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The simple answer, as someone who works in speedway, and in media in general including the BBC, the whole media landscape is incomparable to how it used to be even 5 or 6 years ago. Did the media lose interest or do they have hardly any staff left to write anything? However many people you think work in sports departments in newsrooms for either print or broadcast media, the reality will be a fraction of that, and really (as already happens) it’s down to those within the sport to lay the content on a plate in order to get coverage. Loads and loads of old long time journalists have left, been made redundant, taken retirement, died etc. So the people who used to bang the drum for speedway on the inside are no longer there. British Speedway sends news reports out on a daily basis, and even in the off season whenever something happens it is released directly to the media to hundreds of places. The way newsrooms work, you have certain sports guaranteed to take 90% of the coverage (mainly football etc), all other sports from Speedway to every sport in the Olympics and beyond are battling for that remaining 10%, and for the most part I’d include domestic rugby and county cricket in that. We also need personalities with a story. You mention Kenny Carter and Wiggy always being on the TV, they would not have been on the TV regardless of how good they were as riders if they were dullards. They were on because they were good value & entertaining. Results are at best going to get a passing mention, I would say the pre hype or some kind of human interest story would more likely get decent coverage, but to do that we need the personalities first. Chicken and egg I know, but that’s the situation. So I’d say it’s a mix of everything, but also don’t lose sight that a lot does happen, you may not see it yourself but it is there. We have regular stories in national newspapers such as The Sun & The Star & Mirror via Peter Oakes & Phil Lanning, we have many local BBC sport shows running speedway features and even live commentaries, we’ve had big coverage of the GB Youth training camp on the north east ITV News recently even in the closed season as such, coverage on ITV on the south coast of Kent I think too. We don’t quite have the resources of other sports at the moment but, people are trying to gain maximum coverage with the resources and contacts we have, and what we have now is undoubtedly better than what we’ve had in recent years. A way to go but we’ll get there.

Watch/Listen to this:

Tbf a thread on here for restaurant recommendations near all the tracks for travelling fans wouldn’t be the worst thing would it!

Hope Puk has a brilliant day. Well deserved. Wont forget the winter when Tim Stone signed him as third heatleader on a 9.00 average. I remember he had won the Danish u21 final ahead of Bjerre the year before and just had that feeling he would be an instant success at Newport. Must of been one of the only ones as most predicted he would do well to average 5. He went on to average over his 9.00 assessed figure in his only year in the Premier and was superb everywhere he went. I went to many away meetings that season and don't think I seen him have a bad one on tracks he was visiting for the first time. An extremely good guy, always turned out well and gave nothing less than 100 percent. I think injuries knocked him back a bit, he started to make big strides in the GP's and topped the Polish and British averages for a few seasons before going on a run of nasty crashes. Had he avoided them with the form he was in, its not unreasonable to think he would of picked up more GP wins and podiums. His partnership at Newport with Tony Atkin will go down as probably the most popular partnership at Newport after Wato and Smarty. Hope he has a big crowd and good weather.

If Ipswich is tricky,, good job these riders don't have to visit lakeside, wolves and Eastbourne anymore then

Thanks for posting this good video

Restaurant guide coming soon on Pride of the East podcast 😂😂😂

I wouldn't argue with that. Bartosz Zmarzlik is a great rider, but crucially, does little to help Speedway outside of Poland. Publicity, Marketing etc.

Add in Emil and TK... it's a long standing debate. You could argue (and I am) that Leigh Adams was a better ambassador for Speedway than the current 5 x World Champion!

I would argue he was the best rider never to be World Champ, along with maybe Jessup

Terrific watch. Very moving. Most inspiring. Thanks for posting IainB.

As I've said before, £30.99 pm over 6 months compares quite well to BSN per meeting and bear in mind the higher quality of Speedway and the extra sport you get. It's just we've had it too cheap while it's been on Eurosport & Discovery+

Slightly off topic, but with the above I do think a lot of riders of all levels are swayed with so called trick(y) tracks and are mentally beaten before they ride them. Remember at Arlington seeing it both ways, even in our NL days, some were beaten before they rode there, but remember Adam Ellis, Ellis Perks, and and others getting to grips( no pun intended) straight away. Obviously exceptional, but Dan Bewley's one meeting there early days in the NL saw him flirt with the fence in his first race, then win the next 4 and look amazing. Think it is probably a worse situation now, most can ride on the block, but don't have the throttle skills of riders gone by. Think it maybe partly the reason Tom Brennen has risen above the others of his era, honed his skill as a nipper at Arlington.

Not from B/vue only if BSN cover it ?

Exactly other sports have had their share of bad press over the decades. As regards the Sunday People "allegations" anybody within the sport knew that "deals" were made throughout its history. The only thing that Simmo and Wiggy were guilty of was naivety and talking to strangers.

I think you will find they are no longer showing the highlights on Quest, but have moved them to the DMax channel? Sadly that doesn't compensate me who used to get Discovery+ as part of my Sky package and now the alternative is to pay an extra £30 a month for TNT sport! Previously I could watch all the GP's, the League matches shown on Eurosport etc, now nothing!

So, why is cricket still so popular?

I dont know your story and often there are two sides and we only read your version but you persisting your vendetta from 20 years ago on a website which is about the fans getting their team back is sad of you or maybe if this project fails then maybe you at least will be happy. Please stick on this forum to helping get Mildenhall speedway back

off to PP today NSS 10-30 start weather fine & dry might get some clue to when GP tickets go on sale 🤔😜

Speedway in the media never recovered from the Sunday People's proven race fixing articles, most people saw speedway as a circus act, the fixing of results just reinforced their view.

Love that idea! 😅 My contribution is the Olive Tree at Little Snoring and the George and Dragon at Newton 👍

Wherever you decide. I suggest booking a table to make sure you get in, else stadium hot dog beckons.

just all go on British speedway network streaming great presentation by people who know speedway

This is the bit that I don't understand, visas should only be issued when their are no British riders are available, so long as there are British riders out of work then no visas should be issued.