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I really do not understand the logic here. You stopped going because your club ( is that Somerset ?) dropped down a league which you considered less value. All the leagues, from NL upwards can provide exciting racing. You do not have to have World class riders to provide good entertainment. When Lakeside closed, I switched my viewing to Kent in the NL and they have entertained me every week just as much as Lakeside ever did. My suggestion to you is to stop being a Premiership snob and just enjoy what is on offer.

This is spot on. Speedway in general in this country takes its punters for granted and doesn’t do enough to keep them coming back or get new ones through the door. If you keep decreasing the standard and increasing the price it’s only going to end one way unfortunately.

I noticed in the Star a recent piece about how much each track had raised toward the Ben Fund in 2019. What I thought was noticeable by its omission was any reference at all to the running of a 2020 Ben Fund Bonanza. I know the staging track makes little or no money from hosting the event, but having supported it several times when it has been held within reasonable travelling distance, I've always thought it an attractive season opener when fans have been starved of action for 5 or 6 months. I know recent years has seen few of the top riders support the event - shame on them - but surely the organisers cannot let such a fund raising event disappear from the calendar? Has anybody heard anything?

Absolute rubbish. It's fans that take it as it is that are killing the sport. If it keeps going the way it is, then it'll never bring in new fans, just p*** off the existing fans and the so called "die hards" that'll accept any lazy promoting and the general dross that's shoved our way. Maybe rather than trying to scaremonger the loyal supporters to show, they should work on the sport itself and promote it? Because 'use it or lose it' doesn't work, will never work and is just slapping a plaster on a gaping wound.

Watched Danyon in nearly all his meetings and has defo cut out the desperate lunges and mad moments to pass witch has cost him injuries in previous years and now uses him head more to pass he has had adam roynon in the pits working with him and he is a totally different rider now he will get even better . I think the likes of him and connor mountain both deserve a place next year

Scotland.

USE IT OR LOSE IT. I'm not management, but have been involved in speedway for 55 years & yes I do think we all need to be more positive toward our chosen sport. But without crowds that balance the books the facts is our sport can not survive, as we know it. The sport needs an independent group that can think outside the box & be able to implement their ideals.

Well they do count because all 3 are examples of riders who improved after leaving Poole - which is what was asked for!

You asked for examples, I gave you 3 and then you move the goalposts.

Remember when Doyle was a PL heat leader and youngsters like Bridger had Polish team places? Now where are they? Bewley is probably going to turn out better but right now Wright is better, probably not much longer but right now he is.

So we have, Najjer saying £16 isn't good value at Somerset whilst the same product and price at Eastbourne is stated as being competitive. I have watched the Rebels every year since they started and have enjoying every one of them whatever level we raced at. The racing in 2019 was no less entertaining than in the Premiership years of 2018 or 17 or any year before that in fact, in my opinion. I am looking forward to those tapes going up at the OTA in 2020 as well. But that is it in a nutshell, everyone has and is entitled to an opinion on how they see things.

How about having a proper discussion without being a silly bully for once? And yes we all know they will be teammates but you are the one who said ‘ask anyone who would you choose in straight choice for your team !! i'll leave it there !!‘ 2-0 Wright so far.

You probably said it in a round about sort of way

I presume you know what ‘atm’ means in that context? The averages say that Wright is currently the better rider of the two and he is British champion after all. Considering their ages it’s likely that Bewley will end up the better rider but right now he isn’t. And hypothetically if it was me choosing for 2020 it would be Wright over Bewley without doubt.

no bring your oap pass haha

Crazy, isn’t it, people moaning about Ostergaard when he might be up against the likes of Nicol, Rowe, Perks, Stewart, Etheridge, Kerr, Proctor, Ashley Morris and Todd Kurtz.

Nathan Stoneman comes into the Rebels team on a 2 point average, he also ticks many other boxes to be selected for the 2020 line-up. What is Danyon Humes championship average? Where does he live, if he is the talent you say then I wish him well in getting a CL team spot. The Rebels management have chosen their 2020 line-up (I'm 100% sure the 1 to 7 was not Gazzas first choice) but it's with-in the budget & should provide plenty of on track excitement. Somerset can not be held reasonable for every rider without a 2020 team place as a race track I would think it would be every CL riders first choice anyway!

You can’t rely on the slogan ‘use it or lose it’ to help your club. Just look at how many fans have walked away or hardly go and how many clubs have closed because they couldn’t attract enough through the gate. You need more than a campaign of trying to make people feel guilty in order to survive. Quite frankly a lot of clubs don’t have anything other than that though

That is exactly right, I don’t anymore and that is why I didn’t attend all of last season - as I felt I no longer got value for money. Years ago I used to follow Somerset home and away, travelled to places ranging from the IOW to Edinburgh. I actually think the Somerset promotion is one of the best in the country, but that also underlined how bad some of the others are. This is not just Somerset related but a generic comment, what are promotions doing to encourage people to attend other than relying on force of habit?

If you REALLY loved speedway, you’d still be going. Don’t think you can be a true fan of the sport in my opinion.

The same could be said of Doyle, he was injured most of the time at Poole. Riders move clubs for all sorts of reasons, some improve, some don't but its hardly ever because they moved.

Antonio Lindback went from Poole to Belle Vue.......How did that work out?? (Clue....7+ average to 4 point average....) Vaclav Milik to Kings Lynn.......oops!! Yep....ALL riders improve beyond recognition when they leave Poole!!!

I had, I guess, a couple of thousand. Many World Finals, Overseas programmes, and first meeting progs and specials as well as the normal league programmes and individual meetings etc. I remember that I had every meeting, home and away, that White City took part during 1977...including pairs and 4TT and many featuring Oxford home and away going back decades...I weep at the memory!

My brother in Australia has hundreds, my other brother in Swindon has started collecting 1965 British League. Some good bargains on e-bay. Originally they were 9d.

Venue normally announced in late December or early January.

It could be argued having four from seven will keep the season 'alive' for most of the clubs...

Perhaps the books don’t balance because the riders demand too much in the way of wages. Speedway is dirt track racing, it shouldn’t be considered a professional sport if the crowds coming through the door can’t support just that. Most sportsmen practice their chosen discipline as a hobby until such a time as they reach a standard where their skill merits that they are paid to do it as a full time job. It strikes me that Speedway riders expect a living from the sport and the promoters are happy to go along with it to the detriment of the fans (doubling up being a salient point here). There will always be enough riders about, there won’t always be fans of the current trend of putting prices up and lowering standards continues. I’m sure Najjer would go to watch NL standard racing if the entrance fee represented the standard of racing on offer.

Never understood this thought process. Both Sweden and Poland have ran with 7 team leagues, the 2 strongest nations in this sport, with absolutely no issue.

Finishing 1st to 4th at the end of the season is the first success. Makes no difference if that’s 1st or 4th tho. Sweden and Poland don’t have much bigger league systems yet those are measured a success. Sweden ran a season with only 7 teams in recent years. In an ideal world we would have 10 - 12 teams in each league plus a proper system for ensuring the next generation have a proper education system towards the top tier. We can all dream tho.

Riddiculas to think success is finishing 4th in a 7 team League. To run a top 4 play off system the league needs 10 teams so we get 4 actual good teams in the play offs . You can't take a 4 team play off system with a 7 team league seriously.

Be great to see Anders Thomsen again hope it’s with panthers

Was he? Before that awful evening I can only remember him having one decent meeting for Lynn and that was at Poole, he was pretty dreadful up until his sacking.

Lose what - I’m now in the ever growing group that has already lost it. I loved speedway and still enjoy it but stopped attending when we dropped down a league and I felt I was no longer getting value for money. I’m one of many - forget use it or lose it, what has been done to entice me back and spend £20 every week at speedway and not somewhere else?

Agree with what’s been said. some riders do better away from certain clubs. Chris Holder should have never left Poole for example. (I know this was really a ford decision) Lindback was never that good at the other clubs he rode in the U.K.. Yet he was with Poole. KK was just odd. But that’s KK. Kurtz had so much pressure on him. Probably the most in demand signature in british speedway in last 5 years. Every club wanted him.

The meeting in Perth featuring Tai Woffinden and the Team GB riders against the Westaustralians was an INDIVIDUAL event. Here is the result of the six riders main final: Final A 1 GB108 Tai Woffinden 01:15.229 2 GB118 Drew Kemp 01:16.086 3 WA6 Daniel Winchester 01:18.433 4 WA7 Matt Marson 01:21.542 5 GB24 Jack Smith 01:24.482 6 WA199 Bryan Miller 01:28.786

I would think in 12 months Worky will be a hot topic once again

Martin Willis started that season at no.7 too The other two riders were Magnus Zetterstrom and Matty Ferjan

I'm looking forward to seeing how Zach gets on. I didn't see the NL level meeting he rode at the OTA last season (which he did well in I'm told despite only just getting off the plane from Oz!) but he looked stylish when he had few after meeting spins at the OTA in 2019. Yes I know that is different to racing but as has already been mentioned he fared well in Oz earlier today and I seem to recall a top 4 in a State Championship used to qualify them for a visa?? This 'young Aussie' has been a tried and tested method for the Rebels in last ten or so years. Gazza and Debbie haven't done too badly so far with their selections over the years of bringing in new Aussies, Sam Masters, Justin Sedgmen, Brady Kurtz & Jake Allen all spring to mind! No reason why Zach shouldn't follow that positive trend at Somerset. Reckon I could guess who might be the trusted spanner man for young Zach as well. He has worked for a few of the aforementioned Aussie riders before with plenty of success!

Typical Gavan response trying to gloss over the dig at Poole.

The GSA are the last 20 meetings. The maths you have quoted may be for more than 20 meetings.

Nonsense. Promoters work to the official Green Sheets that you have been pointed to. The other averages on the BSPA site are at best a guide to current form, but have no bearing whatever on team-building, positioning, guests etc.

Ditto virtually every top GP rider. Woffy and Fred are 2 riders that are doing that. I’d love it if either return and prove me wrong. Of course you only have Pedersen as proof that top stars are flocking back to the UK. Wont stop me hoping that Wolves and other clubs bring back those stars. I’d love you to be right, which would make a change.

Vic Eastwood, the very successful scrambles/moto X rider passed away on Sunday. You may say what has Vic's passing got to do with speedway, well, probably not much, but he did race machines which had Hagon frames. I did buy a bike from him once, at his shop and was a gentleman to deal with. RIP.

Scrambling on Grandstand, happy days. RIP Vic, who was one the biggest names in the sport, along with the likes of John Banks, Badger Goss and of course, the legend that is Arthur Browning!

A very good scrambler (as it was in those days). Used to watch him when scrambling was a feature on Saturday afternoon TV. Dave Bickers, Jeff Smith, then they brought Torsten Holman and Rolf Tiblin (names if I remember right). Great stuff. Another good in bites the dust.

We've been over this subject time and again and it's just not possible. To many factors in the way. Rider's wages are one thing, with certain clubs pay better than others. Rider has to be interested. As an example not fact:- Jason Doyle is on £400 a point, he has to go to Peterborough who can only afford £200 a point. Should he have to accept that? Of course not, he'd probably feel better off giving the UK a miss. It was bad enough when a draft system was used for reserves. Some rider's refused due to distences to travel etc. If a team can afford 4 heatleaders and other clubs can't, so be it. That's sport.

Seems that some sort of Test Match (Western Australia v Great Britain) does go ahead next Saturday ! TAI WOFFINDEN TO RACE AT PERTH MOTORPLEX. Two times British Champion, three times World Champion, twice winner of The Rob Woffinden Classic and current Western ...Australian Speedway Solo Champion Tai Woffinden is in town and booked to race at the fabulous Perth Motorplex on Saturday 7th December. Marshall McDiarmid, President of the Speedway Motorcycle Club of WA and Perth Motorplex Manager Gavin Migro teamed together to ensure they secured this huge event for WA speedway fans. Tai Woffinden will also race the following week at the Pinjar Park Motorcycle Speedway in Neerubup in Perths northern suburbs the following Saturday night for the running of the Rob Woffinden Classic. He has previously won the title twice and is the defending RWC Champion. Joining Tai Woffinden at Perth Motorplex will be three other British riders who together form a British Team who will contest a series of events against a strong West Australian side. Team GB include, Jack Smith, son of former British Champ, Andy Smith. Leon Flint, the 16 year old Berwick Bandits flyer Drew Kemp 2019 British under 19 CHAMPION. Headlining the Team WA will be former International rider, Frank Smart, the in form Dan Winchester and Matt Marson. Tai is down under in the Southern hemisphere for some R & R to recover from a bruising European season and his World Grand Prix commitments. He will head back to the UK in the new year, however while in Perth he gives of his time to perform in a couple of shows for his WA fans, much to our delight. Tai set the Pinjar Park track on fire last January winning the RWC and the WA State Championship and was responsible for some of the largest crowds the new track has seen in its relatively short existence. This is a great opportunity to see Tai Woffinden and his fellow British team mates perform, an opportunity we don't get to see often in Perth, and I urge you not to miss either of these two huge speedway Meetings. Graeme Sinden

A thoughtful parent who has createdfurther opportunities for his child which will been entitled to dual nationality/freedom of movement between AUS & the UK yeah those true colours are disgusting.......sometimes there is a whole lot more to life than speedway.