weatherwatcher

I do go to see the Leicester Lions. And take my grandson with me. But it is nice to see the other teams race as well. See nothing wrong with TV coverage of our sport. It doe's not make me stay at home and if it was on the TV the same night as a race night at the Lions the Lions would win out every time.

No it is the BPSA who have now got to find a new sponser. Sky are just offering a service to broadcast the speedway with them paying no sponsership money this year. If it ever happens. Seems no news is good news.

It would be nice to see someone. Get the iniiiative, get together thier own production team and sponsers. Open thier own Speedway TV Channel and show all forms of the sport. Elite League. Premier League. National League, Junior League. British Championships, GP and World Championships plus leagues from other countries and American Speeday. Long Track, Grass Trackand Ice Speedway. The list is endless. There is enough there to fill a weeks worth of viewing. What a dream. As long as it came as free to view and you didn't have to fork out another £10 or so a month to watch it. iF it was gone about in the right way, it would pay its own way with sponsership deals. Now that would be worth watching. And a round up programme on a Sunday, giving you all the weeks results and some rider features. Dream on it would make good viewing for all Speedway fans and maybe even bring in a few more to the sport.. But it is just a dream and will never happen. Are you looking EuroSport. You have got some of the best now, so go for the rest.

Haven't we come a long way in this country. We welcome in anyone from the EU. Who can now work over here, but to anyone from our old Comonwealth, they are now no longer clased as being citizen of our great British Isles. As Queen Victoria would have said "We are not amused"

Just had another negative e-mail from the Sky forum. The person from Sky still states as they have been doing for the last few months. That they do not know anything yet about the showing any speedway for 2014. They are not even giving any hope that they are going to show any coverage of the sport. Pretty poor show from them I think. There have been several people asking Sky if they are going to show speedway and threatening to cancel thier subsciption. But still all you get from them is the same negative response. Not a good way to run a set up to me. It would be far simpler just to say YES or NO.!!!!!!!!!!!

It was me that got it wrong sorry on that one. Thought they had called it a day.

Sad to see that Rye House are not racing this year after a lack of sponsers. What a shame to see another team fold up. They may come back, never thought I would ever see Leicester Lions race again but that happened so I wish them all the best for the future. As for the amount of nasty accidents, I think that some riders are now racing in a far to dangerous way with no cares for thier own saftey or that of other riders. May be just the way I see things but some of the riders and top riders at that race around like Kamakazi pilots. We used to have crashes but the ones today seem to have more life threatening results and a risk that the said riders may never race or be the same again. I think that this year could give some very good racing in the Elite League, once things have been given a race meeting to sort things out. May 2014 bring speedway back to the eyes and ears, of Joe Public out there and get the people to our sport. I have followed it for many years now and it seems to have lost its way a little over the last few years. Hope the changes make 2014 a season worth watching. Would hate to see the loss of speedway, as it has given me much pleasure, over the years.

After what happened with the leak I wouldn't wonder if Poole didn't get any showings if Sky does have the contravt. It was a bit naughty and previous to say the least. And it has all kept us glued to the screens waiting and wondering what is going to happen???????????

Just been noified of a new post on Sky Sports forum. Nothing will be announced until the current contract expires on the 31st of December. So not many more days to wait yet agin till we may hear from them.

It was said to be 5 years. If I got it right when the bag of beans where spilled by someone "no names no pack drill."

Can't see why they are messing about. I think it is time now to let everyone know one way or another if we are having speedway or should I say Elite League speedway on our screens in 2014.

Saw a picture of him the other day and with all the tats around his neck it makes him look like it has disappeared. Makes him look like a very small gremlin. I bet his old man would kick his butt from here to next week if that was possible. What ever came over him if he liked art work so much he should have saved it for his van or bike. For all the tats he still does speedway in this country a world of good. We need more riders like him to make British speedway a thing to look up to again

Marcus all I can say is get well soon. You do a great job. Have a Merry Christmas and come back fighting fit in 2014. Best Wishes all of you. You do your all to help future speedway stars.

The big difference with a speedway rider and a footballer is that a footballer get paid a wage by his club. The speedway rider is self employed and has to make his earnings in a different way. If he needs to ride for 3 different clubs that is up to him alone to decide. So any promoter that wants his services if he is good enough will take that ride offered to him. But as someone has said it makes a bit of a mockery when a top Elite League rider goes down to the Premier League to race. That League should be used for young riders that have now got better than riding in The National League. It must rule out quite a number of places in the Premier League with Elite League rider claiming those places. If they wish to ride more races then they should go to clubs abroad, or race for another Elite League club that are looking for a replacement due to injuries.

Leicester Lions have had an airfence in operation from the day they restarted. The lions supporter club there run a raffle at every meeting there and give a lump sum in cash to the winner. The money left over is given to the club to what ever they wish to do with it. I don't see or hear anyone there moan about this and it always sells a lot of tickets. The cash sum to the winner is usually over the £100 mark so gives some incentive. This could easily be done at all the tracks to help with club funds. Speedway will never make any of the promoters millionaires. It is just not a big money making sport to most of the clubs and is there for our entertainment. So what if they ask us to give £1 or 2 a meeting if it means we still have a sport that we love still there for our enjoyment. To many clubs are just scraping by in the climate as it is nowadays financially. Some of the young riders who ride in the lower leagues are doing it for the love of it and all the money they have either from any winnings or from the jobs they do to get their love of the sport alive is spent on upkeep to their machines. Come on be kind to them or our sport will die. The young riders can't help the club out that much if they could they would. But they would end up doing cycle speedway, as they would have no bikes to ride once a major problem hit them like a blown engine. Get the airfences installed and help keep those riders safe of safer than they are without them. There are far to many nasty injuries

It is such a shame if Sky has taken out a new contract that they where soon going to unveil. If I was in their shoe's I would be well and truly peeved by now. That some naughty spoiled little boy, has blathered off to the press before anything has been announced. Either by Sky tv or the BSPA. You would think by now that people would learn to keep their gobs shut until after the event. Sky must be spitting feathers, they could even withdraw the offer and say now get someone else to do it for you. It is people like this who are out only to line their own pockets with no thought what so ever of the damage they are doing to the sport. Other than making complete fools of themselves. Even if you say black is black to a journalist, he will still say that it was white. Better to keep quite and let things run the proper course.

Also looked at Bournmouth Echo and can't find anything on there either. Unless they have taken it off the website.

If they are telivising the sport only. That should have been announced by sky or the BSPA then it could also mean that there is no money what so ever coming from Sky this year. They show the speedway full stop. It is up to the BPSA, to find sponcership, without it no money comes in. I think it will be very hard work trying to find a big outfit that is going to through a lot of money into speedway. Hope I am wrong but that is as I see the Sky deal. 5 years of broadcast only. Full stop.

What I ment that Sky let Box nation take over most of the boxing that they showed on Sky Sports.Box nation started off a free to watch then after about 2 or 3 months they announced that if you wanted to watch Box Nation they you had to pay an extra £10 a month to watch it on top of your Sky subcrition. Quite a few boxers that where with that promoter left him to go with others that showed boxing on Sky, so in the end they have lost out, You get the main fights then it looks like all week long it is repeats of the same fights. Can't see this working with speedway, it would be like the promoters charging you and extra £10 admission a month to see your home matches and I can't see loyal speedway fans forking out an extra 310 to watch speedway on the telly I for one wouldn't as I forget half the time it is on. At least I can get what I need from my local track what ever else you get is just that bit extra. If my team raced on a Monday I wouldn't bother if I missed it on the telly thouigh. Hope something good dose happen and that speedway gets all the coverage it needs. Bring it on and lets get speedway into this centuary and moving along and keep it going for many years to come. It would be horrid if riders started losing interest in British speedway if the Tv rights where lost and they didn't get the media coverage to pay them that extra that they get from the Tv rights. I think many top names would go from our tracks if thier earnings where reduced. They like the limelight and the extra money they earn. Who can blame them. When you think of the stupid amonts of money a top footballer earns a week it is a pitance to what they get, would they come if the carrot was no longer dangled in front of them. Times have sadley changed from 20 or 30 years ago when in all sports you did it for the love of it now it revolves around what you can help to increase your bank balance. British speedway would become that with the top foriegn riders no longer bothering to grace our shores if the cash incentive was not there. It would happen within a few years too. Why bother coming over here to race for peanuts because that would be all the promoters could afford to to pay if they didn't get the extra money from the Tv rights. It is a shame but that is how the world works these days. No cah no bother.

I just hope it never comes to pay for view to watch speedway. I lost interest in the boxing on Sky when they allowed Box Nation to take over most of the boxing. It started free then domesday arrived and along came another £10 to watch it, no way was I going to pay another £10 it cost enough as it is. So keep it free or the only speedway I will see is at mu local track. We still get boxing but it is now down to every couple of weeks when they have something worth showing, that Mr.W has not got his hands on as a promoter. Saying that though, it seems more boxers are leaving him behind and going to other that will give them free to view so that they can get seen again. I should hate that happening in Speedway as it would end up a complete shambles then. So wwe should hear by Friday then hope it is worth the wait and we get something worth seeing.

yes the local newspaper there already do a good coverage. Shame one a few miles away can't do the same though.

A point on getting speedway noticed. I live 20 miles from my speedway stadium. I contacted my local daily paper, asking them if they could do a feature on the local teal. Was disguted by the response from the said newspaper. The sports corespontent stated, that we where out of the area that thier newspaper published and they where not in the least interested in putting an article in the paper. So if you can't get them to put anything in a paper about a speedway statdium just a few miles away from them then just tell me how else can you do anything to spread the word. Unless you bother going on the internet, to see where speedway is being held, and a local rag can't be interested in doing anything, then what chance have we got of helping the sport along. Other than going around the area fly posting when the next meeting is. I think sky could help to let people know when and what day and where the stadiums are, when they show the live matches. All it would take is a feww moments before the racing started and it would probably help to draw some people along. Lost for anything else we can do to help. If other people just don't give a thought that poeple in another area a few miles away from a stadium can't be bother to do a write up on the sport. All they are interested in in the paper are the local football teams. And to be honest, what they write not once a week on the match but every day is just a load of old rubbish and could easily be filled with more interesting and varied items that would interest other readers. Anyone got any ideas

I must be an odd one out not only do I still go to speedway I take my son-in-law and my 2 grandsons to watch speeway and they love the youngest grandaughter is still a little bit to young to go but, She will be there in the grandstand on a race night. Perhaps if more children where brought along to watch the sport instead of letting them stay at home play on their computer games or what ever then we would have that younger generation watching. I do my bit for the sport, why not get it back to what it was a family occasion. With poor old grandad being pushed shouting about the old days with his son or daughter and all the screaming kids in tow. That is the only way to get the sport to continue. Because without the sons and daughters and the granchildren the sport will be, just 4 riders riding around a track, with no one there to watch them and that time will be here before we know it. Get the kids from off their phones, computer, or in front of the telly and take them along. Some will hate it, other will love it and they will be the spe3edway fans of the future. All the moans and groans will achive nothing. It is up to the parents to do what is need.. It is the only way to go forwad to the future. Full Stop

I have seen a lot of the foriegn reserve riders in the E/L and the young Brits should be easily ride to some of the standards that they have bben doing. How many E/L clubs have brought them over to race and dropped them after just a few races as what they did was just rubbish. It seems like an all expenses paid jolly to the UK, don't bother how they ride just have a good time while it lasted, never to be seen over here again. I believe that the young Brits will come on much stronger with the help from a decent promoter and help fron the team mates he associates with in the pits and on the track, I think Phil Morris is one amoung many who will help these lads, give us some racing that will be good to watch as the season progesses. I think we just need to give it a few months and then we may just see some new stars in the making. Can't wait to see the list when it ccomes out and what team gets who. I hope they don't send them from one end of the country to the other to ride and that they can at least send them to a track that is close to them. They need all the help they can get. Legts hope it works out for them and lets give them all the support and blessing we can give them. Because speedway in the UK can't carry on the way it is now or it will be all or and done with in 10 years time if not before. Drastic measures where needed, this has happened and still people sre not happy.

I read on one site today that the lads from the NL with ride against one reserve race and one race against the lower order of the opposite team. So it looks like one race between 6/7 and one between 6/7 and 4/5 so that race should give them a bit of competion to strive for without facing the top order boys. Only real problem for the NL lads is where does the money come from to help them get their bike tuned well enogh to compete at that little bit extra that they can get from their machines. I am sure most of them run on a vey tight shoestring budget and any extra cost to them will be vey hard to come by. I just hope that the teams they ride for give them all the support they will need to be competative in the EL. It could turn out quite well if things are done properly.