mikebv

And too many will only stay at a certain level even when their fanbase numbers suggest they financially cannot hope to compete with other teams in the league they want to be in.... Meaning that their very presence in that league lowers the standard of it, and create's dozens of "mis-matches", which does nothing but lowering its already unsuitable level of fanbase, plus, adversely impacts the attendances at other tracks when they race there... What a plan!!!!

And the way Poland pay their riders, it may not be just one meeting's worth of money... If he has been given some signing on money (often used for getting the speed required in the riders equipment), that too could need paying back for missing their fixtures...

Ipswich traditionally always get a big crowd on BH's, (particularly when the weather is good). I remember the GF crowds were often the highest in the UK for the whole of the season... The issue they have, like all other tracks, is maintaining something similar the next meeting, let alone the rest of the season.. Where do all these disappear to? And why?

Spot on... And teenagers don't want to be seen out where their Dad and even their Grandad goes... They also "hunt in packs", so let them in for free, as many mates as they can muster, until they leave school, and see if any stay on and pay as adults... There are hardly any there now, so almost zero to be lossed...

It's all very "Mickey Mouse" isn't it? But, to be fair, that is pretty much Speedway's level in the UK, and has been for several decades.. Far too late now to change anything... They missed a huge trick when coming out of lockdown to reposition the sport with a fit for purpose operating model and even maybe a salary cap... Instead. They chose to carry on doing the same failing nonsense that clearly wasn't working given the dwindling crowds year on year.... It's just "tick, tock, tick tock" for UK Speedway, unless anyone grabs it by the "wotsits" and directs it "off the track" to deliver the following the "raw product on the track" deserves...

But, this is where the play off system comes into its own., Hopefully, in 3 months time, both will be able to represent Ipswich in the play offs...

To be fair, that has been the same since I started watching the sport at Hyde Rd in the late sixties... Even at such a great, iconic race track, the likes of Ivan and PC would win races regularly by half the length of a straight, with the rider in fourth sometimes still not even half way around the final bend when they crossed the line... The big difference to today? You had huge crowds to share your enthusiasm with, often including at least a couple of coaches from the opposition's "official supporter's club", thus giving the meeting some atmosphere, resonance and a bit of tribalism.... Average racing doesn't appear so average when you are at "an event".. Sadly, not too many "events" exist in UK Speedway anymore... Hence the play offs get the crowds "the qualifiers" don't...

You cannot just "take someone out", like he did.. Freddie could have rode the inside line and left plenty of room for Kurtz... But instead he elected to do a " block pass", (similar to Lambert on Bewley and one many riders use), but basically got it wrong by, literally, just a few inches.. Almost a perfect pass, but sadly, for Freddie, it wasn't...

Brady No1 in the world so far....... Not a bad start to his debut season....

Terrible news if true.... How many times can he keep coming back from these horrible set backs...?

What a crap ride from Kvech.... So many riders cannot ride an inside line... They just "drift"....

Now, there is a surprise....😀...

Aim bike at Dan's leg and watch him lift it and drift out.... That is the MO for riders... I noticed Tom Brennan having the same issue on Monday several times.

True, but... If the landowner was getting £20k a night rent, 20 times a year, then, I would suggest, they would be more likely to keep their tenants on.. If Speedway had been able to keep hold of it's fan base, rather than losing tens of thousands of followers, then a 3,000 crowd would deliver around £70k a night, therefore paying a £20k rent would be a possibility... The harsh reality is developers know hardly anyone will miss their local speedway track disappearing, nor, for many, even notice it was there, never mind gone..

"Devastating news to those few hundred people"... Says it all.... Never more than a tier 2 team at best given their fanbase, yet had to get shoe horned into tier 1... I hope Nigel gets plenty of punters between now and season end, and it offsets at least some of the tremendous costs he has incurred keeping afloat a sport in a town that not enough people could be bothered to watch.. Should get plenty of away fans for their teams' last meeting ever at Perry Barr.

Maybe to get a few more punters in between now and closure? "Last chance saloon" and all that ..

To be fair, Thompson should have moved out given Brennan rode the inside line... Not a great plan to follow the same line...

Ole was right!!!!😁

The same as the first two months . ie. Just go along and watch the racing, without focusing too much on who wins and who doesn't... The beauty of the sport is two poor riders, or teams, can still deliver some great racing.... (If a promoter chooses to prepare a decent track to race on obviously)...

Maybe it is preparing for the departure of Birmingham and thus trying to encourage another club(s), to move up without the need to expensively put a team together full of loanees, like they would ordinarily have to... That money saved could then be used to bring in higher earning talent which then makes the team(s), more competitive....

An excellent meeting but, sadly, so many "throttle jockeys" on show.. Unfortunately, it was like watching a meeting in Poland... They should hold it at Plymouth next year and call the sport "TECHNICALway" rather than "SPEEDway"... How much more exciting would it be to watch riders fully locking up, blocking the track every bend, thus ensuring no one has room outside to pass.. The art of the sport is to scrub off speed by going sideways, instead of forwards.. I have read on here that this is what Speedway should be about, so let's hope the authorities are reading this.....

We missed his gating....😁

And then make those six meetings also irrelevant as "ringers" from other teans get brought in on a "horses for courses" basis to replace injured riders....

It cannot be ran at Poole... As everyone knows, the people of Poole only go out on Wednesdays....

Ironically they spend, as a collective well over a million on riders each season, yet sod all on making their product known to even locals never mind the wider population... That huge investment would be far better used as "prize money" and advertise this total amount of cash as the total that can be won for the season.. eg "One Million Pounds Prize Money To Be Won In British Speedway"..... A bit of creative advertising maybe, but based on the truth...