moxey63

Is there a speedway fan out there who has enjoyed his latter years of watching more than his initial ones, which means we all have different feelings of when the slide began. Do supporters follow the same pattern, for example... that speedway just gets less attractive and not as enjoyable the more seasons you watch it? Anyhow, I feel the decline of speedway was the mid-90s - laydowns, dirt-deflectors (do they really serve a cause?) and allowing riders freedom to wander all over the planet. On the other hand, another poster might have began watching the sport during this period, thus making it his cherry-popping period. You always remember your first time. Maybe it isn't when speedway began its decline, more when you as a supporter stopped enjoying it as much as you used to.

Recent posts on this thread seem as studious and as detailed to perfection as those of Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons. Why aren't youngsters attracted to speedway you ask? Wouldn't like an eight year-old going through life worrying about teams being listed alphabetically. Talk about OCD... Wonder if football supporters are as nerdy about their weeklies.

I usually save anything speedway onto dvd - but I can't take this Ice Speedway on Motors seriously enough to waste ablank dvd on it.

Sorry... a poor reason. Ice speedway is one of the most exciting forms of motorsport and to cut out so much action needlessly is just an editor trying out a new pair of scissors. To be perfectly honest, sooner them not how it at all, and so I'm out.

I was really disappointed with Motors TV showing of the opening Ice Speedway rounds. Why don't they show all the race instead of showing them in six different parts over 10 seconds.

Yes, pictures are fine on SKY, I agree. But there are those - you may be included - who aren't happy with the pictures alone and continue to snipe at the pundits. By the way, speedway in the 70s was better... I remember it well.

If you are complaining about SKY's coverage... can't wait until Eurosport begins its broadcasts. I have memories of the speedway Eurosport has shown in the past, and the prospect of them being involved in the sport after the demise of the SKY deal doesn't fill me with a spring step. Once again though... it's better than nothing.

It's like flogging your new sportscar and having to drive a 10 year-old vehicle, swappinjg SKY's coverage for Eurosport. Then again, it'll make it all the more easier to cancel some of my SKY package and just go for the basics. Can watch footy on line should I need to. Don't know though if all of us cancelling our subscriptions with SKY will actually cause shockwaves to the network. Perhaps them showing Cycle Speedway has given them a ready-made repalcement for Monday nights, sort of testing the water (this is meant to be a throw-away comment).

For me, my most productive season of watching matches was the 1980 campaign - attended 100 matches that year, Sheffield every week on a Thursday, Ellesmere on Fridays, and Belle Vue on Saturday. By the end of the year I had speedway fatigue... 100 matches is nothing to some people nowadays, but it was a lot back then.

Is the site open to anyone?

Don't mention "Eating Dust" to me. That fella, the one whose idea it was, which was going to make me millions through my investment, not heard sight or sound of him since. Feel a bit like that kid from The Snowman cartoon who wakes up the next morning to see the key to his dream has vanished. I lost £2 in the end, but don't feel I was the only one fooled by what seemed such a nice bloke.

What surprises me more... are the people who fall for promoters' sob stories. Being honest, the few tacks that have closed are chicken feed compared to the reality of the situation - most are still running. I mean, look at the teams willing to take another hit and arrive at tapes for another record-breaking season of huge losses this coming March.

Who in their right mind would lose money every week, just to feel the glamour of owning a speedway club which, at the end of the day, boils down to a few rakes and portacabins. Speedway's problem, is that promoters are (if you believe it) prepared to lose money every season, and therefore there is no urgency to run the sport correctly. As the recent closures in High Street stores indicates, there is a problem if you are losing money. Would these promoters treat the businesses that they earned their cash from with the same attitude, businesses they have probably burnt many a sleepless night building. Why would anyone in their right mind then decide to start to waste that hard-earned money on running a speedway, risking the individual concerned losing his fortune? I know what I'd sooner have - and that's my money in the bank, not remembered as some fool who had a dabble as a speedway promoter but lost everything. Come on fellas... take a risk, albeit a smaller one, and see if you would be as silly. On the next windy day, go into the street, hold a crisp £20 note into the air before releasing it. Close your eyes and count to 20, and then try to recover the money. No, thought not. You wouldn't risk it, would you. And yet you still believe somebody is prepared to throw away money, just for the glamour of owning a speedway club. And so lies speedway's problem: people running speedway who are prepared to lose money. Personally, I don't think many promoters are losing money. For decades they've said the same. If they boasted of making money, they wouldn't be able to increase admission prices to the levels they are today, for one thing. Tax is another.

Woolworths, Blockbuster, HMV and Comet. Add any speedway track of your choice to that list. If these High Street brands cannot take endless losses, how can our speedway tracks survive on on seemingly never-ending financial difficulties?

Speedway's dwindling support is caused by many factors. The main one, in my opinion, is that people are dieing etc, or getting sick of the sport quicker than new people are being attracted to it. Perhaps speedway fans should insist to their loved ones that when they die, their funerals should be staged at a speedway match at their beloved club. Result would see an increase in crowds, no doubt about that, but, alas, like many of the most recent speedway matches I attended, it'd still be like attending a funeral or a wake.

Rod Chessell made his British League debut for Second Division Bradford at Romford on 2nd September 1971 (5+3). Saw out the remainder of the season, racing a further three league meetings and five challenge fixtures. Of his nine match total, the way fixtures fell, he had the misfortune to have only two matches at home for the team (although he did race in the track’s Sponsors’ Trophy individual event scoring two points on 8th September, and failed to score in Bradford’s Open Championship at the beginning of October). Top scored for Bradford in his first match back (at Long Eaton, 26th April 1973) having missed 1972 but disappeared after a handful of early-season matches. Returned later in the summer, but after a run of distressing results for the Odsal club, said farewell to his British League career with a run of pointless returns, his last match the August 19th Cup semi at Boston. Figures taken from Alan Robertson's Yearbooks from 1971 and 1973.

This thread is better than Speedway Updates - any chance of posting each race result, starting at about 7.37-ish each evening and then every five minutes or so, make me feel like I'm back in 1976? Carlsberg don't do request, but if they did... I still have my patch pocket trousers and five-star jumper (with elasticated waist) and will be wearing them, just for old-times' sake.

There have been many riders through the years that promised so much early doors but failed to deliver, a few Parsloes has mentioned above. It's like they reach a ceiling and can't go any higher, whereas Michael Lee's rise was meteoric - British Champion and World Final number four within two years of his career. Shirra was good early on, number two in Coatbridge averages in 1975, his debut, but struggled in 12 double-up matches for Coventry, averaging just two. At the same time Lee was bagging over seven for King's Lynn in his debut season, 1975 and was top kid at Boston. Lee left Shirra at least a couple of steps behind from this point and from memory had topped the National Averages at the end of 1977 while Shirra was taking second peg to Olsen at Coventry. Perhaps only one year, I think it was his first at Reading, 1983, did Shirra look to be coming on. Perhaps being overshadowed by Olsen at Coventry for seven or so years took away some of the gloss.

Just found these details in Alan Robertson's 1974 British Speedway Yearbook November 3rd BUSSEN’S AND PARKIN TROPHY Peter Mittel 14, Michael Lee 13 (after run-off), Alan Diprose 13, Paul Gilbert 10, Steve Taylor 9, Paul Mills 9, Paul Davey 7, Paul Clipstone 6, R. Ward 6, Fred Mills 6, Dick Partridge 6, B. Aldridge 5, Graham Kerry 5, A. Hansard 5, D. Cutts 4, J. Wade (res) 2, C. Davies 0. Alan Morrison – no rides, injured.

May have still been paraletic... know a few people who deckchair talk when they've had a few. Hiccup.

Good site, that is.

Recent weeks ITV4 have been running a programme featuring news and sport footage from three decades. Two weeks ago, the 70s compilation, speedway had a few airings – a couple of World Final races and some Ice Footage. Anyway, always interested to see old-time speedway, and having nothing better to do with my time, I emailed ITV4 last night: I have watched with interest the World Of Sport programmes ITV4 have aired the past few weeks and am keen to know whether there is chance of screening further footage of the show's glorious past? As a keen speedway fan from this era - 70s and 80s - naturally I am interested in what archive material you may have. I am sure there are other sports fans out there (especially speedway ones) that would tune in should you screen, say, old WoS programmes (edited or not) from history, a bit like the Beeb does with Top Of The Pops. I know it doesn’t necessary mean anything, but nether the less, I received a quick response this morning: Thank you for your email. I can confirm your details have been forwarded to a member of the sports department for their viewing. May I take this opportunity to thank you for taking the time to contact us here at ITV. If we can be of any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact us. Kind regards Pat ITV Viewer Services Now, I am not holding my breath for one moment, but surely ITV must have reels upon reels of old speedway stuff, real gems. I know it has probably been attempted before, trying to get old ITV World Of Sport highlights screened in some way, but, especially with the extra satellite channels, perhaps now is another time to try. I mean, ESPN, would you believe, even had the old “Indoor League” programme on during the week, Freddie Trueman presenting it as well. Details of how to contact the station are listed. viewerservices@itv.com

Also compiled yearbooks for 1958, 1959, 1965, 1966, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974 (and 1975), 2000, 2011, as well as updating Peter Oakes' version (which covered 1965-90) of the British Leagues book (Robertson's covers 1991-09, and has most of what stats Oakes' book featured). Each yearbook is in the same format as Peter Oakes' versions and, even if I say so myself, are worth having.

I recall Boston's trip to Hyde Road, it was like non-leaguers racing at somewhere like Old Stratford. Michael Lee did score 6 points, top score with Rob Hollingworth, Boston were trounced 58-20. They had reached the September 17 date, a semi-final, at the zoo thanks to a first round win, 40-38, against Hackney in Lincolnshire four months before and a bye in round two, when Swindon were forced to cry off due to lack of free dates to fit the fixture. Despite all New National League teams receiving a first round home tie, Boston were the only one to come through to round two courtesy of victory.

One of the best reference books I have. Anybody who hasn't purchased this book or hasn't had the pleasure to behold it, I suggest they get out their chequebooks and purchase one... they won't be disappointed. I have scaled down much of my speedway books, but this one is staying put in my library.