Hawk127

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.

Last time I went to a football match was when Alan Gilzean was at Tottenham and friend dragged me along so the answer is not recently.

Thanks. i was just trying to understand the cost comparisons and the whole experience if for example in both cases an overnight stay or two nights stay was necessary with travelling costs etc. adding in food etc. Not an exact science but the one thing that the U K cannot compete on with for example a Polish GP where in terms of the size of the crowd and the atmosphere it is far superior but obviously smaller venues may probably go head to head and be comparable. I still feel the ticket prices are over the top for what you are getting but that is just a personal opinion, others may think otherwise. Anyway enjoy the meeting and savour the memories. Long may a GP be held in GB.

I am not sure I understand the logic of the pricing structure. As it stands it would be better value for a punter to get six months on TNT or whatever the streaming service is called now rather than pay for a family ticket. If it is nine GPs and say the TNT cost is £210 that is circa £27 per meeting. Why would anyone travel any distance to attend in Manchester given the add on costs so if they are appealing to fans within a certain radius of the track, how many locals will pay and what will be the impact on the Belle Vue domestic fixtures. Others on here might be able to come up with cost comparisons re ticket prices for other GPs and I may well be out of touch but the UK prices seem over the top.

That’s being very generous. It has many similarities to the way the country is currently being run and both are shambles. Government wants more taxes, promoters want higher entrance fees, riders want more for less, benefit claimants want more for doing nothing and in both cases those in charge are ostracising the very same tax payers/punters who feed them by increasing the costs for the few simply to placate the rest.

Agree with the ‘live’ sentiment but that is becoming increasingly more costly and those with limited disposal income will forsake that and frankly with the way some meetings are drawn out, I would suspect many would rather be at home than standing on a chilly terrace in stadiums with poor facilities, expensive food and drink plus toilets that are some of the worse you can find and you can have all that for an entry fee of £20+. That’s probably why some people no longer attend because the supporter is a secondary inconvenience to the people who run the sport. Just look at the way they have conducted themselves in the close season.

You are getting the rest for just over £5.60 a meeting so to pay a bit more for the play offs is still not a bad deal. The only possible downside is that more may stay at home rather than pay for fuel, entry fee, programme and possibly parking and if that adds up on average to £30 it is a no brainer to those on limited income. Many would forsake attending live if it is saving them over £20 assuming it is just one person attending. If it is a couple or family the saving is even greater.

That does seem good value for 48 meetings and being able to spread the cost will encourage a few more punters. Well done to BSN

Given the woke ideas of today more likely to be Adrian Street. If you needed someone who could dodge everything and still come out a winner, Les Kellett fits the bill but both are probably off the radar for the BSPL. More likely Steve Logan aka as Harry Redknapp.

Could that add a new dimension to doubling up?

Sadly that is not true. The guy in the photo has a great future and is appearing in Stars in their Eyes where tonight audience, “ I want to be Harry Redknapp”. That should raise the bar.

Perhaps they are using Chatgpt or whatever the AI generator for nonsense is.

Surely they would not shaft one of the best broadcasters of Speedway since Sky. Having said that most of those that run the sport are unscrupulous individuals and frankly nothing is credible any longer and they would shaft anyone. Those in charge never learn and have not got an ounce of sense between them. Cannot even have the balls to publish a fixture list and in failing to do so screw every club who have declare the intention to run. Those in charge are a shower of sh….

Those in charge of the sport have created their own self inflicted nadir. It is not just about Ipswich or Mayfield (assuming they are officially the new owners of the Witches) it is collectively where the sport goes from here. Club owners/promoters are treating loyal supporters with such contempt, riders think the punters owe them a living and the up and coming talent is squeezed out by the double uppers who selfishly could not care one iota about the pipe stream of potential talent that is trying to break into the sport. Promoters, management and double uppers are the ruinous tribe who are bringing the sport to its knees and for it to survive a radical shake up is needed. Ipswich have ignited an issue but in reality the sport is on its knees and things need to change.

Free exit before the end of a painfully boring meeting or no charge for sugar with a hot drink unless it is soup. Alternatively, how about a second half with NDL riders to give both punters and riders some optimism that the sport has a future.

Take your point. If they start charging it is not going to go down well. I would rather watch Mildenhall if that charge is introduced. I use to avoid speedway meetings when the tendency was for six man teams with that guy using the pseudonym of R/R. Now they want to charge you to park, an exorbitant amount to get through the gate for which you get just fifteen minutes of entertainment, a programme that no longer fits the board bought twenty years ago and the current cost of a cup of tea use to buy you three pints of Watneys Red Barrel or two and a half pints of Double Diamond back in the early seventies. What is the world coming to, I need to get me coat and get back on the trolley bus to New Cross.

The trouble with any pricing policy is that you are competing for a dwindling pot of disposal income. If a family of four have for example Sky and one of the other streaming services it could feasibly be costing circa £100 per month, then if the children have mobile phones that is another potential £80 to £100 per month for all four and then the children have other activities which have associated costs and then you can see with general household expenditure and a mortgage etc, not a lot left to spend on going out. That is where you look at value for money and you then hit the argument of x amount for tickets for fifteen minutes of entertainment and compare that to say banger racing or stock cars where you get several hours of racing. Not an easy problem to solve but punters will probably look at value for money and speedway does not cut it if you are trying to attract a new generation of supporters at a price point that makes it an attractive option with everything else that is trying to attract your hard earned pound.

Spedeworth do not own Ipswich, they lease the stadium and provide a sub lease to Ipswich Speedway. The bangers and stocks get good support and for some of the bigger meetings the numbers on the terraces are something that every speedway club would die for. Speed weekend is packed and the bonfire bonanza is a huge draw. Bank holidays get super crowds. Yes you are right it is a win win for those that run meetings. At Ipswich, you pay to park in addition to the entry price. Parking at speedway is free.

It is a shame that Eastbourne is not available having just watched a video of a recent banger meeting at Arlington. I am sure you have many detractors from the idea that a former track could run temporarily if the funds are guaranteed and the covenant is good even if it is for one year while someone develops Northampton. Money speaks volumes if the right figure is on the table and it could be that Swindon, Newcastle and even Wolverhampton could be an option as along as it is temporary. I am sure that more contributors on this forum could come up with other options. Even Iwade or Kent could be thrown into the mix as a short term solution. I just feel that in the case of Northampton a fool and their money will be soon parted if they dive in to the league at this late stage in the preparation for the new season.

I think that is the less risky route if you can guarantee the rental for even one year. If that was/is the case then a number of former tracks that are idle could become a temporary home for the ‘Nomads’. I am not saying that these are possible or viable but I guess if money talks and the covenant is good, you could have Newcastle, Swindon, Kent and possibly one or two others. Shame about Eastbourne having just watched a banger video featuring racing from Arlington, but it is what it is. Not sure if Iwade could be a possibility. Many others on here would know what if other defunct tracks could be brought back to life with the right incentive and I know Dean has said Wolverhampton is a non starter but with the right offer could they have a re-think. Anyone’s guess but Northampton seems like a a case of a fool and his money will soon be parted.