Hawk127

Yep and if you use the argument that it is a summer sport, you could stretch the point by starting in May and finishing in August, circa sixteen weeks ignoring the fact that you have three bank holidays to stage meetings and those in charge still cannot get the clubs to stick to a rigid schedule so that finals are in August and at the very least run into the first two weeks in September at the latest. It just goes to show the lack of respect everyone in charge of the sport has for those trying to climb the speedway ladder and then those further up the chain moan about the lack of talent. Every club outside the NDL is to blame for that and if they stopped propping up leagues with foreign riders and worked on local talent, then the sport rider wise might be in a better position. You have to feel for the NDL riders who have such an uphill struggle when it is not necessary, just those in charge seem to want to make it an endurance test.

Agree. What is the point of this body of people. No clout, ineffective and within the cesspit of controllers overseeing the sport a bunch of bullies who do not like it when you do not play by their restrictive rules and can stoop so low as they did with Kent. It really is time that those clubs who believe in the sport break away from the fat controllers and run a business that entertains the punter and does the right thing for speedway. At the moment it is endemic amongst those who jokingly run the sport insist that it is our way or no way. Look where that has got the sport over the last few years. Well done BSPA/BSPL.

Listening to BBC Wm, thanks to you guys and to all at Wolves, you leave a huge gap in speedway U.K. and hopefully a new home can be found. Having relished your visits to Ipswich, thanks to the promoters, managers, riders and all involved, you will be missed. A sad day but long live the Wolves. I look forward to seeing Wolves at Foxhall in2025. Until then, keep the faith all you supporters and followers of the mighty Wolves.

The independent tracks could probably run under Nora but the vindictive BSPL would never let any team racing in one or the other leagues have another team compete in Nora even though most of the teams only rent the track and if the owners of the track want to stage an event for extra income, the BSPL would pull the plug on the tenant racing under their term who shares the circuit. It really needs someone with balls to take on the cowboys in the BSPL/BSPA. On another note, could the Panthers track share at Mildenhall for one season or would the cowboys in charge object?

Well done to Scunthorpe the better team won over the two legs. What I do not get is the the responses from both sets of fans and the aggression. Poole always put out a competitive team and when they are doing well they like any team they put bums on seats when they travel away. The current state of the sport needs clubs like Poole and every other team to come to tapes in 2024 but if for any reason Poole lost out because of circumstances beyond their control such as the closure of the stadium, the sport overall would be poorer for it. Swindon have gone and now Wolves and Panthers are lost, Kent and Mildenhall may be kicked into touch, surely it is time to appreciate what teams are left because without those speedway in the U.K. is dead. Continually knocking clubs is counter productive and whilst a lot of what goes on is good natured banter, you cannot help but feel some of the vitriolic comments are counter productive. The Scorpions did what they needed to do and Poole came up short. So what. Just look forward to next season.

Or allow tracks to run on an open licence basis so that tracks can run individual meetings or for that matter any type of meeting except league matches. For many years Rye House ran on an open licence and I think this was before the Rockets took up residence in 1974.

A third level of the sport needs to exist to ensure a pipeline of new talent but the format of a meeting does not have to mirror the standard thirteen or fifteen heats. Make race days a festival with teams made up of say, 500 cc, 250 cc, and 125 cc with perhaps 80 c c or even electric powered bikes. Each category would race as a team with say four man teams and include both male and female riders. Set an upper age limit for each category. Set a fixed price for points and that is it. If the talent exists and it wants to compete then they have to understand that at the 3rd level it is equivalent to an apprenticeship. Clubs could band together to offer a season ticket to punters which gives them access to all tracks or a flat £7.50 entry on the day with kids under 16 free. Just thoughts and I am sure others on here can come up with more and better ideas, but most of all you have to create the demand and start somewhere. The sport cannot afford to lose the Kent’s and Mildenhall’s of this world.

That would work but how many clubs would run out of time and be up against a curfew so you get riders turning up but not getting an outing. If the powers that be really cared they would not allow the NDL to fall apart but do something constructive. Alternatively they could stop being total a..holes and allow any rider not attached to a club to ride in Nora arranged meetings without the threats that they have dished out in the past. As someone has already mentioned you have so many blank weeks during the summer months at many tracks when it is allegedly a summer sport so why not get clubs to fill those blanks with some form of meaningful competition for NDL riders.

Agree. Not totally sure how bad the track is but this is becoming a habit as far as Leicester are concerned and it is about time that the BSPL and management of clubs got together and stopped the farcical situation of finals taking place in October. Most clubs have enough blank dates in the summer months and it is about time that a crack down took place not least on the cancellation on a whim which seems to be catching. Years back riders raced notwithstanding and got on with it, now you have whimps and those in charge need to get real about the sport that they are involved in and do whatever it takes to get a meeting on.

No that would have knocked some sense into him, alas he is one of the many who have been brought up as a free spirit and think they have some god given right to be rude, unprofessional and believe that this sort of behaviour is acceptable. One day it will come back to bite him and hopefully he will pay one way or another. Until then and until speedway authorities have a decent code of conduct and recognise when someone brings the sport into disrepute nothing will happen and his ilk will continue to stick two fingers up at the fans and the authorities as long as you have clubs and sponsors willing to employ them, it is what it is. The sport comes down hard on promoters etc who over step the mark but not the riders. Ask the BSPL or one of the other fantasy groups who control speedway.

In few no one will remember Tai. He is neither a legend nor a great advertisement for the sport. The real legends are still remembered by many who have since long forgotten about speedway. Ivan Mauger , Ole Olsen, Tony R. Mr Gollob, Barry Briggs, etc. to name but a few. Woffinden is yesterday’s chip paper.

Can someone silence Ollie Allen. Whatever the rights and wrongs some biased little rubbishe like him needs to be put out to grass. The end of season competition is a joke and Eurosport having dragged it to its nadir and then giving air time to Allen sums up why the sport is where it is. If it were a decent broadcaster they would have pulled Allen off air for his comments thus far but this is speedway and something that is on the periphery of what might be called entertainment. Done with this now. Back to watching Bake Off, more excitement.

Missed who is the FCW commentating with Tatum. Is he Steady’s side kick? What a dip stick.

Now that the banter is over it is down to business. Good luck to both teams and let’s hope for an injury free meeting. Seems like a decent crowd as well. Two good teams of riders, let’s see how things pan out.

It keeps a few stadiums open without which speedway would not be viable. Having grown up from the early days of banger racing and stock cars at Rayleigh back in 1969/70 when some banger races followed the speedway and they had to turn the stadium lights off to stop the bangers racing, it is different now but over the years the support seems to outstrip speedway. I remember going to world championship stock cars at Rayleigh and Chick Woodrofe and the stadium was packed. It has not changed that much in terms of support whereas speedway has fallen off a cliff supporters wise. Maybe it is because it is an evenings entertainment and lasts three or four hours with a good number of races rather than just fifteen or twenty minutes of racing over two plus hours. Speedway needs bangers/stock cars more than the other way around.

When you see what they get at Ipswich for banger racing, the stadium is packed to the rafters, speedway does not come near it. Take a look at any video for bonfire night bonanza and I know how busy it can get, I have queued to park, to get in and find a place to sit and that was two plus hours before the start. That does not happen even for the witches. Chalk and cheese when it comes to punters through the turnstiles.

Shafted by the powers that be and TV. Support Chris but two fingers to the rest. Those in charge really don’t get it. Would for example Belle Vue or Wolves faced the same if the local football clubs were at home on the same night?

Do they change them as frequently as speedway clubs book guests? Joking aside I do not understand going up against the tractor boys and I cannot believe Chris did it voluntarily and probably put up an argument against but possibly television and the BSPL had a hand in the decision. Sums up many people’s views, Mickey Mouse arrangements and no one with a genuine interest in the well being of speedway and by that I mean those cohorts who run the sport would normally sanction such a decision and force a club to run on a night like tomorrow where they know the Witches will not benefit as much as they could had the meeting been run on another night. Screw the BSPL who are showing their true colours.

Is it just as much about another club not going out of business and trying to keep the sport going when it is under threat from so many angles. Birmingham may not be many people’s cup of tea but give credit to those running Birmingham speedway for looking to keep the club going. They may not attract Wolves fans but you still have many Speedway supportes who do not follow one club but the sport as a whole and for what it is. Other parts of the speedway world don’t solely rely on club/league racing and do quite well so let’s all get behind those willing to invest given you have others walking away (Chapman and Peterborough.

How many guests are Hull using?

Those in charge had the opportunity following the pandemic to make some serious changes but they failed to get a grip and as usual it stumbles from one year to the next with the same old crap. Why can’t those who own clubs and rarely make a decent return recognise that the current set up is not working nor does it or will it attract new fans and is doomed to fail without some serious changes. The club owners have collectively not done anything to stop fans deserting in droves over the last decade and still does not even register as a pimple on the arse of the media who frankly turned their collective backs on the sport a long while back and even local coverage is tailing off. I don’t think anyone on this forum can understand the attitude of the powers that be and given these owners are the custodians of the sport, if they are unwilling to protect its interests, can they publicly explain why and why they have managed to drag the sport down to the level that it finds itself in. Not one of those promoters/owners who run clubs have the balls to come on here and explain why they have allowed the sport to almost reach its nadir. If they cannot cope with a forum use the Speedway Star to enter into a debate and explain their collective rationale and before anyone says the owners are not solely to blame and riders have an impact, yes that is true but they are employees and could be managed but again the clubs do not deal with the issues because they are ineffective managers.

Did whoever sent that not have a name? What a lot of bo....ks. Sums up why the sport is in the state it is. Still helps those up North justify why they have reached where they are. Never mind, I am sure that the Sheffield management and fans can accept the situation and I guess they are proud of where they are at. Yes some Ipswich supporters clamoured for changes but CL runs the club his way. As many have said already who cares any longer and any true supporters in Suffolk will be at the Portman Road anyway, the witches are not that much of a pull compared to the tractor boys.

Yep, drag all that equipment to the stadium only for racing to stop after heat 10. Oh sorry they have already done that one in the last week or so.

Thanks for the info.

Perhaps he realises it is a Mickey Mouse end to the season and directly clashing with Town is probably OK because he had not budgeted for this meeting so any income will do and to miss a few who will undoubtedly pick Town over a visit to Foxhole is not going to hurt the bank balance too much. With the change is it still on TV?