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As far as 2021 is concerned I really think something needs to be done with the categorising of Speedway as an elite sport in this country! In other words make it grass roots and pronto! Let's be honest, how many clubs even in the Elite league these days average much more than 1200 to 1500 fans. I would say here at Ipswich about 1500 is the norm apart from playoffs etc when it does go up. The British final was due to take place at Ipswich with a crowd as a test event but ultimately ended up in Manchester behind closed doors due to this wonderful virus. The following weekend 2500 were allowed in the same Ipswich stadium for a Stockcar event at £50 a ticket generating £125,000 of income for a grass roots sports organisation (Spedeworth) 2500 being allowed in the same stadium for one sport and not 1000 for another is just wrong on so many levels. Either ban crowds at both or allow at both! How is this even possible is my question but who the hell do you put it to to try and get something done for parity.

The people who run Birmingham Speedway (ie David and Peter Mason and Laurence Rogers) are decent, hard working people, and I see no reason at all why they should be expected to "comment" on a situation which does not involve them. They have already made it plain that there is no place at Birmingham for Garrity after what he has done - ()and nor I would hope would there be a place for him at any other speedway club.) Making a public comment on something about which they had no knowledge and had no part in, could only be detrimental to the club they run, so it makes good sense not to do this. Knowing them, their private opinions will be exactly the same as the rest of us, so let's leave it at this.

Well, rightly or wrongly, you have made it appear that you are just a troublemaker. I suspect that is why they haven't answered.

SOME really good features being lined up for inclusion in SS over the coming winter months... ideal reading in lockdown

Giant Haddock, chips and mushy peas...a supper fit for a king.

I don't want to turn this into a Covid argument and this is probably one for the nutjob Covid thread but New Zealand, 2 Islands, are "living with the virus" just fine, sport being played to full stadiums

If you are looking to dispel the cliche of a moaning Aussie ... Never interview a Holder.

quote from ty proctor in this week's speedway star, What is your most memorable meeting you have been involved in ? The night we won the 1st trophy of our treble at Workington he must have a soft spot for the comets especially after some of the dummy spitting out antics at times !! But as they say H18tory

Does seem barmy an event pulling in 2500 can run but an event pulling in a 1000 less cant

In my first season watching live speedway in 1976 Roger Johns was the first Wimbledon rider I saw win a race at Plough Lane (8 March) heat 8. He was also the Wimbledon rider I saw to win a race for Wimbledon in a away fixture (24 March) heat 2, at White City.

Found the year - 1995

Still at least the premier league is continuing, to help lift the spirits of the nation!!!!!

The "stadium" was full. The whole of the speedway world was watching on T.V.

Sutton Common Rovers v Redhill yesterday. Hopefully i can squeeze a couple more in before weeks of boredom kick in.

Poor reporting in the SS of the accident in heat 15. Nobody "piled into" Lindgren when he fell. Lindgren was thrown well clear and the only thing near to "piling in" was Wozniak clipping Lindgren's machine. Ridiculous so-called journalism

Ove Fundin and Billy Hamill share my Birthday 23rd May ,don’t know who told them though

Thanks Boris, that’s our mini-break to Studley Royal down the drain.

No evidence at all just utter Bullrubbish . LR is no crook . Infact he works very hard for Birmingham speedway . Is he a good team manager ? in my opinion No . But that is purley professional criticism. My opinion on him non professional is that he is a decent guy and works very hard . Certainly no crook .

Similar to all motorsport then from what I've seen.

The scientists say without a vaccine then we will have to live with the virus for ever. How you bring back a spectator sport is then anyone’s guess. Promoters won’t be able to put on meetings in empty stadiums or limited spectators which make it unrealistic financially. Regrettably the sport in the U.K. doesn’t command the sort of sponsorship that Poland can attract therefore it might survive there but everywhere else could be in serious trouble. Total reorganisation required to save the sport and going back to part time riders will be a start.

That wasn't really the point I was trying to make. I was trying to point out that most of society is good on the whole and there are a few rotten eggs that take a disproportionate amount of the headlines, and that is the same for speedway. I wasn't trying to make a point about equality in society. However, speedway is one of the few sports where women are able to compete on equal terms with men and I would hope that if gay men or prospective riders from minority ethnic groups were more prevalent, speedway crowds are largely decent people and would welcome them accordingly.

Was an article in speedway star a few weeks ago with the guy who hopes to do something, but we are in strange times at the moment, so would not like to guess the outcome, also Workington is home to several families who like to live in caravans !! And our local council have earmarked Northside area for a special site for the said people !!, Which would be an official one rather than the illegal ones they are using in the said area now and it is full of various bits off rubbish or worse left by the said people, so would not like to venture down to watch speedway

Thought you had the threads originator on ignore, so how do you know ?

I'm pretty sure that I am the reincarnation of someone who went to the very first speedway meeting ever held....regardless of where you define that to have been. Is the thread over?

No Holloway don’t help him get a spot and no he didn’t buy 6 tuned engines as that would of cost £30.000 He went with his English bikes and engines - so don’t know where you heard that rumour as all false

I am sure that if the Rowe family had £30.000 pounds they would of loved to buy Anders 6 Holloway tuned engines - unfortunately they don’t so he took his English bikes and engines - also Holloway did not set the deal up either so wrong information you have there!

I’m happy to keep this up to date as and when extra riders are confirmed and signed to each team. This can be referred back to each time at the start of the thread then. Unia Leszno - Foreigners/Overseas: Emil Sayfutdinov Jason Doyle Polish Seniors: Piotr Pawlicki Janusz Kolodziej Under 24 Riders: Jaimon Lidsey (Overseas) Szymon Szlauderbach (Polish) Polish Juniors: Kacper Pludra Damian Ratajczak Krzysztof Sadurski Hubert Scibak RIDERS INCOMING FOR 2021: Jason Doyle <— Torun RIDERS DEPARTED FROM 2020: Dominik Kubera —> Lublin Bartosz Smektala —> Częstochowa Jaroslaw Hampel —> Lublin Brady Kurtz —> Lodz (Loan) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stal Gorzow - Foreigners/Overseas: Anders Thomsen Martin Vaculik Linus Sundstrom (Warsaw Contract) Polish Seniors: Bartosz Zmarzlik Symion Wozniak Under 24 Riders: Rafal Karzcmarz (Polish) Marcus Birkemose (Overseas) Polish Juniors: Wiktor Jasinski Kamil Nowacki Kamil Pytlewski COVID Guest Rider: Nicolai Klindt (Overseas) RIDERS INCOMING FOR 2021: Martin Vaculik <— Zielona Gora Linus Sundstrom <— Daugavpils RIDERS DEPARTED FROM 2020: Krzysztof Kasprzak —> Grudziadz Niels K Iversen —> Tarnow Alan Szczotka —> Gdansk (Loan) Mateusz Bartkowiak —> Grudziadz (Loan) Maksym Bogdanowicz —> Gniezno Jack Holder (Guest) —> Torun Nicolai Klindt (Guest) —> Ostrow --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sparta Wroclaw - Foreigners/Overseas: Artem Laguta Tai Woffinden Polish Seniors: Maciej Janowski Under 24 Riders: Gleb Chuganov (Polish) Dan Bewley (Overseas) Polish Juniors: Przemyslaw Liszka Michal Curzytek Mateusz Panicz COVID Guest Riders: Andrej Lebedev (Overseas) Jakub Jamrog (Polish) Francis Gusts (Overseas) RIDERS INCOMING FOR 2021: Artem Laguta <— Grudziadz RIDERS DEPARTED FROM 2020: Max Fricke —> Zielona Gora Bartosz Curzytek —> Krosno (Loan) Wiktoria Garbowska —> Bydgoszcz (Loan) Mateusz Gzyl —> Tarnow (Loan) Chris Holder (Guest) —> Torun Oliver Berntzon (Guest) —> Ostrow --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Falubaz Zielona Gora - Foreigners/Overseas: Max Fricke Matej Zagar Polish Seniors: Patryk Dudek Piotr Protasiewicz Under 24 Riders: Damian Pawliczak (Polish) Mateusz Tonder (Polish) Jan Kvech (Overseas) Polish Juniors: Jakub Osyczka Fabian Ragus Kacper Grzelak Nile Tuftt COVID Guest Rider: Wadim Tarasenko (Overseas) RIDERS INCOMING FOR 2021: Matej Zagar <— Lublin Max Fricke <— Wroclaw Vaclav Milik <— Rybnik RIDERS DEPARTED FROM 2020: Antonio Lindback —> Retired Martin Vaculik —> Gorzow Norbert Krakowiak —> Grudziadz Michael Jepsen Jensen —> Rybnik Jonas Jeppeson —> Częstochowa Vaclav Milik —> Krosno Viktor Kulakov (Guest) —> Gdansk --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wlokniarz Częstochowa - Foreigners/Overseas: Freddie Lindgren Leon Madsen Polish Seniors: Kacper Woryna Under 24 Riders: Bartosz Smektala (Polish) Jonas Jeppeson (Overseas) Polish Juniors: Jakub Miskowiak Mateusz Swidnicki Bartlomiej Kowalski Patryk Kowalik Kamil Krol Jakub Martyniak COVID Guest Rider: Oskar Polis (Polish) RIDERS INCOMING FOR 2021: Kacper Woryna <— Rybnik Bartosz Smektala <— Leszno Jonas Jeppeson <— Zielona Gora RIDERS DEPARTED FROM 2020: Jason Doyle —> Torun (Loan Return) Dominik Majchrzak —> Retired Pawel Przedpelski —> Torun Rune Holta —> Rybnik --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Motor Lublin - Foreigners/Overseas: Grigori Laguta Mikkel Michelson Polish Seniors: Krysztof Buczkowski Jaroslaw Hampel Dawid Lampart (Warsaw Contract) Under 24 Riders: Dominik Kubera (Polish) Mark Karion (Overseas) Polish Juniors: Wiktor Lampart Mateusz Cierniak Wiktor Firmuga Jakub Szpytma Maksymilian Sledz COVID Guest Rider: Rohan Tungate (Overseas) RIDERS INCOMING FOR 2021: Dominik Kubera <— Leszno Krysztof Buczkowski <— Grudziadz Mateusz Cierniak <— Tarnow Jaroslaw Hampel <— Leszno Mark Karion <— Ostrow Dawid Lampart <— Rzeszow RIDERS DEPARTED FROM 2020: Jaroslaw Hampel —> Leszno (Loan Return) Matej Zagar —> Zielona Gora Pawel Miesiac —> Tarnow Wiktor Trofimow Jr —> Rybnik Gregorz Zengota —> Bydgoszcz Jakub Jamrog —> Gdansk Oskar Bober —> Tarnow --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GKM Grudziadz - Foreigners/Overseas: Nicki Pedersen Kenneth Bjerre Polish Seniors: Shamek Pawlicki Krzystof Kasprzak Under 24 Riders: Norbert Krakowiak (Polish) Roman Lachbaum (Overseas) Polish Juniors: Kacper Lobodzinski Denis Zielinski Mateusz Bartkowiak COVID Guest Rider: Frederik Jakobsen (Overseas) Krystian Pieszczek (Polish) RIDERS INCOMING FOR 2021: Norbert Krakowiak <— Zielona Gora Krysztof Kasprzak <— Gorzow Mateusz Bartkowiak <— Gorzow (Loan) RIDERS DEPARTED FROM 2020: Krzysztof Buczkowski ---> Lublin Artem Laguta ---> Wroclaw Marcin Turowski ---> Damian Lotarski —> Tobiasz Musielak (Guest) ---> Torun Krystian Pieszczek (Guest) ---> Gdansk --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Adaptor Toruń - Foreigners/Overseas: Jack Holder Chris Holder Polish Seniors: Pawel Przedpelski Adrian Miedzinski Under 24 Riders: Robert Lambert (Overseas) Petr Chlupac (Overseas) Igor Kopec-Sobczynski (Polish) Polish Juniors: Karol Zupinski Kamil Marciniec Justin Stolp Krzysztof Lewandowski COVID Guest Rider: Viktor Kulakov (Overseas) RIDERS INCOMING FOR 2021: Pawel Laguta <— Unattached Pawel Przedpelski <— Czestochowa Robert Lambert <— Rybnik Karol Zupinski <— Gdansk RIDERS DEPARTED FROM 2020: Jason Doyle ---> Leszno Viktor Kulakov ---> Gdansk Aleks Rydlewski —> Krosno (Loan) Jakub Janik —> Krosno (Loan) Tobiasz Musielak —> Krosno (Loan) Ryan Douglas —>

It really is interesting reading differing opinions and the conclusions each have, some more obvious then others.. Following Lee from the beginning, it was amazing to see him develop from an utter novice into the world class performer he was. those first years were unbelievable, each week beating established stars and breaking new ground.. The effect of his inclusion at saddlebow road was said to add at least 1000 on the gate each meeting... He must have been a promoters dream when considering the amount of appearances he was able to fix into a heavy schedule. Winning the world title 1980 should have been the start of a new chapter, where he would go from strength to strength. But unfortunately it wasn't the way it turned out. We must remember this was also the time when the presence of his dad, Andy stood down from being ever present thus allowing Michael to be his own man and do as he thought best.... Thinking as World Champion he would be earning big bucks, he became disillusioned with the sport when he was force to ride in nothing meetings in this country when he could have been earning lucrative contracts abroad had he been able to do so. He became unhappy with the way the sport was run especially when he was being expected to ride for little earnings... It was during this unhappy time he mixed with the wrong sort that did him no favours at all. As a fan and a friend , I could see the effect this was having on his behaviour . His mentality may have changed but fortunately his riding was usually unaffected... The issues that been stated about Ipswich and the Poole meeting were laughable, if they weren't sad. They were both bourn out of personable grievances from a certain referee that got out of hand. It was a situation Mike was always going to lose. Sadly it was the fans who lost out the most... I feel very privilege to have witnessed those amazing early years . It was such a pity there faded away so quickly....