Bruiser McHuge

Can't see why some people are so obsessed with people riding abroad.....any rider does what is best for themselves and to maximise their earning potential...a rider like Danny King is never going to be a world champion, he's never going to be a Grand Prix rider and he'll know that himself so why not ride in both leagues over here and earn good money without the expense of hopping around Europe and setting himself up over there when the deal he'd get wouldn't be the best either....it makes sense to me and it's good for the Premier League to have class English riders in it and good for fans to have that type of rider visiting their track as well. For a potential Grand Prix rider or potential world champ then it's a different story..they should be looking abroad ...but not everybody

Football, darts and internatinal cricket I would tune into before speedway these days

Zagar doesn't miss many matches at all and his commitment can't be faulted....he can't miss the Slovenian Championships so the question is why couldn't something be arranged to have this fixture on a date that doesn't clash...once again it's the fans that are short changed by incompetent planning. I assume Leicester were quite happy to run without Zagar and Cook there as they had a better chance of winning...if so that's typical of speedway these days..short termism over giving entertainment to the fans and depriving them of seeing a GP star and a full strength team....speedway doesn't help itself sometimes.

Early days yet and early season throws up a lot of inconsistency ...it's too early to judge anything totally yet... One thing is true though....Newman is the best fast track reserve and I don't know why many on here can't see that or refuse to see that.

I think a lot of local non league football clubs are very good at getting sponsorship and support from the local community which would help in pricing of programmes etc...the entry price is usually less as well ...but speedway riders certainly earn a lot more than footballers from the Evo Stik League and the like so I suppose they have to get the income in somehow . The Speedway Star preview edition is certainly a fine effort and value for money though.

I took my eldest son to a bank holiday stock car meeting once as it was heavily advertised and looked impressive...there was certainly a lot going on , there were a lot of races and they got on with it but he didn't enjoy it and I thought it was boring....I went again a few years later with my youngest, 7 year age gap, and to be honest it was exactly the same ....I actually think speedway is far more interesting for a kid as it's far easier to follow, far easier to see who's winning a race and in my opinion far more entertaining when presented properly on a well prepared track.....but speedway does itself no favours in its all round promotion , track preparing and all round package....there's a fantastic product in speedway just waiting to be released and showcased properly but I fear the horse has already bolted and I fear for its future at top level league racing.

For a person just attending speedway with no background knowledge I don't think the rules are complicated at all...all the behind the scenes wrangling about team strengths, guests and all different stuff matters not a jot when viewing the racing and speedway is easy to follow for any newcomer....if they got into it down the line then they might start complaining about rules, guests and everything but that's not going to be an issue for any newcomer.......they will only be bothered about being entertained on the night...if promoters get the whole night right and people go home feeling they have had a good night and got value for money then they'll come back and become fans...but too many people are leaving meetings not feeling like that and that's nothing to do with so called stupid rules.

Stock cars place some good adverts in the paper round our way...they make it look exciting and attractive to take the kids....the problem I have with stock cars is that when you are there, and I've been a couple of times, it's bloody boring !...even speedway at its worst is better in my opinion but other people maybe feel different... But it's not just in the UK...I've watched plenty of meetings in Australia and people seem to prefer the sprintcars, speedcars and sedans than the solo speedway even when all on the same bill on the same night and if a demolition derby is put on then the crowd was heaving.....no accounting for taste I think speedway has to re define itself as a dangerous, extreme sport and place adverts that emphasise this...try to go down that road and try and appeal to an X Games type of crowd....not easy when it's staged in old stadiums with not much crowd or atmosphere but it's the route they should be trying to go down.

I think a supposed international sport attracting international sportsmen SHOULD be a step a dead of Sunday league football.....the fact that the two could even be compared says plenty about current day speedway.

Grudges last a long time ! To be honest it's only what some people told me so they must believe it as fact...I don't know the full ins and outs myself only rumours and what I've been told , obviously by people still holding a grudge 30 years later ! If Ochiltree was just one director then it wouldn't be his decision anyway, even if he opposed it personally...didn't Martin Rogers blame Ohiltree though or is that not true ?

Wasn't Charles Ochiltree a major part in closing Leicester down when the stadium was sold for housing ?.....not sure he was totally great for speedway in that instance.

I forgot Lambert was still 16...I forgot he was too young to actually start last season at this stage...that performance was outstanding for a 16 year old....there will be ups and downs and some poor scores this year but he's a hell of a prospect , and he says he had been getting advice on gating so his equipment and set ups will get better all the time and he will be a top top rider. I remember seeing Jason Crump win the Australian under 16 title at Bibra Lake and you knew how good he would become....Joe Screen as I said was the best 16 year old I saw but I now think Lambert will make it to the top....no pressure then !

It wasn't the best meeting in the world but considering the weather building up to it then they did very well to actually get the track as it was....and this time of year is very hit and miss for speedway and it always has been....Lakeside were awful which never helps a meeting either.. I've still got a couple of old videos of league matches at Kings Lynn from about 1990 with Loram and Lofqvist at reserve and there was no passing then on them....yet I've spent a full season at Kings Lynn and some of the racing was the best I've ever seen that season so speedway is always hit and miss , always has been and there have always been some ropey meetings and it's difficult to judge on one TV meeting against poor opposition in difficult early season conditions.

Because it wouldn't be an interval if racing was on and people wouldn't go and feed their face which is the only point of an interval in the first place.

It's quite funny....did they follow it up with I am a cider drinker ?...........they should have done !

the interval is a tricky one...most tracks are tenants and I think the landlords want to see money coming in from the bars and food and drink stalls.....an interval would certainly help that....I think that maybe something should be done during the interval though, just something to keep the fans entertained, even if it's interviews or something simple..... Regarding old promoters doing more...I'm not sure....I cannot remember any decent interval attractions going on in the 70's...they didn't even have a centre green announcer back then, the track music was still shocking...the nights were still as cold, but we didn't complain and the gates were high.......I just think people have higher expectations now, there is more to compete for our time, kids have multi channel TV and it's difficult to drag them off Minecraft on the XBox for a night stood in the cold at speedway...speedway hasn't changed much but society has and speedway hasn't really moved with it at club level.

Whatever the reasons, it's madness that Britain is not involved in this....how can they expect to be contenders on the world stage if they are not in events like this....they deserve all they get .

It's interesting to read that Ashley Holloway's company are doing all the Tigers riders bikes this season... How does that work ?...does the club pay for that or how is it financed ?...AshTech certainly won't be doing it out of the goodness of their hearts. I know when my brother in law rode , he definitely would not have accepted that if it ate into his pay for points deal...or it cost him money up front..or any money basically......he'd have wanted to carry on preparing the bikes himself rather than pay out for somebody else to do them......now if it was totally free to him then maybe a different story.........so I was wondering how this Holloway deal is funded as far as club and riders are concerned.

I think that Kings Lynn would generally expect more than 10 points between Iversen and Bjerre as well so there's loads of expected improvement there......also it's a big season for Lambert..3 points is disappointing......but it's very early days and impossible to judge yet

I agree that gating is such an issue if you want to move upwards and be something on the world stage....and I agree that Woffinden had that more than Lambert seems to do......but it can come with experience , better set ups and better equipment if you have the talent...but sometimes people are just better gaters than others and always will be.....it's a massive help to be good at it though... I remember Andy Smith and Paul Smith when they were young...Andy was the worst gater I've ever seen at 16 /17 but a fantastic racer....Paul could outgate anybody , even top internationals, but was never a racer and was easily passed....I bet Andy would have loved Paul's gating ability but sometimes it's what you're born with.

Excuse my ignorance, but who is Ellis Perks ?.......I assume he's expected to be good !

I remember Tai Woffinden being in the pits at Claremont in Perth from a tiny kid when his dad was riding.....then years later I saw Tai was heading over here and I didn't think much of it...I was keen to see how he did but I thought he'd be a run of the mill rider, maybe a bit better than his dad given time ! ...but I'd never seen him ride....I saw him on Sky for Rye House when he must have been 16 and I was gobsmacked...not just because he was good but because he gated in one race and completely slowed it down to team ride his partner for a 5-1.....fron then I knew he could be something special...I didn't think he'd be world champion but who can tell at that age anyway.... I don't think Lambert has impressed me as much as Tai , but I do think he's very good with a great chance of doing really well.

What a silly rule...there are plenty of faults in speedway but they bring this in to sort everything out....pointless if you ask me

Party Seven was about when I was a kid....7 pints in a big tin...remember adults drinking it at parties but thankfully a bit before my drinking time !