East End Fan

It's all very well for Gustix to regret the passing of the "Old Days" when things in Speedway made good sense. Sadly the World has moved on and Speedway these days faces a multi-attraction society with TV, the Internet and mobile phone games plus an enormous music scene sapping the attendance figures. So promoters struggle to make the game pay and lots of "Fans", particularly on this forum, make their lives even more difficult, criticising everything that happens without having the responsibility of putting alternatives in place. Of course many of us do not agree with the way things are done and we have the right to voice those opinions, but when push comes to shove, we are still able to watch 4 riders risk life and limb week in week out and, as I have said before on this forum, it is my view that the actual racing that we see today is superior to the days talked about by Gustix. It seems to me that the National Trophy is not intended to be the fixture it once was. I think that clubs enter the competition if they wish to do so, and that would depend on the dates they have available and whether the club is earning or losing money. When the meetings are actually run, or when the Final takes place is not relevant IMO.

Well, Turn Two, You can only change riders if there are riders there to change. In the early part of the season there are usually a few riders not fixed up for whatever reason, but by June this source of supply is mostly dried up. Kent are having a very unlucky season so far and I don't see any available riders for them...

Although the change of leagues is partly due to the movement of crowds from Lakeside to Rye House, another reason IMO is that both clubs run spasmodically and have lost people as a result. Rye are in the "Honeymoon" period of top league racing so are getting away with murder at present, but that will not last. If Lakeside were able to run consecutive weeks on the same day each week, I am certain that their attendance figures would improve, especially if they were seen to be giving opportunities to local born riders. Most fans like to associate closely with their "Own" riders and in days gone by this local theme was in evidence at most tracks as was a weekly meeting. Not enough clubs pay attention to running every week and I think that the few who do, benefit from it.

Very interested in Sings4Speedway's comment that Eastbourne would work around such injury problems as Kent have at the moment. They can only follow the guest and r/r rules that exist for such emergencies which I am sure Kent will do....Penny has just dropped...Eastbourne would have an electrical problem or no medical cover...Ah Yes ! Personally I wouldn't call that "Savvy". I'd call it letting the fans down who expect to see a Speedway match when the weather is good.

It was probably financial suicide anyway. Buxton were better than I had thought but we had top men under par, maybe thinking about their averages ?

As I've said before, IMO the racing is as good as it's ever been and while we may not like the doubling up system or other rules such as our clubs not being able to sign riders on full contracts, in the end it is the racing that counts, not the politics.

Must agree with mikec about Stoneman. The few times I've seen him he has shown huge courage. Isn't it ironic that this serious injury comes because he decided to double up with Sheffield. Their comments in this week's Speedway Star about their bottom end riders show how much they care.

Claret73...You must be a sad person...Speedway is not a restaurant and the FACT is that the vast majority of what we watch is far from being "crap" unless you are a top division Snob. Personally I thoroughly enjoy the roughness of the National League, watching the kids start up their careers where some win, some lose. If Claret73 can only enjoy to world's top riders then he should travel to Poland every week-end.

I have commented before on this forum..."Use it or lose it !" Go to every meeting and support your club or....make no mistake.. you WILL lose it. Then you will have no one to criticise. No one likes every aspect of every club, or every aspect of every rule, but we have what we have, so enjoy it. It is my view, as a long standing supporter of Speedway, that racing these days is at the very least, as good, or if not better than in the past, so don't moan about it...

Well, Sings4Speedway, while your idea sounds credible, it would result in teams with a rider missing being dramatically reduced in scoring power though no fault of their own. It would transform a good team into a mediocre one while mediocre teams would be massacred. That would not please the followers of that club. With all its faults, the r/r rule at least allows teams to maintain their scoring power at something like their normal rate which must be a good idea.

Richard Weston talks a lot of sense. Any promoter running a business in the National League...as opposed to any that are in it for glory...has had his business devalued by the totally selfish ruling by the senior clubs regarding ownership and sale of riders' contracts. The Premiership and Championship promoters should drop their heads in shame at this abuse of their power. I've been a fan for many years and have never heard of such damage being inflicted on one set of promoters to another. It's amazing that the Control Board have let them get away with it. As to the damage being caused to our league ( or any league for that matter) by riders being absent due to riding for a more senior team, I don't know what happened, or when, but it was not that long ago when a doubling up rider was prioritised to the lower team in a clash of fixtures. That rule goes back to the very start of doubling up, God knows how long ago...Who changed it ?

A13X200 is perfectly correct. In fact the doubling up system itself was introduced, as I understand it, to give rising stars the opportunity to try their skills in the upper league. There were rules in force that said that they could only do it for a max' of 2 years. Sadly, that rule did not last very long. I suspect that the promoters found it easier to get riders to double up rather than to uncover their "own" talent and that is why we have such a system as we have today.

Guests are allowed to cover for a rider called up to ride for his senior team, so it would not be r/r for Bowtell.

It's all down to money. Poor attendances, low income, so no money to spend on the track.. Simple. If the good people of the Potteries want a decent Speedway to watch, then they have to pay at the turnstiles...But they did not support the Premier League, so it dropped into the cheaper regime in the hope that it could survive at the lower level. Give credit where it's due, they're still going in spite of severe criticism on this forum and it cannot be maklng any money.

The example showing that there are enough riders to fill 22 teams in a single league without anyone doubling up is very interesting. Not that many years ago the Second Division had about 20 clubs as I recall and good crowds everywhere. Riders did not shift from one team to another every other day as they do today and, although well in the past, no one would argue that today's system is better. When the British League was formed in 65 there was one league and it was a huge success. So maybe that is the way to go again and let history repeat itself.

I agree with Mikec about Kent. I saw them at Eastie and they looked good. But they have lost matches that they would have needed to win if they are going to make the top 4. Can still make it though but I expect my own team, Lakeside, to keep them out.

A fixture change would make sense, but I doubt if The stadium has enough spare dates for that to happen. Over to Jon Cook !

Alfie is on the verge of big things at N.L. level and his inclusion in the Newcastle team will probably help. But it is a long way to Tyneside and the travelling may take its toll. But with not too many meetings at Lakeside, he'll most likely cope. Good luck to him

I really do miss weekly meetings at Lakeside and find myself looking at the most attractive matches at other more or less local tracks ( Kent, Eastbourne Rye House) Don't visit Rye House much as I prefer the roughness of the NL. Any way that Lakeside's home dates can be improved ?

I drove down to Arlington yesterday anticipating a good match. With no bias toward either team, I was not disappointed. Two very evenly balanced sides and a few surprises. For me, the biggest surprise was the speed shown by Jack Thomas. Even Jake Knight couldn't catch him in heat 15. I went mostly to see Danny Ayres battle as he does. He scored well ( 10) but was not involved in any neck and neck push and shove battles. He was robbed, IMO, by the ref' in the first race when the tapes clearly went up before all riders were ready. Expected to see a red light after that. All the home riders performed well without being outstanding with the exception of Knight, but even he fell in one race where he was being extended to the full in his chase to catch Ayres. Well satisfied with my trip

Personally I hate the way that teams are run these days with no rider ever feeling that their team place is secure. I come from the era when all riders were identified with the teams they rode for. Nowadays each of us have to learn to love new favourites every season, and even in mid season even more new ones. At Rye House Kennett has given superb service for many years and now, with the "Win at all costs" philosophy, he's out of work..

I think that Paul Hurry will be joining Zach towards the top of that list before much longer

Well, while the BSPA have the policy of priority of riders going to the senior club, National League sides will always have to use guests from time to time. That's a fact of life. It at least enables teams to retain their power at a more or less comparable level to normal, so although guest riders are condemned by all and sundry ( including myself in the pure sense), no one has ever come up with a better solution. The heavy injury rate in our sport has to be taken into consideration. We take for granted that riders stick their necks out, but, because they do so, they sadly get hurt. We all applaud the air fence introduction ( should have happened years earlier when Bouncy Castles were first invented) but, although they clearly help in some situations, injuries are still part and parcel.

Actually, for me, it's the guests who make this meeting worth watching. Ayres is always entertaining and Coles has something to prove

Has the potential to be a match worth watching and I might make my way down to Arlington as the weather looks good. Although I'm not a fan of either side I have a sneaky wish for Kent to knock Eastie out of the KO Cup. Danny Ayres and Connor Coles could prove to be match winners....