Ben91

There are a lot of stupid, complicated rules in Speedway. This way of deciding a tie and the countback system used in most individual meetings are not in that bracket. They promote racing to win. If everyone races to win then the racing should be more entertaining and the overall winners are the paying public.

Exactly why it’s important these young riders have someone to help them build the right mindset rather than break their existing one down. I’d argue mindset mentorship as opposed to skillset mentorship would be more beneficial to those naturally talented youngsters. The current Rushen or Cairns debate is interesting. Of course it’s natural to discuss who is better, who will be better etc. on the forum and social media, wouldn’t it be great to see both make the absolute most of their potential though. They can learn from each other now and push each other through their careers if they have the right mentorship. We’ve all been kids of that age, there can be a certain end of the world feeling to even the most minor of setbacks. That’s where they need an arm around the shoulder to tell them it’s all about the experience and to keep their feet planted and chins up. That goes for all young riders.

Apologies if I’ve missed it elsewhere but is Boughen lost to the sport now? Seems like there’s definitely something that could/should be done to help keep young riders heads straight. Anyone with above average potential seems to be treated as a commodity before a person, in their teenage years that’s always going to either inflate the ego or crush it, sometimes both. A lot of young careers have probably suffered for it. Something needs to be done to help the British youngsters stay on track, literally and metaphorically.

The two 4-2s are both heat advantages. A 5-1 and a 3-3 is a heat advantage and a drawn heat. The rule is most heat advantages. Not difficult to comprehend really.

Arguably you only deserve it if you achieve it. His performance this season is probably the best GP campaign without winning the title to date though. Kurtz’s 2025 is the best debut GP season anyone has ever had so far too. Hopefully he can maintain these levels and we get a competitive title race in 2026.

Mostly voting with their feet. The tangible change the average fan can make is turning up weekly and putting their money in the till. By not doing so they’re showing they aren’t happy with the product. That’s when the supplier needs to step up and win them back. The sport isn’t doing that these days for the most part. There’s absolutely a negativity bias in the world but forums and social media can be the only place for fans to vent their frustrations.

Great news. Hope it’s a roaring success.

Not failing to recognise, I appreciate but don’t completely agree with your opinion and won’t be bombarded into changing my own to suit. We would lose riders, but 45 is extreme. Some would stay. The one league would of course only work with multiple race nights. That’s where there would need to be a work around, it absolutely means a lower standard sadly. The up and comers may decide to go elsewhere when they reach a good standard. Or the promoters could do their job and in that time make Britain a more than viable option for them to stay and even for other riders to come race here. Nobody truly wants the standard to drop, doing so for the long term future of having a sport to watch is the only reason I’d accept as a fan if communicated clearly. We’ve reached the point it has to happen. Clubs are falling like dominoes. Two leagues with no doubling up calls for one or two existing Championship teams to step up and move to a race night they don’t want, rocking their boats massively and unnecessarily for the benefit of others. It also then makes the second tier incredibly weak with the left over riders. That’s bad for those businesses. How is that fair when the second tier isn’t the one killing clubs hand over fist. Cut your cloth accordingly and be punished with promotion. To continue with doubling up (beyond between the “professional” and “development” leagues) just shows massive contempt for fans. It would be the ultimate middle finger, the band playing along happily as the Titanic sinks. The sport is (or at least should be) a whole, the whole sport needs to share the burden of the mess it’s got itself into, not give an apathetic “what can we do there’s not enough riders?”

There aren’t insufficient riders. There are insufficient riders of sufficient quality. Granted it all amounts to the same thing, bad news for British Speedway and its fans. That lack of “good enough” riders is at least partly a result of the doubling up doors being jammed wide open for all about 15 years ago. A short sighted decision at the time that is now coming home to roost. At that point there were more than enough riders to go round. Rider power probably drove that one. Recently it’s been exasperated by the tighter visa rules post-Brexit it seems. It’s definitely a case of a best case scenario out of the current mess. One league seems to me to be more of a ballsy attempt to give the sport a long term future, not without massive potential pitfalls. The standard would drop, it’s unavoidable, but it could be the only way to repopulate the domestic rider pool in the mid to long term. Otherwise we end up losing clubs annually, dropping to teams of five (horrible idea) and before long there’s nothing left. Carrying on as we are seems to be agreeing to continue with death by a thousand cuts. It would be just another sticking plaster.

I think 2H 2A is overkill in a 14 team league. One round off league fixtures and then find other ways to fill the calendar for me. But not the extent of trying to fit in another 13 meetings at each track. Be it extra regionalised league meetings, a cup/trophy etc. We’ve been meandering towards the last one out turn off the lights scenario for decades, things have picked up pace now though. It needs radical change, not the lip service we get every winter.

The Saudi model is to throw money at already thriving sports too. The sport here could thrive again but it will take a long time, a lot of hard work and huge amounts of patience/faith from existing fans. The gulf between the 'world class' and top domestic riders is ever widening. Those top domestic riders are also not going to be with us forever (Nicholls, Harris, King, Lawson etc.). The next generations coming through aren't up to their standard in the main. That's part of why those older names are still the top domestic riders in 2025. Brexit has made it harder to get competitive riders from overseas into the country also. Despite it not being a popular solution, the way to make meetings more entertaining is to cut the head off the snake and go without the big names. Riders of a lower standard are more plentiful (and cheaper). The more level the playing field in terms of rider ability the more competitive and entertaining the racing should be (in theory, massive asterisk against that point). That's a hard sell to most existing Premiership fans of course, especially when they'll be asked to pay just as much, if not more to get into meetings. Stadium rent will still need paying at the end of the day and won't decrease because the standard of riders has. The kicker being the standard of riders outside of the world class ones is already declining year on year and ageing to boot. So as a governing body own it rather than hoping nobody notices. Transparency has to be key. Things being stripped back and rebuilding from sturdier foundations is needed. Tell the fans that is what is happening and why. If you still want a sport to watch in five, ten years then this needs to be done now. People will be more understanding and supportive if kept in the loop.

Appreciate the points, my post was a bit of a sweeping generalisation. Not meant to knock Poland, I’ve been there plenty and it’s a lovely place (from what I’ve seen), more to the point that we could and should do a better job than almost anyone at promoting speedway. Realistically the sport here has to step back now to achieve that rather than trying to build on sand for yet another winter.

Speedway is literally the only thing in the world that Britain is behind Poland in. That should be evidence enough that we’re not running speedway right here. If we were then we’d be calling the shots.

In an ideal world the sport would be big enough worldwide to support riders racing for one team full stop. That’s flying pigs territory though. I understand your point about doubling up but there’s no other sport to my knowledge where a competitor is competing for multiple teams in the same week, racing with and then against the same rider tooth and nail from one night to the next. It’s shambolic really. First we need to get rid of doubling up (except between the “development” league and the “professional” league), the next step after that would be to work towards guests being scrapped too.

Integrity is something the sport lacks a lot of sadly. Over half the top tier teams qualifying for the title play offs is ridiculous, in much the same way that 10 of 16 GP riders qualify for the semi-finals these days. It renders so much of the racing that goes before things pointless. I’m more convinced than ever that one league is the way to go. The standard will drop but the things that have got the sport into this mess need to be ironed out asap. Treading water like we have for about 25 years can’t be the answer yet again.

The standard will have to drop sadly. Through necessity rather than desire. Britain isn’t producing as many riders as it used to and that next tier below the elite names isn’t as good as it was 10-20 years ago. There are still enough riders to fill teams, they’re just not as good as they used to be. The way the sport has been run is to blame for that. A big part of which has been doubling up. It is a massive stain on the credibility of the sport.

In theory one league would provide the riders as many meetings as they’d get doubling up but it gives the sport a whole lot more integrity than if they’re riding for two different teams. Presumably the pay scale would be somewhere between the leagues now so even out.

If done correctly then absolutely. On the basis of a league with 14 teams you could race home and away against everyone once, then another round of six fixtures against the sides in your north/south conference. Makes for 19 home meetings per team, plenty of speedway. Points count in your north/south conference and then there are play offs to decide overall champions at the end. Either top of each region over two legs or the top two from each region qualify with semi finals. Not necessarily what I’d like to happen but an option.

Nothing like the last match of the season deciding who comes first in the league. Especially when the winners have already been “knocked out” and can’t win the title. Speedway strikes again.

The sport in Britain is in a real mess. Whatever happens will be unpopular in some quarters. What needs to be done is what is in the best interests of the longevity and improvement of the sport here. As a fan all I want is to see close, competitive racing without too many delays between heats. I believe that is all most Speedway fans ultimately want too. We fell in love with the sport for the bikes on the track, not the convoluted rule book that comes with it. That’s the part that has turned a lot of fans off over the years.

Simplicity needs to be key. Do what is best for the sport in Britain as a whole. For me that is one league and moves to protect the integrity of the competition. If seven rider teams continue I'd like to see some of the following implemented. Race nights to suit the home club as often as possible. Massive revamp of absent rider facilities. Facility granted (R/R, not a guest) only for riders on FIM/national championship duty or injured during a meeting in the last seven days. NL guest only for riders absent for reasons other than the above. These are the only guests allowed. More than two riders unavailable on FIM/national championship duty and a club can request a postponement (I.E. football international duty). All clubs to have an extra rider ("number 8") declared and present at every meeting. Can take rides in the same way a reserve does. Riders can't take two rides back to back. Heats 14 to 15 the only exception. Keep things moving. No tactical substitutes. Two points for winning a meeting, home or away. An extra point awarded for an aggregate victory. The current system is needlessly complicated. Teams who don't complete their fixtures are penalised. Two points deducted for each meeting uncompleted. Match points forfeited to away side from uncompleted meeting. Don't complete your home fixtures and next season you don't get to race in the KO Cup. Team who finishes top of the league wins the league. Appreciate these ideas aren't perfect. Nothing is though. And they're a lot better than what we currently have to endure.

Plenty of evidence now of teams being crippled by moving up. Having to change race night and the extra costs aren’t conducive to good business. Think the Glasgow promotion are too switched on to fall into the trap.

Unless his bike has packed up then a rider shouldn’t be retiring from a race. Do the job you’re employed to do.

Put two points on his starting average at the age of 16. Pony indeed.

Absolutely. Why would a top tier team be interested in a bang average second tier rider.