Teromaafan

Let’s be honest, ‘Speedway Star’ is probably the most credible thing associated with the sport in the UK. A superb publication doing its best to make the sport appear to be more professional than it actually is!

Let’s be honest, ‘Speedway Star’ is probably the most credible thing associated with the sport in the UK. A superb publication doing its best to make the sport appear to be more professional than it actually is!

If there is another 'unknown' team certain of coming to the tapes next season why is it being kept so secret? Surely you would want as many people aware as soon as possible to generate interest and sell season tickets (its called promoting!).The BSPL are happy to post anything on their website which they think might come across as positive (although some things are so trivial it makes you wonder who is that bothered), so why is everybody still waiting?

I’m neither for or against Louis but such criticism is unfounded when you do not know the figures involved with the financial operation of the club. Take speedway out of the equation and ask yourself whether you would like people telling you what to do with your money and be criticised for not being prepared to risk making a loss just to make other people happy?

Doubt it. Who’s better than Douglas? Kurtz obviously, but who else?

Where did this rumour of Ipswich having a GP rider next season come from? If Louis had negotiated any such deal it is now surely meaningless if he is looking to sell up? I don’t see how people can speculate on the Witches line up when it has yet to be confirmed who is taking over or even if they will run!

Looking good for the play offs 😉

So who do you know for certain is committed to the UK?

We wish! But in the absence of other big hitters in the league(Doyle, Emil, Kurtz? Holder?), he could comfortably be averaging 9.5 next season.

Birmingham have struggled for a couple of years with crowd levels and limped from season to season, unable to attract quality riders and then lost their track. Not quite the same as the Ipswich situation is it?

Passion is controllable, that is just brattish behaviour.

Thanks for that ArnieG, but what a farce!

His official GSA going forward to next year is 8.12, which is not the same as his over all 2025 average (based on 24 meetings). Whilst the official figure is I assume a rolling average, it is not over 20 meetings, as this throws up a different figure again (looking at Lions stats on their web page). Must therefore be based on a rolling average over probably 15 or 10 meetings. Bloody (and unnecessarily) confusing this! Anyone care to clarify this matter?

That was my initial thought, but teams will not be able to accommodate two riders that will dominate heats 13 & 15 with next seasons reduced points limit, so Dougy at No.1 may not be so bad. Dickson is right to build without Fricke (as good as he’s been), because it would leave the Lions with an even weaker tail than what we’ve had for the last two seasons. Getting Gilkes in as the RS would be a great move in my opinion.

If we could get Dan Gilkes as the RS, I’d take that team.

…….Or Pathe News!

Thanks for that IainB, most informative, you’ve clearly got too much spare time on your hands😄. So sad that the sport is down at 16th but we shouldn’t be too surprised. That said, the BSPL are probably celebrating and looking down their noses at those passionate about dominoes, cribbage, table skittles, angling and sheep dog trials!

When David Hemsley resurrected the Lions in 2011, I recall him telling me at the time it was the third largest spectator attendance sport after football and (this surprised me) rugby league. I did have my suspicions about his research source! I would have thought that one day/20-20 cricket would attract far more people.

Agreed. If all but one of the GP stars were to quit the UK next season, I would expect Doyle to be the one to stand by the UK (as he has done with the exception of the Covid season). So if he's off, I would expect the others to follow suit. Not that this would bother me as I believe no competitor should be bigger than their sport. Unfortunately in UK speedway that isn't the case.

So he called an emergency AGM because of what he saw coming and whatever was agreed then fell apart. The situation with Ipswich was mentioned but were there other factors? He was very diplomatic when saying that promoters collectively (included himself) have hopefully learnt a lesson, but I sensed an underlying frustration when I listened to his interview. I bet he was venting some 'F' bombs on the drive back from Barnsley!

This is unfortunately what happens if hedgehogs are over fed!

At last, something positive to read on this forum. Fair play to the Lions promotion for at least acknowledging the frustration amongst supporters even if the update regarding league structure isn’t telling us something we didn’t already know.

Mike Ashley?

As much as us paying public love speedway, if the sport disappeared off the face of the earth, we might miss it but it would not have a significant impact on our lives. Whereas riders and those (supposedly) running the sport would be the ones hit hardest.