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So your solution to the problem of foreign riders not coming over because of logistical difficulties is more foreigners. (Not to mention a host of riders already committed to Poland - good luck with that)

coming from someone who last went there in 1964 you seem to know a lot

It’s been going on for years. I remember in that year I mentioned in 2008 it was actually seen as bad news when Simon Walker came back from injury. It’s too easy to use guests nowadays and nobody wants to watch a team full of guests. That is one of the biggest problems... especially when the chairman has said the reason certain teams can’t ride in the league because it limits his own choice of guests for his side!! D’oh!

League and Cup winners and Our number one was World Champion in 1965.

Just as well as keeping the odd "GP star" on big money at certain tracks but not all has.... Typically a lack of leadership to go either one way or the other has led to the 'Speedway Answer' which is always a 'halfway house', or in other words the "Let's try to appease everyone and get to the end of this season, then we will sort it all out (again)" 'solution'..

Thanks Ben91 for supporting anyone trying to turn this thing around.

RUSSIAN INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIP SEMI FINALS SATURDAY DECEMBER 12 & SUNDAY DECEMBER 13 Semi Final 1 (Day 1) - Ufa: 1. Nikita Bogdanov (Ufa) 15 (3,3,3,3,3) 2. Daniil Ivanov (Togliatti) 13 (2,2,3,3,3) 3. Igor Kononov (Togliatti) 12 (3,3,1,2,3) 4. Igor Saydullin (Kamensk-Ural) 12 (3,3,2,1,3) 5. Sergei Makharov (Lukhovitsy) 10 (2,2,3,2,1) 6. Evgenei Saydullin (Togliatti) 10 (2,2,2,2,2) 7. German Khazmurzin (Kamensk-Ural) 9 (1,1,2,3,2) 8. Ivan Chichkov (Ufa) 8 (ef,3,2,3,D) 9. Eduard Krysov (Yaroslavl) 8 (3,2,3,0,D) 10. Dmitri Bulankin (Ufa) 6 (2,1,0,1,2) 11. Elisey Vydrin (Ufa) 5 (1,0,1,1,2) 12. Evgenei Sotnikov (Penza) 4 (0,1,1,2,0) 13. Sergei Volodin (Yaroslavl) 4 (1,0,1,1,1) 14. Nikolai Makharov (Lukhovitsy) 2 (0,1,D,0,1) Semi Final 2 (Day 1) - Shadrinsk: 1. Dmitri Koltakov (Kamensk-Ural) 15 (3,3,3,3,3) 2 Dmitri Khomitsevich (Kamensk-Ural) 13 (3,3,3,2,2) 3. Nikita Tarasov (Ufa) 13 (2,2,3,3,3) 4. Dinar Valeev (Ufa) 13 (3,3,2,3,2) 5. Ivan Khuzhin (Kamensk-Ural) 11 (2,2,3,3,1) 6. Saveli Vedyanov (Togliatti) 9 (2,3,2,2,ef) 7. Evgeni Sharov (Glazov) 9 (1,1,2,2,3) 8. Dmitri Borodin (Shadrinsk) 9 (3,2,2,1,1) 9. Vladimir Fadeev (Togliatti) 7 (1,2,1,1,2) 10. Matvei Volkov (Shadrinsk) 6 (2,0,1,0,3) 11. Kirill Zevakov (Kamensk-Ural) 4 (0,R,1,1,2) 12. Artem Burmistrov (Shadrinsk) 4 (1,1,1,0,1) 13. Andrei Anisimov (Togliatti) 3 (f,1,0,2,0) 14. Vlas Nekrasov (Izhevsk) 2 (f,0,0,1,1) 15. Pavel Glotkin (Shadrinsk) 2 (1,1,0,0,0) 16. Ivan Volkov (Glazov) 0 (0,0,0,0,0)

We already know of at least 4 teams that will have to make changes (Swindon, Leicester, Newcastle Kent). So if 95% are not making changes then that means there must be another 76 teams in the two leagues that are not making changes!

Looks interesting, an outdoor track, free for spectators, with varying classes. Looks more like a Flat track on ice, rather than the normal indoor ice speedway series that is held in the US https://www.highvoltage414.com/icerace

Anyone trying to save Rye House has my full support. But. I’m a Rye House fan, I live a stone’s throw from the track. I am a regular contributor to this forum, which is the biggest (potentially only) fan forum for British Speedway. I don’t buy the Speedway Star however. I haven’t heard a peep of any attempts about trying to reopen the track except what I see here. Now this isn’t a “why hasn’t anyone told me” comment. I just think if you’re trying to achieve something like saving a Speedway track you should be looking to garner as much local and online support as possible. By all means use the Star as an outlet, but don’t make it your only outlet because not everyone reads it. Just as not all Star readers use this forum, or Twitter, Facebook etc. I fear that Rye is beyond saving. If there is a glimmer of hope then it needs to be promoted and exhausted properly before it either works or is given up on.

Mock away gentleman. Lets just layout a few facts, he jointly re-opened Rye House in 1999 and was not in charge when it shut, he re-opened Wimbledon on his own and was not in charge when it shut. He ultimately failed but spent a fortune of his own money to try to re-launch Norwich after 50 years. No doubt he has made mistakes and has faults but please feel free to list your achievements on behalf of the speedway world, its so easy just to smirk and snipe.

That brings back memories of the home made tracks we raced on in my teens when there was loads of ice and snow, best fun I've ever had on a bike. It made the winters more bearable.

BWD, Lasse Bjerre, Dmitri Berge, Thomas Jonasson (I know there are commitment issues there) 4 off the top of my head throw in riders who potentially could double up/down as averages allow such as Bewley, Lidsey, Porsing, Tungate, Anderson, Jensen, Musielak obviously not all of these riders are available but it only needs a couple to be and it’s problem solved really

He probably wishes it could be Christmas every day. But the Slade for him is more HMP than Noddy Holder.

If the Oxford vaccine takes a few months more to be brought into use I would prefer to wait, as it will hopefully make me more intellectual and brainy.

1964 !!!

"Monday Monday"(Mamas and the Papas)

Google translation of a Sportowefakty article Andrzej Witkowski wants to enlarge PGE Ekstraliga to 10 teams. Concrete talks in January The honorary president of PZM Andrzej Witkowski talks about the expansion of PGE Ekstraliga from the 2022 season. He has already planned talks with Michał Sikora and Wojciech Stępniewski. They will happen in early January. - This is a unique moment to expand PGE Ekstraliga to 10 teams. It is worth considering, says Andrzej Witkowski. The honorary president of PZM believes that the discussion on this topic should begin at the beginning of the year, to announce any changes before the start of the 2021 season. - So far I have been loosely exchanging comments with the presidents Michał Sikora and Wojciech Stępniewski. We agreed to have a longer discussion in early January. If this change comes into force, it must be announced before the 2021 season, because it would mean that no one is dropped from PGE Ekstraliga. There would be less tension, some would spend less and two teams would be promoted to the elite. That's an idea for now. Details need to be worked out. I believe that we have the perfect moment for a discussion and it is definitely worth including the chairman of GKSŻ, Piotr Szymański. In this group, we should consider all the arguments for and against - emphasizes Witkowski. The honorary president of PZM believes that expanding PGE Ekstraliga from the 2022 season would make sense for several reasons. - I am deeply convinced that in 2022 we will go a normal season without the coronavirus. Therefore, I believe that the fans deserve more speedway, which means more matches in PGE Ekstriga. The only way, then, is to enlarge the league. In addition, in 2022 there will be important changes in the slag. Eurosport Events, the new promoter of the Grand Prix and the Team World Cup, appears. In addition, there will be a new TV contract at PGE Ekstraliga. I hope this translates into more money for the clubs. Then there is a chance to share them and strengthen the centers that will join the elite - argues Witkowski. At the same time, the activist adds that everything must be done to maintain the division into three leagues in Poland. - Poland's mission is to stop the division into three leagues. It would be possible, because teams from Ukraine, Slovakia and Hungary could compete in the second league from 2022. We already have Germans and Latvians. In my opinion, there is a real chance of these eight or ten teams. I believe that we should remain good for Europe and remember that the slag is in crisis. You have to look for new opportunities to revive the discipline - summarizes Witkowsk

I would - if I could...

The guest system should use the home or away averages for riders rather than the combined i.e. riding away from home you can only use a guest with an away average up to the absent riders' away average.

aye , the two ex worky lads could win the league for u in 2021 !

The bottom line is simple.. It doesnt matter what you are trying to sell if not enough people know you actually exist.. It could be the greatest product in the world that you have, but if you dont advertise that product, where it can be purchased from, and when it is regularly available to be purchased, you wont make any success of what you are doing.. Because it's simply just not possible to do so using that 'plan'... Getting a proper, professional national marketing campaign going, which highlights the sport and its teams, is the only way to get the cut through required if the sport wants to prosper and thrive.. The core product of the racing today is a product you can certainly 'sell' if enough people get to 'sample it' I would say.. The last "Golden Era" as Steve says was the 1970's which was very much delivered by a very successful 'England' team, a very regular slot on Saturday in a prime time TV slot when there were only 3 channels to watch, and a true "perfect for TV" superstar in Peter Collins to keep the watching millions amazed and enthralled at what could be done on a Speedway bike.. In short though, fundamentally, the message was out there of its existence and many would follow their local teams on the back of the international success and high profile meetings they watched on Saturdays during the summer.. Get something like that message out there again and, given its low starting base, even just 25000 or so more a week would more than 100% increase its income.. What an opportunity that really is when a great many of the 65 million population live around no more than an hour from a venue, and that track is often pretty much usually the "only one" within that travelling distance.. Opinions and arguments about stadiums, team strengths, rules and regulations, race nights etc etc etc and how they negatively impact the crowd levels, (no matter how valid), pale into insignificance against the impact generated by the very fact that literally millions live within an hour of a Speedway track and dont even know the sport exists.. Sort that as a priority and the size of the prize potentially is huge given the starting point..

Olly Allen came to a meeting of the Nuneaton Supportes Club in February. He has been very active in getting the Poultec apprenticeship going. It provides for recognised engineering qualifications as well as specialist speedway knowledge. This includes bike and engine training, track craft (regular track days under the guidance of senior riders) and other aspects of being a professional rider such as diet, keeping in good shape and dealing with the fourth estate. Olly brought several youngsters from the course with him to the meeting and their appearance, ability to speak, and thier overall demeanour was very impressive. Olly explained that he has been jointly recruited to the GB Team Management with Simon Stead because of his expertese with young riders. What he is bulding is a speedway academy and I, for one, wish him well in this endeavour.