Pieman72

Ha ha I like the 3 months. Is speedway finished or am I missing something. It's ok rapping on about wall to wall TV coverage and Cardiff’s fantastic stadium and temporary track but if there's no meetings or tracks it's game over. Well at least the midweek Premiership will give the riders some pocket money for the GP. Why not have British riders training schools and perhaps some racing? Mind you Brexit will see to that as all European riders will need work permits issued by the DWP good luck there !!

In 2 weeks time I shall be on holiday in Yorkshire (lovely place and the folks). So why not help the cause and go to Sheffield Speedway an excellent track Owlerton. Speedway is perfect under floodlights on a crisp October evening oh and the smell of the castor based oil. Well £32 + wife is rather pricey + the petrol etc for Div2 but lets give it a go.....erm nope the season ended in August !! Am I on another planet or is someone 'having a laugh'. There is something fatally wrong with speedway when a track closes in early September....very concerning !!

Speedway is unique in that generally the fans know little about the machines and technical side of the bikes. Perhaps the sport needs to reach out more to a different broader audience?

Watch this space !

Watch this space.......

Speedway will carry on but not in it's present guise. There are many problems affecting the sport that need addressing unfortunately no one is listening and they carry on regardless. Making an analogy with failing retail business's presents a wonderful example. Increase prices, close customer services, sell something inferior and wait for the customers to pour through the doors?

Very sad I was there, sadly he passed away after being taken by air ambulance to QE Birmingham, at 78 an inspiration RIP Fred.

Having made several constructive comments I'm trying hard to understand what's going wrong with British speedway; I wonder what it is?

After reading the banter I can only come to one conclusion speedway as we know it is finished.

Speedway and Pubs have a lot of similarities being expensive unprofitable and unfortunatley very lucrative for developers. It will become similar to our town/city centres, canals and railways that were lost in 1960's under so called re-devlopment. Our planners got it wrong the and have done so now. Oh well open a can and watch sky sports with an app !!

While I do not dispute the merging of my topic by administration. What I am doing is trying to stimulate idea's as to how speedway will survive in the future and move away from words like decline. I do feel that most individuals in speedway are in a 'bubble' and avoiding the harsh realities of speedway's present predicament which are not good. Losing 2 Elite teams when there is only 9 is rather serious.

Unfortunately we live in a society divided by age and while it has been profitable to go after the 'grey pound' and 'baby boomers' ultimately for the continuity of speedway we need to reach out to all. This is not just affecting speedway it's through out society. We have to be realistic and let speedway find it's level. Thanks to all for some excellent posts as we need to discuss the situation and not just 'sit on our hands'.

Unfortunately speedway will have to find it's level and as it just doesn't command any interest amongst the population. My biggest issue is that it is boring, expensive and run on a weekday night. The question is who has the finances and leads a relatively sedentary life that enables them to go to a speedway meeting say on a Monday night?

Everything that Sky put's it's paws on goes wrong. Remember the launch of the World Champoinship Grand Prix and look what we've ended up with watching unknown riders from a forest clearing in Scandinavia. It's all down to money but speedway is a sport that relies on it's fans not the 'armchair Joe's' flicking between the sticky tires and the proper stuff. I just wish the administrators could get it, no fans means no speedway....got it !!

The present administration of speedway is simply unaffordable the revenue is just not there and is likely to decline. The sport needs to be rebuilt (if that's possible) from grassroots in a more loosely regulated sport where it would be possible to participate and watch speedway that is affordable, feasible and practicable for all.

Rather than making predictions about the future of British Speedway there has to be a reality check and a pragmatic approach to the current problems has to be achieved. The commercial model of speedway is virtually defunct and looking very tired. Have a look at how much it costs and what you are getting for what are astronomical admission prices. There are other factors but who possesses the disposable income to afford this entertainment luxury. Accepting that may ensure the continuity of British Speedway.

That's funny my computer's on voice recognition. I hope you've got the grist as I never post offensive comments, we all come off the same page.

I agree with the synopsis that we have an autocratic system that runs speedway but what usually happens to autocarats and they usually leave a complete mess behind them? The more you engage with the system the longer it will survive.

I won't even engage with them it would be a waste of time. To be fair they are hard working and have speedway's best interests at heart but unfortunately tracks, paying public and european speedway have changed. I prefer to put take racing in a direction that is totally different to the present set us as frankly it's definintely not working !! Watch this space....

Well at least change is on the agenda. I always keep to my principles and I think some of my idea's will take root.

Speedway is a wonderful sport but unfortunately it is run and supported by individuals who relate back to an era when the sport was popular, well supported and profitable. Realisticly it can't be sustained in it's present form. A lot of problems are beyond the sports control but radical ideas and thinking should be on the agenda. Getting the 'big stick' out will only hasten the demise.

Well worth a visit for anyone who hasn't seen it before and they go the opposite way, the sound of 1000cc motor is awesome. The supporting races are usually 500cc sidecars which are single cylinder running on methanol going the same way as the solo's. The modified track at Leicester will be excellent for 4 sidecars. The more spectators that attend the more it will enable the sport to grow. At £10 it's excellent value for at least 22 races. What more could you ask for on a warm Saturday evening.

I know this topic is already posted but just to inform anyone that the championship starts next Saturday and it's well worth going along as it's very spectacular and quite a roar with 1000cc engines. There are supporting classes and I'm praying for demo solo's though it's likely to be 500cc sidecars which are very good. With £10 entrance on a nice Saturday evening !! it doesn't get any better. That's what weekends should be about. Tracey Cossar is organising the event and has asked me to relay the flyer as the more that turn up the better. The flyer is on the Leicester Speedway website: http://leicesterlions.co/

All the 'razz am a tazz' of slick PR companies, wall to wall 'pay to view TV' formulated in the 90's together with Mr you know who from Denmark and his GP series. Where's it got us? I knew this would happen as speedway is a sport that appeals to a limited audience. I'm sure speedway will survive and it's no point blaming the present administration the damage was done years ago. Do all you can to help and support your local track but please please please make the sport affordable. Rather than pay for expensive foreign riders, buy some machinery and run a training school. In it's present form speedway is living beyond it's means and is a recipe for further decline. What about racing on a Friday or Saturday I'm sure we could tear ourselves away from 'Ant and Dec's Takaway' oh I forgot our foreign riders have continental commitments.

Brilliant reply !! It's generation thing and they fork out £40 per month too. We own our own house have a business, investments etc and I don't have a smart phone nor do I pay for sky, premier football or £10 for a pizza. That's why we are in this position. Speedway is a finite specialist market and we have to sell it and make it an attractive proposion.