Jonny the spud

He did. It wasn’t Karpov

Adams speedway teeth were cut on the uk. He’d done grasstrack in France and a few practice speedway meetings but his first “real” speedway was the British youth championships at Eastbourne and Scunthhorpe. It’s a pain that young UK riders struggle for kit but clubs seem to find sponsors for several brand new engines for the latest foreign “superstar”... even these days

Depends on the sidecars. if you use the 1000cc English ones, yes they do cut up the tracks. They run in the opposite direction to speedway bikes so where the apply the power exiting the bend it can cause problems for speedway bikes hitting a rut as they enter. the European 500cc chairs on the other hand use the same engines & tyres and run in the same direction as speedway bikes. problem solved. it’s not much, but it’s something else that can be done.

Some of those “keyboard warriors” are successful business people

I remember when Adam started riding 8 years ago at Ipswich I made a few suggestions that would basically cost nothing and potentially bring in more punters ...eg, a questionaire paper slipped into the program with a space for the person to fill in their details. These would then be deposited in a box near the exit. you then have an idea of what your supporters concerns are and their email/ phone numbers, therefore giving you a database to target them with promos etc... having the next home meeting poster able to be downloaded... fans could then print them off and spread advertising with no cost to the club. getting in touch with local universities etc and having local bands / DJ’s performing on the center green, publicity for the performers and free / cheap entertainment for the crowd . sidecars after every four heats maybe an exhibition of trials riding on the center green during the interval most the above I’ve used a variation of in my businesses at some time or another, and they’ve all resulted in an increase in turnover. it ain’t rocket science

Just come on here ... Jesus there’s some dicks around.

Risking injury raising money for a children’s cancer charity.... no difference ??? Wow. You’re a nice guy

Not quite the same eh?

Seriously? ??

I’ve never met a rider who thinks that standardized equipment is a good thing. Bike set up is crucial if you’re riding a bike at todays speeds. Most riders can tell if the seat is a couple of cms too high etc. The difference in riders height / weight / preference of which handlebars / seat etc all comes into play. you have to have absolute confidence in your equipment to be able to race properly. How many times do you see a rider jump on a team mates for a heat bike and ride just as well as if he was on his own equipment?

Flexibility is great, but for many riders who’ve been screwed over by clubs and are owed thousands ( it’s not just in Poland ) the chance of riding and “hoping everything will be fine” will mean that they may prefer to sit the season out.

I wasn’t serious, I know a lot of riders who’ve spent (tens of) thousands getting ready for the season. Who’ve had to seek work in an already hard situation and are now being told by the online experts “well, you’ll just have to stop being greedy and take less money” I wonder if the same experts will be just as cool when their boss says they have to take a pay cut. ?

If riders have to take less because “ that’s how it is”. Does that mean that entry prices can increase too for the same reason ?

August ......

Surely if it was almost in the bag naming them so that we can get some publicity out there can only be a good thing ?

Bearing in mind that quite a few clubs are seriously upping their social media content during the lockdown, would it benefit the main league sponsor (who was just about to be announced) to have their profile out there in public? It gives them exposure before any reduced season can be up and running. With all the hard work the BSPA put into securing them surely getting their name out there can only be beneficial....

I’m stuck in India. Tried to get home early but all flights are booked. Supposed to be leaving on Sunday but India is banning commercial flights from landing on Sunday. Still waiting to hear if I can get on a plane. Then I have to get home to Bordeaux which could be interesting... I’ve already had one flight cancelled we we live in interesting times

Riders are in the same position. Many have spent thousands preparing for the season too.

French speedway meetings this weekend cancelled

French houses are never finished. There’s always something more to do, especially big ones

Adam on translation duty then .....

Adams birthday too

And problems for British riders in Europe if the EU decide to implement the same rules.

With today’s announcement that as of January next year workers seeking to come to the UK must have a minimum salary of £25,600, does this mean that clubs will have to start offering legally binding contracts with a stipulated wage before permits are allowed ?