KK62

That scenario has gone on forever in speedway. When I rode in the very early 80’s it was exactly the same so a little unfair to blame the current northern tracks, especially Berwick, who have always done their best for youngsters even without running a NJL side of late. Try blaming your more local tracks for not running more regular competitive racing for juniors.

Not quite sure what you mean by saying ‘clubs treat them with contempt’ as my dealings with other NJL club sides would suggest the opposite, these clubs try their very best with the youth but some times the riders cannot afford to be available on a regular basis and seem to prefer to spend their money on a days practice rather than 3 rides in a league match, which is their choice but certainly frustrated me when trying to arrange matches for them. Of course some clubs don't bother sorting anything out which must be even more frustrating. The BYC sessions always attract good numbers but not all of them want to take part in the NJL for their own reasons.

It appears the NJL is just a name now with clubs no longer having enough local riders to fill sides so it will be a case of just fitting riders from anywhere into fixtures whenever available to give the youngsters valuable track time and complete ‘team’ fixtures. With Edinburgh leading the way and Glasgow now having a training track hopefully things will improve. There could be a huge discrepancy between the 500 riders in terms of experience but the 125’s have had that for a while so let’s see what happens.

Whilst I share you disappointment regarding Saturday afternoon racing , which will affect the crowd levels, its probably got more to do with rider availability for both home and away teams as Spencer and Pijper will be riding for the Bears most Fridays and other teams heat leaders could be at Glasgow, Edinburgh, Scunthorpe . Its just the state the sport has got itself in.

Its supposed to be a development league, the ‘winnings’ should be potential riders for the future, not a shiny £10 trophy and a picture in the Star. If clubs stuck to the principles and the recommended pay rates , there wouldn't be a ‘them and us’ attitude and clubs like Buxton , Mildenhall and even the Isle if Wight may still be running in the NDL but some clubs, and we all know who, have a win at all costs attitude and do what they want and not necessarily whats best for the sport. This coming season will see very few new faces in the league, just a couple of lads turning 15 will be about it as there has been precious little new riders taking up the sport. Attitudes need to change , more effort made to get kids on bikes, make the sport cheaper and not dearer as the new regs are doing or there wont be a future. There will always be winners and losers but at this level, it doesn't really matter !

Have you ever considered the possibility it may just be YOU? Having had dealings with the Triggers for a number of seasons and on a weekly basis last season I found them all to be lovely people, Ben is still just a kid , looking to have fun, and occasionally has ‘too much sugar’ but you get that with all kids looking to enjoy life. Lighten up !

I’ll score you 3/7 😉

Whilst this may look like an opportunity for more track time for NDL standard riders it looks to me to be another sticking plaster approach just like the promised ‘ more opportunities via individual meetings’ that they said would happen in 2024. The fact was that only three/ four of those meetings actually took place. Whilst we don't know the full make up of teams yet, the fact that they expect riders to double up sets the alarm bells ringing. Some of these NDL riders who appeared in 2024 will not be riding next season for reasons of ‘too good’, retired or simply cant afford it with the new silencers and rev limiters being required ( about £600 to be found per bike ). So already the SIX NDL sides are hunting for riders , some for two or even three . Yes, theres a couple of 15 year olds to come in , but not loads so just where do the rest of them come from ? The TROPHY sides need to find riders willing to ride and also willing to ride mid week and travel , they might yet struggle to find enough riders willing to double up as the rumoured pay rates will not attract riders who hold down a full time job. Fixture planning needs to be very carefully thought through. Is there a long term plan attached to this idea ? Will current NDL riders be cueing up to get in a Trophy side ? Let’s hope it thrives…….time will tell.

You should be a promoter and get on the committee, its not like you do much else.

Playing Devils advocate ( as always) but you’re doing a team manager out of a job ! Why cant 10 plus teams run without separating the league ? The riders are crying out for rides so the more matches the better……oh, hang on…..not enough riders ? This is why they need to get their support for newbies and the youth sorted out as thats where the riders will come from. The SCB should be running speedway try outs -schools at any track that will host them, invite moto x riders , school kids, fans to come along , for free , and have a ride. The SCB/BSPL should supply bikes, basic kit and tutors to travel around and promote the sport other wise it will be dead within the next few years. This sticky plaster approach isn't going to save it.

Sorry Steve but your a bit off with this one and have your stat averages/rules mixed up. Spencer is a slow burner but likes the Redcar track having attended many practice sessions and a few Amatuer meets , he also has a major sponsor here in Ged Rathbone so a definite NDL team place is a serious possibility and it makes it even more attractive if he’s to be the Bears no. 7 and before you ask…..no I don't know the team ….but theres some hilarious guesses on here !

No.

So if heat 13 is a cracker you definitely don’t want to repeat it ! so replace it with a two man race ? You think a promoter wants to save a few quid but actually lose it because fans don’t want a reduction in proper four rider races and even more will turn their backs on the sport.

Can’t find enough riders to make Amateur meetings worth running and even struggling to find volunteers to help run them . The sport is at an all time low with not enough investment in the future , with either hire bike days or proper structured training days . Edinburgh are trying but there’s not much else at the moment, there will be a major void in kids coming through in the next few seasons. Allowing 5 point NDL riders to compete against novices in the NJL last season hasn’t helped .

The 4 TT days at Redcar were always great days but probably never to be repeated events due to the low number of riders these day, plus the expense of running a stand alone meeting like the 4 TT since the SCB withdrew any financial support and the clubs had to fully fund the meetings themselves. I do wonder how many teams might enter the NJL next season as only Edinburgh have a number of local kids coming through to fully field a team.

Only need 8 ish or more to make it work as a second half event.

Not sure what Steve has got ‘ factually slightly wrong ‘ but the essence of the discussion is that there are riders, 125 & 250 , available but you are saying they won’t travel mid week, which is understandable but does seriously limit their options when it comes to riding. The MDL has struggled since the nomad teams were kicked out, another brilliant SCB interference, and it seems won’t include 125’s for reasons known only to themselves. The NJL never had an issue even though they had three Friday night tracks but attitudes are different now and riders would rather ‘practice’ at a home track than ‘race’ at an away track. The NJL will struggle to field meaningful teams in 2025 and I have suggested in the past that perhaps it’s time to look at a ‘ GP Style ‘ individual meetings, for each class, held perhaps twice at each competing track to give all riders meaningful racing and riders can chose which rounds to ride in but must compete at least once at each track. Just a thought….

The NJL has lost its way since the Swales controlled days. Too many individuals looking for team glory rather than the interest of the juniors, rules changed to suit one club and recently incompetent leadership from the ‘co-ordinator’ leading to the loss of stalwart managers at clubs. Now there is a shortage of kids coming through to fill the existing teams with more and more amateur meetings being cancelled for just that reason. Lets hope the NJL can be revived back to pre SCB interference days.

Rumours that there will be another northern NDL team , to fill up the clubs fixture list, but as previously said…where are the extra riders to come from ? Teams struggled last season to fill the spots with a number of juniors thrown in just to make the numbers up on occasions. No one can guess what gems the top table will / already have come up with as the ridiculously named ‘rising star’ programme has already been ‘arranged’ and rider signings already announced so they already know what they are going to do with the top two divisions. The sport desperately needs a proper NDL system with many more fixtures than last season where riders can develop over time , not just ride every four weeks and hope we unearth a large crop of British youngsters, not just the odd one . They said they were going to have all sorts of opportunities for NDL standard riders last season, three individual meetings doesn't bare that out to me. The sport is dying from the bottom up because of the way its being run, lets hope a miracle happens and they get the mess sorted out.

Same as the males, 16 and 500cc.

So now there is only 4 entrants for a national championship and only two of those are British. What happened to the 25 plus ladies who attended the Belle Vue training school event aimed at getting more female participation?

It appears you are posting just to get attention, as stated, there aren't any ‘ dangerous ‘ riders. Occasionally a rider makes a mistake , rides too hard or simply gets it wrong, …..thats it!

Riders do not get paid points money in these events, payment is on the pairs finishing position.

Quite right. I can’t understand squabbles about rules as they are written in pencil, change daily depending on who's asking what and all then dependant on who shouts the loudest. Its become a weekly joke in the pits when the team managers can’t agree, then the ref refers it to a higher level who makes a decision but then changes it for the next club that asks. Berwick on Saturday was a fine example then at Leicester a rider got excluded with the ref telling the ‘offender’ that he asked those around him in the refs box and they agreed he made the other rider ride into him ! Get a grip folks, this is modern day speedway, don't take it seriously.

Because you need to engage your brain cell before typing perhaps ? The sport has always had its ‘ back up ‘ riders who were never going to be world beaters but are the backbone of the sport and are essential back up to the ‘ stars ‘. Halder has scored in every meeting and is as solid a second string as you will find in the NDL.