Hawk127

Now number 10 in the Hardback non fiction according to the Times on Saturday. Does not state how many sold but the fact that it is in the chart is something

Both sides contributed in their own way and whatever anyone thinks it was nip and tuck whether by design or otherwise and i will admit that I thought the witches had let themselves, the supporters and the town down on Thursday and based on the hype and Poole’s ability to pull the proverbial rabbit out of the hat most including me expected Poole to take it on aggregate. Ipswich take a bow for what was achieved last night and hearty commiserations to Poole who fought throughout the season and deservedly finished top of the league. All teams know the score and whilst Ipswich may be the first to knock out the team at the head of the leader board and it may be a bitter pill for Poole to swallow, it is what it is and hopefully both teams will come to the tapes in 2020 and live to fight another day. Many a supporter who have lost their teams despite the success can but envy what both the pirates and the witches have achieved. Good luck to Ipswich in the final and we look forward to welcoming Poole to Foxhall next year.

A disgrace but modern day Witches riders have no conviction. Go back to the days when it was an honour to represent Ipswich and tonight would never have happened. That lead would have seen them through.Shame on all who think they did a good job. Poole deserve to be in the final.

Unfortunately the Witches have capitulated. Hawkins is not up to the job and of they want any success going forward he should be fired. The riders also need to think on there feet. Shame to give away such a lead but that is Ipswich for you only they could cock it up and will stand no chance if they make the final.

Totally agree. An awesome race with eight riders going from two gates. A great shame and frankly it really did not matter if it was not top draw riders it was the spectacle of those eight riders. Those were the days. I am sure you could get the riders to compete but maybe not those currently in this league who probably think it is beneath them. I know one or two who would put in some prize money of say £250 to £500 for the winner but it is probably not enough with the gate money to make attractive. Another part of the sport consigned to history.

You mean he will not be going for glory in the 16 Lapper or has that now been cancelled so Thursday is the last meeting? I guess you always have next year if they survive the winter of discontent. Long live the witches but no as we know them!!

Are you aware of the reasons it has been pulled from the schedules? Having looked a couple of the TV listings produced by the weekend papers they show the match as being on BT sport. It is bad enough the promoters/BSPA regularly don’t give a fig about the paying public but to have your main broadcaster jump on the bandwagon is taking the. P.... I guess this sums up the state of things, the punter really does not count at any level and you pays your money and it is a gamble what you get in return.

NKI did his job but the rest seem to be lacking in certain quarters. Oh well always next year and history repeats itself. The glory days really have fled the heath and no matter what CL tries on the track the aspirations are thwarted by mediocrity and also rans and I am not referring solely to tonight but over the season where the likes of CH should have been shown the door but perhaps he has a ‘golden handcuffs ‘ clause in his contract. Either way, apart from a miracle, the witches have shot themselves in the foot. Still we always have the 16 Lapper unless they bottle that one as well. Where has it all gone so badly wrong both in terms of status as well as meetings.

Is the manager really that clueless? Why oh why does Louis (supposedly in charge) not do what any right minded individual would do? A sad indictment of how a great name like Ipswich has plummeted in a once decent sport which unfortunately has little credibility left and partly because of one mans ambition to keep a third rate higher division going at any cost. Speedway in this country is not on the same level as most overseas nations and should by now have learnt to plough its own furrow. Each club suffers from irregular weekly speedway which affects the form of many riders (albeit double up helps but also raises the risk profile for a team) fixed race nights are a failure as far as numbers through the gate is concerned (you have the odd exception) and more often than not each meeting is a team of either six men plus Mr R/R thereby short changing the paying public or you have rider select. Little wonder even the stalwarts are walking away. Also rans is how to sum up the witches and they might just as well have a clear out now as they have little else to commend the continuation in the current league structure. Buy in an overseas rider by all means but get rid of the dead wood in the team.

Agree but not if they are currently in the GP series. Qualify on your current form or forego and go through the challenge series the following year if you do not make it. It seems failure is to be awarded. No wonder success no longer has any credibility and you see the same old faces. Hence the one off finals gave everyone a chance but today you can be piss poor and get two bites of the cherry. Everyone has an opinion and I respect yours but i do not share your view.

Cannot be any worse than having the same old faces who are never going to make it. Might just as well have Harris in it and a few others who are well passed the sell by date. Mix it up and put some new names in the frame. Zagar and Iversen have had the chances and do not deserve the back door route. Doyle is a different issue but in general the whole system is flawed. It needs a revamp to have the greatest number of riders eligible to make to the worlds number one and give hope to new talent no just the slap rans.

Perhaps it is time to change the format with a pool of riders selected to ride in say four GPs each then the top scorers from those GPs go on to compete in a qualifier for the final. This give the opportunity to include more riders not just the 8 plus the hand picked excuses and then with a revised format they can then be whittled them down based on form to a final sixteen where the points scoring is changed to say 4,3,2,0. Anything that gets more riders competing not just the same old names has to be good . Leon Madsen is a case in point.

I totally agree. It seems a nonsense that those performing poorly in the GP can do so with the comfort of knowing that the back door is still ajar. No rider in the GP should be allowed in the GP challenge and should only be allowed in the following year if they cannot qualify on merit in the then current GP campaign. No wonder the sport is not taken seriously.

Joint favourites, Brian Foote and Ted Hubbard particularly when both rode for the Rockets.

The GB manager adds nothing and BT sport are doing the paying punter (those now having to pay more to watch the BT sports channel) a disservice by having him sit in on a GP. Past his sell by date and an irritant to all genuine speedway supporters. Anyone with current riding experience and a personality would be better. Perhaps this is a sign that next year we will not have the BT coverage.

The wheels have started to fall off. Shame really but it is what you have come to expect following the witches, all guns blazing at certain points but when it matters things start to go down hill. Hope they can recover but until the sport sorts itself out and stops the nonsense of doubling up (one league needed) and all teams having regular weekly meetings so as to build momentum and not feast and famine then no team can build consistency throughout its ranks. One reason why so many drift away. Bring in a level playing field with machinery and matched ability in races and it might work, until that happens it is going to continue to go south.

I agree. If you could have a weekly programme either live or a highlights meeting and this can pull in events from around the globe particular in the winter months and include meetings from Australia, Argentina, USA and Canada as well as Ice speedway meetings so that it really is a weekly fix then I would happily pay a reasonable monthly subscription per month and save on BT. The GP meetings are on YouTube and even if they are highlights, what more could the fan ask for. Throw in the lower leagues in each country and perhaps the odd Long track and grass track and it could be heaven. Just need a channel or medium to deliver.

If a punishment has to be dealt out, make the guilty ride in the next x number of matches so as not to deprive the paying punter but the riders do not receive payment. The money they would have earned using an average is paid into the Ben Fund. If they decide that a way around this not to turn up then fine them a sum that is equal to the maximum they would earn if they had won all five rides and that money goes again into the Ben Fund.

Promotion is difficult given the options available and what works for some locally may not work for others. What it needs is a national advertising campaign which simply says which tracks are running a meeting on which night. For example a national radio station says “speedway coming to a track near you and tonight you have live racing at xxxxxx” Say no more and less than 20 seconds. Cost vary depending on the station but if the sport as in the BSPA rather than a club promoted, the cost could be split across all clubs. It does not take much to send out the message but as it stands no one is working as a ‘whole,’ it is a case of each looking after number one. Speedway is number one and promoters need to take this on board and start working together. All the promoters need to do is consider the options.

Is that not part of the problem. Few British riders make the grade and will rarely get the track time in overseas leagues because they are not good enough. Until U.K. speedway bites the bullet and starts inviting overseas teams to race in the U.K. in test matches on a regular basis and at all levels to test every standard of rider from 125 c c upwards including NL level then the best most average riders can hope is to possibly be a large fish in a very small pond. Forget top GP riders appearing in a U.K. league match week in week out, it will never happen, those days have long gone. Speedway in this country needs to re-group and start looking inward before thinking about competing at international level with the Poles and the Russians. Five years at least before team England is ready to compete so the BSPA should get off the pot and stop pissing on al and sundry including the supporters. Rebuild or fold, simple as that.

Totally agree. Supporters need to recognise that team GB, England or whatever you want to call the motley crew of riders racing under the banner are with one exception no real match for those who race at GP, Euro or Polish league speedway. Why do people bang on about the overseas contingent not riding in in the UK when in fact they could not give a fig about British speedway. The current state of the sport offers up the ideal opportunity to regroup and foresake all that has gone before. Time to look after number one and re-build from the bottom up. Those riders who cannot commit to weekly racing in the U.K. between April and September, go ply your trade elsewhere. Build with what we have, invite overseas teams for test matches and forget Poland, ask Germany, Italy, France, Norway, Czech, etc. and get to watch riders who will only grace these shores is these type of matches. Bring back the interest in seeing overseas riders at test matches only. Work on a U K open individual championship, and look at a league format that has riders competing with equal ability rather than machines and stop the nonsense of throwing money at bikes and instead give riders machines that are standard so that all competitors really have to look at their track craft and hone their skills rather then rely on the gate and go aspect of the sport. The sport may once have been part time and a hobby for some riders but it was much more of a level playing field when it came to machinery. Oh for the days when it was announced that a rider was using the track spare. A reality check is needed before it reaches the point of no return. To those in charge, be dynamic, be forceful and stop living in a dream world.

He lived near Kings Lynn and use to race bangers. Any relation to the esteemed leader of the sport in this country. It is unfortunate but the halcyon days have gone. Speedway is no longer viable as a professional sport and to add to the dire situation the weekend’s debacle only puts another nail in the coffin on this once great sport. If it is not too late I cannot i believe it is time to re-trench and look inwardly at all that does not work and consider regrouping and start again. To be brutal It has no appeal to younger audiences, the diehards are drifting away in droves and the riders live in cloud cuckoo land when it comes to thinking it is a viable option to making a living. If BT sport walk who can blame them. Having followed speedway since 1969 it is sad to see that the sport has lost its way and that the light at the end of a tunnel may well be another train coming. It has to take on board all that is wrong and stop burying one’s head in the sand. BSPA/ Clubs, wake up you do not have a viable business proposition and must work together to find a solution for the benefit of all. Carry on in your silos and speedway is dead.

Another outpost for the sport, not an exciting meeting, empty seats and you have to say how much longer can this continue. No creditably and you cannot big up something that aspires to be taken seriously when this is the best that can be served up. Sad really but let’s hope tomorrow offers something better.

Totally agree. Hope all the UK riders can regain some confidence going in to tomorrow. In general it was not the most exciting event and the empty seats is a shame but the reality is, few take speedway seriously enough as a sport other than amongst the ‘anoraks’ Where does one go if this is suppose to be the highest level of racing. To sum it up ‘it fails to excite, need to try harder to entertain’

Totally agree. Perhaps we should all lobby ITV 4 to make a bid for speedway. They had darts from Germany on tonight so right country wrong sport. Well done to Laguta. Be interesting to see what Eurosport do with future rounds. If they cannot be bothered, allow someone else to live stream it but stop treating speedway supporters with such contempt