Hawk127

So far BGT has the edge when it comes to entertainment. Kokoon and the jumping bag seems to be performing better than this meeting. Oh well back to a recording of the sewing bee.

Unfortunately it is boring. You could get away with the poor racing if you had a crowd like you have in Poland which would create some atmosphere but counting nails in B & Q would be more entertaining and having the monotone commentary trying to make watching paint dry sound interesting sums up why the sport is like it is in the UK

Well done to the Witches. Fingers crossed for Doyle. Thanks to KL for making it a decent meet. Onwards and upwards for both East Anglian teams and hopefully both come to the tapes in 2025.

Shame because when at Ipswich he tended to attack the track and was reasonably competitive. I know Ipswich had some dire riders and Hampel was one of the best but Gollob was worth the entrance money alone every week. Those were the days.

Dan and Tai setting themselves up for the GP. Well done to both teams and it would be good to see some of the second strings try out the British tracks. It would take you back to the days when the likes of Ipswich tried a few, some succeeded others were dire. Oh to see Jarek grace the U K scene. Whatever happened to Swirdeski?

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Emil is such a genuine guy and you have to have some sympathy for his position. They let tennis players compete in international competitions so why discriminate in speedway. Something is not right and riders like Emil add value to the competition and put bums on seats.

Well done Dan, really deserved and hopefully more to come from this talented rider who seems to have the right attitude. Congratulations to the witches on the result.

Hopefully 2 and 4 hold out but the tigers have a good pairing. Anyone’s result.

Dan Thompson has come on in great style, good luck to the lad, nice to see some talent. Not a bad meeting either and both teams fighting for the result and overall an entertaining meeting. Just a shame you do not get the supporters that the likes of Poland get. Difficult to know what the sport needs to do in the UK to compete spectator wise.

So in the UK we have to pay to watch t v and the beneficiary is the gay black left wing BBC (you only have to have seen Eurovision or any awards ceremony and the WASP is no longer represented, the BBC is bending over backwards to pacify) and no one has any choice about paying for a service you do not want or watch. In terms of viewing, to see anything else you have to pay even more be it Sky or a streaming service and even then if you have a particular service such as Sky and you want to watch the content such as live speedway you pay a further fee because the broadcaster wants to screw the punter with further charges yet you can watch some crap on Eurosport for free and have speedway dumped despite it being advertised as a programme. Who sold the sport down the line and decided to screw those who want to watch international speedway without pay more than once for the opportunity, was it the FIM or the sponsors of the GP? Whoever it was the punter is being taken for a ride.

Agree. He side stepped any chance of Peterborough running this year and if the truth be known he has probably had his fill of speedway and may make more from stocks and bangers, therefore you can see why he probably thinks why should I allow my revenue be dictated by some jack arse riders who are controlled by some over zealous body and therefore these riders commitment to UK racing has to be questionable. I am not defending him and feel sorry for the loyal stars supporters who deserve better and I am sure that the team in the right hands can prosper, it just needs U K speedway to act as a cohesive body and not run in silos with the self interest of a few and the clubs to work together.

Poland will do whatever they like, they hold the purse strings thanks to the television coverage and no one is going to be allowed to get in the way of the juggernaut that is Polish speedway. It is time that UK speedway makes its mind up and decide if they want to compete or plough their own furrow. Given the way it seems to be going speedway in the UK should run its own show on nights that benefit clubs, promoters and punters and let the riders decide where they want to race. U K speedway terms are this and they tell the riders to decide where you want to commit and based on that commitment you build a business model rather than have it chipped away at by overseas bodies. That means the governing body meets in September and sets out the terms and team building for the following season is completed by the end of November. Something has to give and the UK side should not capitulate.

Not much will happen. Enquire means to ask a general question while inquire means to ask a formal question so no real investigation going on just a quick email from the BSPL or whoever to Buster asking politely why he did not tell them first. Buster replies that he thought he had and that’s the end of the matter. If he gets bullied he will pull the plug on KL and blame the authorities. Does he have an ulterior motive?

Yep I will and not all Polish matches are good but the riders rarely back off and try a lot harder than the average rider in the the UK because the team place is on the line and I mean in the UK the average not the professionals of whom you have a handful who work hard and know the sport does not owe them a living. However you can have so much fun winding up speedway followers on here and frankly no one other than a few hundred on this forum really cares about the sport in the UK. It is what it should be, four riders battling over four laps for supremacy but the rules and the promoters have done the best to make it something it is not, the t v presentation is second rate, the crowds are poor on televised matches, no atmosphere and this means that the combination does not do speedway justice and those who run the sport have driven it into the ground. Tracks are abandoned by the BSPL and those that could run in the NDL are kicked in the teeth (IOW and Kent) and yet those in charge think everything is wonderful. When they can match the presentation and fan base that engenders a marketable product then you will see the sport rise from its nadir until then the decline in followers will continue. Add to the above the latest diktat re Mildenhall and when they run and it shows that the few really are screwing any would be promoter. Time for a break away group who are more than capable of providing weekly entertainment and let the dross fall on the sword.

Agree but it does not compete because every rider who races in Poland fit's in with UK speedway when allowed and Polish speedway dictates the terms because they pay the bills and call the tune. If this was not the case why do clubs and riders accept Poland’s priority over everything else. U K speedway is good but second best and six man teams with R/R is one reason why the punter is short changed. I could come up with any number of reasons as to what’s not to like but the days when U K speedway was a good option have long gone. It

It’s not the riders but the quality of the of what is shown. The riders deserve respect and should be given the best platform to show the or skills and obviously all want to be on show on the likes of polish league matches. U K speedway cannot compete, poor crowds, dire stadiums and second rate television coverage. The riders are not the issue, the promotion and presentation is compared to what else is available. No way are the riders the dregs, they have the utmost respect, just give them the best platform to show off the skills they have.. If I felt it was appropriate I would say it to their faces and I am not afraid to say it as it is so that answers your last point but it is not the case, so get off off your your pedestal.

Agree but the sport in the u k should aspire to provide the best but the it falls short and sadly it does not generate the same enthusiasm and hype that Sunday speedway from Poland can give in order to entertain. Go back in time and Sunday at Eastbourne and Rye House use to be good but the sport in the UK has capitulated and we are left with the dregs. Overseas riders use the UK as a cash top up but it does not do their credibility any favours. It fills in a free day day on Monday or Thursday but cannot compete with Polish meetings and it is embarrassing.

Does not really match the standard of the Polish top flight and anyone who watched yesterday’s meetings will despair at the extremes in terms of quality. It is embarrassing by comparison and at the same time a shame that UK speedway will never match the league racing including the enthusiastic supporters that you get with Poland. Surely it is time to drop the live action in the UK on national television and show a highlights programme leaving BSN to show the sport on live streams. It would be good if ITV 4 sport were convinced to show matches from Poland. It might help the U K sport. U K speedway is a poor relation to what is available elsewhere.

A big thanks to the guests riding for Ipswich. Much appreciated stepping into the breach.

This is the problem with speedway in general, riders having team places across Europe and having to rely on public transport to get them from a to b to c to meet the demands of the sport and unfortunately airlines run like buses and trains and are in general unreliable when you have a tight schedule. Riders are not to blame for the failings of planes, air traffic controllers etc. but given that the Poles are in full control of speedway in Europe and dictate the terms, it is not surprising that every other nation has to put up and shut up. Blame the BSPA for the state of the sport as they clamour for top riders at any cost and when it does not work out they blame the individual. If the sport was run on the basis that clubs put on meetings that suit the local market and employ riders who can fully commit to those match days without chasing the inevitable then things might be different. It is all well and good saying that the top riders are tempted back to the UK and it is an improved product but no one has calculated the risk of the non appearance of a rider for circumstances beyond the riders control. BSPA Head in sand as usual. Neither Tungate or Doyle should be penalised, the promoters know the risk and it is them that should carry the can.

Seems genuine. I just registered on the FIM website and you can do one meeting for Euro 7.90 which in itself is not bad value and includes replays.

Unfortunately Tai is the last person you would want to front the sport where a professional and polished approach is required . An individual whose command of English does seem limited and apart from his skills of riding a speedway machine, he does nothing to raise profile of the sport and when it comes to U K speedway wanting a professional sports person to represent the sport he falls well short of acceptable standards and behaviour. He has let so many people down with his cavalier attitude. Can you imagine him on Sports Personality of the Year? God help speedway. He single handedly could do more harm to the sport in this country with his public image and that is saying something. Unfortunately no one will stand up to him and tell it as it is.

In the good old days when most clubs ran weekly meetings an early season start with challenge matches etc. to get race fit seem to be the norm. Now with a much smaller league and some clubs running once every two/three weeks, I really do not understand why racing starts in March and then you have the lack of meetings in the height of summer. I accept that riders have more European meetings etc and demands on the track time in each country but surely it is time that the idiots in charge of the sport in this country worked out a formula that catered for the UK market/punter. Who wants to stand on a cold wet terrace in March or October. Yes it had to happen years ago because of the number of teams but the sport today is a shadow of its former self and many of today’s promoters would not have coped in the 70’s, 80’s and even the 90’s. Today a meeting gets called off on a forecast, not actually what the weather is like and they wonder why punters, think the sport is a joke with riders who cannot be bothered and promoters who not only fail to promote but can’t even get a meeting on when you have a bit of drizzle. It is not as if many tracks attract the opposing teams supporters, not many travel to away meetings so call offs could be left to the last minute as it is mainly only local support trundling along to see the match and very few turn up hours before the start so ample time to inform all of a call off. Is it any wonder no one outside the diehards credit speedway as being professional. Exhilarating it maybe but that in itself does not make up for the rest of it failings.

Two leagues with the NDL being one and allow the NDL to run along the lines of NORA so you get at grass roots level, two wheeled entertainment across the various disciplines. Then you have one league made up of five or six man teams from the current championship /premiership clubs with a knock out cup competition, a regional four team tournament and U K individual championship open only to those riders who are UK based. Clubs allowed to race on nights that suit their business and if those riding in Poland or elsewhere want to participate, they do it on UK terms. If Poland wants to monopolise the European sport, allow them to get on with it and leave the rest to plough their own furrow. If you want to see the top riders you have the GP’s but don’t ask UK fans to pay top dollar to see riders in our leagues who really are not committed to the UK speedway scene and view it as a cash cow. Time the sport in this country got a grip but then you have the BSPL and that is the root cause of why speedway in the UK is on its knees. We can all live in hope but not in this lifetime.