cityrebel

There were very good crowds at mildenhall yesterday and Kent tonight. So it's not all doom and gloom.

We can all dream of well run meetings, but for most tracks it's just pie in the sky. Rye House started late on Monday, after numerous junior races before the advertsed start time. Every unessecary delay puts off a few more punters, that the sport can't afford to lose.

The sport has survived in this country without fixed race nights since 1928. The top riders will never return, because the clubs finances won't allow it. Speedway might have to suffer the doubling up dilemma, rather than tracks going bust.

The royal wedding, followed by the FA cup final, and lakeside v Edinburgh. Plenty of reasons not to run a challenge match at Eastbourne this Saturday. I will be heading to Arena with a few other Arlington regulars.

Fair point.

I've been to three meetings on the island this year, and the crowds haven't been brilliant. They never are before the holiday season starts.

Yesterday was dry and sunny. That's good weather compared to the deluge over Easter. Last year rye greatly benefited by lakeside dropping down to the third tier. This season lakeside have moved up with an exciting young side, and have kept their race night. The hammers crowds have gone up accordingly. Rye on the other hand are stuck with weekday race nights, that the vast majority of fans I know, don't want.

There were a few bees fans on the island last last week, so some are still keen. Wouldn't the traditional Saturday race night be a better option.

I would imagine the crowd levels at rye are a bigger concern than the team at the moment. Despite the good weather, last night was poor again. Weekday racing just doesn't work at the launch pad.

He'll get the former, but not the latter!

Speedways fan base has collapsed in this country, with the vast majority of tracks hemmoraging money. The British public has voted with it's feet, and I can't ever see them coming back.

I always felt with speedway attendances, that we were one season away from disaster. It seems to me, that time has arrived.

Another awful weekday crowd at rye last night. Saturdays were so much better attendance wise.

Meeting off.

NL racing is £16 at Eastbourne including prog, and £15.50 on the island. This seems to be the average price for lower tier speedway in the South East.

With a pretty poor weather forecast for the South coast today, this meeting must be in doubt. Any updates would be greatly appreciated.

The bees would need more than a 10 point lead at fortress Arlington!

Not many big hitters around smallbrook in that bees team, but the island are vulnerable at home again this season. If hopwood rides the warriors could win it, but it will be tight.

This is all a far cry from those heady days at Hyde road, when this meeting used to be one of the highlights of the season.

At £26 including prog, I can see another low turn out for a meeting well past its sell by date.

For speedway to prosper it needs to get coverage in the national press. Most people have either forgotten about it, or don't know that it exists.

I paid £25 to watch Arsenal v Burnley on Sunday and £18 to watch Rye yesterday. Football has decent facilities and runs like clockwork. Despite some good racing yesterday, sitting in a building site getting covered in dust for 2 and a half hours does not appeal to everyone. Unless speedway promoters improve the overall product, the punters will never come back.

The crowds are well down at rye house since the switch. Financial suicide springs to mind. Although it's strengthened the championship by reducing the doubling up.

I thought it was a decent meeting last night, against a battling Ipswich team. The crowd wasn't brilliant, but every track I go to is in the same boat.

Some very good racing on the island last night. The fen tigers gained a lot of their points from the back. Bailey and Kinsley pulled off Some brilliant passes in the latter stages of the meeting.