East End Fan

Sounds to me as if most of the writers on this column condemn riders for getting too much money. Yet I will bet that the vast majority, if they rode a bike, would try to get the best deal for themselves. That is human nature. It is up to the promoter to run his business in such a way that people actually WANT to watch it. Then he is able to pay the riders a decent wage and everyone is happy. But then we'd all find something to moan about. Speedway is still the greatest sport and always has been.

I did not know much about Hampshire last year as I rarely go to Birmingham. But he did score some very big scores at Kent at the end of last year, so it was no surprise that he signed for them. Does occasionally show glimpses of brilliance, but on the whole looks unhappy on the bike.

Been a spectator at many of Silver's tracks over years and years. I have never known him to criticise his riders in any serious form. It is not his style. So these comments about the Kings at Eastbourne must indicate a real unhappiness with his riders. My own thoughts are that the Kings looked good on paper at the start of the season and the inclusion of Hampshire looked like an ace move. Sadly the reverse is true and I am surprised that he is still in the team. Mind you, I've been thinking about who could come in and I can't see anyone who is available and who would fit. I've got plenty of time for Stoneman who is as brave as they come and always gives it 110%, but does have too many falls for his own good.

Well, JJ, I'm not sure that I agree with your view that a top NL heat leader is a "struggling" 3 point reserve in the next league above. True talent will always shine through and there are loads of ex-NL riders who have made it in the top leagues. None the less, it is my view that the present NL is at a lower standard than it should be because of the intervention of the BSPA in setting pre-season points limits at a low level. If they had the nouse to understand that it would be far better for the sport if the NL was as strong as possible, thus training riders to a better level.

Can't se Berwick making much of an impact in spite of the fact that they are top of the table. Too much power for them on our tight circuit.

Cannot let Kelvin's passing go without lifting my hat to his memory. One of Speedway's Great Characters as well as being the best team man in the whole of the sport. If only we could turn the clock back !

GWC wants all the National League's top riders to move up into the Championship. I wonder if he'd want that if he was a Plymouth or Birmingham supporter instead of Rye House ? I very much doubt it. No fan like to lose top stars from their team....or the league for that matter. These are the riders who put bums on seats.

The Dean Machine and Sotonian clearly have no understanding of riders. Unlike all other forms or motor sport which people get involved in as hobbies and pastimes, Speedway demands that you appear as and when required at tracks all over the country on any day of the week. This makes it very hard to hold down a full time job. Not impossible of course but the interference in the day to day working life must create a loss of wages when the rider is on his bike. As another side issue, Speedway is far and away the most dangerous of all motor sports. ALL riders get injured on a regular basis. No help in any sort of outside career. Yet the previously mentioned correspondents begrudge them earning a crust. Shame on you.

Talking in Tongues !

I agree with Teaboy. I have watched a few Kent matches this year and, apart from having the occasional fall, mostly due to riding too hard, Stoneman has been very impressive. Obviously Bowen is in the top ten list and maybe even Thomas whose performances have been upo and down. On the Kent theme, does anyone know the starting time of the Southern Dev. League match at Iwade next Sunday ? It was originally stated as 3pm but I've since heard that it is 1pm.

A very honest report by Barry. Very few promoters open their hearts in such a way. From a Public Relations and publicity point of view, I'm not sure that he should express his problems so publicly. There's an old saying " Nothing succeeds like success" and it is very true. So noises form promoters should alway be positive IMO. IOW have a lot going for them with skid schools and the like, biggest and fastest track in the league. This is what should be stressed.

Rider-wise, IOW suffer from their location. They are a long trip from everywhere plus only an 11pm ferry normally to get back. So very late night driving. Not easy to pick up good youngsters with that obstacle. All the more reason to have a higher team average so that there is not the need to find fresh new kids all the time.

Macauley Leek went through the fence at full throttle and head on last Monday at Kent. Air bags were smashed to bits but Macauley, who ended up behind the fence, got up and walked away unharmed. Why aren't all fences as safe as that ?

Was just about to leave for the trip to Arlington when I learned that it had been cancelled. It was a match I'd been looking forward to. Heard nothing about a re-run date. Does anyone know anything about that ?

Well, Ben91, I don't know what World you live in, but where I come from I am experiencing price rises in virtually every field. Fuel, electricity, gas, train fares, rates, etc etc. Why should we expect Speedway to be so different ? Each stadium suffers price increases just like households do, relentlessly upwards year on year. How do you suggest they pay their way ? And, according to the Bank of England, wages are now increasing faster than inflation. If your argument was true, and price increases keep fans away, then Speedway promoters should only be charging what they did ,say, 10 years ago. I can't even remember how much that was, but must have been about half what it is now. That would mean every Speedway in big money trouble.

Interested in Richard Weston's comments when he says that Silver considers that the sport will only survive if it makes a profit. No one could argue with the truth of that. As a very long standing fan, I wish all clubs charged enough money to survive because I am fed up with hearing about so many clubs in trouble for money, and how many have we lost over the years? One of the things that is often overlooked is the excellent practice now exercised at many clubs where children are allowed free entry, but it's obvious then that the adults attending must generate enough money for the club to be profitable. Teaboy279 hits the nail smack on the head.

Don't know where you go for long drawn out meetings. There is an 8.30 curfew at Kent for normal meetings which start at 6.30. Although predictions can be near enough correct, they can often turn out to be surprisingly wrong. Unexpected incidents will always# affect results, injuries especially. As for admission prices, it's all very well for "Sings" to think £10 is a fair price, but out of that £10 he forgets that the government take £2 in VAT. While, of course, I don't know what it costs to stage a meeting, I doubt that £8 admission income would be enough.

I suppose the price you pay depends on where you go to watch. If the stadium is little more than a field you would not expect to pay too much. The reverse is also true. Comfort has a value IMO. Some tracks are now charging £3 for a programme. Does S4S moan about that ? Compared to most alternative entertainments, Speedway is on the cheap side.

I do not know why Kings Lynn closed, but I suspect it was because it was losing money. Rumours were that they paid only the bsic rate of pay so could not attract decent riders. Don't actually know if this was true, but it sounded feasible to me. Sings4Speedway seems to like to see decent riders out of work. That's sad because a lot of those riders then give up the game altogether and are lost to the sport. Meanwhile many teams are having to use riders of little or no real ability. Does not make any sense to me. IOW will always struggle for riders simply because of where they are. Almost all N.L. riders have jobs outside Speedway and to travel on a mid-week day to the Island must be difficult.

Well, Adonis...I never suggested that teams should not have any 3 pointers. What I am saying is that too many of the 3 pointers that are in teams are not ready for it. A higher points limit would enable more of the better riders to get team places which clearly would reduce the number of no-hopers being used. The better youngsters will always find a place.

Very rarely enter the Rye House pages, but I had an hour with nothing to do and browsed through. Lots of moans about the team and in particular about Bomber Harris. Understandable, given his form so far this year. What interested me most was the stuff about the stadium and viewing. The last time I was at Rye House, several years ago, there were lots of red seats round each bend and excellent viewing where-ever you stood or sat. There were two bars and a really good fish and chip place under the main stand. It sounds as if a lot of that has disappeared. Comparison was made with Arena Essex which is my own track. Not a comfortable place to watch unless you can get into the bar area. That is one reason why I now spend a lot of my speedway viewing at Arlington where I can get a comfortable seat above the back straight with top class viewing and a bar and with the same facilities, albeit not quite as run down, at Kent's Central Park ( though on some days it is decidedly chilly there with a cool wind coming in off the Thames Estuary). I believe that in this modern era, most people want a bit of comfort with their entertainment, so tracks like Rye House and Arena will suffer. Personally I hate all the negativity on this forum. I find the racing as exciting as ever, BUT, I do miss all the banter that used to go on in the old days when there were regular modest scuffles between riders and promoters seemed as if they hated each other. All great fun and sadly no longer there. At one time my best friend was a promoter and his view was "Get some public reaction, cheering or booing, it didn't matter which" I think he had a point.

Presumably the Midlands and Southern Development Leagues are intended to produce the 3 pointers.....which I think they do. But it still leaves most teams having to use riders that are not up to scratch. A higher limit would reduce that number.

I would presume that Laurnece Rogers got the job at Birmingham because David Mason lives in Brighton and has a business to run.

The poor quality of many reserves, like those at Island, is purely the result of the ridiculous 39 point limit set this year. The number of quality riders with 3 point averages is very very limited and teams that have the good fortune to attract one or more of them are bound to succeed. Had the points limit been higher that would have had the effect of keeping the no-hopers at bay.

Cityrebel seems to want promoters to refund each paying customer if there is a rain off. Has he not considered the impossibility of doing that ? No fan with a brain ever expects to get a cash refund if a meeting is cancelled. While the BSPA rule is not perfect, in the circumstances it's probably the best that can be achieved....Someone told me that cricket fans get no kind of re-fund whatever the circumstances.