Sings4Speedway

Ironic given how many opportunities the BSPL have gone out of their way to shut down with the weasel leading the charge. A better investment of time would be asking why the recently retired riders gave up.....but they wouldn't like the answers.

True but with 2 BSPL members making up part of the SCB its hardly independent.....

There were/are some excellent amateur meetings and coaching days run by genuinely enthusiastic people who cared about rider development and did produce many good level riders via these routes). Ride n Slide used to have a literal lorry load of equipment available to hire for try out days, Wayne Carter still offers similar i believe? Amateur fixtures were common around the UK with with Southern Track Riders, Dragons and others i forget. Riders placed into their respective ability levels which kept competition interesting and safety up whilst offering a seasons worth of weekend racing to those interested in progression or not. 8-9 tracks from memory hosted these kind of events, i struggle to think of more than 1-2 now.

Job interview..... 1. Do you know where the keys to your glovebox are? 2. Can Polish riders ride in the NL?

Great to hear, i clearly got the wrong end of the stick. Still yet to make a trip to Redcar but all reports are usually positive so sounds like things are definitely being done right.

Loads of merits here, extra track time for the riders, extra value for money for spectators (or chance to nip to the loo etc if they don't want to watch) cost reductions for entry riders, reduced travel the list goes on..... Negatives and probably the biggest is the risk of delay/abandonment to the main meeting due to an accident in the match races. Also the standard of rider tracked needs to be looked at, there was a point when riders found their own level and progressed up accordingly but in more recent years there have been some development league riders who are incredibly wobbly and a risk to themselves and others. An "easy" fix would be an assessment of rider standard at a track post meeting. Can the rider circulate within x time of the main meeting, can they slide the bike, do they look in control? If not then its back to practice days until they can meet the level. Setting the bar lower continually for the benefit of inclusion isn't doing the sport any good.

No offence to James or other returning riders but these names come up year on year simply because there isn't enough good riders coming through and those that do end up abroad. Most CL heat leaders could have been considering retirement 5 years ago but as there simply isn't the numbers progressing and staying in the UK they remain in the sport for longer and longer.

Anyway delighted to see Buxton back. Certainly a unique venue with its own microclimate but thats all part of its "charm".

last week i took £10, this week i took £22.70 that's an increase of 127%

Lets face it filling 6 teams competitively is going to be a struggle. There were development leagues (below NL) flourishing and full of riders driving all round the country to ride 2nd halves for at best a drop of fuel. Competition was fierce and it was a breeding ground for NL reserves and many many big names have passed through. All this despite being treated with contempt by many clubs and countless fixtures cancelled due to curfew or other daft reasons. However more and more blocks were put in the way of the volunteers running these sides that eventually one by one the either gave up or were pushed out. Then the assault on the amateur meetings started, then Nora and it will continue until there is nothing left. The horse has bolted, the numbers in the youth rounds reflect that, the opportunities to have a reset have been fumbled with terrible silencers, Gerhard engines and rev limiters. Enjoy whats left because its not coming back.

Steelers were generated purely to boost the numbers, Sheffield lost interest quickly and more so with new ownership. Scunthorpe won't want to take on the project to run at a continual loss. Redcar was a more optimistic venture given there were plenty of club links and breeding ground for potential CL reserves but from all ive heard its been poorly received by fans and attendances have been challenging. I would be delighted to see both sides take their place in the NL next season but even one would be a bonus.

Hoping to see Buxton included but fear time will be a factor. Belle Vue / Edinburgh / Leicester / Oxford most likely with Kings Lynn and Plymouth. Think Scunthorpe and Redcar want out asap. The positive is that potentially Buxton and Kent returning to make an 8 team league in 2027 would be positive....the negatives ive done 100 times before and as a NL stalwart there is little again to excite me this season or next.

If the lease negotiations aren't finalised then no commitments can be made to the Kent promotion. Unlike many other shady operations i think this is purely down to a simple task taking longer than it could/should.

After all the "help" he gave IOW it would be hilarious. Also Mildenhall aren't opting to run under NORA, they can't get the track licenced by the SCB due to the highly questionable fence being used.

On the other side is Speedway the best choice of "employment" for a reforming addict? No routine, long travel around the country, late nights, adrenaline highs and so on. Throw in that Jason is late 20's so whilst not over the hill there is a shelf life which may or may not outdate the sport in its current guise anyway. Lets be clear Jason is a complex character and there is probably a whole lot going on under the surface but he has an issue with authority, a known mouth and tendency for violence (prior to chargeable crimes). I know he could have had a sponsored van previously if he produced his driving licence but failed to do so multiple times. Rehabilitation and second chances are vital for those who have made mistakes but its very questionable if the same environments (in this case Speedway) that previous "questionable choices" were made is the right place for them to happen