Gresham

I remember seeing footage of that crash in Vienna....and thinking wtf! It's still on youtube...nuts! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBO9qbV_chI

I've found the answer...scroll down this link. http://www.defunctspeedway.co.uk/misc%20page%204.htm Apparently it was because of the lip of the concrete meeting the shale and bikes jumping. How ridiculous, that they tore the whole idea up and reverted back to dirt. So easy, like I said, to create a base that was angled so there was no lip. All a bit daft when you think about it.

Having read the link to another thread...cheers Iris...it seems no one knows the real answer...just a lot of guessing! As for a lip being created...that's easily solved. You put a base in, where it's angled, rather than 90 degrees straight down on the edges. Tempered at say 30 degrees would easily solve that problem.

...when did Speedway stop using these and why? For the life of me, I knew this, but can't remember. Seems such a sensible idea to me, gives everyone a fair start and would stop all the gardening. However...there must have been a reason for them to stop...anyone know why?

Bradder's reminds me of when Lee Adams first burst on the scene at Reserve for Swindon. Different riding styles...but same determination it seems.

I'm enjoying my visits to Somerset. The racing hasn't let me down yet, and it's been very Entertaining. Enjoying watching the team race as a team...some great spirit being shown. Haven't enjoyed watching a rider like Bradder's for a long time. In fact since Andrew Silver. He definitely has something about him. I hope he keeps improving and fulfils his obvious potential. If there was any improvement needed on what i'm watching, it would be a little more dirt/shale added to the corners and more watering. That's just my personal preference though. Somerset is a little like the Abbey, in as much as it gets wind across it...dries out really quickly, and can quickly become a dustbowl. But yes...I've got the bug and looking forward to the Plymouth meeting...weather permitting.

Sorry fella...wasn't fishing, in fact I was replying with a humorous quip myself...hence the 'wink' at the end of my comment. A play on words so to speak. Seems you misunderstood my humour ;-) All good :-)

Surely the whole point of putting new dirt/shale on the track, is to get to grips with it? If you get my drift ;-) What happened to Bradders? His bike and helmet is a right off...engine seized?

Crikey...I've heard it all now...people complaining about haircuts. I can remember the late 70's when hard men, who were old enough to know better were having perms done. Even the likes of Nigel Boocock and Phil Crump...the parade at Eastville often looked like my cat had thrown up a bunch of fur balls...

There's a thread about it? Hope you've not misinterpreted my post...as there are many hard working Brits. I'm just not a fan of a certain minority, that would prefer to sit at home doing nothing, whilst complaining about the likes of the Poles doing jobs they could quiet easily do themselves....many of them working two jobs.

There were a good dozen Polish paying to get in at the turnstiles at Somerset last night...I wonder how many go to watch speedway in this country regularly? As for them being in the dole queue...really? All the one's I've seen are working over here, doing the low paid jobs, getting their hands dirty, which a lot of the lazy brits don't want to do. You know the one's...they appear on Jeremy Kyle every morning. After what the Poles and Czechs did for us in the past.... I know a lot of the older generation are ashamed at what they have fought for in this country...at least the Poles are bloody hard working. I respect them for their work ethic.

Come on Bradley...show these Comets your improving talent...one to watch ;-)

I agree with your last sentence...there are many reasons for that. However...surely we are talking about the weekly domestic league Clubs here?

Not sure what you are trying to promote here Trees...but I feel you maybe on to something. 'Lustening' has plenty of close action...not sure I've seen any promotors i'd like to witness doing it though ;-)

I see your point...but it's that type of 'behaviour' that is missing from Speedway right now. It used to almost be a weekly event at meetings in the past, in fact it was very tame by comparison. It certainly got the crowd going and made for some great banter. The track announcer also said they had shaken hands in the pits. All a bit of handbags...good hard riding by both riders, a less skilful rider would have gone down under such a nudge. Good to see a bit of passion imo.

Absolutely cracking post...spot on. When Speedway is done right...it's an amazing sport. Watched a cracking meeting last night that had many positives and made for great entertainment. I'll use it as an example and mention some of the positives and where improvements could be made. Somerset is often described as the best racing circuit in the uk, so they are pretty lucky compared to some tracks. The first thing I noticed was how little shale/dirt there was. In fact after heat four, the exit of bend 2 was completely bare and down to the base. I noted in my programme any passing. The first five heats were all won from the gate...apart from one down to engine and not rider skill. A guy from Wolverhampton spoke to me and said he was disappointed as he had heard it was such a good racing circuit. It was very processional although close. There was a quick break for track grading. In that break they interviewed Josh Grajczonek, who had come 3rd in his first ride. When asked about that ride...he mentioned he missed the start ( something to do with clutch ), then quote ' went to go outside, but there was nothing there, so couldn't pass'. And that was in heat one. If a rider is making that statement, where does the problem lie? After the grading...the racing actually improved. In fact there was some cracking races, especially when Somerset riders missed the gate. In all...there were 8 races that finished as the riders gated. There were 7 cracking races, the majority in the latter half of the meeting. Last night was a good advert for Speedway...it had many good elements. Shame TV wasn't there. A good size crowd...many youngsters running around having fun. Lots of banter and some good racing. Good to see many stay on to watch the second half meeting...although that was a bit of a shambles tbh. In fact there are only two things I would wish to improve on last night...a bit more shale/dirt on the track and watered more....and I'm now going to call the Rebels, the Somerset Stingers....was really funny seeing people being stung on there posteriors and said folk having to tamp down what seemed a whole back straight of the itchy blighters haha. To conclude...when the racing was processional and strung out...the crowd were quiet. When the racing was good...the crowd got excited and the banter and atmosphere increased. Get the track and racing right and imo, the crowds would improve.

So why is there a lack of enthusiasm from the media and crowd? What stopped them being enthusiastic? If the racing is so good and no different to before, why did people stop going? Because of no media...or no crowds? Something had to make the media and crowds less enthusiastic in the first place. Both have walked away in numbers. Granted TV is more regular...but crowds at Stadium are less, and media coverage is less...although I'd say social media is obviously up. How many young people buy papers and magazines these days? It's all online. There are so many things that are wrong with this sport...it's made too bloody complicated. There are so many things that are still good...the very basics. Promotors have taken a very good basic sport and ruined it, by interfering with rules, regs, tracks and bikes. When you have seven riders one season and a good majority not there the next, then you have a very serious problem. Fans want something to get attached too...not an ever rotating bunch of the same riders, switching teams every five minutes. And that's just touching the surface.

It's mentioned in the National League section of the forum. Looking forward to this...two great teams...awesome sunny weather and Exeter and Dragons in action too...can't wait, should be a cracking evening.

For me it coincided with the general introduction of lay down engines and bikes looking like advertising hoardings. Also tracks just before then were getting slicker and slicker. I also think Ole Olsen had a major say in how tracks developed....for the worse imo. As for match fixing...what sport doesn't? Match fixing has been documented in so many sports...yet people still go to watch them. I'd be interested to know what percentage of people watch the sport live, who used to pre mid 80's, to those that got interested after those years? I'd guess it's a lot less, as I see more faces in the 50's and over category at tracks. I also notice, especially on this forum...many who seem besotted with what their team are doing, and whether they are winning or not. It seems they are more interested in their team winning, than for the love of speedway racing itself, as a spectacle. I get the feeling that's a modern phenomanom, as you get that in football as well. Fans only turning up in numbers when their team are winning.

tbh...I think the one thing that needs to be looked into, is covering the track surface. After nearly 100 years of racing, how Promotors have not invested in finding a suitable way of protecting the track is beyond me. They found money to invest in safety fences...so why not this? We live in a country that is predominately wet. Yet riders can't race in the wet? Even more so it seems. Rain off's are therefore more frequent it seems. Fans have to travel further and take longer to get to stadiums. After a while...certain fans get sick of this, and find something more regular to do with there hard earned. I know for certain, if there is even a slight risk of rain or call off I won't travel these days.

But what's the solution? I agree with what has been said...but from previous discussions on here, it has become apparent that any solution suggested, gets thrown back in your face with a ' that will never happen' or 'the riders/promotors wont like it'. When people talk about making changes for the better...it seems there is always an excuse for it not to happen. I get the impression that Speedway has evolved into something that works for both riders and promotors, at the expense of entertainment for the fan. By that I mean, the set up of bikes and tracks. Tracks are so much easier to ride these days...each year they seem to get slicker and slicker, and harder. It's almost like racing on concrete. I watch riders fly out of the start, and pretty much keep the throttle wound on for four laps. I watch riders trying different lines, trying to catch up and pass...but they very rarely do...as there is very little extra grip on different lines to the main one they are riding. In fact, when they try a different line, searching for something extra...they often go backwards. Frustrating. Obviously having less shale keeps costs down...keeps things cleaner...and keeps sponsors happy, as everything is nice and shiny. Speedway has almost become like road racing in that perspective. All those things mentioned, help riders and promotors in many ways. As an observer, I find it hard to understand how the riders don't get frustrated at the lack of opportunity to pass on a track. Perhaps they are happy as it is, and have just got used to it being like this now. However...all those things I've mentioned, are why I think many fans who have been going for many years like the OP have dwindled over the years. Seeing four riders going round flat out in these conditions soon become monotonous .

Most excellent...really looking forward to watching this after the main meeting. Just wish my beloved Bulldogs were still putting a team out as well.

If memory serves me correct, a lot of the reasons why certain riders failed to reach their full potential, was because of the qualification stages to the actual World Finals. You actually never got to see the best riders at that time. You got to see the best riders that represented different parts of the world. It seemed that the majority of riders that qualified through the Continental final would end up in the bottom half of the World Final standings. The standard of riders in the Inter Continental Final was often a better representation of the best riders in the World at the time.

Can't help but feel that there would be some H&S ruling, that you wouldn't be allowed to start up the bike. Wouldn't happen in the likes of Poland. I recently watched some footage of a presenter trying to learn speedway in Poland. Some kid jumped on in jeans, t shirt and trainers...no helmet...nothing...and showed him how to power slide ​ Two extremes of crazy...

Two riders I thought had potential more than they achieved were Peter Nahlin and Jimmy Nilsen.