iris123

I don't think the problem is with families,as I have pointed out,just look at the change in the football audience over the past 3 decades or so and just look at the audiences who go to MotoX jumps or even in my experience ice hockey.The problem speedway has and where the audience attending is noticeably different is the amount of over 40's and even over 60s.Even on the recent link about popular sports in Poland it mentioned the average fan was between 40 and 59,i think......

Not sure why the 'family tag' is detrimental to the sport.It is after all what ended up taking football to a new level after decades of being a male dominated sport that was going downhill.Also if you look at the packed arenas that MotoX jumps get and see the crowds....also families,not just male motorcycle junkies. Here the recent event in Hamburg which included Porsings brother,who I remember seeing as a young speedway rider http://www.ardmediathek.de/tv/Hamburg-Journal/Abheben-bei-der-Night-of-Freestyle/NDR-Fernsehen/Video?bcastId=25231214&documentId=48971812 Look at this from the same tour and see just who is having a walk around to look at the bikes and it is families with young children I don't think the family tag is one of the problems facing speedway and neither are some of the strange rules.

Second week in June for the announcement,is leaving it very late!!!

See Luca Bauer is in the Ö-vik line-up,but not sure on what licence,if Italian or not.But going on his form over the weekend in Sweden,i don't expect him to trouble the top riders

Same in Finland.I think a lot in Poland is down to Malysz.Maybe it was popular before,but he took it to another level,i'd guess.I think he is about the most popular sportsperson in the country over the past decade or more.Maybe Lewandowski comes close?

And Stoch is an avid Liverpool fan and it was/is his dream to meet Kloppo.Not sure he has ever attended a speedway meeting though Shouldn't mix 'most popular' with 'best attended',though.We know speedway is well attended in certain areas,but isn't really popular throughout the nation,so ask the question in certain areas and speedway wouldn't register too high.In others,it would Nice that Gollob gets a special mention

I was there to support Tommy in 75,though not sure what that has to do with the topic

Yes I have seen them a few times,including on ice at Berlin and in an indoor horse arena with a really deep and short track which made the speedway quite poor,but the sidecars super.To an extent I think because it wasn't a 'real' competition for the sidecars they just went out and put on a show,which was ok as long as it wasn't obvious.Which it was when go-karts also featured on the speedway programme at Moorwinkelsdamm.The driver in front slowing down to let the chasers catch up was just too much for me

A good post and I do agree the stadium/facilities does play a large part in things bowadays.Years ago a speedway stadium was on a par with other sports including Football.Now it is a very bad comparison to make.People just don't want to spend money to stand out in the weather on a grassy knoll As for the quoted bit,i would agree unless the speedway comes out poorly in comparison to the other sprts.This was the case often when I have attended combined meetings.The worst case was speedway and MotoX jumps at an indoor arena in Kiel.The speedway,which was on the concrete floor was terrible and the jumps great.But even on other surfaces including speedway tracks the speedway has tended to be a poor second to sidecars

Koltakov looking a class apart at this stage of the season Great race from Kononov to win,when it looked at one stage as if he might be relegated to 3rd!!! Koltakov beats Khomitsevitch by the length of the straight to prove my point!!!

Yes,very good Just have to look jealously on at the weather.Crisp and cold,unlike our winter here in north Germany has just been wet and grey and now all the rivers are flooding.bah!!!

It is quite strange even worrying that someone who has been heavily involved in the sport for decades and decades can come out with stuff like that!!! Is it a wonder the sport is in such a bad state in the UK?

Seeing as Makarov was riding the inside line,i can only think at one stage he was with both wheels inside the line.Hard to see,but that is often the cause of an exclusion Results from last nights Swedish League meeting.Franky Zorn with a 5 ride max,but could only help his team into 2nd behind the strong Svensson family,Ove Ledstrom and Martin Haarahiltunen,looking very strong.Hans Weber,Harald Simon and Jan Klatovsky the best of the rest https://ta.svemo.se/Public/Pages/Competition/DrivingSchedule/CompetitionLiveResult.aspx?Branch=Isracing&Columns=CompetitionInfo,Branch,Name,Arena,FromDateShort&Datefilter=Today&pagesize=6&CompetitionId=9091

link for todays meeting from Kamensk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1U2fCp_nAA

Oh I get where you are coming from.Like Briggo and the others(Ashby,Crump etc)with their red with black and white striped arms and Booey with his blue leathers.Even go right back to Clem Cort who was known for riding in green,which was thought to be unlucky and of course Cort died young in a tragic motorbike accident!!!

The Brokstedt team doesn't look too bad with Rune Holta,Antonio Lindbäck and yeah,ok,Bjarne Pedersen in the squad........Danny Maaßens inclusion wasn't greeted too well either

I am confuddled.Are you saying Ken didn't die and should be included in the list?

A ver good and interesting piece PolskiZuzel.Much better than those titbits on the speedway museum site,which remind me of those little filler bits that used to be in the Speedway Star. Just one tiny correction.The Exeter club isn't/wasn't in Cornwall,but Devon

Todays 1st leg of the Russian Final in Togliatti was pretty poorly supported.Very sparse crowd there

Lucky Super race.....Karachintsev

Nasty looking,that one!!!

While we are here what do you think of the mooted idea of a team meeting between Berlin and Inzell?

Couple of good heats. You guys are just sooo negative

Saw a 4 minute clip earlier on FB from a recent meeting with a couple of what looked like drone vids following the riders around the track.Plus some model planes etc buzzing around and some great shots from way over the track.You know what I was saying about 6 months ago about drone vids?

Been cancelled.Not sure if they are still hoping for a February staging