Aces51

Entirely his prerogative and I think the import of what he has said was fairly clear. However, silence never brings out the truth nor brings about necessary change. Steve Worrall said in last week's Speedway Star "Although some of us had not been paid, it had been guaranteed by the BSPA so it wasn't a huge issue back then" I am sure that all of the questions requiring answers from the BSPA will be dealt with in full as soon as the future of Belle Vue is secure. After all we have a chairman who promised an era of openness and transparency. Well I think I'm sure. Ok, I can't see it happening.

The great Peter Craven was only 5 foot 2 and weighed under 8 stones. Not sure what that is in foreign measures.

If you follow the link about the meeting on the Belle Vue website it takes you to the everbrite. co. uk website which together with the details of the fans forum has the heading "Belle Vue Pre-Season Fans Forum by Belle Vue Speedway 2017 Ltd" So that tells you who has organised the meeting, which we know from the Companies House entry is the new owners.

the stadium (door and bar will open at 7pm). This is an opportunity for all fans to hear news regarding the forthcoming season and give you an opportunity to ask questions. Owing to capacities, the evening will be a ticketed event. To apply for a free ticket (limited to 2 per person), register for the event today by clicking on the following link https://bellevuefansforum.eventbrite.co.uk We hope you can join us.

I agree. The speedway I saw last year at the NSS was worth every penny of the entrance fee. I looked forward to seeing the likes of Holder and Doyle but in truth it was riders like Steve Worrall, Joe Jacobs and Matt Williamson who were just as often involved in some of the best races as Zagar or Cook.

We have David Gordon's account, why would he lie about those particular events? You have Gordon Pairman's statement issued at the time he withdrew. Read it again particularly the comments at the end; “I'd like to put on record my thanks to Manchester City Council for everything they have done and are doing to make the National Speedway Stadium and the Belle Vue Aces a success and to wish the best of luck to whomsoever is favoured by BSPA to take over this icon of speedway.” He is still a promoter at Poole and no doubt had to consider carefully what he said but I know how I interpret those final few words. Those involved have every opportunity to put forward their side of the story and you might expect that those who disagree with what has been said would be eager to do so. Following the article in the Speedway Star many may think that questions were raised that the chairman of the BSPA must answer. I can understand that it is politic to wait until the future of Belle Vue is settled but silence thereafter is not acceptable. I am not sure why some are calling for the new promoters to make a statement. They were not involved when these events happened so can have no first hand knowledge.

As I've explained before, it's nothing to do with how well off people are it's a commercial decision. It's no different to businesses that offer a discount or incentive to different groups, teachers, civil servants, those who buy certain brands of goods etc. It is sound business practice to make such offers to those with disposable income. Horton may have realised after his experiment last year that taking away the concession did not make commercial sense or he may think it will encourage more pensioners to travel to Leicester.

I am not expressing any views on the word used but as a matter of interest a Magistrate's Court is not a court of precedent. Their decisions are not binding on any court.

That's right. There have been many owners who are promoters and many promoters who are not owners.

The BSPA took it upon themselves to get involved and so do have a responsibility until the new owners are in place. That is why they have been issuing progress reports, nobody else can do so. It is the BSPA who decide whether the promoters will be licenced.

You can see on the unofficial forum that Aces fans are starting to be even more concerned. The information from the BSPA concerning when news will be forthcoming has proven to be less than accurate and is adding to the overall uncertainty. They need to get their act together, find out when the new owners will be in place or, at the very least, be able to let fans know the reasons for the delay and the likely timetable. Tweets telling us we will run and that we shall have news soon, in a few days, could be tomorrow, are wearing thin. I don't anticipate problems with assembling a decent team but it is getting very late for a new promotion to organise all of the other issues that need to be in place, season tickets, appointing volunteer and permanent staff, track work after the winter, terracing in the south stand etc. Obviously, it can still all be done but the clock is ticking. I am still confident we will be up and running but the ongoing delays would make anyone concerned.

That's why he's keeping quiet.

I agree that Lindback being assessed at 7 was an even bigger shock but both riders were allowed back on averages which didn't reflect their current ability, that was obvious to most who had any knowledge of the sport and reflected badly on the credibility of the sport. The new rules are designed to stop similar situations arising this year, although easily open to abuse when we know that you can easily fake symptoms of injury but at least it shows that the BSPA recognised that steps needed to be taken to try to prevent a recurrence of what happened last year so must have thought it was wrong. It has been suggested be me and others that the simplest and fairest way is that any rider not currently riding in the UK is assessed on a realistic multiplier of his average in whichever country he rides.

They never accepted the stadium which is why they had a month by month licence agreement with the council.

I agree with you GRW except that Woffinden's average wasn't fictitious. It reflects badly on the credibility of the sport and no doubt made a lot of those casual Aces supporters who attended the final feel less likely to become regulars. One of the major problems is that the sport is not taken seriously because of the rules and the way they are sometimes interpreted and Woffinden's inclusion didn't help. On the brighter side the authorities have recognised that it shouldn't happen again and have amended the rules to prevent such late team changes.

What Morton said in that article was "“I have taken time to reflect on my position and, following a recent press release from Belle Vue CEO David Gordon, I wish to make it clear I did not agree to these comments being made or released,” he said. “This does not fully represent myself or my thoughts and opinions. David and I have worked together and have not always agreed. I have let David know that our partnership has now come to an end.” So he didn't say that the comments were untrue but that he didn't agree with them being made or released and that they did not fully represent him, his thoughts or opinions. Gordon had resigned so their partnership was at an end anyway. Now consider that his promoting licence had been revoked by the BSPA, he was hoping to remain involved with BelleVue and, as we now know, he and Gordon Pairman were hoping to take over the reins, which would involve gaining the approval of the BSPA. I have no idea what Morton's thoughts and motives were at that time. However, if you or I were in that position we might want to take action to try to distance ourselves from what the BSPA had judged as behaviour warranting the revocation of our licence but without actually saying anything was untrue.

I can't say who was the best all round motor cyclist, I have no real interest in any discipline other than speedway but for me Tatum was the better speedway rider. Wigg was a character, more colourful and exciting to watch but Tatum more consistent and if I remember correctly, generally had a higher average.

I have read somewhere that some riders were protected but if memory serves Craig Cook said in the Speedway Star that he had received offers from other Premiership clubs.

I have already said that I see no reason for Wolverhampton to change their team and that personally I would have liked to see Richie back at Belle Vue. However, the new management at Belle Vue aren't guilty of anything. They made no promises to Richie Worrall and whoever did must have done so on the understanding that it was conditional on them taking over the club. You cannot expect the new owners to honour a promise they didn't make if they think other options are better. If you want to make comparisons then Belle Vue have over recent years employed as many, if not more, British riders than any other top tier club. Last year and in 2015 we had 5. For most of last season, until drafting in Woffinden, Wolverhampton had only two Brits and only two in 2015, in both years those two were the mandatory British reserves.

No. The BSPA did only say "could" be announced yesterday. I think we've still got to go through, might be today and expected this afternoon before it actually happens.

I think we all know that Middlo doesn't always think before he speaks. Matt will be pleased though, nothing like bigging up the product just before the season starts. http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/sport/speedway/piratesnews/15099137.Pirates_boss_Middlo__There_are_no_big_names_in_British_speedway_any_more

I don't agree you should drop Masters or anyone else but I can't see how Belle Vue dumped Worrall. His contract last year was with the old promotion. So far as I know the new promotion, if they are ever confirmed, never made any promises and are surely free to start with a clean slate and offer contracts to whoever they want. Having said that I would have liked to have seen Richie offered a place because of his loyalty and because he is British even though I think that there are better options available to create an overall stronger team.

The BSPA in their corner? Have you read the article?

I used to but gave up a few years ago. However, Chapman promised that we are going to have a rewritten, unambiguous rule book this year.

I think the rule is no more than two from the same Championship team so Cook is OK.