waytogo28

Hawkins came across as, well it would be impolite to say it as it appeared to me. Hopefully, he has a better relationship with his riders and an understanding of the sport than he has with the media. At the very least some help with that seems necessary. And sadly this meeting I can only rate as 5/10 and was a poor advert for UK speedway. Even Tatum & Pearson fell far below their usual almost impeccable selves. Not just with the errors but with downright lies replacing their usual spin on how wonderful it all was. They seemed quite disinterested at times, perhaps they were suffering from post G.P. blues? If the Live matches are not going to rise about the Swindon match and this one it certainly wasn't worth Buster "saving" the PL for TV. The sport looked completely moribund and was raced in front of a crowd that looked like less than a 1,000 ( maybe far less ). Cannot see how any casual non-speedway fan who stumbled across the broadcast would consider rushing to their nearest track.

Hawkins came across as, well it would be impolite to say it as it appeared to me. Hopefully, he has a better relationship with his riders and an understanding of the sport than he has with the media. At the very least some help with that seems necessary. My apologies this should be in the Ipswich V Wolves thread.

The Josh Bates who just proved forgetful and fall prone at Ipswich tonight? Bjerre more accomplished and more likely to turn around poor form than Bates has shown in CL.

Essential if it is not all going to end in tears and before the season's end.

Of course you aren't "real fans" they buy a season ticket AND pay in cash every home match because they bleed for their club and Buster adores "real fans" like that. Sadly "real fans" are an endangered species in UK speedway, in fact, they are on the way to being extinct.

The problem is not that promoters / the BSPA / Buster Chapman miss so many opportunities, the problem is that they don't see those opportunities.

They have put it on social media so potentially millions could turn up as they all know about it ( or could do if they clicked pn the right link ). In fact, it reaches more than a billion. Staggeringly awesome marketing when you think about it.

Thankfully no ( or very, very few ) outsiders look at the UK speedway results. If they did they would be confused as to how riders such as Harris etc pop up top scoring here there and everywhere. Confused hardly covers it!

The BSPA under the influence of Buster and his family have put their whole faith in social media as the vehicle to bring back the missing thousands and hordes more of newbies to every UK track. I read it on Twitter " Speedway GB, Great Racing, Alive and Kicking" . SO it must be true and millions of social media users are panting to join us on the terraces. Soon the queues for the burgers, chips, beer and loos will be much longer. Supporters everywhere, be ready. Your regular spot on the terraces is already under threat. Promoters are rubbing their hands with glee dreaming of when crowds DID number in the thousands and not the hundreds.

Riding the esky. Too slippery to slide.

Although the competition is an unofficial one - we must continue to hope that one or two riders in each side hope to provide some entertainment in the match to the paying customers. Someone should.

Let's add "In the now tiny pond of UK speedway, he ho all is well and good". They will go on believing that, as in the old saying " there's none as blind as those that cannot see". And those that cannot bear to listen. As for those people who hardly know speedway from tiddlywinks, how do they think of searching for the Stars website? Few newbies to the sport are likely to do that.

And Yes! Well done, we should all be proud of him too.

However, after taking out Lambert R., Jason Doyle and Max Fricke the other riders are all much of a muchness so they should be able to race well against each other and provide similar racing and passing attributes ( not so quickly of course ) but I see so little eagerness from them to give chase. Not enough dosh or status on offer I suppose, to get them fired up and taking the risks.

If only we could replicate something like this passion and fire to win on UK tracks instead of the invariably pale and uninteresting procession we mostly suffer. Clearly, it is possible to get close enough to pass or be in a position to pass if your opponent makes a mistake ( or you can force an error ) on almost any track. But you have to want to! And not be prepared to just settle for your next chance to make the gate.

Not so much forgotten but put on "ignore".

It seems likely from what little we know ( and we are always told very little ) that the team went for Lambo's set up from the SoN. As locals have recently explained about the track providing better racing when slick, the track walk should have given some vital feedback to all of them. I agree with Webbo that we have to tell it like it is because the default position is invariably " with our bouncebackability, all will be well next time". So far this season our bouncebackability seems near zero. But to tell it like it isn't, we could be gearing up to do a Poole and nick it in the playoffs.

NKI would be a great change but please don't bring Simon Lambert back into the Stars team. There must be a better option as Simon is certainly not displaying improved form in the CL.

The most enjoyable part was the jostling for a good starting number after the qualifying times were listed. It was interesting for the purist who enjoys riding styles and it was only a little less of an on-track boring spectacle than the average whole match in the PL. Also, it lasted a lot less time than they do and so retained it's interest better I thought. Clearly, the first rider out ( Doyle ) and the first out after the grading ( Zagar ) do have an advantage, however minimal. The time differences were minimal anyway and I bet the three who will take pot luck are not last after the GP is finished. Zagar showed his intelligence by sussing out what you really had to do and smashed it on his single lap.

I too am confident that Lambo will get going soon but no-one ( including himself and his pit team ) should believe that even doing as well as last years is within easy reach. That was a superb year and few young riders can repeat that sort of performance - even Robert Lambert. Onwards and Upwards but perhaps more slowly than many want and expect.

Eer. Is that called "strength in depth" or merely woeful? I wonder how it relates and compares to other team's early averages? Not that I expect you, Bald Bloke to do them all. I guess it must be on the weak side. Disappointingly.

Riders, team managers, promoters and happy clappers thrive on sunshine, wherever it is blown. The Emperors New Clothes Syndrome is the default position in UK speedway. How does that "lift you up" song go? "Give me sunshine". All is well in Buster's world despite two of his three clubs having a lot of unhappy supporters. "Who are they, what do they know" I hear him ask.

Wish I was there! hoping for a Stars victory, even if by the thinnest of margins. Go Lambo Go!

As there is no thread for Aces V Stars - how do people feel it is likely to go?

I should have posted this here - my apologies. The only surprise is that new promoters, who promised a different way of doing things, make the same mistakes ( perhaps knowingly ) as so many before them. Hiding behind dubious excuses that might prove to be lies, is the way to erode whatever support you have gathered to date. Tell the whole truth, tell it promptly and fully and you may well avoid the worst of the fallout. Going the other way is to enter a storm of criticism.