barncooseboy

For many years theOTA track was prepared in such a way that you could use the full width and still win a race, for the past 18 months it has become a one line track and is it a coincidence that in that time crowd levels seem to have become depressed. The track man, I believe has changed would be nice to bring Eric Boocock back for a couple of days to put it back a few years.

THE Herald newspaper in Plymouth reports in its Tuesday October 7 edition that the BSPA have to pay former Plymouth promoter Mike Bowden a total of £850 as a result of a court claaim by MB against the BSPA. The BSPA were found to have overcharged an administration fee they levied on MB rregarding the sale of Plymouth Speedway to Peninsula Promotions, the BSPA were asked to provide documentation to show how such fees were calculated but the BSPA were unable to provide any between May and September2. Judge Griggs ruled that the BSPA had overcharged MB by £600 but awarded him a £650 refund. A further £200 was awarded because the BSPA cashed a post dated cheque for £200 which the bank failed to honour, it was ruled this was due to an error by the BSPA and the BSPA have to return £200 to MB. The BSPA had 28 days to pay MB from the court date of September 2.

I believe board track racing was eventually banned in the USA because of the high rate of fatalities but evolved into The Wall of Death

With all the talk of devolution and Cornwall being recognised by the EU as a separate group, we should have Chris and Ben in the European pairs as a Cornish team

The premier teams in the combined north or south leagu cannot afford to pay the current EL stars the £150 or so a point they would expect with gates at some matches at some current PL tracks as low as 350 they are losing £1500 to £2000 per week now, None of tthe current PL teams would make it past mid season before they went bust. In order for speedway to recover the plan has to be financially viable based on current crowd levels

TRELAWNY RIDERS FIRST AND THIRD KEEPS THE MEMORY ALIVE.

how many have vans sign written as INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY RIDER WHEN All that means they have ridden at Glasgow as well as Iwade

extending my cost cutting ideas and enforcing British resident 6 and 7 in order to make it even moore local remove travel payments for HOME matches

Speedway is now unique in the motorsport race world because competitors still expect to be paid to compete, in every other forms of motor cycle sport it costs the riders to compete. In trials, moto X, grasstrack, circuit racing and in the 4 wheeled sport they are even having to pay entry fees to race bangers and it continues right up to Formula one where some seats are paid for. Probablt because Speedway is a team sport it has been locked in with the football everybody has to be paid camp. Todays economics mean, I believe, that more football blubs will soon be forced into semi professional status and economics currently mean that speedway MUST reduce its costs to survive in any form. (In the UK) It will need a gentle move over several years to a semi professional sport with the majority of riders being semi professional British riders and that change must start now with every PL team in 2015 having the 6 and 7 being British resident rather than flying in from Europe or the antipodes and expecting their travel to be paid. After a couple of years this could be extended down through the teams until we arrive at a sustainable cost for teams or there wont be any teams.

Whisperer, if you doubt me over the visa position do the obvious thing contact the renamed Visa and Immigration service and ask them if they will approve an application from a non EU citizen to come to the UK to be employed as a speedway rider today and come back on here with the answer they give.

the Visa and Immigration people take advice on who should be given visas from each sports governing body, the FA have to rubber stamp approval for footballers, the cricket authorities approve cricketers. The BSPA are asked their opinion on applications from speedway riders however first they have to be recognised by the Visa service as being the expert body. The BSPA were sent the paperwork in March, to be returned before April 1 confirming that they were the body that was responsible for the running speedway in the UK. The paperwork up to a couple of weeks ago had not been lodged with the visa agency and NO VISAS HAVE BEEN APPROVED FOR SPEEDWAY RIDERS SINCE MID MARCH and none will be until the paperwork is returned and approved. Riders will soon find their visas coming to an end and will have to leave the country, renewals have to be completed before they leave currently that is not possible

Has Armando announced the silencer regs for 2015 onwards yet? The current silencers approval runs out at the end of this year

admission cost of £10 only £8 goes to the promotion government take £2 in VAT with current charges at around 15 government takes 3 as they do from adverts etc in the programme Music.... planning at many tracks limit number of speakers and the power so mobile discos are out Tunes I would go for Screaming Lord Sutch, Little Richard, Jerry Lee, Wanda Jackson, Brenda Lee and Phillip Souza

surprised nobody has commented on the visa situation if the bspa dont do something soon there wont be any non-eu riders in 2015 apart from those who already have multi year visas

A factor not mentioned is that these days riders in both 'Professional leagues expect that their racing wull provide them with enough money that they dont need to have a job outside speedway. In the 60s and 70s most riders had jobs that put the food on the table and earnings from racing was a nice extra bonus . Now even NL riders seem to expect to take home enough race winnings to live on, until we return to the mindset of earlier times the cost of running a team will continue to rise until such time as the only teams left are those with rich benefactors.' Riders flying in from Europe have addeed costs that they expect to have paid for them, how many UK workers have employers that pay their travel to work expenses, precious few I suspect, its a case of this is where you work it is up to you to get here to do your job. The Aussies are here on visa/work permits and therefore are in the main based in the UK if the powers that be dont get their thumbs out of their fundamental orifices and reply to the Visa and Immigration service request made in March 2014 forget any Aussies/Yanks/nonEU ridersbeing in British speedway in 2015 unless they already have multi year permits. Picking up on another thread THAT is why Alex Harkess should resign and why the entire office staff should be replaced.

Wasnt the late Colin Hill the last promoter, his company is still involved in speedway at Plymouth

the arguement about a single night for speedway has left out one important factor planning permission a surprising number of tracks are fettered by only being able to run on days specified by the local planning body. Variations to planning permission can kick off councils to ask for many neew expensive comprehensive unneccessary reports that create jobs for the boys. the Fast TRack scheme has prompted the former wobblers and rabbits who have made it onto the list to now be demanding £50 to 60 a point for Premier league and even National league matches because that is what the EL clubs are paying with a guarantee of a minimum of a 3 point return, cuts EL costs, increases everybody elses. Why is it that riders competing for clubs in 2 or 3 countries expect the British clubs to pay their air fares but not the continental clubs, its the same distance from England to Sweden as it is from Sweden to England why do the British clubs get stuffed for the air fares. It all adds to the costs for British speedway.

Best track in England wasnt in England, according to Stoney it was the much missed Trelawny

Please remind ALL non eu resident riders that before they leave the UK for other shores at the end of the 2014 season they MUST have renewed their Visas other wise it seems unlikely they will be allowed back into the UK for 2015. NOW would be a good time to start the process because it seems to take forever these days.

second hand refurbished inflatable barriers ex Poland are available from Tony Briggs for about £6000

Is my memory failing me BUT didnt Oxford do a cleansweep one year and that was in the days before model aircraft fuel

surely whilst there is a difference between gate surfaces that result in one position being better than another it is to be expected that gardening will go on, it is an artificial handicap to a riders earning potential. Congratulations to Tai for bringing a bit of humour to the situation, its time for a return to a few characters along the lines of Chris Julian, Jack Millen, Clive Hitch and of course Vic Lonsdale. Nicki Pedersen v Vic Lonsdale that would have the terraces packed. Gate position looked allocated to me inside to outside in scoring order which actually made auti o final qualification a handicap, unless of course you had the use of a model aircraft engine fuel tank time to fly i think

Now that Cornwall has been recognised as a separate racial group by the EU why cant we enter Chris Harris and Ben Barker in the european pairs.

It turns out Roland Benko broke a shoulder blade not a collarbone, he is back in the UK and will be using the medical facilities at the University of St Mark and St John to assist his recovery

I have been told the crowd roar after heat 12 was heard all the way to Derriford in one direction and all over Plympton in the other, someone who lives at the far end of Plympton said he has never heard the speedway before. Keep it up Devils fans next time bring a friend to hold onto, you will be able to shout even louder!!!