oldace

I don't live where I was born and raised. I refer to my present address as home. Does this mean I am no longer from where I thought I was

Born in Britain of British parents and lived his first few years in Britain. What book are you reading!!!

Indeed it was Sean Maguire

We can even bring a dog with us just for the occasion.

Like most of the posts on this type of thread. People simply list there own little dislikes, however trivial, and declare it the reason the sport is in the mire. Surprised Ian hasn't been on yet blaming it all on the tactical ride

It was the Sunday People not the NOTW It is a bit of a myth that speedway was ever really a credible successful sport for any sustained period. The late 20s/early 30s it was a new phenomenon but it was in decline within a few years. Team racing was invented and that gave it a boost before the war. Of course the war put paid to most racing for 6 years and when the war ended the nation were clamoring for live sport and so speedway was in demand but by the early/mid fifties it was in serious decline again. The formation of the British League in 1965 gave the sport its longest period of stability (16 or 17 years) but by the early 80s it went into decline again, a decline that has continues to this day. In a history of 85 years probably only 25 years has the sport been really popular

Not really, Swindon's team would be entirely legal within the rules and they could simply track Batchelor if they wanted all completely legally. A promoter, or promoters, who wanted to challenge that would be risking an awful lot in legal costs.

Only as long as someone is daft enough to pay loan or transfer fees. If I were a promoter with hardly any assets (Belle Vue for instance) I would simply offer work to a rider the same way I would any other subcontractor and not pay these fees.

As many have pointed out the notion of clubs owning riders is a nonsense. A savvy promoter would offer Batchelor a job for the season but simply refuse to pay a loan or transfer or so much as a bean to Peterborough, the whole thing is a nonsense. A self employed tradesman being "owned" by the first person he does a job for, it is ludicrous.

It is owned by Ipswich Speedway Ltd? and leased to Spedeworth who sub let to Ipswich Speedway The owners are nothing to do with the witches but is probably where your confusion comes from

Yes i was having dinner with Paul Bellamy and his family last week and he confirmed this. Wow doesn't that make me sound important. i am off now to work out how to make a fake BSPA pass to make me look even more amazing

Correct, the lack of viewers, and the calibre of those viewers, is the reason SKY are ditching speedway. OK so the spend on football has gone up massively but as a business SKY would not ditch a profitable venture. SKY, by and large, need material to show between ad breaks, the value of those ads being determined by the number and calibre of viewers. Once those drop then it cant justify 3 hours of prime time TV It is a shame because speedways format lends itself perfectly to live TV with plenty of natural breaks to cram the ads into but its no good if no one is watching.

Indeed you have, and any of those Nationalities will have been shop fronted by yourself and maybe gained a ride in the UK on the strength of it, and no doubt under the flag of the country they are from. No problem with that at all. Thats different from helping what is in reality a going nowhere "Dutchman" (who will not offer anything to this country) beat the system to gain a ride as a Brit. You obviously dont agree but it doesn;t strike me as something Kevin should be encouraging

Not really, and i aint interested either. it simply pains me to see someone trying to help a no mark foreigner take rides off brits. When you have finished questioning what I have done for the young Brits do you think that is a good thing or not

And the relevence of that to the discussion is?

Is it any wonder when the powers that be are falling over themselves to develop Dutch and American riders at the expense of our own

It matters not one iota whether he has patriality or not, in reality he is a no mark foreigner trying to take rides off British Riders. No problem with him doing that, it shows a level of ambition, howwever misplaced. The point is that someone in Kevins position should not be helping him to that end and in doing so is making his position untenable

Sadly you seem incapable of seeing the damage your actions could cause. Perhaps you should consider your position within the sport.

Waste of time, most who say they will cancel will either have no intention of doing or will change their mind when it comes to it

And this is the obvious place for that plea because everyone on here runs their own speedway team.

My son has just told me the Titanic has sunk

You are, dont worry

Well that is your opinion but it is completely wrong. I presume you think the same of World Snooker, Wimbledon tennis, the Open Golf etc. All tournaments where previous form is a qualification criteria for the events

So you think consistently being in the top 11 of a series of qualyfiers against pretty poor riders is a good method but having to be in the top 8 of a competition involving the best 16 in the world isn't. You are simply hankering after a bygone era Ian because it was a time you enjoyed speedway the most, as it was for me but I am not so blinkered as to be unable to see that the old way was grossly unfair and that a GP series is far and away the best way of deciding a world championship

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Speedway_Grand_Prix_Qualification