The Dog

It was suggested at Coventry years ago that they give a couple of hundred free tickets to local companies, schools, bike clubs etc to get people aware and interested in speedway and hope that they want to return. The promotion wouldn't do it claiming that they would be losing money by not charging them to come in. The fact that these people weren't coming in the first place seemed to go over their heads and the only cost incurred would be the printing of the tickets.....

I thought it was still either 2 or 4pm? If it's changed now then Trackerman, then your correct that they should be able to get enough water into the track, tho it just doesn't seem to be working atm. Whether that's down to the shale, lack of clay content to help hold moisture, I really don't know.

Unfortunately it seems to be a vicious circle, if riders aren't happy with conditions they won't race with confidence, lack of confidence generally means poorer racing and poor racing leads to unhappy fans and lower crowd levels. I actually think some of the racing has been excellent and close faught but I think the promotions hands are tied in a lot of ways at the stadium right now

There is no logic, just fishing for an argument....

The issues with the track are evident but based on entertainment it had a bit of everything. Hard racing, passing, crashes, talking points, fan interaction etc. Was brilliant to see and hear the Lions fans in good voice and in numbers, was good to go down to the last heat keeping things tense. The team spirit within the Brummies is fantastic considering the problems and uncertainty and to their credit they've cracked on with the job. I do feel for the Masons, nothing seems to be working for them atm but everyone is pulling together. The track needs major work which is costly and difficult to do mid-season. Most of the shale seems to have turned to powder and is not binding when watered, not an easy fix but I know a few other tracks are having the same issue. Is there a lack of quality shale? I don't know. Could we get shale from Swindon in the short term?

They've explained why they have changed the fixture, a local derby when the kids are off with good weather will bring in much needed revenue when the club have admitting their going from week to week. Or would you rather the club fold just to keep a handful of fans happy that may or may not travel the 200 miles from Edinburgh? I really sympathise for fans that are down south already but the promotion are trying to save their club. I'm not sure they had much choice tbh

Certainly not abusive is it... Jeez

Yes I did. Classing that as abusive then?

Abusive? Really?

Happy to criticise and question everything about speedway tho when you have no vested interest. Plum.

It does explain it though, rain rain rain and they trust their weather forecaster.

I'm sure that the track walk, meeting the riders in the pits, kids on the centre green etc was all very successful given the amount of people who took advantage of it. The pits are always open to fans before around 6.30pm and was great to see all generations getting photos and autographs with riders. The kids entertainment was a weekly thing before covid and very popular with different activities every week with riders joining in too. Last night reminded me of 2019 with a really good crowd, lots of fun, families, and some good racing going down to a last heat decider. Well done to all involved and to those that supported it.

Really good post!

Good meeting in prospect here, Harris, Riss and the boys will have fond memories of the last home meeting and will look to build on that. Kent have a good side with Scott, Starkey, and Batch now. Gilkes at reserve will be one to watch, big future for him in the sport! Can't wait for this one!!

I've always found speedway to be good value for money compared to other entertainment like football, bowling, cinema etc. The difference nowadays is that their is just so much more choice to spend your money on. Hefty mobile phone packages, sky tv deals etc seem more important to people than live sport and meeting people in the fresh air.

That is good news, let's hope others follow suit and spread the word about!

Agree with this Sings, tho there is an outside line there that was used to good effect by all the riders in the victory over Redcar. I think all clubs would love more fans through the gates but I don't know how we do that. Speedway seems to do well with the social media side nowadays but that's not bringing people in either. I'd love to have an answer for the sake of the sport

Apart from Scunthorpe at home, the meetings have all been close affairs with most going down to the last few heats so the riders have been performing quite well in my opinion. The promotion have always promised a team of entertainment and racers and they all are. Whether we are a 'cheap' team I wouldn't know and as riders earnings are between them and the owners, I'm not sure how you would know either....

I've always thought that if you don't offer merchandise, people will never buy it, and it is free advertising for the clubs when it's being worn. But on the flip side, it's very easy to find out the cost of things nowadays and people often think their being ripped off if someone dares sell an item for a kwid more than it cost to produce! Sort of a double edged sword now. I remember as a kid rushing to the track shop to get a replica race jacket or a photo but I'm not sure people are that bothered anymore. It's a shame really

Is there a reason why you haven't mentioned or put your ideas and thoughts to the Leicester promotion? They might have very good reasons why they do or don't do things, but at least you'd get an answer from the horses mouth rather than speculation on here...

Went hard under Harris and ran out of room and went down. More of a heavy slide off tho managed to walk off the track unaided albeit with a bit of a limp. Obviously in some discomfort but generally they carry on regardless nowadays. Might have stiffened up over night and might be airing on the side of caution tonight.

Not sure what the issue is with this tbh?

Whether the new manager is a fan or not, it's how the riders respond to him. Some of the best managers in the world never get their riders to perform so it's worth a shot surely. Didn't Ipswich use their photographer one year as team manager not so long ago?

Great news that Riss is definitely back and Valentin I'm sure will make it too. No football distractions, great weather and I think the club will confirm that you will be able to pay on the gate at some point today, so keep an eye on the website for confirmation. I hope there's some Redcar fans making the journey again because they were in good voice last time would be welcome again obviously. The tie is finely balanced and both teams will want to prove a point. Looking forward to this one!

I'd have to disagree with The Hobbit about being slick, there certainly appeared to be a lot more shale on the track and was quite deep which produced several really good racing lines, which was used by most of the riders to good effect. No complaints from the riders and it did produce the fastest time of the season to be broken several times during the night from memory. The track staff have obviously worked really hard to get it smooth and it required minimal watering on the night, so I think they got it pretty much right, yes there was a little bit of dust but nowhere near as much as you would have expected on such a hot day. Scunthorpe were deserved winners like The Hobbit said, were better out of the gate and enjoyed the conditions. I thought the meeting was far closer than the score suggests but overall, everything was a massive improvement and the promotion are working hard to continue improving. A big thumbs up from me and I'll be back next week for sure!