foamfence

"taping up" Haha.

They'd need a new promoter.

The 'final death toll' would probably be more likely if we brought in more big names and then went bankrupt because of their demands.

While it's very likely that crowd numbers would rise, it's debatable whether it would be in sufficient numbers to cover the cost involved.

I think the lack of watering is usually down to riders. It isn't acceptable though that people should be going home covered in dust (we did in the old days) and often having their view of the racing obscured by dust clouds.

This could end up being a very quiet place. The forum is a sad reflection on some of it's contributors though, particularly those who refuse to accept opinions when their own offering is merely another and those (with multiple IDs) who send PMs threatening violence to others (one of whom is actually a rider).

Bit late with that.

Yes but I'm getting on a bit and wouldn't fancy the trip home in the evening.

I agree that the current track is the best in the country by miles, that wasn't the point I was making.

Belle Vue exists as a club but Hyde Road is long gone as a track.

When I was younger I could visit Bradford, Belle Vue, Halifax, Sheffield and Doncaster, all by public transport and home again the same evening. Now groups of young friends can't get to many tracks and the entry price would probably put them off anyway. Only one of those tracks now exists and I'm no longer inclined to visit that at my age, lack of transport and the cost. You mentioned London, I used to have trips down to those tracks, my favourite being Wimbledon. I watch the sport on TV, the big events are OK but some of the league matches are terrible, all the crowd in one small corner of a sh**tip of a stadium and tracks that suited old uprights but not modern machines. Speedway in this country has a sort of sepia image of flat caps, belted raincoats and going home looking like a miner. I think it needs to be run around weekends and Bank Holidays, so as to become a paying hobby, rather than a main means of making a living. It needs someone to have the bravery to enforce it, before it disappears in a cloud of dust.

I wondered about teams signing anyone that they like/can afford and a handicap given, so team A has a current average of 45 and team B has an average of 35, so team B get ten points start. No tac subs and no guests, you could use an NL rider for someone missing and your average would be adjusted accordingly.

I very much doubt that will have enticed any new fans.

Ivan was a rare genius and rode a very different bike.

There's loads of feedback most clubs hold evenings when fans can go along and meet the management and riders. The big problems are that most people don't actually know what they want and those that do are often suggesting things that are not financially viable or unpopular with others. Glasgow proved what money can do and that was with promoters who had no history or experience in the sport.

Shouldn't they be questioning people who DON'T go?

Well you're never going to get 20 purpose built tracks, unless you can find enough local authorities as gullible as Manchester. Having got all your information, what exactly do you do with it? It's a worthy idea for the imagination but I can't see it coming to anything.

Who cares, it's a Mickey Mouse event anyway?

Absolutely right! Speedway in this country is too dominated by foreign riders and lame duck clubs that drag all the others down. I started watching in the fifties when foreign riders (with the exception of Aussies) were quite rare. For me the biggest decline started at places like Cradley, when they filled their sides with big name overseas riders and their fans would support them over British riders in international events. Everyone is allowed their opinion but I'm just not interested in watching club sides without any British riders, you even get it in the second tier some seasons and therein lies another problem, the second tier has been allowed too much independence, it should be a stepping stone for British riders, instead of the top tier having the recent draft system. Talking of tiers, to make something grow better you need to prune it, one league with the clubs that aren't even paying their riders on time or ever (in some cases), being chucked out. You might howl in protest but I lost Halifax, Bradford (several times), Doncaster and Castleford, with the exception of Halifax, they just weren't well enough supported. I could suggest some of the poorer clubs going NL but even that has long since abandoned the pay structure that it was meant to have.

It's on the Bears Twitter.

It's to be hoped Summers turns up in the right mood then, he's been very up and down for Berwick, Auty on the other hand has looked much better this season, it would be nice if he starts to fulfil the promise of his early racing days.

Can you actually name any names, would that money still be more than paying air fares for an overseas rider?

Three wildcards and a meeting wildcard.

I couldn't be bothered because too many on here think they know better than the riders and manager.

Or lack of it, in your case.