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Doesn't matter who they sign, with Mark Lemon in charge they're going to win zip.

They weren’t done away with, the NJL has never stopped , the others simply ran out of ‘ ghost teams ‘ to fill them. There was nothing stopping the same riders being used by the host club but they simply weren’t interested in running juniors themselves so blame the clubs themselves not the authorities ( on this occasion ).

Conversely, Suppose for a minute, someone decides to subscribe to an away meeting…and invites a gang of his mates around to have a “watch the speedway party” …. Bring your own food and booze, etc.. a few of whom have never been to a track before… but after watching decide to join his mate at their local track. It can work both ways. You can either sit back and do nothing “out of fear” or try something new. The sit back and do nothing approach hasn’t worked so far, so I applaud this new venture and hope it provides a catalyst to grow the sport.

All common sense in a much needed "reset" plan.. However, it wont happen for all the obvious reasons that exist... With the main one being Div 2 currently rules the Speedway roost... And turkeys dont vote for Xmas.. The NDL up to a few years ago seemed to have the perfect set up between cost, income, entertainment and development progression/opportunity.. Sadly that was taken apart.. The whole operating model is beyond fixing unless the sport works as a collective to fix it.. And that would take huge compromise and a clear plan for demarcation between the leagues, promotion, relegation, (or one league only) and one club per rider etc... What we have is pretty much all that we will ever have I would think is more the reality..

Allen and Auty

So you want to go back to the ‘ old days ‘ ? Ask yourself why that was done away with in the first place . To provide more ‘ entertainment ‘ of the top level and do away with the mostly corrupt second half finals that were rigged by the riders themselves, as demanded by the dwindling fans who mostly walked out after heat 13.

If Oxford were to race on a Friday, then almost half the teams in the league would race on a Friday. The result of this would be that Oxford would race around half their home fixture on their alternative race day wouldn’t it? So they wouldn’t be racing on a Friday anyway unless they raced, say, every other week. Someone mentioned that Polish club’s often use the same race day. Poland works very differently as they only race at home every 2 weeks. So using the same race day works there. I can’t see how it would in the UK unless fixtures were to become fortnightly. That’s before you consider that speedway in GB doesn’t use a squad system. So as soon as riders are injured, you have a requirement for guests, meaning teams become vastly under strength when they can’t find one as every team is already racing that day. Under GB speedway’s existing set up, I think it makes sense to restrict the number of clubs using the same race night.

Bored with the Poole thread now?

You know, when you consider it's been over 30 years since we shut down, I do wonder how many people I knew from the stadium are no longer with us. People like Tufty, and several fans who were getting on in years then, but I'm sure there are others who have been lost way too young, like Linda Aldous. Even if you didn't know their names, they were part of the whole experience...

Are you sure that wasn't in Penge? The people I know from there are clearly on something...

I would imagine there is little chance of any Championship PPV/Subscription match being available on a stream - certainly i didn`t see any notification of Edinburgh or Glasgow streams being available to watch unless purchased. As far as Sweden and Poland go- if Premier Sport weren`t such a tin pot organisation, only showing some of the matches and then not all live maybe more people would be happier to take out a Subscription. All Polish Speedway streams are available outside Poland) Div 2 on Motowizja was problematic on occasions), although not all streamers make them available to everyone. I once again in 2022 will be taking out a Fanseat subscription which allows me to watch every Swedish, Danish and French league match for less than Premier would charge me for a sub standard service.

And that could actually be when the stream comes into its own... Without it, at the moment those type of meetings with iffy weather get zero income from the 'stayaways'... Maybe with a stream these people will still contribute some money...

Yeah... I can't think of the guy's name - Roy, I think - but he did the Aces of Yesteryear videos.

Try this - Books (speedwaymuseumonline.co.uk)

Yes, at least two international speedway meetings were held at Santarem in Portugal. The first was a European Club Team Cup round in 1999, and the second a world under 21 qualifying round, featuring a couple of British riders, Danny Bird and Grant MacDonald, as well as a couple of Aussies, Kevin Doolan and Travis McGowan, and Canada's Chris Slabon. There were no Portugese riders though. Here is a link to the German Speedway Forum were You can find a scan of the program cover for this meeting https://www.speedway-forum.de/gallery/index.php?image/3495-world-junior-speedway-championship-qr-14-05-2000-santarém-portugal-official-prog/ The current FIM president Jorge Viegas had something to do with the introduction of speedway to his home country. You can find the story (in Polish language) with a couple of pictures of the venue at the speedwaynews.pl website https://www.speedwaynews.pl/aktualnosci/item/68342-z-a-marle-tory-15-miedzynarodowy-speedway-na-arenie-do-corridy

I think BV's title hopes are up in smoke. If they couldn't beat the Panthers with Bewley, what chance have they got without him? The Panthers have 5 number 1s in their side, BV have 2.

Not unless he drops Sweden.

Fingers crossed!

You obviously don’t get the thread ! The proposal was to have multiple novice kids having a first ever ride on a bike in the hour leading upto the main match with their parents getting in for free to bring new people and kids in which is what we were discussing . Not one competent kid doing a few demo laps !

Never claimed I had one but trying things that were done away with in the past for logical reasons is not the answer. We could try and stop kidding ourselves that we need a ‘ Premier ‘ division and a ‘ Championship ‘ when it’s near enough the same riders who just get paid more in one than the other. Do away with doubling up, make the lower divisions weaker, pay the riders less, especially the NDL, make them consider being semi professional and amateurs riding for expenses only, if, as they claim, they need big money, then those that want to be full time professional can aim for it. Bring the costs down for the riders and the fans. There you go, just an opinion as you have asked.

I thought maybe I was hallucinating when I stood next to you on the terraces last season!!

An article for Weekly Tales, about the once great New Cross Rangers Speedway team. The drone of speedway bikes once reverberated around the ‘frying pan’; the Millwall track was lost in 1963, demolished by 1969. Motorcycle racing is frequently associated with the glamour and ceremony of the superbike events that tour the globe. Speedway is a cousin, with limited pomp and procession. Instead, there’s dirt and danger aboard a bike with limited technology and no brakes. It was recently declared that speedway is facing its demise, in desperate need of investment and reinvention that is unlikely to come. For a period, the sport of speedway racing attracted audiences that could rival the attendances at football matches. London laid claim to 10 clubs, from the New Cross Rangers to the White City Rebels, this form of motorcycle racing was popular in Britain for over 50 years. Though it continues today, it has failed to rival the rapid growth of other motorsports. *** In the mid 1920s, Fred Mockford and Cecil Smith, owners of London Motor Sport Ltd, sought to create a mile-long track in Crystal Palace. Their hope of establishing a form of motorcycle racing was granted by the trustees of the historic Crystal Palace. They had brought Speedway to Britain from Australia. It was a death-defying spectacle featuring leather clad men, a thrill for spectators. The first event to take place on the track pitted the home country against the founding father, Australia and its popularity was cemented for decades to come. The club, however, was forced to relocate in 1933 and a new home in New Cross was built. Mockford and Smith founded the New Cross Rangers in time for the 1934 season. The track was an iconic site of early speedway racing. Banked edges that surrounded the muddy periphery were a unique feature; the ‘frying pan’ had sweeping bends and short straights, resulting in tense races, injury and tragedy. The ground was home to greyhound racing; tightly positioned behind rows of terraced housing, factories and railway tracks. The followers of Crystal Palace became the Supporters’ Club of New Cross; fans wore the orange and black team colours throughout the move. The Maltese Cross became the badge associated with south east London’s newest speedway team. Speedway was a popular sporting event throughout the early 20th century. The sport excited audiences in a similar manner to that of football in the Premier League era. There was money to be made from gate receipts as capacity crowds of 30,000 descended upon the terraces of the old Millwall track.The ‘Lambs’ as they came to be known (conceived because the track was positioned between Canterbury Road and the Old Den), had talented riders in their midst. The heroic Tom Farndon was adored by fans. A brave, fearless rider, Farndon jostled against champion riders throughout the 1934 season. He was indispensable to the team as they secured the London Cup and a third-place league finish. The team paraded their wares down the Old Kent Road in front of an adoring public. In their second season, 1935, difficulties would arise for the club. Performances were not at the level of the previous season. A poor performance in the league was compounded by a dismal display in knockout tournaments. This was overshadowed by a crash involving Tom Farndon. The young prospect, poster boy of the Rangers, Farndon crashed into his fallen teammate Ron Johnson. He was propelled from his bike; the landing proved fatal. His final days were spent in a hospital in Greenwich. His celebrity was such that thousands of fans waited at the gates to be updated of his condition. News of his passing caused significant grief to the hoards of Rangers supporters. The death of Tom Farndon was the first tragedy in British speedway history. Worse was the fact that Farndon was close to cementing himself as the greatest rider of his generation. Such was the stature of speedway racing, that the people of Millwall lined the streets on the day of his funeral. The remainder of the season was insignificant; New Cross lost all the remaining fixtures of the 1935 campaign. *** The club experienced success in the 1938 season, winning the league for the first time. By the time of the Second World War and abandonment of the 1939 season, New Cross’s fortunes had reversed. They were rooted to the bottom of the table. The club experienced success in the post-war period but their future would not endure the coming decades. The Den was consistently the finest track in British speedway, with Mockford and Smith investing heavily on a premium surface. The results of their investment would be short term. New Cross struggled to survive after the recommencement of speedway. In 1953, 25 years after Mockford and Smith had established the Crystal Palace franchise, their beloved Rangers were experiencing hardship. A combination of television competition, entertainment tax and a shortage of spending money forced Mockford into closing the ‘frying pan’. The effects of the New Cross closure were profound for the entire sport, precipitating a decline in speedway across the country. A resurgence of the New Cross team occurred in 1959. Abandoned tracks across the country were reopened. Johnnie Hoskins, the manager of Wembley, West Ham and Newcastle in previous years, had the desire to oversee the rebirth of New Cross. It had been 6 years, but speedway returned with a match between New Cross and Wimbledon. The hope that surrounded these tremors of activity were decidedly short lived. A couple of seasons spent in the lower leagues delayed the inevitable. Their matches failed to attract interest; support had waned for a team that lacked quality riders. The golden era of Farndon and Johnson, hurtling around the track in a battle for first place, was gone. New Cross Rangers, in their famous orange and black attire, had their last meet at the ‘frying pan’ on the 5th August 1962. The track was sold, with stock cars dueling it out until 1969. It was finally demolished in 1975, as disputes between the stadium owners British Rail and the leaseholders ended the speedway association to south east London. https://the-dots.com/projects/the-new-cross-speedway-428366

Lovely photo from 1962 http://www.millwall-history.org.uk/the_den4.htm

Yes, but with a much better team that got even better as the season went on with Malc's rise to heat leader status. You couldn't say the team that finished the season looked anything but the best team in the league.

I've booked tickets for 5 of us, accommodation booked for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It's a great weekend of which the speedway is only a part, can't wait.

Yes, and not limited to BV threads either. Think it has come up on the Poole thread too lol

Chris Holder??

I'm bored with the Poole thread, I'm bored with this thread, all the threads at the time of year between announcements and the start of the season just turn into lots of people arguing with eachother, what's the point, it's how people lose interest

The one track I really wish I’d been to, above all others

You beat me to it; I was going to start this very thread!

And yet one of the few things that give UK speedway any credibility is the PL fixed race nights. Yes they are restrictive and will probably keep the number of participating clubs low but prevents guest fest. I do wonder how many CL clubs would opt for Fridays if they could? Obviously I know several can't or wouldn't but its come up a number of times over the years that clubs can't run on thier optimal race night and that just seems counter productive.

Whilst the 2nd Div tail can wag the Div 1 dog it wont ever work too well.. Div 2 truly do have it all ways.. Using many of the best riders available from both Div 1 and Div 3... A few on here seem to take some satisfaction by talking up there clubs as if they have miraculously increased their followers through great promotional work.. And for some that may be a factor.. However, I would suggest the bigger factor is having six Div 1 heat leaders competing regularly at those tracks each season. Which has attracted more "lapsed" fans who have drifted away in the preceding years back to the sport.. The same would happen if an influx of GP riders came back in Div 1... The question though is obviously "how long will it last?"... The novelty of watching "better riders" only lasts so long before it becomes "normal" and then those "non regulars" who have been attracted back start to drift away again... And, as we see, having so many Div 1 heat leaders in a select few tracks in Div 2, wont help the whole sport organically and generically grow...

Peterborough 2021!

Nice idea but not overly practical and the void in talent between rider levels in the same league is already alarming. The CL features a lot of the PL heatleaders down to NDL graduates and then chucked out on track together and questioned why the racing is follow the leader. Personally the level of the NDL needs to be maintained/raised to keep it strong/competitive, minimum averages need to be achieved in each league before stepping up, the proposed avaerage calculator needs bringing back in so PL/CL conversion rate is at 2.0 and if a double upper highest average is used. The decision really needs to be made to acertain if the CL is the league that everyone wants to focus on given the number of teams and that most decisions appear to be being made for the benefit of the CL. An actual focus on what is important for the sport in the UK rather than individual clubs is what is needed.

Thanks for sharing that one! I can't get the UKTV to play over here, but I can certainly watch Daily Motion. My dad used to see the actors regularly when he was driving around the area.

What I'm suggesting is to go back to 13 heats & then with all 14 riders + 4 local talents in the second half with sponsored final. The objective being discover & encourage MUCH NEEDED new riders but also freshen things up. Keep this going until we have enough riders to fill our team places without the hated double-up/ double-down shenanigans.

You'll see your pair in 5 of the 15 heats. In the old BLRC you only saw your rider in 5 of the 20 heats. But they still packed 25,000 into Hyde Road to see the 16 best riders in the league. With only 6 Premiership teams, you can hardly have a 6 rider BLRC. This is the best way to have the best riders in the league all in a meeting together. If they get it right and make sure every team sends their top 2 to every round, it could be a success... but there's always that word "IF". Really they should be launching this as a big series and have a big headline sponsor. I hope they get it right because it could be very good... but equally, they could get it very wrong.

The problem with all pairs events is you only see your team's pair in 5 heats, one off meeting on neutral track not too bad but can see this series being a white elephant. 4TT would have been better.

You can VPN to get around that but that isn't what is being offered anyway. Based on the press release it's a subscription (annual/monthly?) for 30+ matches in total streamed from all of the tracks. With 11 teams that's only 2 or 3 matches from any one track. So 2 or 3 home matches which clubs might notice reduced gate receipts. Worth the risk if the income generated from the subscriptions exceeds those potential losses. There are a number of ways that the subscription income could be split and presumably each promoter has agreed to the method. Presumably each team will feature in a similar number of away fixtures to make the subscription equally attractive to all 11 clubs supporters and I guess it will be more like Newcastle at Plymouth than streaming a local derby to protect gate receipts. So it does look like they're trying to minimise the impact on gate receipts. I hope it's a great success, the pricing will of course be critical in determining if it is. Bearing in mind there might be a few subscriptions required next season if you want to follow all televised speedway.

VPN

1. Poole 2. Glasgow 3. Edinburgh 4. Plymouth 5. Berwick 6. Leicester 7. Oxford 8. Redcar 9. Scunthorpe 10. Birmingham (unless something special happens with their remaining riders) 11. Newcastle

Pardons the 1980 test match was probably the best meeting I saw at Wimbledon. I was sitting on the 3rd and 4th bend in the seats that had the wooden front, with a Union Jack flag (could not find an England flag anyway) that was draped on the front and sounding my air horn. There are few things I wished to have seen at Wimbledon, such as Ronnie Moore ride the track and watched racing on the original larger Wimbledon race track. So if anyone knows how to built a TARDIS please let me know.

Top team in 2022 will be Oxford. Massive home track advantage as no one else will have ridden there and Oxford will have had plenty of practice ;-) They have assembled a very experienced side who are well capable of giving a good account of themselves at all away tracks. Given an injury free run ......look like a side that will spring some surprises in 2022.

Can't believe they didnt base the dimensions on those of a Cycle Speedway track... That would work great if someone did it, wouldn't it? Great to see someone with pretty much a blank canvas thinking about how the entertainment value of the racing will be affected by its shape.. Look forward to visiting... Going to take my 18 year old with me and let him enjoy the delights of a night out in Worky post meeting..

Just got in... Been out all night putting up "Welcome To Manchester Tai" banners across the A6 from Mcvities up to Kirky Lane... And done the same the other way from Piccadilly Station... They look great... Can't wait to see him ride for the Aces.. Edit : Bugger..... How do you spell KK's names?

What about him?

Is it down to the lake I fear? Ay ay ay ay ah

Free stadium dont think so they do pay rent, although its a labour council so you should be happy

I did say 'most' and not all riders enjoy Arlington either, but variety : spice of life and all that. If time & money were no object I'd love to visit every track in the UK, and in the world if my lottery numbers come up (fat chance), been to probably 70% or current circuits. Ticking off tracks is always interesting as with almost everything they are different to how they appear on TV. And obviously if Belle Vue did sign Woffinden it would be very interesting. To say the least.....