mikebv

Get in there you Aces....!!! Get in there..... A great night.... Seriously, who f@&£*#g cares who wins Speedway meetings in the UK anymore? A dreadful, dreadful nights entertainment which does the sport absolutely no favours.. Fair play to Nigel and Kelvin for at least trying to pretend Speedway in the UK actually has some relevance.

Maybe between BV and the NSS?

Give me an 'R'... Give me an 'I'... Give me a 'C' etc, etc etc..

Maybe all those sheep, cattle and pigs walking all over it will pack it down a bit? Bit concerned about what 'muck' will get put down though?

Maybe it's less risky than riding a tighter line around the kerb knowing that at any time you may end up being fired towards the fence..?

Is it a deliberate ploy to kill off this sport in the UK? Truly appalling advert for the sport going out to a wider TV audience... The place looking virtually empty.. The racing absolutely awful... Who cares who wins titles in such a dreadfully organised and presented sport? Cannot carry on like this surely?

Maybe he should let Tungate know......

This truly is rubbish isn't it?

Four of the fans shown just then looking like they could be under 30... Wow.. Speedway is saved... Or are they just there early for tomorrow's Farmers Market?

Same bikes ride the NSS with barely a crash in three years...

I remember going to Odsal many times and watching Gary Havelock clear off in Heat One on a very grippy track and win by around 70 to 80 yards.. The locals lapped it up... It was actually crap to watch what was tantamount to 'drag racing'... The NSS rides so much better when less grippy meaning all riders have confidence to ride closer to the others.. Tonight riders will be expecting the guy in front to rear up at anytime and potentially wipe them out.. Not conducive in letting them concentrate on passing the guy in front, which usually means spread out safety first racing.. Lets hope it slickens off quickly..

When Paul Sholes took a knock he too got described the same.. Gingerist...

About two hundred more than crashes so far....? Just heard they can't get access to the track on Monday and Thursday's in August so can't run a meeting at the height of summer.. Not the greatest of business plans when you run a summer sport on Mondays and Thursday's.. School holidays and no meetings... British Speedway...

Maybe even run a four riders per team per match league? Like the Danes used to do and the SWC runs.. £2500 max per team would need £12000 to pay all the riders on show and VAT.. £5k per match to run it ex rider costs, (is that about right?) And you'd need circa £17k.. Without any sponsorship, 1200 at £15 would bring £18k in, so would having three away teams worth of fans bring an average 1200 in if nationally ran to bring in some variety, and the odd 'regional week' where you race your local rivals.. 16 teams would need 64 riders, with, per team, one earning £300, one earning £500, one earning £700 and one earning £1000 per night.. Complete all four fixtures in a group per week and that's £4k for the Number ones, down to £1.2k for the Number fours.. 16 heats of racing where each No1, 2, 3 and 4 just race against their same numbers four times so each gets a gate position... And all 16 races then have riders of roughly equal levels so hopefully decent racing... Make the No4 position British U23 only (or over 23 but less than two years racing), and no rider at No4 can have an average over 4 at Champ level. They get four races per night and can only get replaced in a team if not good enough by similarly classified riders.. And they stay at No4 all season, not earning a fortune for four nights but better than NL money (?).. The other three positions in the team can be inter changeable using rolling averages, meaning if you improve over time you get more money, or vice versa should you drop performances.. No team riding maybe but then again, not much takes place now.. Grade the riders A to D, and use mean averages for each sector to deliver an overall team strength which will prevent any team signing the best of each sector.. Hopefully meaning close racing due to similar levels of rider per race, a fair share of gate positions to deliver an overall true picture of each riders capabilty, responsibility and pressure on each rider to deliver within their sector, you improve and you get more money, or vice versa, so performance related pay is in place, three lots of away fans to hopefully bring in some money and create some atmosphere, a variety of teams to stimulate interest, a protected structure for young inexperienced British riders and hopefully several spare riders out there to bring in rather than using guests to cover injuries.. All ran at each track on the tracks own choice of race night due to riders only being allowed to come on board if they make themselves available when the sport in Britain dictates... The actual amount of times each teams meet each other would need to be worked out and it may end up with more local teams meeting more regularly (hopefully those being the money spinners) but the US Sports show it can be done where you play some teams more than others.. 24 weeks of racing would give 24 home meetings and, at four times per week, 96 matches per rider overall... A chance to get and earn plenty of coin.. Radical but maybe the sport needs radical...?

When you say 'us all' Barry, is it the BSPA as a collective or just your team on the IOW you refer to? If it is the BSPA as a collective it would finally mean realisation has dawned and something does need to be done for the greater good of the Sports initial short term survival, and then longer term development in this country.. And that could be great news.. However, I do fear those words 'vested' and 'interest' will always be lurking somewhere in the back ground, to be dragged out when one, or more, of the more influential characters needs them to maintain what we have presently.. As always though, well done for, once again, being at the forefront of some new thinking, and taking those vitally important risks that are needed to continually improve and evolve..

Enjoyed that... Balls of steep that backstraight move in the final... Be he had to breathe in...

Watching him a couple of seasons ago I suggested he would reach second string level in the 2nd Div at best... Or become one of those constantly interchangeable lower scoring reserves in the top division, where you are really nothing more than someone making the team because your average conveniently fits rather than anything you bring to the team.. Nothing since has convinced me he will reach any higher.. A bit really silly in making comments like he did without any ammunition to fire towards his own claim of a place..

Spot on... Can't imagine the companies that film the racing at the various tracks around the country sell thousands of DVD's for each meeting, so surely it would be more beneficial financially for themselves to get paid by the clubs to stream the racing live? Speedway pretty much now has a hard core of followers at most tracks who will be there week in week out, with crowds (unless on TV or poor weather), not fluctuating up and down by any more than 10 to 15% from the average I would suggest.. And streaming would especially help the clubs financially on those nights when the weather is a bit ropey, as many don't attend the track now, but would no doubt pay to watch the stream from the comfort of their armchairs.. As I say, the die hards will be there anyway, those who spend the most money all season with the clubs, it's the less regular attendees that streaming will pick up, increasing their contribution to the clubs finances..

No need to get rid of the greyhound tracks. Gustrow's track, for example, as a foot print, would sit within most greyhound tracks.. Cannot complain when tracks pay hundreds of thousands to riders who put hardly one extra punter on the gate, instead of spending hundreds of thousands on their tracks (and improve the entertainment), which could maybe attract more punters... The longer the straights and tighter the bends, the more horsepower, and trapping, plays a part.. The longer the bends and smaller the straights the more ability and track craft plays its part.. The longer riders go sideways, rather than in a straight line, the better the racing..

Not really.. It was designed on a track built in 1928.. Many tracks could do a 'mini NSS'.. ie wide bends and more circular than oval. ..

It's great to watch a race track that allows riders to concentrate on racing and lining opponents up to try and pass them rather than worrying about finding some grip from nowhere and heading towards a fence, or maybe an ambulance.. Riders will provide great entertainment if they are allowed to.. The NSS allows that opportunity. Having all four riders enter a final lap with all thinking their position isn't guaranteed is great to watch...

As usual, a very good meeting at the NSS.. The Poles are in a different league with their lads racing week in week out against the worlds best. Under proper pressure for their place in their teams too which focuses the mind somewhat i would suggest which resonates in their performances'.. GB was 'the best of the rest' with Lambert and Bewley showing that over the next five years they are 'up there' to compete at that very high level.. As we know, U21 stardom isn't a guarantee of World success.. Let's just let the lads develop without expectation and see where it takes them.. In Leon Flint I do think we have a genuine talent..

That 'Guest' team not doing very well... Have they got a 'Guest' Manager too..?

It would give the riders plenty of guest bookings... And if you double up you could ride almost all year.. Just have Xmas day off.....

Maybe one league using something similar to the US sporting model...? ie. Play your regional rivals more than you play your national rivals.. Then, in the case of speedway, come play off time each region (presuming there's four), sends its no1 team to them...?