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Welcome to the Speedway time. Enjoy your stay, wedding GA and
man. I'm here today.
Welcome to the Speedway Time. So we have a six team top league
and thank God for that. Except I am old enough to know
and stop sniggering in the back. I'm old enough to remember
leagues of over 20 teams. Still, we have to admit it's
better than it could have been and better than we feared.
So we can now say welcome to the Premiership, to our newest team,
Northampton, a team that will be promoted by well we don't know.
The team will be named we don't know with colours we don't know,
and the team will consist of seven riders that we also don't
know. The first match will be well we
know that. April the 20th, we think.
Also welcome to Robert Coleman, who's just taken over a tip
switch, who says that the product is not the problem, that
the promotion of the problem has been the problem, and his
ruffled feathers in the process. Only in Speedway.
Love it, Love it. Good evening, gentlemen.
In the studio we have Chris Webby Brown, we've got Matt,
Buck and myself. Am I going by Michael these days
or am I going by GA now? OK, idiot, idiot.
That'll idiot work as well. Before we get started, it is
strange when you hear of one of your heroes because in your mind
that hero is still as they used to be.
Hearing that that person is 70 years old and Les Rumsey was one
of my heroes, was a a rider that I I we'll have seen Rowford
Canterbury much of his career and won the title with them.
Sadly passed away the week just a week or so ago.
So we'd just like to say all of our thoughts are with Les
Romsey's family. Rest in peace.
Bit before my time was very very briefly at Wolves I think.
He was in the bill. Fated National League season in
81, yeah. So obviously condolences to
that's his family and friends, but I think Canterbury is
probably the club that he's best associated.
Associated with. Yeah, I would say so.
So anyway, oh, Webbie's joining us.
Hello. He's.
Got boards sitting around there so he decided to come round
here. We should tell everybody we have
a new or spangled system that. Yeah.
Good, isn't it? Yeah, it does look good.
Yeah. That Webbie spent a pound on.
Likely See what we've done with the prediction legs.
Well, there are things that you can do with that, which Chris
will tell you about in a moment, but basically you can join in
this show a lot easier now without using your pennies on
your telephone. You don't need to download
anything like Zoom either. You just need your computer,
basically. I'm all right, Yeah.
And and the muttering in the in the background there was Chris
saying yes, Yep, we don't give him a.
Microphone when he's up here so. So, OK, so we have a new team
which we can't say an awful lot about.
We would have loved to have bigged them up if you like, but
we just don't know what's going on there, do we?
Well, it's still not really ideal, is it 6 teams?
It's not, it's not ideal either of the fact that we're in onto
the 10th of March and we've only just found out.
I mean, we, we know who the team was.
We've we've known for weeks. But we spoke about this last
time. It's just this big.
Secret that nobody allowed to talk about, I think, But I think
even at this stage, you know, we haven't started the 2026 season
yet and I think they've already got to start looking at 2027
because we can't be in a situation 12 months down the
line where this happens again. Surely that lad are looking at
it, Surely. Well, this is the BSPL we're
talking about. You know that 5 is for not
saying but beyond the end of the round.
Now, sometimes not this, sometimes from a lot of people
say, and there's the first one of the season.
Hey, hey, I'm like to say I'm sorry, but I I think you'd be
disappointed. You'll surely get somebody to to
do this on purpose, wouldn't they?
And there's another. Reason.
There you go. Oh, sorry for the second one.
Yeah. Yeah, so we don't want to be.
I mean, and it's it's absolutely crucial as well that this
Northampton team doesn't just make up the numbers, you know,
without, I don't want to bring up bad memories, but we saw what
happened last season with, well, the last two or three seasons
with Birmingham barely winning a meeting, Oxford last season
barely winning a meeting. Can't afford that again.
How do they avoid it that I mean, they're going to have to
pull something out of the bag from somewhere.
Well, you'd like to think that, you know, moves have already
been made. I mean, you know that I think
the obvious 1 really is John Lindsay, who's obviously not
being fixed up with Bellevue this year.
So he's pretend, I mean, right, was very, very impressive in the
Australian championship. Yes, immediately not the
strongest of fields in that competition this this year, but
he could sit, he could still, you know, be very much a rider
that could be, you know, come back over here and race for for
Northampton. It's a it's a big gamble for an
E rider as well, because it's completely new track and nobody
knows what the track is going to be like.
We've seen photographs of the the venue.
It looks a pretty good venue, some nice, some nice facilities
there. There's been a lot of obviously
been a fair amount of money spent on it.
And obviously for now, much like me and you, it's reasonably easy
to get to Northampton as well. So it's a, you know, potential
for us on a wide day visit this well, all the all the way David.
It's for me nowadays, but. Yeah, I mean, I did.
I did have a look at where it was and I thought, oh, that's
not too bad. Yeah, it's about an hour and a
half away from where I live. So that's, I mean, you're
probably a bit closer of you, isn't it?
So other than that. Got a chance?
Yeah, Yeah. So.
Well, we wish them well and it's, it's, you know, it's, it's
nice as well that we've got positive the fact that we are
getting a track opening rather than the track closing which is
what we've had over the last few years.
And positive that Ipswich has been sorted out.
Now we've got a little bit more to talk about with Ipswich, I
guess including, I mean, he's coming like a Wrecking Ball.
We should say that. I forgot his name.
Richard. Richard Carman, thank you.
Is part of the company, Mayfield Company that actually owns the
rights to the FIM Speedway World Championship.
So he knows what he's talking about.
He's done a few other things as well and think he's going to be
is involved with Red Bull in one of their motorsport things.
I can't remember which one, but it might be the no, I'm not
going to guess, but yeah. So he he's, but this is what
he's come out and said and. I did think we might talk about
this to be honest. And I think he has ruffled
feathers and the the first thing that he said, which probably,
well I know has ruffled some Ipswich fans feathers, which he
said our main concerns were also not regarding Ipswich, but the
league as a whole and the current situation with Speedway
in the UK. As a an Ipswich fan, you can
imagine they're going well. No, you should be concerned with
us. But I actually agree with him,
and I think there should be more of that.
I think there should be more, yeah.
More of the the concern of the product as a whole rather than
your interest. And I think it's that actual
attitude that has brought things down.
In this In this. Mess.
Exactly, he's gone on to say. I'm just reading from the speed
by star, by the way. Great.
It's one of the best publications, sports
publications around, I think. Yeah, don't take it for granted,
people. So no, no, the issue in Asport
is that it is not promoted in the right way.
During my address to the FIM Conference Commission in Lyon, I
went off on a tangent about the sport of darts.
Darts was huge in the 70s and 80s, but by the early 2000s it
was dying. Total revenue was 6.5 million in
2006. Today it is 59 million.
We'd like to 2.6 million. I think the sport of darts is
overweight men stood at the arcade throwing small arrows at
a board the crowd cannot see. So now he's now upset everybody
that likes darts. I cannot say without a big
screen. The sport is promoted extremely
well. It is fun, there's a great
atmosphere and the players stories are told, all their
rivalries, history and drama. Our sport is so rich in this
regard and yet woefully promoted.
Allow me my blissful ignorance, but Ipswich needs to be a loud
voice within the BSPL and the other teams and we need to lead
by example. Once you've gone down well in
rugby, I don't think in the courages of power.
I don't, yeah, I don't think it will.
I mean, I've heard, I've heard nothing, no comeback from it.
It's going to be interesting to to see, we might see we can get
a few people on the programme to talk about this over the coming
year. Can't.
Can't really disagree with that with a lot that he says though.
I can't, I think I can't I. Think, I don't think the sport
has been promoted properly, you know, for for many, many years
now. The other thing that he said was
that there's nothing to stop Speedway as a product working in
today's age. It has a short format, doesn't
require a big attention span. It's exciting.
It's 500CC motorbikes with no brakes.
The product itself is not the problem.
The promotion of that product has been the problem.
Which is what has he been listening to our show?
Because that's what we've been saying for a long time.
Yeah, the only thing I would say, it does remind me a little
bit of 20 years ago when Reading were taken over by Benfield
Sports and they came in with all these, you know, big ideas.
I was going. Within 18 months, they'd
obviously pulled out. And, you know, The upshot is, of
course, reading only ran for another couple of years.
I'm not saying that was Benfield's fault.
No, no, I don't think that helped.
The problem that the possible potential problem is that he's
come in so brash and bold and he's ruffles too many feathers
and I don't let him do that. He's going to he's, he's got a
battle ahead, ahead ahead of him to get some of these ideas out
of. John John Berry wasn't was first
to ruffle with a few feathers when he was at Ipswich, though.
No, he was a hugely successful priority for for many, many
years. It's he's he's not the first
from after that's come in and and done that.
Speedway was in a much better position than it was than it
than it is now. And.
And at the end of the day, it's like, you know, if you keep
doing this, it's it's a sign of madness, isn't it?
If you keep doing the same thing and expecting a different
result, it's just not, you know, that's madness.
Yeah. There you go.
Who brought the Turkey in? Pete Clark, says Totney.
He'll probably get He'll probably find him totally got
fond for wearing a hat. So breath of fresh air, I think
I mean, so some of the things that you spoke about nothing
wrong with Speedway. It's a short format.
It's not a short format, not the way it's done, not the way it's
done. It's it's a lot.
There's just too much downtime, far too much downtime.
And that's that's needs to be brought up to date.
It needs to be made more exciting in the same way that
dart as as he speaks about darts, the whole colour of the
thing. I mean, I think they spend more
time coming on to the match than they do I'm.
I'm not personally a huge darts fan, but whenever I do, whenever
I do see you can't dispute that there's a great atmosphere and,
you know, there's a real razzmatazz about it.
And, you know, you can sense there's a real excitement
amongst the crowd for, for the action to start.
And that's something that Speedway sort of lacks badly.
It's got all, it's got all the ingredients it needs, you know,
to be a, you know, really exciting sport.
But quite often it's just one where we're all just standing
around on the territory and. Asking something to happen and
and the clientele again, older and older and older because the
new people are we're just standing around in this cold
weather. It it needs to be improved.
It needs to have technology brought into it with apps and
and so on. I mean, I've said this for a
long time. I cannot believe, yeah, that
we're in 2026 and there is not an official British Speedway
app. I can't believe it.
Well, you can. Well, you can't just.
It's just every other professional sport.
Their governing bodies got one, haven't they?
So was that for me to read? Yeah, it doesn't matter.
Now, OK, you've got nothing. Now I've got nothing there and.
You're missing a really great show, yeah.
French, Graham says A comment was made to me that the
promoters of the Championship and BSPL and Premiership do not
talk to each other, so this could be a reason, Seymour.
Is it so, Seymour? Yeah.
Oh no, I can't do that anymore. Oh.
You can't do it. No, no, no.
Oh, I can't read. Sorry Fred, I can't read the
rest of your comments. There we go.
Can you read it now? Nope.
You must be up to Nope. It's on Facebook.
Let's not, let's not, let's not have a row on the air.
Oh, let's have a row on the air that would be speed by.
Can you see it here? We go never.
The twine shell mate comes to mind.
That could be a reason why one big league didn't happen.
Well, I think it's quite well known that, I mean, the
Premiership and the Prep Championship are almost prompted
as separate identities, aren't they really?
I don't think helps. Yeah, I don't.
I don't think it helps. I can't believe it didn't become
one league, one big league. But I think the nail was hit
firmly on the head there that they don't talk to each other.
They don't. They've got a different way of
doing things, haven't they? And you have to, I guess you
have to say at the moment the Championship, is there a
successful league. First, first time in obviously
well supported the club as all there are only ever known as
being a top flight club. But I'm looking forward to the
probably looking forward to the Championship more this season
and I'm watching the Premiership and obviously that's going to be
as a neutral. So yeah.
And obviously we will be, we will be looking at the
Championship teams obviously as all the Championship teams now
are constructed. So we are going to start sort of
now that we've got all the nonsense out of the way, then we
can. Start looking at who we think's
going to win the damn thing and get it totally wrong as per as
per normal. Yeah, Phil Tyler says.
Even Plymouth have an app this season, surely the base where I
can get one up and running so. You, you would, you would think,
I mean, I have spoke to different promoters at times
about this and they've all come up with the answer that it costs
too much. And I've said, well, I know
somebody that's in in university at the moment that would do it
for you. And in fact, he even started
started doing it on my sci scisis start start putting it
together. And he did, which is my son,
because he was in university learning computer science and he
would have done it as a project for, for university for I think.
You've told me this story before and it was just, you know, there
wasn't any interest. Wasn't.
There no interest whatsoever so hopefully yeah yeah people
realise that the. Jim Turrell says the new
promoter of the Witches has got it right.
Basically, kick out the Deadwood and let fresh grass grow.
Too many promoters stuck in their own ways and not for the
better of the sport. The sport is run by individual
clubs and this and it, It shouldn't be run by individual
clubs, it should be run for the sport, not for the clubs.
And as soon as you have that situation, I can't think of
another sport that does that. No, I can't.
It doesn't happen anywhere else. May have a say, but not to the
extent that they do in Speedway. No, it's yeah, I find it
frustrating is what I find it because this is a great sport.
And the other thing that it was talking about excitement that
always promote Speedway as family sport or families ain't
turning up anymore. What do families want?
Extreme excitement, extreme sports, isn't it?
Yeah. You look at all the stuff going
on the Winter Olympics, all the, all the, the sports that are up
and coming that are getting the bigger crowds are, are things
like the snowboarding and the, the, the snowboard cross and,
and you know, the, the extremes, the, the ones where they do like
go up in the air and you know those, that's what you need to
look at. I don't, I don't think it's like
that, that people have got a short attention span at the
moment. I think it's just that they used
to their hours being filled with something and sitting down or
standing, twiddling your thumbs while the tractor goes round.
And maybe you can't avoid the tractor going round, but there
are other things that you could be doing while the tractor's
going round. So anyway, that's it.
We've, we've, we're all, all in agreement.
I hope, I hope it works out for you.
I'm sorry, just hope it works out for you.
Have we got any comments on the? Yeah, Simon Corbett, the I
should say Simon, the former Prediction League champion,
robbing it a bit. Robbing it if if you've got a
solid side. I would agree with that to be
honest, with all the stuff that's been going on in the side
being put together light. It's it's not bad.
It's not got it's not obviously not got the the razmatazz of
having daughter. It's offered off at the top end.
Obviously we will talk about the Premiership more in the next
couple of weeks I think once we sort of get more of an idea of
who's going to be running in the Northampton time.
But I think having Scott Nichols particular, that one stood out
for me because that sort of adds more respectful fuel to the
speculation that Scotty's looking to make this his last
season, this season. Final.
Obviously a final season that he's at his home town club.
How old is he now? 4849 Sorry, Scott.
Sorry Scott, I've got that wrong.
I think it's 48. I think.
I think you're right. Same ages, mate.
Yeah. How long ago was that?
And then it was the same age as you.
Same. Ages my trousers.
Yeah, yeah. And he'll, he'll do it.
I mean, I don't think the league is as strong as it was last
year. No, it isn't.
It's it's, you know, it's effectively a Championship
League with one or two extra right, with one or two extra big
names. And I think you know.
I think TOB tob is much like it's going to be a a good sign
for them as. Well, yeah, certainly do.
Well, it depends on which muse like they get always.
But you know. So it's always done well at
Ipswich though, hasn't it? Yeah, So.
Just too expensive for the standard of riders in top league
to pay, said Simon Korbic. Well, Bellevue have managed to
get Julie and Kurtz again, haven't they?
So they they certainly won't have come cheap.
Nope, certainly not. So I mean really and truthfully,
if you go and buy top end strength in the in the top
league at the moment Bellevue look at shoulders I think at
the. Moment, yeah, I would agree on
the. Strongest side so.
I would agree we don't ever want to see it, but there's always
that whole thing of injuries, how do you replace, how do you
replace those riders if they get injured and.
Peacock just says 47. That's Scott's Nichols age, I
think. Oh, yeah, right.
OK. Oh, he's not bragging about
anything then. OK.
That's that's not what I owe him or anything.
Families want excitement and to be honest, far too many races
are won from the gate, says Barry Young.
Do you agree with that statement?
Before I? Before I.
I agree to a point. I think one or two of these
clubs put, you know, the emphasis on their team winning
the meeting as opposed to, you know, would you, would, you
know, I suppose I think some of these promoters would rather a
comfortable or maybe not comfortable because obviously
there were bigger wins, man, they have to shell out more.
Shell out more money, yeah? Prize money, but I think a
comfortable, reasonably comfortable home win against a
team, against a team that sort of, you know, maybe struggles to
win the matches on the home track, but.
This. We've almost, I think we've in a
sense we've almost made winning too important, really.
I. Think this speaks back to what
we was talking about of it being clubs own interests that come to
the fore rather than the sport. And if the sport was run
properly there would be something in place to say if a
track didn't meet certain standards they got fined or
something. Yeah.
You know, as far as I'm aware, nothing like that's in place,
although maybe somebody at the end of.
The day the home provider or the home club, they can set the
truck up as they like because at the end of the day, they're
they're going to want the truck set up the way their riders want
it. So I mean, we saw last season.
And it's been like that for and it's not, you know, it's been
like that for a very long time. Well.
We saw in the championship playoff final last season,
didn't we? In the first leg of pull was
pretty turgy, wasn't it? Not much in the form of great
racing. And the second leg of Glasgow
was an absolute cracker. Absolutely.
But Paul Wool, Paul will turn around and say well, we won the
title, so. And which is, which again speaks
to that what I'm saying it's, it's you can't blame them as an
entity for wanting to do, Oh no, absolutely the best for their
team. So you have to take that side of
it out of the equation. Tracks are so important for our
for our sport. What was it in the act of the
crowd? He got spent like four or five
years without losing a home meeting.
They were they were not just winning our meetings, they were
winning our meetings about 6030 most weeks.
But now I don't think the crowded fans are too fussed
about that because they just wanted to see their team win,
win. So which you know, it's fair
enough. At the end of the day, you do
want to see your team win. I want, I want, always wanted to
see Wolves win, but I wanted to see good racing as.
Well, racing, yeah, that's what brings people in at the end of
the day. If you if you win by two points,
the feeling you get. What's the old sign?
Happiness. It's 403040304446 doesn't quite.
Doesn't scandal it, but yeah, so it was ever the last.
So that, that, that for me, that's, that's one of the things
that needs to change, let's say by the by the clubs, yes, saying
how they promote to an extent, but even that they should, they
should have to fulfil certain targets and there should be a
lot of the promotion should be done on a national scale, not
club scale also. So it should be, you know,
centralised in that sense. While we're on the while
changing the subject, in fact we should give a mention to
Leicester talking about tracks had their stadium damaged over 2
separate nights, hydro scanned arena, badly damaged the track
equipment and the perimeter fencing, and they actually
started a Gofund page with the aim of raising £10,000.
I'll just had a look at it before we came out.
It's got up to 13,000. Oh wow.
Yeah, pretty good. Yeah, by the way, that won't
just be less defiance, by the way.
That'll be that'll be Speedway things.
Yeah, absolutely. Because we keep being spoken
about of as a Speedway family. Yeah, but it does come together
in one thing Split has always been very good at is always, you
know, when when things like this happen, it always sort of comes
together and helps opposite other teams out so.
Right. So unless we've got some more
comments to go through, there's a.
Big one there. You want to read that big one
from Phil? It's gone now.
OK, I'll read it, I'll review. OK.
Who decides the dates of meetings?
Is it the promoter or the BSPA? As Plymouth, Edinburgh and
Berwick away like most seasons the same weekend and a great
weekend it is. But this season it is when the
Commonwealth Games are on and hotel prices have tripled.
If you ask me, that's ridiculous decision to have one of its one
of one of its not longest journeys of the season whilst
the games are on. I think they guess it.
Yeah. And then they circulate it
around all the promoters and they say, well, I don't want to
do that. And you want to.
Yeah. And, and, and then that comes
back and then they rehash it again and then it goes to the
promoters again and they talk and they talk about it amongst
themselves as well. I think they like ring each
other up and say, well, do you want to, you know, that date
that you got there against such and such?
We'd prefer to that. Is that OK?
Would you, can you do a swap and and all of that sort of.
So, so you get an idea. They're sorting to it.
But whether they think about things like the Commonwealth
Games, I'm not sure. I must admit I missed that.
I didn't realise the Commonwealth Games was on this
this year and I love the Commonwealth Games, so yeah, I
can't. I can't remember whether whether
it really affected Birmingham, of course, when Birmingham won
the games. Yes, it did, because we we
weren't allowed to run for a couple of weeks, as simple as
that, because it was virtually on our doorstep.
And they changed all the roads, of course.
Yeah, made it awful. Glasgow's promoted said that
after last year's playoff, semis and finals, the sport was the
winner. We had big crowds in both
matches, over 2000 at both and lots of new fans to our sport
ready to come back in at 2026, says Fred Graham.
I I didn't see the semi final against Edinburgh but I know you
didn't. You said it was an absolute
crack. In the.
Final, final. The final was, was was fantastic
in in itself really. I mean, there was always going
to be a big crowded thing for especially for the semi fall
because it's classic against Edinburgh.
There's a huge rival. So David Albright says hope
Northampton are going to get an air fence.
Looking at photographs, they've got a metal fence for the stock
cars. Well, they will have an air
fence. They'll have they can't run
without an air fence, as simple as that.
One of the reasons we guess that they're taking such a long time
to get together, They've got to put a lot of things in place.
Looks looks a nice shape. Yeah, it does, yeah.
So I'm really looking forward to, you know, obviously at some
point this scene, hopefully we'll be going down there to
have a look at it. So.
Just hope that the fact that the stock cars run there as well,
that's a worry because it doesn't.
They're not always great bedfellows.
Well, you know that from obviously when Birmingham
burning at Bosley, Sir. Yeah, yeah, it's trouble is the
standard of riders in most of the races is vast.
Say Bully Cairns spread out. Yeah, that's going to be a
problem. I think some of the meetings in
the in the especially involved in Bellevue, I mean, you're
going to have one rider 30 yards in front, one rider still
starting back, two in the middle.
It's not it's, you know, not really a spread, even common
races, isn't that really? So Jeff Daniels is also woke up
on this summer could affect crowds.
Well, obviously it's in America, isn't it?
America, Canada. And it's all different in the
time zone, so. Yeah.
That's everybody refuses to go because it's Trump, so we.
Won't go there, I think. I think it's more likely he's
refusing to let people in at the moment.
Yeah, we went there instead. Yeah, Pete Clocks, it's nice to
hear the British final is on a Saturday.
Pity it will clash with Championship fixtures.
Well, of course the British final was on Saturday a couple
of years ago. Didn't really understand why
they changed it back to Monday. Last no, we we spoke about this
at the time, didn't we? So I'm delighted and that's
definitely something I've got Pence.
I think it's August the 15th, so it's it's later in the season
than normal. Two days after my birthday.
Not. Not that I'm telling anybody
that. Yeah.
So that's what you want and you you can't do 2 tickets for the
British idols. That'll that'll do me.
Just one will do me to be fair. Yeah.
I mean a lot of that's going to be interesting to see what the
price it's going to be on that as well.
I. Think there's got a few people
not very happy with the price for the Grand Prix tickets for
Bellevue but. Obviously.
We'll probably talk about more. As the as we come close to it,
yeah. So yeah, 13,000 lbs.
I have like just reading some of my notes.
BSN are covering all the matches.
They have 1 ticket price for the Championship, 1 ticket price for
the Premiership or a ticket price for combined.
I think they're a little bit a little bit more expensive than
last year. I think they are, yeah.
I mean, obviously, you know they all this is the only.
It's the only channel you watch them speed, right?
Now, so they all I suppose you can't really blame them for
doing that, but it's still I think a reasonable, reasonable
deal. I mean, the quality of the
coverage is when we've talked about before, it's probably 1
of. The best things and something to
British, if anybody, I will say this now, if anybody, any sort
of television company out there are thinking of saying do you
know what, let's give Speedway a go, they should go.
They should hire BSN to do it. That's it, Absolutely.
Because it's just, it's just the best I've ever seen, even going
back to the old days of what's his Dave Lanning?
Anybody out there remember Dave Lanning?
Well, Simon's just asked the question about how it works with
the wild cards. Well, this is actually in the in
the statement. With the FIM Speedo Grand Prix
of Manchester taking place before the British final on the
weekend of June, the 5th and 6th proposals for the wild card and
track positions in the SGP will be made by the BSBL Board of
Directors to the Speedo Control Bureau.
Oh. So.
Promoters saying we won our rider in and we won our, that's
what that that'll be. £20 more than last season for a combined
combined coverage. Not too bad.
Jeff, no, it's not too bad when you consider how many matches is
there less matches in the in the Premiership this year than there
was last year? Well.
You've got Premiership and Championship, do they have some
National League meetings as well occasionally?
Do you know what I don't know? I'm I've got it in my mind that
they have shown one or two National League meetings, but
that might be me, Sir. I'm sure somebody out there will
be able to, right? So shall we start going through
the championship we've got? 25 minutes so.
Yeah, very quickly. So we'll we'll just sort of and
then give our predictions. Don't go a very quick overview
of of of of riders, OK? Right.
So we'll start off with the Berry Bandits.
So they've got Peter Kilderman, Nick Morris, Victor Povera,
Lassie Frederickson, Joy Etheridge, Jack Smith and Reed
Batty. That's the Bandits team for
2026. Out to 10 I'd.
Say 5 or 6, I'd say that's middle order.
I don't see that as AI, don't see that as a playoff team.
Nick Morris obviously made, you know, a, you know, pretty
successful, reasonably successful come back at the end
of last season. Jack Smith.
I think there's a is a is a Cayman for them because you
know, I would duck. There's a doubt.
I mean, you obviously you saw him at Birmingham movies.
You had a real big impression when he wrote for the
International League. But he's not wild.
It's 10 years ago, isn't it now? So basically killed him when you
know, always an exciting rider, but.
He's at the towards the end, going towards the end autumn.
Korean Air so I I see that as AI see that as a bottom half team
in the championship myself, I don't see that as a as a playoff
team but yeah end of the season we'll be congratulating better
because isn't they win the league but.
Yeah, and the next one. The next one is the Edinburgh
Monarchs. They are the one up with Dan
Thompson, George Lofthurst, Justin Sedgman, Jonathan Grant,
Mitchell Clough, Kyle Thompson and Paco Castania.
That's the Monarchs team for 2026.
I don't don't see them as a championship winning side.
I think they might maybe struggle at reserve.
It's good, solid enough top five.
I mean, they weren't fancied to do that well last season, but
they finished in the in the playoffs and they they really
for me, they let Glasgow off the hook in the semi fall at one
point. I mean at one point in the semi
final they were about 20 points in.
Front. That's right, it's all the last
couple eights. Glasgow got back into it and got
a bit of momentum and then did the job.
Sort of crumbled. Really, But I think that's I
think it's just I think it'll be on the fringes of the playoffs
this season. So OK, so the next one is the
Glasgow Tigers. They'll be looking to bounce
back after the missing out obviously against Paul in the
final, so they line up with Freddie Hodder, Sam Hagen, Carl
Howarth, Kevin Yule, Peterson, Leon Flint, Mario Hassell and
the Bomber Chris Harris. Solid all the way through.
Yeah, good side. Big year for.
So a few, few unknown quantities there.
Aren't they really in in that side to be honest?
Freddie Hodder, I think I was impressed with him.
Obviously we've seen him ride a couple of times at Burton in the
second-half there, but that was the first time we've seen him in
a higher level and he would look quite impressive in the he's.
Learnt a bit. Yeah, Carl, how?
It's obviously a good value in that league.
Chris Harris is just Chris Harris, you know, he just never
ages, does he? The Bomber, Leo Flint's made
good progress over the last few years.
They've got a good again, They've got a good top end.
I think they'll be, they'll be in there, they'll be definitely
in the mix. So I'll have them as a as a top
four team. Me too.
Yeah, OK, so we'll go for the Oxford Cheetahs next.
Only year Championship and National League for Oxford this
season. So they line up with Anders
Rowe, Sam Masters, Eric Riss, Luke Colleen, Rich Mcdemid,
Daryl Richings and Dale Wood. I don't know what to make of
this time. Strong top five, I think think
so Reserve might be a little bit of an issue, but they're top
five I think. It's nice to see that Anders
Rose got a job. Yeah, I saw certainly the two
Aussies. I saw them in Mitch McDermott
and Dale Wood. I was quite impressed with them
in the Australian Championship. They sort of, you know, they, I
mean they were never, neither them ever looked like winning
game. Mitch McDermott reminded me a
little bit of Lee Adams. Similar sort of similar current
similar, right, not not massively similar riding style,
but certainly look like in terms of the the Leathers, if you like
with the the red, the classic red and black that the Leigh
Adams used to have look fairly comfortable on the bike as well.
I think that's a good strong top five for Oxford.
And I think that for me that I'd have there was a top four team.
I kind of there's certain there's a few that agree with
you right in on the you remember the BSF.
I don't go on that very often. OK, so the next one is the
Plymouth Gladiators. So they've gone for Scott
Nichols, Danny King, Joe Joe Thompson, Daniel Cleaner, Tobias
Thompson, Tom Spencer. And Ben Barker, it's not a bad
looking side, is it? That's a good side.
Obviously they've got some, you know.
They've got a few fanciers on the on the BSF actually.
Yeah, they have a lot of the look of that team, to be honest.
They've got the obviously they've got a lot of experience
at the top end in Nichols, King and Barker, Tobias Thompson, I
think all you know, I mean, obviously we saw it.
Was it was it Birmingham last season?
Yeah, he pressed at times, didn't he?
He did, yeah. Obviously the plural track is
completely different to anywhere bar was.
Yeah, the Scandinavian riders seem to quite like short tracks.
Yeah. And obviously I will be going
down there again this season at some point.
So it's I think Scunthorpe is the main thing I'll be doing in
May. So I'll be looking.
Forward to that one. A good one.
Yeah. So, but yeah, I think they've
done things right with, you know, it's obviously they've
started out with, you know, as you've said many times, tracking
a field, nice little set up there.
Yeah, I think they'll be whether they'll get top four or not
maybe not so sure, but I think they'll they'll be certainly mid
table, sort of higher, higher mid table I think.
OK, so the next one is the poor Pirates.
So they will. They line it with Richard
Lawson, Will Cairns, Fraser Burrows, Louis Kerr, Dan Gilkes,
Zack Cook, Zack Cook and Cooper Russian.
A lot of good young riders there.
Yeah, Richard Lawson, obviously excellent, number one.
He's very, very good at Wimborne Rd.
Yeah, you you would. Cooper, Russian.
Will Carnes. Cooper Russian.
I was really impressed with him when I saw him at Perry Barr
last year. Yeah, they, yeah, they and they
look, they look solid all the way through as well.
I think you'd be you'd be hard pressed.
To one thing you know about Paul is if things aren't working,
they'll fix it. Yeah, absolutely.
No, that's, I suppose that's, that's their credit.
Like, I know it doesn't always go down well with a lot of
people, but yeah, you'd be you'd be a fool to write Paul off.
So the Red Car Bears are the next one.
They've obviously done pretty well over the last few seasons,
so they line up with Charles Wright, Jake Mulford, Jason
Edwards, Jordan Jenkins, Jake Allen, Ace Piper and Jodie
Scott. Feel, feel a little bit scared
for them, Explain. I'm just just don't think
they're a they're, I think they're a bottom of the league
sort of team, I think. I mean, they've got a good #1
Charles Wright, obviously he knows that place like the back
of his hand, doesn't he? So whether he'll get enough
support on, on some of the away tracks, he's maybe a bit of a,
that might be a bit, that might catch up with Red Car a little
bit. But I, I think that's a good
solid team myself. I think they, they, they seem to
do it every year now. Don't think Red car, they're a
good example, I think in a lot of ways, aren't they?
Because for for a long, long time, Red car always seemed to
struggle in though they always, you know, seem to get the the
rides that nobody else wanted and they were always near the
bottom of the leg. But they've built it well in
recent seasons, so they'll be happy.
And that continues. So our Next up are the
Scunthorpe Scorpions and they line up with Josh Pickering,
Ryan Ingram, Connor Mountain, Luke Harrison, Michael Palmtoft,
Nathan Ablett and Simon Lambert. Simon Lambert at Reserve might
well be a a trump card for them. Yeah, they've got a very good
number one, I think in Josh Pickering.
Yes, I think getting him is a real and that's.
Good for them. That's a good track for him as
well. I think that that track will
suit his style. Yeah, again, I think they'll do
well at home, Scunthorpe maybe, maybe not do quite so well on
the road, I think. Yeah.
So in the mix, I think Scunthorpe, but I don't I don't
see them winning it. But I think interesting quite a
lot of BSF have got them in last place but.
Apparently Matt, you're you're an honourary Glaswegian now
drinking Orenburg. So he's Fred Graham.
No, he just got caught shortly. It's the.
Same colour, isn't it? Yeah, Yeah, I thought so.
Yeah. So let's move on then to the
final team that is the Workington Comets.
So they signed. They have signed Johannes
Yepperson, Tate Zisk, Vinny Ford, Troy Batchelor, Craig
Cook, Nicholas Hom Jacobsen and Jamie Etheridge.
I mean, you have to say that the whole of the championship looks
very similarly built. I think it's going to be good.
I think it's going to be a good solid league this season.
I think the biggest question is probably I've it's going to be
over there that their top tier orders and bachelor and cook,
because on the day they're they're very good riders.
It's just whether they're going to be consistent enough.
Yes, you know, we we know Craig Cook has had these problems in
the past. You know, hopefully he's put
them. I hope so, because it's not nice
to see some of the vitriol that has followed him.
And I know he's made some, should we say, unwise decisions,
but there are reasons behind it. Yeah.
And so anyway, that's. Yeah, I, I, I mean, so hopefully
this season, that's another track that I'm hoping to get up
to at some point during the working team because obviously
there's a lot of, you know, praise for the quality of the
racing up there. Yeah, I've never never been in
there yet, so that would be a good one for me to go to see.
Still wonder really whether they might be when they've been to
the Championship, maybe before they were ready.
I mean, obviously we saw last season they had to curtail the
season for a few weeks, didn't they?
Because. Of issues they had off the
track, hopefully they're behind them now and they'll be looking
forward to to a good season. OK, so that's your full
breakdown of the championship. Obviously we have sort of rushed
to it a little bit, but we obviously we're up against the
clock a little bit. So, but we have obviously looked
at the, looked at the sides. So now it's time to put your
money where you're, is it top, top 4?
Isn't it in the target now because?
He has been top six in the past isn't it Sir?
OK so I will go for a top four of Pool Oxford Red Car Glasgow.
OK, I'm going to go for a top four of Pool.
Oxford. Yeah.
Glasgow. Yeah, Plymouth.
That's a big shout, Wouldn't that they could, they could do
it. That's.
What they just. They've got the experience at
the top end. Obviously Nichols and King and
and obviously Ben Barker knows that place off the back of his
hand. He's obviously from that.
And just, and also there's a big part of me that would just feel
like I'd like them to do it because it's a bit of.
An A bit of an underdog, aren't they?
You know, they've, they've say so yeah, very friendly place.
You know, I really enjoyed it when I when I went down there
last year, so. Never know, I might be able to
find a way down there. It's a long way.
It's a.
Long way you need teenagers to be going down there for a
holiday really to get down there.
But yeah and I think I mean certainly I mean Scott Nichols
there we'll get them a lot of you know a lot of good press as
well. You know 7 times British
champion. We we the the general consensus
as I said earlier in the show is that it's this might be his last
year of of racing. I think, you know, as I say,
going back to it, push as well as he.
Had a bad career, I say. He's had a remarkable career and
he's, you know, he's still on his day capable of getting the
big points. He's, you know, he's not OK.
He's not the rider that he was 20 years ago, but he's still
more than capable of getting he. Did a job for Birmingham, didn't
he? It was.
A brief period, yeah. Brief period he did quite.
Yeah, it was the best ride. I thought I would settle up.
Matt, when you come to Plymouth you know where to stand with all
the bar bandits and you will be most welcome as always.
Thank you very much, Phil. Is that Phil or Phil?
Yeah. It's all going to be how much
did that cost you, your friend? You can't remember how much?
I can't. Remember now?
So to be fair, I was having, I was having, I was on, I was
going to be on doing a long drive back home the following
day. So I didn't.
No, I meant for him to say that. How much did it cost you for him
to say that? Gosh.
I'm not telling you that. Anyway, that's OK.
Simon's going for Paul, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Plymouth.
Leaving red car out then. Remember you guys, you are
welcome on Glasgow on a Friday night anytime and then you could
go to work. It's on a Saturday, 1st beer on
me. Make it up to the Theatre of
Speed. As it happens, I might well be
making a trip up to Scotland in the summer for a little holiday,
so OK. You can do a Ricky.
Yep. It's not confirmed yet, but.
See if they allow us up there it's.
Funny is it the the only places that we welcome seem to be a
long way away. On yeah, yeah, but is it any any
places a long way away in the Speedway world at the moment For
for for Midlands fan, yeah, Scotland seems to be the the
hotbed of Speedway at the moment really.
It does. It's going well there, isn't it?
So obviously with Berwick as well running so.
Red cars not. Yeah, working is not too far off
across the border as well, so. So was there a time when
Scotland was was was not on the Speedway map?
I don't think so. I think there's always been
there's. Always been there's always been
a presence of for Speedway in Scotland, isn't there?
So. Yeah, Glasgow, Edinburgh Rally.
Was they were they Scottish? Yeah, Paisley weren't like
Paisley as well. Yeah, so.
So is Derrick Cluster. Scottish, it has been.
I don't, I don't think at this current time.
I think it's, it's South of the border, yeah, but it has been
north of the border before now. Yeah.
I think I'm right in saying that.
Somebody will tell me if I've got it wrong, I'm sure.
Well, they play, they play in the Scottish League, don't they?
In football they are just so, so you see, I mean, I have been to
Berwick, I think he's literally right on the border.
So it is, yeah. Yeah, it is excellent.
Are we going to explain how our new league is going to work or
do we need more time? I can do, yeah, so.
Because there are matches coming up, aren't they?
So we could. Yeah.
Well, the, I think the first meeting is on the 22nd.
So the first meeting will be posted up on the 21st.
So we will post a link. So obviously in previous years,
obviously you've just posted your scores on the Facebook
page, but we are putting a link on there so that you can select
all your scores from a drop down and it will, it will.
We're going digital. Yes, yeah, we will.
You know, I'm I'm pretty much happy with what I've set up site
for. I had a sneaky look.
You look good. Yep.
So we'll all will be revealed. We will, we will try and you
know, make an idiot's guide for for using it so.
Hopefully it'll be easier for you as well.
Yeah, you know, So, yeah. The first first actual match is
the Time Tease Trophy, which is Red Car Bears versus the
Newcastle Diamond select, so it's not a.
Well, we'll obviously it's not going to be classy in that one
because it's not a. But the 22nd is the Scunthorpe
versus Red car, yeah. That's the first one, I think.
Yeah, Well, of course before that, of course, we got Nicola
Clinton's. Testimony and the Peter Craven
more real as well. Yeah, but we don't, obviously
we're not going to be including those matches.
So it is going to be league matches, possible exception of
the Grand Prix and British final as well, but all will be
revealed. Motherwell also held Speedway.
I don't remember that. That's got to be a long time
ago, isn't it? I don't remember.
It so it must be a very, very long time ago.
Cowbridge as well. Yeah, Bridge, I remember.
Yes. Yes, Cowbridge, I remember.
Yeah. Gosh, I mean, it's all these
teams. And where have they gone?
Claude says that Swindon could be back.
The council have refused Speedway demolition.
OK. That's there was I was hearing
sort of. Rumblings about.
That yeah, rumblings and and are not good rumblings, but that
sounds positive. I'm still like you have my
doubts about whether that's. And our online historian Linda
Book The town of Berwick has changed hands between Scotland
and England 14 times. OK to.
Scotland at the moment, so I think.
Nobody wants it. Is that the?
I've been through it. Ling Lithgow as well.
Oh yeah, that was. And that was a conference lead
team, wasn't it, Pete? Ling Lithgow.
Ling Lith is, that is, that is. That a real name.
Is that Welsh? No, it's in Scotland, yeah.
I don't know where I'm not just I'm not totally sure of
whereabouts in Scotland it is so, but it was only a, it was
only a small little train track. I don't think it's not there
now, but. Where is can I just ask this?
Where is the furthest away Speedway ground stadium in in in
the UK? Furthest away from from here.
From here? Probably Paul or Plymouth I
would have thought. I would have said Plymouth.
I think it would be Plymouth or possibly one of the two Scottish
clubs, right? OK.
I would say it's Plymouth. A guess.
I'll have a look on Google later, yeah.
Muswell's track also held a few long track meetings, says Fred.
OK. I don't.
Good to know. Yeah.
That's that's got a that's going back a long, long time.
I don't remember Motherwell ever staging speed.
Are you not in more years of watching it so.
So, well, we've got just a few more minutes left.
Shall we have bets? I mean, it's just stupid on who
we think is going to be he's. Real money.
The Northampton promoter, is it going to be somebody new,
Somebody that we know of? Nigel Toler, you think well.
I've heard nothing I'm not so. Sure, that means you've heard
something. I'm.
Not so sure of myself. No, I've heard nothing about
that. I think, I think he might be in
trouble with somebody if he gets back involved in Speedway again,
yeah. I've no, I haven't heard
anything to that, to that effect.
I just, I just thought it's sort of a bit like his MO, isn't it
coming in late into the season, last one to get to get the team
together. Are you?
I don't, I haven't heard anything, but I would not be
surprised if Peter Adams is involved.
Interesting. I haven't heard anything, but I
know that he's, you know, he hasn't ruled out getting back
involved with speed. I think he's obviously his
preferred option would be wolves because he's a wolves man.
But you know, at the moment that seems there's nothing going on
with wolves at the moment that I've heard so.
Haley, Haley, says Pete Adams. Silent Corpus is Chris Lewy been
an interesting one. I mean, just walked.
Just. Left there.
Used to be Speedway at Hampden Park.
Yes, there was for a couple of years, wasn't there in the early
70s that's. A big stadium?
I don't know that one. That's a big stadium.
Yeah, yeah, OK. Simon's gone for Chris.
Lewis Well, that would be interesting, wouldn't it?
Ipswich fans would not be impressed with that, I don't
think, Paul. Would be very very surprised if
Chris Lily picks up somewhere else.
I mean, it could be a syndicate. All of the above could be part
of it. What about Phil Morris?
Oh. Yeah, be a conflict of interest,
wouldn't there? If he's the.
Would you have to leave one to go to?
Never stopped any other. I don't think the I don't think
the chairman of the chief executive the able to run his
own club in that league. He could be part of a consortium
though. No, I don't.
I don't. I don't see being Phil Morris,
but there's a few, there's a few names being being banded around.
But I said I don't. I mean, obviously it's not going
to be 1 because you're only allowed to have one.
You're not allowed to have one prior Troy.
Now obviously the rules change after sad loss of Tim Stone,
yeah, but I personally wouldn't be wouldn't be tightly shocked
if Pate Adams is involved there. Alan Phillips, Well, I don't
know him down there, do they? No.
Is. He still around.
He's not involved in Speedway. No, no, no, no, no, no.
That was his one and only. He run us into the ground and
then, yeah, that was his only involvement in Speedway.
Everybody breathes a huge sigh of relief.
But he must. He must have been.
He must have been a Speedway supporter.
Before then, well, he always claimed he was didn't.
It's a little clog. To be honest.
I'd never seen him but very well in the US before he took over
there. Well, no, they both claimed
because there was two of them originally.
I can't remember the other guy's name.
Oh, Chris Lewsey. Was it the other guy?
Something like that, but they both claimed to be Speedway fans
and he later admitted he'd never watched Speedway match in his
life and it was Alan Phillips. Enthusiasm, I suppose, brought
him in, but let's not go over those old comments.
Well, we did have him on the show, didn't we?
Anna Philip, she was in here, wasn't it?
Was. There, Yeah.
Sat in that corner there. He did, yeah.
On his own we sat to have rod of it.
Oh. Dear Yeah.
Right. Well, it's going to be an
interesting couple of weeks. Now I'm watching the BSPL site
like a hawk to find out who is going to be promoting it.
We don't even know what the. Nickname is yet do we?
We don't know what it's. Listed on the fixture list, it's
just Northampton Speedway at the moment, so.
Yeah. Have you, have you looked at the
Northampton? Have you looked at their
website? I haven't.
No, it's interesting reading. It's just, it's just one of
these, is it Fastnet? I think just holding the site.
There's nothing on it at all. Oh, holding, holding page.
Holding page. Yeah, OK.
Absolutely nothing on it. So I mean.
Boxes, Harry Redknapp. Good.
Great. What I was going to say, what
happened to him, He read. Interestingly, Harry Redknapp
was on Radio 5 Live Today, just happened to turn the radio on
and he was on Radio 5 live and he was talking about Cheltenham,
he was talking about Spurs, he was talking about lots of
things. I saw that.
You mentioned Speedway. Not the time that I heard him.
I mean, maybe it happened before I got on there, but I I don't
think Speedway was mentioned. It wasn't, no.
So did you hear it? Yeah.
He bought bought bought 36 horses a parallel something.
Right. He brought 36 horses.
Yeah. He bought a whole stable of
them, yeah. He well, he loves his horses.
He does, yeah. Well, that's the yeah, I mean,
he was talking about Cheltenham and stuff, but you know, you,
you'd have thought he was, if he's brought in to promote
Speedway, that that would have been a perfect oh.
Crikey, yeah. Opportunity for him, even if
they're not asking him the questions, it would have been a
cap. It would have been a perfect
opportunity for him to say something.
Yeah, definitely. When they say well, like when
they said, well, what are you up to?
I think they said something along the lines of what are you
doing? Well, yeah, This great sport.
Yeah, yeah. But great.
Sports, yeah. Maybe he's not involved anymore.
I've heard nothing at all. I'm going.
To talk to the Speedway Taverns, yeah.
Yeah, that'd be good. Probably best not to open me on
the show when he's. For years.
No. I think it'd be much better to
have you on the show. That sounds like fun.
Let's do it. Let's do it.
OK. So as soon as you say that's it,
that'll be it. Will it really well that's it
then so OK before that's it in actual fact we will oh you have
not talked talked about your new system.
Let's just tell everybody all well, well, I.
Don't know what to say about it really.
Well, it's a, it's a new system. We've got, we've got, we've got
new machine, we've got new cameras, we've got new mics and
we've got new software. There you go.
But how does that? How does that benefit?
There's a lot more interaction when you get your screen.
You'll be able to see the comments flash up on your
screen. Mm hmm.
Yeah, without, without going somewhere else to have a look
at. OK, but as I understand it, if
people want to take part in if. Anybody knows if anybody wants
to take part? In this is the important bit.
Come on, you will. Not need any software, you will
not need Zoom or anything like that.
All you'll all you'll need is a link that we'll provide and
that'll bring you straight into our studio amongst these
vagabonds there. You go.
So yeah, what we're what we're saying is we would really.
Love it works as well. Yeah, it works OK.
We would really love you guys to take part.
What would they do? Just tell you on the shout box
or what? How?
What? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I'll just send them a link for next week's show.
Or, you know, next time you do it, they can come in.
There you go. So we'll have a few of you say.
For 5 minutes, 10 minutes, you know, just pop in.
So we'll have a few of you on the show talking about, you
know, matches that you've been to in the in the week.
We would love that this year. We'd love that this year to be
fair, if we could have somebody from, you know, giving us
reports from matches that they've been to in their areas
because obviously as you say, we're both obviously on the on
the scrapbook now with our clubs not running at the moment, so.
So there you go. Right.
And with that, thank you everybody for joining in.
Two weeks I think we're good at. Being back, aren't we?
We will see you in two weeks because I'm off to Prague.
See you soon guys. Enjoy your Speedway.
Bye bye. Sweet white, White, white,
white, white. Welcome to the Speedway Tavern.
Enjoy your stay. Welcome to the Speedway Tavern.
What's the news today? Have a drink.
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time hunt. Enjoy your stay Where the GA and
man. I'm here today.
Welcome to the Speedway time hunt.
Come and have you saved.