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Just as well Gospeed didnt need to be asked......

But leave a cherry too long and it goes mouldy. By the 3rd bite the taste isnt that attractive I can understand every few days over a period of time or even week by week til around Christmas Once a month from November and less than half the team announced by February though doesnt do it for me

My club Ipswich has gone from being one of the first to announce the team in one go in November to being the last to sort the team. Social media interaction was very good previously and that’s changed for the worse. Its 2019 not 1978. People can access information instantly and expect to so why drag out announcements on riders. I could accept one per day for a week but this is crazy. You are alienating your regular customers for what ??

its heartbreaking reading that from the local paper . everything that could have been done to save the club , has been done , you can now see just why every young gun thats decent on a bike wants to ride speedway . free vans and stuff are making this glorious sport extinct . the sport cant and will not survive much longer and thats not just in workington .. so who is to blame ? the fans that dont come anymore , the entrance fee too high , or has boredom really set into our great sport . the new ish thumb brigade get their excitement from moving buttons about now and sucking fizzy drink that gives you wings ! i , like many others will lose our Saturday speedway fix and if the costs keep going up and up . we will never see speedway at workington again . but if its not to be , then so be it . but we said goodbye in the best way . . anyone that has promoted or had dealings with running a speedway circus deserves more than . a pat on the back . it shows how the sport is being run by the goonies when they lose the shield trophy and cant/wont even pay for a few medals for the riders competing in the finals . remember , just support your team till the bitter end, because one day it might be . (i have not spell checked or read this , so there will be mistakes )

What do Kings Lynn as a club gain from keeping the names of Jorgensen, Kerr, Palm Toft and Riss from the fans? What do the 4 riders gain from it? What do the fans gain from it?

The whole secret philosophy is so offensive to their supporters integrity. To Pi55 someone off, who has supported them for 50odd years takes some doing, but they seem to make a habit of it. As far as I'm concerned, the main reason the fans don't go any more is in respect in the way they are treated.. They say you reap what you sow...

I'd suggest lazy parenting also comes into it. Far more parents these days instead of engaging with their kids and taking them to places like speedway, just let them sit on their consoles/phones etc and do their own thing binge watching Netflix.

Had a bad day acef? To be fair cannot argue with the sentiments of your last three posts.... The racing standard nowadays is largely irrelevant to the level of crowds watching in so much that the only people who can see any decline (if there actually is any) are those who go regularly... And as they are very much the diehards of the sport, who still attend regardless of what is put in front of them, they are obviously content with what they see.... I would suggest anyone new to the sport would still be initially 'wowed' by the sport at any track with any standard of racing.. It would only be over a matter of time that they could then become opinionated as to whether the racing was as good as they first went or not and decide to continue paying to watch... The initial 'wow factor' is there at every track, the bigger problem is that not enough of the local conurbations know about the sport to attend, or plenty of them have tried the sport regularly previously, and given it up due to its Mickey Mouse operating model.. The NSS delivers racing far superior to most and infinitely more so than the 'dog bowl' ever did.. So why isn't it full every week? 2.5 Million people live in Grt Manchester, all within 45 mins drive from the NSS. Which is 5 mins out of Mcr City Centre for those who use public transport.. I would suggest 2.4 Million of them have no clue (or at best very little clue) who the Belle Vue Aces are, or indeed, what Speedway is.. Thats the biggest problem the Aces have.. And that situation is I would say replicated around the country.. The standard of racing is irrelevant if hardly anyone knows it's happening in the first place..

Point taking rider power wins the day i know am old school but remember the good old days of trailors and bikes on car racks and riders with day jobs !

You can still have 7 separate press pieces by having follow up stories about each rider That could help build a team identity and promote a growing sense of club identity

Chapman speaks when he has something to say. Unlike a lot of people on hear who speak because they like to be heard.

So every other team is doing it wrong then....

At the end of the day the club can’t control who listens to Radio Norfolk and KLFM or reads the EDP and Lynn News but they have to cover those angles. However they could and probably should be doing more to increase followers on social media, that is where young supporters ie future punters will come from in all likliehood.

So good to see Darcy Ward getting wed to the lovely Lizzie on Friday. Congratulations to them both. So many speedway friends in attendance in Oz, including Middlo, the Holders and the Kurtzs, Leigh Adams plus Aussie Team Manager Mark Lemon and many more..

WE were approached by the producers of Grantchester some time ago about using the magazines and to ensure there were no copyright issues, which of course there were not.

Are the costs really too high for a 2nd tier professional sports team? An attendance of just 750 would see a break even position There are other clubs with higher crowds and we hear few if any clubs are making profits. This must mean those clubs have even higher costs

Don't sign them then. I'm quite sure other riders would have signed without the extra cost to the promotion.

Riders dont have to buy a van though, Rentruck have 45 available for hire. I have huge sympathy for Laura Morgan and the position Workington Speedway finds itself in, but reading this article it seems Workington were paying money for riders living costs. https://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/17404834.taking-a-season-out-will-give-us-time-to-save-the-comets/?ref=fbshr&fbclid=IwAR0SEKtkCelP3wH-0NtVGWmSrWGKvzfYrPL8LGICNIwwjJ6g778T6HNVhZY

THINK it was 1954 ... before my time but not yours John

Pretty obvious really. Four rider places left, four names not told to fans. Basically that's all fans want to know in the close season. Don't say fans are told about fitness training cos be honest who the hell cares that they are training in a gym, unless you follow gymnastics. just my opinion

i wouldn't describe myself thusly. Obviously they need props that reflect the times and i merely reflected. Sorry to spoil your day

Absolutely spot on - we got more information back in the day when all we had was the local press and the Speedway Star - a lot of people blamed Marc Gent when he was in charge of press release and social media for lack of information and I was one of them but clearly it wasn’t his fault - I’ve never known any business to take its customers for granted in this way and it’s a very dangerous game to play in my view .

All those media outlets and the fans are told nothing. That just illustrates the shear incompetence of the Promotions of Lynn Speedway.... Back in time, before we had all these media outlets, we knew far more news then we do now... and that takes a bit of believing...

Every premiership club is to stage a gb youth round. First few dates already published on young lions site: ROUND 1 @ Peterborough Monday April 22, 2019 ROUND 2 @ Ipswich Monday May 6, 2019 ROUND 3 @ Glasgow Sunday June 15, 2019 ROUND 4 @ Belle Vue Sunday June 22, 2019 Dates for additional rounds at KING'S LYNN, POOLE, SWINDON andWOLVERHAMPTON to follow in due course.

Thanks for making the position clear. While Campton is an exception, it is extremely difficult not have a great deal of sympathy for him and it is possible that he will have to give up racing. I can only hope that sanity prevails and that he is allowed to stay anyway given the almost unique circumstances.

KLFM no sane under 40 listens to that cack. Radio Norfolk is the only place for Norwich fans to vent, apart from the football it's then just the blue rinse brigade listening. Twitter = 4055 followers, lucky to have a 3rd of that turn up on race night. Also down just under 2000 followers from 2016. Instagram = 603 followers, abysmal for a professional sports club. So, clearly the current media stance of drip feeding is delivering F-all except frustration and turning off the supporters.

Nothing against Simon but you couldn't risk him with the two reserves Somerset have it would put too much pressure on them if he wasn't scoring many points in the main body of the side. Also you want people who will improve there average and i'm not sure Simon will.

*different

Along with a terrific race track which, ultimately, is what really matters.

I'm not but aren't they targeted at your personal search history and interests etc.

If only the Clubs paid standard rates,maybe the Sport would be in a healthier state.

in that case every big meeting should go there. A National Stadium should be holding a GP at least, though i realise the crowd would be a fraction of Cardiff it would be bigger than some other GPs. The quality would be 1st class of course.

Seven separate press releases yes, I get that, but there is no need to leave it this long. It just leads to the ridiculous PR about the team training for the season when they could only show one rider as only two had been named. Name two or three before Christmas then the others one a week after that. Once the team has been named that's the time to issue training PRs when all riders could be pictured surely. At least that makes sense to me.

To put things into perspective regarding the cost of the NSS it's been reported the cost to repair Manchester Town Hall will be upwards of 250 million.I think the stadium was built cheap for what was involved.Any new stadiums being built today will be costly no matter what sport it's for. The NSS is a world class racetrack , and for the sake of speedway in this country deserves to succeed.

It’s not a Chapman thing anyway. Buster used to tell the fans at a press conference style meeting every December. It may not have been a full team but it was certainly everything that had been inked. This drip feeding has started since robin brundle has joined. He’s got a lot right but the drip feeding and the stars “anthem” are 2 things that do annoy me. I think his intentions are good. With the uni link up and fitness regime thing as a moving forward of the sport in the uk. I also think buster cops a lot of harsh stick. But isn’t that always the way in any form of anything that holds a leader/chairman. I think the difference over the last ten years is social media and the view that every bodies oppinion matters. . . It doesn’t. We all have platforms now to talk crap when we don’t hold positions to do so. Like it or not. Buster is a doer. Not a talker. And they are the people who make things happen. Us drips on forums don’t.

Genuine question GRW, and I say this without agenda or taking sides particularly other than being interested in everyone’s viewpoint, why are you so keen to know information which in theory doesn’t really need to be confirmed for a few weeks yet and isn’t really a secret anyway as it can be worked out through the process of elimination? Why do you think we should know three months before the season starts rather than being drip fed to keep the club in the news? Genuinely interested and not saying you are right or wrong or having a go.

Timo Lahti got a swedish passport a few years ago. Yes a dual citizen.

FIM ICE SPEEDWAY GLADIATORS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL1.2 SUNDAY Ivanov (3,3,3,3,1) (13+3+3) 19 Koltakov (3,3,3,2,2) (13+3+2) 18 Khomitsevich (3,3,3,3,3) (15+2+1) 18 Valeev (2,3,2,3,3) (13+2+0) 15 Toloknov (2,2,1,2,3) (10+1) 11 Weber (2,2,1,2,1) (8+1) 9 Haarahiltunen (3,2,2,1,3) (11+f) 11 Shishegov (1,1,3,1,2) (8+R) 8 S. Svensson (0,1,1,3,2) 7 N. Svensson (2,1,2,1,d) 6 Niedermaier (1,2,0,0,2) 5 Ledstrom (1,T,R,2,1) 4 Ebner (1,0,2,0,0) 3 Cheblokov (0,1,1,0,N) 2 Serov (0,0,0,1,0) 1 Denis Slepuchin (Kazakhstan - Res) (0,0,0,F,1) 1 Pavel Nekrasov (Kazakhstan - Res) (0,0,) 0 Semi Final 1: Koltakov, Khomitsevich, Toloknov, Shishegov R Semi Final 2: Ivanov, Valeev, Weber, Haarahiltunen F Final: Ivanov, Koltakov, Khomitsevich, Valeev OVERALL (* = wildcard) Ivanov 38 Khomitsevich 35 Valeev 32 Koltakov 31 Haarahiltunen 26 Toloknov 21 Weber 18 Ledstrom 13 Shishegov 12 N. Svensson 12 S. Svensson 12 Niedermaier 8 Zorn 7 Ebner 5 Serov* 2 Cheblokov 2 Ivanov wins his first Final since March 8 2015! He also leads the standings, with a 7 point lead over Koltakov. Franky Zorn withdrew from today with a leg injury, but I'm told his bikes will go to Shadrinsk, and he will fly there if fit after treatment at home in Austria. Good start to the series for Haarahiltunen, and good to see 'Eis-Hans' Weber in the top 8 two days running. Thanks again to Jesper (https://www.baansportfansite.nl) for his live updates which makes sorting the results out that bit easier. TEAM CUP OF RUSSIA (JUNIOR TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP), TOGLIATTI SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2 & SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3 KAMENSK URAL 41+3 (21+20) Dmitri Solyannikov 20 (10+10), Nikita Tarasov 15+3 (8+7), Ivan Khuzhin 6 (4+2) TOGLIATTI 41+2 (20+21) Evgeni Saydullin 27+2 (12+15), Vadim Svinukhov 14 (8+6) UFA 35 (18+17) Nikita Bogdanov 18 (9+9), Nikita Shadrin 17 (9+8) IZHEVSK 26 (12+14) German Khazmurzin 24 (11+13), Vlas Nekrasov 2 (1+1) TOGLIATTI II 18 (9+9) Andrei Stepanov 16 (8+8) Andrei Ansimov 2 (1+1) MK DOBRYNIN 17 (9+8) Elisha Vadrin 10 (4+6), Artem Afanasyev 7 (5+2)

this really isn't a cause for celebration: it merely underlines that the sport is seen as an historical activity.

On another site someone has actually confirmed the dates of the magazines on the wall, and they actually match the year the latest series is set.

Yep, & Capital, Kiss, Kerrang.

I saw this and was very surprised, in a nice way. I watch Grantchester religiously (if you'll pardon the pun) every week. Great Programme enhanced, for me anyway, by the Speedway pictures on the wall. Let's hope for more of the same.

With the greatest of respect all of the options mentioned so far will make us a lot weaker. As others have mentioned Berge’s reason for quitting seems a bit odd.

1970 to 1980 for me. Tracks galore in London and the South East. The loss of West Ham in 1972 and Tommy in 1976 were the real low points of the decade for me personally.

Yea Radio Norfolk listeners just about sums up the average age of those who attended Tatum and Pearson’s get together going by the photos on social media , and that’s one of Speedway’s major problems an ever ageing supporters fan base not being replaced with the next generation.

Andy Galvin [even though he went off the rails] and Alan Mogridge were worth the admission money on their own at most tracks. Top entertainers

Biggest mistake British speedway made was to abolish compulsory junior teams.

But at least everyone will know where they stand. Pay up at the end of each meeting and a rider will turn up for the next (considering how easy it is to do via bank transfer these days). Should never be situations where riders ride for 9 meetings without getting paid. No pay, no ride but no risk of being banned.

Makes Greg Hancock youngster ,who I suspect is in reality the oldest active rider in the true sense of the word and still very much at the top of the tree !

It’s a great race, but those sort of races still happen today. Just not in front of massive crowds.