Roger Jacobs

But what makes it a successful entity to sell on? John Berry sold what would be described as a highly successful promotion to Chris Shears, who proceeded grind it into non-existence. However well CL built his promotion and the teams that achieved successes, the new promoter(s) will effectively have to start from scratch ...

So, you've got a downer on someone who has worked to bring in Doyle and Sayfutdinov, and to pay them what they're prepared to accept (I'm sure there was negotiation) - and to find ways to make it work financially, plus everything else that goes alongside riders with a thoroughly professional approach. It's not just those two riders though - the other six also say the same, down to Jenkins and Edwards, who Louis wanted in the team because of their excellent approach, and who wanted to ride for Ipswich. Brennan and Thompson are the very best examples of riders who knew that they would improve if they joined Louis' set-up - not just because Louis is thorough in his approach, but also because he demands and expects the same from his employees. There's no doubt that speedway's sponsorship finances are predominantly goodwill, rather than purely commercial - and can't be compared with multi-million pound/dollar corporations sponsoring the world's popular sports. At best we're talking about the same level as National League football, or more likely the divisions below that, and other minority sports that also rely on local goodwill. British Speedway's biggest problem is that it's got very little worth actually investing in. Despite everything that Louis has done, he can really only sell his licence to promote the sport - there aren't any major tangible assets.

The Leicester urban area has about three times as many people as the wider Ipswich area (approx 550,000 compared to approx 180,000). Leicester is in the East Midlands, with access to much more industry and business sponsorship opportunities. Interestingly, LCFC and ITFC attract very similar home attendances. To be honest, there’s no real comparison to make - very different parts of the country, with very different circumstances.

What part of he doesn't want to be the promoter anymore don't you understand? If a buyer is found it'll be up to them to decide how they want to run the club, which might include asking fans what they think.

Louis hasn't blamed anyone. He said: "Following a meeting on Thursday I have informed my fellow Premiership promoters of my intention to sell the club."

Which bits? Maybe you don't agree with the opening two lines by Gavan, but there's nothing else in what he said that's wrong. Other teams don't agree with the vision (Gavan didn't say all other teams), and Louis has dedicated a huge part of his life to the sport as well as to the Witches. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he's exhausted both physically and mentally.

How you can compare NFL with British speedway is laughable. "Each of the 32 teams in the NFL received* $432.6 million in revenue in the 2024 fiscal year." * That doesn't include any revenue they generated 'locally', e.g. Green Bay Packers reported total revenues of $719.1 million.

A bit of everything I reckon. I'm sure CL told his fellow Prem promoters that a 5 team league is impossible, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if the Championship promoters have turned their backs on the Prem.

Says a fan of the perennial Wooden Spooners ...

Any reaction to the announcement of a full GP series?

Any reaction from Spidvej?

2026 GP calendar: Landshut, May 2 Prague, May 23 Manchester, June 5 Manchester, June 6 Wroclaw, June 20 Malilla, July 11 Lodz, August 1 Riga, August 8 Vojens, September 12 Torun, September 26

Great to see Redcar claim the victory - a well deserved reward for a very good season 😃

We don't know do we, because they don't publish attendances.

The big question is: would independent track prep overview (whatever that entails), make any difference? More importantly, the whole point of home advantage is that teams generally setup their track to suit their riders - and even they don't always get it right. Why should anyone say the track has to be prepared differently just because it's the Grand Final?