mikebv

And one bad meeting and there would be loads of moaning on here about him....

And, ultimately, it won't make any difference to the popularity of the sport if these lads do come through to ever become World Champions... The demise of which has actually accelerated during the time Havelock, Loram and Woffinden won their World Championships.. Should any UK lad become "World Class" they will be "owned" by Poland in their mid 20's, and quite possibly not even be riding over here... Tom Brennan should be someone they see as a role model to follow... Consistent, steady, improvement, as he has gained more experience....

So, a young British kid (once again), goes from being a future World Champion, to being just another overrated rider... And. All in one meeting!!!!😁 Hyping these kids up does no one any favours, yet plenty seem to do it... "I watched him ride after the match and his times were close to those in the meeting itself"!! Was one particular pearl of wisdom I read about him about 18 months ago.. Riding on your own, without three far more experienced riders nailing you on turns one and two is a bit different from riding on your own, and your times , and finishing positions, in those races will get hit quite severely... Being fast is one thing, being a Speedway rider is another... Let the kid develop at his own pace, like all should be allowed to, as the entry level for UK riders is quite a low bar, therefore one or two can look "amazing" when riding against their peer group at 15/16... If these lads are Championship second strings by the end of 2027 then they are on track to become Premiership second strings, around two years later, (at 20/21 years old).... If they reach that level, then by 23 or so, Premiership HL and International level will be there "glide path"... Not many are Woffinden, Bewley or Robert Lambert level by 21 years of age, so just let these lads develop... And the aim isn't to have future World Champs, the aim is to fill team spaces with UK lads, something the sport desperately needs...

He did at the PCMT.... Flying....

To paraphrase the usual answer when you mention Speedway to someone in a town that has their own team.... "Speedway? Is that still starting?"...

Sheffield @3/1 tonight ... Usually a slow start for the Aces and C. Holder was flying at the PCMT...

There is definitely a certain something in those fans who still attend regularly "getting the sport they deserve"... They have happily colluded with promoters, as the numbers dwindled on the terraces around them, in pretending that UK Speedway is a bona fide team sport, and, being quite happy to take advantage of the latest Mickey Mouse ruling on a (deliberately I presume), ambiguous regulation.. When you are being endorsed by "just enough" people, then you may feel you have a mandate to carry on... I presume some are maybe looking for change now as possibly this season, given the nonsense of the winter, may mean that there are no longer "just enough", and even the "die hards" are questioning their role in the process......

The plan is to have 2027 sorted by the end of June this year.... The more sceptical, given the track record of those in charge, may not quite believe it, however, let's hope for a "new start"....

Sadly, the incumbents running the sport were firmly never going to change given they were more than happy with their lot... So Adrian, like so many progressive thinkers before him, who were also willing to lead change, decided it was a waste of their time and talents... So many see potential in the sport if the ludicrous operating model was basically ripped up and started again... Just imagine if you launched a brand new team sport today and used the UK Speedway operating model and buinsess plan? (Spoiler Alert). You wouldn't be a success... Because, clearly, and obviously, it isn't fit for purpose within a (bona fide) team sport framework... Some see their businesses as stand alone entities that need to pay mortgages, and some only see a hobby which let's them enjoy a tiny modicum of recognition for their position, and a summer of "evenings out at the Speedway"... Anyone with the leadership skills of vision, drive, and ambition, will always struggle to overcome a majority who possess none of those attributes...

Listening to Rob Lyon, he was talking the talk, so maybe we have someone open to change and can get it through... Mark Lemon worked for Adrian Smith, so, I presume, was aligned with Adrian's views on the sport in the UK?... If so, then he too will see the potential out there, but also know that the current operating model will never deliver that potential, so therefore must change... The aim of sorting 2027 by the end of June is a start, and hopefully, will get delivered....

I don't know... A 30 something year old, grey, now far too small to cover a gut, Iron Maiden 1992 Tour T shirt, matched with a pair of dirty blue jeans, (also now too small), allows for a surfeit of "arse crack", when bending over and fixing a chain, which always looks professional on the TV...

Enjoyed that... Kurtz with Zmarzlik like straight line speed... Top riders riding so close together.... And around a tenner to get in too.... Polish Speedway...

"Say to say"??? Olde East Anglian dialect???

Like they have with others with a similar outlook? The 360 podcast with Rob Lyon was interesting in so much that he outlined many of the issues that the promoters wanted to tackle and most of them were regular issues brought up on here... Therefore, maybe with the him and Mark Lemon now directors, there is now actually a recognition that there is a need for change, but, as well, also the desire to make those changes to move the sport forward...

79,980,032......

It was first suggested on here about ten years ago to link with the local uni's and colleges... Given (UK) Speedway's continued lack of investment in marketing it was seen as a potential perfect solution at that time to get tracks noticed and get "younger" people involved, but without the hefty fees paid to "professional" companies... The same lack of focus and investment on marketing still exists today, and there are far many less tracks than then, so the need for tracks to "get your name out there" has never been greater... Good to see Plymouth engaging with those who possess the required skill set, and, hopefully, it will reflect in both crowd growth and a lowering of the age demographic of that crowd...

And so cheap to do as well.... So many platforms to put it on also... That's another area where an independent leadership model would help, as such things should become compulsory to do.... I am sure every track would have a local college or university doing media and marketing courses that would jump at the chance of giving students a chance at such "work experience"... The populace doesnt have time now for watching hours of programmes, yet can be hugely engaged to watch 15 mins or so of "content".... Speedway enthusiasts will be happy to sit there for two hours lapping up every comment and interview, but it isn't them that needs targeting, as they already attend meetings... It's the 79,980,000 who don't attend each week who need to be engaged... (What an opportunity though!)...

I would have advertised 10,000 seats and 200mph....

Let's be honest... The track record of those involved isn't "great" when it comes to promotion of the sport they run... However, given it seems to be a "collective thing", then, maybe, they will go " all in" and promote the s**t out of Northampton... Let's hope so...

What do you reckon about the Straits of Hormuz? Should reallly be all OK and clear for me.... The pilots of the oil tankers, some of the largest and slowest ships on the planet, full of hundreds and thousands of gallons of one of the most flammable liquids known to man... Just need to be a bit braver and "feel" their way through the mines, whilst avoiding the shelling from the Iranian coast... Glass completely full, me...

Big launch on Talk Sport... 'Arry being interviewed for half an hour by Hawksbee and Jacobs... Every morning on the Sports Breakfast they read out last nights results... BetVictor the main sponsor of the Premiership with a £500k sponsorship.... Every meeting BetVictor do "specials" so fans can have a bet, with one of their comms team going on Talk Sport each afternoon of a meeting, covering the bet builders available and the oversl odds.. Channel Five showing live Premiership Speedway, and an hours worth of magazine programme each week... Sorted.. Making Speedway Great Again...

Is it Northampton?

It would be great, however, Poland would destroy every other league due to the money they pay out... Every "decent" rider would choose to ride over there... And any rider not riding over there, would happily leave their non Polish team and replace those who did... I think a UK/Scandinavian League could work though, particularly if/when Poland force in the one extra league rule... A more similar renumeration package across the three leagues and this would bring variety... Use the Danish model, (five rider teams), and you could get 22 teams, meaning 21 home meetings... It would also give a true "Elite" UK league for the UK teams to race in... And would mean "Polish wages" wouldn't need to be paid to attract Polish top riders,(like happens already in Sweden and Denmark)... As an example. Northampton opening in such a league would capture the imagination of the locals far more than a six team UK league would, I would suggest...

I was going to use the BSP one... And put an advert in the Speedway Star....

You would think it's a common sense thing to do, considering all use the same riders... To be fair to Poland though, they do put fixtures out well in advance, and yet the UK will still plan in meetings knowing riders are missing as they can happily just bring a guest in.... Or even sign riders knowing 100% that their already planned in calendar will mean they will be missing... Meaning so many guests end up being used which are not for injury cover... The British Final being arranged on a night when three meetings are already planned in is a perfect example that whatever "common sense" agreements exist, there will always be something the UK can end up doing which rolls eyes...