Speedway...

[MrwulfAndrew]

Unfortunately our great sport will always be minority as speedway usually relies on something else to get a home. For example at monmore, ladbrokes own the stadium not wolverhampton speedway, although we have a very good relationhip with ladbrookes touch wood.

 

Many others are like this.....the recent trouble with oxford is an example.

 

Also something which needs to be wiped out is the view that speedway is just 'first out the tapes win' and 'just four riders going around in a circle'

 

To go forward speedway needs to be marketed more and better and decent tracks that provide entertainment need to be prepared

[Vince]

Is Speedway a minority sport? Compared to football for sure, but then just about every sport is in comparison to football. I would have thought spectator figures hold up pretty well against most other sports though. I think there are about 38 teams in the league and even if you take the average attendance at a pessimistic 500 that still gives 19000 people watching Speedway every week during the season. I know they used to get more than that at individual tracks in the old days but live sport attendances are down in just about every sport. It also has weekly television coverage and the GP's are shown on terrestrial TV. I suspect Speedway is still within the top 5 or 6 of spectator sports. My guess is that Speedway would be behind Horse racing, Rugby, Cricket, maybe Athletics and of course Football but well ahead of genuine minority sports such as Sand Yachting or Table Tennis!

That's not to say that anybody should be sitting on their laurels because we all know it could be so much better.

[sandman]

Unfortunately our great sport will always be minority as speedway usually relies on something else to get a home. For example at monmore, ladbrokes own the stadium not wolverhampton speedway, although we have a very good relationhip with ladbrookes touch wood.

 

Many others are like this.....the recent trouble with oxford is an example.

 

Also something which needs to be wiped out is the view that speedway is just 'first out the tapes win' and 'just four riders going around in a circle'

 

To go forward speedway needs to be marketed more and better and decent tracks that provide entertainment need to be prepared

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Totally agree.. Decent tracks, regarding catering, cleanliness, service and track preparation come to mind. Unfortunately, by all appearances, lay down speedway bikes are dangerous to ride on a heavy cushion, so it is a bit of a catch 22 situation. A rethink on the track surfaces and bike design may be in order. Standard uprights are dinosaurs relegated to the past, but on a deep track that allows passing, a different story. Personally, I think an upright pushrod engined bike, if it were allowed to run nitro for instance, would be a match for a lay down on a deep track..We must find a way to introduce more passing in the sport, slick tracks were the beginning of the demise of the sport in the later 70's..Deeper tracks,.. is the answer, among others, and the technology will have to change for the changing times just as lay down bikes evolved around slick tracks..If you look at say Nascar for instance, they are always looking at parity between drivers and trying at least to encourage passing. They do this through carb restrictor plates, spoiler heights etc. Lay downs with short stroke OHV engines were the worst thing to happen to speedway in a long time..Right alongside slick tracks.. No one in the stands can tell the difference visually of 1/4 or 1/2 sec per lap. Its the racing and passing that counts. Nascar for the year 2006 is going to go with a less aero friendly design package on the cars and make them less aerodynamic to slow em down a bit and allow more passing. I say get some professionals for the catering dept., kick up the merchandising in the quality dept., more dirt and get rid of the laydowns. Even a half an upright with a pushrod motor should do the trick..

Edited February 1, 2005 by sandman

[Trees]

Anything that will make the "racing" better gets my vote, that's where speedway needs to improve imo All fans need to come away from a meeting buzzzzzzing and wanting to tell the world what they have just witnessed!!!!!!!

[iris123]

Just back from a visit to a lovely stadium,with plenty of room, good facilities,decent catering and a 10,000+ crowd for the visit of one of the bottom clubs(fridays match is a sell-out,couldn't get tickets for that),great atmosphere and i must say professional staging and exciting match,although it didn't always maintain this throughout.The crowd was also friendly and quite like the make up of a speedway crowd must i say.The sport,Ice Hockey.Had no real tradition here until the new stadium was built a couple of years back and the franchise from Munich was bought.The guys done a tremendous amount of good work publicising the thing and kapow one of the best supported teams in Europe,averaging about 11,000+,and thats a team that is half way down the league of 14.Just goes to show if you know what you are doing....

[Hot Shoe]

Just back from a visit to a lovely stadium,with plenty of room, good facilities,decent catering and a 10,000+ crowd for the visit of one of the bottom clubs(fridays match is a sell-out,couldn't get tickets for that),great atmosphere and i must say professional staging and exciting match,although it didn't always maintain this throughout.The crowd was also friendly and quite like the make up of a speedway crowd must i say.The sport,Ice Hockey.Had no real tradition here until the new stadium was built a couple of years back and the franchise from Munich was bought.The guys done a tremendous amount of good work publicising the thing and kapow one of the best supported teams in Europe,averaging about  11,000+,and thats a team that is half way down the league of 14.Just goes to show if you know what you are doing....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There was always a link between Speedway and Ice Hockey in the U.K. over the years wasn't there i.e. The few pages of Ice Hockey news in the Speedway Star and a lot of Speedway fans favouring Ice Hockey as THE winter sport over Football. The German sporting public really have taken to Ice Hockey but it is still struggling in the U.K. and has never really taken off (despite peaks in popularity in the 1930s, 50's and again in the late 80s and early 90s) although it has a very loyal and knowledgable following - Similar to Speedway with the dates re-arranged a bit!

[iris123]

Yeah,was always a bit puzzled by the link.Went to a few Redskins matches back in the 80's But it wasn't what i expected.It bore no resemblance to the razzamatazz the sport had in the US/Canada.Seems they have got it right here.It is one big show.The big screens help of course.They also have good merchandise and sell it in the city centre.They are soon to be getting their own show on t.v as well WAs also interested to see plenty of freebies,T-shirts shot into the crowd and one lucky fan got a Canon camera.The players are also out doing autograph signings regularly.One today and one tomorrow i noticed advertised yesterday.

Also the arena is hosting a round of the MotoX Freestyle World Cup in May.Plenty of advertising in advance being done and i reckon it will be on Eurosport.Unfortunatelly speedway doesn't seem to be able to attract much attention

[darren smith]

i think they need to show premier league as well sky show all the football

[Guest dunni]

2nd halfs ,if they did it like the 80s give the riders start money only,per race .and the top scores from the main meeting meet the top 2nd halfs in a grand last heat race for a bit of silver wear[trophy] 2nd halfs are a bit hit and miss at some tracks, its a bit more for the fans ?

[GxJxN]

u get my vote dunni as u are at the norfolk arena every week and u do not get much out of it do u really

[mel]

I haven't met anyone yet who has the same back ground as me.....as for anoraks or wulf sport jackets...never owned any of them.

 

Flask? no way, have my personal servant to get my cups of tea!!!.

 

Deck chair, nah not me, not the same, you can't jump around on one of them and still remain uninjured.

 

Camper van? Eh? I like a bit of luxury, mines a shiny Audi A4

 

Social misfit? er.... right will keep quiet on that one.I fit in well at speedway...it's just everywhere else I don't fit

 

 

And I'm still under 40!!!!!!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

i'm almost the same crazy sue except my dad takes me an its a mondeo

[neil_L]

Since I started following the sport proper in '87 I've seen this discussion over and over many many times. back in the late 80s people blamed the decline of the sport of foreign riders, then it was lack ot TV, then it was lack of wemble and a British world champion. All these arguments have proved rubbish. Face facts the sport is as big as it's going to get. I love this sport and it's a big part of my life so I'm not being over negative, just realistic.

 

But look on the positive side we still have the sport 20 yrs on from when people said it would be dead. In my opinion it is still a great night out and the entertainment value is still good. The sport does well considering. There are plenty of people who knock promoters but I'd say most do it as a hobby and we should be grateful. The costs involved in running a speedway team on crowds that can be as little as 500 must turn any promoter's underpants brown on a daily basis !

 

As to the future the sport needs to consolidate, keep costs down and keep the entertainment value high. The sport may never be "big" again but that's not to say a few extra people through the turnstiles doesn't go a miss.

[sandman]

hard to say really, it seems to all be in place.. BSI involvement is great for the sport, the quality of racing is there,quality of riders obviously as well... must be in developing the seperate personalities of the riders so they dont all seem the same except for the countries they represent, and... to interest the world wide public.... dirt deflectors, while i see they keep the riders clean so one can see their sponsors on the ol kevlars, i hate em.. they look stupid, it would be like puttin mud flaps and wheel coverings on sprint cars.. sacreligious to say the least.. when is the last time anyone saw a race with a deep track and four riders creating trails of dirt? otw.. known as rooster tails? surely one of speedways traditional spectacles ..as i said too, promoting the riders as individuals is paramount, and that is why it was refreshing to see Jason become World Champion because he is different..the sport is so close at the moment to breaking out of its current situation, and when it does, or i should say if.. finally the riders will make the kind of money and get the world wide recognition they deserve..

[Trees]

Just a little something that "could" help:

 

If the BSPA could persuade local BBC radio stations to report on speedway country wide instead of just their own local speedway that would be great for us all! The fans could help with this one by emailing their radio stations and asking questions about results etc etc

[mark cox]

All comes down to marketing and until promoters get away from the safe 'family' image and start portaying it more as an extreme sport you will have a hope in hells chance of attracting a more youthful audience. I cringe when i hear this 'family' tag linked to speedway - it conforms to every boring, warm and fluffy, anoraky stereotype that exists.

 

Speedway in it's raw form is as extreme as any motorsport - that's the angle to go with not old boys with badges flasks and a rug!

 

Now beating a quick retreat from an army of old boys armed with flasks

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree and have said before a number of times,one of the biggest problems is the fans.To see a bunch of speedway fans is like looking at society's mis-fits.It hardly helps that speedway is staged at places like Mildenhall,Peterborough,Arena-Essex.....It's all set up not to be attractive to a large and young audience.It is well made for the camper van,deck-chair,jacket covered in badges with year bar brigade

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Christ on a bike!! There we were thinking that speedways ills were down to a lack of consistent and professional management/rule changes/slick tracks/dodgy stadium facilities/poor marketing..... when all along it was staring at us in the face... the young and beautiful people don't watch speedway shock!!

Hopefully the good people of Peterborough, Essex and Mildenhall continue to watch our great sport, despite being severely handicapped in not having the correct jacket, trainers, age and socio-economic group profile.

[Searley]

Most people attending speedway are over 40, the sport is not attracting young people as there is so much more to do and most find it boring. Over the next  10 years the numbers will drop sharply, sad but true.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I disagree! there not im 15 and i havent missed a meetin for 4 years, i am going 2 give it a go myself! and i sit with a group of 40 people and most of them are in the late twentys early 30's and the people my age!! ok you get the older people because they have been fans since the start or so basically but there bringing there siblings here and there childrens children. i think that speedway will get progressively bigger!!