Hawk127

Barry, thanks for the update. You have an lot of support on here and fans far and wide and it is understandable why you may want to throw in the towel but don’t let these selfish morons get the better of you and the club. Petty minded individuals hiding behind corporate BSPL none of whom have the balls to come on here or any other medium to rationally explain their stance. If genuine speedway fans can do anything to support your cause, let us all know as many really do believe in the two of you and the club. You have the vision so don’t give up, you will find a way.

A change of direction is needed not just at team level but for the sport as a whole. It cannot continue along the current path but those who own clubs have an exclusive agenda and stadia like the IOW get pissed on from a great height. If only the BSPL were more willing to listen then they may learn a thing or two about how to run an entertaining show for the punter instead of chasing averages and points limits. All most people seek is regular weekly competitive team racing, not the crap that is currently on offer. Standardise bikes, make riders hone their skills and cease the over powerful machines for the current track set ups in the U.K. It used to be good now it is dire.

I think the whole team has issues. Rewind, start again in 2022. Should have put together a team to ride at National league level as well. Could end up with a short season. Shame but life is not fair.

Not a lot of luck for the witches. Does cook have an aversion for riding for clubs south of the border.

Cannot get the scores right. Showed incorrect on bottom of screen and then our erstwhile announcers firstly called it the wrong way. Amateur hour comes to mind. Nothing changes really. Goofs running the sport and goofs broadcasting it.

Unfortunately whatever the legal position may be, you have young people starting off in the sport who do not have the money to test the situation having spent a fortune on equipment etc. and are/will be scared by these threats from what are older bullies who if the same was said to their sons or daughters they would be up in arms about it. The idea that the sport is professionally run is questionable as is the practices of those who make the rules and looking at the issues with injured riders and questions over whether some teams can field seven riders you really have to ask what risk assessments were carried out before they decided to run the league format this year given the potential rider shortage. One can only sympathise with the IOW and the dilemma they now find themselves in once again seemingly because someone somewhere has gone back on their word. I hope they call pull it off using foreign speedway riders and short track riders and sidecars and have fortnightly spectaculars throughout the rest of the summer. Take heart that the current speedway format is old hat, bad for business and short changes the punters. Keep the faith and the vision.

Unfortunately no one in authority is listening. A few clubs make the effort and like many On the forum I wish more would stream matches. Few people these days travel to away meetings particularly if it is not a Friday, Saturday or Sunday race day. Many who watch speedway are unlikely to travel a long distances given the unpredictability of the sport being on and as has been said already many would probably subscribe and what better way to put something into the coffers of the sport for the benefit of all clubs. This past weekend was a fine example when streaming may have paid dividends. Sadly nothing can change the dinosaurs in charge who still believe that main terrestrial/ satellite channels are the panacea for speedway. If that is the case why is Netflix so successful with not a live programme in sight. Streaming and highlights from around the tracks is not beyond the capabilities and frankly delayed streaming by say 15 or 20 mins might solve the problems for some who have concerns that it may affect attendances. After all, in few cases is it worth watching the same race twice as is currently the case on live screenings. What about a subscription streaming service with discounts for buying a certain number of meetings in advance? Something new needs to be trialed rather than let the idea die.

Add to this that some dictate when you can run your business irrespective of the fact that the race night will not necessarily attract the biggest possible crowd. Who would want to run a business/franchise where a dictatorship who have not invested in your business singularly decide what works best for you notwithstanding that their decisions may not serve the interest of the wider community at the track location and ignore those locally who are in the know and understand when they can attract the best possible numbers through the turnstiles and make a go of it. No wonder the sport is in the state it finds itself. Those in charge will bring speedway to its knees. Regular weekly speedway is now history and the current format does no work. When will these people in charge wake up to the fact?

A sad situation for the supporters etc and a blow to speedway in general but from a business perspective one can only bang your head against a brick wall for so long. It is seemingly the right decision for the family and it is after all their money not the sports or the supporters and perhaps you should applaud them for sticking at it for so long. When you look at the governing body, the state of the sport with lack lustre decision making or reformatting of the sport in what is a difficult ‘trading’ year, why would anyone throw money away at a lost cause. This really should serve as a wake up call to the cohorts who run speedway and have overseen its decline for many years. We should thank all involved with Somerset for their contribution to the sport and move on.

If clubs are having such difficulty in putting out seven man teams, why did they not bite the bullet and have six or five man teams and make up the evening with the junior league teams. They had an opportunity to do something different but failed to show any initiative and yet the owners, promoters, managers and racing officials continue to treat the punter with such contempt and as long as the minority put up with this, they will carry on regardless. The majority have long since walked away from this farce.

Time has moved on and it was merely an observation but unvalidated as I am not at the meeting and without attendance figures being published, who knows. It still comes down to being short changed and the point of the comment was to possibly highlight a reason why some feel that the clubs are taking the p.. and that is understandable. Frankly those in charge have learnt nothing over the past year or so and take every paying punter for granted. SS makes a valid point re streaming and many would watch and the Glasgow meeting is a fine example. Many will pay to watch conveniently but will not drive miles to a track but the sport has in many areas failed to keep abreast of the times. The sport will fall on its sword if it does no wake up to the technology.

Do you think that some might be put off because they cannot track seven riders and after all that has gone on R/R is still foremost and that has annoyed a few. People want to see 14 riders plying their trade not 13 or less. Oh well I guess those running the sport know best and fully understand the punters feelings. Fingers crossed for a witches win.

Plus £3 for a programme and concessions are 65+ and not 60 so captured a few more who may have saved a couple of quid. No one minds paying as long as they put seven riders out and not six plus r/r and those riders actually make an effort and do not give up after a couple of laps. It does after all worth both ways, punters pay to be entertained and let’s hope the current crop can remember that and no more short changing with gate and go merchants. Let’s hope everyone has learnt and thing or two over the past year.

Well written and not aimed at the anoraks of the sport. It is for those who probably know nothing about speedway and unlikely to have ever heard of the riders or tracks mentioned. From an outsiders perspective, it might encourage a few to take a look on YouTube to see what it is all about and the exposure cannot do any harm. Given where the sport is any publicity outside the normal channels has to be a good thing.

It is disappointing that the current trustees of the sport are so insular and rarely listen or take on board the wider comments or views of the punters who cross the threshold to be entertained weekly. Some clubs simply lay on fifteen heats of gate and go and as such simply go through the motions while others attempt an evening of entertainment. In terms of running this sport the powers that be have created a public image that appears to be do as I say or sod off but that is not the answer if the sport is to prosper. Whether it is an accurate portrayal but for example the Scunthorpe leadership seem to have the ear of the board and have been allowed to be in the enviable position over the last few seasons when the sport has been operational, to dictate what other clubs can or cannot do. Rider usage and race nights are seemingly two examples where some influence appears to have been exerted Surely with the sport on its knees those with the business acumen such as the IOW should be allowed to prosper and encouraged to think outside the box based not least on their locality particular if this means that the model leads to the introduction of new fans to the sport. As is mentioned often it is not the supporters money at risk apart from the gamble of the weekly entrance fee yet promotions like the Islanders are putting hard earned cash on the line and are trying to operate a business that provides above all else, entertainment. First and foremost speedway is a form of entertainment and given all the issues over riders access to funds and it is down to those riders who have sponsors with deep pockets, speedway does not operate on a level playing field and all the nonsense about rising stars etc still depends on those riders having access to what in effect is a bottomless pit of money in order to compete. Unless and until bikes are standardised, riders use bike handling skills rather than gate and go on over powered machines and those like the IOW are permitted to judge the local business case with risk and reward, then the sport has little credibility and the guarantee that the punters will be entertained is falling well short of fulfilment. I would rather see the IOW entertain than watch fifteen run of the mill heats and disappointed that the current incumbents of the BSPL have so little regard for anyone but their own little enclave.

In the current climate no one other than Piers Morgan would have the balls to discriminate against anything that might be deemed an injustice against the down trodden and hard done by (those with genuine medical reasons who cannot have the vaccine accepted) so i guess that the answer would be unlikely and the chances are that a meeting would not be run for fear of some self righteous lawyer taking on a case on a no win no fee basis. A bit like don’t break Coronavirus rules unless you are a protester.

Do Ipswich have any afternoon fixtures? I have a grandson that would like to go but evening start times are not good. He is only 4 but likes videos of the racing and is keen to go.

Sad that the current cronies of this once good sport have stifled one of the few bright hopes when it comes to running meetings as an entertainment. IOW have lead the way in how an evening of speedway should be presented engaging with fans etc just as it used to be in days gone by and probably this goes back in the late 60’s and 70’s and the days of leaping Len, dearly departed Dave Lanning at Eastbourne and the great JH at Canterbury. What is it the BSPL are thinking when they have/are driving clubs. out of business. Those in authority are probably taking a leaf out of dictator Boris Johnson’s book and do as I say. For those who run the sport they still expect the paying punter to turn up week in week out without question. If ever an independent enquiry was needed to investigate as to how speedway is run in this country, now is that time. I doubt that anyone of those who voted on these measures or sit on the board or are part of the committee, have the balls to be answerable for the issues by coming on this forum and deal with the questioning from those who really care about speedway in this country. The BSPL has no balls when it comes to being accountable.

The real question is in normal circumstances is speedway viable and profitable? Are those who run clubs astute business people or fools and their money who are soon parted? I might be wrong but these are loans and the ability to debt service has to questionable with the majority of clubs. As an organisation, I would not lend the BSPA a penny, it shows no financial acumen or sustainability, has no real apparent financial business planning but can demonstrate a wanton waste of money having misused the Sky funding in terms of allocation including chasing the dream of top riders to fund a flawed business operation. It is an amateur sport in this country and needs to revisit its objectives to make it appealing to a wider audience. Until you have serious business people running the sport, you will be left with what you have today. If the current custodians were serious business operators why are they throwing good money into a loss making cause assuming you believe what is said in the public domain. Speedway is not a financially sound business opportunity with a number of risk factors that would make any would be lender run for the hills. Promoters or club owners come on here with numbers including audited accounts and prove otherwise.

Depends on what happens going forward re the pandemic but if the crowds are restricted then streaming may turn out to be the saviour of speedway. Clubs could offer local supporters within a certain distance of the club a lower rate and those beyond pay a slightly higher rate (use post codes). If it means clubs can run behind closed doors, why not give it a go. I have watched streamed meetings both U.K. and from Poland and for example last nights meeting between Russia and Poland was not bad at all and given the smart t v etc, you can watch just like normal television. I know it is not the same as watching live but things are not normal and unlikely to be in the short to medium term so I really do not see why anyone could be against streaming a meeting and paying to keep the sport going. I doubt that 2021 is going to see much change so new ways of watching the sport need to be adopted if it is to survive. Season ticket holders could be offered free streaming until live sport is possible. Nothing ventured nothing gained is my view.

Not a bad meeting overall with the Russians putting the Poles to the sword.

Nice to see the great Mr Gollob going round in the Merc and receiving a warm welcome. Good stream.

Thanks for this. I am far from a techno person and simply want to watch a speedway meeting albeit I am not around on Saturday evening so just want to watch a recording of the event which I am happy to pay for. Why is something so simple so bloody difficult. Old age yes and if someone can come up with a simple solution that does not rely on downloading or registering another app or similar gets my vote. If speedway stuck to one platform life would be simple but I guess that is asking too much.

Thanks. I too will be supporting the event but just wanted to check that it can be watched later rather than live.

Does anyone know if the stream can be watched later rather than live or can it be recorded on a Sky box.