mikebv

Should have got Brian Potter in... It's ran like the Phoenix Club!!! Their "fun day" was better organised... "Kenny, fetch me Zantak"....

A lot of it is down to the cost of the GP's.. A similar thing leading up to the SON last year... And, as we know, the season doesn't really start till the play offs so when following a team who are a "shoe in" for them, you can miss several "qualifiers" knowing the result is either a forgone conclusion, or academic to the end of season meetings. (And sometimes both)..

What difference did those "extra" who turned up at Cardiff, (for a while), make? There was hardly one extra fan at any track the week after because of the GB GP being held there.. And there wasn't any increased publicity for the sport in the audio, visual and written media... It is folly to think that any GB GP will suddenly ignite the UK domestic racing scene.. It never has, and won't over the next two days.. The people who will appreciate the (hopefully), great racing will be the fans of the sport... Not many of those non fans watching on TV (if there are any in any numbers), will be going on line to see if they have a track nearby, regardless of how great the entertainment will be.. Landshut and Prague don't boost the domestic scene in their countries, and the NSS will be exactly the same... Well done to Mark Lemon for providing a place to hold the GP's.. And best wishes to Brady, Dan, Robert and Charles (in any order), tonight... All "Aces Legends"...

And there is a vacancy to promote a GP in Cardiff... Do you fancy taking it on? Or maybe try Wembley?...

Bartek, once again, struggling at the NSS...

There isn't 25,000 fans who attend Speedway now... Back then, it was into the hundreds of thousands... Cloth is being cut accordingly...

What? In Manchester? There are pubs? Fill your boots mate, eat and drink as much as you can.... As the whole city closes at 9pm... They switch the electricity off... "I want Cardiff, WAH! WAH! WAH!"...

31 degrees, so taking some shade for a while.. The Super Bock is about 30 degrees cooler..

Will be watching sat next to a swimming pool in the Algarve... A tough job, but someone has to do it... Taking one for the team....

.... Salfordian's are outraged....

Six teams, six riders per team, no "makeweights" at the bottom of the team... All riders with a minimum four point average.. 36 of those needed... Meaning there must be a fair few "subs on the bench" for injuries and poor performers getting replaced...

Can you ask Gemini AI how he/she/they/it would sort out British Speedway....? He/she/they/it, seems to have some capability...

The last 20 years mate... A slow erosion that has sped cup.. Six teams, seven teams, makes not much, if any, difference... They will fiind a way to devalue their own competition regardless...

One bucket, one piece of string to make a handle, and a fork to make some holes for the string at the top and several in the bottom to let the water dribble out.. Sorted... Just get it made by an ex World Champ and it can become official... £200 a bucket...

It's not the size of the hosepipe... It's what you can do with it..... Or so I have heard...

If the "weak Champ/strong NL" were the only ticket in town then I would think that a successful Poole team would generate decent crowds... As for fhe Prem? The TV money also won't stretch too many extra ways so I would think any change would be "Brum out/A.N. Other in"... Poole would be taking a big risk to add circa £150k to their outgoings to try and win the league, increase attendance prices and change race nights... In fact, there is no good side to moving up for Poole... The Prem could actually benefit from just having six teams.. More riders available, and a larger slice of the TV money..

Poole more than any other team see a big drop off in crowd levels when not winning, (given they start with more than most)... Hence, when competing to win in Div 1 became unrealistically expensive, and impacted profits, they decided to compete to win in Div 2... With many of the same riders to watch.. Meaning they have stayed successful and their crowds respond regularly in good numbers, paying less than Div 1 prices to watch around 60% to 70% of those there, Div 1 riders.. Div 1/Div 2, winning either wont generate any massive financial prize, or widespread publicity, so why not be a "big fish in a small pond"... (Or should that read being a "big fish in a smaller pond than the other slightly bigger one"?).. Yes, they don't get to see GP riders but, as we have seen this season already, and seasons before, neither do some Div 1 crowds when personal career aspirations make them unavailable, (or simply Poland just tell them they cannot ride over here).. And, as we also see, the GP riders dont exactly pack in thousands when they visit do they? A very sharp business plan which isn't surprising as those who run Poole have been ahead of the curve for a long time..

CPO's against "big challengers" are certainly not taken lightly.. Terraced houses to clear an area for regional economic development and growth? Not a problem... Individuals generally dont take council's on... Can only be good news if the coumcil are confident of resolution through this course of action..

Ask the lads to ride around Europe for no payment... "For our entertainment".....

But it does also suggest the council feel, very much legally, that they are in a position to say... "We've had enough of this bollox, time to put an end to it, and it reverts back to being a sporting venue".. Take the money on offer or " EFF off" could be the only option for those who own it...

No! No! No! No!... You have to win at home... The racing, if good, is a bonus... That is the reality of the low numbers that still attend... You cannot lose too many times at home as those who still treat the sport as a bona fide sporting competition start to drop off... And without those "die hards" you don't have anyone to replace them... The NSS delivers great racing every week, and, usually, big home wins, yet crowds are sometimes lower than even at the dog bowl... The sport truly needs to reinvent itself in the UK, there is simply no other option... And this is at least, probably two decades late in happening.. It won't happen though as those running it have neither the vision for the sport, nor, clearly as evidence shows over the past 30 years plus,, the capability to promote and market it..

Does he? A big queue to take over Sheffield is there?...

I actually think that the tracks are what set the Polish and Swedish racing apart from the UK.. As we see, the racing at certain tracks already named can be very good, so the level of most riders, whilst not as top level as elsewhere, can produce some great stuff to watch.. Which I think is down to the riders having complete faith in certain tracks, their preparation, shale and surface presentation.. On these tracks they ride closer to each other as they won't be thinking "this could throw me off", or "I need to focus more on the guy in front, rather than racing him, as he could lose it on this track" Leicester last night has lots of the usual UK stuff of four lads riding equal distance apart but no one trying to do anything to put themselves at potential risk, instead they, as often happens, settled for their positions well before lap four.. Tom excepted of course as he desperately wanted that point his team mate had..!

After the pressure on them in Poland at the weekend's, every week, during the season, it must be light relief to turn up at UK Speedway venues and "enjoy" their evening's racing... Racing with a lot less riding on the result, with, for most riders, zero chance of getting replaced regardless of performances.. (In fact, sometimes the worse you do can actually help you get a job the season after!).. It does all seem very "matey" though doesn't it? Which isn't a good look if you want the viewers to believe they are watching top level professional sport that has some jeapordy, and consequence for winning and losing.. Let's hope the GP's deliver some proper sporting drama and excitement to help showcase the sport...

The inescapable fact is that UK speedway comes across far too many times like a "social club" rather than a bona fide sporting contest... As several riders have said... "It's much more relaxed and fun"... The play offs are the only time you see racing more akin to what you would expect from a professional sport that has something worth winning....