westhamboy66

Trouble is if they are EC citizens there is no way around it. Rules cannot be set to insist on British riders taking team places. Look at the attempt by Sweden to do something similar and they can't do it officially. Sad but trueFurthermore some years ago There was an agreement to have British riders at six and seven in the Pl for the entire season. That lasted only a short time and mainly due to Steve Boxalls success at Rye House the rule was ditched mid season, some help to young British riders.

Bobby Ott, loved watching him ride, great style and showman, but for me that was spoiled pre meeting at kings lynn one night. Bobby sitting alongside his bike and Promoter Buster Chapman bought a little kid into the pits who was clearly a Bobby Ott fan. Armed with pen and programme ready for an autograph he was introduced by Buster. Bobby's response was to scream and that he didn't see anyone and get the kid away from him. The look on the face of the youngster was awful. Maybe that was Bobby Ott being himself or maybe he was caught at a bad time who knows but it left a sour taste for those looking on. Couldn't look at him in the same light again

Ticking time bomb in Sweden and Poland financially far more so than here. No wonder the speedway mercenaries turn their back on Britain to chase the cash, good luck while it lasts i just hope we don't rush to take them back when the bubble bursts

If ever a rider deserves a testimonial it's Luke. I wish him well for his meeting and also more importantly a successful and safe season.

I'm baffled by some of the coments about one of British Speedway's best servants. There have been many other riders who have benefitted by a second meeting after twenty years and considering Havvy's service and the fact that he has been left with a disability following a crash that ended his career i feel it is only just that he be given a meeting. His friends within the sport will give their time to be involved in the meeting and those who wish to attend will be happy to part with their cash. If you don't like these sort of meetings then you have the choice not to go. Continually bleating about it smacks of jealousy. Shame on the guilty one's

No i think you will find it is ten years contracted to a club whether or not they are loaned to other clubs during that time. Yes i am sure Havvy has earned a decent living during which time he has been seriously injured more than one occasion, with his career ending crash that has left him with a disability. You obviously use term mercenary meaning Havvy. A great servant to British Speedway for twenty odd years unlike those true mercenaries like Crump, Hancock, Jonsson etc who took the money in Britain then turned their backs when the sport here needed them most.

Ben Morley seems to have been around for ages and it's easy to forget how young he is. Since he first came to Rye he seemed to be in a rut at Hoddesdon. Looks good at Rye but not so away from home,but watching him each week he came on leaps and bounds with the experience he gained at Kent. Seems more aggressive and less likely to be pushed off the racing line. His real aim should be to become a regular at PL level by the end of the season. Hope he makes it, could do well to gain some experience on a faster track than those he is currently connected with, Rye, Kent and Arena Essex

Jack Kingston. Very good debut at Kent and Jack was very good to watch. his move to Mildenhall should help him and i would expect tobe a stand out rider by the end of the season

Can't argue with any of that. Havvy has been a great servant to British Speedway, only retiring due to a bad injury that may well leave him severely disabled. Can' t understand some British fans who don't see the need to support him and yet at the same time those same fans line up to kiss the feet of foreign riders like Hancock who took the money for years then turned his back his on British Speedway when it was struggling. BSPA should be ashamed of themselves and pick up any losses the Havvy makes if he has to re arrange his long standing meeting.

As you say it's a group of MP's not an individual one, that is exactly what they are paid to do. If the group of MP's failed to take this up if requested to do so by the BSPA then i really fail to understand why there is any link at all

You say that neither party will want to divulge details of the contract but as a regular customer of the BSPA like many others i would be interested to see a ball park figure even if this is a percentage of the deal.This i think would be the right thing to do. Do the BSPA publish not have to accounts or are they not a Company as such? I honestly have no idea. In my former job as a Local Government Officer my wage was available for all and sundry to view and i have no problem with that. So it's not unusual especially within the sporting industry. As far as the Speedway Star is concerned you have one thing in this weeks edition to be very proud of and that is the Garry Stead article. Great work and a reminder of what could happen to all the riders who risk their lives for our entertainment. His position is very sad and we really do need reminders about the plight of these riders.

Initially great planning by Havvy, yes only a testimonial but a chance to see some decent riders and a very early season meeting. I was and still will be going to Poole to pay respects to someone who gave me plenty of enjoyment ever since he started and a great servant to British Speedway. Yes he has been shafted and it will stop may people going. I think the BSPA should hang their head in shame.

Two best cities Prague and Copenhagen (been to both eight times each and never tire of them) two days fine, the best track of the two for me is Copenhagen where i have always enjoyed the racing, prague definitely cheaper but if that isn't a concern i'd do Copenhagen. If you chose either and want some tips PM me will be glad to help

Nelson may have had the potential but there were very few signs that he would realise that potential. Yes he had some big meetings but he had quite a lot of really under par meetings, given the makeup of the team consistency is far more important. One who will realise his potential is Garrity as long as he can steer clear of injuries and if he does he will be pushing Edward by the season end. Tresarrieu is a more than decent rider who will be reliable week on week so i see little problem there. If i had any concerns about the side it would revolve around Jason Bunyan who has looked anything but the rider i had hoped for. The other worry is the obvious one of injuries. We have four riders whose recent seasons have seen so many curtailed riders, If only Bowen Lambert Garrity and Bunyan could have injury free seasons i still think we will be right up there and if we did manage a playoff place then with our return to a side with some home advantage we could be a tough side to beat over two legs

Watched a lot of Mathieu in his time at Ipswich, a rider i like and his addition won't make us any weaker i doubt. Sign of the times that we treat the Aussies so badly and yet allow sub standard EU riders in at the drop of a hat. Doubt we will go down the Nelson route again in the future

Apart from forums etc we have very little by the way of an independent voice. I have taken speedway star since 1961 as as a kid. Since the inception of the GP series i have often felt that the Star had become too close to Establishments that run British and World Speedway. Quite understandable i suppose as that is where they get there bread and butter information from but seem to offer little support to those who complain via the letters page. A nice editorial about all that is wrong would go down well occasionally. That said the two contributions from PHILLIPRISING seems to suggest he is a tad fed up with them at the moment.

Thanks Bert

Same as Vincent said. RIP Alf. A great loss

Not sure we should give the chance for a bit of practice to the mercenaries who have turned their backs on British Speedway. Fair play to Rory at least he has stuck by British Speedway and does his very best each season. Rather have him than the likes of Hancock who uses British Speedway to suit his purpose then walks away. About time British Speedway woke up to the fact that currently we are second rate as an Elite League and should ignore to so called expensive superstars as we simply cannot afford them at the moment.

pathetically loud music being bashed out by massive speakers is as much of a turnoff as is deathly silence. Standing around in the freezing cold with ten minutes between races,poor medical cover for the riders which can mean severely delayed meetings, endless unsatisfactory starts resulting in all the riders returning to the pits for a spoonful of fuel and clutch cooling are all more of a turnoff for me. Silly things like a proper rider parade with riders on their bikes, rider interviews, dare i say better prepared tracks leading to better racing would make me think my sixteen quid is well spent. Completely irrelevant to me is the standard of the riders, i tend to enjoy lots of my NL meetings and most of mt PL meetings sadly i can't say the same about the EL. Lastly get rid of the rip off programmes £3 is unrealastic, i want a record of the meeting but a scorecard will do thus cutting down the drivel written and saving me over a hundred quid a season.

I agree with the vast majority you have written but PLEASE see beyond the tat's etc. Did Jason Crump's eyebrow piercing make him a bad person? It's 2014 not 1914 and surely he should be judged for how he performed on track and to a degree with his antics off track that include raising a pretty good amount for charity. Not only is he World Champion but our first since 2013 lets give him him all round support rather than highlight what some people seem to think is socially unacceptable but is revered as body art.

Would love him at Rye and with Nelsons visa difficulties who knows

Premier sports isn't a sky company for a start. They use the Sky platform to air their programmes, a massive difference.They charge £9.99 without a contract just 30 days notice required. So your season of EL racing would cost less than £70 or the equivalent of four live meetings. Personally as i am able to get to meetings i would do that rather than watch it on the telly. I understand others don't have that option and want to watch some speedway so i think it would be a fair deal. Lets face it given the lack of quality in meetings televised in recent years sky have a point in not wanting to sponsor it. Even more of a concern for them is this season they can rightfully argue that the quality is further reduced in 2014 especially when compared with Poland and Sweden. Very few quality EL riders on show, bolstered by loads of journeymen PL riders doubling up and a fair amount of NL riders too. i don't have a problem with that but many supporters on this forum are asking the question about EL clubs and their admission charges that are charging too much given the reduction in quality. For me the BSPA should have been negotiating elsewhere given that sky were not sending encouraging signals, perhaps they were and just made a hash of it. Who knows but we must remember just because we love the sport we mustn't forget it is buried deep with other minority sports as sky prefer to show sports like womens cricket, netball and now recently ping pong as it is now called.

Good news. On the lineup front speedway is speedway whatever the lineup is. Personally i'd rather watch good honest PL riders giving it a go than some of the foreign mercenaries who have turned their back on British Speedway popping over for a bit of convenient 2014 testing at my expense thank you very much.

Go when the Heathens are there pretend to be a Mildenhall supporter i give you five minutes