Sings4Speedway

Technik doesn't want it all for nothing and has never claimed to. The point raised was that the streams are in their infancy and some of the reliability issues are yet to be smoothed out which may cause some people to consider if its worth the gamble or not? Would anyone attend the cinema to watch a film if there was a chance that it might freeze for 10 minutes, have a section with iffy sound and then cut off the ending? Obviously the streams are not that bad but there is still the possibility. Clubs won't be able to continue with the streams once normal attendance figures are allowed and indeed they would then be creating competition to their own product. Enjoy them whilst they are around and show your support to the updates once you return to using them.

Ive been watching Brennan, Rowe and Thompsons for a good number of years when they were hacking round doing laps after meetings (the miles Del & Anders put in was mind blowing). The Thompsons could utilise Leicester, Coventry and Brum often in the same week without quite such brutal travel and obviously Brennan had plenty of local track access. Plain & Flint ive seen a bit less of so 6-8 times each and there are others coming up through the ranks who will soon be joining them like Max James and Luke Harrison.

Given that the update service has been a huge assistance to many across the country for many years and all done entirely by volunteers i think that any attack on it and the great people who have helped is morally wrong. I also don't believe that the two are in competition. Someone will stream or watch the updates or neither. If someone has chosen to not pay the streaming fee i hugely doubt the reason is because someone trackside is sending through a 1-2 line update of the race details.

but surely by mentioning that these names will be tearing it up across Europe in a few years rather than plying their trade in the UK shows the big issues in the sport in the UK and as a whole? Also as a side note i don't buy the clubs nurturing these riders, yes credit can be given to clubs who take a chance on a rider without credentials and they turn into something but all those listed above could have their pick of teams and the only reason the clubs are interested is to their own benefit. They were nurtured by their dedicated families and support networks who put all the miles in when they were starting out.

Rider numbers have been rattling around for years and as stated is a hangover from moto x and grasstrack where a rider chooses thier own (unless someone else has nabbed it first). It gained speedway once formula 1 allowed drivers to use thier own numbers rather than allocate down the grid based on last seasons finishing order. The same then came into the GPs with Smolinski and Hancock pushing for individual numbers to help develop a brand e.g CC111 (with the added bonus that there is no questioning the text when someone has Cook written across thier hat)

I fear you are right. Kent have lost heavily on the road each time and only beaten a below average Plymouth side at home. At least 1 RR ride will be thrown at the number 8 but at least it saves giving it to Hurry who sadly unlike other returning veterans has been a shadow of his former self. 3 heat leaders to 1 should set the tone of this one but if any of Kents tail do something positive then the Pirates might not hit 60.

Everybody is entitled to their differing views on what Speedway should offer that is one of the things that makes it great and also one of the reasons why its currently in such a mess. The fixture list is likely not how Martin & Barry want it either but given the short notice and restrictions they have faced it looks decent enough to me and great to action on track this year which hopefully means in years to come also. If you fancy a Speedway reset give the Handicap meeting a try as it guarantees interesting racing in every heat.

Hopeful yes but my big fear is that the cruel world of Speedway will ensure none of those things happen

Can't argue with that, although i wouldn't limit it to just the NDL. The league has served and saved several teams over the years and could well be the case again in the near future. Unfortunately sanctions imposed upon the league to enable the doubling up are also contributing to its destruction.

If the NL was running at crowds of 250 the sport would have been dead long ago. Stoke and Kings Lynn were operating at those numbers at the end but Kent ran 700+ most weeks, Mildenhall always had good crowds even IOW out of summer holidays would beat that figure. The NL is far better supported than you give credit. Yes i accept that the double upping teams can struggle to generate interest but you would be surprised how many would convert for £10 speedway and why many of the top flight clubs want to keep the NL down.

It can be done providing the points monies don't get away from clubs again. But £15 on the gate (too steep but its happening), circa 600 crowd = £9k. £25 per point average across a team, decent team getting 50 points home and away = £2.5k. That leaves £6500 of leftovers. Yes there is then travelling costs, insurances, rent, medical etc but there is still a little meat left on the bone at those figures. The prime juggling act is how to get gate costs down / attendance up to balance each other out then the atmosphere is better etc. Get the points money down to £20 per point (and there are plenty of NL riders who would happily rider for that) and sustainability can occur. Sadly it only takes one or two clubs to buckle and throw silly money at riders and the whole thing collapses again.

Some promotions are in charge, others don't have a voice or vote on the product that they are trying to sell to the public whilst others are pulling the strings and forcing changes onto others. I wish that Speedway was a bloodline sport, that it appealed to the masses and people attended however their team was performing (although lets not cloud facts that football fans are just happy to turn up, they too are looking for a certain standard and complain royally if that is not achieved). The problem is that many of those 'on here' were regular attending fans but have been driven away for a number of reasons and there is almost nothing done to entice them back. Calls of use it or lose it don't matter to those who already think its over priced, strung out, mixed quality racing. They have already made up their minds that they can live without. There is no one size fits all and until the powers that be realise that the sport will keep sinking

Sadly the sport has been split into multiple camps for a while now with supporters of teams and supporters of the sport. These often want quite different outcomes in a match. Throw in the mixed/forced race nights and formats and its no wonder that interest is dwindling. Decisions by a few and dictated to the masses just isn't going to keep every team afloat and in some areas it just may not be sustainable at any level to run speedway. We have X UK tracks, Y UK teams and very few of them want to run the same way and yet they are all forced into doing so.

I feel for Newcastle i really do. The current season is a bust and is about avoiding losing bucket loads of money and being able to come to the tapes again in 2022. If they do get to the tapes in 2022 the team assembly will be on the back foot because they don't have the financial clout of other teams which has been further hampered by this season. There is the dwindling fans numbers due to multiple reasons and then that will largely dictate the budget available for team building next year. Until the cycle can be broken it feels like repeated iffy times for the Diamonds

Fingers crossed that those riders with Island connections make the first leap. Plenty of ex Warriors and away riders who made the most of the extra laps available to them. Will only take a brave few to get the ball rolling. Just hope riders remember those who have provided opportunities to them in the past.

This is very true and Berwicks results thus far have exceeded all my expectations. The bullets have put themselves in with a strong chance of being at or near the top come the end of season but the loss of Leon and strong teams still to face i fear that mid table beckons.

Think he gave up again after the failed comeback. Whilst i never liked him pre leg break it was sad to see him unable to move properly on the bike after.

Being at reserve illustrates that Harris' time as a top flight rider is almost over. In all those years he still hasn't cracked bike setup, reliability or modern fitness.

Shame for Berwick that the replacement is 4 points below the outgoing rider and feel like it ends any outside chances of Berwick being at the sharp end of the season. Dont have any outstanding memories of Crang being that good a rider but he did hit over 6 in tougher times so good luck to him on his return and it could have been worse as i was fearing Luke Chessell.

and do Brum want it to be replayed? I know its not fan friendly to admit defeat but might make some financial sense to let it go and focus on the league campaign?

Apologies i forgot its the exciting PL where the "same" teams race each other 4 times

Or wait for those who do sign up to it to blab the "secret" news in minutes which is what i do. There's also a big hint on the Kent website....

Royals have one imminently....

Whilst i agree with that i do wish there was a minimum standard for the Prem (i.e achieved CL average) which was briefly one of the sensible rules brought in only to be dropped again.

Quick count shows 10 Wolves matches left plus play offs. I can't fault his ambition and its a wise move when his form is currently on the crest of a wave and long may it continue. Getting a chance in a winning team isn't something that comes around all that often (nobody say once a season!)