Sings4Speedway

Whilst very diplomatic and gently throwing Cook under the wheels the fact remains that the comments printed in the Eastbourne programme by a member of the Eastbourne promotion fall back onto Eastbourne Speedway as a whole. If these were spoken comments on the mic after a match they could have easily been brushed aside as heat of the moment but putting into print is a deliberate and considered act. As Director of Eastbourne Speedway it is Ian's job to either proof read content in the programme or charge that to someone suitably PR savvy. Instead the statements are out there, the apologies are not and pitching that Cook is entitled to his opinion isn't really suitable given the scale of the insults dished out.

Whilst very diplomatic and gently throwing Cook under the wheels the fact remains that the comments printed in the Eastbourne programme by a member of the Eastbourne promotion fall back onto Eastbourne Speedway as a whole. If these were spoken comments on the mic after a match they could have easily been brushed aside as heat of the moment but putting into print is a deliberate and considered act. As Director of Eastbourne Speedway it is Ian's job to either proof read content in the programme or charge that to someone suitably PR savvy. Instead the statements are out there, the apologies are not and pitching that Cook is entitled to his opinion isn't really suitable given the scale of the insults dished out.

Going on results only it looked a better exercise for Plymouth. Saul Bulley beating both Gladiators reserves on the night and must be pressuring for a team place soon. Id never heard of Vicentin before last night but he put in some good scores and beat good riders so won't have done himself any harm i would think.

I have to admit that the points lowering is poorly considered and hasn't / won't work out how the bspa intended. Its a tough job promoting any league now with the disparity in standard between riders within a team and teams within a league and made even tougher by idiots who think condescending comments towards the league beneath them are justified. If Jon Cook had aimed the comments at the MSDL i would have understood as there are riders appearing in that league that are below the required standard to make a safe yet entertaining spectacle but he did not, he aimed fully at a lower paid league and belittled the riders, promoters & fans who support it.

I think the comments are not just an insult to the riders within the NL but also to the promotions attempting to keep their teams alive. Cook has basically said don't bother watching NL as the riders are no good and racing likewise. To generate a bit of publicity and gamesmanship between teams great, Eastbourne & Kent have done that very well over the past few seasons but to publicly slate opposing businesses is nothing short of desperation.

Distraction from the poor state of the track.

Whilst there are no bad ideas on saving the sport the UK will never compete with Poland in terms of team support. It is institutionalised in Poland plus most clubs have the support of the local councils (financially and otherwise) as opposed to the UK where its the total opposite and it takes immense amounts of work to keep tracks open. The vast majority of venues are open as either dual concerns or supported by backers who are prepared to lose a fortune. I would personally love to promote an individual event but have neither the time or backing at present to do so (plus it would probably have to sneak under another banner to avoid the anger of the current authorities who do everything to prevent progress).

Certainly doesn't sound like his comments are in the best interests of speedway to me? I certainly hope he issue a full and grovelling apology soon otherwise a suitable punishment would be to travel to every NL track (at his own expense) and apologies on the centre green .

This might come as a surprise but i agree with you i places. However its not just the NL where the standard is too spread out, the Championship also has 2 point riders out on track with 8/9/10 point averaged riders. The whole system needs a shake up to make an actual race to include all 4 riders and not two races in one. Im sure there will be a statto somewhere who can compare number of fallers? Yes there is the element of learning in the NL which can cause crashes by misadventure but that also adds to the unpredictable nature of it and is more entertaining than from the gate racing that can often pepper the updates of the higher leagues. My big issue is the slating of the league rather than the riders. A promoter can have his opinion on performances just like any other poster on here but to make broad sweeping unjustified statements is nothing short of Jon Cooks ignorance and rudeness.

My only disappointment is that i can only like the above once. Ive thought very similar for a long time and buried somewhere is an equivalent post. Qualifying rounds, differing levels, handicap races, sidecars whatever it takes make it razzle dazzle. Look at the X games and arena cross. They pack huge stadia and in reality is no more thrilling than speedway. 4 riders could go round a 100 meter circular track and make it entertaining if the abilities and bikes were matched. Bring back the pantomime villains, arm waving and just entertainment. If newbies go and think its alright they won't come back, if they attend and leave thinking its amazing they will return and will bring others.

Would think so especially with Paco moving up and Ash Morris dropping in at reserve, he must be looking forward to getting a bucket load of points.

"Ben also needs to realise that he has the potential to be a professional speedway rider and that's a very different animal to being a star in a League where half your opponents struggle to stay on, get their bikes to do four laps and in some cases can barely skid a bike. I've seen him have some terrific rides at this and Elite level so the talent is there. I don't think the NL comfort zone is doing him any good" The above is a quote by Eastbourne's Jon Cook. Delightful to see what he really thinks of the National League, a league that Eastbourne have just moved out of and that featured a lakeside team not so long ago. Nobody claims that NL riders are the finished article but i personally find the above comments incredibly rude towards everyone who competes in and follows the NL. Here's my quote back "You can stick your opinions and any club you have anything to do with now or in the future where it doesn't shine as you won't be getting one penny from me."

Completely agree that without those comments its a harsh but fair article about 2-3 riders struggling to make the step up in the sport. For the record Morley will but is taking his sweet time about it, Wood needs backers of Bickley's level to sort his kit but is a natural motorcyclist and Bowtell doesn't have the comfort of NL racing because he didn't land a team place. As for the comments about the NL they are frankly rude and vastly untrue, it does the sport no good to slate itself and there are as many fallers & mechanical issues in higher leagues as low. Jon Cook is welcome to keep away from the NL in my opinion as he made a right fist of it with Lakeside and didn't exactly do wonders at Championship level before burying the club. I hope for the supporters he is more successful this time but he won't be getting a pound from my pocket while he is anything to do with the club.

Are you able to post the whole quote so i can get context? Does seem like an absolutely mad comment from a man desperate for success in the first year in the league up. Don't forget where you came from as its quite possible the Eagles could be grovelling back there if they aren't careful.

Doing the Somerset vs Plymouth challenge. Not sure if Barker thinks he should not be racing that was just Redcars views of his off track issues.

In all fairness it was a Wilson masterclass that separated the two sides in the end. Every other rider scored their averages (bar Wood & Andrews who got +3 each so levelled themselves out). Because the Island is so large and requires so much shale it is often quite slick which is similar to Plymouth of recent weeks/months/years and any side based at the Devon track need to be good out the gates, there is an opinion that IOW is alright for non gaters as there are plenty of passing chances which is true to a point but a rider needs to be substantially faster to make a pass stick. Im not quite sure what the Plymouth side holds over IOW (probably belief) but winning on the Island is becoming a regular feature for them and with all great respect they are not the finest team in the league this year.

Having not seen the actual comment the jury is still out however a respected poster reported it as "need to stop playing big fish with amateurs in a league where riders struggle to complete 4 laps". If those were the words of Jon Cook he can officially go and bang everything he has to do with Speedway where the sun don't shine as far as im concerned as the only thing he will be getting from me from now on is grief....if the comments are in any way accurate if not then i will reconsider.

As said many times before Speedway isn't comparable to most sports. The action time vs cost is getting out of hand in some places. Sister sports like grasstrack are usually under £15 and for 40+ races, Stocks and bangers again far more races for the entry fee's. The fact is that the sport currently is competing with other amateur ventures but attempting to charge professional prices.

I hope the rumours about Eastbourne's horrible negative comments about the NL turn out to be just rumour as ive been lining up a couple of trips down to the Sussex track but if it is the case the current promotion will not see one penny from me.

Crikey i know i know he has played God with the rules but surely we can't start referring to Rob as such....and what would that make Buster???

Nothing worth reading......

Indeed and even the die hards are diminishing in number......5 years time "we dedicate that win to our supporters, all 20 of them"

Taking over where Kylmakorpi left off.....

Very difficult to argue with what you say there. Whilst there is constant bashing of "diluting the product" i feel the standard of riders on the track at the same time needs to be addressed. If all riders in a meeting had averages between 4 & 6/7 then the entertainment would be a lot higher than the current gulf between 2 & 10 pointers.

The major problem is that because the clanger was dropped in signing him at the start of the season it allowed the other decent 2.00 riders to be snapped up, the remaining are either not quite ready (but would benefit from the experience) or doing NL only and have deals sorted for next season already. Fortunately the limit goes up to 40 soon so will be 3 and a bit points available to replace Phillips with......lets see if that actually happens?