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The problem with the BSPL committee members is they’re not looking to take speedway forward or even protect it’s position. They join the committee purely to protect their own interest and get a favourable decision when dodgy dealings raise their heads. It’s no surprise to me to see two jump ship once the waves get choppier. We nearly lost the TV deal that has just lapsed but thankfully Adrian came in at the eleventh hour to save at least something. The gratitude show to him by the committee was to continually sideline him on his many proposals (independent body, junior development, streamlined rule book and competition structure to name a few) so in the end he turned his attention to other business avenues. As a none speedway man he, as is always the case, couldn’t join the old pals club that have presided over the demise of our wonderful sport.

We are already, partly.

That’s not been the case for our team as we always have to make our side weaker over winter. The number of riders we have signed, improved and see move on would fill a new 1-7 with a very decent line up. Over the last two seasons three riders who have had to leave Belle Vue have lined up at number one for their new team. There needs to be more balance in these posts as remaining “one note” only leads to the more impressionable on here believing it all.

Whilst I’m not condoning the system, guests have always been with us. On Saturday 18th of May 1974 there were six top flight meetings and four of them had guests. Thousands attended those meetings as the sport was riding high in people’s consciousness and nobody seemed to bother about it. I had it in my head that we hardly used guests back then but by using the excellent Speedway Researcher website I was able to check that wasn’t true. It’s ironic that MikeBV bangs the drum the loudest about this subject when for the last 4/5 seasons his team have hardly used any guests, in fact way less than during the sports halcyon days.

Hobson choice, which is an annual occurrence for us. If it wasn’t Max it would have been another of our Aces made top liners that would have lined up against us for a new member of the top division. ‘Twas ever this.

https://www.fimspeedway.com/news/frickes-exciting-opportunity-with-lions

I put this together for what I anticipate our fixture list will look like in not to distant future. Belle Vue fixtures 2028 Easter. PCMT Colts May BH. GB v Australia test match Colts May BH. Challenge v Sheffield select Colts June. GP June. GP Colts July. British Final Colts August. Speedway centenary August BH. GB v Rest of the world test match Colts September. Challenge v UK Select Colts September. Challenge v Glasgow select Play off final. Belle Vue v Aces 😂

So it’s the jeopardy and not the participants that is the draw. For PCMT see BV junior championship (when it ran) for play offs see NDL play offs (when they ran) for GPs see the British Junior Championship which we also run two rounds. All have jeopardy. Doesn’t the visit of Edinburgh, Scunthorpe or Middlesbrough provide any kind of novelty? I don’t believe you’d attend these fixtures as they don’t have the top stars. They are no doubt a draw.

Bang on. It’s mainly due to slick PR by Henry, ably backed up by the trolls on here and no doubt other social media. A good example of this was the annual AGM statement we are all eagerly waiting on. This years included a large section on Ipswich running a junior meeting, painting Louis as some kind of saviour on the junior front. I urge you to read it again and compare it to the damp squib it turned out to be. Don’t get me wrong it was a worthy venture and I’m always pleased to see top level clubs help us with the task of bringing on the next generation, no matter how small. It was not worthy of the being included in the AGM statement. https://britishspeedway.co.uk/miscellaneous/british-speedway-agm-statement-2/

Aarrghh! You quoted him and I read it. I cannot believe he referenced the junior meeting as an innovative act, unbelievable. Run a junior team if you want to bring on youngsters. It’s completely lost on him that an ex Colt (having graduated out of our team) won the event. Sign young English riders when they are 16 and help build them up (no mention of the compulsory RS riders please) don’t wait until they are world number three before you come sniffing round. What has Louis actually done? Ran speedway at the same venue it’s been at for decades? Let lifelong Ipswich fan Guy bankroll the club? Signed Doyle, so innovative that nine teams had done that before them? Signed Emil when the Ukraine war hit Russian sportsmen? Moved up to the top league six seasons ago? Nobody puts any meat on the bones of him being a standout promoter, well now is your chance but don’t mention the junior meeting again.

You do realise you’ve picked meetings that contain the top stars. Even the play offs have top stars as generally their inclusion makes for top teams. What made you choose these meetings?

I wouldn’t use the word trust but there is little to no respect for Belle Vue or their staff amongst the BSPL committee and many of its members. Adrian was too vocal about the need for an independent body and that did not go down well and this has been mirrored with Mark. To have a business man who basically fell into speedway but could see the direction it should be going, move on due to the shenanigans of those at the top table said it all much more and much earlier than Louis latest stunt.

Looking at the teams that finished in the middle of the table, namely Belle Vue & Berwick, the difference in average between the top three and bottom three is GREATER in the championship. The stats don’t back up the suggestion that racing is better in the championship due to them all being of a similar standard. Just like the idea of variety, this is another championship fallacy.

As we have a chance for a major reset in UK speedway, I’d like to ask any mechanical boffins how easy is it to make the kit massively cheaper? You can’t just change regs overnight in a big way as that sees riders with expensive & unusable out of date parts but can costs be driven down with minor tweaks as time goes on? A speedway bike will always be a speedway bike but it would be nice to have a cheaper alternative to the highly tuned rocket ships currently blighting the domestic scene.

Four ex promoters, all fighting back the tears whilst describing their own tales of woe regarding the loss of their teams. Developers, said the first. I couldn’t make it pay said the second, I really tried. My landlord kicked us out, said the third, they didn’t want us, it was so sad. They look to the fourth as they all hold hands united in sadness and ask, what about you? He replies, sobbing, I didn’t get my own way this time.