old bob at herne bay

Just think..... every season every UK club promoter announces that they have made a “ loss” running speedway . Sums of “ five figures” or “six figures” are bandied about. So no meetings run this season, no riders wages, no fees for referees, no fees for medical cover. Paid staff at most tracks are probably one or two, the rest casual employees and/or volunteers. Are the losses incurred any higher or lower than they normally generate running a league programme? Biggest issue IMO is whether owners of the stadia used by Speedway are still in business next year?

What's the point of this thread? Trying to find a way of seeing some amateur riders have a "skid" at a local training track with a few dozen spectators ? and paying for the privilege? Assume medical cover will have to be provided ? Who will do this in the current situation? A lot of money will have to be spent to get the spartan facilities at most tracks to be Covid 19 compliant for what might be a handful of loss making meetings . Who is going to bother ? No crowds until October therefore no speedway in 2020 is the Speedway GB statement.

GB Speedway Season 2020 is cancelled. (Speedway GB website) Never thought any differently... let’s all stay safe , hope we can all get vaccinated by Spring 2021 and see Speedway Come next year.

I am cheered by reading hte news in this weeks Speedway Star that sepctators are going to be allowed into speedway stadiums in Sweden. The enterprising Swedish promoters have declared that their track restaurants will be open for business and will take bookings for meals to allow spectators to watch the racing. This must be the way forward that the British PRomoters were waiting for ... open up your trackside restaurants, start taking bookings and start racing. Ah hang on ....... just thought you cannot see the racing from the "restaurant" behind the pits at Eastbounre, nor from the "restaurant" under the grandstand at Sittingbourne. How are other UK tracks fixed for a trackside dining experience?

Ah good to see .... Pratt an ex rider has been around the sport for a good few years ...... I bet he is one step ahead of the rest of the other promoters .. and has suggested to the landlords of the showground that he will be getting brakes fitted to all the Peterborough riders bikes to minimise risks

This from the British Speedway website dated July 10 .... (with my bold and underline) "Members of the British Speedway Promoters Ltd have, in the last two weeks, been working on how our sport can work safely for competitors, officials and spectators alike. We believe the biggest risk to riders is the natural danger element of racing motorbikes with no brakes." I am sorry, but with that type of attitiude , I really do not see speedway starting this year. What are they saying ... speedway is a dangerous sport anyway so we don't need to do anything ????

Attended a motorcycle auto jumble at the South of England Showground at Ardingly this weekend. There were several hundred people in attendance.... mostly motorcyclists like me .... so few of the 4 wheeler crowd. well organised with Marshall’s all wearing masks directing you to well speed parking spaces..... many of the stall holders had free hand sanitiser and disposable gloves available. Stalls were all spaced well apart ....toilet facilities were spacious with a Marshall ensuring no crowds of people. Facilities were regularly cleaned and were well supplied with hand soap and hand wash basins. Most people were wearing face masks when near the sales pitches. So these events can take place.... but how many speedway venues have facilities or space similar to a county showground? Most of the grubby toilet facilities at speedway stadia are so cramped and poorly maintained they were un hygienic pre Covid..... you were lucky to have a light bulb in the loo at Lakeside speedway.

Pray tell me who does Keir Starmer ride for? Looks very well dressed rider ... collar and tie. Maybe he is on of the management team at Peterborough Panters .

Rules for recreational cricket limit the total number of people involved in each match to 30 maximum - with all sorts of rules to keep players distanced. So no crowds of spectators allowed which is still the issue that will stop UK speedway running again thisseason.

Promoters with more of an idea .....lmao Desperate to be proved right ...... lmao You have cheered me up. Lets just wait and see.

Reading the details of the medical professions reluctance to clear such places as theatres and live music venues to resume, it appears that a noisy environment encourages people to shout and raise thier voices and increase the risk of spitting virus particles into the atmosphere. All spectator sports encourage the crowd to produce an "atmosphere" and shouting and cheering your team. Based on that I really don't see spectator sport reopening soon.

Premiership Football grounds hold 60,000 and running with 0 I think Silverstone holds 120,000 will be running with 0 for Formula 1. A few open meetings ??? what's the point ??? Long overdue for the BSPA to make a decision and focus on 2021

Skidder1 - agreed - and the ekstraliga contracts currently prohibit riders signed up in Poland leaving. So there will have to be re allocation of riders ..,adjustment of points limits and some agreement on use of guests/loan replacement riders to get any 2020 uk league programme going. With co operation and common sense from the promoters ......... OH DEAR I think have may have scuppered UK speedway 2020.

A UK league with no GP riders may be forced upon UK speedway sooner rather than later IF and only IF they ever manage to get UK league speedway running this season. Some recalcualtions of teams strengths will be required .... but it would certainly enable some clubs to cut their riders wages bill considerably in what MIGHT be a shortened 2020 season. Who are we talking about Doyle, Lambert, Niels Kristen Iversen. Wouldnt be missed IMO .

Very good article in the Star by Ove. He omits the contribution of Norwich team mechanic Les Mullins who looked after the Norwich “track spare” that Ove rode with great success. Highlights the issue of too much money being invested in equipment by riders at all levels ... how any young lad can afford to start in UK speedway even at NL level beats me. The beginning of riders treating the sport as a business began with the late Ivan Mauger, with bikes mechanics and equipment scattered all over Europe. Many others followed his “professional” approach. Maybe now is the time to look at introducing rules to reduce riders costs of participating in the sport. .

So Speedtiger you have read the Glasgow Promotion's explanation of why they made their decision ? Putting aside your clear dislike of the Glasgow promotion .... none of their reasons apply to other UK speedway clubs? ? ? Funny old game this speedway "promoting" lark in the UK .... every season every promoter moans and groans about the large losses they have made and now we see all but one of them queueing up "in hope" to presumably add to their losses by running a very short season with every likelihood of reduced attendances than those in 2019. Who's kidding who ?

Oh yes that's the answer BLAME SOMEONE ELSE ....... its all the fault of Boris Johnson, Nicola Sturgeon , the bloke in Wales and whoever it is in Northern Ireland. I knew the word "promotion" would offend some on this forum :-) If only there were more promotoers like those at Glasgow ... think we would all be able to plan our lives for 2020. at the moment its like waiting for the inevitable rain off announcement whilst the riders and their entourage walk the track with their golf umbrellas , and the track announcer telling you the meeting is still on ;-)

Maybe some proactive promotion of the sport to politiicians to indicate what specific measures could be taken at their stadia to comply with safe distancing ......I am sure the average politician has no idea what speedway is, and probably thinks it attracts crowds of 60,000 people crammed together in seated grandstands. Seems you can have a riot, sorry a demonstration to smash up some statues and kick seven bells out of policeman just by handing out gloves and face masks to riotors, sorry demonstrators, so it cannot be that difficult to propose aprropriate safty measures specific to each track in the leagues?? I apologise to anyone offended by the use of the word "promotion" in my post.

Sadly nothing I have seen from the UK speedway "management" amounts to anything but HOPE to run UK speedway in 2020 . They also appear to exhibit a great deal of FAITH, what is missing is CHARITY. Not one proposal about how they intend to operate a safe environment for spectators has been seen by me ......it certainly CANNOT be business as usual by the "hoped for" start date of August. No idea what sort of meaningful league programme they intend to run starting in August when they struggle to complete fixtures when they start in March. Would be interesting if Speedway Star could run some interviews with track promoters asking them some direct questions about the provisions they will be making to support spectator safety in their stadia for their hoped for start date in August ???

Ove Fundin Fan ...... you mention Leon Madsen (who's he? and what has he won? ) and Ove Fundin in the same sentence. LMAO. Different sport back in Ove's days. One bike with the front wheel removed, slung in the boot of a car, or on a makeshift bike rack. Not a sponsor sticker in sight.

Steady on Diamondboy ....... we dont want race-ism on this thread. oh and has Matt Ford got a statue in the Car Park.... given current issues it might end up in the harbour

If it's "training" - surely they can use the local park in Poole - some push ups, a bit of jogging ??? Riding around the track on their bikes - we always used to call it "practice " in England .

Richard, Thank you ... and for reminding about Danny Ayres RIP Danny.

Full marks to the TV team who produce the coverage of Eastbourne home meetings being shown on you tube. Good multi camera production. Who chooses which meetings are shown ? The one sided meeting vs Scunthorpe was not great viewing.

Rob, Regrettably, not sure that any of the points you make carry any weight without having on board a rich prospective speedway promoter or generous benefactor willing to take on the gamble and invest in speedway. Letting your land to a sport that operates 6 months of the year maybe once a fortnight just doesn't make good financial sense when you can get a regular income for a gym , a bunch of astro turf pitches for 12 months year ball sports. There just isn't any money in letting your land to a speedway in the UK compared to the potential £ millions for other options. Coventry and Oxford maybe still in existence as sites, but no one is going to stump up the cash to start up a speedway. Protests coninue but have they had any success ?? No. The sites will just lay dormant until the respective councils fall over for the extra income from business rates and award planning consent and allow the developers to move in. In no particular order ..... Rayleigh, Romford , West Ham, Hackney, New Cross, Arena Essex, Crayford, Wimbledon, Wembley, Canterbury. All gone. Dont think any of petition signing did any good at all. ..... they all closed. Just one track remains in the South East of England...... Sittingbourne....... which hangs by a thread due to the severe planning constraints. Letters supporting the changes to planning have made no difference.