GWC

Peter Collins made the comment some years ago that since moving to lay down engines the majority of UK tracks are not wide enough to provide fast and safe racing.

This makes a lot of sense but with Rye now gone the PL is broken and the rider sharing between the leagues is dreadful. If you revert to tracks riding on their chosen night then it will be hopeless regarding rider availability. It really needs a much bigger shake up top to bottom with 2 leagues based on a clubs financial position and a riders ability. The standard will inevitably drop initially but is there really any alternative?

Most promotions are clueless as to the thoughts of fans and their aspirations. They seem terrified of spelling out the obvious - the sport is on its knees rider wise and we have a deminishing pot of money to pay for it.

And why speedway no longer commands respect from the majority of lost fans of the sport. A completely different mentality will have to be introduced to save this sport from self interested promoters and I’m including ALL promoters in this rant!

It’s pretty simple the public are disillusioned with UK speedway and are finding other things to do. This has been exacerbated with doubling up so it feels like ‘rent a team’ and identifying a rider with your club and the team you are watching is false. Fixed race nights not for the fans but the riders ain’t going to work in the UK. Value for money is getting more and more of a mention and is clearly an issue now. So do we start again and put faith in the product of 4 riders turning left in one league using the riders we have available?

I can see a lot of riders being forced abroad to supplement their income if they want to remain full time. Quite where they will go is anybody’s guess as Sweden and Poland seem very tough leagues.

And you had the World Champion riding each week!

Yes next season C Cook number one for Glasgow in one league hopefully. Max Frick will be no. one at Belle Vue and so on start making our own stars again in a weaker league but an affordable one.

If they see buying riders as securing their future, well it isn’t a very good future at the moment. My fear would be any changes to be implemented in the future to the leagues, race nights and rider control might cause Swindon to be a road block as it doesn’t suite their policy, as appears to be the case.

I’m sure the meeting will have been a head count for who expects to be back for next season. Who is losing money,how much and what do you owe. If you are in the what’s it like Rye House then you will be kindly asked to leave the room!

This has nothing to do with Poole and their chosen route to team building just making a point that the system is skewed.

If you mean ‘were in it to win it’ then that could be very damaging in terms of outlay and on going costs. A stable club with expectations of ‘we are here and speedway will be here again next season’ probably isn’t going to give you the success people demand. But I know which one I prefer!

Not sure I understand your comment. Nonsence infers that the system is fine and you are happy that 2 riders can have 7 rides?

Klindt able to take 7 rides makes the sport a nonsense in my opinion. All well and good if a rider gets injured as that’s a reserve job but just giving the advantage to a rider who happens to be 6th in the teams averages makes no sense. It also brings into dispute riders who go missing in meeting and their unavailability. Maybe Poole have some sympathy as the Chris Holder situation isn’t of their making but a return to the days of 4 rides 1-5 and 3 for 6 & 7 might be a starter.

Leicester had a chance to produce a modern speedway track but for some reason didn’t or couldn’t. Within the next 10 years the majority of greyhound tracks will more than likely close as land value puts pressure on the owners plus it’s considered a barbaric sport from another time. If Speedway feels it needs to reduce its track base then this will happen pretty much without a grand plan but what will be a tragedy if tracks close which are a motor sport venue ala Rye House and makes Leicester all the more disappointing.

The system is skewed as you have Klindt a Poole reserve based purely on an average below his 5 team mates able to take 7 rides! Need to go back to 4 rides 1 - 5 and 3 rides 6 & 7. Reserves are reserves not team members allowed an advantage of 7 rides.

Two wins from the main team thank goodness Mr Klindt turned up.

Steve you have no heat leaders!

Hot and dry weather is speedways enemy!

To me the days of top riders pulling their weight consistently in UK no longer seemed the case and has been a trend for several years. Watch the same guys in Poland and Sweden and you see a totally different approach and rider. Mind if you are earning 10 times more in Poland then that would encourage you to put in the effort.

The future blueprint must be Lawn mower racing. Two classes ride on and towing with strict engine regulations -cutting blades are removed! No payment to competitors and no sponsorship. EU competitors start with 10 metre handicap (they don’t do lawnmowers apparently) Growing sport looking for a Bernie Ecclestone to take them further.

But would they fit his ‘strict pay structure’ he was alluding to in the SStar?

So having the world champion in your team isn’t a decent enough side. Who would you have signed allowing for the fact that Mr Doyle probably eats a lot of the budget?

How were Belle Vue able to come back after their disaster first season? One rule for one.......

The pressure of land value in the south has seen stadia disappearing at an alarming rate. The Rye fiasco will only highlight to the prospective developers that speedway isn’t a long term investment. Its only chance is to share with another sport or event that will find value in operating a stadia,especially in the south as housing is far more profitable.