mikebv

Fantastic result.... Fantastic two meetings... How do they serve up so much fantastic Speedway without those so important, necessary evil, guests? 😁

The fans certainly don't feel the same ...😎

Pipe dream I know... But, just Imagine beaming this, at a UK level, from BBC or ITV every Sunday? Incredible entertainment....😎

Afternoon Nigel..

The whole system isnt fit for purpose Dean... Promoters will spend literally hundreds of thousands on riders, whose names will resonate hardly one iota locally with anyone outside the Speedway bubble. . Yet hardly anything in comparison to their riders on marketing locally which may bring fans in.. Simon Lambert? Robert Lambert? To the vast majority of the country, neither are known... They then also seriously undermine their own competitions with a series of self inficted, completely foreseeable issues, which often then result in some contrived, Mickey Mouse solution, which does nothing but further alienate an ever growing number of a frustrated fanbase . Self undermined competitions by the way that they then pay out huge money (in relation to the sports level of following) to try and win!! At the very peak of the sports success, only the very top riders had the financial packages to be fully pro... Now even some NDL riders see themselves as pro Speedway riders .. A ludicrous operating and business model has been allowed to grow unchecked for decades . However its probably too late now to reign it in and control it collectively I would imagine... As there will always be at least one promoter who will spend big to satisfy their longing for a trophy that their very own organisation does it's level best to devalue.

They will want everyone to be equal... But some will still what to be more equal than others..

And guesting has become the all too easy go to solution for missing riders... You don't need to develop riders to a certain level when you just share around the ones already riding at that level on an ad hoc basis... A "troupe" of usually the same riders earn more money, and clubs can even improve their teams by using them.. Everyone (short term at least), is happy... Long term? With Brexit also now also impacting visa's, a lot of challenges ahead as an ever ageing "mid level" rider base will inevitably one day wind down their careers..

More of a "D" shape with pretty short straights... A great race track until air fences, which narrowed it... I used to watch "reserve/juniors" level riders, absolutely fly around there on a Thursday evening, who then looked like complete and utter novices on the Friday at Kirky Lane with its tighter turns ..

UK Speedway does have a particular unique capability for shooting itself in the foot doesn't it? 😁 A fantastic adrenaline fuelled sport that gets undermined, (it appears at almost every turn), by some self inflicted Mickey Mouse nonsense delivered by the sports' custodians . Running qualifiers (that would still determine final positions as to who rides who), AFTER the Semi's have been completed? Tick... Running a play off semi final in Div 2 knowing riders would be eslewhere, so ending up with 3 guests for one team? Tick... Running a semi final of the flagship Div 1 competition 48 hours before the biggest meeting of the global Speedway season, knowing riders will be focusing on that major meeting? Tick.. The racing is, for me, as good as I have seen at any time in 55 years of watching... What a shame the nonsense around it undermines it so badly...

Bumper Crowds for the "War of the Roses"...

But to be fair.... They do it so well.... Mickey Mouse has nothing on them... The League Winners are already out of the competition that they just won!!

Can't blame the Ipswich riders for not giving it everything tonight, especially given they have much more important meetings ahead...... I am sure the Ipswich fans on here will 100% agree and support their riders... And I whole heartedly endorse none of them saying that any riders on show tonight are a disgrace to the sport for not giving their all... Well. The ones who actually turned up and were not "poorly" obviously..

Do they get to choose their opponents for the semis? Or is it just the fourth team?

Maybe Manchester City could get one of their (ahem), "sponsors" to put some money in??

It is sometimes a good thing that no one outside the "Speedway Bubble" takes it seriously isn't it? .. Screws up any chance of its growth and development, but at least it saves the embarrassment that scrutiny would bring...

Matt Ford was someone well ahead of the curve... He realised that he could run 2nd tier Speedway using around three quarters of 1st tier riders... Thus charging less for pretty much the same product... Yet, plenty seem to moan about him....??? Maybe more Matt Ford's and the sport would be far more pro active and successful?

To be fair.... In UK Speedway terms, it was a "big cake" and the person involved was the one who actually brokered the deal.. (When nobody else was able to have done so for years)... The fact they ended up just giving the "Sky Money" to their No1's, for a good many years, (who then all pretty much effed off to Poland when the Sky money went), really isn't his fault... The money should have been used as an investment in secured future growth... However. Being unable to look any further than the end of your nose can be a problem at times... And a lesson still not learned to this day it does often appear...

Fair point... They couldn't even keep to the RS "rules" could they?

Should have happened decades ago... S**t or get off the potty and let someone else have a go... One Brand to sell to the country... Just like the NFL, all merchandise revenue gets shared, (using one corporate Speedway GB brand but each clubs own emblem is used on their individual merch), and the worst team each season get first opportunity to improve the season after... All TV money shared equally.... Streaming money shared the same, unless you don't allow streaming... You buy the franchise and hopefully make some money... You would though need some "proper governance" and "quality control" from "someone" independent who controls things. . (Fireman Phil?)...

Fuel testers there tonight?

How to make a small fortune out of running a Speedway team? Start with a large one...

Figure of eight tracks? Riders being blind folded? Tandem bikes so both riders per team ride the same machine? No guests and a fit for purpose RR facility? The Play Offs take place only AFTER the Qualifiers have finished? Alright, I know some of you are already shaking their heads at my last two suggestions of the five, and think those two are so ludicrous that even the BSP would never implement such ideas..

Shaun Ryder seems happy with them though...

They could run the KO Cup during August...? Or maybe it would just be easier to not give such an early deadline?. Plan for the play offs after the GP's have finished, and no riders will have their World Championship positions to focus on, and provide plenty of time to complete the season.... It doesn't look "professional" no matter how some try and justify/excuse it that any sport is still running qualifiers (which would have impacted the final reckoning), when the finalists are already known...

He "cannot gate" seemingly was the reason given on here by Ipswich fans... Dan Bewley has the same problem apparently hence he could only match Kurtz's score, again, according to Ipswich fans.... They have both done so amazingly well therefore to be such high achievers in a sport where starting is absolutely paramount... Imagine how good they would be if they could start?😉 I presume Dan must have been really, really lucky in last years final to make so many starts and win so many races... 😁 Let's just hope Emil makes a swift and complete recovery...