Dudleywood4eva

This is boring beyond belief

I think several things have sped the decline ... Alternative pastimes, speedway not moving with the times, lack of dirt, poor racing, poor stadium facilities ... but going back to the original post i think Bruce was a superstar in every way and we have a lack of personalities these days. Darcy Ward is a crowd puller and someone like Greg hancock is superb with the fans. Bruce was a phenominal rider and conducted himself well in the press but i think his rivalry with kenny carter added spice to meetings. The last big rivalry was Hans v Erik. The sport needs some fresh new ideas to pull in new spectators or someone with a lot of money to pour into the coffers to advertise and promote it properly.

So to sum up ... have we got a new sky sports deal???

Can anyone guess & have a stab in the dark @ my favourite closed track??

Collins and grahame were great together especially around Cradley. Al used to protect the inside while Phil used the outside. Big al was a great team man and very much an unsung hero - often scored 5 or 6 but had 2 or 3 bonus points to his name. Dont remember those particular matches but they were a great side in the 80's

You are quite right - for someone who was so good individually he was an excellent team man and like you say he made them better for being with him. I used to love going to Cowley and Dudley Wood in anticipation of Nielsen vs Gundersen and it didnt disapppoint. I have to say that i recall Hans often getting the better of Erik - i wouldnt mind seeing what their head to head was over the years. Erik used to get himself into breathtaking form in the weeks until the world finals. Both superb riders and a great rivalry. So sad that both tracks r now gone :-(

Nielsen was v consistant. Used to love to hate him at the wood but it was his sheer presence that put bums on seats and anyone who managed to out muscle him on that first turn and hold on did remarkably well. A measure of how professional Hans was .. i cannot recall him having an engine failure when i saw him and extrememly rare throughout any season

Fingers crossed we get to see league racing on TV - it would be nice if that included premier lg too as i have enjoyed coverage the last couple of yrs. If it is sky i hope the layout of it is different - yes keep it modern to attract fans but if they show highlights do them properly. Maybe show a form guide of last six matches or recent scores of riders. I think it just needs freshening up. During the early yrs of sky, some clubs reduced admission to fill the stadium in front of the cameras. I know its painting over the cracks but it comes across much better live on tv with a decent crowd.

Of riders i have seen ... Erik Gundersen, Bruce Penhall, Hans Nielsen, Chris Morton, Kenny Carter, Jan o Pedersen, Sam Ermolenko and (personal favourite) Phil Collins. Difficult as there have been so many over the years. The likes of Tony Rickardsson, Jason Crump, Leigh Adams, Mark Loram, Darcy Ward, Chris holder, Michael Lee, Kelly Moran, Greg Hancock, Billy Hamill and Gollob would also be on the fringes.

Sayfutdinov holder pedersen woffinden

Track looking better at practice today ;-)

But what about gp coverage in 2014?

But will each gp be live on eurosport? And b4 i get lambasted for this post, i would like to point out i am takin the p**s :-P

Dont do it. Wait until the announcement that it will be screened on Dave.

Totally agree. This is where speedway needs to focus on visiting local schools etc as kids r the future. So in 10-20 years time when these supporters r no longer with us ... v worrying

Sounds promising philip ;-) Any imminent announcement?

I think question 6 is a concern. The majority of friends we introduce to the sport no longer attend. If this % can be increased at all im sure the gates would improve. I remember my first meeting - exciting racing and a great atmosphere .. I was hooked. If u introduce someone at the wrong time - like i have in the past - when there is half a team littered with guests, poor track conditions etc there is every chance they will never return.

What is ur problem?

Champions league ... ur avin a laugh!!

Riders riding for several teams across europe, team strengths different (ie swedens elite lge much stronger than britains), fitting it all within a v busy domestic schedule - just 3 issues off the top of my head. Great idea but a bit of a no go really.

True. Hadnt thought of that. And as for live broadcasts - obviously this has been since 1995 to date - not sure about this year!!

Unfortunately whether u like them or not, a revamp of the world championship was needed and the GP's were the way to move the sport forward. To some - myself included - the one off world final was a fantastic event for drama excitement and tension.. but apart from the odd highlight latterly they were never televised. We now have a series held in some brilliant venues which is broadcast live and we are attracting the likes of monster as sponsers. So i dont dislike the GP's at all - its only failing is how riders qualify for it imo

Well at least communicate something to viewers who pay good hard earnes money. Thats why. Its still on the sky sports website and folks are expecting it to be screened. Exactly!

Once again the speedway fan gets shafted. This rumour has been ongoing for months and now it finally seems the deal has fallen through. Still at least a representative of the grand prix, bsi or sky have released a statement... oh they havent? Ah well in that case i will pretend im not a member of this forum or twitter and subscribe to sky sports this summer for me and my family to watch our favourite sport speedway...

Anyone else bored of this?? Somebody somewhere clarify whether sky are broadcasting the gp's or tell us who is. How long does it take to negociate?! The gp's are far better in quality and presentation than the often shambolic elite league matches witnessed last year.