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I’m sick of dusty tracks, it’s not just Poole it seems to be everywhere in current speedway and ultimately it makes for crap racing, put some god damn water down and if the riders moan tell them to sod off and do something else, it seems no consideration is given to fans getting covered in dust these days, Poole attendance levels are maintained by their winning ethos but for a play off meeting I thought that crowd was poor

We could call it the BLRC. The both leagues riders championship.

Let’s be honest here as an Ipswich fan. Ipswich got lucky to be in front at the interval on Thursday & Belle Vue pulled it back & deserved the win. In terms of Ipswich 2026 the late take over certainly put a spanner in the works in terms of team building. Ellis & Doyle were both spoken too but couldn’t hang on to confirm their 2026 arrangements & you can’t blame them. Danny, Tom & Jason Edwards were all able to hold on & Edwards was announced before Christmas. At one point I believe that Mayfield were hoping to be able to announce the take over & the team before Christmas. However there were issues around confirming their lease on the stadium which made it impossible to announce anything. The team was put together last minute & certainly after the top riders had already made their plans for 26. personally I went into this year happy to have a team & with no real expectations. The amount of criticism thrown at Mayfield in terms of the team & lack of changes is just laughable. This year was always about keeping the club going & putting plans in place for 27. They have done a lot of work off track in terms of attracting new sponsorship, the deal with Wroclaw, witches TV etc etc. All of that is far more important than the 26 team issues to ensure we have a club in the future. I have nothing but respect for what Coleman has done this year & I have no criticism to put his way. Now if we have a team along the same lines next year then we are then free to criticise & demand better. Finally I don’t blame Louis 1 jolt for getting out. If you’re heart isn’t in it anymore then there is no point in carrying on. 26 has been a come down after 3 years of the Emil & Jason show however it’s a year of taking stock & rebuilding for the future.

Another reason for any TV deal to just do a highlights package using the club streams... Too many times meetings don't happen due to weather predictions, riders not liking the track or just simply rain offs.. The sport needs to build a reputation for professionalism, and "live Speedway" going out often doesn't always paint that picture... Time to edit the best highlights, and interviews covering rider commitments and lifestyles, can start to build that reputation..

Really great to see Lawson back to his usual self, bodes well for the remaining meetings. Slater is getting better by the heat, Zac is a handful for anyone, Lewis was sluggish to start yes but got it sorted, Kyle is more than was expected, Will had issues sure but can still win heats, Rushen is pulling his weight too. None of the opposition will be taking anything for granted The knee jerk track criticism that inevitably follows any Pirates home win is just background noise, and the querying of why Pirate's fan's enjoy watching their team win is......kinda puzzling?

Links for tonight: https://vksport.vkvideo.ru/live-53550004_456242858 https://vkvideo.ru/live-81427162_456239820

And I if hear riders safety one more time🤬firstly racing motorbikes is dangerous, don’t like that fact do something else, 2nd,ok riders let’s talk about lowering the revs by 2000revs on the engines and make them less volatile and ultimately a considerable amount safer to ride ? No I didn’t think so

I think people are getting confused about the nexus of the issue, it’s not about tracks being slick, it’s not about tracks having home advantage, it’s about the practice of clubs allowing the track to be a dust bowl which does not do anyone less the sport any favours.

What’s BSN got to do with how Teams prepare tracks they provide a standard service to all tracks during the season.Hitting Clubs on the pocket closes them down these days.Silly statement IMO.

I do believe it, I’ve been there, I have prepped a couple of tracks over the years and have been in enough meetings to know how riders moan, the riders are the first to moan about the tyres not up to the job but you put dirt and water down which would help the tyres and they moan cause the engines which “they” choose don’t like it, this is why the dictatorship that is riders running the sport for the riders needs to stop

Artur Rusko and Richard Coleman have been busy the last few days putting the bulk of an Ipswich team together for next year , so you’d think things have already been loosely agreed for the League next year behind the scenes. Going to be an interesting few weeks ahead.

Whilst Danny had his poorest meeting of the season it’s well worth remembering that his scores ALL season have got us into the playoffs

I know how it works I’ve done it but I always rode in every meeting I was asked even if I was getting less money than my club money because I wanted to race my bike and rode in the hope I would win something which is my point, nobody seems to care about the prestige or the love anymore, it’s all about the money, I don’t blame the BSPL on this one, the sport is practically broke but riders just don’t seem to care

I just don’t get the mindset of the modern riders, it’s like they are just doing it for the money now and winning,prestige and more importantly the fans just doesn’t matter

Speedway is absolutely better suited to a highlights reel. Cuts out all the 💩 and a whole meeting can be covered in just 30mins with best race highlights from other fixtures from that week. With all the gaps / delays in live meetings, the sport doesn't lend itself to modern society and new fans. Majority of U30s today cannot cope with nothingness and 15 minutes of action over a couple of hours just will never cut it. Speedway in general is a sport in a real tough spot regardless of the moves it tries to make. There has to be a major focus on speeding up heats and/or adding extra races. Selling Speedway to new observers, sponsors & media is a seriously tough job.

Still more entertaining than most meetings at Poole.

Not in the Black Country it isn’t

I would of raced last night but riders were of a different mindset back in the day and we raced engines that were suited to the conditions not conditions suited to the engines, with that statement can anyone see where the problem is ???

Well, with that kind of serious threat, I’m sure the Glasgow management will be in touch to make sure you’re ok with their choices of rider next season before they sign as it would surely be a disaster for the club if you didn’t turn up…….🤣

So Kings Lynn needed Sheffield to not pick up a point at home vs Northampton and then win and take the bonus at Northampton (today) to sneak into the playoffs. Max Fricke, currently employed by Kings Lynn, then accepts a guest booking for Sheffield, and proceeds to score 9 points. Yeah, that makes sporting sense to me. Riders have no affinity to a club, it's simply a living. I always know this is how it is but there are days when I question why would I invest my loyalty to a club when the riders basically couldn't care any less what racesuit they pull on....

This. There was a vacancy at Belle Vue which meant he slipped in seamlessly as a like for like. To bring an eight pointer in to Ipswich, that would have involved two changes minimum. Coleman isn’t going to be an owner that regularly chops and changes and puts riders out of a job and fans are going to have to accept the way he works there. As I’ve said before, if the club is struggling and changes aren’t made, that could end up being annoying for some supporters. Bangs was an extreme case as he was struggling not just on track, but off it. They gave him as much support as possible but in the end were forced to do something not just for the clubs benefit, but the rider. They didn’t feel great about doing that either I can tell you that. Maybe their stance will change a little in the future. At the end of the day you have to listen to your supporters as they’re the ones who pay at the gate and keep the club going so if the noise gets loud enough, action will inevitably have to happen. Plus, Ipswich just can’t compete with the money Belle Vue throw at riders so it was a non starter anyway 😉

It’s certainly has been a trying season for the witches with just a 4th place finish & a KO cup final. Having been use to the last few seasons of success with Jason & Emil steering them to a 4th place finish & a KO cup final in 2023 and a 4th place finish & a KO cup final in 2024 it must be hard for their fans to take this year’s level of mediocrity.

I’m pleased for the management at Ipswich that they’ll have the first leg at home because that will ensure a much better crowd than a second leg with very little hope of progression after a probable thumping at the NSS. That isn’t be defeatist, just realistic. It’s been a trying first season for them due to the lateness of the takeover so a chance to swell the coffers a little is welcome.

Just for Men?.... Tena Men?.... Steradent?... SAGA Holidays?.. Over 50's Life Assurance?.. Those "Cheapo Funeral" Adverts?.. Just like watching U&Alibi and C5 now.....😁 Edit. Almost forgot... Those chairs that tip you out of them.. Walk in, sit down baths .. And those trainers that you don't need to bend down to put on, or tie any laces...😀

I find Lee kilby’s banter a bit forced and not very natural but overall I don’t mind him, all of them are ok but I think Greg Blair is the best of them all but anyway it’s all subjective so doesn’t really matter what anyone thinks

Update from Stoney and Nick: Just at the finish line folks-we bloody did it! We finished 4th out of 28 teams so not bad for first timers. it's been a quite stressful day trying to complete challenges and navigating through towns in Italy, Monaco and Nice. Just had a well earned beer and off to find our hotel. Thanks to everyone for your generosity, the total raised for the SRBF currently stands at over £12,000.

I see the usual eejit from Ipswich is spewing forth again about how desperate he is for Glasgow to race in the Premiership next season. I believe I speak for the majority of Glasgow fans when I say "thanks but no thanks". Once again they are ignoring that Glasgow fans don't want mid week racing, they want Friday nights. We also get a healthy crowd of kids as it's a non school night (yes there was a poll before any fixed race nights and Friday nights were top by a distance hence the Facennas fighting to get Friday night racing). You would also lose all of the local(ish) rivalries that bump up crowd levels for those fixtures. Glasgow v Edinburgh is an easy sell to people in either city in anything. Glasgow v Ipswich? Meh, not so much. And way less Ipswich fans would travel up midweek than Edinburgh fans on a Friday Yes, I'm picking on Ipswich (as it is some of their fans that seem desperate to ruin Glasgow speedway) but to be honest if Glasgow ran in the Premiership in 2026 there would have been no 'stand out' fixture in the calendar, none that you circle at the start of the year saying I must make sure to see that one. No derby and no rivalry. Having seen the odd international match, GP qualifiers etc there is nothing that we're missing out on in terms of racing quality either. As for not seeing Leon Flint or Dan T in the Championship, I think I might be seeing them a fair bit next year, but we'll see what happens over the silly season.

Kurtz wins sprint, now level with Zmarzlik on points

And just to add from 2013 on I should of been offered the job of running the national league, it may sound like I’m blowing my own trumpet but as someone who was there at it’s conception and was there through all its guises I sort of know what it’s about unlike some of “experienced” faces who came in thinking they could run the show but when you ruffle a few feathers and prod a few bears in BSPL towers you are seen as an outsider, sadly those days are gone for me now, it doesn’t interest me anymore but it’s still sad to me to see the national league as it is today

Nora is the correct future for the national league and has been for a good few years now but will the scb/acu let it go ?the national league around the early to mid 2000s when the national league (Plymouth, Weymouth, Wimbledon cradley )started pulling in bigger crowds than the top leagues measures were put in place to decimate the league and it didn’t take many years to reduce it to the debacle it is today, short sighted, jealousy and bitterness and in some cases incompetence are rife in the bspl so don’t expect anything to change anytime soon, anyway a big congratulations to Martin and everyone at the IOW for an enjoyable short season that happily attracted good crowds

Photo on the wall of a new wetherspoon at Manchester airport called the belle Vue, just opened 😄🏁

So mr wright misses the plrc to ride in poland with no ban,we then bend over backwards starting at 5 pm to give him time to get back from poland again ,fri night at 6pm with a cloudy sky it was dark so what chance have we got to get it all done in light,then to cap it all max gets a ban for missing a nld fixture midweek,and we wonder why crowds are down.

What’s the point you are trying to make

Maybe not running again after several days of Stox will be the answer going forward?.. Obviously a huge learning curve this season, but one I am sure they will learn from and improve on..

He's been detrimental to the whole Tigers' season because with Howarth retired Glasgow needed everyone else to step up and be prepared to fight. I'd rather he didn't come back, if only for the team spirit alone because when he did turn up he always looked gloomy and disinterested. He had two good races all season, both of which he made the gate but in one of them he was pressured into a fall. At the start of the season everyone assured me he was the best thing to come out of Germany since bratwurst but even a sausage on a bike would have been more committed to the Tigers' cause than he is. If he's back next season I'll not be.

Does it matter given they are the best available and Joe Public ha not got a clue as to the standard and hierarchy in the sport in the UK. Speedway in the UK does not and cannot compete with any other league in Europe but those viewers who tuned in and looked at the event found something different but they have not got a clue as to who the riders were and at this stage it is all about attracting punters. You could have conference league riders but it is all about four riders on bikes with no brakes going head to head on powerful machines that would scare the sh.t. From the average bike rider. if packaged in the right format viewers will follow. Trouble is the presentation needs honing to sell it as a great form of entertainment and not chase the idea that it should be shown live as spectacle. Live televised meetings are the achilles heal of speedway and no sensible promoter would suggest that the live meeting are the answer. Any punter who attends a live meeting recognises that t v transmissions are a disaster and the armchair audience simply accept what is served up which compared to the Polish t v offering is in the UK rubbish

UK Speedway would benefit from a one hour round up, magazine type programme each week, with a couple of riders in attendance.. Making them personalities and identifiable... Mix in a few of the best heats from around the country, and a "what's on where?" over the next seven days...

I understand Poole want to keep winning, as that brings the fans in. But I don't feel it's a choice of poor track = winning, good track = losing. Poole have the strongest team, so why not prepare an awesome track for the fans to enjoy, while winning?

Put some f**king water down, heat 1 and it’s a dust bowl, there is no need for dust at all on an evening meeting

Not many do that to Douglas around there! Especially this year.

6 months to run a dozen meetings and still can’t field full teams due to .Afraid I disagree.

There is a 75p booking charge per ticket if you buy tickets on line, better off paying on the night

I like Greg, he is the best presenter on BSN and has the respect of the riders and because he has been there knows the why’s and how’s of how speedway ticks but on Friday night broadcast he announced that was his last BSN meeting this season

Typical speedway keep the fans hanging around for the inevitable decision

Have a feeling Kurtz and Smarslik won’t be too unhappy.One of them was going to lose out big time,possibly both.At least they are still right in the Title chase.

They are trying to talk Phil Morris out of sending the water bowser round.

It was the same guy last year calling Glasgow all sorts for not moving up and giving it laldy about how Ipswich were going to take all the riders for themselves to punish all the clubs that don't want to race Premiership. And that Glasgow should get banned from riding in the Championship because they don't want to go Premiership. Words like eejit were invented for people like him. I respect that people have different opinions, and I only referred to him as an eejit as that is my opinion of him.

Wasn't the NDL seen as being "too good" by those in the top two tiers?.. I used to go and watch the Colts with my then under 16 lad and it cost me a tenner for the both of us to get in . Brilliant value for money and the racing was often on a par with the top tier stuff you paid out almost three times as much for... So much so, I barely watched the Guestfests in tier one and, instead, went most meetings to watch the NDL Guestfests, (perfectly ok at NDL level as it gives riders track time).. I would suggest that the issue wasn't that the NDL was too good, but maybe it was the top two tiers that weren't good enough.... For me, clubs like Birmingham and Workington were perfect for NDL level racing as when they moved up the costs grew but the crowds barely did .. Best of luck to all those under the NORA umbrella...

Is anyone actually running British Speedway? Tomorrow is the Championship League Riders’ Championship at Sheffield. A few years ago, the CLRC was genuinely one of the jewel-in-the-crown individual meetings on the calendar. Top riders from every club, proper prestige, packed terraces, and real buzz. Fast forward to tomorrow, and it feels like the authorities wouldn't care if the gates didn't even open. First off, the scheduling brilliance: putting it directly head-to-head with the penultimate Grand Prix. I know people will say "you can watch on demand afterwards" but Speedway fans want to watch major meetings live don't they? With Brady Kurtz right in the thick of the World Championship, Belle Vue fans and general fans across the North who might have fancied a Saturday night out at Owlerton are far more likely to stay glued to their sofas cheering on their man. Nothing beats being track side, but supporters choosing between a live GP and a domestic individual championship is sheer amateur hour. Then there’s the non-existent advertising. If you don't buy the Speedway Star, you'd be forgiven for not even knowing the meeting exists. The official British Speedway website has offered virtually zero promotion other than a couple of standard-issue, token soundbite interviews with Leon Flint and Josh Pickering. Sheffield’s own website just has it quietly listed as their next home fixture at the moment, no special push, no fanfare, no effort to pull the casual punter through the turnstiles. Outside of the Star's pages, you can't even easily find the confirmed line-up. How difficult is it to put a proper graphic on social media and hype a national individual title? To top off the farce: one of the leading contenders, an Englishman who should be a headline draw for the CLRC and one of the favourites is reportedly pulled away to race in Poland instead!! The domestic season's marquee events are treated as an afterthought not just by the wider public, but by the sport’s own hierarchy. I guess the die-hard, hardcore regulars will turn up as they always do.

Interview with Andrew Bain in this week’s star sounds positive, he plans to keep improving the track including fitting the flood lights. He said he is going to do his very best to make sure the comets are at the tapes next year. Fingers crossed he can make it work. No one wants to lose another team.