woofers

About what ?

Well that was awful.....over 3 hours to complete 15 heats. Yes, there were a lot of re-runs, but there was no reason for those to have taken as long as they did. The referee just didn't seem to take charge in respect of banging the 2 minute allowance, instead track grading and watering took place between re-runs, unbelievable. Is it just a co-incidence that the afternoon meetings are long, drawn out affairs ? The evening meetings run along at a decent pace, the track seems better prepared and the racing and atmosphere are better - and I haven't noticed any discernible difference in attendances between afternoon and evenings.

Bit of a daft post if none of it can be substantiated or proved... "I hear..", you mean you didn't actually hear it yourself "something or other...." hmm, so nothing specific then, it's a bit difficult to debate against that one...

And how many of 'his generation' attend / follow speedway ?

Get off his back.Get behind him with loads of support and encouragement. Everyone has to start somewhere, the National League seems to be the place to start, so give him a chance! It's been said many a time in sport, and speedway is no different, that confidence plays a big part in performance. Moaning and slagging him off on here, or anywhere else for that matter, is not a good start. Give him positives to build on. He may have said some unwise words to Speedway Star, possibly the inexperience and frustration of youth, is he to be forever judged on those ? Niall is a decent guy, unfortunately I am unable to be at Arlington this Sunday, but he deserves a fair chance with some decent encouragement. It seems to me that some folk have forgotten it was only a short time ago that we may not have had any speedway at Arlington this year, so I am grateful that we have the National League, which has exceeded my expectations - let's keep things in perspective folks.

OK, there was some "debate" at the track, and I can't help what has been posted on live updates, but he was definitely out of time on 2 occasions because there was a bit of a chuckle about it happening more than once...heats 9 and 10 .

Heats 9 and 10......

9 and 10

Probably because he had exceeded the 2 minute time allowance on two separate occasions and had therefore committed 2 Starting Offences ? Any chance that the referee might on this occasion be right, and you, mdmc82 and TWK might not know the facts and apologise, or at least eat humble pie........ .?

Watched the meeting, and have listened to the Mick Horton podcast. Does anybody know at what point Mr Horton became disillusioned with speedway? Was it before last night? Presumably not, his team are doing very well in the league this year, with a high degree of success both home and away. If he was disillusioned before last night, why haven't heard before now? And exactly what is it that he is disillusioned about? He is in a position of some influence isn't he, so his concerns could be shared with others and a way forward sought? So perhaps it was only last night, around heat 8 when Coventry conceded a 5-0, slipped 7 points behind and the writing became clearer on the wall?

I understand all the points being made above, it is difficult not to agree with them, but......from what I have seen in the last 6 months it's Elite League speedway that has a problem. I support Eastbourne. Not the most popular club on here I know. When they quit the Elite League last year I was disappointed. However I thought that some speedway is better than no speedway, so I went along to see the National League. What a revalation - close racing, no prima donnas or theatrics, just young men wanting to race and keen to get on with it. Sure, the skill levels are different but there is more passing and excitement than any recent Elite meeting. Don't walk away from speedway .... give the Premier or National League your support when you tire of the Elite circus.

I agree whole heartedly with what has been put forward so far. Another reason for the better racing is the fact that there is not such a gulf in the capability and skill of the riders that you get in the Elite league. Of course there is a difference between the top guys, mid order and reserves, but it is nowhere near as marked as the Elite. It makes me wonder if the Premier League is something between the two and something Eastbourne should be striving for in a year or two?

OK, let's be honest here. In terms of 'moving along' and the flow of the meeting that was as bad as last weeks was good. Interminable track grades again - it was just like the bad old Elite League days. If the track needs grading and watering so frequently due to a dry afternoon, then the Sunday pm fixtures may be a mistake. I left after the winner was decided in heat 17 - driving out the car park at 6.30pm a full 3 hours after the start time! There was some good riding on display but that pace of meeting won't attract anyone to attend or return. Let's hope for better things next Sunday when the League starts.

Fair play to Lambert, he was good. But that meeting was boring and did no favours for speedway.

Sorry to be slow, but would mind clarifying this one? I understand the antipathy towards Lewis Bridger but who else are you referring to?

Losing Kevin as presenter is a big loss. Don't know who's decision that was, obviously Kevin wouldn't have high profile riders to interview, but he brings a high standard of professionalism to his job and the sport, and appears keen on speedway matters in general. He is an exceptional presenter who can explain clearly the sport to newcomers and what is going on throughout the proceedings - a real bonus if you are trying to grow your attendances I would have thought. He is the key link between the action and the audience! I hope this isn't a case of someone "knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing", which crops up so many times when compiling business plans and budgets.

Very, very true, and probably the "elephant in the room".Motorbikes, and speedway in particular, have been and probably still are, the sport of the "working classes". I agree with HA, speedway is seen at the lower end of the social spectrum and this is such a shame. It is the one sport I was very comfortable taking my wife and children to. Never seen any trouble and I've always enjoyed decent banter with opposition fans, much to the surprise of my pals when I've persuaded them to come along. As a couple of examples of the "social strata" issue, a fair number number of posters on here categorise Kelvin Tatum as posh, when to my mind he is a normal, decent chap, who speaks well, and Kevin Coombes at Eastbourne, who I think is a great presenter and announcer, refers to Sky as "posh TV", which surely doesn't help the image of the sport or of the people attending at the stadium.

As suggested yesterday, post 927, page 62.........😄😄

Wouldn't it have made sense to suspend his licences to ride while this was going on? I believe suspensions happen in other sports whilst investigations take place. This would have 2 impacts that I can think of - 1. It would serve as a sharp reminder to Mr Ward just what is at stake as he would be missing rides immediately, even if temporarily, and 2. It would put the matter on the agenda fairly sharply for the relevant bodies to adjudicate. Hilarious....

A nasty incident, I hope Andre will be OK. Some processional stuff on a good looking race track early on, but the latter races came to life, such a shame that the meeting ended on low points with the fall in heat 13 and crash in heat 14. Slightly concerned about the young man and his accompanying adult on the dog track, waving at the camera whilst peering over the fence 'ghouling' at Ollie Allen lying injured on the track, his parents must be proud ! (hopefully not). What were they doing there, surely a restricted site?

Thank you so much for your observation, the rubbish I was talking about is displayed in the facts below which is the meeting that I saw both Barker and Worrall ride in. I certainly don't need my eyes tested, I was there and saw a much better display of speedway from Richie Worrall than Ben Barker. Worrall also came over better in his trackside interview, articulate and noting that he has had a couple of really good meetings at Arlington. I remain convinced that Barker is generally out of control on a speedway bike, and in that respect Worrall out rides him - laugh if you like. Eastbourne Eagles = 35 1. Bjarne Pedersen 2, 3, 1, 1, 0 = 7 2. R/R 3. Simon Gustafsson 3, 2, 2, 2', 1, 2 = 12+1 4. Timo Lahti 0, 0, 3, 0 = 3 5. Cameron Woodward 2, 2, 0, 1, 0 = 5 6. Kim Nilsson 0, 3, 0, 1', 0, 2 = 6+1 7. Denis Gizatulin 2', 0, 0, 0 = 2+1 Poole Pirates = 55 1. Chris Holder 3, 3, 3, 2', 3, 3 = 17+1 2. Rohan Tungate 1, 2, 1, Ex = 4 3. R/R 4. Mikkel Bech Jensen 1', 3, 2', 2', 3 = 11+3 5. Ben Barker 1, 2, 1, 1, 2', 1 = 8+1 6. Anders Mellgren 0, 1', Ex = 1+1 7. Richie Worrall 1, 3, 3, 3, 3, 1 = 14

Having seen both Worrall and Barker recently, it's a no brainer - Worrall out rode Barker all night. And surely you'll get more than 100% effort from Barker, he tells you in every interview "he gives 110% and his job is to provide entertainment".....you'll also get get someone who appears out of control most of the time and a danger to himself and other riders. I like Super Ted, but the fact is his best meetings are on the smaller tracks (Wolverhampton, Eastbourne, Lakeside ) so probably not the best choice for the Norfolk Arena, but I hope he proves me wrong and has a good meeting.

Anyone know if they have amended the "joker" rules to prevent the farcical situations we witnessed last year happening again ?

So are there any Sky e-mail addresses or contacts to write to expressing disappointment if GPs aren't going to be televised by Sky ? Although there is a bit of noise on this forum, couldn't something a bit more vociferous be organised via the Speedway Star for instance? A few supporters ringing up and cancelling their subscriptions isn't going to amount to much. A couple of hundred e- mails showing concern and asking a few pertinent questions regarding GP speedway coverage versus other minority sports including viewing figures, costs etc might gain more notice at Sky HQ. (Advice on critical factors to question would be welcomed!).

Possibly true, but a bit rich josie..... remind you of someone in the Eastbourne line up ?