old bob at herne bay

Sounds like you should take your own refreshments ?

Given the vagaries of the weather in late Autumn / early Winter how many off the remaining fixtures will actually take place ? As always the key meetings in speedway take place on dodgy rain affected tracks …. There’s little “racing” possible just riding around to stay on and once again the fans are short changed

Seems the weather beat the Royals..... half the side not coming out and being excluded for “ exceeding the 2 minute warning “ Must have been a pretty miserable evening for the Kent fans.

Entertaining though this thread is ........ really, a speedway track so close to a new housing development that the shale will pepper the residents washing as it hangs out to dry. I am minded to think of a well known bedding shop - DREAMS. Sittingbourne have had severe planning restrictions with noise barriers, and an 8.30pm curfew, on a track located on an industrial estate, due to one resident who lives a a mile away from the stdium. Appeals have been rejected. Hundreds of new homeowners, none of whom are likely to be faintly interested in Speedway will not put up with the noise and dust from a speedway track in their back yards.

As long as the stock cars banger cars keep on using the stadium I guess there is hope......maybe a second hand air fence from another defunct track will become available to reduce start up costs ?

Thought I read somewhere that the “top” riders need to ride in both leagues to make ends meet ....so even if there are enough riders how many meetings per season will one big league allow given they start in late March and they have to finish by mid September for the p. Offs. 6 riders per team assume we stick with 15 heats gives everyone 5 rides. With 2 rising/falling stars per side that’s one third of the meeting of NDL standard. Value £ 15 a meeting ?

If Troy shows some form Sheffield are more than capable of becoming p/off winners . Congrats to “Dads Army” for being the best team overall this season. A remarkable performance from a team of experienced riders who have frankly demonstrated how poor the “ best of the rest “ are in UK speedway 2020.

No not at all - it’s almost as funny as the much over hyped “Millenium Stadium” Give me Hyde Road any day over the “National Speedway Stadium” … all I have ever seen at the “NSS” is 4 riders getting further and further apart as the “race” progresses…. And the TV pundits continually telling me what a wonderful track it is ……..

How many teams do folks think will run in a 2022 “premiership” assuming it still exists ? Pboro might be a housing estate…. Swindon ? hehe ?

BSPL seemingly doing all they can to get the p.off final to be on TV at the “National Speedway Stadium” that much over hyped racetrack in Manchester.

Not a dog fan, but dont think that many dog meetings ahve a crowd nowadays , they are staged and streamed online . So no aor very limited spectator facilities needed. As for the speedway - how on earth does anybody in their right mind think that the folks in their brand new £500k houses adjacent to the site are going to accept a noisy speedway track on their doorstep . Get real , smell the coffee. There will be 200 noise complaints on the council's desk before a wheel is turned. From the promotion team, I dont think Terry Russell has been in the best of health, Alain Rossiter is very enthusiastic about anything and everything, whilst Lee Kilby was last seen licking his wounds after the demise of Eastbourne.

Agree with Thornaby 48. Additionally I would allow the option of one gust to replace the team’s number 1 rider. The gust should only be allowed to take the 4 programmed rides and must ride in the number 1 slot in the team. ( no T/S or nominated heat appearances) and of course have a lower CMA than the number 1 rider he is replacing This to dissuade teams from picking track specialist gusts to strengthen their teams. R/r should be the preferred solution for all absences.

Some interesting comments on the early finish to the meeting. The consensus seems to be sod the racing, just prep a slick track with no passing after turn 2, stuff whether we win or lose ? Could have forfeited the match gave Leicester 4 points and just have the end of season knees up in the bar ? £18 a ticket for a booze up ?

That's a very poor show Waco ... very poor indeed. Didn't know that the "planning issues" restricted the time allowed in the bar , just the on track time to an 8.30 pm curfew. So totally unecessary to rush through the entertainment. Maybe Len likes to get to bed early. He might pay the price in dissing fans from attending the remaining Royals meetings , assumming the weather holds for anothe month ?

Kent well spanked tonight. 5 man team and even our 2 big guns failed to land a blow. Maybe not the enthusiasm with no chance of a p. off spot.

Doesn’t say much for the other 5 teams of UK speedway’s “ finest “ being completely out classed by “Dads Army “ does it!

Sadly “Lisa Collette” it is changing... doubt either Newcastle or Birmingham will be staging speedway in 2022 ?

One point each and let’s move on......

What a waste of time for everyone concerned. Why oh why do they have to keep the fans hanging around for an hour before announcing the inevitable. For whatever reason the riders cannot/ will not ride a damp track, so once they have a shower of rain just call it off. Buster Chapman tried a few weeks back, Now Dickson has had a go. It’s a waste of time guys. Shower of rain = call it off. Good luck on Wednesday, the weather ain’t getting any better.

Speedway surely needs to look outside of the box with their views of promoting the sport. Cricket just held its T20 finals day....sell out crowd at £89 a ticket for 3 games of cricket...... Speedway left squabbling over who plays who until a few days beforehand, who can race who on what day....... needs some 21st Century promotion.

Thanks City Rebel.... hope i he is fit for the remaining speedway fixtures. East End Fan.... think it’s a bit of a stretch to name Jake, Dan and Eastbourne’s Vinnie Ford as products of the Kent Royals NDL team.....when they have ridden what one or two home NDL fixtures this season. As for fixture planning, call me sensible, but yes running an NDL side in 2021 seemed a big risk with the late start and very limited track availability.Still I am not privy (nor do I expect to be) to the Kent club or NDL finances and NDL league planning that took place in 2021 that saw IoW not running at all , and later both Newcastle Gems and Eastbourne Seagulls pull out. Len is a staunch advocate of regular weekly racing, ( and I agree with him ) but 2021 was not a year to launch a new CL side and continue to run an NDL side IMO.

Let’s hope Jake isn’t injured ? Last seen at the Swingfield British Masters Grass Meeting. The scheduling of the NDL fixtures at Kent was always planned to be at the end of the season after the CL fixtures. A high risk strategy given the known challenges around track availability. Seems that only Tuesday’s are an option ... even when Tuesday’s are rained off ? ......if Kent had made the CL p.offs they would not complete their NDL home fixtures, even after the demise of Newcastle Gems.

You beat me to it Old Crusader. Expected to see him in the line up at Scunny. Bit of a joke with no NDL meetings for months, then the day they do race only half the team turns up due to a clash with another “ under some age or other “ championship. Kent aren’t serious NDL participants this season IMO, and will struggle to complete their home fixtures, all crammed together in late autumn/ early winter. Lets see if they can manage to parade 7 riders (and no guests) before the season is completed.

Guess Scotty will be riding for the highest bidder. Batchy average might be hard to fit in.....and there’s Starkey . Can they use the same guest in 2 different p off meetings?

Pretty poor RACE track didn’t help ippo .. home riders lose confidence … away riders just take it as they find it.