Teromaafan

Odd response? I took on board your comments and reference to photos, but the track will ultimately be judged by riders doing laps/racing and the people watching them. I doubt many riders will be looking at bike set ups from available photos.

Great marketing, last years team and management photo!

Well, all cobblers have lasts, so it might just be appropriate 😀

So we’re going by photos on the track’s suitability then? Perhaps best to let some riders do a few laps and let them make the call.

Whilst I’m appalled by this vandalism, this go fund request doesn’t sit well with me. This is why we take out insurance on things we own. Clubs take advantage of supporters enthusiasm and their voluntary efforts throughout every season, which is why I think the club is pushing their luck in this situation.

So the track surface is shale, great start then! How about the track’s shape, banking etc when it comes to speedway racing? The Leicester track continues to be slaughtered to this day because of its shape. Northampton have a track (to be applauded) but with all the work that has supposedly been carried out, how much attention has been paid to providing a racing spectacle? We’ll soon find out I suppose.

They will be called the ‘Hamptons’, Harry’s influence, bit of cockney rhyme & slang.

Surely all toilets are ‘bog’ standard?🙂

Thanks for responding but that’s not really an answer! I’ll try and put it another way. The yes/no decision (whoever is making it) will presumably be based on where the project is as a whole, so what needs to be in place by the decision date?

So what work still needs to be done before the cut off date?

Ipswich have a track though!

I take your point about the team finishing top not being rewarded, but expecting a share of gate receipts from matches in which they are not involved is not the answer.

Why not have the play off final in May, semis in June, with league fixtures completed thereafter. That takes the pressure off having to fulfill fixtures by October when rain offs are inevitable. Arse about face, but in keeping with the way the sport is run.

Totally agree. But some posters on here just think we are impatient and negative.

But what about all the time he spent dwindling down the squad of riders to the final three. Then the numerous phone calls to all those riders that just missed out on the final team selection. (More like, can I scrape together three riders up to the job).

Until the new owners of the club are revealed, Chris Louis owns Ipswich Speedway. He said a while ago that 5 riders were signed, so why can’t these be announced? These signings surely have the new owners blessing? He says he fully understands the frustration of supporters so why can’t at least some of the riders be revealed? He’d have been better off saying nothing. He’s shot himself in the foot in my opinion.

Just imagining Drew Kemp competing and pulling up when behind pointing to a mechanical failure on his snowboard!

Yeah, but whoever makes the best start almost always wins…….ah but with speedway……… enjoy your speed skating!

I’ve often wondered why some dyslexics only seem to struggle with swear words.

Out of curiosity, I’ve checked to see if there is a Curling Forum…….and there is! Everyone seems to be very polite with nobody moaning about things like surfaces being too slick etc……Just one confused poster complaining that none of the posts have anything to do with hairdressing!

Getting very fed up with this cloak and dagger situation with Northampton. I actually don’t care now if they are they running or not. Five or six teams in the league, still crap. Regardless of where they are in preparation, at least make some sort of announcement to generate a degree of interest. I set up as a consultant a few years ago and never thought to keep it a secret and not tell anyone. Would love to hear the business strategy (if they have one?) of those in charge.

Doubling up is the sport’s biggest problem for me. Whilst you could accuse riders of being greedy, they are only going along with what the controlling body permits. For that reason, you cannot blame riders for wanting to maximise their earnings. We all know that Premier League footballers are paid obscene money…..but if someone is prepared to offer these amounts? The BSPA are afraid of the (short term) consequences of doing away with doubling up, but it is essential for the future of the sport if it is to move forward. As I’ve said previously, riders should only be allowed to double up if they’ve been kicked in the b*lls.

And just how many people do you think are prepared to spend this amount of time travelling to watch speedway on a regular basis?

Basic life economics and totally relevant.

Good post. Promoters are always bleating about the lack of punters coming through the gate despite their (apparent) efforts to promote the sport, yet here we are with a team supposedly ready to compete in the next few weeks and nobody in the area is aware of what is going on! If this was a business venture, you'd expect the owner to at least make the public aware of their intent and efforts to be up and running this season, with a back up scenario of being ready for the following season if time runs out. This happened when Leicester returned, with the initial intention of running in 2010, but did not come to tapes (can't remember the reason) until 2011. The difference here though is that Leicester had a fan base in place because their campaign to brought the sport back to the City. The situation is being totally driven by the BSPA. My glass remains half empty, but like everyone else on the forum, I'd love to see it work.