Hawk127

Yep and back in the day meetings were held morning afternoon and evening with some real derby matches. As a Hackney supporter in those days I remember travelling to Ipswich in the morning and the return at Hackney in the evening. At Rayleigh you had a morning meeting followed by a return over the weekend with either Canterbury, Eastbourne or Boston. Today you have so few teams you cannot even have a regular weekly meeting and as a sport which should be thriving in the summer months you end up with a calendar devoid of meetings when support should be flocking to tracks and today the lack of ability to capitalise on those months when the sport should be attracting punters is consigned to history. Sadly it is a pale shadow of what used to be such a great bank holiday extravaganza.

I really think you are being unkind with your comments 😂. According to the newbies on this forum and those who post once in a generation, you should embrace the situation and be thankful for what the sport offers in this country because these contributors are so right and the likes of the long suffering followers are so wrong and need to dismissed as not following the rules which these members believe are correct and should not be challenged. In the meantime I will stick with the Polish version as I don’t understand the language and therefore the total boll..cks that may have or is being spoken goes right over my head unlike the UK version which needs no translation and leaves no doubt on where the sport stands in the eyes of a few.

You are ‘flogging a dead horse’ pointing out the obvious and unfortunately the real opportunity to invoke a change came after Covid yet for some unfathomable reason it was a case of ‘as you were’. I am not sure where the sport needs to go to find new impetus but to attract a new audience it needs to embrace technology and start entertaining. It is an exciting form of entertainment that could hit the right notes if marketed but that is probably expecting too much given the governing body. With the cost of living crisis determining the consumer/punter spending it really needs to adapt asap and offer a lot more than a bland format that only diehards appreciate.

Unfortunately the set up does not give the new people a chance and it is history repeating itself. So many have tried and failed. Those on this forum have an insular view of where the sport is but if you are and outsider and simply look at what the likes of Chat GPT and other internet reviews of the sport offer as an answer frankly no one will touch speedway with a barge pole. I like you really wish it has a future but everything on line says otherwise. As to how it is turned around, is anyone’s guess, but hopefully it can be revived and rise up the ranks of being one to watch.

Totally agree. If it is entertainment and you want to attract a new generation of punters, then you do not need those riders who are costing clubs a fortune. No new punter or family will have heard of any of the top names, so as long as the racing is competitive and you have match race’s featuring different age groups to entice youngsters as well as a meaningful match or individual meeting then that is all you can ask for. No one seems to want to try a two wheeled speed event including for example flat track riders etc. as well as speedway. As it is now you have the same old same old format which with all the ridiculous rules and doubling up etc you will never convince the media that it is credible and without the media the punters are not going to pick up on it. Give them something different (proven by increased numbers who attend the play offs when you something to go for but not the qualifying matches) and just maybe they could start on that very long journey of attracting new fans, sponsors and possibly media attention on a national scale.

Spent all the marketing budget buying into Northampton. Is it any wonder no one has heard anything given the numpties who have bought in are the same as those who have historically failed to run speedway in any way shape or form where it could be described as professional run sport. The only saving grace regarding Northampton is that it has kept the forum going but for which what else could have been debated. Oh well I am sure the numpties have it all under control.

It may be the case at this time and the situation will only get worse until those riders starting out and those still learning their craft are given more track time. To continue to deny those on the bottom rung of the ladder the opportunity means the sport will end up with the self fulfilling prophecy of of end of UK speedway as it was once known unless the intention is to get the overseas nations to train these riders and bring them to the UK to fill team places at higher costs and result being you maintain the status quo of not enough British riders coming through the ranks. Something has to give and people need to look elsewhere if the ambition is to watch world class riders week in week out, UK speedway cannot afford to entertain these guys or continue to use doubling up as a long term option.

FIM have live meeting coverage for Inzell. Both meetings for Euro 9.90 or you can get a season pass for 15.90. Seems good value to me.

Failure to have a nationwide promoting policy is one issue as is the price point to watch the sport and the attitude of many punters who only want league speedway racing rather than general speedway racing. As an example of what many miss out on you only have to take a look at the individual meeting in Poland on the 28th March and the line up you are getting and tickets for just over £11.00. Once upon a time we could watch great individual meetings in this country which filled out the speedway calendar but now virtually nothing. Add to the lack of support for these meetings the failure by so many clubs to put on second halves for up and coming riders is only damaging the sport further. Put a £1 on the admission fee and put on a second half. Clubs will have already been paid by the punter so it does not matter if the majority leave after the last race of the league meeting, the riders are getting valuable track time. If you have decent sponsorship and hold individual meetings at the right time then the top riders would come but many do not want to commit to a whole season in the UK. It is delusional to think that the worlds top riders would flock to the UK if a TV deal was in place and the points money matched what is available elsewhere. TV has made little difference to the numbers going through the turnstiles and has never nor ever will match the pulling power that fills stadia in Poland where you have broadcasters falling over themselves to get a slice of the action. In the UK you just have to accept it a case of also rans and the sport should take a long hard look at itself and decide what is best for the domestic scene and build on that. A new club comes along so just sit back and see how it pans out. What they do about promoting, team names, riders, promoters, managers etc, is down to those behind the venture and I am sure they are not naive or the amateurs that many think they are and all anyone needs to hope is that it goes well. How they do it is their business and no one else’s.

Well deserved retirement. A great servant to the club and the voice of Ipswich speedway. Thank you Kevin.

Agree and what the other team members will get is invaluable experience of a rider who has seen it done it and can make the difference to one or two riders in the team. A true professional who has served the sport well and never gives up. He may not be at his peak but in reality he can steady a ship if things start to go awry so a good signing and it will be good to see him one more time as Witch. As to the rest of the team, give them a chance, no point in decrying what was and what is, a wheel has not been turned and Ipswich know as well as most what unfortunate injuries can do to what was suppose to be an unbeatable team. No one ever wants to see a rider injured but in a split second fortunes can change. Fingers crossed for all participants but in reality racing as these guys do in various leagues across Europe, the risks are undeniable. Let’s just see how things pan out.

At this stage and despite the various suggestions put forward by many on here the Ipswich team is yet to be confirmed therefore everything is up in the air until an announcement from the new owners. Having read the statement released, like many who have commented it is to be commended for the proposals but they have failed to understand the closed shop that runs the sport which is surprising given the amount of information that is available if anyone bothers to trawl through the dross that is in the public domain. Ipswich coming to the tapes in 2026 is a plaster over what distracts from the real issues that the sport is facing in this country. List the issues in no particular order, doubling up, rules made up as the season goes on, management of a sport governed by self interest, up and coming riders learning the ropes who think they should earn top dollar, parents backing siblings who feel that overseas riders are taking away from their over rated prodigies, race days determined by overseas schedules, GPs which have lost the charisma and fail to track the best speedway riders in the world but instead pander to a woke selection so that no one feels left out and a sport which in the UK has failed to promote itself to the point where even loyal followers cannot be bothered to regularly attend meetings. Nothing new but the same old mediocrity from the few promoters who over the years have dragged the sport down. No forward thinking, electric machines dismissed, failure by the governing body to consider something new in terms of format, a lack of fight by the governing body when it comes to track closures and a bunch of riders who think they should earn from the sport a living for twelve months by screwing the system over a window of six months. The sport needs a wholesale change in order to move forward but those in charge are gutless individuals who if it is a hobby for them should relinquish their ties and let the sport start over to give it a chance and if that means riders have to be come part time so be it. Change is needed.

Are you on for an exclusive on News at Ten or will Piers Morgan be taking up the mantle interviewing the oracle of British speedway. Please plead the 5th and let Godfrey take the wrap. If not sell it as the best thing since slice malt loaf and hopefully a fixture list for 2027 will be available soon. Great to have you on board the sinking speedway ship.

Grass track fixtures in this week’s Star for those in the Premiership suffering from withdrawal symptoms. Perhaps one of the grass venues could stage speedway, it might be quicker than Northampton.

It may well be for a few, they no longer care about the outcome and for many any residual goodwill has long left the stadia.