Costs Of Speedway A Joke

[AndyM]

Hardly a comparison to football boots, is it? Not saying the idea is practical in the current climate, but it's an excellent solution to allow rider skill to be paramount above equipment differences. We need imaginative thinking and to consider a full spectrum of blue skies thinking if we're going to get a decent perspective.

[Vince]

I don't think things like low power engines or a set up for the CL that can't be easily changed for the PL are going to ever work because if a rider is to progress he will at sometime need to ride in both divisions if he is to progress. You would then have the situation where he would have to spend more money than ever because he would need seperate bikes for each division. Personally I hate the idea of smaller tracks, they are already getting smaller than they used to be and Speedway without the speed is only half the spectacle (just how much smaller could Carmarthen have been?). I know they do it in the States but that is hardly a hotbed of Speedway action.

The idea that a set up like the ones used in Road racing or Supermoto one make series could be transferred to Speedway is also unlikely in my view. The difficulty is that unlike the R6 cup or similar the bikes (engines) would have to be in several different places with different mechanics working on them, they are also used a lot more often. I still think that the only limit that could be easily policed is to restrict the ancillary parts to less expensive items. These parts can easily be seen at anytime throughout the meeting and would lessen the (perceived) need for expensive engine tuning.

[Malcolm]

I don't think things like low power engines or a set up for the CL that can't be easily changed for the PL are going to ever work because if a rider is to progress he will at sometime need to ride in both divisions if he is to progress. You would then have the situation where he would have to spend more money than ever because he would need seperate bikes for each division.

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There could be simple reversible changes to save money for CL. I.e. An NGK spark plug for your petrol motorcycle is around 3 quid, an NGK for a speedway bike is 40 to 50 quid depending on who sells it. You can use stock Jawa ignition or spend 400-500 quid on a magic box.

Oil for a speedway bike costs a fortune, fancy clutch plates, using an edge on a tyre, turning it around using the new edge and then tossing it costs money.

Lower the compression, run them on petrol and regular motor oil (potential new sponsors there), no fancy mechanical extras. If a rider has money them let them spend it on making the bike look good and promotion for themselves. Buy a decent van so they can get to the track.

 

 

 

 

Personally I hate the idea of smaller tracks, they are already getting smaller than they used to be and Speedway without the speed is only half the spectacle (just how much smaller could Carmarthen have been?). I know they do it in the States but that is hardly a hotbed of Speedway action.

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You know Britain is not a big place and so small tracks if they fit an area in a low impact fashion should be considered. As for the States other factors prevent lots of tracks being built, another discussion if anyone cares. The riders from the tracks that are there Penhall, Hamill, Hancock, Morans, Miller, Janniro etc are more than enough proof for the worth of small tracks.

You should try and get ahold of some Ascot videos. Phil Collins, Mike Faria, Billy Hamill 3 wide in the turns lap after lap swopping positions, awesome stuff.

A nice wide small track with a little banking.

Edited May 6, 2005 by Malcolm

[Vince]

That is exactly the point I am trying to make about making the ancillaries (clutch, ignition, carburrettor) standard items, they are easy to see and police. As I think I posted earlier there is little point in spending a fortune on tuning if you are going to put a crap carb on. I don't think you should convert to petrol because you would again be moving too far away from a bike that could also compete in the PL. You already have to use a tyre for a whole meeting in league racing and most of the oil companies have a mineral based oil so there wouldn't be much of an extra market for sponsors.

You could equally say that Mauger, Briggs, Moore, Fundin, Loram, Rickardsson etc etc are proof that a big track is better. I have seen some of the videos from the States and the racing is close but the speeds so low that it doesn't interest me in the slightest, it is almost another sport in the way that the indoor or ice meetings are over here. Carmarthen and Weymouth are about as small as I would ever be interested in watching Speedway at, I really can't see that the size of the track is going to get over the problems that stop new tracks i.e. noise and traffic. The only benefit I can see of small tracks is that you could probably find indoor sites where you could hold the odd meeting.

[Malcolm]

I don't think you should convert to petrol because you would again be moving too far away from a bike that could also compete in the PL.

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This 898 powered ft bike http://missoula.bigsky.net/newton/a10a.jpg

runs on both fuels depending on what a promoter will allow, just carb re-jetting needed to swop between petrol and methanol. The engine would be easily converted to PL spec. Weslake once offered a petrol conversion for their engine. I think they said it would take an hour to do and in tests the petrol bike was actually faster off the line.

 

I have seen some of the videos from the States and the racing is close but the speeds so low that it doesn't interest me in the slightest,

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Have you seen Ascot? At Costa Mesa Josh Larsen was clocked across the start/finish line at 62mph. Speeds look very different on video with the camera following the action.

[Vince]

I have never seen Ascot but I reckon whoever did the speed check and got 62mph on a 180yard track is the same bloke who made the speedometer for my moped in the 70's I am just a fan of fast Speedway, to me that is an important part of the sport. I can't remember how big Carmarthen was but certainly not much more than 250m so reducing it to say 200m wouldn't make a great deal of difference. I also suspect that some of the demise in attendances at Speedway is that everybody goes faster on the way to the meeting than the racers do on the track these days while in it's heyday they must have seemed to be going much faster.

I didn't know you could run the same engine on methanol and petrol but presumably the compression would have to be lowered otherwise the engine would pre-ignite on petrol. The same problem would still arise in circumstances like tomorrow at Newport when 3 riders are riding in both the PL and the CL.

I just think that if changes are to be made there has to a definite advantage and not an experiment that could end up being worse for the sport.

[Malcolm]

I have never seen Ascot but I reckon whoever did the speed check and got 62mph on a 180yard track is the same bloke who made the speedometer for my moped in the 70's   

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Ha Ha, I had a Garelli Rekord, ugly bike but would blow off FS1Es and SS50s.

I getting confirmation of the speed just incase I made it up. Getting old memory fading.

The same problem would still arise in circumstances like tomorrow at Newport when 3 riders are riding in both the PL and the CL.

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Yep, that is a problem when riders ride for more than one team in different leagues.

[Vince]

There's a coincidence, I had a Garelli Tiger Cross which indeed used to blow away fizzy's etc but also used to vibrate itself to bits on a regular basis. Also used to seize at least once a month but that may have been more to do with a 16 year old thinking he knew all about porting a 2 stroke Anyway it would show 70 on the speedo but in hindsight I doubt it ever did much more than 50 - 55 downhill with a gale force wind up it's arse.

[Malcolm]

I've had confirmation that Larsen was clocked at around 61-62 mph. The guy with the radar gun is known now and hopefully will concur. The speed was also annouced to the crowd.

 

copy from email

Josh rode about a bike length off the pole in that race and on the dirt line so his orbit around the track was a little longer, thus generating a little more speed.

 

This info was from former racer and CM race reporter Ryan Evans.

Edited May 7, 2005 by Malcolm

[Malcolm]

16/18 year old riders.

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No 43 year olds then.

 

Is your idea for new blood or current riders in a I.R.O.C type deal?

[Guest old sweat]

Excellent idea !! - How about we ban all 4-valves, dirt deflectors, laydowns and buy up all the old J.A.P motors we can find knocking around in sheds. We could make all riders wear just BLACK leathers with no Logo's on and admissions would then plummet to 1 shilling and sixpence and the Governing body could dictate who rides for which team - how about it promoters ?

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Hi Chris , if you know any JAPs knocking about in sheds let me know ?

[cpbyles]

Hi Chris , if you know any JAPs knocking about in sheds let me know  ?

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Managed to find a Malaysian guy down at the local allotments in a potting shed, other than that no luck so far I'm afraid

[badge wearer]

max richards has 23 jap engines but will not sell any

[AndyM]

PC is still collecting them, though I don't see where the money is in old JAPs. Maybe all modern machines will be outlawed next year and everyone will be on old JAPs?

[whowasthatberntpersson]

The Cost is a problem but the biggest problem of all is lack of rides or lack of tracks.

 

A Kid is 15, whether he lives in Birmingham or Brisbane he isn't going to get too many opportunities to ride his 125 or 250cc speedway bike is he?.......He can ride his MX bike any weekend, very likely within an hour of his home....Now Junior speedway is cheap compared to the 500's..believe me I've seen plenty of money spent on normal upkeep, the local Jawa dealer is making a mint....its so specialised people have to use one of only a handful of people...

 

Some very good points are being made here, maybe its about time the Honda's are given another chance in Senior Speedway.

 

Having said that people will always find ways to go faster, how long before a honda engine would be transformed into an expensive finely tuned beast that costs a fortune to keep going.