MattK

Polish clubs ask for a commitment once a rider has signed to a team. If the Polish club "drops" the rider, then they are under no obligation to that club. You are proposing a rider commits to a 6-8 year long contract prioritising British speedway, without any clubs offering a similar commitment to employ that rider over the period of the contract.

No signs of movement.

The plans seem to vary, but this is roughly where: The most up to date plans seem to show more of an overlap between the new track and the existing first bend.

Yes. I don't believe that having two fixed race nights per league is an insurmountable challenge. You have to set this against the backdrop of what stadium owners are facing - namely a general decline across the board. Are the stadium owners really so inflexible and stubborn that they wouldn't facilitate speedway moving? As others have said, stadium availability seems to be flexible enough to allow teams to ride on a Monday when TV cameras are in town. Why then could this flexibility not be applied to a permanent change of race nights for the handful of teams effected?

Which club races on the only available night at their current stadium?

Subscription to the online service. Let's say production costs for a single meeting to BT Sport standard is £20k. With a subscription fee of £12.99 a month you'd need just over 6,600 subscribers to pay for one meeting a week. This could be supplemented by cheaper meetings such as the single camera variety and Swedish/Polish action. I don't think those numbers are unrealistic. What is the weekly circulation figures for Speedway Star for comparison?

It's an interesting idea. Given the pennies Premier Sports are likely paying for the Swedish/Polish rights, a half decent proposition could be put together for a relatively low outlay.

It would be good to have proper lines of communication between fans and promoters. I don't believe that any of the suggests conjured up by fans haven't already been considered and dismissed by promoters. What is missing is the feedback as to why promoters think an idea isn't feasible and whether fans can go off and work out the imperfections.

I'm not sure you could describe any of the posts as "bringing the sport into disrepute". Riders are rightfully annoyed that they have been dropped on the day of the cutoff and are now effectively prevented from earning a living due to the artificially created deadline date. A deadline created this season by the BSPA, presumably without consideration of the consequences.

I think when push comes to shove, most fans would rather have a guest than a Polish junior replace one of their team's heatleaders. Plus, in reality, this is a complex and costly set-up to solve a problem which only occurs a handful of times per season.

Having two fixed race nights for Premiership and a different two for Championship, should give clubs enough flexibility. I don't believe this is beyond most clubs if they are willing to adapt.

It would be helpful if there was some pragmatism applied to the situation. Given that the vast majority of Polish league meetings are held on a Sunday, the obvious solution to avoid clashes is for the British league to not arrange fixtures on a Sunday.

Take a look at the lower Polish leagues and see how many of the riders have never ridden in the UK. Almost all riders come through the Polish leagues, with the exception of the Australians (and Brits). I'd suggest this is more of a cultural thing than anything to do with speedway ability.

Swindon's next meeting is on the 17th. This is the same night as the SEC Best Pairs. Will be interesting to see where loyalties lie.

I don't think he'll actually ride at reserve. He completed 4H and 4A last night and his new average will be effective seven days after which is next Thursday.

Perks is pretty much a one off. How many other riders who have improved their averages get replaced mid-season?

On the flip side, there would also be no incentive for clubs to persevere with a poorly performing rider. Every club would cut the rider ASAP in order to replace them on their "old" higher average. In turn, other clubs will them swarm over the rider to sign them on their "new" lower average. The outcome would be a significant increase in the number of team changes - something people already complain about.

I think it is a bit unfair to say there's no ambition. It is easy to stand on the sidelines and criticises the BPSA for not attracting top named riders or for not amalgamating into one big league. The simple fact is, there's no evidence that either of those approaches will attract a significant increase in fan numbers and therefore be economically viable. Therefore, we end up with name changes and re-brands, as they are seen as being better than nothing, but at the same time are unlikely to immediately bankrupt the current crop of promoters. Yes, the ultimate outcome is a slow and painful death, but if it was you having to put your hand in your pocket at the end of every season to keep your club afloat, would you prefer to try and gradually steer speedway into a better place or go out in a blaze of glory with a single roll of the dice?

Zengota at Poole, Sedgmen at Belle Vue/Rye House - and I can never work out of THJ is a Swindon or a Poole asset

Stair lift company no, something aimed at da yoof yes.

The new average is effective seven days after completing 4H and 4A.

The first round of KO Cup meetings have been taken into account when calculating the official averages.

Lahti is 5.45 and Poole have 0.06 in the bank.

Won't Poole bring Kasprazak back in for Lahti?

The official averages include the first round of the KO Cup, even though the regulations state Premiership meetings only. If you take those meetings into account KK has ridden his 4 home and 4 away.