Hawk127

It will take a fool or someone with a lot of money to burn to continue running Ipswich at the current level. Sadly the sport is in decline and the entertainment value does not exist. I stopped watching after heat seven and found Clarkson's farm programme on Netflix more entertaining. As to consider paying to watch live in a stadium with it lacking atmosphere etc., no way. I use to go week in week out up until 2018 but now rarely go. I would rather watch meetings with riders out to race for themselves than club meetings. The young lad on BBC East tonight who suffered a horrific crash up, I think at Glasgow and is making tentative steps back by riding grass track was more entertaining in the few minutes of the interview. Sad to say that the once mighty witches have lost the plot and may find it hard to get supporters continuing to grace the stands if they stay at the current level in the sport. Teams should ride to entertain the public but that no longer happens and tonight was a lack lustre performance and probably due to poor management judge.

A good mix tonight with young talent challenging the old guard and a reminder of why it was so good in years gone by and I can go back to the 70’s when at Rayleigh those at 6 & 7 took on the the top guys so you had Ivan Miller beat Arthur’s Price and Red Ott beat Geoff Maloney when Red was riding for Scunthorpe. Tonight’s meeting took all those old enough, back to the good old days. Thanks guys.

Vintage racing, if only it could be like this every week. No losers tonight. Thanks to both sets of riders, restored the faith in what a great meeting can be achieved with a mix of talent be it young or old. Cheers guys you did the sport proud.

Forget the score, one of the most entertaining meetings thus far. Congratulations to both sets of riders for putting on a good show.

Take the contents of the interview with a pinch of salt. Having been put on the spot the defensive mechanism kicks in. Does he represent every club with his comments or just those who follow the party line. Given all that is going on in the sport with the failings, issues, weaknesses at various levels and the potential loss of three clubs what the hell are the BSPL doing to manage what has become a dire situation. It was sheer folly to run the divisions this year as if nothing has happened and with large question marks over tyres, a lengthening injury list, it seems that the class of 2021 are headless chickens. To cap it all BSPL directly or via the rule book when it suits them, try to put so many obstacles in the way of the IOW or any other track who would be better running on a open licence like they use to to which may keep those venues going until better times come around yet this option would make sense in a number of cases. The self interested clowns that are in control of speedway’s destiny care little for the bigger picture and are going to go down in history as those responsible for ruining what was once a highly entertaining two wheeled competitive sport. Some clubs are making efforts with streaming etc but those on the top table have their respective heads up their backsides. It is a pity that the sport does not have a rich benefactor to take on those in charge. For the time being how about every forum member writing to the local track asking what it is that the local promoters/ owners have against the IOW running open meetings and allowing any rider to compete/ gain track time and in the wider scheme of things tracks that could run on open licences so that they can continue to operate and not be lost to the sport. Then feed the responses to the Star to publish the results.

I don’t pay £19. Netflix at £5.99 for films and the rest is a licence fee for a public service broadcaster that lacks scrutiny and does what it likes which I cannot seem to get out of paying. When speedway bothers to put out seven man teams on a weekly basis and not Mr R/R to make up a team and runs from late March to October, uses local talent who grow into a team and have honed their craft and are not gate and go merchants, puts on individual meetings such as the 16 Lapper, then I might contribute to the coffers of the local promoter but given that this sort of entertainment is now confined to history and decent promoters no longer exist I seem to be saving money.

Perhaps entertainment is stretching it a bit. Fifteen races in two hours could compete with paint drying. Makes chess look exciting.

Fake wrestling but at least they are professional actors. Riders can neither act or be considered professional sportsmen given the cowboys that run the sport. Circus might better describe what goes on but even that might be an over generous description. Agree with everything you say apart from the wrestling. Long live World of Sport!!

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.