Hawk127

The difficulty is that the sport is being pulled in too many directions. You have riders who want fixed race nights to fit in with other schedules, stadia that are not available on this basis, not enough supporters through the turnstiles to make EL pay without considerable sponsorship, Sky with a hit and miss T V schedule and the publicity from this exposure is not providing the hoped for increase in numbers watching it live, the BSPA who apparently are unable to agree on how the sport is run and the fickle supporter who only wants league racing and not speedway racing in a number of formats that would enable the riders who remain in the UK to earn a living from the sport. Threats from other countries restricting rider availability and a GP format which on its own is not enough for any rider to earn a living without regular league racing. All in all a conundrum and good luck to anyone who has the answer. I doubt that one format will fit the bill across the sport and unfortunately some clubs will go under simply because the owners cannot sustain the losses week in week out. It may well come down to the riders having other jobs outside the sport and speedway being a part time activity with lower pay rates. Whatever the solution it will not be resolved in 2017 and the issues are going to take a few seasons to sort out. Therefore who will be in the EL in 2017, it is anyone's guess but only the fool hardy would suggest that any team will move up.

What about altering the format and increasing the number of permanent riders in the line up so that you can include top riders from each speedway nation but change it to a knock out tournament where the top twenty or so riders compete in the first four rounds. Riders are then eliminated based on the lowest points scored with x number going through to the next four rounds. Once completed then apply the same knock out system and the last four rounds decide the ultimate world champion from the remaining top scorers. This may be a simplified version and clearly would need structuring in such a way as to encourage sponsors etc. but you could have the initial four regional rounds in say Italy, Germany, Slovenia and Czech Republic. The next four rounds are then held in Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, U K and central europe. Then four final rounds in Poland, Middle East, Asia and Australia. (If not the Middle East or Asia, then the USA and Argentina). The reason for the ME/Asia is following the money/wealth. After all the powers that be seemed to have cracked it re temp tracks so new markets with the right backing should no prove to be as insurmountable as it was in the past. Just thoughts but spicing it up a bit may attract more investment and help open up new markets. No doubts lots of anti feedback but it is merely a suggestion.

To give some consideration to the views/comments of the supporters and for the powers that be and promoters to remember that they are in the entertainment industry and not an exclusive/private club.

Could this be the opportunity for 'Speedway Plc' to restructure and get back to basics in order to build for the future or as is more likely the case, preserve what is in the UK. Why not have league racing with those who want to ride here and then have those special moments with the G P and perhaps the European championship plus re introduce international test matches at all three levels so that all leagues get a chance and then have a U K Championship with every track holding qualifications rounds and as these progress more experienced riders can join. Allow the NL clubs to see PL and EL riders on their tracks in this competition. To encourage travelling support have a regional cup competition with the winners of each region meeting in a k o final round. Just a thought and whatever happens U K speedway will survive but will the income of those who chase the top dollar. I cannot see that the way Ploand appears to operate, it will be a resounding success for those who's sole source of income is speedway.

Appreciate the question but probably some wise contributors in the thread in the Elite section under the heading 'Anyone else considering walking away from Speedway' can answer this for you as this is now more of general debatable point rather than a specific team one.

No touch of reality needed. It is what is, screwing the paying punter and dress it up with whatever excuses, availability of riders or otherwise the reality is that you pay your money and take a chance and no recourse to those who serve up a sub standard product.. My argument is not with the riders but those who run the sport eho cut corners to the cost of the supporter and no one else. I guess we have opposing views so best leave it at that and wish both teams all the best in the play offs

It becomes a struggle to think of a good reason to go to a live meeting these days. Poor presentation, generally a lack of close racing, plenty of times where six plus the guaranteed r/r turn out with more guests that the average Jonthan Ross talk show, more gardening than then the local garden centre can shake a hoe at, meetings that drag on where only fifteen minutes or so of speedway can take up to three hours and that is with just fifteen heats. No wonder so few entertain the idea of second halves or additional forms of racing. Add to this little in the way of atmosphere and few who will watch anything other than a league meeting which means that some lower order riders rarely get the chance to test themselves because of the lack of individual or inter league challenge matches involving more experienced riders. No promotion will take a gamble and put these events on because of the apathy then is it an wonder that British riders are making up the numbers rather than being taken as a serious force to reckon with. Having already been castigated for having views on the current state of the sport, I await more abuse for having a opinion on this thread. Still it makes better entertainment then the average league meeting and it has not cost an entry fee

I have no cause to suit so you are way off the point and I was merely making observations. You are right about team selection but that is not the point I was making. If I ran my business the way some people run clubs and treat the income stream which includes the majority of people who voice an opinion on this forum, I would soon go bust. When I mentioned pride that was reference to JL and turning up for meetings, tackling tracks and wanting to be at the top of you game all the time and recognising the role of the paying punter in the overall scheme of things Instead in today's version, no one seems bothered and when you see that the GP riders pick when and where they want to ride and will appear at stadia mainly to suit their own agenda is any wonder that this attitude prevails at grass roots level, which is league speedway as it stands. Plenty of riders could not give two figs about the supporter and while a few do, it is not enough to endear people to the sport any longer. I guess that if people are happy with the way things are that is OK, but it is just a sad indictment of how low speedway has fallen and why so many former appreciative supporters of this excellent form of racing have walked away and are unlikely to return.

Totally mismanaged and no overall structure to the running of the show. Providing entertainment seems lost on the average promoter. As an aside having read John Louis's book, I really cannot understand how much standards, appetite and pride have fallen in not too many years. Supporters clamour for league speedway and not speedway in general, riders who have little in the way of track craft with gate and go seemingly the norm, few riders who are prepared to tackle the track and prefer to admit defeat on a walk around rather than just getting on with it and then the referees who seem to miss a genuine good fast start and call a race back at a whim. You then have riders rush back to get the bikes re-adjusted rather than being told to get back to the tapes and get on with it. It is a farce and no one seems bothered with the supporters being the ones who are taken for a ride. As someone said on another thread, as long as we keep on paying the entrance fee those that run this shambles will do nothing to change so much that is wrong.

Get suitable replacements to make a match of it an not rip the paying public off. This has become a long standing trait in the sport and adds to all the other woes that are so wrong. If you run a business you you aspire to do the best not making do.

I feel sorry for the Newcastle fans who pay good money and you have the witches turn up with half a team. What is it with management and riders who that think they can treat the paying public in this way. No wonder this sport and I use that word in the kindest sense, is an absolute joke and in any other field they would be hung out to dry. Speedway clearly thinks it is ok but this is where the BSPA, if it had any balls which it clearly does not, would step in and fine teams. No wonder no one takes this seriously. Years back this would not happen but now, it is two fingers to the paying public. Sad to say but the Louis clan are are doing a great disservice to Ipswich and the team that has such a great heritage.

He will join Ipswich alongside Danny King as the mighty witches return to the Elite League just as Kings Lynn drop to PL because they are scared of the local derby and the thrashing that would've been handed out had they graced Foxhole. Then I woke up!!!

Thanks Conkers, I can now start looking at flights etc.

Does anyone know when the fixture list will be available for the world championship rounds?

Sorry I meant only Sunday afternoon. Friday and Saturday nights for the rest and just to add spice, get Polish referees and anyone who knows nothing about speedway to officiate. Hey you could even get a retired rider to guest as ref, which would certainly make for some realistic decisions. Allow for fast gaters and make going back to the pits before a restart an exclusion offence.

I forgot a couple of other points, racing Friday, Saturday or Sunday afternoon to improve crowds and then form teams around those race days, rename the leagues one and two and three and have standard bikes, a track spare and put saw dust down when it rains. Let the top guys do their own thing in Europe or what ever and let British speedway get back to basics with league racing every week between April and the end of September. Cannot be any worse than what you have now.

Standardise the bikes so that you need skill rather than being a throttle merchant who gates and goes and hangs on for dear life because the current bikes are by and large uncontrollable and only suited for racing in certain conditions (albeit only the riders seem to know what those are as they seem to change frequently) and make it more affordable for new riders to get a start in the sport and hopefully this will generate some locally grown talent. Get back to the point where you could name your 1 to 7 that will be riding each week for your local team and create characters who can stir it up with a few more bad guys who have the skill to make it look dangerous but in reality are generally controlling the bike and not the other way round. Get back to having proper international team meetings (How many would go to watch the current Russian contingent of riders take on your local team or even England not team GB). In simple terms, generate interest with a few tweaks and get promoters to contribute to a central fund to advertise the sport more widely. With so many options to advertise on line, radio, local cinema, shopping malls etc. it would not be too difficult to get the sport noticed and once that happens then it might just start to attract the right type of sponsors/underwriters. As an example of where it is poor the sponsorship trailer for the GP is dire and makes it look about as interesting as watching paint dry. Time perhaps to get younger people on board to help with promoting the sport, after all they can do no worse than the current crop of old timers.

As a summer sport little credence is paid to those (the fans) who want to watch regular racing particularly during the peak holiday period. What do you get, very little. The gaps between home meetings is unsustainable from a business perspective and is it any wonder that supporters are drifting away and doing other things. What has gone wrong? Rider such as Hancock turning their back on meetings and depriving some of the most loyal supporters the opportunity to watch him race. No excuses, time to amalgamate the leagues and find riders prepared to commit to British racing and stop pandering to those riders chasing the money on the back of fewer meetings. If the polish and other leagues want to pay top dollar then good luck to them, what ideally we should see is commitment to the sport in this country and if that means a return to riders who have other jobs and do not rely totally on speedway as an income then so be it. It worked before so why no now? If you had an increased number of meetings, would the riders need to look elsewhere? The answer if you want track experience is maybe yes but Financially it is probably questionable if you do a full breakdown of costs. I would love to see the the profit and loss account and balance sheet for the so called top riders and analyse the income etc. As long as the gp riders dictate the terms nothing will change until someone stands up and says enough is enough. I may well be six foot under before the majority of the powers that be have the balls to stop the decline.

No excuses Rosco got it wrong. First time and probably the last that G B seeded to final and he puts out a team who has little experience at this level apart from Tai and Rosco knew the risks and let everyone down. A total waste of space.

I hope Rosco does the honourable thing this evening and stand down.

Totally agree. The supporters who turn up are a secondary thought as far as some are concerned. Why we put up with being given two fingers by some of the riders does make you wonder. Still, no loyalty by most riders when it comes to the average punter, just taking the proverbial. Sad really and little wonder that numbers are dwindling when they show such contempt.

Not the best of racing and in reality you would have been better off without the USA. They made up the numbers but the lack of competitive riders sadly detracted from it being a good event to watch. The racing was not as good as the earlier rounds and with the Russians also being a little off the pace one can only hope that what is served up tomorrow Is competitive hard but safe racing. I do still wonder why this is an annual event and effectively a four team tournament rather than six or seven man teams in a knock out competition and perhaps every two years with the final eight teams then whittled down to then a 4TT final. Good luck to all in the final

I am not concerned. It was an observation based on his lack of ability to conduct himself in a manner required when talking to a wider audience and not his pit crew. No one condones his behaviour and that in itself does not in any way act as a criticism of his ability as a rider but for a guy who has done so much for charity and children's hospital he really needs to think about the privileged position he holds and frankly grow up. Not many reach the pinnacle he has and he needs to understand what that means. Sadly I don't think he cares.

It added nothing, showed him as lacking the ability to string a coherent sentence together without using swear words and frankly if that is the quality of a world champion who is obviously unable to conduct himself then it says it all about the lack of intellect and poor education he must have received. Tai I suggest you engage your brain before opening your mouth and think about the wider audience.

The Kennet brothers, Brian Foote, Ted Hubbard, racing every week, Friday at 8 at Hackney, Rayleigh Saturday, Crayford Tuesday and those East Anglian clashes, Ipswich/Kings Lynn, Rayleigh versus Eastbourne and Dave Lanning, Canterbury and Johnnie Hoskins and the Witches turning up on mass at Rayleigh, Arthur Price, Sunderland and Bradford visiting Rayleigh, Ivan Miller beating Arthur Price, Terry Stone and the shiniest bikes in the league. Characters in speedway both promoters and riders. Where did it all go wrong? I know people started to think it was a serious sport with no strange rules as television showed riders getting double points for beating an opponent, the same riders that they saw last week but riding for a different team to that shown the previous week and the use of a joker in the World Cup which made it a competitive sport thus leaving outsiders wondering if it was for real or a new cartoon series. Oh well.