mikebv

53 scored and only one aces rider in double figures (just, Max with 10) and 10 bonus points scored... a great team effort.... as for the robins? very unlucky to drop so many points from scoring positions....

Raining pretty much all day till 4pm.. (spent my day 1.5 miles away from the track).. The rain was (at worst) 'light rain' for a time, and was more 'constant drizzle' for the vast majority of the day... As someone on the BV fans website said, the rain should deliver 'natural watering' and therefore a good race track, and if it stops at 4pm (as it did|) will still allow 4 hrs to ensure fit for racing if any issues exist.... One of the main BV sponsors even tweeted that the match was 'definitely on' around 4.30 pm and he was "at trackside"...

wasnt it that the scb have to have someone there at 1pm on race day to ascertain whether the meeting could take place?? must have been caught up in watching the greyhounds if that was the case... no rain after the turnstiles were opened so I can only presume that 'the atmospheric conditions prevailing above' were in some way responsible for the 'undoubted' severe deterioration of the track in the ensuing minutes after the fans were allowed in.?!!!

Because Speedway fans (well the ever dwindling ones that are left), still fall for it?!!!

I think that there is a rule being enforced here that supersedes all others... The "ahhhhh, but this is speedway!" rule.... You know, the one that has done so much to help the sport become the towering success it is today....!

The Comedy Channel????

Fantastic to see someone who can make difference choosing to do so.... Looks like a good initial plan of action to be focused on re training, nutrition , pre season practice etc... Let's just hope the BSPA invest some proper cash into this and don't just hold the pre season practise on the Isle Of Wight as they may regard the place as an 'overseas' location!!! It is interesting that the two stand out performers from Team GB both learnt their racing, in the main, away from this country.... Coincidence?

Didn't he decide not to ride because he wasn't allowed to take part in the SEC as the BSPA don't recognise the event because they feel that this competition can adversely affect their League? The same competition that 'Non British' EL and PL riders have rode, and still ride in, without it would appear any massive disruption to the Leagues!!? Maybe the BSPA just want as many riders 'on hand' every week to ensure that their 'guest quota' per meeting is successfully maintained... Can't blame Scott personally, why put yourself out to represent an organisation who you simply have zero respect for?

I agree, each match over the season has a definate bearing on who will be the final winners of the league... All these 'select' matches every week allows every team the opportunity to pick and choose who they want, so by 'trial and error' by the time the play offs come around the teams who get there will clearly know which guests ride best at which tracks, and this in turn will then steer them as to which riders of their own should suddenly/unfortunately/sadly become 'ill' or 'injured' prior to the play offs starting.....!

Imagine running a business and part of your marketing is to openly inform your customers that every now and then, at a moments notice, you will only provide them with two thirds of the goods that they had earlier paid for and just to rub a little salt into the wound, you will not provide them with even one penny of refund for the products that they didnt get.... Imagine also then being really surprised that 1000's of customers dont come and visit you!? Bet Richard Branson is in awe of a business plan like this...

Lot's of people on here with (quite rightly) a very negative opinion on the events of last night... However as I was watching events unfold I couldn't escape the thoughts that this kind of thing is now simply 'par for the course' with regards to how the sport is run.. I didn't even feel sympathy for those few who did attend because my thought was 'are you mad?' How common place nowadays is 'lets get to ht 10 and call it off' and yet people still incredibly attend a speedway match after a day of rain, with a further forecast of rain...!? As I say, par for the course now that the sport (in this country) lets the paying customer down time after time... Amazed it still has any semblance of a customer base to be honest, it's almost like the fans who still regularly go have become 'immune' to the nonsense..

It's Havvys ball and he has taken it home........ Its the Monty Pythons Flying Circus British Speedway Elite League... Der der, der der, der der, der,der, dee dum dee diddly Deeeee.. The sport is deceased, the only reason it is upright is because someone has nailed its feet to the perch!!! A wakey, wakeyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!! Last one out, turn the lights out... Mickey Mouse has just got himself another BSPA watch......

Where's Elsie???? Part timer........!!!!!

Just like 'track specialist' guest riders turning up to replace injured riders in possession of a sick note written by Dr Zhivago....

Maybe just changing rider replacement rules would be the simplest way? No1_missing then the second and third heat leaders can take two of his rides each? (Or anyone the manager sees fit can take a Max of two each)? Eg No Zagar then Nicholls and Cook could take two more rides each. Use his 'tyre' too... For riders missing down the order then the one above can take one ride (as currently) but the other three can be taken by the two riders below the missing rider, eg Nichols missing, then Zagar takes one, Cook takes two and Fricke takes the other.. Lots of riders have taken seven rides during a meeting down the years so not a new invention.. Maybe six rider teams would also help? Keep two FSR's and it would mean only four other riders needed. This would mean some riders with no team place who could then be on stand by to replace either injuries or out of form riders (just like 'normal sports')...!!!!

and that sounds like a great afternoon of entertainment... however, in the context of what is supposed to be a professional team sport which names a 'Champion' every year, it is a farce... maybe the simple answer is to dispense with team speedway altogether and just run individual events or maybe run the sport like Rugby Union used to be, ie no league table just 'head to head' battles through the season... if you want to run the sport as a league, with winners at the end of the season, then there has to be integrity within the process that gets you to that final position.. currently british speedway does not provide that, but needs to quickly if it isnt to alienate even more of its ever dwindling fanbase

Both being shown on 'quest'.... They will be on sometime in between some fishing and showing you how to build a fence...

Yesssssssss! Get in there.... Great result for the Belle Vue Wolves/Kings/Bears/Tigers/Aces.,. (Apologies if I have missed anyone) Going to get our new name on a scarf.... It'll need to be 24 ft long!!!!! Well done to British Speedway and in particular, thanks to Lakeside for providing us with the opportunity to cherry pick our team tonight.. So, so proud.... Everybody now "Give us a W, Give us an O, Give us an L (this may take a while to finish).....

And don't forget, spending hours pouring over riders' averages to find who has the best scores around the circuit you are at, so you can beat the other team in asking him to guest...!!!!

Promoters and fans want two diametrical things from a night at the speedway.. Fans want entertainment, promoters want a home win regardless of what standard of racing is on offer.. Hence, a 'win at all costs/lets mess about with rules every week to gain an advantage/put meetings on when the opposition don't have half their team available/cancel a meeting if you feel you may lose it/hey we know its mickey mouse but who really cares' attitude is what passes for an 'operational plan' in the sport, and is widely used and accepted by virtually all... The promoters see a 'home win' as vital to 'survival', note not 'growth', but 'survival' hence they build teams to win at their own track, and as hardly anyone goes away anymore who cares what is served up away from their own patch? What is incredible is that the sport has become nothing more than six months of 'select teams' racing against each other night in, night out over the length and breadth of the country ad nauseum, yet the promoters still seem to take the sport and the position of 'League Winners' seriously... Honestly, who cares who wins when virtually every team helps the winners to the title by providing them with riders through the year. My 'team' are at Lakeside tonight for a farce masquerading as a professional sporting competition. Who cares what the final score is as it is not Belle Vue there! The sport needs a 100% fundamental change of approach with a real clear vision delivered by dynamic radical leadership.... And now we find one promoter who finally may have spotted 'one or two flaws in the cunning plan'.... Heaven help us....

And they only drink for our entertainment!!!!! Cannot believe 'ahh but this is speedway' wasnt the defences (literally) 'get out of jail free' card.....

Cheers for the info, thought I might have missed some details in the midst of time!! A mate of mine told me today it was a Berwick match the Aces missed due to the end of season get together...(?) Just blatantly refused to go as their 'pee up' was I believe the night before so JP felt that they would run the risk of riding whilst still 'under the influence'... And we wouldn't want anyone to do that would we??

didnt 'Belle Vue' do that against, I think, Eastbourne once? Or maybe six and RR....? my memory might be playing tricks but didnt they have the end of season party or something so John Perrin basically said his team wasnt riding so a complete team of non BV riders were put together...?

and the most incredible thing is that the mainstream national media dont seem to take this sport seriously..... cannot think why......

How much to get in? Looks great value for money.... Come on the 'NL/PL/EL Globetrotters'... Maybe these lads could 'tour the nation' visiting each track in turn? They would pack em in I tell you, pack em in!!! As a fan you have to laugh or you would cry wouldnt you? We actually follow a sport that actively supports such occurrences to take place and see it as 'perfectly normal'.. Setting off now so I beat the queues....