Whats actually going on?

[KIRKYLANE]

Sounds like 1963 when the promoters said that they would black any NL RIDER that rode on a provincial league track.

After 15 months without live speedway, you would have thought they would let the IOW RUN THE MEETINGS.

Shame on the BSPL

[Sings4Speedway]

Yet another example of idiocy by the governing bodies. If speedway was considered a sport as a whole by all promotions rather than their personal interests then we would be in a far greater place. Additional laps for NL grade riders can only be a benefit to their own NDL teams, a well run production engaging existing a new fans is a benefit to the sport as a whole. The IOW haven't pitched up next to an existing track and are trying to take away business, they are not trying to harm the sport in any way in fact they are trying to help it grow.

If a rider doesn't fancy a night on the Island due to whatever reason then fine but at least give them the option.

[Bagpuss]

Surely this doesn’t come as any surprise?

[TMW]

10 minutes ago, Bagpuss said:

Surely this doesn’t come as any surprise?

Not at all but they needed to let their supporters know what’s going on and why !! 

[Halifaxtiger]

2 hours ago, Bagpuss said:

Surely this doesn’t come as any surprise?

It doesn't to me.

I maintain, though, that any restriction - be that ban or fine - is illegal within the terms of UK case law Greig v Insole (1978).

https://www.lawteacher.net/cases/greig-v-insole.php

[Hawk127]

8 minutes ago, Halifaxtiger said:

It doesn't to me.

I maintain, though, that any restriction - be that ban or fine - is illegal within the terms of UK case law Greig v Insole (1978).

https://www.lawteacher.net/cases/greig-v-insole.php

Unfortunately whatever the legal position may be, you have young people starting off in the sport who do not have the money to test the situation having spent a fortune on equipment etc. and are/will be scared by these threats from what are older bullies who if the same was said to their sons or daughters they would be up in arms about it. The idea that the sport is professionally run is questionable as is the practices of those who make the rules and looking at the issues with injured riders and questions over whether some teams can field seven riders you really have to ask what risk assessments were carried out before they decided to run the league format this year given the potential rider shortage. One can only sympathise with the IOW and the dilemma they now find themselves in once again seemingly because someone somewhere has gone back on their word. I hope they call pull it off using foreign speedway riders and short track riders and sidecars and have fortnightly spectaculars throughout the rest of the summer. Take heart that the current speedway format is old hat, bad for business and short changes the punters. Keep the faith and the vision.

[heathen52]

Firstly may i say i am not surprised by this at all, so the BSPL are happy to allow amateur riders to ride over on the IOW Speedway thats them appearing to be the good guys, but then at the same time they decide to define NL level riders as professional riders thereby denying the IOW access to these riders, and denying these young amateur riders the opportunity to get riding experience, so yet again the BSPL are wearing two hats. 

Lets be honest guys they the BSPL are doing exactly what was done in 1963, they are crapping themselves just in case the IOW make a success of there venture, hence the alleged threats to riders that they may be fined or even banned even if they set foot in the Stadium, In my opinion the BSPL would rather see a Track close than succeed outside of the confines of the BSPL.

[TMW]

1 hour ago, Hawk127 said:

Unfortunately whatever the legal position may be, you have young people starting off in the sport who do not have the money to test the situation having spent a fortune on equipment etc. and are/will be scared by these threats from what are older bullies who if the same was said to their sons or daughters they would be up in arms about it. The idea that the sport is professionally run is questionable as is the practices of those who make the rules and looking at the issues with injured riders and questions over whether some teams can field seven riders you really have to ask what risk assessments were carried out before they decided to run the league format this year given the potential rider shortage. One can only sympathise with the IOW and the dilemma they now find themselves in once again seemingly because someone somewhere has gone back on their word. I hope they call pull it off using foreign speedway riders and short track riders and sidecars and have fortnightly spectaculars throughout the rest of the summer. Take heart that the current speedway format is old hat, bad for business and short changes the punters. Keep the faith and the vision.

and that’s exactly what they’ve done ! Scare the riders enough to sow doubt that they don’t really need to ban the riders just sit back and watch the fall out. This seems to have turned into a personal crusade for one man. Well I hope Barry & Martin fight on and take it all the way and I hope ‘for the good of the sport’ they get lots of backing !! 

[heathen52]

23 minutes ago, TMW said:

and that’s exactly what they’ve done ! Scare the riders enough to sow doubt that they don’t really need to ban the riders just sit back and watch the fall out. This seems to have turned into a personal crusade for one man. Well I hope Barry & Martin fight on and take it all the way and I hope ‘for the good of the sport’ they get lots of backing !! 

Yes and it seems (Ghost Teams not allowed) dont apply when they ride at Scunthorpe, one rule for everyone else but another rule for him...

[phillwhitewasmad]

10 minutes ago, heathen52 said:

Yes and it seems (Ghost Teams not allowed) dont apply when they ride at Scunthorpe, one rule for everyone else but another rule for him...

What ghost teams have ridden at scunthorpe recently 

[heathen52]

I understand that a by the name of Scunthorpe Stags rode against Crayford Kestrels very recently, at Scunny.

[Sings4Speedway]

In all honesty if you pay your money you could run a match at scunny between the Godfrey Gits and BSPL bellenders if you wanted too

[phillwhitewasmad]

2 hours ago, heathen52 said:

I understand that a by the name of Scunthorpe Stags rode against Crayford Kestrels very recently, at Scunny.

Yep seen that but wasn't it part of a private hire day so you can do as you want. Isn't that totally different from ghost teams running as second halfs under scb rules and referees 

[Great Central]

On 6/3/2021 at 8:48 PM, phillwhitewasmad said:

Yep seen that but wasn't it part of a private hire day so you can do as you want. Isn't that totally different from ghost teams running as second halfs under scb rules and referees 

The meeting was organised and run by Scunthorpe Speedway under SCB rules and riders had to get Day Licences if they didn't have an SCB licence. It was racing and I suppose you can under a private hire but the implications of anything happening would I think be quite significant, especially on the owner of the track. 

 

[heathen52]

On 6/3/2021 at 7:50 PM, Sings4Speedway said:

In all honesty if you pay your money you could run a match at scunny between the Godfrey Gits and BSPL bellenders if you wanted too

Liking the BSPL bellenders , however the facts are Scunny can apparently put on this kind of meeting under whatever guise they choose, but the same courtesy is not being extended to the IOW which is threatening the existance of Speedway under any form on the Island, this stinks of dictatorship and has no place on the island of Britain, may i suggest Godfrey moves to Russia or China where his form of Chairmanship is more in line with there way of life. In my humble opinion it should be Barry Bishop leading the BSPL (impossible now they are not members) as he can learn a number of BSPL promoters a thing or three about what Promotion stands for and i dont mean being promoted from Labourer to Foreman. I really hope that the IOW can survive this blatant pressure being put on riders by persons known and unknown, after all its for the good of the Sport that Speedway on the Island survives under whatever guise its able to. Its just a great pity that there is not a sugar daddy out there that could sponsor meetings with enough money for the riders to be able to stick two fingers up to the bullies of British Speedway.

[Ringitsneck]

9 hours ago, Great Central said:

The meeting was organised and run by Scunthorpe Speedway under SCB rules and riders had to get Day Licences if they didn't have an SCB licence. It was racing and I suppose you can under a private hire but the implications of anything happening would I think be quite significant, especially on the owner of the track. 

 

There’s no such thing as ‘ Day Licence ‘ anymore , they put a stop to that and you now have to pay the SCB for an ‘ Amateur ‘ licence which is £20.

 

[Vince]

I hope that a way of funding legal action is found to fight the Speedway authorities.

What they are doing is undoubtedly illegal and was proven so in the 1970s (maybe very early 80s) when the ACU were taken to court after threatening the withdrawal of ACU race licences of riders competing in AMCA mx events. Didn't stop the ACU just making threats they knew had no bite for years after the decision until it got to the stage everybody just ignored them.  Remember how they threatened the licences of any rider practicing at Lydd not so very long ago? I can't remember it ever happening because they knew it was an empty threat.

In addition if they are treating riders as professionals then their contracts should come under employment law, no more asset system, the addition of sick pay, holiday pay and pension schemes, no dropping riders to bring in somebody else because the numbers fit unless you're willing to keep paying the dropped rider. Put all that under threat and I suspect they will withdraw their threats to riders.

[TMW]

3 hours ago, Vince said:

I hope that a way of funding legal action is found to fight the Speedway authorities.

What they are doing is undoubtedly illegal and was proven so in the 1970s (maybe very early 80s) when the ACU were taken to court after threatening the withdrawal of ACU race licences of riders competing in AMCA mx events. Didn't stop the ACU just making threats they knew had no bite for years after the decision until it got to the stage everybody just ignored them.  Remember how they threatened the licences of any rider practicing at Lydd not so very long ago? I can't remember it ever happening because they knew it was an empty threat.

In addition if they are treating riders as professionals then their contracts should come under employment law, no more asset system, the addition of sick pay, holiday pay and pension schemes, no dropping riders to bring in somebody else because the numbers fit unless you're willing to keep paying the dropped rider. Put all that under threat and I suspect they will withdraw their threats to riders.

The first sign of any legal action and they’ll run for the hills. They can’t ban riders what they can do is threaten not to select them and for that you don’t need any legal recourse as it’s a matter of team choice who they choose and who they don’t and that’s what’s currently troubling the riders

[Halifaxtiger]

7 hours ago, TMW said:

The first sign of any legal action and they’ll run for the hills. They can’t ban riders what they can do is threaten not to select them and for that you don’t need any legal recourse as it’s a matter of team choice who they choose and who they don’t and that’s what’s currently troubling the riders

You're dead right, although that would have to be done very much off the record. I don't see the difference between refusing to select and a ban - they are effectively pretty much the same thing. However, we do know only too well how bloody vindictive the BSPL can be.

Two other points :

If 14 NL riders compete in just one meeting on the Island they can't dump them all because there just aren't enough at NL standard as it is. Verge, King & Wirtzfeld all have close ties to the Warriors; could Eastbourne drop all three ??

My suspicion is that put to the test not all clubs would actually behave the way the BSPL might want them to. There could be a lot more understanding out there for Isle of Wight than they might like.

Edited June 6, 2021 by Halifaxtiger

[TMW]

3 hours ago, Halifaxtiger said:

You're dead right, although that would have to be done very much off the record. I don't see the difference between refusing to select and a ban - they are effectively pretty much the same thing. However, we do know only too well how bloody vindictive the BSPL can be.

Two other points :

If 14 NL riders compete in just one meeting on the Island they can't dump them all because there just aren't enough at NL standard as it is. Verge, King & Wirtzfeld all have close ties to the Warriors; could Eastbourne drop all three ??

My suspicion is that put to the test not all clubs would actually behave the way the BSPL might want them to. There could be a lot more understanding out there for Isle of Wight than they might like.

I agree with you 100% but, it’s asking a lot of the riders to protest when all they want to do is ride