Pieman72

Must have been a tough decision. Wolves don't have any British riders now. When you look at the number of riders out there there is something going on that's badly wrong.

Unfortunately the 'slippery guys' are still there. Somehow a semi professional version of speedway may be the only long term option but financially that would be difficult. There have been many instances where tracks have closed under a 'cloud' unfortunately many are brownfield sites perfect for prime residential housing. Government policy and potential profits rule the day. To name a few Cradley, Coventry, Leicester, Rye House, Perry Barr, Belle View. Oh George what character he was very slippery at the tapes.

Very good point. Leadership seems to be the problem. There had always been a disconnect between the promoters and the fans and riders. It's historical they have always been slippery customers who exploit the good will of supporters and enthusiastic riders. Dan McCormick at Cradley was a prime example who sold everyone down the road and his model of speedway is still being played out now. The are a lot of British riders both speedway and grass who would relish to chance to race but the opportunities have been blocked. Try riding on a weekday night then hold down a full time job while competing with imported riders that's the real world.

I attended Birmingham Speedway 2 years ago and quite honestly I was made to feel like a second class citizen. To be fair the Greyhound Track control the venue but the restrictions on the paying public was disgusting. It was made clear not to drink or consume you own food which we ignored or you could purchase anything as long as it was chips washed down with a £4 + pint of Lager from a hole in the wall. It was a freezing cold night and no admission was allowed in the main building unless you were someone important. Sorry but speedway is 'dead in the water'. Supporters need to be attracted to a venue also on a day or night that is normal i.e. Friday or Saturday oh sorry our wonderful foreign riders have European commitments. In a nutshell what a mess of our own making. Reading the posts on here there is a lot of denial but the truth is unless something very radical is undertaken then there is little chance of speedway surviving in it's present form.

That sums up the how the administrators have compelled the few supporters left to accept a lacklustre 6 team league with speedway in constant decline. Generally local/UK riders generate interest particularly for the future something the promotion chooses to ignore.

Good point he's been an excellent shrewd operator over the years. Could he be leading the fans up a 'one way street' of his own making? I did make the point elsewhere that the type of fan he's been attracting may not be around much longer. I'd not be enamoured at watching a team of foreign riders who interests may be elsewhere.

I'm reading about the possible closure of Wolverhampton due to Covid restrictions. While I agree with the sentiment surely having 90% of you team consisting of foreign riders is going to give unsustainable overheads. Would it not have been more realistic to hire local and national riders thus balancing the accounts given that Covid could change the situation overnight?

I gave up on Speedway some time back. The big problem is value for money, entertainment and the total disregard for the casual speedway fan. Allied to this the constant disregard for home grown talent and UK based riders. Bringing over foreign riders is destroying British League speedway as it is very expensive leaving little financial input elsewhere. I feel a bit sorry for Kelvin who is trying to talk up a dying sport with only 6 Elite teams. The administrators seem to be living in another world that we parted with in the 1970's albeit with a decent amount of home grown riders. The only fan that is going to be attracted to this facade dare I say is the fanatic 'Anorak' who has taken over the terraces.

I think the Brexit boys might go quiet on this one !! Watch this space !!!

Sorry Ray I'll be corrected; been out of it with a serious illness recently.

The formation of a breakaway league at grass roots is good. Speedway is in a dire position and could become extinct if something is not done fast. How many teams are in the Premier League? We need something inexpensive approachable and affordable for the riders and public. Expensive 500cc high maintenance methanol burning engines does not help? No point living in the 70's those days will never come back.

Sittingbourne and Iwade are the same. It's not a joke and why should it be Speedway is in a dire mess.

Out of interest I'm picking up on Visa problems relating to Australian and American riders who are failing to comply with 'beefed up, immigration rules. Does anyone have any information on this?

I'm just picking up the formation of a new breakaway league with Sittingbourne, Isle of Wight and trackless Weymouth. Not before time, the sport in the UK needs a new direction particularly at grass roots. Well done for those involved a brave move.

I'd settle for any type of stadium anywhere lol.

Excellent rider very quiet but genuine. He would often drive into the night on his own with his trailer. RIP.

Does anyone remember when Nitro was legal for use in British League Speedway?

As usual nobody is listening.

Unfortunately Long Marston has gone can't believe they are building houses on it. God knows what's buried underneath the site it used to reek of Naphthalene. Saw Shockwave do 270mph that was a bare knuckle run !!

What a brilliant idea. As a Grassman but bought up on Speedway this is exactly what I want to see. Who is behind this event?

Get a grip no wonder tracks are closing !!

Best hurry up while there are some track still open lol

I completely agree with you perhaps a new format to underpin what is left of the Speedway Leagues could be the answer. The problem is a lot of Stadiums are under threat from our slanted planning guidelines on brownfield sites and there is the old favorite finance aka sponsorship.

The Berger Grand Prix format was more like the present day Grand Prix. Am I right in thinking the Daily Mirror Grand Prix had a Grand Final and none of the previous qualifying scores counted? Lets face it other than Cardiff (if that floats your boat) the Grand Prix has destroyed British Speedway. If I had the choice between Krsko and Odsal I know where I would be. It's become the Scandinavian World Championships and unless you have a 2.1 in Geography your not going to have clue where they are staged. I'll stick to the Grass full on racing with a variety of machinery and all out of their own pocket.

Many years ago we had the Berger Grand Prix. It was driven by Ole Olsen's passion for a Grand Prix style World Championship. Attendances were poor and it was a bit of a failure Ok I'll concede that the World Championship was a bit stale but attendances were good Speedway Riders were recognised and it was the UK's most popular Summer Sport. Speedway is now a pan European sport but the consequences are British and European Speedway have little in common like the EU !! Unfortunately tracks don't operate of a weekend, many riders don't need British Speedway and creedy promoters cannot see past a star rider that brings in 500 elderly die hards week in week out who are prepared to pay obscene amounts to watch very little mediocre racing. Sadly the sport will die unless a new approach is investigated.