Tinker

A lot of doom and gloom on here. At least they're trying to give it a go with Northampton. Come on, it's a new track for heaven's sake so at least give it a chance before all the wading in with negative comments. Some posters have said the BSPL should be attempting to get a track up and running where there's already a fan base but places like Coventry, Swindon, Wolves etc ain't going to be happening anytime soon. Northampton has been put forward, the owners/promoters seem to be keen to have speedway there so good luck to them. You just never know, it may turn out to be a resounding success. Fingers crossed.

Well done Plymouth. Always enjoy watching the racing there on BSN. Always close and no one has the chance to race off into the distance. All the best for the new season!

Not sure if you're being serious or not but Sudden Sam would be a great signing as TM. 👍

Maybe it's the date Brady met his partner?

Are we talking 2027 or 2028? 🤔

Fully understand the budget situation etc but the team will be cannon fodder when they ride away from home which you could argue is unfair on the other promotions. Home fans won't turn out to see Scunthorpe away from home which equals poor gates and additional costs in paying their high scoring riders. Love if I was proved wrong but with the current team I really can't see anything but heavy defeats away from home.

It seems to me as though Scunthorpe have purposely built a side to finish last. Maybe Godfrey has already had a bet at the local bookies. In any event, can't really fathom what they're playing at.

I sometimes rate teams as to whether I would go to watch them away from home. This Scunthorpe side is one I would definitely not turn out for. Apart from Pickering it's very much same old same old and they will definitely end up at the bottom of the league if changes are not made. Apart from Picko and to a lesser degree Harrison, there is not one glint of excitement in the side.

They need to keep on going and stop all the incessant moaning. 😉

I stand by what I said Mr B. If the British Speedway model fails and collapses then this is bound to have a detrimental effect on Polish Speedway. British Speedway used to be the "top gun" (not anymore of course) but if things were to fail here and possibly Sweden etc then that would surely set alarm bells ringing in Poland. Lack of overseas riders, no meaningful World Team Cup, insulation etc. Merry Christmas by the way. 👍

Mmm, not sure about this. I know this is worse case scenario but GP's with Polish riders only. How boring for the public and TV (if they were still interested) would that be?

I think they should be. Speedway dying on its feet elsewhere. Do they really want to be the last country standing running Speedway? No international tournaments, no foreign riders, isolation or what?

We all know Poland is where the "big" Speedway happens in terms of financial backing, prestige, top riders etc. but I'm sure the Poles are watching the potential demise of British Speedway with a very watchful eye because the overall strength or success of Speedway in general is only as strong as its weakest link. Yes the Poles do have lots of riders to fill their leagues but they also rely on riders from other countries such as the UK, Sweden and Denmark. Rumours seem to indicate that Sweden is in a similar situation to Britain where Speedway is seemingly on the decline so the Poles may find the stream of riders coming from the aforementioned countries eventually drying up. It's all well and good Poland dictating terms etc but in the future they may find themselves being the only country actively running Speedway at a top level. Their riders would have no one else to ride against except fellow countrymen! So, as I said earlier I am sure they will be watching what is currently happening with British Speedway and hopefully, with much more than just a passing interest.

Fair enough but I'm just trying to think outside the box. Boy, does Speedway need it. My suggestion is not perfect by any means but I'm sure there's ways they could work around it. All I'm saying is that the sport needs a new direction, a new impetus and more variety. At the moment it's same old same old and needs something different to get new fans in. Even bringing back the Gold Helmet would be a good start. A decent sponsor, some decent publicity and put it out there that there's bad blood between the two contestants (akin to boxing etc). Remember the Golden Helmet match races between Carter and Penhall, now that really did catch the public's imagination!

Probably too late to arrange now but why not have the Knockout Cup involving both leagues. At least it would give some variety and renewed interest with different teams competing against each other. If a Championship team is drawn against a Premier League team then there is only one leg with the Championship team being at home. Otherwise, it's two legs home and away. Semi finals and Final to be over two legs no matter which teams get through to the latter stages. Try and get a sponsor on board with decent prize money and make it a trophy/tournament worth winning. Example of what some matches could be drawn out of the hat as:- Plymouth v Kings Lynn, Poole v Belle Vue, Edinburgh v Sheffield etc. Would surely create a lot of interest and give the fans something different. Worth a try?