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Glasgow has been selected to host a SGP qualifier on May 23rd next year.

That would be terrific , I realise he isn't the rider we all knew and loved but it would be a very fitting way for him to end his career.

And so it begins......

I reckon we'll end up with Chris Harris, well until March anyway

Some of us are just amused that it is considered 'rule bending' when it is in the rules you can ASK for a reduction if they haven't ridden over here for at least 3 years!

Because we are not in the Championship yet!

That is so true. In the olden days, I used to do Sheffield (Thursday), Ellesmere Port (Friday) and Hyde Road (Saturday). It didn't matter who was racing, I just wanted to see a sport called speedway. It was more about the spectacle then, where now it's more about what team can con their way to a title. And fans are being fooled into thinking speedway is worthless unless you're winning.

A serious sport would not need the pretence of keeping a season alive. The league table matches are mugging you off, mate. I suppose it would be more believable if there was a serious effort to get relegation into speedway, then clubs wouldn't purposely drop points to fiddle their way into the last two weeks of the season. Perhaps an idea to keep short-sighted cult followers happy with speedway is to have every team seeded to the Play-Offs. Cut out the middle man and turn it into the boat race. Persuade every remaining fan that their side has a chance to win the Final, and that every match until then is just a nice warm-up. In fact, allow bouncy castles to introduce new fans who like bouncy castles. They might wonder what the sound of motorbikes is and people with badges filling in scoresheets. A lot of speedway fans since the Play-Offs were introduced, are merely the John Terry in Chelsea's Champions League win a few years back. They only turn up and wear the colours to be part of the glory.

I think you will find that riders do not say anything about where they are riding until it is announced by the club. In the SS report, he was also saying he would like to be racing in the PL & NDL. Hoping for a PL spot is the 1st part of the story. The 2nd is his hospital visit for a progress report. The 3rd is that the door is still open for an NDL spot(his over 4 CL average probably will curtail his initial inclusion if the rules stay the same) The 4th is that he would love to be back at Scunthorpe(We will not let him go to another club )

Whether it does or not, and it's incredibly harsh saying this, but we can't include Batch unless we are allowed to keep the same team. If we have to build to 42.50 and had Doyley and Batch then the tail will even longer than the team that started 2019. Feel bad saying that as Batch was so good last year and won a lot of people over.

So is Bjarne a realistic option? Would be good to have him at Poole again before he retires. Should be okay at CL level..?

Bjarne Pedersen set to retire is news most Pirate fans would view as the end of an era and most would see as sad to hear. He gave amazing service to Poole and always gave his best, his 21 points at Lakeside would forever live in my memory and I really hope he gets a farewell meeting because he fully deserves one.

How about having a heavy top 5 & having both Thompson Twins at reserve??

But that's the issue Vince, the 'normal league meetings', dont deliver those less regular fans who know about the sport, therefore dont deliver big crowds, hence no atmosphere, hence no increase in crowds. A perfect vicious circle.. The 'play off qualifiers' don't seem to engage people regularly enough, and the play off themselves almost become then a 'loss reducer' for the season as 'lapsed fans' come back. . However I bet at most tracks the increased attendance doesn't cover the overall short fall in attendance through the season to watch 'the qualifiers', by some distance... You might as well give away free tickets to as many people of a certain demographic as you can... I would suggest anyone 15 to 25 should just be targeted and offered free tickets as that is the glaring demographic missing from most Speedway meetings.. 15 year olds now hunt in packs so 10 or so would attend together, and even though there has been free admission for 'kids' for a long time at some tracks, not many get to 16+, leave school, and pay to attend, therefore the system doesn't garner any return.. And hardly anyone under 25 is seen at Speedway these days. And plenty of them will have jobs and disposable income due to more of them now still living with parents, before the (inevitable for many), 'family and mortgage' kicks in around 27-30 years old, and that disposable income becomes an oh, so distant memory.. Target these demographics and, if between 19 to 25, offer one free ticket and maybe three more meetings at say a tenner to try and get them hooked? Anyone 15 to 18, just throw free tickets at them.. They are not there now so no loss, and the more that attend (paying or not), the more atmosphere naturally gets created. Which may encourage more to attend more regularly in future. And a virtuous circle begins.. And if nothing else, should you reach the play offs there would be a good few hundred more in the local area who, (by definition of attending for free during the season), now know about the team and sport and might therefore, go along to watch on those nights and pay full price?

MASSIVE CONGRATS to Danny Ayres, 2019 Scorpion of the year, HAS to be back in 2020

I myself am in favour of radical changes which i won't repeat here because i can't take the flak atm. It does look, however that another season of 'lets pretend nothing's wrong' is ahead of us with 2/3 teams being bribed to enter the top league stripping the less disastrous (i won't say successful) CL and NL of clubs. One thing i would say again is that people talk about dilution when big names don't ride here but actually the product is well presented good racing, not necessarily star names whose names ,lets be honest, mean f. all to the general public.

SGP Quali: 23rd May ACU Qualifying Round 1 Glasgow Scotland 23rd May FFM Qualifying Round 2 Lamothe-Landerron France 23rd May FMI Qualifying Round 3 Terenzano Italy 25th May DMSB Qualifying Round 4 Abensberg Germany 11th July SMF Challenge Žarnovica Slovakia U21 WC: 06th June DMSB Qualifying Round 1 Ludwigslust Germany 06th June LaMSF Qualifying Round 2 Riga Latvia 06th June ACU Qualifying Round 3 TBA United Kingdom 20th June TBA Final 1 TBA TBA 05th September TBA Final 2 TBA TBA 02nd October ACCR Final 3 Pardubice Czech Republic U21 Team WC: 30th May ACCR Qualifying Round Pardubice Czech Republic 22nd August DMU Final Outrup Denmark 250cc WC: 31st July DMSB Semi Final 1 Cloppenburg Germany 31st July DMSB Semi Final 2 Cloppenburg Germany 01st August DMSB Final Cloppenburg Germany Long Track of Nations: 05th September FFM Final Morizès France 85cc Speedway: TBA SVEMO Final Kumla Sweden 125cc Track Racing: 13th June DMSB Final Diedenbergen Germany 250cc Long Track: 13th June DMSB Final Diedenbergen Germany Long Track Quali: 23rd August DMSB Qualifying Round Scheessel Germany 20th September KNMV Challenge Roden The Netherlands Long Track Finals: 21st May DMSB Final 1 Herxheim Germany 20th June FFM Final 2 La Réole France 05th July DMSB Final 3 Mühldorf Germany 08th August SML Final 4 Forssa Finland 26th September PZM Final 5 Rzeszow Poland

Several sports in the US over the past few years have started to see teams deliberately end their seasons the worst team in the league... 'Tanking' is the latest buzzword to describe what the teams are doing.... This then gives them one of the first draft picks for the next season, or the chance to pass up this opportunity and take several team improving players from a competitor and give them the pick instead, hence they write off one season to potentially improve the next.. Some even have written off several seasons to allow them to build up several of the better drafted players over a few years to help with longer term success.. However, the governing bodies of these sports are now discussing how best to deal legally with these teams suspected of 'tanking' as they feel that the integrity and credibility of their respective sports could be threatened by such antics, and are also acutely aware of possible impact to crowd numbers because of it.. British Speedway wouldn't take such action I would suggest as it's allowed to be a fundamental part of the sport..

Well the averages show you are incorrect in thinking Kurtz is better than Batch!

Do not think there would be a single Brummies fan that would be anything other than delighted . If /when confirmed .

http://www.speedwaygb.co.uk/news.php?extend.35805 The BSPA are delighted to report that the 2018 AGM has successfully concluded and has delivered a number of positive benefits for 2019 and equally importantly, stability going forward. British Speedway in 2018 has achieved tremendous success in the International and European competitions. The British Premiership, Championship and National Development Leagues have entertained a growing and more diverse audience by consistently delivering speedway of the highest quality. It is clear from the data received from our media partners that British Speedway remain fit for purpose as a sports product. On this basis the BSPA have identified that the evolution of the regulations combined with delivering general stability through the sport, and a league structure that enables a clear progression pathway, are some of the key objectives for the short and medium term. The following 2019 actions are designed to deliver against this criterion: • New Limited Company -The BSPA has now agreed to transition to a Ltd Company from the 1st December 2018. The new company will be; The British Speedway Promoters’ Association Ltd. In accordance with British accountancy requirements, the BSPA business will submit timely audited accounts to Companies House. All current business assets will be transferred in their entirety and the association remains financially viable. The articles of association have been approved at the AGM. • BSPA Management Committee – These roles now transition to the role of Director in the new LTD Company. For continuity of leadership during this transition period, it is decided that for the next 12 months, all current roles such as President, Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Management Committee members all transition to the new Ltd Company, with Chris Louis nominated as a reserve Director. • BSPA Communications – To ensure that the good work of the BSPA is communicated correctly, the BSPA will pilot a monthly press release generated by the Directors. • The International Speedway League Bureaux (ISLB) – Agreement has again been reached that Great Britain has secured ‘protected rider’ race days for Monday and Thursday within the European events calendar. The British Premiership League will race on Mondays and Thursdays for 2019. This will assist each team to present a more consistent rider line-up to their supporters. • GB Speedway Team - has delivered a fresh brand image and new look to the GB Speedway Team, that has delivered success both on and off track. The BSPA are delighted to confirm that Rob Painter and his team at VRX Motorsport will continue to run, in accordance with the BSPA licence terms and condition, GB Team Speedway through to the contract renewal in 2020. In addition, the BSPA have agreed that Alun Rossiter and Neil Vatcher will, under the same licence conditions, retain their roles through to 2020. They are GB Speedway Team Manager and Young Lions U21 Team Manager respectively. • GB Speedway Team Test Matches – Every effort will be made to stage 3 GB based test matches during 2019. • The BSPA League Structures for 2019 will be; (NB to support the progression of riders who have progressed through the National Development League, all riders will receive a 2.5% reduction in their average) Premiership League – Commencing April 2019 • 7 Clubs • 7 Rider teams • 42.5 Average • Minimum rider points average of 3 ‘achieved’ and not assessed • 15 heat events • League - home and away twice + Play-offs • New ‘Premiership Supporters Cup’ with 1 race ‘fans nominated’ via social media – Full details to follow but 1st event provisionally scheduled for 8th April • Each Club to stage one round of the British Youth Championship in 2019 Championship League – Commencing April 2019 • Conversion rate for 2019 will be 1.5, 2020 will be 1.6 and 2021 will be 1.7 • Up to 12 Clubs • 7 Rider teams • 38.0 Average • 15 heat events • League – Home and away once + Play-offs • Shield – 3 Groups of 4 + Winners of each group + best runner-up • Knock-out-Cup • National League – AGM to be held on the 28th November 2018 • 2019 Premiership Clubs • Poole • King's Lynn • Belle Vue • Swindon • Wolverhampton • Peterborough • Ipswich • 2019 Championship Clubs • Berwick • Edinburgh • Glasgow • Redcar • Sheffield • Scunthorpe • Newcastle • Somerset • Leicester • Workington • Two National Development League clubs will be joining the Championship and both clubs will be formally announcing their elevation over the next few days. • National Supporters Club Group • The BSPA is looking to establish a national supporters club group. Each official or designated supporters club, will be invited to nominate one liaison member from their club. The purpose is to provide supporters with a mechanism to express views, share ideas and have an active communication channel with the BSPA. More information to follow with the aim to be active before the commencement of the 2019 season. • Rider ‘doubling down’ and rider progression opportunities • For a number of reasons, the BSPA has activated a phased 5-year plan to create a clear progression ladder for up-and-coming riders. In addition, the plan will gradually reduce the number of ‘doubling down’ riders between the Premiership and Championship Clubs. For 2019 the Championship Club rider average has been reduced to 38 points. The average conversion rate from Premiership to Championship will be 1.5. This conversion rate will increase (For example 1.6 in 2020) by one tenth of a point each year until the rate reaches 2.0. • Speedway GB press office report • New Style website peaked at 139,500 hits per day • Facebook in excess of 20,000 likes • Twitter has in excess 25,000 followers • Instagram followers of 2,481 BT Sport • Are a valued partner again for 2019 • The coverage has attracted an average of 98,000 unique viewers • Viewership of speedway on BT Sport has increased 41% year on year

i am tempted as well. Perhaps take a few days off from work and do a mini holiday to see Hamburg and Swedish Pomerania.

try telling new news not old stuff mmmmmmmm

Sadly attitudes have changed .. even when Swindon were garbage and had nothing to race for people would still go in big numbers . Great times indeed

When has he ever said that? I think you are either on a wind up or full of "clutching at straws"!!!

Where Wright goes will come down to the best offer he receives which will more than likely count Peterborough out of the running, he most probably signed for Peterborough on Rathbone terms now it will be Chapman terms or maybe his green gloves dont sit well with the clubs colour policy

Never realized he was that exciting to much of a risk on that average

I can't find anything on the new Svemo site, horrible to navigate. Polish div 2 (third tier): 8. Josh Grajczonek 2,218 9. Bjarne Pedersen 2.143 12. Jaimon Lidsey 2,076

Silly post .. fans wont watch a team anymore who's season is over by june without the play offs go for ..so the plays offs not only paid big in the final they also keep the crowds levels up during the season .. Old fans are daft if they have not figured that out yet . it's been explained over and over again when this kind of garbage is put on here

For me it's a no brainer to keep kasper on his low average and out the two you said get Ayres back. Think Tom will be at brum

I hope Kent gets accepted in the championship, nothing guaranteed yet I think

Wroclaw hoping to sign Dan Bewley

Bjerre Kurtz Wright Bewley Lidsey Etheridge Auty or Pickering If Fricke decides not ride in the UK that would be a solid side with a number of riders capable of improving their averages.

I don't do twitter either but a couple of his tweets have been shared to other forums - or should that be fora?

The clubs who run in the uk at weekends hardly do any better do they ? if the product is better on a weekday rather than a weekend Dave will go on the week day . More things to do at a weekend now in the uk than go to speedway a fact lost on some .

I wasn’t proposing pay to ride. And I assumed PL clubs would cover some expenses of the NL riders, pay an appearance fee, arrange sponsorship and help them with machinery and advice. It’s clear that some 15 year old NL riders are very promising and one would have thought that PL clubs would be delighted to take Palin and the Thompson twins under their wing, just as they would have snapped up Woffinden, Ward and Lambert.

I do hope we are not drifting into the cheap "snowflake generation" argument here are we? I'll give my own experience as an example... I was first taken to the sport aged 7 to Belle Vue's Hyde Road and was hooked..we then went every Saturday. Not a school night, no problem. Though I suspect it might have been a problem had it been a midweek track at that young age....less so 2-4 years later. Then, we certainly had the odd midweek trip to follow the Aces to Sheffield and Birmingham. I am now a father of six year old twins, they will be 7 by the time of the next speedway season, so the right age (I think) to have a grasp of what's going on and potentially engage with it. Bedtime at ours is 7-7:30, later at the weekend. So a midweek track is out for now. Additionally, even when they are a little older and could cope with a later midweek night, we - unlike my parent's boomer generation - are much more squeezed for time...and disposable income beyond the mortgage and bills. Like many in the 30s-40s generation, both us parents work and after the kids get back from after school club and we rush to make dinner, there's little time left for anything before bed. In contrast, as a child, I had the luxury of a stay-at-home mum who could get us kids home at a decent time, have dinner ready early for the whole family and much more time for any possible midweek outing. Society has changed. Now, this isn't all about me, speedway can draw from older and younger groups. But I do think that appealing to my (current) demographic is absolutely key for speedway now and in the future. We only really have time- and money - for weekend outings and if speedway can't cater for us, it is going to miss out on thousands of families like mine.

The voting was carried out during one meeting, I was certainly shocked that Rory won rider of the season but wouldn’t have given it to Bomber myself. We can only answer for ourselves as to who we think should’ve won, we all have our own opinion

well surely the crowd should have voted for him ?

I could see a good 100 or so stoke fans going over to Buxton if they came back into the nl.

Please don't have such musings in public. The more ridiculous the idea ... The more likely that Armando will implement it.

Not forgetting Rob Woffinden.(Father to our World Champion).

No- riders in 1-7 have a total of 24 rides split between them. They are going to be well pleased at losing 2/3 rides a meeting !!

exactly I have on ignore then a lunatic quotes him

Pre season 2017, 2018 & 2019 Put him on ignore as it is easy & you don't have to read his posts(unless someone quotes them. He is a

If that is the case and I think it will, I won't be returning in 2020.

Agree with this comment... To me he took Ully's standing leg and was hard done by... if it was the other way round I would been screaming for all 4 back... however it didn't happen but at the end of the day it's down to how the Ref saw it an Ruff agreed with the Ref on the Barker/Phillips decission which I and many others didn't agree with so ya pays ya money and takes ya chance... Ultimately and luckily it had no bearing on the final result as the best team won over the two legs... If either of those incidents did have an impact can you imagine the bloody uproar on here... and that's before Jenga started stirring the shot... It comes to something when the winning team are still moaning after the event... Regards THJ

Both Wrights wheels did cross the line, the start/finish line.

The clutch of fans who post on here, but don't go have always been a pathetic bunch of sad old pricks wishing the sport dead and they have done it for the entire existence of this forum which is about 14 years now. "this time next year the sport will be dead" The desperation for it to happen that pours from some is utterly tragic "I went to speedway so I can say things that will change it" No, you can't and you won't because no one actually gives a idiot that you used to attend but now don't because your persona non grata and things have moved on without you If people acted like this in a pub, they would be politely told to piss off

On BBC Tees today Jitendra said he hoped to be in a position to have the full line up sorted within a week of the AGM.