25yearfan

In effect they did destroy it cause the Midland development League was running very well at the time. I agree with the sentiment that "ghost" teams aren't ideal but unfortunately in modern times British speedway is in no ideal state so if any "ghost" team can spark a possible reopening of a track in the "ghost" teams area in the same way that Rye House, Scunthorpe and Oxford reopened their own tracks after "ghost" teams using their name rode in meetings on other tracks then surely thats a good thing?

Kent got in a spot of bother with the BSPL cause the track they rent, Iwade tried to stage a NORA meeting which I believe had nothing to do with the Kent promotion. Therefore I hear they are looking towards the NORA set up next season and leaving the BSPL umbrella? Mildenhalls problem is that when a heavy grippy track surface occurs on their West Row track the inexperienced nature of most riders at NDL level who aren't used to grippy tracks means that crashes are inevitable. The last meeting against Leicester in the cup final was raced on a grippy surface cause of the time of the year. I commented at the meeting that had this been a higher League meeting most of the crashes wouldn't have happened and the more experienced riders would of relished the conditions. Like a previous poster hints upon, Mildenhalls track gets an unfair repututation because of the above reasons.

100% but another reason the BSPL destroyed it was because it was successful. The still born Premiership Junior League is still very painful to mention.

Fair enough iainb but you say that as a Leicester fan presumably? Ask Mildenhall fans about the virtues of the 3rd Division cause without the 3rd tier Mildenhall speedway wouldn't exist.

Agree with all of that but I'd be wary of retaining Hume cause like you say he doesn't look like he can improve further, I think cause he already over rides which accounts for his far too many falls and he hasn't the ability to ever be sustainable on technical tracks where you have to turn your bike harder in the corners. Rew considering he overcome a serious injury last winter, is very young, competed well in the SGP2 and it was his first ever season in the UK showed enough promise to suggest there's much more to come so is worth another chance next season. If Doyle and Sayfudinov both return then inevitably this will require low averaged riders at the bottom end which is likely to result in a long tail something which was the downfall this season.

I think the 1960's to early 80's British speedway set up of 13 heats with a 2nd half including novice races was a great set up cause many riders cut their teeth this way. I know that most of the crowd would leave but personally I found many ordinary matches were made more interesting by seeing local novices trying to make their way in the sport after the main event. With regards to the NDL, British speedways 3rd Division, it has to be retained because since its inception in 1994 it has been one of the best things to happen to the sport. Countless numbers of riders have learned their trade at this level in a proper League set up something they would have been ready for at a higher level. Also like in the case of Workingtons reopening this season this lower cost League has enabled new venues. reopened venues and current tracks struggling to make it pay in the higher professional Leagues pay a platform to operate in. - Would Workington Northside have gone straight into the Championship without the safety net of the NDL to run in before? Birmingham and Eastbourne in recent years needed to drop into the 3rd tier in order to keep running. The likes of Mildenhall, Stoke, Somerset, St Austell, Kent, Linlithgow, Rye House, Buxton, Carmarthen, Scunthorpe, Plymouth, Wimbledon, Arena Essex, Skegness, Weymouth and Berwick only opened or reopened because of the existence of the lower cost 3rd Division. Many of these tracks went onto move into the higher Leagues keeping team levels up to a sustainable level. Looking at all the above facts disbanding the 3rd Division, the NDL in its current guise would be a negative move cause the gentler introduction into the sport for new tracks and new riders would not be there which would seriously hinder future existence of the sport in the UK.

Where has it been said that Rye House is lost for good where speedways concerned? Harlow greyhound stadium has been investigated as a potential speedway venue more than once I believe but while the more suitable and nearby Rye House remains in its current guise then that remains the best bet to get speedway back in that part of the world. The current Rye House lease holders shenanighans over the last few years have only helped to strengthen the argument that the venue is best suited as a speedway track! Rye House only closed because it was a well supported Saturday night track that was forced to run midweek cause of the set racenights which cut their crowd levels to a third of what they were on Saturdays. Rye House if ran properly in the 2nd tier racing on a Saturday night would in my opinion be sufficiently supported and the current lack of a track near the "big smoke" would make it even more appealing. Also the generous planning restrictions means that the speedway operation could be subsidised by practise sessions/ amateur meetings and private track hire in a similar way to how Scunthorpe is. - Indeed it could serve as a National training centre for the South much like it used to do in the decades before they joined the 2nd Division in 1974. Brafired would make a good 3rd tier venue, it probably would need to start at that level to test whether it would be able to attract viable crowd levels. - Another good reason to retain the 3rd Division. But opening the venue in the top flight just to keep numbers up would be a very expensive foolhardy move I suspect cause the promotion would need crowds of 1000+ to make it viable in an area that hasn't staged speedway since the 1960's and not the far of Milton Keynes speedway struggled to get sustainable crowds during their 14 year existence in an era when the sport was better supported. Existing established tracks that have been operating for years struggle to get viable crowds.

Spedeworth need speedway at Foxhall to make the venue financially viable and I believe have a decent relationship with the MIldenhall speedway promotion at West Row Stadium which they either own or have the lease for. Brafield raceway was shaled over a few years back and staged speedway in the 50's and 60's. I always wondered why this venue was never opened up in the late 60's and early 70's when the success and viability of the new 2nd Division saw many would be (and already existing ) promotors look at all sorts of different venues and locations to run a 2nd tier team out of? Spedeworth are only tenants at Great Yarmouth but the owners aren't against speedway indeed they are the same family who owned it when speedway was staged there in the 40's - 60's and former Bloaters rider Billy Bales opened the new restaurant there about a decade ago. - That said the track would be extremely small and the speedway closed there in 1961 cause they could only get a viable crowd in the holiday period. Hednesford did stage a few open meetings and speedway practise sessions after the war so would it qualify as a new speedway venue? - Not far out of the Birmingham/Black Country conurbation speedway hotbed which is just about to lose another track in Wolves. Could this venue work as a speedway venue? I hope Phil Morris' words of hope about a new track bear fruition!

First League rides in 1970, last ones in 1994, a number 1 for many of them seasons, World number 2 in 1978! Gordon Kennett had one hell of a career so legendary status is very justified!

Absolutely shocking that Perry Bar Stadium should be demolished and turned into accomodation cause the Commonwealth games village is sitting empty when it was designed to utilised as permanent living quarters! But of course as we know money talks! As for Alexander stadium, it sounds like a long shot but surely Nigel Tolley is privy to more information than us keyboard warriors on here?!

My post only replicated my instant gut reaction after the incident! - I could be wrong but I've learnt over the years that your gut reaction is normally not far off the truth!

I thought the ref made the wrong decision in the King crash! Klindt was in front so was entitled to choose his racing line, King (fairplay for the effort) was trying to go through a gap that wasn't there!

Tru!(e) as many know who the money man is there who subsidises the club but still this helps Louis to run Ipswich speedway at a profit.

Though I suspect the profitable speedway clubs in the UK can be counted up on one hand.

I bet Chris Louis doesn't lose money running Ipswich! - He wouldn't do it if it lost money!

Which is why one shouldn't go overboard when criticising those that do! I haven't got a high opinion of Keith "Buster" Chapman (slimy second hand car salesman who tells a lot of lies springs to mind! ) as a person with good reason but he's put a lot of his money and time into speedway since he first bailed out King's Lynn 31 years ago in 1992 and he is a genuine speedway enthusiast. Most people on this forum wouldn't be able to do what he has done in speedway so while its looks like his time in the sport has run its course and hes made mistakes like anyone does he should be given credit for the positive things he's done in speedway, a sport which only an absolute diehard would invest money into!

Very true sadly! For a bloke who was one of the best on the planet in his prime, to now see him getting beaten by inexperienced reserves and has obviously lost his nerve is not nice to watch. It looks very possible that this might not be the last season at the Showground? - Fingers crossed!

A Norwich Stars, Yarmouth Bloaters and Norfolk speedway legend! A very good innings for a very interesting life!

Ask fans of defunct clubs and they'll tell you to be careful of what you wish for!

You could say that about almost every football club, Rugby club and (obviously) speedway club in the Country!

Rew was almost certainly always going to be a work in progress project whereby he needs to be given this season to get acclimatised as long as hes shown signs of improvement and potential to be competitiveness which he has. King doesn't score enough as a 3rd heatleader for a team with serious title ambitions but its hard to see who they could get who would come in and start doing better. Big mistake replacing one Thompson for the other because while Dans a step from Joe your only talking about an upgrade of 3pts a meeting on a good day. There were better options out there like Bailey, Rowe and local lad Kemp. While I understand why Louis may have reservations about Kemp cause we all do with his attitude and lack of aggression in tight situations he'd of almost certainly scored better than Dan Thompson.

The only 2 tracks out of them that directly shut as a result of low crowds were Newcastle and Eastbourne. With no planning application yet to be put in for the East of England Showground is there any chance of speedway taking place there next season and maybe even somebody buying the stadium so it remains in situ? - Cause with the leisure facilities planned for the EoES site surely keeping the stadium would only benefit such plans?

If you talked to riders from the 60's a lot of them struggled when the pudding basin helmets were replaced by open faced helmets that went right round the side and over the ears because they couldn't hear as well! - I still recall seeing a few riders with pudding basin helmets in the early 70;s, when did these get outlawed? Dave Jessup rode one meeting for Mildenhall at Wimbledon in 1988 which was his final one and he was still wearing a monkey mask. I'm not sure if he ever did wear a full faced helmet, the only time may have been when he was sponsored by Briggo in the early 70's? Ray Morton and Scott Swain are two of the last riders I remember who wore open faced helmets. A question! - Are open faced helmets outlawed in present times or not?

Decent meeting, heat 15 with all the passing and close racing is almost as good a race as is possible to see! Dry slick track, were they expecting rain? Thompsons needs a break from the team. Not improving, not on the pace and getting fed up of it. King is King which is inconsistency/ doesn't adapt to different track conditions, but of course he is part of the furniture at Foxhall but for a team with title winning aspirations as a No 3 he comes up short. That said Wolves were very good apart from Flint, seems like they are on a mission after the devastating news about Monmore Green earlier this season.

I hope your wrong obviously! I think British speedway will continue to deterioate to a point where drastic measures that should be happening now like clubs allowed to run on whatever night they wish to run on, more use of English riders, 2nd halves, not having dictatorial Directors like Godfrey bending the rules to suit himself, independent governance of the Leagues, less doubling up etc will be implemented. Whether it has a long term future is debatable but I think we will see League racing on the 100th anniversary in 2028.