mikebv

The Russians in particular have benefited from the opportunities given to them by riding in the Polish leagues at a young age.. I am pretty sure if they had stayed exclusively riding in Russia they wouldn't be at the level several of them are today, with more U21 riders coming through following the same pathway.. Whether our lads are good enough to climb up through their leagues to the top level we will see, however just to have the chance to do so and prove yourself regularly against the best of your peers has to be a good thing... Augment that with some team place 'protection' for them in the UK and we could truly have some mid to long term development plans for these lads..

It's a tough, unforgiving environment, without any sentiment, of that there is no doubt.. And no doubt also one that has seen countless Polish lads getting the same treatment too.. As opposite as could be when you compare the comfort zone and safety net that often gets provided over here.. Have a bad meeting (or even one ride!) in Poland and you face getting dropped from the next match, have two and you face getting replaced permanently... Have a bad meeting in the UK and not only are you pretty much bomb proof, but you could have a couple of guest bookings lined up already that week to let you forget that night, earn a few quid, and do it without any real pressure given its not your own team you are riding for... 'Proper Leagues' exist in Poland where fans and owners expect their team to perform in every race and are very quick to show both their displeasure or euphoria depending on the outcome... Truly sink or swim... A great experience for those good enough to 'swim', who will benefit for probably the whole of their careers from it.. And an eye opening experience for those who may find that they are not at the required level, and that beating their domestic peers regularly isn't a true barometer of what 'true' level they actually are at.. But also an experience that will clearly show how much they will need to improve to try again if they are resilient enough to do so.. Let's hope our lads benefit from the experience as it can only be good long term for UK Speedway to have a squad of performers who are all at the top level of the Sport..

Can see some potential in that but I think it would need to be the top league to make it work and that isn't allowed by the PZM.. The lower leagues have pretty much the same riders we already see over here now so wouldnt be a crowd puller for me.. A team made up of the two best U21 riders and the five best British riders, could be a decent product to sell though, but whether any such club with that team could pay the required salaries to entice Woffinden and Lambert for example is very doubtful I would suggest..

A strong national team kept the sport in the wider public eye in the seventies which the domestic leagues then benefitted from.. I believe that the sport would get much more coverage if consistent GB teams' success was being delivered... The sport over here should see itself as a 'breeding ground' for riders who then naturally move on to the bigger leagues and plan accordingly for their departure with talent coming through to replace them.. Maybe a successful GB team over a few years would then help grow the domestic leagues and mean they can then meet the expectations of their very best riders again, thus meaning riders not having to see Poland as their 'golden ticket'.. It wasn't too long ago that the UK was THE place to ride, unfortunately we ended up training everyone else up to take our position at the top table and gave loads of team spots to foreign riders. Poland won't make the same mistake and will maintain a team structure that has a minimum amount of Poles in them, therefore the UK should do the same and protect places for the young British lads in particular and provide them with as much track time as possible.. If a conveyer belt of talent is coming through then the best can move on accordingly and the sport can still thrive over here, and a very successful GB team can only be a good thing, and the chances of that happening are increased the earlier our lads are tested and stretched riding in leagues that actually have kudos, under the huge weight of expectation from clubs and their fans that exists in Poland..

Great to see all the Polish interference in helping develop some of our youngest and best talent, with several lads being given contracts.... And recognition too for the work put in by those leading the development of those lads over here.. Can only be good for British Speedway for these lads to develop within the biggest Speedway nation, and get to experience what it's like to perform under true pressure every week like their Polish peer group sample from such an early age.. Let's hope Poland's interference stretches to a few more team spaces being made available...

I think the current format is great.. Race results and meeting details are available on the net instantaneously in several places so a weekly magazine doesn't really need to cover these off in any great detail for me.. A report on major meetings and a lot of 'behind the scenes' stories are perfect.. 'The story behind the story' is often far more interesting... A great read every week..

Well he does go a 'little early'...

Spot on.. Does anyone think that the top teams in the Premier League give a monkeys about the UEFA Nations Cup, The EURO's or indeed FIFA's World Cup? They would gladly see them all scrapped tomorrow as it would mean "their" players only play for them, thus less fatigue and potential injury.. Poland's infrastructure, with TV companies out bidding each other for TV rights, and blue chip companies wanting to be associated with it so prepared to pay big money on sponsorship, will be protected at all costs I would think as much of its success is down to the very best in the world being there every week.. For some communities, Speedway is seen by them as the No1 sport in their area, so they too will expect their teams to do everything within their power to remain a powerful force.. If Jason Doyle and Jaimon Lidsey can't line up on a Thursday night against each other in a Swindon v Belle Vue meeting, no one in Poland will be losing any sleep over it...

Spot on... If I said to my window cleaner I will pay him 5 times his money to only do my house and one other, and not the other three houses around my cul de sac, he has a.choice.. The choice to agree to those stipulations, and match what he would earn by keeping his current deal with all five of us, but now by just doing one house.... Whilst at the same time tangibly adding to his earnings by doing one house more. And also cutting down his workload to 40% of its current level and only having 40% of his current costs to pay.. Or he could decide to not do my house and do the other four, meaning he earns 20% less than now, and still has 80% of his current workload and costs to carry out and pay.. Hardly restraint of trade is it if he agrees to my contract stipulations... And you would need to be a bit daft not to take the deal wouldnt you? If some riders dont like what the deal is in Poland, then I am sure plenty of others will..

The huge advantage Poland has is the way TV can, and is willing to, prop it up... Last season showed how important the sport is to the broadcasters own buisness models by the way they wanted the 'show to go on' regardless of the existing challenges... Having the Sports Personality of the Year shows the level of the sport in the wider public's awareness which must therefore help it attract those big national company sponsors wanting to be associated with it.. And when you have broadcasters willing to tender for your product, from an already high base, then you are very much in demand, and your continued success then becomes fundamental to the continued success of the broadcasters too... Similar too, but on a much small scale obviously, in the way Sky and the Premier League in football over here both mutually benefit from each other.. Both the Polish top league and the broadcasters know that keeping their 'product' at a certain level, and in the minds of the populace, is the only way to keep moving it forward, and given the size of the prize, (and the dire consequences of not doing it), will, quite naturally, ensure that absolutely anything and everything is done to protect both the product, and the very large investment, both emotional and financial, that so many in Poland make in following and broadcasting the sport..

And you've also got the added complication with Covid that, like the current season just gone, the top league may decide to go with 'guests' again from the 2nd tier.. MJJ for example may be in high demand to be added to a top league team part way in to replace another rider, so then what would he do? Presume the only 'second league' he would be allowed to race in would be the 2nd tier in Poland.? If a few other top (ish) names (who are top level heat leaders in the UK, Sweden Denmark etc), drop down in Poland, then they too may be faced with a dilemma whether to double up part way through the year or not if asked.. Risky for teams in these other countries to take these riders on without some real water tight 100% commitment to ride all season I would say..

For the 'average rider' the last I read (pre covid), was twice the money of the UK in Sweden and five times the UK in Poland.. More obviously for the 'top riders'.. Meaning (if still the same) you can earn the same in Sweden in half the number of meetings you would need to ride in over here.. Same money for less risk, and less wear and tear to man and machine... An easy choice to make for many I would think..

For the best part of two decades the collective powers that be have buried their heads in the sand, thrutching around from one knee jerk plan to another, without ever accepting the glaring fact that they couldn't afford the riders that they kept insisting they needed. Riders whose own personal agendas often meant matches taking place as contrived, credibility destroying 'guestfests', or ran on nights suited to their calendars, rather than suited to when their clubs would have liked to have ran to get their largest crowds in.. Maybe Covid has finally meant that the "go it alone" policy, that should have been instigated years ago when it was clear Poland were calling the tune, will finally come to fruition and British Speedway will start to be in charge of it's own destiny..

They were waiting for the season to finish...

I can see quite a few changes to the 2020 teams if 2021 goes ahead.. Those lads with a contract in Poland may not want to risk any further lockdowns, and thus finding themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time if they happen.. The positive of course is that Poland get their act together early so riders will be signed up in plenty of time for the UK to plan in their own season.. For me, any riders with a Polish (or maybe Swedish contract too?) should be avoided, and the domestic calendar drawn up with riders who are 100% available on any given night over here.. As fixture lists too may become a little ad hoc at a moments notice to ensure a completed season. Therefore 100% availability and flexibility will be very important.. As I say, lots of time for this to get sorted for a March or April start so no excuses to stumble into 2021 if the green light to go ahead is given..

When I used to 'ref' for Alex Higgins in the early to mid eighties every Friday when he was practicing/taking on all comers for a fiver a frame, he was a very different player at 8pm after umpteen vodka and oranges, than the one who started off playing at 2pm. When 'refreshed' he was truly 'The Hurricane' and would hardly miss... From around 9pm onwards, he would start to be over the tipping point and start to lose a few frames/quid.. And that would be when the 'dark side' of a genius would appear...

Wouldnt surprise me if he did.. Gone are the days that to make it to the top that you had to ride over here on the various size circuits, and with the big money to be earned in Poland on tracks of a similar size, riding against the very best to benchmark yourself, it could even be seen by some as a retrograde step riding against a lesser standard over here.. I would imagine keeping your sharpness and competitive edge riding against the very best would be the priority of riders like Lidsey, who are getting ever closer to the top level..

Been a few near misses.. But also a good many 'no where nears'... A shame this season didnt happen as with Lidsey at reserve it could have been a title winning year.. I bet he gets a re-assessed 7 point average next year now!!

But what a way to win one!! I can still see Bobby and Jason going around turns one and two and realising both had a lead over Henka and PK as they went down the back straight.. Then the longest approximate minute of my life followed.. The track grader picking up the Wolves fallers bike (Wainwright?), gifted us the 5-0 which gave us a chance after being eight down with just a few races left.. 27 years ago....? Wow... What a night..

Some good rules in CS which could be adopted in Speedway. When so many points behind (think it's six or maybe eight?), you can choose gate positions and keep doing so whilst behind by whatever is the margin they use. More credible than a tac sub rule to try and keep the score close.. Also, moving before the tapes go up is an exclusion with no replacement. It certainly focuses the mind and sorts out the starts.. My lad rode for Stockport as a young kid till his football life took over, and he did quite well individually, with the team being very successful in the Northern League and also did well nationally against "bigger" teams.. A fantastic sport to get young kids into, promoting team spirit, competitiveness and fitness, and ran by real enthusiasts..

That was one for later... Seriously, the stadium could be bedecked in huge sponsors information covering the empty terracing and maybe Eurosport would do an hours highlights programme once a week covering both meetings.. As the season pans out I am sure more would watch as play off places get sorted with fans from all teams still with a vested interest in any match paying to watch the streams.. With generic speedway fan neutrals (and there are lots) also being enticed to watch meetings "that mean something".. It would keep the sport in the overall public domain and, using the NSS's main assets of modern stadia and great track, would be a tremendous brand ambassador for it..

Tin hat on time but never mind... I have said before there should be races with more than four riders in simply to give something 'different' to the night.. Seen it in the USA on tiny 110m tracks so somewhere like the NSS is a perfect shape and size for it, the shape means hardly any locking up so less chance of a rider behind knocking the guy in front off his bike or getting injured himself.. And even match races can still have two riders crashing.. Maybe a heat 15 every week could be 3 from each team? A possible 12-3 could make lots of meetings last heat deciders.. Another call would be to run the 2021 season (if still no chance of a full season) solely at the NSS Mondays and Thursdays.. Every Premiership meeting takes place there via streaming... Facilities are great, lighting is excellent, and the team who present the stream are amongst the very best at what they do so can stay based there.. And of course the racing is superb.. Similar to how Basketball did it in the states, ie one venue.. It may need a domestic rider only league to get round any restrictions that may exist but at least it would give a full season, and hopefully plenty of people paying to watch their teams.. The Championship could do something similar on two other nights at one, or even two, of their best tracks for racing... A weekly ticket for say two matches a week at something like a tenner would be popular I would think and wouldn't just attract the fans from the teams on show.. Four teams race one week in the Premiership and four teams race the next, meaning each team rides once a fortnight.. Poland got a fair few viewers this year but to be honest the racing didn't excite the way it usually does so maybe this 'captured audience' could migrate over to domestic speedway a couple of nights per week if the product is good.. And the NSS pretty much guarantees it is..

I also believe that a postal service is still available via the "Royal Mail" whereby you send hard copy correspondence... And failing that, some have even trained pigeons to deliver messages tied to their legs on their behalf..

I am on my third email address... I honestly couldn't tell you the name to the first one I used, never mind the password... I presume emails are still sent to it... My wife uses my other one for ordering off the internet but I haven't been on there for 3 years at least... Plenty of people will change email addresses from time to time yet still recieve lots of messages to the one they no longer open.. Personal websites usually have a direct email, or even a mobile of either the person themselves or whoever is managing their website, so usually a close associate. If all else fails, then maybe contact a riders club, every club has an email contact with some personal ones, who would be more than pleased I would think to see their man gain some better kit through sponsorship..

I actually think the same but it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing would it? It sometimes appears that any kid who looks remotely decent at 16 or 17 has to be the next 'wunderkind' and we already crown him as a future world champion.. I was lucky enough to watch Joe Screen every week in his first season in the top league as a (literally), fresh out of school 16 year old, and he rode well against, and actually beat, some of the biggest names and best riders in the world that season, (who all rode over here at the time).. Joe was a truly unique talent yet never went on to win a senior World individual title and spent most of his career at solid heat leader level in a very tough league, and a few years in the Worlds top ten.. No disrespect to the likes of Kyle Bickley and his peers, but they are light years away from the likes of Joe, Mark Loram, Woffy etc at a similar age, and they ride in a much watered down standard from the one those lads mentioned found too.. If Kyle, (and others) "only" achieve Champioship heat leader, (and therefore second string in the Premiership), status, then that is still a decent level to be at and hopefully they can make a reasonable living out of it.. Many talented riders have burst onto the scene over the years and have never made it to heat leader level in the top league, never mind world class level.. And there's no crime in that given how rarefied the atmosphere is at that level.. Let's just let these lads progress and see where they end up. As having four of them in every top team, even at second string or reserve, can't be a bad thing for the sport overall over here..