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Premier always prioritise a live offering. They wont leave a live Nascar race, a sport which has thousands more fans than speedway incidentally, to show a recording of a speedway meeting. Likewise, they won't leave a live speedway meeting, even if it's running an hour behind, as can often happen in the Swedish league. Premier doesn't run solely for the benefit of the speedway fan. They broadcast popular sport as well. They won't be able to show every match when there's a stack of live football to be caught up on. The NHL will also recommence soon which will further tighten the schedule. Anyhow, this weekend the Friday meetings are on Freesports and Prem 1 respectively. On Sunday it looks like they are making use of Box Nation (sky 427) and showing both meetings live according to the sky planner weather permitting.

Plus Scotland are at least 4 weeks behind the rest of the UK in relaxing lockdown. Taking that football down south estimate no fans until at least September , and even then that is on the basis that there are no spikes in the virus then October for any sport up here is unlkely. Lets be realistic this season as we all thought is a write off. Making the early call to write the season off by Glasgow looks to be the correct one.

I'd be amazed if any new stadium got built in the current financial climate. Staying in business would be an achievement.

For me, the biggest and most important step is for the UK to stand alone, away from the global sector of the sport. Fundin said that those who progress to the GP's should then move out of UK domestic racing to free up places for others coming through.. The two worlds of Poland and the UK are you could say 'poles apart' so why the UK still clings on to the odd GP star or two is beyond me.. As all it does is unbalance the league anyway, raise overall costs for those who then try and compete with teams with GP riders, create inconsistent fixture lists to accommodate them, and often mean guest replacements when fixtures cant be rearranged which impacts the whole credibility of the league. When the UK sees itself in it's true position, as that of a stepping stone to greater financial rewards and global fame for those who progress through it, it can then rebuild itself a framework that is fit for purpose to grow the sport in the UK.. Not holding my breath obviously.. Too many egos involved who refuse to accept that the UK are simply not important, or influential anymore, in the grand scheme of things globally I think to let it happen.. The irony being of course is that if they had a very successful GB team their influence on the global stage would grow accordingly, with wider UK media interest also growing the same.. The UK should be a conveyor belt for UK talent to progress through to the top level, which will then have the knock on effect of increased public interest, which can only then benefit the domestic leagues accordingly.. Like the RFU and TCCB acknowledged many years ago now when their domestic sports were respectively somewhat in the doldrums, a successful National team brings in the interest, sponsorship and crowds which then permeates down to the domestic level of competition.. A blueprint worth following I would suggest..

Not sure how long it would take to pull a Redcar or Scunthorpe type set up together... May be someone from those spots could throw some light on that... I would have thought it would be achievable to sort something basic out in a close season over a winter... Regards THJ

GI are against anything that costs them money!!!

True it was banned but he didn't do much wrong if memory serves me right. He saw a loophole, used it and told people what he had done. I had a feeling other riders got that banned.

The thing is, when it was a level playing field, down in NZ, Smoli actually won a GP !!!

Well discovered by you by the way.

Many do seem to do it 'globally' for a lot of years don't they? Seems a long time to do something (especially something as dangerous as speedway), if all you will do is end up with not very much.. Especially as so many ride from being a teenager to mid to late 30's, and some even longer.. That's a lot of years to keep not making any money.. In another excellent Speedway Star, the current edition has an interview with true Legend, Ove Fundin, who is truly amazed in quoting an interview which appeared in a Swedish speedway magazine with a rider called Philip Hellstrom Bangs (yes THE Philip Hellstrom Bangs), a 17 year old kid making his first tentative steps into the sport.. He has openly said he has spent the Swedish equivalent of £130,000 on "three complete bikes, six engines, a van and 'all the extras', including a full time mechanic" (ex rider Robert Fils)... "That's what it has to be if you want to go anywhere" was a quote.. How much will he want per point? The problem of course is how this hyper inflates costs for others who may see that really is the only way to go. . All running to stand still, all paying out fortunes, and all risking their necks to take a slice of an ever diminishing pie.... Absolute crackers...

100%. And as a watcher of Polish Speedway over the past few years, it gets even better when the crowds are filling the stadiums to capacity.. The racing seems to take on even more of an edge when tens of thousands of fans are either screaming out in adulation, or disgust at their riders.. This year there has been some cracking racing, and I think some fans just equate passing in races as a benchmark to their standard.. In Poland you seldom get one rider miles in front of everyone else given there is usually two decent world level heat leaders in most races, and many of the races have two seperate battles for 1st and 2nd and then 3rd and 4th, given the close nature of the standards of the riders.. You can have some great racing with no passing at all, eg cant remember which race the other day, but it ended 5-1 to Czestowocha but it looked like synchronised speedway with the Wroclaw riders riding five yards behind for virtually the whole of the race, trying to find a way through.. (Might have been Woffy and Chugunov?) The whole experience from the mechanics in club colours, the fans in club colour T shirts, through to the 2 mins use and start marshall/ref communication to align the riders straight and right up to the tapes, and then the racing itself, is truly light years ahead of what we have over here.. And that's no disrespect to British Speedway as that it the way it should be with the millions of PLN it attracts.. But to think what we see in the UK is better, I do have to say is pushing the boundaries of reality a little bit far..

Dave ya still a townie at heart... you've just climbed off the sofa to fold ya Newcastle top up and put it away for the night after watching ya team win 4 1.... and now sitting reading this with your NUFC jimjams on and drinking ya horlics... and it's still north of where you are at... but you know what I mean... See Mal has just finished his shift... Regards THJ

Is that the 'townie like Tsunami' who left the TOON exactly 50 years ago, and now lives in Whitley Bay which is as near to Blyth as Brough. There are people linked to Cambois for a possible future track.

i'd be amazed if it got built in any climate

I don't know if another venue would be available and, at what cost. It's just a shame that money saved this season by fans, couldn't be somehow be put into a fund to source a new venue? I would put my money saved this season into next season.

why is that? Any Chance of a British GP?

Be amazed if we see any uk speedway this year , and the lockdown of Leicester can’t be a good thing either

The measure here must be "space". 1000 / 67000 at Murrayfield is a lot different to 1000 / Armadale (capacity ???? 2000) same with BSB 1000 in to Donnington Park / Silverstones huge spaces. Big number of Turnstiles / Entrances at Murrayfield / Donnington + Silverstone. Things are moving in right direction but was always the fear it would be soon enough / big enough numbers for Speedway on a League basis at least.

Ward and Holder come to mind on tv pointing at it etc

I like Smolinski as he tries, but this is a 1 off year (hopefully) and Poland staging 8 including Torun seems very fair to me as the riders know all the tracks. Doubt it'll happen anyway.

Manchester council were supportive of speedway throughout the difficult process, Gaming International appear not to have that.

Apart from the gismo he had on his bike which was then banned.

Don’t waste your breathe regarding introducing something to reduce costs.

Very good article in the Star by Ove. He omits the contribution of Norwich team mechanic Les Mullins who looked after the Norwich “track spare” that Ove rode with great success. Highlights the issue of too much money being invested in equipment by riders at all levels ... how any young lad can afford to start in UK speedway even at NL level beats me. The beginning of riders treating the sport as a business began with the late Ivan Mauger, with bikes mechanics and equipment scattered all over Europe. Many others followed his “professional” approach. Maybe now is the time to look at introducing rules to reduce riders costs of participating in the sport. .

Honestly Me little pal from Workington has been through the mill one way and another lately and we still haven't been down to Shields yet for those fish and chips so I am open to sugestions... once we get a meeting to go to that is... Regards THJ

Sounds right. It's included in both Prem and BT packs on Sky, and neither on Virgin by the looks of things. Only in SD I think, but not the end of the world occasionally if it ensures a live broadcast.

Good news for Premier Sport subscribers,as round 7 July 24th/26th they are scheduled to show all 4 matches live including what will certainly be the Sunday 2nd match Czestochowa v Leszno.

NOT sure. Think they (Jacob Olsen) still want it but more problematic than Prague.

Many riders will be in serious financial debt having geared up with equipment etc. So I wonder how many riders have got other jobs now to pay the bills and won’t or can not come back to the sport?

Not as tough as a company who have no plans to built a stadium at all .

Blimey - Poole will be getting a track man next

Looks like a fantastic line up assembled... The British lads have got to start getting involved in this. . It's clearly a huge bridge to use from the level of domestic racing to the GP's given the amount of truly World Class riders who take part in it.. You can see without any doubt how Robert Lambert has benefited from doing this series... Rubbing shoulders in the pits, and observing some of the very best, must help you along massively, as only then can you realise what it has taken for them to get to the top.. And what you must do to achieve the same.. No point beating 2nd Division riders in the UK, week in week out, if you have any serious ambitions to become a global star. .

The starting procedure in Poland is streets ahead of UK, think a 2 min clock Should be made compulsory in UK for starters.The riders don’t mess the Start Marshal about in Poland and it all runs fairly smoothly.

It was also mentioned on this thread how it clearly helps to reduce first bend incidents too, by having all riders leaving the tapes in an arrow straight line... Rather than the all four firing off in different directions like we can get over here.. It sometimes resembles the start of Wacky Races... The ref and marshall are linked up too, so should a rider roll back when the marshall's back is turned when he moves on to another rider, or even if he goes straight into 'under starters orders' mode, the ref will let him know if anyone has moved and he goes back and sorts them out again... With some conviction and authority.. Be ready to race when the 2 mins clock expires following the marshall's instructions.. Or you are out... So simple and yet so effective... And so professional....

If his bikes are checked at every GP's and in the League what can be your suspicion ? Some riders are better than others, they have better bike control.

Czestochowa v Wroclaw Sunday June 28th

Also want to say a big thanks for racers and royals for constantly putting up links for the weekends fixtures, glad ive got something to watch.

Rybnik v Gorzow Sunday June 28th

First, can I immediately apologise for posting something off topic but hopefully what follows makes senses as I wanted to reach out to as many Coventry fans as possible and figured this is the best place to do so. The reason being that I have recently purchased a house as a renovation project and in the dilapidated garage there was a (wreck) of car and within it a large box of speedway programmes. I have not looked through them in any great detail but can say they are from the early 90's maybe earlier and basically cover Bees meetings home and away as well as some individual meetings where Cov riders were taking part - There is even a hat signed by Tommy Knudsen. Interestingly I flicked through a Heathens v Bees programme and noticed that a certain Greg Hancock was riding at reserve for Cradley scoring 11 points...the return fixture at Brandon he scored 5...I wonder what happened to that young lad!! The car and garage went last week, but if anybody is interested in the programmes let me know otherwise I'm sorry to say they will have to go too.

Same as the UK then way before lockdown rules were even being thought of !!

Cheers for the sarcasm. Why there? How about a track where none of the GP riders race? I’d rather they didn’t have a World Championship at all at this stage personally.

Yes let`s hold a one of meeting at Gorzow on Zmarzlik`s home track- brilliant

You can’t decide a World Championship with all the meetings in the same country, just wouldn’t be right or properly representative. If there is a desire to have a World Champion and Poland is the only country which can host anything then have a one off event, a World Final if you like.

Along with a great many other businesses in Leicester that were ready to resume, it is grossly unfair that a problem rooted in one area of the city should have such an overall impact. There needs to be some balls to make decisions and put in place measures that would cause offense and produce a strong vocal reaction, but I can't see any local or national politicians growing a pair anytime soon.

How can a GP that's never been staged (Russia) be one of the most popular?

You have certainly changed your tune regarding racing this season and Glasgow pulling out League in other topic on this forum.You were far from complimentary about the Promotion pulling out and made some derogatory remarks about them IMO