Garry1603

We'll see!

Thanks for the entertainment and good luck for the future.

Unfortunately speedway is too easy to 'fix' and I think it would lead to corruption and further bad publicity.

There's different aspects to this. There's the 'getting young people to attend' issue and the 'getting them interested in the first place' issue. If the second is done properly, the first is easier to achieve (although it's not a given). To get young people interested in speedway there needs to be a lot more interaction between the top riders and the public. Most of the GP riders have Twitter and Facebook accounts, but this is not enough if the general public don't know who they are in the first place! Maybe they need to employ publicists to get their names / faces better known to the general public. As they say there's no such thing as bad publicity and I'm certanly not encouraging riders to be controversial, but let's face it, the Pedersens, Wards, and in the past Penhall, Carters, Maugers etc kept the sport in the spotlight and got the fans talking. A good publicist could make riders better known to the general public and therefore it will inevitably atract sponsors and fans (especially if the rider happened to be English and good looking!) The sport itself doesn't do itself any favours and seems to almost avoid publicity sometimes. This is a multimedia world now and people are not content to turn up at their loal track each week and not know the lineup of the team they are supporting or any information about the opposition. When I first started going in the early 70s I would read in the Speedway Star all about the oppostions riders so that I was well prepared for the forthcoming Saturday night, surely in this multimedia world, there could be better written, more informative press releases both in the printed form and online? Pressuring local radio/tv would eventually bring dividends surely? The task of attracting young people back to the stadiums is much more difficult as the majority of speedway stadia are in a sad state of disrepair with no investment for many years. The new Belle Vue project is a major step forward for the sport, but sadly it's unlikely to be repeated around the country. There needs to be a more interactive experience for fans (especially young ones who get bored more easily) - riders being 'encouraged' to meet the fans after the meeting if time allows, interviews in the pits / centre green. Even some kind of loyalty scheme with Amazon / iTunes vouchers for regular attenders would be a start. Sadly the people who run the sport do so for their own ends and there is no cohesive plan for the sport in this country. It has been mentioned before but maybe someone independent from the day to day running of a club could be the answer. A 'Bernie Eccleston' type character (for all his faults) has grown F1 massively from a self centered sport with everyone fighting for their own interests into a global phenomenon. There's no way that speedway could even be in that league but there are lessons to be learned from someone who's job description is the growth of the sport. I would suggest getting the youth of the world interested would be a great start.

Should be a good season for the Aces, a decent team, a new stadium - just need to fix the Manchester weather now and we'll be fine!

A very hard rider, but also a showman who got the crowd talking (or shouting!). His battles with Frank Auffret were legendary.

Just finished reading mine. A good read and an interesting viewpoint on a career blighted by injuries. Revalations about his private life were quite eyeopening too! In my opinion he could have been one of the top riders in the world had he managed to stay fit.

Gutted to miss this as I go on holiday tomorrow!

Hope Bomber is fit. He's becoming a real 'cult figure' these days. if he gets knocked down, he gets up again, Not the best English rider of all time by a long chalk, but a truly committed guy who gives his all. Respect to him.

Hope Bomber makes it. As time goes by I'm really admiring his toughness and tenacity. Top guy!

Great performance by the Aces, but it's not (quite) over yet.

It will be close over the two legs, but i think the Ace's momentum will see them home. Can't see the winner of this semi final (whoever it is) winning the final though.

Worrall will be the key to the two legs - if he can peform as he did at Wolves, then I can see the Aces winning home and away, if not, it will be very close.

Decent win for the Aces today. Almost sad to see the end of the old place (but I'm sure that those feelings will fade away very quickly once the new stadium opens)

Can't see the Aces pulling this one off to be honest.

One of the best GPs for a while. Great respect to Zagar for coming back from such a crash, and words can't do justice to the bravery of Chris Holder. My repect for him has gone up tenfold after the events of the last week. A true friend and a thoroughly decent human being.

I've not seen a rider go from potential GP winner to being so out of form before. He's riding lke an average Elite League rider at the moment. Hope he can bounce back

Was thinking of going to Wolves for that one, but to be honest, it looks like a bit of a walkover for the home team. It feels very 'end of season' ...................... and it's still only August!

All the best Lewis. After the events of this week, you may not be the last.

Best wishes for a full recovery Lewis.

Feel absolutely gutted. Good luck Lewis

Brilliant meeting with a surprise ending. What more could we want (except team GB to be involved maybe!) Two hour program was just right, with the commentaries restricted (mostly) to what was happening on track. Interviews after each race with the winner asking them "How do you feel?" are not needed. Like everyone else, the only parts of the tournament that need to be changed are the jokers and the lack of reserves (which if they were reinstated could actually show the manager's skill, or otherwise!)

Mine arrived on Saturday and I've spent most of the weekend reading it! Superb piece of work and highly recommended.

Just ordered one. The original was brilliant.

Bruce Penhall. Would generate badly needed publicity for the sport and was a great racer.