Gresham

There is a perfect site for Bristol Speedway, just off the M4 junction 18 Tormarton. Tormarton MX have tracks there. You can't see it or hear it. No houses for miles around, and perfect link to Motorway. Visited it on numerous occasions thinking it would be ideal for Speedway. If MX have got planning, I see no reason why Speedway couldn't get involved as well. It has four main tracks and 9 acres for parking. https://www.tormartonmx.uk/

It's a lot to do with machinery and getting the set up right for the track conditions. Then you have to take in fatigue, travel and the mental state of the riders on the night. You look at the times of a meeting, and it's pretty much within a second each week. So why do riders, perform one week, but not the next? At this level, riders are much of a muchness. It's mainly down to machinery and getting the set up spot on early. However...Speedway riders can't help tinkering. They get it right one week...but still they will tinker to try and find extra speed. Yet this often leads to going backwards instead of forwards. Riders are like sheep...they see someone do something, and they all try it. An engine tuner says you need this doing, and they do it. It's been like this for as long as I can remember. You'll also get occasions where they prepare the track, thinking it's one thing, yet turns out the other. Home riders think it's slick, but turns out grippier than expected. Seen this happen a few times this season especially. You usually get a lot of mid meeting grading then lol

It's all about having the right gear and engines and certain mentality . Always knew BWD had the ability...it's just down to finance and set up at this level and that mentality. Same can be said of Tungate...give him the equipment and he'll do it for you. Wonder where his best engines are...abroad? In Ellis and BWD, Swindon have got two riders that are exciting to watch and who obviously enjoy their racing. I'm enjoying watching their progress.

The amount of non speedway folk I have spoken too, often seem to think that Speedway is related to motorcycle gangs lol It's just educating them and showing them the positives or the alternatives they could be facing.

Like I said in my response to you...when buying a house, due diligence is needed if there is a possibility that land near you can be sold on for development...whether it be Housing, Supermarket or Speedway etc. Motorcycle 'noise' for a couple hours...or a Supermarket for 24/7 'noise' ? Plus in this instance...many of the local residence might have been Cradley fans in the past and welcome their team back. I'm sure all the local consultations will take place, as it would with any new development. From what I can see from photographs on social media, this can only be a good thing for the community. Like someone else noted...the new Belle Vue stadium is close to housing...perhaps forward thinking councils are now seeing the error of their ways in the past. In all seriousness...if you had a property next to land that could be developed...what would you prefer as a non speedway fan? A supermarket, more housing...or a speedway track operated once a week for 6 months? I know which I'd prefer.

I think you have to do due diligence when buying property, especially in this country and if next to land that can be built on and developed. My point being about Speedway...one night a week of a little noise, and lets face it, it's hardly noisy these days. Or the prospect of getting a supermarket etc, with 24/7 disturbance? So many Councils now are anti sport. Everything built seems to be 'out of town'. Creating soulless bowls, similar to an out of town shopping experience. Sport, brings the community closer together. Having facilities local to where you live brings communities closer together. What you have now in many places, are people that move in to houses and communities, who go to work, go shopping to their out of town shopping centres, with Restaurants and bars, and cinemas. Then go back home and never even speak to their neighbours. The local communities are dying. Local shops, bars, pubs and community facilities, including sports stadia, are failing in my parts of the country, because councils feel the need to put facilities 'out of town'. It's these out of town facilities that are ruining communities and making this country soulless. Some places are like ghost towns nowadays...that used to thrive. When councils realise this it works. I've watched Ashton Gate be re developed into a magnificent new stadium. The council approved it...it's surrounded by housing, but part of the community. They stopped a large Supermarket being built. The streets around the stadium were once empty, shops shut, barren...a ghost town. Now they have encouraged local independent companies to develop. Coffee shops, Restaurants, bars, local brewery and bakery using the yeast from the brewery...local produce weekly market, theatre...the community has come alive again. And it's wonderful to see. And yes...every Saturday and Tuesday evening, the area is swamped by cars and people watching the football. But they all use the local facilities and mix with the community. Speedway is a family sport...and if promoted correctly, could be embraced by the community. I look at Somerset Speedway to see that. Highbridge...a run down backwater of a town, that now has a community feel and focal point. It brings communities together. Speedway tracks and other sports stadiums should be embraced even in inner city's or by suburbs imo...as they bring 'community' and togetherness. I don't see that with supermarkets etc. Maybe it's me...but councils have got it wrong over the years. They've done nothing to encourage community in the whole. They've broken them if anything. Sit at home in your soulless box...go to work, go shopping out of town to a soulless supermarket, cinema, restaurant chain or sports stadium, then come home again to your soulless box. That's how many parts of the country have become sadly. Thankfully I live in a small market town with great community with local pubs, restaurants, sports facilities and independent shops. It feels 'healthy'. However...on my travels I see what I've described and think it's been part and parcel to why this country has become so fragmented.

Question...are the people at Swindon, the same people who own Torquay Utd stadium? If so...I think Swindon Speedway is truly stuffed. This won't happen imo, if so.

I really hope this gets the green light...good luck to everyone involved. As a Bristol Bulldogs fan, I know the pain Heathens fans, and many others have had to endure. Would love to live close enough to witness regular, Cradley, Wolves, Leicester, Birmingham and maybe in the future Coventry, local derbies. As for housing being near the site, these nimby's should think carefully before complaining. If you live near land that can be sold for redevelopment, what would you rather have....a Speedway track with some minimal noise one evening a week max...or like Bristol, a mahoosive Ikea and Tescos built on it, where traffic and noise is 24/7? Same can be said of the nimby's that complained about a new Bristol City Stadium being built near them...the 'posh' end of town didn't want this...now it's going to be used for Council housing haha...how I laughed out loud. Be careful what you wish for ;-)

'Whinging Poms' comes to mind...funny how the likes of Holder, Batch, Doyle, Tungate, Grajz, amongst other Aussies, all seem to be in the mix when it comes to complaining about track conditions that don't suit them...seems to be a recurring theme in Speedway these days. Aussies say Brits 'whinge'...yet they seem to be the one's complaining all the time and throwing their toys out of the pram. These riders and certain Promotors have regular fans by the short and curly's...they know these fans will turn up week in, week out ( even though that's impossible these days with the lack of fixtures lol...but you get my drift)...for fear of their Club getting into financial difficulties. Certain Promotions and Riders seem to have a total disregard to the paying public who pay their wages. If I was a Kings Lynn fan, I would be asking for my money back, as Speedway was wrongly advertised, what you witnessed was a circus event...mainly clowns. Speak with your feet...Don't go to the next home meeting...let them race in an empty stadium. Treat them with the contempt they showed the paying fans.

It has become a farce...my own club Somerset haven't had a meeting home or away for three weeks. That's if you don't count the 'select juniors' challenge match, which was so boring I went home after 7 heats. 1 home meeting league meeting this month as well. :-( Football season is upon us soon, festivals etc during August...can see my money being spent elsewhere tbh. Will do the Pairs...can't be bothered with the GP, I find the whole thing rather ugly.

What's Speedway? ;-)

Riding styles have mostly become more 'generic'. From a distance it really is hard to tell one rider from another. Team Kevlars and bike covers also don't help, neither do small designed race emblems. Kevlars, bike covers and such look ok in a still photograph, but they are so overly fussy in design, that when moving when racing, it just becomes a huge blur. Sometimes....less is more. As for riding styles, it imo, has become so, because of less dirt on the track and the higher revving engines. Corners are attacked more at full throttle. Also when exiting a bend on 2 and 4, a rider moves his body into a position to make the bike more upright compared to the past. Done so, to get the whole of the rear tyre in contact with the surface for extra drive, rather than the edge of the tyre. I remember first noticing this with the Moran brothers, way back when. Only a few riders these days have noticeable riding styles. A lot of ex or present Grasstrackers, who ride speedway, have a distinct style that is noticeable.

I agree...but imo, the Sport has never truly been run 'Professionally' even it's hey day. The Sport was allowed to evolve with no fore thought to the future...it was always 'make hay while the sun shines'. Promotors should have done their utmost to have purpose built speedway tracks way back when. Not as so many did, rely on other sports to use their facilities. Football, Rugby, Cricket...they all produced their own grounds. Speedway was the second highest attended sport at one point...investments were hardly made imo. Plus...Individual and Team Speedway should have been totally different 'codes' imo. Team supplied engines etc...not reliant on a bunch of individuals, providing their own equipment to make up 'Teams'. The 'problems' we have now...stem right back to how we let the sport evolve and now we are having to live with the consequences.

One of the ways I've started to enjoy Speedway again, is not to be all consumed by it anymore. In the past, I used to be like a sponge and find out everything I could on the sport. Be completely up to date with what was happening, know what all the riders were up to and how they were doing, riding etc. Immerse myself in the rules, politics, stats and averages. In the end...it drives you nuts. You become so frustrated, because of how the sport has become, the silly rules, lack of riders, doubling up, lack of teams, poor fixture arrangements. So I've walked away from all that. I barely know about the riders these days. I show some interest...but just enough to know what's going on, on the night. I treat it like the circus it has become. I go to be entertained by the 'clowns'...I don't need to know anything much about them. Just entertained by their performance on the night. Just enjoy the actual racing...don't bother with a programme anymore. I just listen to the announcer. And now Somerset have a Scoreboard, it's easy to know who's winning the meeting. Simples. I've also found reading less threads on this forum helps...as talking about which rider isn't appearing and what RR is being used, and how many teams haven't got a full 7 just makes you even more depressed ;-)

So only approx. 25% of meetings this season have gone ahead with a full 7 in each team? If so that's complete madness. May as well merge both leagues and run 6 man teams...as it's pretty much that now anyway.

Imagine if you were a newbie to the sport and read this thread. Taking a step back... and realising how ridiculous this sport has become...it seems certain people are just excepting it, and would rather play along with the silly games. Almost finding an absurd pleasure in it. Think about how farcical this looks. It really makes me sad to see how this great sport has been run to the dogs with it's silly pathetic rules. Thankfully we still have great racing...but the league system is a farce imo, and bragging rights about who wins, who gets to the play offs is so futile...it's just in name. How can you be proud if your team wins, when you see over a season how many riders have ridden for you? Or have been missing. Sorry...the racing is still fantastic...but the league is a joke. Just had to get that off my chest ;-)

....only 16 Premiership meetings in 30 days. With 8 teams competing in the League, surely it should be double that amount of fixtures? I really can't understand the fixture planning by Clubs. June...our longest period of sunlight and generally one of the drier months. As for my local Club...one Premiership fixture at home during July. Three all together, and all in the space of a week. Anyone else think the fixtures need looking at? Preferably I'd like to see the Prem and Championship combine into one big league. Anyone else agree...or is it just me that feels this way?

Agreed...I know fans are now walking with there feet instead of just putting up with it. There came a time when some supporters went regardless, as they felt they needed to support the Club for fear of them folding, especially in the current climate. However...it feels like we are watching the same old riders, riding for different teams, week in week out. The sooner we go to one big league and a 'Development' league the better imo. If it means dropping the level again....so be it...but there isn't much difference now tbh. Just fed up watching the same riders all the time.

Totally agree...there is going to come a point, where a rider will have ridden for every team in the league as a guest, at some point...if it's not happened already. Speedway does need to find a way of stopping this. I'm all for just watching the racing...but even for me this is taking the biscuit. I was going to go to this meeting...but will talking with my feet and taking my hard earned elsewhere.

I've never seen her stand still long enough to have a chat...I'm sure she's training for a marathon...never stops running everywhere lol In all fairness to her, she looks so busy on race nights, she probably doesn't actually get a chance to observe the meeting like a paying spectator. Maybe some constructive feedback would help...although I never like to be 'that bloke' if you get my drift.

I stopped buying them, not down to cost, but as a way of watching the Speedway from a different angle. So many guests, RR's...every rider seemingly riding for the other team, it's become a bit of a joke now. So I just listen to the announcer as to who's riding, and get submersed in the actual racing, rather than the stats, and filling in of programme. Surprisingly more enjoyable for me now.

I stopped buying them tbh, so have missed that.

I thought the track was really well prepared last night. Tbf...When you take into consideration the scorching heat we have had leading up to the meeting, the strong winds across the track, and the forecast of some rain on the night, then I don't think it could have been any better prepared tbh. The track is generally well watered and well prepared most weeks. The only people that got covered in dust were those on the back straight because of the prevailing wind. The racing was excellent, some of the best I've seen all season. Loving the addition of the new scoreboard as well...easy to keep tabs on the score without reverting to 'pigeon head' ;-) My only criticism of Somerset Speedway is the quality of presentation. The guy playing the music, doesn't shut it down when the lad on the mic is making announcements or giving out results...it's often impossible to hear. This whilst tractor grading is going on makes it nigh on impossible. You can also guarantee, that any rider or management interview done on the centre green will be done whilst the two mascot lads are riding around or the tractors...again...impossible to hear. I just switch off now and chat to randoms lol

Absolutely cracking meeting tonight...Lions may have lost heavily, but the score really doesn't reflect how close the racing was. Lions riders battled really hard and were often all over the Rebels...however when they did make the gate, Lions were less clinical in staying out front. Some really great races...probably the closest I've seen all four riders together throughout a whole race. It always looked like someone was going to make a move or be overtaken. The track looked a lot slicker tonight...less watering it seemed. However it has been scorching all week. So got a bit dusty towards the end. Was impressed by the hard and dogged riding of Adam Ellis...never ever gave up and seemed to find extra drive out of bend 2 on many an occasion. Speedway was the real winner tonight. Glad I went.

This has to be the funniest threads in a long time...Bare feet in the pits...what were they thinking? Next they'll be racing 500 cc bikes with no brakes...or grid girls walking around in stiletto's and flammable polyester/ lycra...oh hang on a minute Before you know it...H&S will be advising, that everyone wears a seat belt in their car, but it's ok to cram yourself into a train doing 120 mph stood up or on the tube...it's the biggest bunch of hypocritical bunkum known to mankind...dependent on how much money can be made or enforced.