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Graham Drury in the Speedway Star (another excellent issue), talks about how he loved his time promoting in the NL, "riders just rode, no flights, accommodation, or transport requests". And when he rode 2nd Division how it was mainly 'part time' with riders having jobs, unlike today where so many have salary expectations to allow them to be 'pro' speedway riders in that league... So, we actually know 'what can work', and we also know 'what used to work' (pretty much the old 2nd Division NL).. Therefore that surely has to be the target to get back too? It does also make me wonder how much of my admission cost goes into the riders' own personal agendas through their salary from the clubs. By that I mean their own individual aspirations... I've said before, so much money comes into Speedway through fans attendance and individual sponsorship, yet so much of what gets paid out doesn't postively impact the domestic leagues in any way shape or form, but instead, goes to fund riders wanting to be full time pros and help support their own ambitions on the wider global individual stage.. No disrespect but any current GB rider winning the World Individual title won't put bums on seats over here every week. This was a pipe dream mantra from a long time ago, ie a belief a GB World Champ would be like finding The Holy Grail for the sport in the UK.. Havelock, Loram and Woffy (3 times) subsequently proved that wasn't correct. (Even when Tai rode here).. Therefore, the UK should just cut its cloth accordingly, putting the clubs first... In short, if charging £18 isn't bringing in enough punters through the doors as they tell you that you are too expensive, then listen to them and drop your prices... And if you can't drop your prices as you say your costs won't allow it, then reduce your costs so you can... I can guarantee that the many punters who no longer attend due to them not seeing £18-£20 as an acceptable or affordable price point, wont wake up one morning and suddenly then decide that it is and rock up in their droves.. And this absent, silent majority, are the ones that need 'listening' to..

As much as riding at a technical track such as Newcastle 2 - 3 times a season would be for Dan Bewley i reckon 2nd or 3rd tier in Poland would be far better for his long term career in the sport

A lower standard of riding does not ensure a lower standard of racing as any Championship or NL supporter will confirm - if anyone's listening.....

It looks like Woffy may have taken Dan under his wing, which has to be a good thing, plus Max, who he knows well, is there as well.

Huge learning curve for the lad but it will help if people stop presuming he will be GP standard within 2 years (as previously discussed from discussions on social media) and let him grow naturally with no added pressures. Lambert is miles ahead of Bewley all over. Not sure why anyone feels a need to compare them. There is no comparison right now. Or should be.

Green and everyone! The Green / Parker clash was during the return home league match at Foxhall, with Green being given a taste of his own medicine. The match at the County Ground finished with David Norris breaking his neck, Dean Standing sidelined for a few meetings after being dumped in the fence, Chris Louis being on the wrong end of a dodgy move and general fisticuffs all round! Green was certainly quick and able to pass but always seemed to want to take his opponent right out or into the fence, I think Parker was on the receiving end of one of those moves as well. Going on memory here I think Steve Regeling was involved in the Norris incident but Green dished out the rest. Ipswich were at Poole the following night with only one fit heat leader! What also sticks in the memory is Moggo riding round after the last race at Exeter, standing on the seat with one leg sticking out backwards at quite a speed! Stayed out quite a while winding up the locals, so unlike the normally shy, retiring Moggo....

It attracts a young crowd. Just as the big meetings in Denmark do. We even league meetings attract a fairly diverse crowd, but the big meetings really bring out the young have a few bevvy crowd, willing to pay out for food and drink. Totally different to the UK crowds in general. Just that is was reading one of those Jeff Scott fanzine style article a couple of days back. One that he wrote for the Irish Times at the end of last year.....

Remember him riding for Castleford in 1979, before he went to Workington the year after RIP Wayne

Well I'm agreeing with you xx

Maybe I'm forgetting the fact that long term speedway fans are getting older & are unable to attend, or passing away. Agree it's a mystery why Belle Vue isn't supported more. If I lived near there, I would go every week.

I believe there Is speedway every weds on Eurosport in july as well. euro championships except the first weds

i've already said that

The club stated in last Wednesday's rewind and on the website that they would be taking a break for a couple of weeks but would be back with some more rewinds soon. Probably avoiding the return of TV footie.!!!!?

Maybe they have run out of meetings on a well prepared track and are considering which of the " blue groove" matches to show first.

Like you, I'm a confirmed SKY non-subscriber, so whether or not matches (of various sports) were/are on the telly made/makes no difference to my spectating choices. I gather viewing figures for speedway club meetings shown live peaked at circa 145,000. That's probably about 115,000 more than speedway's weekly customer footfall. Pretty useful, one would imagine, for improving the sport's all but invisible profile. Were any of this 115,000 tempted along to their local circuit? If not, why not? Further to the 'provide good racing and the crowds will come' claim: it certainly wasn't my experience during the last few seasons at Cleveland Park, Middlesbrough, where the racing was consistently excellent and the two local newspapers (the Evening Gazette and the Northern Echo, both of whom had a speedway reporter) gave the club plenty of daily publicity. Yet Boro Bears struggled to attract viable crowds. Average in the final season, 1996, was 850. I remember the promoter, Malcolm Wright, telling me he lost a grand every home meeting. Not great crowds but, ominously, still several hundred above what the club, as Redcar, are capable of drawing now.

Yes I also knew of fans who kept away and fundamentally that was the issue in my view hence which is why I keep repeating why I was never sure who the target audience were and whether any genuine marketing was carried out at the time? I've never subscribed to SKY (and never likely to) so was never an issue with me personally.

Speedway Tracks.?

Erik Gundersen was another who didn't perfect 'wheelies'...or I certainly never saw him do so and I did see a lot of him during the many clashes between the "Cheetahs" and "Heathens".

They have obviously never seen Neil Collins with his wheel an inch in the air

The problem PP is the average number of fans has gone down to the point of no return, so its new fans that we need to attract and at £18 per meeting its not going to happen, £36 for me and the missus to watch 15 minutes of racing sometimes on a cold night doesnt appeal to me anymore, and im a life long speedway fan.. The sport has to be more fan friendly and it can begin by bringing the cost down, dont say it cant be done because it can but i rarely see any announcement from the BSPL saying they are looking at ways of doing it..

Think you might have forgotten that Czestochowa had Michal Gruchalski last season who is a real talent and has now turned 22 and has joined Tarnow https://www.zuzelend.com/zaw,604,michal-gruchalski

Yes, they're on the pace on their own tracks. I suppose it depends on what format you compare... Clearly the Russians have the best 2/3 man team, the poles probably the best 4/5 man team and I'd say the Danes would have the best 7/8 man team... All of the above on a neutral track of course

Smektala a Journeyman !!!! you are having a giraffe

what people don't seem to get is that the market dictates what people are willing to pay, not the other way around. Its double the price of cinema tickets, for example. A family of 2 plus 2 would need to spend around 50/60 quid to go to the speedway, maybe half that for the flix or a pizza hut or takeaway meal. That's the economic reality that potential fans face and thats what decisions around admission fees have to be based on

And Dan Bewley too.. Some are saying it's 'too early' for him... Absolute nonsense.. He is 21 and now needs to be challenging himself against the world's best if he is to make it to the top.. Which some seem to think he is capable of doing.. Poland will have ten 'Dan Bewleys' who will be miles in from of him when it comes to the experience of riding with, and against, top level riders.. He will actually be playing 'catch up' against other 21 year olds (and even younger) over there.. If he succeeds over there this season he will show he can develop to top level status, if he doesn't it will show he isn't of that level and will no doubt be replaced by another rider of potential.. It's good to see though that Lambert and Bewley are giving it a go as riding against the same riders over and over again in the UK, beating them every week, wont improve them and will actually stagnate their progress..

Don’t get me wrong. My response is to pretty much anyone that thinks Bewley is already the better prospect which I’m seeing a lot on social media even after his dismal showing on Friday. It’s more a reality check that some say he will be in the GPS before Robert. I couldn’t be any more happier we have riders in Poland which can only be a great thing for our future. Obviously Robert has more experience, he is older! but both still have a mass of growth in them so we should be applauding both. And I definitely fall into that category to be clear.

You sound like one of the many CleverDicks who know exactly how to promote Speedway but have never had to guts to do it.

Got back into the sport when TK was regarded as one of the best... Reputation from some fans as I came back was as a typical 'Danish gater' and nothing more.. Glad I saw him ride... He was so much more than that... Watched him ride the Kirky Lane track the first time Cov visited and he was exceptional... Many riders had struggled to get round it the first few times they rode it.. He didn't...

More than a few prospective persons have looked at the Caister road stadium in Great Yarmouth which last staged speedway in 1961. The main problem with speedway returning to the stadium is that the stock cars are run by the spedeworth promotion who don't like running cars on shale tracks. The Franklin family who have ran and owned stadium since it started just after the war are not against speedway returning but stock cars attract very good crowds. An example of how highly the Franklin family regard speedway is that when the new restaurant/executive suite opened former Yarmouth Bloaters rider and Norwich Stars legend Billy Bales was invited to the opening ceremony! Personnally as someone who witnessed speedway at Great Yarmouth, I think that in modern times National League racing could attract viable crowds to Yarmouth but fixtures would have to be planned carefully because it was always a struggle to attract crowds out of the holiday period much in the same way as IOW speedway get good crowds in the summer seasons but very poor ones outside of the holiday period. I think the only chance of speedway coming to Yarmouth is if someone would build a track in the large North car park at the stadium or on some of the spare land on Yarmouth racecourse just down the road!

Just heard the news that former Workington and Oxford rider Wayne Jackson has died. Very sad indeed. Remember him well riding as a "Cheetah" and doubling up with Cradley on occasions. RIP

Try going to show jumping events if you want to see snobbery. My daughter competed for 7 years at local events, & the majority of the people were wanna be snobs.