Odds On

and where else would they be able to put themselves in the shop window for other leagues in the world?...perhaps you could name a few Aussie riders who have made a career out of the sport by going down another route other than the usual British leagues.

after recent shenanigans in our beloved sport, it may be a good time for a reality check for the promoters, riders and supporters. The whole sport revolves around one thing, money, whether its the promoters or riders they are all dependent on it!... Surely the sport should be run like a business, if more is going out than coming in then you are living beyond your means and there is only one inevitable outcome, you wouldn't run a business for long running at a loss! The sport needs to change and by that I mean radically, everyone knows the golden goose is laying its eggs over in Poland, good money on offer and all appears rosy in that garden. Here's the radical part, these figures are hypothetical. Promoter takes in £25,000 on a race night, after all his expenses(not including riders wages) he is left with £10,000,it is then that the riders and the promotor take their cut out of the profit, currently riders are either on a guarantee or pay per points, how this works over a season is beyond belief, hence why a lot of riders are chasing money towards the end of the season etc. The onus is put on the promoter and the riders to find sponsors/additional income over the off season. For a rider to moan about £200 for half a days work is in insult to those that are coming through the gate paying his wages, how many speedway fans are clearing that sort of money on a daily basis, yes I know they buy their own machinery etc and the risk is great, speedway riders only race 8 months of the year! Speedway is not a sport for the vast majority to make a living out of, there's more to changing a hobby into a working career work for you than having two shiny bikes with the very latest go faster gadgets on, a new sign written van, paid mechanics etc etc... The above will come in for ridicule from some but the crux of the matter is the sport is more of a hobby than a full time profit making business. Will the above happen?..no, mainly because the tail is wagging the dog and not the other way around, the sooner a stiffer and more radical check is taken and imposed on the sport the sooner the better.

people really think a rider will go to a court of law?...once a rider puts his head above the parapet there is all sorts of worms coming out of the can.

Really, so riders who hold out for better deals get itchy feet the nearer the season approaches, do you really think they wouldn't sign if offered a deal...;lets not forget most riders only know how to ride a speedway bike...

one thing you certainly learn in life is never bite off the hand that feeds you....perhaps Holder and Batchelor have well and truly don't this!

riders having family in the pits isn't uncommon, in fact it is more common than uncommon! If I remember correctly didn't Jason Crump have his grand dad, father and other members of the family helping him in the pits?

a worry?...if it works for him then fair play to the lad. Take a look at certain riders and see who they have in their corner of the pits, now that is a worry and a criticism!

I'm guessing the gravy train isn't stopping in the UK anymore for these two Aussies! The real outcome of all this, it will make riders think at least twice before pulling out of meetings, rightly or wrongly.

personally I don't see how you can have fixed figures for points, the logical one's in speedway realise that if a promoter has paid everyone out besides his cut and the riders wages, then that figure can be divided between himself and the riders, the alternative is what we have now, a sport where barring a very select few are making money out of the sport. The above is harsh but in reality is what is needed in the sport.

the key word comes after the comma, then.

just as well as if I was a Robins fan I wouldn't beholding my breath for any new stadium in Swindon!

you are missing the point and the context it is being applied to, you really do need to read the whole post to understand the point trying to be made....or shall I put it another way to make it easier for you?

here's a very obvious simple way of realism hitting speedway riders, its simple and obvious, its a sport that the majority cant make a living out of, some do and are successful at it but the vast majority think they can and will, they wont. The vast majority of riders think their day job is speedway, they need to wake up because it isn't, its just an expensive hobby, cheaper engines, dirt deflectors, oil mats, aver ages etc is just pissing in the wind. Simple equation for speedway to realise, if a promoter makes a profit of say £5,000 on a race night, then a percentage of that is divided between the riders after his cut. People say riders wont ride for peanuts, most riders don't know anything else apart from having a new sign written van for the pits along with a pair of the very latest bikes with all the very latest go faster gadgets on them, all things they cant afford.

for my sins I went to this last night, Swindon were very good and fully deserved their win, however the stadium, the racing and Poole were very poor and did nothing to portray speedway as a entertaining sport.

hey fella, all that glitters in life doesn't turn out to be gold.

we all have choices in life, if Chis or any other rider believe that the conditions are dangerous then that is their decision, just because other choose to ride doesn't mean its not dangerous. A rider receiving a 28 day ban for believing the track is dangerous is 100% wrong, start applying the same penalty to promoters who prepare dangerous tracks, but we know that isn't going to happen because the people making the rules are the promoters!....vicious circle anyone?

most of them cant count, hence why they have two different coloured flags after just two laps!

so how did the bike go up in flames...

I think its currently with Alan in the design department, once he's finished designing the track at Milton Keynes and Reading he'll be right on it!

if this is true and I have no reason to doubt it then Rossiters position is unsustainable.

lets all be 100% honest here, does anyone see a new stadium being built?

we were in with a chance of winning bronze, bringing Ellis in would of been a gamble that simply didn't add up, the risk factor was greater than the reward. For all Rossitors faults I actually think he was correct to use Cook and Lambert in the nominated races.

anybody who thinks Eliis would of done better than Lambert is new to speedway!

spot on Keith. Swindon are already desperate for dogs, they lost big kennels when Towcester opened....if anybody thinks that a new stadium will be built in Swindon any time soon then they need a reality check!

is the sand hot at this time of year?