Sings4Speedway

Would be the only way to ensure he actually arrives for a match at Edinburgh .......

I think Kent are hoping for the usual mass turn outs on the bank holiday meetings. pack in £1000+ for these at £15 a head for NL and they will be in a strong position, get a rain off on either of these and there could be trouble. Kent have returned a profit every year so know the total footfall they need across a season to make it pay. I just hope that widening the gulf in class in leagues so drastically for just a £3 difference could see very small crowds at Kent especially at the end of the season.

The financials aren't the issue its the feeling of value for money. Throw in making a bit of a day out rather than a midweek rush and the temptation to venture further afield grows stronger. I still may pop by for some CL meetings if the earlier reports of meetings are good.

As im already tarred as too negative it won't matter. £15 for this level of NDL is a pi$$ take and i will be taking my money to Eastbourne / Mildenhall

From more recent memory didn't jawa release a demo DOHC engine that was being backed by Sam Ermolenko? All went quiet after they were found to be wildly oversized?

Ok in my opinion a successful and entertaining NDL has been a far better value product than the CL for the past few seasons. The rules imposed widen the gap between the two leagues and by weakening the NDL more hides the fact that the CL has been diluted also. You have your opinion on the Visa situation and i have mine. I know of plenty of riders who were/have been signed and have the accommodation, basic salary and extras supplied as part of the requirements of their Visa. Not saying that accommodations may not have been basic (small flats/caravans) but they are still a paid for roof over the riders head. I have been a huge advocate of the NL and lower development leagues for a long time and recent decisions have left me very disillusioned with the sport as a whole. I wish i could see things with a far more rose tinted view but it isn't that simple despite having the simplest format for a sport going. Put 4 similarly talented riders on a half decent track and the happiness will follow. Put 4 riders of vastly differing abilities out at the same time and you won't be entertained whatever the league level may be.

Kent probably have the best 1&5 combination in the league but that is largely where the excitement ends. I think the disjointed fixture list seeing just 5 matches until the end of July and then 8 in the space of a month between late August and late September will be telling. If the riders can get sharp elsewhere the team could be ok but if the riders are race rusty this team could take a few hammerings and hurt the reputation of both rider and club.

Nah sitting around and listening to people moan all day sounds very tedious Yes i am upset, disappointed, saddened, angry about the decisions that have been made and the BS spin that has been served up with it. In a couple of years when all the four leagues are flourishing i will happily congratulate the board for their superior forethought. If as i suspect there is only two and a bit leagues left i hope others acknowledge that writing has been on the wall for a while.

Yes you must no place for positives here. The opportunities did exist in previous seasons and was run as the MDL/MSDL. Second half races run under the same format that did allow up to two NL level riders per team, hardly any took up the opportunity due to the fact it was an unpaid ride and the possibility of being beaten by those after their place. It ran very successfully driven by the hard work of very under valued volunteers until the ghost team ruling was passed thus driving out most competing teams and paving the way for this re-brand / claimed new event (all hail the BSPL). Five of the six PL teams have entered development league sides previously and all withdrew the level of support to these competitions. I see no reason why they simply couldn't have entered teams into an existing league and possibly created North/South groups from that if the travelling was a genuine concern? I would be delighted to be proven wrong and that this is all for the benefit of the sport with zero self serving interests but i fear this is just another step to pave the way for a final destruction of the current NL as we knew it.

The NDL has been threatening the higher leagues for ages in that it did deliver entertaining racing at a price that was relatively affordable. The paying public were able to see riders learn and develop and form an affinity with British riders rather than watch fortunes paid out to overseas mercenaries that blight the higher divisions. The wages for most clubs were entirely sustainable and indeed Kent declared a profit every season it ran at NL and IOW always maintained that break even was the minimum requirement. Yes the rates have crept up and theres no hardship giving them a bit of a trim but the imposed rules are to solely benefit the CL. The CL want reserves on £40-50 a point but are happy to pay massive guarantees to washed up PL double downers and throw plenty of funds at the visa requirements of unproven riders. It would certainly be interesting to see how much a 4 point Brit would improve over a season if they were given a base salary, accommodation and all the other frills that goes to non eu riders. The NDL was a sustainable product hence why several clubs dropped down to regroup after experiencing financial difficulties and ironically (or pre planned) the lower grade product will be a much harder sell to the paying public compared to the CL.....a coincidence? i think not.

Sunny night usually leads to a delay as the sun sets on the wrong part of the track.....currently the junior riders are easily dismissed as they are riders without team places the new setup appears to be utilising riders who have NL places so these will be far less quiet about any cancellations are far less likely to return (or indeed lure there midweek in the first place)

Genuine question(s) and not wishing to stir just know. Did the Comets go into administration or just opt out of running due to finances and stadium issues? The reason i ask is that its not always a straight forward to bring teams back that have folded otherwise half of the promotions would be trying the same trick and starting up under another name. I guess there is absolutely no reason why the Northside Comets couldn't operate out of a new venue.

Without the nomad teams i feel its highly unlikely to run at anywhere near the levels it once did. In less than 10 years it has gone from a league of 10+ to 2. As for the PJL it just reeks of a demo for the new national league, 1 & 2 star grade riders getting 3 rides after a higher tier meeting. The board have seen the NL as a threat and are closing it down piece by piece just like they have with the MSDL.

Certainly sounds like a way of bolstering the shortfall in rides for the lower starred NL riders who have very few meetings already. That said i can't see even those turning up and racing in a second half for nothing. Nothing says closed shop like offering rides to riders who already have team places but it will at least give the chance to trial the new NL formats.

Its cost cutting pure and simple driven because CL clubs "cannot afford" the wage demands of riders wanting to move up but they are very happy to chuck silly money at PL double downers and end of career former world level riders. Imposing a sensible and workable wage cap on the NL is fair enough but the same should be put in place for the top of the CL too. The promotions only want cannon fodder on the cheap at the bottom end to free up more cash for the high rollers. Thus the introduction of the cheap rising star scheme.

I quite agree the issue being the level of improvement required to be quantified a successful. Should the mentioned Mulford or Clouting beat all the other reserves and second strings consistently this season then yes i would say that is a solid and achievable improvement. However there is still likely to be a big jump from that level to competing with the heat leaders who are also riding in the CL. Clouting has a great style but now needs some additional speed to go with it and Mulford although talented still has a way to go to join the ranks of successful grasstrack crossovers and is only just cutting his teeth in the 500cc class of that discipline. Time will tell for both riders.

I would think (but im sure details will be released as things progress) that speedway meetings can be held as IOW will remain members of the ACU & SCB and only withdrew from the BSPL mafia but as stated there have been several other events held under different banners/names (dirt track spins to mind) but i would be surprised if isn't the header used as the BSPL don't own the rights to that name. Again there might be a petty attempt to prevent any riders who are under the jurisdiction of the BSPL from competing but i would hope that a public rejection of this will suffice as there is no legal cases to be brought and they would do the sport no favours anyway. "in the best interests of the sport" the more opportunities for bikes to be on tracks the better whatever banner it may operate under. One thing for certain is that the IOW team know how to put on a show and now they have a blank canvas to work with may the speedway circus begin.

Definitely feel like Ash Morris has missed out once again. Wright could easily be the signing of the season, he still looks darn quick on two wheels, the only real question mark is how he will mix it in a tough first corner but if he can pick himself up from the dirt a couple of times with no major aches then he should do fine.

BWD is a nice enough lad but he has only changed his mind because of the dollary-doos. Demands for equipment will either be high or he will arrive with sub-standard gear. Guarantees are dangerous deals as many have taken clubs to the cleaners with minimal effort. I hope im wildly wrong but i would hate to see Brum in trouble again out of desperation to get a decent number 1 to bolster a very average side.

The mantra used to be that if you were in because you were good enough, if you didn't get a team place then you had to go out and beat all the riders in the pecking order ahead of you to secure that place. Thats how the standard of riders was maintained sadly now the ethos has shifted onto if you are young enough we will give you a go, some of you will likely make it (partially because you will be beating riders who are not ready) and then the mafia can pat themselves on the back because we have 'unearthed' a rider with a little promise and brand heap them with pressure about becoming the next world champion.......

Sadly the difference in standard has occurred in two ways. One is that the gulf between heat leaders and the rest is getting very wide and it will take special riders like Gilkes to bridge that gap but for the most part there will be a stark difference in ability on track at the same time. Two is that building a decent team to the limit can be done if known about but only by a couple of teams. Kent had a much better team before the rule change than after it and the points difference is only 0.26. Easbourne have been able to pick up the pieces of the IOW and Plymouth sides along with a local number 1 and build a side thats easier to pay to watch but it will still be a hard sell if the opposition isn't putting up much of a fight. Oh and no major disrespect to the lads but this top 5 isn't a patch on the class of 2016.

I think the bank holiday fixtures will probably sustain the season and should bring bumper crowds as usual but a fixture list with one home match a month for the Royals will struggle to gain any momentum before packing 3 fixtures into 4 weeks in September. If things have gone well for either side the numbers could be ok but if there is little to play for on the final matches it could be futurama level crowds.

Whilst you are entirely right that costs shouldn't be covered there has to be a level of subsidising to make a NDL place worth it. The current proposed differences between amateur events and the NDL is that at amateur events its pay to ride but with the option to choose when and where you ride (within reason of operating tracks) vs small points monies, fuel contribution but told when and where you must ride. With the midweek matches, loss of earning etc i can see that some will be viewing a crack at league racing just not worth it.

Thats sadly where the sport at this level is going to see an even greater divide and even more natural ability will be lost. We already face a time where there is GP level equipment available and used in the NL for thos with deep pockets whilst others will struggle to pay for the tyre, a reserve who gets all 4 rides and pockets a point a time would be having a decent emerging season and yet won't even cover the rubber burnt

I think this Lions team is one of two that could trouble Eastbourne for both the league and at Arlington. As stated Lawlor may not be the hottest number 1 in the league but when applied he can mix it with many of them. The Thompsons re on false averages and are going to be getting loads of track time at a higher level which will only bring them on. The weakness is that neither reserve is proven at this level and with a few teams built to always have at least one strong rider at 7 unless one really kicks on i think that is where the difference between 1st and more likely 3rd occurs.