Shale Searcher

What I heard was this was the deal he was after to race in the BEL this year!! Not Poland.. + he'd need workshop space, mechanic etc.. But, a min requirement to ride here must include say, 2 rolling chassis, 3 engines, Van, mechanic, workshop + other sundry bike/rolling chassis spares, etc, what do you think the outlay for that little lot is...?

Wouldn't be the worst choice... He is a class rider, had a couple of lean years, coupled with some serious crashes and injuries. A new club with an injury free spell could be just what he needs..

The only way that will happen is if you buy him a van and some bikes to go with it!!!! Rumour has it, that's part of the UK deal he's after.....

Who is a Newbie?

British speedway messed up big time in the late 1990's, they stopped training young Brits, well, didn't actively make a priority to get young blood into the sport at grass roots level. The main route to speedway was traditionally via Grasstrack racing, when that discipline of speedway floundered, it cut off the best route for lads to progress into speedway.. It became to easy to just pluck a Johnny foreigner from abroad, usually an unknown quantity, usually taking up reserve berths in the BEL, thus cutting off, severing the grasstrsck to BEL and the BPL were just as guilty if not worse, they would snap up all the BEL reserve Johnny foreigner cast offs!!!! Only now is the problem being addressed, but the grasstrsck route is now miniscule in size and therefore no longer the breeding ground of potential British speedway riders..

Lots of rumours/stories about who wants what money, half season, beginning of season, end of season, middle of season, home only, away only, big tracks, small tracks, without bikes, new bikes please, any bikes please....etc etc etc... At the end of the day, if you wanted say Nicki Pedersen, and you could afford 5k per meeting, you'd probably get him..... But its not realistic in the UK whilst speedway only attracts 1000 to 2500 paying spectators and the sport has no lucrative sponsorships. If the money is right, they'll come here to ride...! In my opinion.

Would there stranglehold actually hold up if it were tested in court?

I have been led to believe PK is asking silly money as well, why do you think nobody else has employed him yet this season coming...I'm not sure I agree with all this guaranteed payments, speedway is and always should be points based earnings... It's got to take the edge off your performance, even just a little bit.. knowing you're gonna get a fat wad if you score 12 or 0!!!

Until the day the BSPA are dragged into the 21st century, nowt will change...

You know, the Polish leagues, Swedish and Danish as well, I would even add the GP's and SEC to this group as not really being the main BEL enemy, it's the bloody rider injuries, faux injuries that damage rider availability, and then riding injured in the GP'S, Polish League and then pulling out of BEL meetings citing injured, or injured/tired and signed off with private sick notes...... Ride Sat in GP, ride Sunday in Poland, then injured and pull out of BEL Monday's, that's the real enemy!!!

Now Jason Crump is now how old? If he was to make a racing comeback, would he choose the BEL? Or would he go Euro, Sweden or Poland for regimented fixture lists, rather than the (topsy turvy, any night) we have? He would be a decent 2nd heat Leader here after a few meetings to blow off the cobwebs... What average would he come in on do you think? When speedway is in the blood, it's damn hard to get it out!!

Nicely written post.... With regards to the track changes, I will say once again, the overhead drone images just do not show how much more track has been made available.. The large manhole covers that were once a safe haven for track staff to stand on were within the inner ring, now if you stand on one during the racing you're likely to get knocked over by the draft as they go by!! The inside line now is at least a tractor width wider at the middle of turn 3 & 4, which will enable riders to turn much earlier and really dive under what would have been the safe line, or turn very late and then dive under exiting turn 4.... With regards to the team, still needing one more, Bjerre senior a possibility, he's had a couple or 3 poor seasons, he's had some nasty injuries as well, a change of track, and team mates, and an injury free season may be just what he needs!! Ok, no out and out star performer, but in this league, a solid 7 maybe a better bet than a team with a couple of super stars with no back-up... Here's hoping for some drier weather so we can get the track changes finished....

That's a totally ridiculous comparison!!!!

Yes, I said I wasn't going to spend all the money on speedway, but, this exercise does prove a point, money isn't everything when you have caps on rider averages for team building purposes... I bet you could assemble 2 or more teams, with a very similar points total (team build limit) some would contain riders that want/think they command £3,000 to £4,000 in wages not based on points scored as well.... Just for turning up!! And other teams, with a similar total points (team build limit) with nowhere near the same extortionate wage demands... So, which is right and which is also right?

I wasn't going to spend all my 30 million on speedway!!

Accompanied by the reduction in quality of riders on show to also help keep the sport going, it's like being on a life support machine, admission fees go up, the quality of the riders on display drops, just to be able to open the turnstiles.... Speedway in the UK, even at the highest level cannot support riders on a full-time, one team, at a time basis. Crowds not big enough to pay riders wages at a level that would allow them to ride for just one team.. This over the years has eroded rider loyalty (can't afford to just ride for one team) I don't think riders are overpaid for the job they do, but, in the UK, the crowds are not big enough to pay what the job is worth.

What got us hooked on speedway? What did we get from speedway that we didn't get from football or cricket or Rugby??? And what did it cost us to go to speedway when we first went? How did the costs stack up against other sports then? Why don't we get newbies now, especially with all the TV exposure now, compared to when we started going down/up the speedway? Generally, 4 blokes on 4 bikes, with no brakes for 4 laps of an oval of shale? Why has speedway lost its way?

Most dirt reflectors seem to be fitted badly, with the flap not being the regulation distance from the track.. hence not as effective as they could be..

Is this a Lottery Win Team, or bargain basement team? Please advise..

Cheap to tickets to local residents could be seen in a number of lights..... 1) trying to get locals on side and in stadium 2) Bribing locals to stop them complaining 3) Looked at by the hard core supporters with disdain, as regular supporters don't get cheap tickets

They mostly are football supporters, lots I know are Leicester City fans.. even the name Gollob doesn't seem to strike a chord with many..

I thought that, but Poland is huge, I interview hundreds of Poles in my work, most are much like British bods and haven't heard of speedway!! It's all relative, isn't it...

As I said previously, the overhead drone shots do not show just how much more track will be available, and the new racing lines that will be usable. You could place the orange tractor in the space between the old kerb and the new kerb at its widest. You will be able to turn in on 3, metres earlier, and turn in later to stretch the back straight and then cut back under the old lines exiting turn 4. Much better...

Ok, so I slipped up with team building perameters, 2016 points limit, 2 FTR'S of which one has to be off grade 1 list and one from grade 2. The above is for both the Lottery Win Team and the Bargain Basement Team.