mikebv

Thanks for the detailed honest resoonse.. All you need to do for next week is prepare a track that let's Brady Kurtz win his first four races from the back... And has him then just failing to pass Jaimon Lidsey on the line in Ht15, as Jaimon secures a 46-44 victory for the Foxes... Shouldn't be too difficult to do that should it??... We'll leave it with you...

Wasn't one of the major aims of the season to show a potential purchaser that Speedway at Northampton was viable?... They were not going to commit blindly but were prepared to come on board if the venture proved itself...

And a last heat decider, with a Northampton win, wouldn't be the worst result in the world for UK Speedway....

Excellent Post... From exactly the type of person that Northampton need to 100% listen to... A keen, glad to have Speedway back on his doorstep, passionate fan... If the track was poor then the club tell everyone why, not via a PM to individuals, and, more importantly, what they will do to resolve the issue... Yours and Iain's feedback should be "Gold" to any new business wanting to succeed... I used to spend the first three months of any new store I opened receiving as much criticism as I could get, as I could then review it and, if accurate, make positive changes.. The danger is they go down the route of many others who simply haven't listened (refused to listen?) to an ever disenfranchised fanbase, a fanbase which many of still closely following the sport, and even attend individual and overseas meetings, but don't see UK Speedway as being relevant enough for them to attend.. One of the big advantages they have is to NOT do what so many others have done, and use the obvious mistakes of others to guide them in their decision making.. The whole "we should be glad Northampton exists" attitude is complete nonsense, as that is as low a level of expectation as it is conceivably possible to have, (and almost then gives justification for things not going to plan).. If the sport ever wants to be taken seriously then its the professionalism of it, and its off and on track infrastructure, which will determine its success, not whether it just exists.... Hope you and a seemingly decent number of others who attend can keep interested enough to make the season overall a success, and also keep constructively criticising where required.. They seem to have done a lot of things well to get themselves open, so now need that feedback from you and others to improve their "night at the Speedway".. Looking forward to going to watch the Aces there to tick another track off the list...

Iain's comments were very fair I would suggest, and given his opinion is based on facts, very relevant, and should be seen as constructive, especially given so many tracks seem to have lost the Quality Control that Phil Morris brought in.. To be honest, he came in and made changes that were, for me, quite embarrassing in their basic nature... Why Promoters needed some Quality Control checklist which included starting meetings on time, having the centre green tidied with the sponsors prmoinent, and riders ready for the next race as soon as the last one ended, was as low level as it could be... Never mind "grabbing the low hanging fruit" he was picking it up off the floor!!! Yet, this season, without him, we are seeing some of the "old ways" coming back.. Given the nature of the sport, incidents can easily happen which elongate the evening, therefore, starting on time has to be a given to ensure punters get home at a reasonable time... A new venture in particular should strive for excellence in everything it does, and all adverse feedback is often what it needs for longer term growth..

Those within the Speedway Bubble are often a part of the problem... They become "Three Monkeys" like, and, worse, make excuses on behalf of those they volunteer for, or work alongside... I have been impressed with the Speedway Star over the last 12 months or so, as they have constructively challenged much of the nonsense those within "The Bubble" believe to be acceptable and fit for purpose.... From what you say, the danger is, (once again)... "Any Speedway, is better than nothing".... Is seen as acceptable, and almost a measure of success.. As we know, crowds have dropped significantly over the last two decades or so, on the back of that "Mission Statement"..

Should be a few more for the Aces visit as they are trying to organise a coach which, if it happens, would get 50 or so there... Plus, a fair few who will be driving down themselves, as me and my lad will... Second visits from teams will see a natural drop in away fans, as they have ticked the box of attending a new track.. The challenge for the promotion will be to have enough home fans when the away numbers dwindle to the usual minimal amount at most other meetings... A promoter several years ago, once told me that, by the end of the season, circa a third of the opening night attendance becomes the usual number there most weeks... 1000-1100 won't be too far away from his view being correct I would think... The favourites for the title should get a few more home fans there too than last night, especially given Kurtz and Doyle will be there. (Hopefully!)...

Are they bits and pieces of Stock Cars???

Another cracking Vlog from Dan T.... You really see the unconventional lifestyle these lads lead.. And the costs involved, especially when your van blows up!!!. Interesting he mentioned the need to lose weight, especially for Poland.. He must weigh the size of one of my legs.. Just needs a season of no injuries and he could become a true top level rider, as he definitely has a capability level higher than most... If you haven't seen his Vlogs on YouTube yet, then give them a go... He did say others are now doing the same?... The more exposure for the sport the better....

To be fair to Matt... He is so philanthropic... He kindly gave up a chance of a bumper return in money from a final against Plymouth, and, instead, agreed to run both meetings knowing 100% that two of his absolute key riders would be missing.. Not many would have sacrificed so much money to give other teams a chance.... A part of me hopes the rules allow both Lawson and Cairns to guest for both teams in the final, should either team need them...

And in a Semi Final of the Knockout Cup too... You would think they would at least try when they get to this stage to give it some kind of respect.. Anyhow, good luck to both teams in the final, hopefully both can run with their own riders and give UK Speedway a Cup Final worthy of the name... It would be great to see Plymouth absolutely rammed full, which I think it could well be....

Some encouraging signs for Poole?...

A fair call... I don't remember PC needing leading link forks, a lay down engine, electric ignition timings, nor a lap top in the pits, to make a Speedway bike "sing".. If BZ got some "Pride" coloured handlebars with matching mudguards, every NDL rider in the land would buy the same, thinking that was "the secret" to his success... It is too small a sport to move onwards and onwards with technology, to gain a (whatever?), as it can only restrict participation due to costs... Dan T's VLOG is fantastic (clubs please take note), and his workshop must have thousands of pounds of spares in it... Hence clubs then need to pay riders enough to afford all this equipment... And, in the UK, to achieve what exactly?....

Sharing out the Polish top league riders, and Doyle, would possibly mean two second div teams could be enticed to join the top league... Flexibility will be needed with race nights to accommodate the two obvious ones... Personally, I would run five rider teams in the top tier, all riders over four points, one home and one away, and then run another competition that all the top tier teams take part in but at a significantly lower standard without the top names... An "Elite League", (no guests), and (like we have two of now), a "Make it up as you go along" big league, with one home and one away, with some Cup Competition, BSN? that the tier one clubs won't be in due to their own league being ran.. And try then to sell the Elite League to TV...

A very pertinent comment on this evenings Polish coverage from @TTT Where he mentions how injuries have made this Polish season interesting as the big guns have been impacted by injuries, so other teams can compete... That is sport.... In the UK, Wroclaw, and Gorzow, as an example, would have brought in guests from other teams to cover... If Poland did that, they know they are finished as fans, sponsors, and TV would walk away.. A few years ago Wroclaw, the best team overall, got hammered in the final due to their injuries... Sh*t Hapoens... That is sport...

Of course it won't, and that's the point... Such a deterrent would stop so much nonsense being accepted... Similar to one point each and no rearrangement for called off meetings... That would ensure far more meetings that currently get called off would take place.. The nonsense has to stop...

What is this new fangled sorcery that you speak of?.. Easy to see why they call themselves Witches!!!

Next seasons' top tier points limit has just been announced... 24 (including the Rising Star at 2.00).... Voted in 5 to 1.....

Heavily depleted throttle jockey's....

In response, Kyle said "I wish I could have been sat in the pits at a track in Poland, watching the racing for nothing, and actually being paid for being there"..... "I'll see if I can get myself a piece of that next time", he continued...

The 105 team places in the top two tiers must earn what? An average of £30k a rider? Given the standard runs from GP Superstar to NDL level... If so, that's over £3 Million paid out... Any troubleshooter coming into the sport, would immediately say... "Restructure your operating model to find a way to knock a million off your payroll and stick it into prize money and marketing"....

Having something tangibly worth winning is the breakthrough the sport needs above anything else... Other sports show that the bigger the prize, the bigger the interest, and it then becomes a self fulfilling prophecy... A top league with a seven figure prize fund, would give each meeting some relevance and also give the tier two teams something to aspire to be in.. With a big prize up for grabs, winning then means something, with the potential result of the meeting being the engagement, regardless of the racing.. And if you deliver great racing too, then even better.. There must have been over 3,000 Aces fans in attendance at the recent GP's, (like last year), yet crowds for UK Speedway at the NSS are not even half that.. The reason? The lack of engagement that UK Speedway has... Same track, same great racing, even some of the same riders in view... The key differences being the size of the prize on offer, the credibility of the occasion, and the nights the events are ran on.. If any "new blood" coming into the sport could secure some major sponsorship for it, then that truly would be a game changer for UK Speedways future... They would though, firstly, have to do a huge job on the brands image and reputation, and unpick so much of what is currently seen as acceptable... The fans are still out there, in much greater numbers than currently physically attend.. UK Speedway just needs to find a way to engage them again... Something worth winning would be a huge start...

And then add in competitions with little credibility, publicity, and reward, and you have a real problem... At least if there were even a million quid on the table for winning the league then it would stimulate some awareness and interest, and give meetings some reason to take place, other than to just let riders earn money...

Fair play to Chris Louis, he did make several amendments to the track after seeing the racing at the NSS... Widening the entrances and exits of the bends.. However, there is only so much he could have done within the confines of the Stock Car track... Not everyone can build an NSS replica...

K-Tels Hits Of The Seventies... Not half mate ...