Hawk127

Agree but if you go back in time you had characters and particularly the promoters who made the sport what it was such as Johnnie Hoskins, Dave Lanning, Len Silver, Wally Mawdsley etc, and add to the controversy of the methanol arguments between Rayleigh, Eastbourne and Canterbury, those were fun days. These incidents spiced up the sport and created rivalry which I am sure many on here witnessed between other close regional clubs and added some edge to the on track action. Rayleigh had its fair share with Crayford, Eastbourne, Canterbury, Romford and Ipswich over the years and that is what engendered the friendly rivalry. Other clubs around the country enjoyed the same and on occasions it crossed the boundaries of local clubs with regional exchanges such as the riders from Sunderland, Barrow, Birmingham, Bradford, Workington and many others who had characters that created a great atmosphere when they ventured south and challenged the locals. Unfortunately it is not the same today because the authorities have made it too clinical and the riders are not the personalities that we had just a few years back. The sport needs to reinvent itself internally and get back to the respected camaraderie that use to exist and embrace the fact that it can match others when it comes to being competitive and exciting. To attract bigger audiences think outside the box and stop knocking formats where they put bums on seats, cash in the till and t v exposure. The sport could learn from the marketing of WWE.

Perhaps what was supposed to be to happen with Buster in 2018 might be on the cards again with Chris still involved as manager.

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How dare you say it is doomed. Neil Vatcher the child snatcher reckons all is Rosie in the garden of the NDL, yet Kent Eagles are waiting to see if they can run, Ipswich will be sold but not to who anyone thinks, Sheffield have enough steel in the stadia to scrap the team and increase the income with the knife and fork productivity in the UK and the four who are left are looking actively at running three team tournaments. Everything at the top level is good to go next October with the play offs and a final planned that would make the tiddlywinks championship look like an also ran. Add to this Tai chasing a GP spot while still not fully fit and the championship pretending that all is well with sport and yep, all is great with speedway UK Time to get real and back all that is good about speedway at the highest level in this country. Until then back off and feel free to comment on the technical side of the sport and how you get 49cc mopeds to make the grade that gives a level playing field for all participants. Joking aside the sport is on its knees and while other European states get on with team building, arranging sponsors etc, the UK scene is at its nadir. Start praying for a miracle.

He could not stand up to the UK promoters added to which you would need to get every rider in the UK who also rides in Poland to side with him and that is not going to happen. U K promoters have capitulated and continue to allow the Poles to drive the sport forward so what has he and the BSPL added? The jury must be out on both. One thing for sure top riders are signing for Danish clubs and may have given up hope of the sport sorting itself out at the top level. Let’s wait and see.

Well, we could have them executed by firing squad or force them on a dinner date with Rachel Reeves or force them to listen to Keir Starmer reading war and peace. It really depends on what the warring majority of speedway supporters wish to vote through at the next rally in Trafalgar Square during the lobbying of Parliament for free speedway admission for all benefit claimants.

Could the Premier 5 run a shortened season covering June to August and use the rest of the season to run NDL teams. At least it would keep each of venues open while a longer term solution is put together. In that shortened season put highlights from the premier meetings on YouTube once a fortnight so as to get the message out to a wider audience and advertise all the other U K tracks running with an upcoming fixture list etc. Surely something is better than nothing and possibly losing some clubs altogether.

Perhaps he can do a few more game shows and then keep Sheffield and Ipswich running in 2026 rather than interfere in track prep which does not seem to be his forte. The sport is in a mess and the rationale fan is losing the will to live. While the Danes and the Swedes are ploughing ahead the UK has lost its way. Promoters and BSPL get a grip for Christ sake. You are a shower of ….… and collectively you have brought the sport to its knees.Shame on you.

I suspect that most of the top riders have or are now turning away from the U K scene and looking at Denmark, Sweden and elsewhere so perhaps the decision is made for the promoters. You will no longer attract some of the worlds best riders so plough a furrow as you see fit but be aware as custodians of the sport you will be held to account if it disappears completely because you failed to act.

I see Emil has signed for Esbjerg. Good luck to him and he will no doubt brighten up the Danish league scene.

If you go to ekstraliga.pl they have speedway updates and news in English including team news stats etc.

Spedeworth International (east anglia) Ltd seem to have a decent balance sheet and could pick up the witches for a song to maintain the income stream and cover those weeks when the four wheeled sport is not running at Foxhall. They would rake in everything from food, car park and entrance fee as they do with bangers and stock cars. Obviously the alternative is to run bangers and stocks on those weeks when speedway would have run notwithstanding the restrictions. Let’s hope that the two wheeled sport continues but in these uncertain times, you have to make the assets work for you and whatever generates the revenue you run with. I fear that if speedway stops even for a season, it will be the last you hear of the Witches.

If this is the case does it not say the writing is on the wall for speedway in the UK and riders are starting to desert the sinking ship. How on earth has it got to this where stalwarts of British speedway have given up on the home product and now look further afield to maintain the standard of living that they have become accustom to. Overseas territories gain is domestic speedway’s loss. It is not looking good for speedway in this country.

Divide and conquer does not always work but what you are suggesting has its merits. Whether it is for the good of the sport overall might questionable but at this stage in proceedings all options need to be considered as along as all the tracks continue to offer speedway and other two wheeled sports. Great idea that should be explored

Unfortunately a lot of emotions on both sides to this decision by CL to call it a day and yes he is entitled to do this but I don’t often agree with you or Gavin on this but frankly no one wants to see the sport fall apart at any level and having blame or otherwise laid at the door of one club/supporters is not going to resolve the issues facing the sport. In basic terms you need to keep as many tracks as possible open and holding meetings. If it is not a league fixture then a monthly individual meeting on an open licence basis but the constraints put on the structure of the sport in this country is sentencing it to death. Those in charge need to encourage tracks to run at whatever level brings in the punters and if they cannot put a competitive team out then let them run open meetings. Stop this “it is my way or no way” and Licence tracks to run individual meets and make those events a two wheeled spectacular with short track or whatever but keep the stadia open for that revival that will come (history does repeat itself) but don’t lose tracks. I doubt that any supporter on this forum wants to see another track lost to the sport so persuade those in charge that the sport in whatever guise has a fan base that wants it to prosper despite the dire circumstances it finds itself in.

Half of sweet naff all. No one would buy into a club or a sport where the business model and future is determined by third parties and the investor has no say as to when and how you run your business because the speedway ‘masons’ decide what will and will not be. Those running the sport need to get real but unfortunately they are so far up their own backsides and do not realise that the current business model does not work and also fail to grasp the fact that the sport is being run into the ground because they cannot see the wood for the trees. Not only have those who are custodians of the sport let down the investors and potential investors but have from a great height pissed on every punter who pays to watch the sport and frankly the supporter is just cannon fodder.

Every club is run by custodians of the sport and along that journey some will fall by the wayside for one reason or another. It is key for the future of the sport that the custodians are fit, willing and able to carry the concept forward but in reality until it has a concrete business plan to see out the next five to ten years why would any one invest . It is up to the promoters, riders and current supporters to sell the sport, no one else is going to do it and without a coordinated approach it is on borrowed time.

Every club is run by custodians of the sport and along that journey some will fall by the wayside for one reason or another. It is key for the future of the sport that the custodians are fit, willing and able to carry the concept forward but in reality until it has a concrete business plan to see out the next five to ten years why would any one invest . It is up to the promoters, riders and current supporters to sell the sport, no one else is going to do it and without a coordinated approach it is on borrowed time.

The value of any club is questionable and depends who owns the track and stadia. To categorise what may be for sale, firstly you may have the assignment of the lease where a club rents the track but the landlord is unlikely to agree where the terms of which do not match the current lessee’s obligations. if you overcome the assignment issue then a sale in terms of assetS will be determined by a fair valuation of what is on the balance This will include the security deposit paid to the BSP, and a few other fixed assets and I suspect that rider contracts are not binding on transfer of the business ownership and the renewal thereof will be based on a number of factors. After the foregoing it is reality what is left in terms of fixed assets such as graders, air fence, track prep machinery and anything which one could consider as a fixed asset. Who really knows the value of a club/team/track but is a lot less that most sane people are willing to pay and notwithstanding the good will based partly on the supporters etc, no one would pay more than a £1.00. It is not a sound business proposition as it stands as the return on equity is nearly non existent. Maybe ideal for profitable corporations as an offsetting tax opportunity exercise but basically you would need to be as mad as Mar h hare to put money into a sport the way speedway is currently run

Mike for chairman has to be the mantra for the forum. Only one minor issue, the cost for the travelling supporter and if it was a north/ south league arrangement and the top teams coming together in a final then the regions would hopefully reap the benefits. Now is the time for the sport to reinvent itself and look to a five year plan to rebuild its place in the speedway world. Most will hope that no teams/tracks/clubs are lost to the sport in 2026 and if the same number of tracks can remain open, you have hope. Allow some to fall by the wayside and it is game over for the sport. Forget TV deals, let BSN show the meetings and in the winter they could do a deal that repeats the meetings at a discounted price. Make sure the young up and coming riders are encouraged and get back to bringing on new talent instead of dismissing their efforts because they cannot take on heat leaders etc. I have seen many newbies over the years who try hard and occasionally get one over a more experienced rider which breeds confidence. The sport needs them to survive so embrace them rather than dismissing the efforts of these youngsters. They are the future.

Just reading the local Ipswich Star and Louis is quoted as saying “the club is being sold” This could mean that someone is already in negotiations to buy the club otherwise you would probably say “and the club is to be sold or up for sale” Hopefully someone is already interested and this has been on the cards for a while and only because it is get near closing a deal the announcement has been made. I know it is anyone’s guess but fingers crossed the witches come to the tapes in 2026.

As an aside, I see Swaffham raceway is for sale at £1.6m so if someone has deep pockets you have a ready made arena and probably a better chance of gaining punters rather than Northampton albeit I guess Kings Lynn would not be happy but hey, it could be for the good of the sport so some sacrifices need to be made. No one really complained when you had several tracks operating in London at the same time. It says the current owners would consider leasing it.

Grasping at straws, are they saying farewell to Chris and Ritchie or to the club?

If anyone wants some lightness from the gloom and doom, tickets for the 2026 World Cup in Poland go on sale next Tuesday with prices starting from PLN 69.00. Tai has signed for Dackrana, Prague, Riga and Voyens GP tickets are also on sale. At least the entire world of speedway has not collapsed yet!!