1 valve

Back in 1983 GB v USA at Sheffield. Place was rammed. Absolutely as good as anything that Poland provides today. Other than there you get a seat. Now we can’t stand on the back straight. No demand! I wonder why??

What do you think they should have done re contingency for if/when the tractor breaks down? Unfortunately this comes under "sport strapped for cash" idealy a newer tractor in situ would most probably mean less risk of a breakdown but where does the money come from to cover for this (rare to date) incident? Not sure Redcar meeting was the final straw, but cant dissagree from the fact that it was an appaling experience to go through but still nevertheless a very difficult solution to cater for given the cost of having more medical cover than normally is required for meetings would yet again put a strain on finances over the whole season. The solution to the above is the never ending saga known to all namely, to attract larger crowds and money into the sport thus providing better equipment and in depth medical cover. One cannot happen without the other.

Spot on. How about Sheffield, great back straight for spectating, well it was before it was closed off. Now get that sorted and you have a stadium that could hold high level meetings with views for all to enjoy and attract some big crowds. I guess thats not going to happen though any time soon.

You are right to question if just asking people to turn up is good enough (its not) and certainly when they do come the promoters priority is to put on a good show which makes folk want to come back time and time again. However some things are beyond reasonable control in a sport strapped for cash and subject to a high degree of unknown outside influences Regarding the Redcar fixture, the medical cover was the same which has proven more than adequate for the vast majority of all other meetings held over many seasons. It would be accurate to say this was an exceptional set of circumstances which no doubt caused as much concern with the promoters as it did the fans. but a great shame it did indeed occur. As for the tractor, it was a working tractor for most of the day, it had worked in the morning and it worked over lunch, it became a problem pending the third & final watering prior to the start of the meeting. Yes this did ultimately cause a delay of 30 minutes for the second fixture v Stoke which even if it had been able to start on time, due to the severe volume of rain that fell it would not have been possible to complete 6 or 7 races at most before the meeting would have been abandoned. In summary, If we expect the promoters to be able to predict a spate of crashes requiring exceptional demand on the medical team, tractor breakdowns (on equipment that normally works fine) and know how on how to stop heavy rain falling, then maybe they should spend their time picking winning lottery numbers and patenting anti rain dances rather than worry about promoting speedway.

No doubt some race circuits could do with a revamp, but also lets not forget the actual stadiums, which are in many cases a disgrace and not able to even provide accetable (safe) viewing from around all of the track. Until this factor is addressed the sport can forget about attracting a significant increase in followers (gee theres no where for them to stand let alone sit) who are now use to watching pro sports such as Rugby, football & cricket at facilities which put speedway/dog tracks to shame.

Who says the team is expensive with too higher cost which continue to rise? Crowds have been good to a point this season, however recent home meetings have been held on "none" race days and during summer holidays, these two factors are more likely the cause for lower attendences than any other. That said It is important the promoters look beyond the speedway bubble of current fans/followers and reach out to other groups in order to attract larger gates which although is something easier said than done is nevertheless paramount to the future health of the club/sport. One thing worth considering is working on publicising not only what is going on(fixtures) but also where the stadium is (not just the stadium name) a case of Promote, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE in sufficient detail. Meanwhile, congratulations to the current promoters/team managers for putting together two teams who continue to perform better than anything we have seen in Leicester for many a year and for being determined not to let standards drop on the track through the various challenges presented by injury and retirement etc. You are doing a great job. keep it going & the followers will come (back)

Sure 17 teams could be made up from the number of current riders around but that’s just playing with numbers. The Eastbourne promoter makes it clear that in terms of quality/skill/competitiveness/safety there are only sufficient number of riders to make a OBL of 14 seven man or 16 six man teams. The next question is what criteria should be used to establish which clubs are eligible to join the OBL. This could well be a more difficult subject to not only answer but also implement i.e stadium availability, race nights, financial stability, promoters being involved with more than one club? To name a few. Recent history had shown promoters tend to massively compromise on tough decisions meaning a watered down solution to most problems usually with self interest at the heart of the problem. So if speedway in uk is to be saved then maybe it’s not just a new league structure that is required but a new broom of fresh promoters who can see the wider picture of what is required to make a success of the desired and required change.

Some riders never learn it. As for Josh lets remember he can (and does) go fast to win many races, indeed fast enough to be the track record holder at Leicester. Time will tell as to what level & how quickly he will progress by learning how to funnel his undoubted determination to succeed in such a way that helps his development rather than hinders it. Meanwhile lets hope he makes a full recovery and is back on his bike ASAP.

Yep. And a nice concrete block as a safety fence with a doorway with no kick board to make it easier for a rider to get his footrest in.

Josh has had to have surgery to repair a bone in his neck/back which apparently took two hours to complete. This would suggest recovery will be longer than that expected for concussion.

Only One asset Connor Mountain. Who started the season at number 7 and rode there tonight - albeit very very well.

Crowd grew with latecomers delayed on motorway but still on the low side. Change of race night may also have something to do with it. That said some terrific racing with a number of passes and repasses great performance from the Lions. Congrats to the Eagles for squeezing through. Not convinced Kennet did pip Bomber on the line.

Track is 300m but long straights compared to the bends. Alterations past few years has created more space coming in and out of the corners with plenty of depth mid point. However it is “technical” in terms of riders having to think about their lines. Passing is now far more prevalent than pre alterations and the race surface being arguably the best it has been compares very well v others in the UK Definitely worth a visit.

Must be capable of learning. He is the current track record holder.

Those 6 riders contracted to ride in Poland and not being allowed to attend GP practice

Well done Lions. Some great examples of team riding and not always from the gate. Scotty proving to be a great captain. Hope Josh’s ribs not too bad and he makes it back fit sooner rather than later.

Well done Lions. Another valuable away win.

Given that the surface of a speedway track changes pretty quickly over a few laps there is a fair chance that those riders who go out after a track prep will gain more often than not some advantage. The purpose of the slowest from practice being first out was an an attempt to even things up but maybe this needs to be re thought so as to avoid deliberate slow laps laps. May also be worth considering grading after every four rides.

Tonight’s qualifying added something worthwhile to the GP weekend and the reward of skill/speed to determine gate positions during the main event is favourable to the random draw. That said it is a shame three riders were unavailable (not their choice) and clearly there was an advantage to those who went out first and after the mid session grading. There are most probably better ways qualifying can be formatted to create a fairer scenario but it’s s start.

Will Busters restrictive pay structure be able to attract Scotty?

Don’t think the promotion justified it by saying it was cold. But those who were able to go on Sunday benefited from the warm weather. So like me (who would have gone on Saturday) was grateful it had been called off due to the forecasted heavy rain. Is it forecast to rain this Saturday?

Just got home from a very enjoyable meeting. Sunny, relatively warm and all done well inside 2 hours. last night was near to stadium and it was freezing. Those who were able to attend today definitely benefited from the decision to reschedule The meeting Finally, congratulations To Ellis Perks on his 4 programmed ride maximum.

Fair to say that by anybody’s standards he has acted somewhat unprofessional & childish in a number of instances. That said, this year his riding had been very good and his demeanour appears to be that of a fast maturing young man. With a caring manager keeping him in check and focussed on learning his trade Josh could really step up this season. Good luck to the lad. Hope he stays fit and goes from strength to strength.

You are spot on especially as the NSS is based on the old Hyde Road track and to prove the point, the last time Woffy rode there he made quite a good fist of it v some pretty good competition in the speedway of nations with enough time in hand to help out his younger team mate.

The Aces of 1972 had a good spread of talent across the team who performed in depth v other sides in that year. However, at that time only Mauger was world class and if it was today he would be the only rider from that team who would be in the GP's (Note:he was the only "Ace" who made it past the British final with PC (the only other Ace there) finishing 14th on 3 pts, . Woffinden (given all things being equal) would have easily made the Aces team as like it or not, he is (and would have been then) worlds class.