mikebv

Many fans have now got into the habit of giving a few "dead rubbers" a miss, and saving a few quid... Or have took the stream package so won't cough up twice.. And then turning up in numbers for the play offs.. "Run of the mill Speedway", like tonight, doesn't, unfortunately, float the boat of too many... And the lads who will race in front of large five figure crowds 24 to 72 hours later, must also feel that lack of consequence as to the result, and the lack of a " decent crowd", which can only impact their performances...

Not at all... BV will still be around next year... (Probably)... In fact.... I would suggest Birmingham are the new Wolves....

Other leagues... I think n the GP's you are OK... It has cost Doyle money and Woffy got special dispensation from his team this year, given he was riding in a "sparring meeting", and not an actual league match.. Technically they could have withheld his up front fee but felt it the wrong thing to do....

What will UK Speedway look like next season?.. Doof! Doof! Doof! Doof! Doof!

Peter Collins broke his leg, days before the World Final in 1977.. He had over 300 stitches in the wound... He had to be lifted on and off the bike before and after every race as he couldn't put any weight on it.. The track was not far short of a swamp.. And his doctor told him not to ride.. He came second... Speedway riders are quite a different breed to most... Edit. Just seen Ouch's links... Bloody selfish riders....

Poland have ran restaged meetings on Thursdays... Part of the agreement to get top riders over was to give them Thursday's as and when they need them... The UK gave up Thursday priority which they held for several years... It doesn't matter how it is "flowered up", if Poland want to run on any Thursday, they will... Or do you believe the UK has some influence over them?

Maybe stop running meetings on nights the FIM run theirs? And maybe don't run Thursdays before a GP...? However. The UK gave up Thursdays to Poland, so its not like they expect every rider to be available every week on a Thursday anyway... Any Polish restaged meeting takes place on a Thursday and takes priority, so every chance "top riders" will be missing... The Promoters of the UK made that decision... Mind you, they also sign Danes in the Championship who cannot ride over here on Wednesdays... Best Wishes to Brady for Saturday, hope he makes it... He would have grown up like so many other young riders, dreaming of being the World Champ... He probably didnt grow up dreaming about riding on a big cycle Speedway track in Leicester...

Great post, And should stop any further debate full stop... (But I bet it doesn't)...

They should ban him for being injured... So one of the few genuine World Class riders willing to ride over here, misses even more meetings, so even more fans can not see him ride... I am going to become a BSP consultant with that plan...

You could also question why Premiership matches are getting run on the Thursday's before GP's... Is it only 9 weekends this year? With BV being x2... Therefore, given so few meetings, and every Monday is "UK exclusive", have these 9 Thursdays blank, or let Div 2 use them if they want to.. I am sure the riders would appreciate the time to prepare and not have the impending GP on their minds whilst racing the Thursday before...

There has to be context... If the meeting tonight had something riding on it, and he was (at best), 50/50, then I am sure he would have risked it... Given the play offs are pretty much a given for the Aces, (and even if they don't make it then "Ho Hum"), a defeat tonight won't make much difference to the top four.. Given the consequences in Poland of reaching, or not, the play offs, and tomorrow he is still (at best), 50/50, then it is worth the risk given the size of the prize on offer over there... And if still 50/50 come Saturday he will be a shoe in for the GP..

At least the news is out early... A sensible decision given the meeting on Saturday... I remember when you only found out that one of the main riders was missing when you got into the stadium, so good news for the Aces fans in particular who can now decide whether or not to travel... Several on the FB page have already intimated they will now give it a miss, meaning no getting there and then frustration...

And a big GP at weekend... He needs to priortise the important fixtures..

Even Shawn Moran, a true top level great of the sport, quit due to not "having the bottle anymore" as he described it... Let's hope the kid can overcome his current problem... But let's not criticise him for it... Most of us on here, can only dream of doing what this lad can do... And, if he doesn't come back, best wishes to him for giving something so incredibly dangerous, a go, and I hope his future is a positive one... For some reason, this country seem to inflate levels for any kid with even a modicum of talent.. Just let them evolve, without pressure.. It's not as if there are 100's queueing up to be decent Speedway riders..

Seems to be on the Nicki P glide path... So much determination and will to win, but getting caught up in "unlucky" situations... Situations that they never got caught up in... A proper asset to the GP series, but maybe a year out, and a year where he doesn't pick up any injuries, will help his GP longevity, similar to how Freddie has extended his career... One of those who genuinely puts "bums on seats" is Jason, so hopefully he takes his time, and can come back stronger....

Spot on, basic, entry level planning... And also maybe have less riders per team so "others" are available to do short term loans..? Also, let some riders sign that "contract" that Poland have where riders agree to be available when required.. And then put together a fit for purpose RR facility, rather than one where a heat leader has to have a reserve replacing him.. There are many ways to give a Speedway meeting (and therefore the competitions themselves), credibility... They just choose to not do it...

Nigel has given him a bell....

You have zero chance of making a London GP pay.. You will be talking circa half a million for rental of the stadium, and the riders, mechanics, and FIM "top brass" hotel costs.. The sport in the UK gets barely 20,000 a week if every track ran a meeting.. Wembley was over forty years ago with several tracks in London, and there were well over 150,000 a week attending speedway nationally back then.. London was also a very different place to live, ethnicity wise... Who is the Albanian and Somalian No 1? And, if some baulked at the Cardiff hotel prices, London's will be, at best, the same.. The sport in the UK, (without radical change), is beyond saving, given the constant erosion of support over the past two decades, and the constant increases in admission which bust inflation.. A London GP, even if successful, (it has no chance of being so) will make zero positive difference number wise, to the 20,000, and dropping, that attend each week... Anyone got half a million to spend on a London GP? If so, send me the money and I will do the rest...

You seriously have to ask "what is the point?" of running these 'guestfests' week in, week out, don't you? You simply cannot take the competition seriously can you? And by organising such events, knowing so many riders will be elsewhere, just suggests that those who run the sport don't take it too seriously either... An amazing operating model to run, if you believe it will be successful, in the internet world of 2025...

It truly baffles me why some people see the GB GP as something that can help stimulate awareness of the domestic product.. Discovery will have some of the best media press releasers around, and yet the GP got the same MSM coverage that a Kent v Plymouth NDL match would get... Barely 20,000 fans attend all the tracks in the UK, so 6,000 or so, with the vast majority being UK Speedway fans, is a decent number for the event.. Next year, with maybe only one GP, could possibly mean cheaper tickets given one nights less accommodation costs.. Hopefully they don't get GP2, meaning more costs, but a much harder sell...

Not too regular then? ..

Cardiff ran at a loss, hence it got pulled.. There was no "significant sponsorship" of the events, hence they lost money... They lost around 20,000 fans over a decade... A "successful" GB GP has almost zero positive impact to the sport in the UK... With an "unsuccessful" one having the same zero negative impact.. Outside of Poland the crowds are generally below 10,000 so the NSS is on a par with them.. Maybe the East Stand could get another 1000 or so added for next year..?

Be interesting to see how the crowds hold up... Many on here bemoan the lack of weekly Speedway, however... Four meetings out of a months salary is a fair chunk of it for many... Personally, I think every fortnight hits a "sweet spot"..

Only a joke Ian, based on how much of the on track preperation and entertainment on offer, is so dire, therefore expecting those off track to be spot on all the time is not going to happen.. Which is the most ironic thing... Every BSN match seems to, on here, get fantastic feedback about the team doing the commentating, and the overall meeting presentation... Far more positive comments than the actual racing ever seems to get... Which is a bit of an issue for the sport really isn't it? Keep up the professional approach, as BSN, and the Speedway Star, truly show the sport punching above its weight...

You cynic......