mikebv

Or maybe British Speedway is a total farce with zero credibility? Setting off now from Manchester so I beat the queues......... Dont want to get there too early though as I might end up riding for Poole!!!

One of the fundamental issues with the sport that never gets sorted... ie. Sticking to the original start of season 'theoretical' team average when a 'real' team average has evolved due to 'actual' points being scored... Too many teams have their seasons 'over by July' and suffer poor crowd levels accordingly... A big opportunity for the sport if they sort this... Getting to the end of the season, every team in a league of just eight should have something to ride for to keep their fans, (and when they go away) the home teams' punters interested and therefore still attending... Having teams with 'no hope' does no one any favours...

Still shouldn't ride in the SWC.? Danny King would have been third (at least)... Err... Cookie.... Cookie would have been third (at least).. Err... Scotty.. Scotty would have come third (at least).... Err... Robert... Robert Lambert, he would come third (at least)... Stevie, Richie, Kyle, Eddie, Ben etc etc, they all would have come third in a GP at least... Errr. No they wouldn't..... Well done Chris Harris....

Or possibly the EL Riders Championship fiasco the year before last which he may have attended and he got his timeline wrong...? Let's be fair, it is so very easy to get confused with so many 'British Speedway fiascos' to remember...!

Definitely take a point now.... Wolves very strong at home.... Should be a good meeting....

Surely a Speedway rider without machinery isn't a Speedway rider anymore but a Speedway spectator? Can you have a guest for a spectator now? Or maybe they should!? Thousands of guests replacing the thousands of missing fans could solve a lot of issues!!

To be fair... Looking at todays league table it may be 'squeeky bum time' for the team in fifth... Matches in hand are one thing, scoring points in them are another... Maybe we need an EGM to be called where this year the 'Top 5' qualify for the playoffs??? Or maybe should sudden injuries occur, a few meetings get postponed.. (in the interests of Speedway obviously)....☺

Has it finished yet!?

Ultimately though, it's just a shame a sport organises itself in such a way that we have threads and threads weekly full of comments like this one quoted and many more, as we debate the advantage/disadvantage gained by missing riders and 'ringers' brought in to replace them.. The wider mainstream media don't seem to take Speedway seriously in this country... Cannot think why.....

Maybe in next year's 'brave new world' such bollox will not be allowed to happen?

RR has never really been an issue to me as at least its the same teams riders taking the rides rather than a guest... Maybe the rider above the missing one could take two rides and any of the ones below can take the other three (as it will be if each rider gets five rides) with a max of seven rides per rider.. Presume guests will be a thing of the past if promotion and relegation comes in, which is great news... Cannot have a rider helping another team send his own team down.... But as this is British Speedway, you never know... Presume also that there wont be any DU's as you cannot have a rider helping promote one of his teams whilst helping relegate his other. If a play off is used he would end up riding against himself! But again as this is British Speedway etc etc etc... For me, the Danish model of five per team could be the one to use, thus meaning more 'replacements' available as supply may actually exceed demand... It may be less heats (not sure) but if it is, then tag on a compulsory 'Junior team' match every meeting and it could be value for money and create lots of track time for inexperienced riders... Whatever the detail though, its good to see some innovation being brought to the sport...

A couple of people in the south stand had folding chairs at the Lakeside match... Although, if you don't pitch up at the front you will need to stand up to watch the racing as (unlike sadly at so many tracks) you will have a crowd in front of you...!

Got my tickets today... West terrace, great viewing (will take a brolly just in case)....! £45 quid IN TOTAL for two nights of World Class Speedway for me and the lad.. That's rather good value for money I would suggest...!!! Cannot wait!!!

With a fanzone in the city centre during the day... Anyone who doesn't follow Speedway in Manchester wouldn't have had a clue that the British Final was being played out virtually within their city centre.... THE most prestigious individual title for British riders being played out at THE National Stadium of Great Britain .. And hardly anyone in quite possibly the Number one sporting city in Britain knew about it... Got to be a better plan...?

So given the BSPA's many previous examples in devising and implementing plans, we know that this is exactly what will happen!!!

Correct.....! The irony is that Speedway will not allow any independent body or person to run the sport and adjudicate on decisions yet it has an MC that does exactly the same.... Except of course by their very own position within the sport they will (and can never be) seen as strictly impartial Simply any vested interest that they invariably have in the outcome will render their decision (no matter how honestly made) appear made for their own agenda... And on the circus goes.....

I would also imagine having the riders as 'assets' with some value added to them will also provide leverage to the 'parent company' when negotiating money from lenders...? Possibly why the asset system is still in place..? Not sure any bank manager would know a speedway riders market value so presume some 'licence' is there in any riders valuation..

I once presumed that the 'Tamil Tigers' must be a sub continent Speedway team.....!!!

Agree, but if it does end up appearing 'dodgy' then it means no one can then really complain when 'certain others' do things that bend rather than break those 'bendable' rules....!

Same could be said for so, so many others too Steve... For a sport that invariably has just one team, and no other allowed, within around 30 miles or so it really does under sell itself A virtual monopoly of the local conurbations in many areas around the country yet 0.1%, or even much less, of those people who dwell there attend... Still, on the positive side, it means clubs have a huge potential market on their doorsteps should they ever get the sport marketed right and their own teams brand in the consciousness of the locals.

Just tell them... "It's in the interests of Speedway"... That seems to fix everything...

Around 2000-2200 ish I would say... The Grandstand holds 2k and looked around half full, about 100 on the west terrace and a decent number on the back straight (between 800 and 1000 I would say).. For a run of the mill 'play off qualifier'!!!®😉 I would say about 1000 more than the old place would have had... Lots of kids tonight too which can only be good long term... The match itself was not as good as the Cov one, but that was special, however it was much better than your 'average' meeting.. Great to see a track where a rider can make up several bike lengths of gap on the guy in front just by riding a different line... It means most races go down to the last bend of the last lap with chances remaining for position changes... And even if there is no passing in a race, at least you are not filling in the result of the race in your programme when the riders exit turn two, lap one...

Excellent meeting.... Must admit I have seen quite a few very good meetings over the years from Lakeside even though it is regarded as a 'trick track'... Shame that it appeared hardly anyone attended it.... Did I read recently that a hosting track gets 10k for a Sky meeting? At circa £20 admission thats 500 fans worth of revenue... Therefore I wonder why tracks dont invest that cash and reduce prices for a TV meeting to attract a larger crowd... With tonights racing being so good I am sure many in a 'Big Crowd' may have considered returning... And the sport would have come over better on the TV to the watching thousands... As it is it looked, sadly, very much like a sport watched by 'one man and his dog'.... Edit: just seen Hawk127's crowd description... same man and same dog probably?!!!

Sensible approach.. Either choose your ticket pre meeting on line or over the phone or take 'pot luck' (like at a cinema).... The Aces are trying to bring the sport into the 21st Century using its ticketing system however this will I would suggest take time as some many fans are used to just rocking up and paying at the gate when attending the sport (even at National finals).. And for many of the Speedway Fan demographic, 'cash is still king' so some work needs to be done to influence their chosen method of payment (maybe a discount for pre booking would help?) Planning to have just three ticket booths open was a bit embarrassing as with a big crowd expected (and delivered) processing circa 900 people per booth was always going to take an inordinate amount of time. Processing three people per minute, and that is going some, would still take 300 mins per booth to get the 900 through, (five hours of actual time!).. They did react by opening extra areas where you could pay so they will know the issues and respond accordingly I am sure. Maybe also the fans will now react by pre booking more...? All in all though, what a great day at the Speedway.. A massive crowd for a League match, with plenty of away fans to add to the atmosphere, good weather, a well maintained racetrack and a match that delivered a close scoreline and several 'worth the admission fee alone' races... Not said that for a long, long time....

Wow.... Great to see a Speedway race where if all four riders are of similar ability, all four ride into the last bend of the last lap in touch with each other thinking they still have a chance of improving their position... Saw plenty of that today.... Some fantastic racing... All on a warm sunny day... Well done to the track team... Cannot wait for a cooler day/night where the moisture remains in the track longer... Dare I say, when entertainment like today is served up, £17 Speedway is value for money....