mikebv

Difficult to turn left when you have a bike alongside to the left of you I would have thought....

I would suggest if Justin was good enough to be a heat leader in Div 1 and Div 2, like so many other riders are, he may put up with the "sh*t money" given he would be getting two wages.... I am off to email my boss now asking her if she will let me work for just six months this year but pay me enough to live on for the full twelve.. Will keep everyone updated as to her answer...

Depends on the measure of success.. Keeping tracks going by keeping them worth visiting is now the No1 priority for the sport I would suggest.. When Rider Control has been used in the past riders had a huge say in where they ended up, meaning it became the usual "halfway house/not quite fit for purpose" plan that sadly UK Speedway seem to implement.... I would be surprised nowadays if any rider had the same clout, given hardly any of them are "superstars" (even more so at Div 2 level)... However, for me, just making two heat leaders allowed over "x' average, within an overall team figure, would suffice to share them around enough to at least give all teams a fighting chance of competing... And this mechanic has been used in Div 1 before now hasnt it so hardly a controversial system to use.. The top league only has six teams in it, how long before the second tier have a number similar due to the "have nots" either going to the wall or dropping into tier 3..? Given that is the natural occurrence if changes are not made then riders will naturally end up with less team places too, so surely for them it would be better to have a job in Div 2 than not...?

Well many would wouldnt they? As they are all Div One heat leaders... (And therein lies a pretty big problem in itself)... The counter punch though is that many would then NOT go along and watch their home team against a visiting team with no Div One heat leaders in their ranks... Due to a great many of the fans (the majority I would say), being Speedway fans first (those who want to watch close racing as an entertainment), and fans of "their team" second, (those who still take it seriously and want to see their team "win")... With no promotion, relegation, europe to qualify for, financial reward etc, for many teams their season can be effectively "over" by June/July, therefore keeping each meeting competitive has to be a priority to keep fans engaged...

Circa 0.03% of the populace attend Speedway.. Maybe double that figure (max), follow it "closely"... So "winning" will never make much difference to too many and make it worth more than ensuring all survive and grow... Tracks are closing annually meaning huge conurbations have no tracks nearby or within them... And the sport doesnt seem to take stock of this and review why? 18 tracks having sustainable business models (and as equal a chance to compete as possible will help a sustainable model) "may" help stop the rot and restart some growth in attendances.. The odd track growing its fanbase in isolation by 200 or so (a potential massive % uplift given the tiny low base to start from) because they are doing "well", will make not one jot of difference to the sport overall if you have a net loss by tracks closing down.. And using averages, as everyone knows, doesnt ever deliver equality simply due to the myriad of variances and subjectivity that make these numbers up... A max number of riders per team over a defined figure would spread around the heat leaders though and that is pretty much the key to most teams, especially in Div 2 where the top riders (Div 1 heat leaders) are miles in front of the reserves' standard.... A max two rider over "x" points would spread those heat leaders around. Currently some teams have a minimum 14 of the 30 rides per meeting covered by "good riders" whilst others have a lot less heat rides covered by that standard of rider.. There isnt much point in racing to the bottom, as even if you "win" by being the last there, you still have lost...

In a sport where "winning" brings you so little reward, and is pretty much down to it's most die hard followers, and no more, everywhere... I would think having EVERY track competitive is far, far more important to any possible future growth of the sport as a generic entity than having teams possibly close down due to riders not being shared around, meaning home crowds drop.. Especially in Div 2 where clubs are using Div 1 level riders in the first place, and a 2nd div in any league has less kudos in winning than the top league in any sport.. If the likes of Newcastle and Birmingham do close the sport will lose around 1500 or so die hards, who will have attended virtually every week.. No team winning any league will add 1500 to their attendance every week of the season. Therefore. Another net loss in fans to add to the many other times this has happened over the past 20 years or so.. And the irony of it all is that having uncompetitive teams also impacts every other team financially as when these teams visit, crowds will invariably drop due to some home fans feeling it not worth attending.. Bottom line is, hardly anyone cares who wins any UK Speedwsy title, so the sport would be much healthier generically if the vast majority of meetings delivered entertainment through both teams being at least relatively even, and clubs all ended each season...

Can't believe they didnt base the dimensions on those of a Cycle Speedway track... That would work great if someone did it, wouldn't it? Great to see someone with pretty much a blank canvas thinking about how the entertainment value of the racing will be affected by its shape.. Look forward to visiting... Going to take my 18 year old with me and let him enjoy the delights of a night out in Worky post meeting..

Always liked Kenny... Seemed to get a rep as a bit of a "gating tart" early in his career but having watched him often both here and in Poland he can certainly mix it and pass, both inside and out... Always well turned out and professional too.. Takes many a "top scalp" in Poland regularly, so wouldnt let the Aces down if he ends up going there, and would provide more solid back up for Fricke than Kurtz will I would suggest..

Kenny or Lasse? ..

I am sure I read that they were doing some temp stands for this event, similar to what the NSS did a few years ago for the SWC... A crowd of 4000 or so would be similar to the NSS last year...

Just got in... Been out all night putting up "Welcome To Manchester Tai" banners across the A6 from Mcvities up to Kirky Lane... And done the same the other way from Piccadilly Station... They look great... Can't wait to see him ride for the Aces.. Edit : Bugger..... How do you spell KK's names?

Considering they seem to have crowds which are similar in size to the UK, Danish teams do seem to sign a lot of riders... Some of whom are very much "back up" riders who probably wont get too many meetings... Their major league sponsor has gone this year too...

Considering a 'squad system' (according to many), cannot happen in the UK due to cost... How do Denmark afford it? Some of the teams have several riders who quite possibly won't ride for them next season....

Miss a meeting for no good reason then a 28 day ban surely? Any injury or illness means you 'stand down' for 28 days also... (To help you get that so desperately needed recuperation obviously)... Wont happen though as we know,, given the top two from each team are involved and therefore 'vital' to all the teams.... However, as has been said, pay rates will be the make or break I would think... As from your home leg you will need to find enough money to pay 50 races combined from your top two riders in the five away legs... Or maybe the home team pays all costs of the other five in attendance..? If that was the case then you would think basic pay rates will be the order of the day.. 15 heats of racing from your top two in each team will need a few bob if you pay them their 'normal money'... Or who knows? Maybe a key sponsor has been found to fund the championship? Be a very good concept if done well... And it also means the Aces can enter a team..

Speedway in the UK is more "sports entertainment" than a bona fide sporting contest where who wins has relevance, kudos, publicity and financial reward.. Therefore, it makes perfect sense to embrace this and build on it by using the "core product" of the racing as its "centre piece" and then building an overall entertainment package around it... With hopefully, "something for everyone" being the box that gets ticked as this means a more likely repeat visit....

They do form part of a forum though and I must admit do make me laugh now and again... But, in fairness to them, not as much as I laugh at those who rise to their bait and get themselves all worked up about something so insignificant.... And seem to react EVERY time....

And why not when rules allow them to do so? Makes total sense to me in a competition that doesnt take on any meaning (if any at all) until the back end of the season... Is it top six or four who qualify for the play offs? Either way, you would expect Poole to be in the play offs and enter them with a team that could quite conceivably win the final...

Takes me back to my accounting days..... Limited Liabilities... Nice...

However in Div 2 you can pay Div 1 standard heat leaders a "bit less" than their Div 1 counterparts, (but still a decent amount), whilst (unlike the Div 1 teams), pay the bottom end of the team money commensurate with their lower capability and lower standing in the sport.. Having three top heat leaders in a side is a no brainer (especially in a league with so much difference from top to bottom riders), as they will usually ride a minimum 14 times out of the 30 times a team races, meaning almost 50 percent of the meeting is covered by a "good heat leader".. At times riding together to possibly gain heat advantages, and at times preventing the other team getting heat advantages.. Meaning for most meetings they are always in with a shout.. For Poole, dropping down made perfect sense.. They could still ride Wednesdays and also afford to put out a very competitive team.. Which they rely on to keep their fanbase who have sometimes "walked" a little in seasons gone by when the team has nothing to ride for, with the drop more noticeable at Poole due to the very good crowd levels they usually generate when doing well.. The only down side to having teams like Poole in Div 2 is that "the have nots" stay as exactly that given the lack of talent to go round, and the league becomes too strong to be the bridge between Div 3 and Div 1, undermining progression as well as undermining the "top leagues" standing as the aspirational standard bearing "flagship" which any top league in any sport should be... Maybe three leagues of six would be a better way forward with the top two sharing most of the heat leaders and the bottom six teams all being allowed to put together competitive teams using Div 2 second strings, reserves, and NDL up and coming talent? With any clubs wanting to run a "second team" running in a seperate Div 4 development league...

Painted themselves into a corner haven't they? So not sure they can reduce their offer... Often using six Div 1 heat leaders per match rather than a couple at most with a mixture of riders of 2nd Div standard including two to four riders of Div 3 Heat Leader standard wishing to progress.. Instead we now have "Premier Light"...

Twenty years ago I would have been one of them... However, as usual, we had a fractured, halfway house, survival or the fittest/protect the weakest, muddled operating model with zero clear direction of where the sport was going, nor vision of what it was going to be... Nowadays you would have to think that having as many tracks (who are left), geographically around the country is 100% vital to at least try and keep some recognition of the sport by reasonably sized conurbations..

Div 2 teams being too strong is the biggest single issue for the sport for me... Should have had a points limit for top three riders in each team to share the heat leaders around.. Even if the teams with the most money then pay over the odds to bring a new high assessed rider in it would still have freed up heat leaders that they couldnt accommodate.. Given the disparity between top and bottom in each team in Div 2, it makes sense for teams with cash to spend big on heat leaders, as the bottom end of the team wont be of a level to demand too much I would think, and would be very interchangeable as the season goes on.. Will they ever truly see that working together to keep your weakest link strong enough to compete is the only way forward?

The losses could be even more if you "win"... And end up closing a track down.... Adrian Smith clearly has the support of those who pay the bills, and also, (from his interviews in the past), seems to understand what the sport needs to move forward, so would also be a loss to the sport overall... A tough year ahead maybe for the Aces, but crowds are very loyal there considering they had so many years of abject rubbish at the old track... Who knows, a few "cheap nights" salary wise and they could even make a profit... The irony of British Speedway....

2nd Division teams seem to do "ok" with 700 or so... And in Oxford's case you would like to think that the early meetings in particular will be a huge % amount higher than 700 given they are relaunching.. Lots of local publicity too initially, so hopefully these early crowds will help pay for a successful season overall as the crowd levels settle down and stabilise to its true level.. And even (if it is "just 700"), it's more than would be watching the sport if they hadn't have come back... 20 home matches or so and that is 14000 more clicks at the turnstiles for the sport..

They have had plenty of this over the years haven't they?... Bless them...