old bob at herne bay

So your point I think was that the standard of the CL is now so high ( since the days of the jolly swagman in 1949) that all but a very few riders have to go through the development leagues to make it. I could name many since those distant days! , but let’s look at the here and now. Still don’t agree with your opinion, looking at the 2021 line ups in the CL . Is it of a higher standard now than 10 years ago? Does weakening the NL help ? Other than cutting promoters costs ? Think anyone worth their salt in the speedway world can see the most likely candidates for top UK speedway riders. They would have been snapped up regardless of any new BSPL imposed points limits. Points limits will not make any difference, aside from closing one club, and likely a few more NL sides will disappear at the end of 2021.

*JJ said "Nowadays, the standard is so high that except for a minute number of hyper-talented riders" If that were true , they won't reach Championship standard by the BSPL weakening the standard of the NDL .... shouldnt they be improving the standard of the NDL whilst still offering opportunites to novices in reserve slots at NDL level? Every season you keep on capping points limits at less than 42 points per side reduces the standard. 35 points is purely and simply just a cost saving measure. The system being used in 2021 is to throw in all the novices we can muster in on a " 3 point average" , at the expense of previous middle order riders who are much better but haven't become or don't want to be sooperstars. To cope with the restrictive points limit we employ "comeback " riders from a few seasons ago (or even longer) on assessed averages, and call them number ones.

Good luck to the Isle of Wight PROMOTION team. There surely must be enough out of work UK based riders (thanks to the "rising stars" scheme )who don't give a tuppenny damn about the BSPL,who would be interested in riding for an IoW team in a series of invitation events. Expect loads of BS from the promoters at the BSPL threatening all sorts of action to prevent this entertainment taking place.

Lets remember Kent Royals are EFFECTIVELY a stand alone NL club, as they cannot run the majority of their fixtures as double headers tacked onto their CL meetings as is being done at other clubs. With the vast reduction in standard of riders in 2021, the entertainment value has to be there ...even in the plush surroundings of Central Park, folks will rapidly get disillusioned if 15 heats cannot be completed before the curfew. Will be interesting to see come the end of 2021 just how many NL clubs continue into 2022 ..........to continue the BSPL experiment of the 3 point novice rider scheme.

Agree with "East End Fan" 100%. Most of the GB stars I have had the pleasure to watch didnt need complicated rules to achieve stardom. They were good from day one. Didnt need an NDL to get them a 3 pointer slot or a Rising Star scheme. Turned up at a traingin track , then invited for a second half ride, beat the team reserve and away they went. Most of the 3 pointers being thrust into the "National" league should be learning their trade on a training track or after meeting practice before the public are asked to pay to watch them. The ones that are good enough to race competively for 4 laps without falling off every corner should then be put into a team to entertain the paying public. oops sorry I forgot BSPL are not here to entertain the public ........ not in their mission statement ......having been culpable in closing down two tracks in the past few seasons. Rye House killed off by having to race midweek (Ironically that didnt stop the SGP sooperstars leaving GB speedway )and now IoW have been killed off. So even fewer speeday fans left to support all their great initiatives. Cue ... promoters whingeing about lack of support for their NDL teams and blaming the public for not supporting young riders.

"Pottering Around" Pleased to hear it wasn't just me. Thought I was going mad ... got up this morning at 7am and my Star was on the passage floor - no wrapper no address label the delivery man must be psychic .... ;-) Remarkable ... first time it has arrived on the Thursday for many many months :-) As long as its pushed through my letterbox .... I am happy :-)

Always rated James Wright..... hope he can resurrrect his career.

Expect another "delay" in the "2022 re opening" of Swindon Speedway ....... has ANY work started at Blunsdon yet ?

Eastbourne have IMO priced the NDL 2021 at what it’s worth, with teams consisting of 4 novices and 3 recognised experienced riders. £10 for a stand-alone meeting. Kent cannot run double headers within their planning permission, and with running an attractive looking Championship side might struggle to attract fans to the 2021 NDL league fixtures.?

Congratulations to Eastbourne for being first to publicise their arrangements for managing meetings for the start of the 2021 season under Covid 19 guidelines.

Plymouth's line up looks very attractive for the neutral fan - should draw some decent crowds on thir travels. Looks like a very interesting and varied selection of riders across all the team to go an watch. The "rising star" programme has it a bout right with just one per team ..... you can carry one rabbit and still see some good entertainment.

Oh dear ...... with respect, so many "3 point" novice riders whom the public shouldn't be asked to pay to watch. The gulf between the " heat leaders" and "the rest" is huge. Not sure that the BSPL have got this right in their indecent haste to produce new British Talent. Suggest the tracks with a " curfew" will struggle to complete their meetings ...... and those clubs attempting double headers .... well good luck.

Come along now folks .... you must be in fantasy land if you think that BSPL is interested in any other club except their own. They are just a loose group of individuals who run a local speedway track. Their collective decisions in the past few years have contributed to clubs closing down, and I dont recall any attempts to support assist new members to the "club" of BSPL.

Given the shortage of fixtures ( 5 per team guaranteed) plus another 2 for p. off qualifiers you would think they could have a Wooden Spoon trophy meeting between teams 5 and 6 to give them another fixture ???? so every team wouldhave at least 6 fixtures with 7 for the p.off finalists.

England to Hungary and back in a Covid pandemic under Brexit regulations. Good luck Drew, and any other English based riders drawn to ride in these ridiculous locations.

Cricket Horse Racing and Tennis . Cannot imagine that any grant would go near the BSPL or SCB for speedway racing - where's the accountability ? ... there's no attendance figures, there's no business accounts, no fixed assets, no contracts with riders once the season ends. Difficult to prove any "actual losses" incurred due to Covid . One assumes all the "staff" have been furloughed and 2 lorry loads of shale can be reused this season. Doubt the self employed riders have been paid a cent last season. The owners of the stadia used might have a stronger case as they have suffered actual loss of income due to unpaid rents.

Would be a first for any Government to GIVE anything to speedway racing. Even in its heyday all they did was impose punitive entertainment tax on the sport that nearly put it out of existence. On a hypothetical note....can you imagine what BSPL would do if they received anything from this fund ?

way to go 28, like you I am hesitant to return at least until after 2nd jab, and even then I would need to understand the "COVID 19" measures being implemented at tracks before returning. This is I agree a matter of personal choice ,and personal circumstances, and some will be keen to return whatever the situation at their local track, but some respect will need to be shown by promoters to build confidence amongst fans that their tracks are minimising risk. Speedway is living in "cloud cuckoo land" if it believes 2019 level crowds will flock back to the tracks from day one of the re opening post Covid. Two tracks that I frequent I use as examples:- Sittingbourne, there is plenty of allocated seating that could ensure social distancing, but the entrance and exit to/from the stadium is always very crowded and gives me cause for concern. Similarly, Eastbourne has allocated seating in a backstright stand the could ensure social distancing, but also has a compact congested entrance turnstile area, and a crowded stadium exit.

Come the end of a very short 2021 season , everyone will have improved their starting averages , and lots of back slapping saying how well the new lads have done.....the reality is that they will have just improved racing each other ....and not advanced one iota.

"Admittedly the cut to 35 for team build is harsh and has led to some unsavoury measures to allow teams to come under the limit but it had to be done ." What a load of tosh. So every season you chop the team building average drastically - losing half your previous season's side in the interests of fitting under the new points limit. Dont see any savings here for the clubs the NL has a fixed pay limit. We see either stars of yesteryear appear on some assessed average , or rabbits sprung in to the league on an invented minimum average . Its a race to the bottom. The NL seems to be heading back to the days of watching the air fence being repaired 15 times a meeting - watching novice riders practice their mistakes. To charge fans to watch this stuff is an insult. It's not entertainment.

How long before a "promoter" lodges an appeal and rides "under protest" against Plymouth for tracking Jason Crump in their team ? There's a few " promoters" that come to mind who would do this ...... no names no clues .

Not a lot to get excited about there then... just six teams with one rabbit per team, to be 2 rabbits per team next season ?? Or maybe the last season of the present league structure ?? 7/6 admission with a 3d.programme with a league match and a full second half would seem to be reasonable value for money. If we were running a full length season surely 6 teams just doesn’t work. Home and away twice gives only 10 meetings a season. Championship has more appeal.

Plenty of stadiums Chris 116..... Rye House, Isle of Wight, Coventry, Oxford, Lakeside (its still there) , to name but 5 that still have a track. Not sure that anyone is mad enought to try and promote the sport within the "BSPL"

BSPL aren't doing too well at "Promoting" the sport. Their record at losing speedway clubs once a canter is now turning into a " who's next to go ? " stampede. There will soon be more dormant speedway tracks in the UK than active ones.

Seems Glasgow and Edinburgh will/might be be running to a different set of rules - although not too sure whether the Scottish Nationalist Party has made up its mind yet on sporting events. ......