mikebv

9.2 with bonus points... With age comes experience.....

The positive social aspect of how the sport was, shouldn't ever be understated... Even into the mid 90's the BV riders would be in the bar having a drink and signing autographs with the many fans who stayed to have a beer... Supporters Clubs across the country arranged away meetings coaches and held regular social events through the season... The operating model was always "a bit Mickey Mouse" (but obviously nothing like today's Guestfest version), however, the social aspect of the sport kept people engaged and invested in the teams, so therefore they attended regularly... Teams who were, most weeks, your own riders, or riders doubling up who had been loaned out by your team to a Div 2 track for their development... Nowadays it looks like Teams are put together the night before, with anyone and everyone in the frame to ride for your club on a adhoc, horses for courses, basis.. And, some riders will leave the stadium almost before Heat 15 has started if they have a very early flight the next morning from an airport miles away from the track they have raced on... The whole thing needs urgent review and a complete overhaul and reset... Start UK Speedway again...

If only the other six had "let them down" the same?... They would have been miles away at the top of the league!!!!!

Understandable view, however, who, of his level, would have replaced him at Poole and Ipswich if he hadn't took the places?... Hardly a queue at the door to ride over here is there?.. So much so, clubs sign riders knowing 100% that they will miss meetings.. (Usually away meetings, and quite often, at tracks their missing rider(s) don't always do too well)...

100% that is their plan... And fair play to them given the huge outlay they make in signing on fees and points money, and rehab for their injured riders, (regardless of where the injury happened or nationality of the rider).. With that level of money they pay then being used by riders to set up, and support through the year,, their racing in other leagues... As is obvious... The less racing riders do the less chance they have of injury... That will be the thoughts of the Poles... And it's fair enough, given riders don't have to ride over there if they don't like the terms and conditions.. No one is forcing them to ride over there...

Lawson gets grief for either being late or just on time, and for bikes not being spotless.. Yet holds down a full time job and has a young family... When the sport was in its halcyon days the minority were full time professionals, with the majority seeing Speedway as a very decent second income, with many able to earn in one night of Speedway what they earned for a week in their "main job".. Nowadays we have reserves trying to be full time professionals... It's total madness from a business and operating plan perspective.. Especially as winning any of the comps has no real value or worth...

Doubling Up is the perfect system for both riders and promoters... A poor night on Monday can be covered by good nights, up to four times, later in the week, and you can always pick up plenty of Guest bookings if your team isn't riding.. No major prize on offer, means no major pressure to perform, as does having no major number of adequate replacements for your place should you not perform... And promoters get to share the costs of these riders... A nice, cosy agreement.... And one which doesn't condition, or prepare, the better young lads, in any way shape or form, for racing abroad in much higher standard leagues, and international competitions...

So, plenty of time then... He gets bad press but seems to have no issues when riding for Poole..?

Nowhere near enough development of young UK riders over the past two decades has delivered the only output it could.... The NDL was seen as "too strong" so got diluted, so clubs stopped riding in it, and entry level places were no longer there given the reduced number of teams.. The Championship then used the better NDL riders and also used loads of journeymen foreign riders which, again, took places away for UK riders.. The Championship became "too strong" with loads of tier one HL's and SS's doubling up, which also took places for developing riders.. The result? No bridge between the third level and the top tier, which the second tier should be..

To be fair to him, the No1 position at Ipswich hasn't been a big points contributor all season... And Lawson isn't really a No1 in the top tier, similar to how Tom Brennan also isn't... Juggling a full time job and starting your "other job" at various places around the country, at 730pm, must be a challenge from time to time...

Better late than never..

Third would be a great achievement...

For a good many followers "they don't care" about how their team are performing.. They will still attend as the sport is pretty much down to its die hards in many places, and many of them will attend, primarily, to watch the racing... You can't take it too seriously given the operating model used, therefore, many of those who attend will return the next meeting regardless of result.. Poole are very much an outlier as their crowds do shift significantly depending on how the team are doing, (which is magnified more given the higher crowd level starting point)... Hence the Ford's dropped down as they saw that the higher costs of tier one didn't guarantee a successful season, and an unsuccessful season, impacted their business. and, in tier one, that would be a much more expensive unsuccessful season... Their business model is pretty much perfect for UK Speedway, keep winning and their crowds will remain strong, and plenty of tier one riders will be on show every time they race, but at tier two salaries... They also seem to actually promote the sport well locally, which, again, is a bit of an outlier when compared to many clubs...

To be fair to the GB lads, there is a world of difference in the intensity level required of young Polish riders coming through... It is more akin to Academy's in Football over here, whereby non stop scrutiny and pressure is part and parcel of their development growth... Over here, anyone with even a modicum of capability to ride a Speedway bike can be in tier one very quickly at reserve, and tier two as a Second String, or even a Heat Leader.. With neither league over here having anywhere near the same level of expectation and pressure... Basically, you can have a job for decades in the UK by being distinctly average for every single year of that career.. These lads need to test themselves against the best, and quickly, as the talent pool in Poland keeps riders of a very decent level constantly coming through, (with Denmark also looking like they have found a fair few potential top level riders in the future).. The bottom line is, the UK is more an opportunity to earn money riding your Speedway bike, rather than being something that has relevance and prestige like it has in Poland... In Poland "winning" is the most important thing, and the UK lads need to learn that mentality... Some, over here, seem quite content just being a Speedway Rider...

Typical throttle jockey Danes...😁 Obviously used to those massive tracks in Denmark which are so similar to Poland..!😁 Apart from Flint, the others are not competitive at all..

Maybe Sheffield can bring him in for the Play Offs?.. Long Term injury dispensation for J Holder??... Better for the sport than using Guests...

Since Doubling Up became the rule, rather than the exception, Guestfests have become the norm... When riders rode for one team only, and got injured, or were unwell, meaning they may be out of seven days or so, they had more time to be ready for their next meeting... Nowadays a rider injured on Monday can need a Guest replacement on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday... The lack of UK rider development, particularly in the 2nd tier as foreign journeymen after journeymen got brought in via a revolving door, has simply led to too few riders...

Riders earn the same money for following a team mate home, unless last..

I remember a conversation I had with one of the BV promoters over two decades ago when I suggested we keep a particular rider, given he was "flying" towards the end of the season after being "distinctly average", (and that's being kind), for most of it.. He told me that you should never sign a rider based on great late season form, as, in his words, "loads of the others will be sorting their averages for next year".. You would often read interviews in the Speedway Star and Mail with riders "wishing the season wasn't ending", given their form.. Invariably the following year, their upturn in form, didn't continue into the start of the new season.... You can't blame riders for ensuring they give themselves every chance to keep earning in a sport that can see you losing your job for doing too well!!..

£500k of work needed was quoted in the Speedway Star..... You would think, say £3k to £5k rent from the Speedway each meeting, a fair nunber of times per season, would make it much more viable...

I was going to suggest we run a book on how many drop out given the history of such events...

"Thankyou for that very moving Eulogy"... "And now, can I ask the congregation to all stand and join me in singing Psalm 23, The Lord is My Shepherd"...

It was confirmed as Denmark... Strange the rider didn't know..? Next year Doubling Up, will, currently as it stands, count as two leagues... Meaning no Poland for those riders, but they could join other leagues...

Contact them... They are usually pretty quick with the explanation...

Why not give the BEN fund the money the teams saved not forking out for Heat 15?..