contrived septets, even with FRN, on nights which the entertainment sector regard as the worst ones in the week to attract custom, therefore... Run dozens and dozens of meetings made up of contrived septets, on nights which the entertainment sector regard as their best ones in the week to attract custom... Nothing to lose surely? So no risk, the die hards will always be there, the rest of the population will have more of a chance to go....

If Lynn come to the Showground, they would be kicked out very quickly. The Panthers ultras would not stand for this.

Fair play to David Howe for revealing his points money,but as others have said what kind of money are most of the Champoinship riders are on,judging on crowd levels at most tracks it’s easy to see why most are in financial difficulty.

I mean no offence to you but you said I still gave up my job hinting that we earn loads, apologies for any offence at all as it wasn’t meant or implied

You have been involved with speedway stuff for a while,,, how many times does a lot of things need be explained ??? Have you played the 'song title game' ?,,, honestly, some are as thick as mince

That's not how it works averages are based on each rider having four rides by heat 14 there has been 28 rides, that is 7 riders x 4 rides = 28 rides = 14 heats = 14 x average 3 points per heat = 42 points therefore a combined team average of 42.5 points will win the match hopefully that explains how averages work

Yea look how many fans getting rid of double points brought back lol .Remember when people said they knew people that had left because of that one reason .another speedway myth gone.

The most important thing is Peterborough are running and subject to the BSPA members acceptance of the new ownership Ged and Neil can make the best decisions for the club depending on the outcome of the league structure talks.

I'm finishing work (apparently!)!

What about the clubs who CAN afford to operate at a 'top' level and their fans demand it?? They should be allowed and encouraged to do just that, whilst running a 'B' team in the weaker league. If its only 5, 6, 7 or 8 teams that fit that category then call it a Super League or an Elite League with a decent points limit and with a low maximum number of fixtures to attract some of the top riders and then a B team (without any top riders) to run with a lower points limit and with a reduced admission price. As long as the scenario is financially sound for those clubs - and more importantly its what the fans and sponsors of those clubs want to see - then why shouldn't there be a structure that allows them to do it?

... And the trouble now is that we are adapting to solely accommodate distinctly average riders!

Sadly it is time for British Speedway to think of itself and form a league based on costs that are practicable and riders who are available here for the majority of the time. The likelihood is that this would inevitably lead to a weakened league in terms of top riders but it would at least survive and hopefully over time would recover. Drastic action is required and we cannot keep adapting to solely accommodate the top riders as the sport cannot cope with them as it is.

Maybe if there was one big league with more meetings the riders wouldn't need to double up make enough meetings to make it pay.

Really can't see Belle Vue riding on any night other than Fridays, crowds were very poor last season riding on the Monday nights, when compared to the 2017 season when we rode on our favoured night Friday.Our promoters are through and through Businessmen, I can't see them bailing out again, for another under supported season. Cookie is not in the GP's this coming season and Max is only 2nd reserve, so assuming we start the season including both in our 1-7 Friday night's at Belle Vue should be fairly easy to sort out. Finally I for 1 would move heaven and earth to get Max back next season, he is so entertaining round the NSS.

Donkey is an absolute legend - he couldve pulled out his lawnmower from his shed and won races

you mention clubs reducing cost yet then seem to suggest a pay structure that would increase cost there are very few riders in the Championship of £80/point now sadly that level of payment would take 50% of the clubs out the league and bust the rest within 6 months its basic ecconomics

Not the likes of Ricky Wells, but what about Iversen, Cook, Fricke, Holder, Bewley, Lambert and so on? I disagree that speedway needs to run at weekends to attract new fans. There is no reason new fans cannot attend midweek meeting IF speedway actually made an effort to actually promote itself.

What would you do with riders like Dan Bewley? He rode in a GP Challenge qualifier, four World U21 Individual meetings and two Team U21 meetings. That's seven weekends where he was unavailable for a Saturday meeting in Britain. Should he not be signed by any club as he isn't 100% committed to British speedway?

I wonder if Rick Frost fancied another go now that he has the time on his hands that he didn't when boss of Readypower. I'm sure that he'd happily miss the shark infested custard of the AGM.

Spot on, speedway has become an arms race. The top GP riders have a stable of bikes and a "team" behind them at every GP. That filters all the way down. Everybody has to have that "edge" or they are being left behind. Finding a way to limit these costs has to be the way to go.

Long time observer, never posted... until now.... Seriously - Mondays? Thursdays? Wake up. The sport is on it's arse in this country. If they don't run at weekends, it's gone pretty soon as a team sport. Stuff the GP's, just don't sign GP riders! Not saying every team should have a weekend race night, but in Belle Vue's case I think it's imperative to get Friday or Saturday, regardless of who is in the team. Attracting new or casual people through the gates does not mean they need GP 'Stars' (I use that term loosely these days), they need the whole experience to be decent. If the racing is good, then I wouldn't care what the 1-7 is, but I'd agree some continuity between seasons would be good, so the long-term 'fan' can relate. Sack the fixed race nights & clubs should run on any night when it's most viable for them. The tail has been wagging the dog for far too long.

Promoters can't win, what happened to the 'we want continuity' shout from the fans. If Belle Vue hadn't had terrible luck with injuries they may have won the league in 2018 imo!

Time the Championship was made an amateur league, riders riding speedway as a hobby and not a job,much smaller point money covering their costs. Will probably be just as entertaining, cannot get worse anyway.

Starman I thought you were one of the reasons they closed the other one...?