25yearfan

The 3rd Division in its many guises has survived since 1994, even in 1995 and 96 when it became the 2nd tier because the usual top 2 Leagues amalgamated and in 1998 when the League membership dropped to 5 tracks! The trouble in recent years has been the inclusion of ex top flight clubs that have had the extra clout to outcompete against the more grassroots clubs in the Division. But without the 3rd tier, these ex top flight clubs would have folded and indeed all of the others wouldn't be running. The ex top flight clubs, Birmingham, Eastbourne and Coventry need competitive teams in order to attract viable crowds. My local NL team Mildenhall are in the same boat as well cause you'd lose half the regular crowd at West Row with a poor team. Plymouth and IoW struggle to attract riders because of their locations and Buxton is run on a shoe string budget so lose potential riders to wealthier clubs. Kent are competitive and viable, Belle Vue are the only remaining "reserve team" from a higher League track left in the NL and seem to do OK. Stoke with its middle of the Country location, decent shaped track and Saturday race night should be in a good position to be highly competitive but the dreadfully poor way its run means that's not the case and that place has been in sharp decline ever since they left the 2nd tier which was before the above mentioned 3 ex top flight clubs dropped down. Another concern of mine is the lack of 2nd half's at many tracks which results in less opportunities for riders trying to make their way! Whilst we are in tricky times (when hasn't British speedway been in tricky times in the last 36 years?) I'm sure the bottom Division will continue to exist!

Bob Dugard made a massive contribution to speedway over the years like the Dugard family overall! Without him speedway would of finished at Eastbourne a long time ago!

I don't doubt for 1 second that Tony had immense pressure on him because of his fathers success and never said otherwise in my post! Still say he was given more chances than others would have been given!

Tony Briggs had ability and I think could of made a decent League rider but I feel he was a bit over rated and given opportunities others at the same level wouldn't have done cause of his father!

I think it may have been a grasstrack meeting on the old County Ground track, hence why it was called "speedtrack"? If it was the case then I'm sure theres guys/gals around that rode in it if it did take place?

The Groveway struggled on for 10 years until 1988. The Groveway lasted until the late 90's I think? Had Milton Keyenes speedway been viable there they'd of stayed on there after 1988. When you delve into it, it was amazing they lasted 10 years there given it struggled for most of them 10 years! Hopefully speedway will return to Brafield and it will hold its own, in the NL!

Yes your right the Brummies closed in 1984 cause they lost their home the old Perry Bar greyhound track and yes they were very viable there! I'm referring to their 2 season 2nd Division spell at Bordesley Green in 1985-86, a venue that would have been better suited to 3rd Division racing. Had Bordesley Green been viable they'd of lasted longer than 2 seasons there and in fact would likely still be there now cause the track and stadium still exists!

Mildenhalls small but rides like a big track cause you don't have turn the bike so hard. As an East Anglian I prefer watching speedway at Mildenhall than both Ipswich and King's Lynn! Eastbourne is a trick track cause you have to turn your bike hard and can't drift to wide cause you son run out of room. This gives a big advantage in the NL with inexperienced riders who find turning hard while trying to go fast often difficult!

Milton Keynes got a few decent crowds in 1978 when they first opened but from then until 1992 it was an uphill struggle with mainly below breakeven crowds. Had it not been for the old Eldfield Park training track being nearby, Milton Keynes speedway would of probably finished in 1988 when they left their original home at the Groveway stadium. The Exeter promotion were the last lot to try and make a go of Milton Keynes speedway and that resulted in the final closure in mid 1992 and caused Exeter problems like having to ofload No 1 Tony Olsson to Ipswich in order to balance the books! That said Milton Keynes is one of a handful of struggling early 80's teams (which also include Boston, Birmingham, Scunthorpe, Workington, Barrow, Ellesmere Port) who could of done with a 3rd Division being formed in the early 80's which could of prevented their demise much in the same way that mostof the current NL teams owe their continued existence to the 3rd tier. I'm sure training tracks like Iwade and Felton at the time could of also ran in a 3rd Division together with the above tracks, reserve teams from higher League outfits and other possible new tracks tempted by a lower cost League to make a decent sized 3rd Division. There certainly was enough riders about in them days. 1992's a long time ago now so I think a Northampton "Knights" National League team at Brafield could be viable. But I think for any new tracks coming into the NL, especially in areas where speedway struggled to create a foothold previously some of the current NL big guns like Birmingham (should be in the 2nd Division), Coventry, Cradley (both Coventry and Cradley wouldn't be in the NL if they had their own stadiums), Kent (I feel Kent have gone stale in the NL and would create more local interest by moving into the Championship)and Eastbourne (again like Kent would create more interest by moving up) would have to go into a more suitable higher Division.

I hope Stoke speedway sorts itself out cause it is on the slippery slope to oblivion how things are being run at the moment. No one wants to see Stoke speedway close as much as we don't want to see a rider getting seriously maimed for life or worse so changes are needed! A properly run Stoke speedway with money spent on improving the facilities could be viable at 2nd tier level cause many of the stay away fans would return! This will only happen when a different promotion to the current Dave Tattum set up is running the Potters!

Kelvin Mullarky was one of the great characters of British speedway of the 1970's and 80's! His confrontational, loud, aggressive personality which was a bit of a front cause Kelvin wasn't really like that, often overshadowed the fact he was a decent speedway rider! I always felt he could have established himself as a middle order top flight rider had he wanted to but Kelvin seemed happy to be a bigger fish in the National League where his antics would be more appreciated! Got to be one of Rye House Rockets greatest ever riders! I recall him coming out of retirement after initially finishing at Rye after the 1985 season, at Mildenhall then back at Rye House again in the late 80's and did he make a few appearances for Rye House in 1990? Kelvin had to of been one of the last riders in the top 2 Leagues that wore the old style 1970's grey monkey mask?

A shale track would surely increase the chances of speedway returning to Brafield?

I didn't know about Kemps seat break, terrific prospect and very tenacious as his overtake while leaving the track last Sunday at Mildenhall proves! Yes the crowd was down on normal Foxhall levels. I'm afraid the days of even above average crowds for individual meetings are gone even at a better supported track like Ipswich! Smaller crowd levels are more noticeable at Foxhall because it is still a decent sized stadium. Thursdays crowd at Mildenhall would look larger because of the smaller stadium!

Interesting meeting though the difference in standard over the 16 riders was vast! Bickley was miles ahead of anyone else and looks like a "freak of nature" in that he is so talented and quick. If he keeps progressing as he has done so far he could become a serious contender for the World champs in the future. I think even if he'd of been against the Ipswich Witches he'd have still scored heavily! Brennan was very impressive and fast. Flint looks very talented for such a young age. Thomas and Lawlor were quick and have potential. For all the publicity he has had, Bickley disappointed me as he wasn't that quick although he has a neat style. Hes certainly not ready for 2nd Division racing yet and has a lot of improving to do to live up with all the hype. Drew Kemp looks a superb talent and very hungry to do well. His fall was probably due to over trying! Hampshire and Halder look to have potential to improve. Brooks is amazing on grasstrack but wasn't fast at Ipswich but its still early days! I'd say only 6 -7 riders at most on show on Thursday will make it as top 2 Division riders. As for the pricing, there was justification to charge less, like £10 for adults but would the reduced price have brought that many extra people into make up for the £5 drop? - Probably not I'd say as recent years have proved at Ipswich and most other tracks that casual and regular fans aren't interested in anything other than official League meetings!

Good luck Brett Saunders! An exciting, all action rider as I remember! One of the few riders I've seen hit the stock car fence at Ipswich on the 1st bend, back in 1989/90 in the Witches National League (1970's/-1990 2nd Division NL version!) days after going through the collapsible wooden fence on the inside speedway fence. I believe he hurt himself badly in that one and had to have an organ removed.

One, if not the greatest rider speedway has ever seen! Not the most naturally talented but his desire, commitment, work ethic and overall attitude was far, far superior to anyone elses! Todays ultra professionalism was started by Ivan Mauger!

Its a difficult question to answer! Last season I felt their were to many matches in the 2nd Division especially when riding teams twice at home and away. The novelty of seeing teams twice over wears of. It OK in a big League where you see most teams only once. Anyway most tracks don't run individual or challenge matches nowadays because people don't support them. At Ipswich which I suspect must be in the top 5-6 best supported tracks in the Country, they used to run the Star of Anglia and 16 lapper individuals as well as challenge matches but don't do any now. Look abroad, where in Sweden they run less meetings but get bigger crowds. In Poland again they have less meetings and much bigger crowds. Even in Poland which is the best attended speedway nation in the World, non League meetings aren't well attended! On the weather question, this spring so far has been horrendous weather wise and running substandard meetings in poor conditions aren't good for the sport because those attending get wet and fed up while many most don't bother attending at all!

Interesting photos! What became of the speedway track in Leningrad?

Great response thought not at all surprising! Trouble is we've been here before at Cradley where despite near total opposition to the redevelopment plans eventually the developers win the fight unfortunately! Not holding much hope but you never know!

Vaclav Verner couldn't have been no older than early 70's? Shock to me cause he always seemed such a healthy. fit bloke! Amazing to watch at Exeter and I well remember the Czech tours of the early 70's on the 2nd Division tracks where he made a massive impression with his daredevil riding! Was still a force on track in the early 90's!

Unorthodox riding style due to his tall height but he was a very good 2nd Division heatleader while with Eastbourne in the late 80's! Yes he was the winner of the notorious unlicensed junior meeting at Hevingham near Norwich on a cold lunchtime just after Christmas in 1976 in front of over 2000 fans! Still convinced had this venue got the go ahead it would still be in operation now and very likely in the top Division cause the support levels in the Norwich area were good and would of seen the venue develop into a bonafide stadium!

Great work by the IoW promotion since their rebirth although I still and will always maintain that "Islanders" is such a better nickname (because it is original and can only be associated with an Island team of which the IoW are the only one!)than the "Warriors" which has been around for donkeys years when I believe Wigan were called that! Back to the main subject point - Len Silver is one of the all time greats and still continues to produce the goods at Kent. OK he is cantankerous, thinks he's always right and doesn't accept others opinions, but I'm sure Kent speedway would be worse of without his input! That said, Kent speedway will sooner rather than later have big decisions to make cause with their healthy support and impressive facilities, the clamour for the Kings to operate at a higher level has already begun so eventually in order to maintain interest, avoiding going stale (like Rye House did under Uncle Len), they will have to move up a level!

If you was going to lay money on one rider injuring himself in this way, you'd of put it on Josh Bates. That said how many thousands of youngsters have been messing about on sledges this week? I remember messing about with ice skates in 1963 which was a much worse spell than this current bad one!

Kai Niemi for me! Rode in the British League for 15 years from the mid 70's to early 90's when nearly all the Worlds top riders competed in it when it was the World toughest speedway League and for many of them years had averages of 6+. Rode in a number of World Finals pre the GP years when you had to qualify on merit rather than wildcards. Also must be noted that Niemi had to get through the notoriously hard Nordic final then the Inter Continental final which often had a stronger line up than the final itself. At Bradford in 1985 he was in the top 6 scorers!

The vast majority of professional football clubs in this Country run at a loss and that includes the big clubs! Iconic sports venues like Coventry speedway should have preservation orders put on them preventing them being demolished! The fact that their are parties who would take on the stadium and reopen it regardless of profit or loss margins speaks for itself. Anyway, has the Stadium been a burden on the Local or National tax payers? I'd suggest that the stadium has increased the local economy and gave a few jobs to locals! While I've got nothing against Mick Horton and appreciate that running a British speedway track in modern times isn't easy, Chris Harris' pretty damning assessment of him in this weeks speedway star says as much as you need to know about him!