Leaderboard

Teams do not ride on paper and happy I have a team to watch and as long as they give 100% effort am more than happy and all I ask.

Polish domination never happened overnight though.We have to take some of the blame for the decline of the sport in UK.

I think speedway lost it's way completly when the TV got involved. We used to get a parade at 7:15 & the first race at 7:30 now your lucky to see a race before 7:50 at some tracks. Following this will be a 10 minute grading sessions & an interval after Ht 10 for another 20 minutes then a 10 minute wait to decide who will race in Ht 15. We need to get back to running the slick show that made Speedway popular & throw the TV handbook in the bin. Four blokes going sideways around an oval how can that be complicated. If it's done properly speedway is the most exciting motor cycle sport ever & it's ideal for TV. But unfortunetly they slowed it down & what we used to see in 90 minutes now takes two & a half hours at some tracks

As a Brummies supporter I must admit this endless waiting is starting to get to me. I know LR says he has a plan and the supporters shouldn't panic, but its not like we are just waiting on news about a final rider to complete the team; we need three good or fairly decent riders! I must admit to being increasingly concerned about the lack of news and hope something will be released soon, if only about one of the riders. At the I'm just clinging to the belief the new investors in the club wouldn't be spending a shed load of money on substantial track improvements without a strong belief a decent team can be put together to attract the paying public.

Great to see more sponsors on board - both old and new - excellent!

Who,,, what average will he come in on and, will he be ok to get a visa?

I wonder sometimes why speedway only seems to attract an audience from the lowest social strata. It's hard to grasp why 600-700 people will "struggle" to afford an evening's entertainment where the admission is under £20, when a night at a music concert at a 10,000 capacity venue can easily sell out despite tickets being 5 or 6 times the price. That tells me that there are plenty of people with money in their pockets. So why can't speedway attract them? And to those who say that you get 2 whole hours entertainment for your money for your concert admission compared to 15 minutes for your speedway admission, I'm reminded of the day that 25,000 people paid over £50 each to see Usain Bolt for 10 seconds at Perry Barr's "other" stadium. People have money. Speedway just has to find out how to attract the people who have it.

Is that because they don't want us to see how bad the team is for free, they want us to pay instead so have to wait for the first official fixture to witness it first hand!!

Danno Verge. Hes ready to go. Been saying it for weeks and available on Wednesday nights

I think Laurence Rogers riding himself would be better

What about goret who rode for Plymouth at the beginning of last season.

This is a major problem and one of the reasons Eastbourne are taking a year out with having to join the league so late and with no rider assets. The only way round this I feel is to make just 2 leagues next season with a few of the Championship clubs moving up to the top league and a few of the third tier teams moving up to the Championship. A watered down championship with some form of control over top end strength at that level. But, and it's a big but, will fans and clubs want this? Also the riders won't want this as this will limit doubling up and they won't want that as earnings will drop for them making it unfeasible for them to ride financially. Its a very difficult situation we have for the next few years but one that needs to be addressed if we are to move forward in the UK

So you start the process with minus 3 riders...add a team in the way of Oxford, that needs another 7 riders, and all of a sudden, to make up the league's quota or riders, you are on minus 10. Give everyone else a 2-3 month head start and then surprise surprise, there's nobody left that you can mop up in the final weeks before the season starts. This goes to back up what I've said before, there is a very limited pool of riders. Hardly enough to go around now, as it is, and with people talking about how great it would be to see Eastbourne, Swindon, Coventry, Bradford etc return, you have to ask, where the riders to fill all those extra team places will come from.

Really depends on your point of view. The main thing for Newcastle is "keep your home fans happy," as that's where Rob & co. will get some of their money back, by fans returning to Brough Park and in turn will keep the Diamonds running. Once that's (hopefully) built up, then they can plan to attract the riders who will do well at home and away and be able top push for honours (e.g. Cups)/play-offs etc. Getting the balance right is the key, but the priority has to be home form and "entertainment," to keep the crowds coming through the turnstiles.

Collins,Loram and Briggs had been replaced by better riders before they retired,that’s the difference from nowadays.

And Collins, Loram and Briggs were replaced by other World Class riders not "young 4pt lads with potential"...

I think the two arguments are different here as I’m sure any Newcastle fan would prefer us to be on track than not and thankfully the additional investment in the club has allowed the club to continue. However, like in every sport fans are entitled to their own opinions about the strength of the team and that opinion shouldn’t be clouded by the off track events of last season, especially given the substantial investment that has come the clubs way during this winter which puts us in a far better footing. We can’t compete financially with the likes of Glasgow and Poole but I do think a more competitive side could be assembled within our budget. I disagree with the view that the team is a bad one and will, in my opinion do quite well around Brough Park but I do feel they will struggle to deliver many points on the road. I have no problem with any of the lads signed but the overall team strength is weaker than 90% of the other teams in the league and I can’t see the Diamonds being at the business end of the table come play off time. My own biggest disappointment is that we are way under the points limit again and could have added a little extra in terms of point scoring ability to the side to make us more competitive on the road and at home against one or two of the teams that have a side packed with riders who will win races around Brough (Poole for one). Only time will tell how this team performs but as I say everyone is entitled to their own opinions and the differences/debates are what sport is all about.

Don't worry LR has it all sorted he is just waiting on one rider to "find" his UK passport and the paperwork for the other two is locked in his glovebox

It would... My point was you could better off with a rider winning a couple of races a night rather than one winning none but still having the same average... I hope Birminghan can put together a decent team, but to he honest, I do feel that they may end up struggling to do so, and that could be a disaster for their continuation given their history.... Personally, I think an NDL place should initially have been the target as, like many tracks of their size, it does have a following of 600 or so die hards who would have supported it I would suggest.. Unfortunately, as we know, the NDL has been restructured to support the Championship, so what once was the best ran league, offering the best value for money, (and for me also the best entertainment), is now no longer the same standard... Fingers crossed they can be competitive AND sustainable...

With respect its not like LR to stretch the truth a little is it...... I sincerely hope that a couple of riders have a change of heart and decide to ride CL or are willing to sign briefly, even if they get Bjarne to sign on then retire again they have a rider allocated to book guests against. Whatever is happening behind the scenes the clock is definitely ticking.

The amateur meetings with riders paying an entry fee will make money too. Look at the riders competing across the various classes and it is definitely a higher standard than the normal amateur meetings you spoke of. I really don't see why it's a problem!

Unfortunately tonight ladies and gentlemen Elton John and Rod Stewart cannot be with us as they are double booked and doing a concert in Prague... Instead we have Chris Harris and Scott Nicholls guest singing for them... To be fair. Speedway can get decent crowds when meetings have some relevance. Eg The SON and domestically the Play Off finals show that there is still a "decent amount" of fans at most tracks who come out of the woodwork to attend certain meetings.. (Bank Holidays too seem to get well above average attendances at those tracks who run on those days)... Unfortunately, due to its operating model, there are not enough of those meetings that mean something during the season... Let's hope for a summer of good weather as that can be a real asset in bringing non regulars (who still follow the sport very closely), out to attend....

I've said it many times but I would expect more than just fifteen heats of racing after paying my admission price and petrol to travel to my local track some 60 plus miles away irrspective of the expected rise in the cost of living.

Or not declare to run until you have a team pencilled in ?

2 teams defunct from last season, freeing up 14 riders a few retirees,but their is still a surplus of at least 6 riders,Plymouth were not excepted until much later than brum declared intention to run and managed to put a team out that increased attendance as the season went on so it can be done but not easy.

100% has to be the way forward.. However... Due to Brexit, gone are the days of bringing West/East European and Scandinavian journeymen over on a "no risk" basis.. The no risk basis being that that these four and five point men would have been in an almost inexhaustible supply pre Brexit, meaning one in, then one out if it didnt work out, was the operating model... It is no coincidence I am sure that after Brexit, Speedway promoters in the top two leagues suddenly discovered that we had a good many UK riders in Division 3... Riders obviously who had gone unnoticed for decades when the UK promoters were bringing over any European or Scandinavian that even remotely looked like they could handle a Speedway bike.. Until there are enough riders for the teams the current situation can be the only way the sport can be ran... And the way that the 2nd Div have already dispensed with the RS scheme after just one season suggests it will be the same for a long time to come.. (Providing there are enough teams to run the sport as a team entity long term obviously)....

Good idea but I can't see Newcastle doing that. It would be cheaper and better for fans to be let in but.....

Rehabilitation?

via BSPL website. They have facebook, Twitter and Insta pages too. Theres no specific details yet until March. when prices and registration will no doubt be announced.

You can still go to one those Tony.......Costa Mesa reopening again this year.......And, I highly recommend it!

Think Keleher would be 4.72 His twitter bio states hes still looking for a uk club for this year - would be a logical fit

Potential possibilities based on them appearing for french clubs (i know these guys are in france because of grasstrack) Kenneth Hansen (not sure if riding in denmark would have thought so) Jan Kvech Mathieu Tressarieu Adam Ellis

Frank smart and Roger lobb complete the team nicely

Is Jason Garrity out yet ?

Right now...'I hope he is' !

Is he that New Zealand lad?...

But it has always been so. Peter Collins, Mark Loram and Barry Briggs all retired, were replaced, and the sport moved on. You say the forty-somethings need replacing? As always, they will be. By Jacob Hook, George Congreve, Nathan Ablitt, Lasse Fredriksen, Dan Gilkes, etc, coming in fresh and new at the bottom to replace the retirees. Who in turn are replaced at the top by the brightest and best moving up through the league -- Tom Brennan, Leon Flint and Jordan Palin are going to be stars, Ryan Douglas and Josh Pickering are already well on their way. It's the Circle of Life, my friend. Hakuna matata!

Simply because the Russians were giving everyone a time & date to collect Visas. As Simon drives to all his meetings, he was told that he had to collect his Visa Today (Wednesday 9/2) which wasn't enough time for him to then drive to Togliatti. It was all on the Inn Isar Racing Team Instagram over the weekend

Because it seems to work and appears to be popular with fans? Everyone knows. Speedway is two seven man teams over 15 heats with as many pro riders there as possible... All ridden on nights to suit the riders so they can ride in as many meetings, and represent as many teams, as they can... Mustn't ever change that... Imagine the chaos!! And who knows. Maybe the odd amateur talent could be unearthed given they will be coming up against established NDL riders so can benchmark themselves against a higher standard...

Can it be someone other than Bjarne please...just in case he does decide to have a spin again ?

So you quote we have a bad TEAM !! At least we have a team to watch ( thanks to Rob & Dave tinning ) but we look a lot stronger than last season imo

The list of "announced" riders released thus far for the 3TT are all NDL riders. Im sure there might be a couple of fringe amateurs feature in the main events and perhaps moreso in the grasstrack classes but its a decent distance away from clubmans amateur events.

Don’t see anyone slating him,most are just surprised that it was him.Giving they had a few options regarding points limit.

Behind closed doors apparently like last year.

I wish the people involved with the work to return speedway all the best. It must be hard to stay positive when it appears the odds are stacked against you. However, as it has been said, Oxford's revival is a beacon pf optimism. I have lost the two tracks I supported - Coventry and Reading - an I feel fortunate that having moved into the area I will be able to see speedway again on a regular basis. For that I have to thank those whose hard work and persistence hard got Oxford back when it looked t as if they were lost for ever. I am still hoping that speedway will return to Coventry, though I think at Reading i it s very unlikely. Those who denigrate the efforts of the ones who work hard to keep speedway going are the sad ones.

I'm shocked by this choice. I fully expected Peterborough to name Tony Atkin as their your up & coming number 8

There might be a minimum distance from the track to the IP address, so those 'near' (whatever distance they want) to the home track can't access the stream?

Even if they were or could ride if Brum signed any of them would need 2000 through the gate instead 1000. Thats 4 times the amount Masons were getting in 2021

Saddened to hear that Jack Parkinson Blackburn has lost his equipment due to a fire where his workshop was. Hope he can sort everything out

Excuse me im missing any teams out but NJL is Berwick, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Redcar, Newcastle, Scunthorpe ? That means its down to a possible 4 teams as two are already entered in the NDL. Were any reasons given for the non allowance of entry? Only ones i can think of are strict early curfew or reluctance to run double headers (as i know these are now favoured by some clubs) It would be great to see the NDL flourishing again (although lack of available riders would probably force a low team building limit)