mikebv

Not at Dan's level yet!!! Is what you mean... Who knows though.... Keep practicing and you never know.... Edit. I've just told my mate that Ouch was taking up Speedway and that he doesn't think he will be as good as Dan.. He said "Who the eff are Ouch and Dan, and what the eff is Speedway?".. See. Already you are at Dan's level...

If they ran Four Team Tournaments, and Ipswich do run, at least there will always be a spare team to provide those oh so important, vital, guests..... Not all bad news then eh?

A baffling comment that Matt Ford made in his SS interview was that Poland could pay riders half of what they do and the riders would still be very well paid.... Thus, by paying riders less it would reduce the gap between the UK salary and Poland's... Therefore, making the UK salary more attractive to some riders... Maybe just paying riders what you can afford to pay them, is the more simpler idea? And, if they don't want to ride for that money, ask someone else who will....

I don't think he had any agenda... He was just responding to what Matt Ford had said the week before... With Tony's views echoing the majority on here I would suggest... Martin Rogers also contributed to refute some of Matt's comments, someone who promoted when "the going was good"...

I have watched Speedway in the USA .. Plymouth will seem like Pardubice!!!

Which makes the lack of "one league", due to the level of riders it would need, even more baffling... There won't be any other answer than to use NDL second strings, and even reserves, to fill spaces in just a few years, so why wait? At least, starting this season, give these riders plenty of rides... EVERY meeting should have some NDL level races for those who are not tier two ready currently... Instead we have... ?????????? As a joined up development programme...

You would have thought that, around at least, five years or so ago, "someone" would have noticed the ages of these lads who are now into their 30's and 40's, and thought... "Who will replace them?".... Obviously, around this time, "someone" also diluted the NDL level, and very few teams have ran a second team, or any meaningful NDL races during their meetings, possibly, due to riders no longer being assets? Meaning a team could train up a rider, financially support him, and then another team pays him more to join them.. A properly disjointed plan, which smacks of a lack of clear vision and leadership.... Which is really the ultimate issue for UK Speedway..

And that is the frustration.. Like so many things, the obvious conclusion of so many of the ridicuous parts of the operating model and business plan have been warned about on here for donkeys years.. Yet. Those making the plan blindly carried on doing the same thing each year to deliver the obvious, and only, result of what we have today... An amazing "head in the sand" level of leadership..

And all to try an win competitions with almost zero reward, and therefore, relevance... With their lack of jeopardy, consequence and authenticity, ensuring that the reward and relevance will always stay so small.... What a plan!!!!!

It was used as a development tool so riders could move up to see if they could compete, but with a safety net of being able to still ride in the 2nd tier if they were not of top tier level... Now it is the most important fundamental part of the operating model and business plan, even including which nights clubs have to race on... Incredible how it has been allowed to happen....

I am not sure it is the right answer anyway.... I hardly think a Premiership Promoter will know... After all... If they did, they would surely have told their punters by now wouldn't they?

And we are running a fantastic opening night competition.... So to win it. Just answer this simple question... Does anyone know when it is??!!!!!

And all so riders can double up.... A complete blight on the sport in the first place... And the reason some clubs cannot race at weekends even if they wanted to... An incredible situation to allow to have happened, especially given thousands of fans could see the issues years ago and openly said so, and often!!! Imagine running your whole operation around doubling up? Barmy. And it delivered exactly what it has ...

You can not keep five other businesses waiting any longer surely? The four who committed from day one must be seriously peed off that their own businesses impacted due to nothing to do with them... The Speedway Star said that a five team and a six team fixture list are already done... You do feel that this season is going to be a bit "make do and mend" (even more than usual!), and, hopefully, something radical and new will launch in 2027...

Great piece from Tony McDonald this week in response to Matt Ford's comments the week before... Tony's views would be shared by the majority in here I would think... Also, Ben Findon mentions the timing of the fixture list and how it missed the Speedway Star deadline to be published last week.. He goes on to say how much the Speedway Star and Tracks need each other... The sport in the UK certainly does benefit from having such a professionally presented production covering it...

Planning to do a weekend away this season (Friday/Saturday), and watch a Plymouth meeting... Wouldn't have bothered on a Tuesday/Wednesday...

Doubling Up is cost effective for both leagues as they both can share the wages of the rider.. The top league certainly couldn't afford to pay third HL's and Second Strings what they earn collectively from their two jobs, given the GP riders will be high earners... And, if no doubling up, the second tier could only maybe afford one of these riders each in their teams, (rather than 3 which some have), resulting in them having to fill the bottom end of their teams with several NDL level riders... What started out as a laudable development tool has been allowed to become a farce.... Driven by the usual lack of any mid or long term plan to develop enough riders to compete (especially), in the 2nd tier...

I don't think anyone sees them as "saviours of speedway".. They are just another company coming into the sport... Hopefully, at Ipswich, they can ensure the season runs smoothly and crowds hold up for them... And at GP level, they just deliver the GP's... Those who have gone before haven't set the bar too high so anything "average" will suffice.... And, if they cannot deliver that, then, given the sports following, hardly anyone will notice anyway...

100%. Cannot blame them... And it will be the most die hard fans that get impacted the most too... These fans are truly the life blood of the sport given the low numbers of regulars at most tracks, and many of them will plan their whole summer around their Speedway fixtures, eg. booking holidays, and planning other leisure pursuits... Your very best customers, and you are not treating them well... Not a great idea...

I am sure the UK Speedway Marketing Director, and the young team of innovators and influencers who work for him/her, are working on the launch even whilst we discuss it...

Maybe Northampton could launch with a GB v Aus Test Match?

Who are the Northampton promoters? Is it a competition that they are running?

At least they didn't charge for Eleven....

Who knew that this could work?

This isn't an officlal poster... If it was, it would have also said... "And Bring a Friend!"..