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When I decided to ride speedway it was because I wanted to be a speedway rider (still do in my head )I didn’t care about the money, it was a nice bonus but just the Privalige of being a rider was everything to me, I run my own business along side speedway for most of my career often working around 60 hours a week and doing all the bike washing myself, yes there were times I was shattered and just wanted my bed but would I do it all again? Hell yes, I would often drive from Wolverhampton on a Friday do a couple of deliveries in London or Kent then on to Weymouth or Plymouth to race that night get back home at 2am and I loved it ,but I just don’t see that desire anymore from riders , it’s all about the money, I read “I’m putting my life on the line so I want big money “ I never thought I was putting my life on the line(except when I raced against roman matousek) I was just loving being a rider and racing my bike and to do that for a team was just amazing, where has that love for racing gone ?

I agree with you Dean, the money wasn't the be all and end all of racing, it was the excitement, the adrenaline pumping going into corners fast and only inches from your opponent, the feeling of elation when you beat a more experienced opponent that you didn't expect to 70 seconds earlier. It wasn't just a means to make money or drive around in a sign written van, we used trailers or bike racks, saying " look at me I must be good my names all over my van " which is what I see from a lot of would be racers. The expense of all the trick bits that the GP riders use, throttles at £150 each, seem to remember Ivan used a Jawa throttle, longer so better for throttle control. Maybe some of the riders need to go back to basics and maybe improve their situation.

The sport doesn't own these riders a living ,it's a sport if the riders are not making enough money at it they need to do something else to top up their earnings,it's pretty obvious the sport is in trouble by paying more than they can afford.Realism needs to kick in.

If your management were not looking at this kid on a 2pt average with the ability he has they would be neglecting there duty in building the strongest team possible.

It seems to go unnoticed but there are actually five months from the end of October to the start of April.. A long, long time to work... I pay my night lads (inc premium, NI and Pension) £11 an hour.. Thats £380 a week or a total of £7600 for 20 weeks work.. That's to fill shelves in a Supermarket.. I am sure there are probably other 'basic skilled' jobs out there that may pay even more..? Who knows, seven lads all earning this amount might collectively mean they don't have to then request over £50k between them off a Speedway promoter..? Would buy at least one very decent bike that I reckon and a good few quid left over for plenty of spares... The penny will need to drop soon that riding Speedway in GB isn't a full time role which gives you the opportunity to put your feet up at Forty years of age and spend your earnings for the rest of your life.. Similar to all Sports very, very few make it to the very top. British Speedway seems to be starting to realise that paying out EFL League One and Two wages on Bostik League attendance income simply doesn't add up.. It may be difficult to get people to ride Speedway now, but it will be a damn sight harder when no places exist to ply that trade..

...and dare I say a return of second halves (respected Businessman, ex-Promoter and National Team Manager James Easter has been quoted as saying same) . I recall Phil Crump saying during the twilight of his career that he was seriously thinking about finishing riding in the UK due to the demise of the old second halves (1984) because of potential lost earnings. However, as we all know, speedway has declined massively since those days and the number of people now attending wouldn't make it financially viable. Of course back then there were numerous open meeting and regional competitions but supporters gradually showed dis-interest in such events and therefore can't really complain about the apparent irregularities within today's market.

when i was a kid going to Wimbledon Stadium, so much of the evening was the excitement and anticipation of the racing, and it's things like that that have me hooked, but where is there ANYTHING to get the kids interest and keep it these days? Logic says it should be the racing, but so much more needs to be done. the anticipation bit at Wimbledon was when the track lights were on but all the stadium lights went off so just a lit up track for attention. why doesn't that happen now, is it health and safety, or is it that the track lighting at so many places is so bad if the stadium lights went out we'd ALL be in darkness. and something Dean & Les mentioned .. riding speedway should be about enjoyment a lot more than it obviously is, so much is about money. when i rode in the first team i had no idea what i was getting and just took the envelope and that was that. i WANTED to race, simple as that. bike on the rack on the back of the car Sunday night, early to work for BT Monday morning, half day holiday and off for a 3 hour drive to Exeter in the afternoon

not for me and many other shift workers ian Thomas always said if they had to run Fridays the crowd was down Saturday night is speedway night for me

Time for the natural order of things to be restored..... Thanks for keeping the Witches seat at the top table warm

Depends who he signs for.. It it's Scunny it will an lower average than if he signs for anyone else.. And if he signs for Workington and they ride on a Friday then his average will be very high That's how it works

The attraction in those days was the racing - the spectacle of speedway - and a challenge match was no different from a league match, it was a night at the speedway It wasn't about winning at all costs - that didn't seem to matter anything like it does today - yes, happiness was 40-38, but results weren't the be all and end all There were regional fixtures - eg Midland League, Midland Riders Championship - and as said over 30 meetings in a season if it rained a bit, the sawdust went down and the riders donned overalls over their leathers, so there seemed to be less rain offs

Both clubs should surely hear SOMETHING team wise before the new year surely? Louis has always been pretty quick in putting his teams together and always has them completed well before Christmas. If there’s nothing heard until the new year, and both clubs follow a similar pattern in team building time wise, then that’ll give more credence to the thought that Louis and Rathbone are not quite “still” in control team wise as originally said.

Plus teams were built with bonus points back then which added another 2/3 points on to the actual team averages

When the limit was 45 new riders from elsewhere were coming in on 7 and 9 and Brits on 3 Now its 4 and 5 with Brits on 2 A couple of those in a side and 38 becomes an old 45 anyway

Updated Newsletter: PLANNING consultants acting for Brandon Estates have been forced into the correction of a key paragraph of evidence from their most recent submission to Rugby Council. Framptons recently completed a ‘Needs Assessment’ which seeks to make the case that Brandon Stadium is surplus to requirements in line with National Planning Policy. In addition to the error-strewn report itself, an item in the covering letter accompanying the document raised major concerns, and has now been amended. Those who attended our recent Public Meeting will be aware that Jeremy Heaver spoke briefly on behalf of Coventry Racing Club Ltd during the question and answer session. Mr Heaver stated that having had sight of the most recent documentation, Coventry Racing Club had contacted Framptons to inform them they would take action against them should it not be withdrawn. Co-incidentally, the day after the Public Meeting, Coventry Racing Club received an apology from Framptons together with a correction to paragraph 1.15 in their covering letter. The paragraph concerned initially read: “In mid-2016 negotiations between the applicant and Coventry Racing Club Ltd ensued with respect to agreeing a new lease for 2017 onwards.” Framptons have now stated there was an error in the instructions received, and that the paragraph should have referred to mid-2016 negotiations with Coventry Speedway Ltd and not Coventry Racing Club Ltd. We find this single retraction peculiar for a number of reasons, not least because the relevant paragraph appears in a section of the report entirely devoted to (and headed with) Coventry Racing Club Ltd. It goes on to cast doubt over the financial position of Coventry Racing Club Ltd in a bid to explain why a lease deal was not agreed, and subsequently why they stopped running stock car events ‘on tour’ after four such meetings in 2017. Coventry Racing Club Ltd have always disputed the notion that they were given the opportunity to agree a lease for 2017 and beyond, an issue we pointed out in our initial response to the planning application, and the correction of this paragraph has a major effect on the timeline of what followed later, leading up to the forced closure of the stadium. Given that the Turley Report (focusing on viability) also contains the following paragraph, we assume that this should now also be amended: 1.13 …New lease/licence terms were offered to Coventry Speedway Limited (owners of Coventry Bees speedway team and racing licence holder) and Coventry Racing Club Limited (owners of Coventry Stox stock car/banger racing and associated licence holder) in mid-late 2016. Any possible action taken by Coventry Racing Club Ltd against Framptons is not a matter for our concern, but we will be further scrutinising both the original and most recent documents to ascertain which items could now be further challenged as a result of this correction, and we will make the appropriate representations. It is clear that if it is now accepted that Coventry Racing Club Ltd were in fact prevented from continuing as leaseholders, it totally invalidates sections of reports which state that no parties were willing to continue staging sporting events at the stadium beyond 2016, leading to the false narrative which states the stadium closed because no credible businesses wished to operate there. This notwithstanding, we already have evidence of third parties who wished to discuss operating at Brandon in 2017/18, and the response they received from the owners, via Howell & Co Solicitors, under the guise of ‘willing engagement.’ The actual content of the ‘needs assessment’ – which embarrassingly attempts to argue that there is suitable alternative provision for both Coventry Bees speedway and stock car racing elsewhere - is another matter entirely, and one which was covered in great detail at the Public Meeting. Members of the Campaign Group met with the Principle Planning Officer last week to take her through our concerns, and we have been reassured by Rugby Council’s pledge to seek independent, expert advice in order to investigate all documents to ensure that decisions are made in full knowledge of the facts. We will be happy to co-operate with whoever is appointed to lead this enquiry, should that be required, and are absolutely confident that statements made in our representations are indisputable. Brandon Estates, Framptons and Howell & Co should be aware that they cannot, and will not, be allowed to make statements which fail to present a fully accurate account of events both before and after the closure – and whose analysis of viability and alternative provision are both wholly unsatisfactory. We have already shown that we have extensive documentary and photographic evidence to dispute, or dispel, many of their claims, several of which are made with no apparent understanding of the much-loved sports they are scandalously attempting to permanently evict from the area. We will continue to challenge, in the strongest possible terms, any document which indicates there is no requirement for speedway and stock car racing in the Coventry/Rugby area, and that no parties are interested in operating.

Quote from Scott’s FB page There has never been a more important time to show your support for Berwick Speedway. Jamie Courtney will be sailing the ship in 2019 and I can’t emphasise enough how crucial it is for everyone to shoot for the same goal and help make this viable. I’ve done my stint front of house but if I could ask for one last thing it’s to show your unconditional support for your club.

In the early 60's when George was becoming the star at Meadowbank he drove a Cattle Lorry for his uncle most of the days he wasn't riding, as a lad used to wait for him stopping at the Chippy most nights ,great guy always had a chat.Times have changed ,if you have a bike you think you are a superstar nowadays.

Without any comment either way it is becoming more difficult to believe that the three clubs are operating independently.

That isn't a quote by Alex Harkess. He is quoted throughout the article, with his words in quotation marks. The last paragraph is added by the columnist, who has history in the business of putting unsaid words into articles.

So like last season he will be treated differently to every other Brit in British speedway, legal action again maybe lol

Oh - hadnt you heard

I can't believe this, how can an Australian get the numbers right and Najjer can't?

Good signing for the Tigers and a good move for Kemp himself lads like him need to learn to race on Big fast tracks like Sheff if they have any thought of making it on the bigger stage in Europe good move for both

1. R Lambert 2. Erik Riss 3. C. Holder 4. J.Allen 5. T. Batchelor 6. K. Anderson 7. S. Neilson Team manager Buster Chapman

No surprise to see Allen at Scunthorpe. Best of luck to him for 2019. Certainly one of the most entertaining riders about!

There is only one way to get squad systems to work and that's by Premiership clubs having a Championship tie in. At the end of the 5 year plan when they hope to end doubling up, this is how it would work:- Belle Vue - Workington Ipswich - Glasgow King's Lynn - Scunthorpe Peterborough - Leicester Poole - Sheffield Swindon - Somerset Wolverhampton - Edinburgh As an example for Poole, if an injury happens to their No1, they'd use the highest averaged rider available from Sheffield, they'd slot in at No7 and everyone else in the team moves up a position. If there's 2 injuries, the 2 highest averaged Sheffield rider's go at No6 and No7 and everyone else in the Poole team moves up a position and so on and so on. The only time a guest can be used is if there are to many injuries to the Championship club. Then a guest can be sort from other clubs that are not tied into a Premiership club. For me, it's the only way of getting squad systems to work and also be viable to rider's too.

AND what other job outside of speedway would allow them the variable time off required to get to and from tracks let alone actually race? It is hard enough as it is to see why any one would want to be a speedway rider these days without making it even more unviable than it already is. The way to stop doubling up is to ensure that riders can make a living riding from just one team and that will only come about with more and regular meetings for the track they are actually attached to.

And unlike burgers at almost every other track they actually have the taste and consistency of meat. And don't forget there is also lots of choice with hot meals in the bar too. And proper coffee. I tend to avoid speedway catering but this is yet another way in which Warriors put their 'bigger' rivals to shame.

Probably the most sensible post you've ever made :-)

Nah, although I reckon Job Godfrey is

Nick Morris is owed £28k by Rzeszow. I am not sure how many people on this forum could afford not to be paid £28k and continue to do the job they are doing. Suggests to me certain speedway riders aren’t doing so badly out of this game...

It's better to be a has-been than a never-was

Its 15.56 Paul. total 4 riders named 22.44

16.27 for remaining 3 riders

You don't realise how close to the truth that is but.... only "two cans" the fourteen year olds drink more than that?

The last time we were both in the same league was in 2002. We moved down to the Premier League in 2003 but raced each other in the BSPA Cup or whatever it was called. That’s the last meetings between us I can remember. Edit - Think the competition might have been called the British League Cup.

He would have been on every championship teams wishlist, well done Sheffield cracking signing.

It was confirmed when he rode for us that his registration is now held by the Witches Reports locally are that Drew doesnt qualify to ride in the Premiership (although other info contadicts this) Championship is the right choice for Drew IMO

This was my thoughts too, had we continued in a “similar standard to this year championship” I’d have maybe said no to bringing Nico back as just didn’t feel he was a consistent enough 3rd heat leader at that level - but like you said was great for Somerset and when at reserve on the nights where he does go off like a rocket can pick up extra rides! I liked the way Rasmus Jensen went at Foxhall last year and on converted average could come in at 4.39 - another potential trump card, or young josh Pickering on 4.07 always looks good at Foxhall. I would like to see a young Brit in one of the reserve berths though ideally depending on how the teams built and he all the numbers work out

If it meant seeing a better standard of riders racing against each other , then yes . Wasnt too many years ago the points limit was 45 .

Crikey - scrawny looking kid! Needs to talk to Mr. Heeps!

Many in Poland get a lot more than that for signing.

everyone guessing their team in the CH will be hoping for Drew Kemp

THINGS were very different then. Lots of riders were part time mechanics, often with their own small businesses servicing cars etc. They barely exist now. And the basic costs for riders is off the scale compared to 40 plus years ago.

We shall see . I just hope watering the product down even further doesnt become a stadium emptier . In the long term you could have 5 pointers becoming 7 or 8 pointers in an easier league , when theyre not really 7 or 8 point men and suddenly unemployable .

Unless people like you are prepared to put the covers out and take them up when the rain stops forget that idea.

Warriors named Community Club of the Year at last night’s WSRA annual awards. Massive achievement for everyone who work so hard under the guidance of Barry and Martin. Very well deserved.

Me too. I wouldnt be if Leicester were still in the PL but CL with more teams has renewed my enthusiasm for 2019.

I don't think the suggested teams look to bad tbh ! You can't beat Bread and Butter Racers !!!

Totally agree and just when you think the sport cannot get any more farcical it continues to be the gift that keeps on giving! and still we will only have say 12 to 14 meetings!