Youth Speedway Racing

[morganbike]

It is a bit of a downer to come to the back end of the season and we can only thank one person for making the under 15's / Academy matches a great success this year.Peter Oakes- long may this vast inclusion of the Youth continue and lets hope next year will see more Youth racing and more promoters/Team managers getting involved.

Main problems encountered this season are that riders are pulling out of meets at last minute and thus leaving Pete with the impossible task of filling places at short notice.Letters are sent out to each rider with adequate notice but those that don't turn up are spoiling it for the future.ANY dedicated youth rider knows how hard it is to get second half rides so please support and involve yourselves in these meets 100%.

 

Look at the line-up/results for the 80cc Euro Cup(page 50 S Star).Must be around 30 riders.How many were in the qualifiers ?.There is no wonder all our Pro Teams are full of Non English riders.We have tracks all over this country that can accomodate/train the youth but it is not happening.WHY ?.

Excuses we get are:

 

The Euro tracks are set in the boonies/forests and can be ridden on any time

We have to get the area ready for the dogs

We have a curfew to abide by

Our staff are unpaid

We dont have time for the kids

A training officer needs to be present

It costs us money to let the youth ride

The public have paid to see proffesionals do their job

We have no first aid cover

WE JUST CAN'T BE BOTHERED

 

The public are quite happy to see foreign riders dominate our tracks and see the likes of Ronnie Russell ride around in a new BENTLEY creaming the sponsorship donations from local buisiness.PUT IT INTO THE FUTURE OF SPEEDWAY.Ronnie you have an excellent facility at Swindon (the small track) but it is wasted.

 

Do Manchester United etc put youth out after a match.NO

But they spend all week opening their facilities to kids and scouting for future players.

 

Very few tracks are open during closed season but we are greatfull they are their.However costs are increasing with a typical 4 hour session costing around £35.00.Put that into a monthly figure and it is a joke.The Youth do need to ride once a week ALL YEAR ROUND to learn and improve.Then in February the ACU will hit you with a licence fee of £38 and then the SCB want £70 for a rider permit.

 

These last two years has seen the speedway world poaching youth grass track riders and as a result the Youth Grass track clubs have suffered, some beyond repair.In 3 years time this Grasstrack influence will evaporate and new talent from grass will be non existent.Youth Grass Track has recently died its death and in the future only the dedicated ADULT grass track clubs will host youth racing.The costs involved in running a youth only Grass meet are that an entry of 40-50 riders are needed to break even and you cannot get that kind of entry.

 

Are we fighting a loosing battle or will our kids get the oportunity to ride for our country in the future.

 

Phil

[Wessex Wanderer]

Just wanted to endorse what has been said about Peter Oakes. He has done some very good work for the youngsters over the past two seasons. Junior rider development had been ignored and disorganised for decades and it has always needed someone like Peter to get things moving.

 

Also conratulations to all the lads who have taken part in the junior matches. I have thoroughly enjoyed each of the meetings I have seen (both team and individual). Thanks for the entertainment lads.

[stressed]

Just wanted to endorse what has been said about Peter Oakes.

Good to someone cares who is a position to put their neck on the line, a few people in higher up positions should really take another look at what they are doing, diddly squat

 

Also conratulations to all the lads who have taken part in the junior matches. I have thoroughly enjoyed each of the meetings I have seen (both team and individual). Thanks for the entertainment lads.

And long may it continue Wessex Wanderer

[Dekker]

putting 12-14yr old on 500cc doesnt really gain that much, 80cc is the way to go.... maybe about time for a really amateur system with no connections to bspa so that grant money is forthcoming.

[SwineTown]

Ronnie you have an excellent facility at Swindon (the small track) but it is wasted.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Ronnie + Swindon????????

[stressed]

There will never be agreement over the 80cc / 125cc / 500cc bikes etc so why not run both and give the kids and parents a choice of starting on 80cc or 125cc then progressing, age should not come into it. Each rider should be able to show a very high standard of handling from the first stage choice before they can move up to the next size machine and so on.

 

Currently I believe a junior has to have two signatures from training instructors to enable them to move onto more powerful bikes and to fair this is the best way so as not to hold back one youngster just because he is not of the age to ride a more powerful machine, they need encouragement not knocking back at this young stage.

 

More tracks should be opening up during the off season to allow youngsters track time and slash the costs as some of these riders will be bringing in the bacon in years to come. Speculate to accumulate!

 

The parents give up a great deal for their youngsters to be able to partake in this dangerous sport for very little reward for many years unless they are able to gain some sponsorship.

 

Understanding that these riders will fall off here and there, breakdown once in a while, it's all part of that big learning curve, just like the apprenticeships once were.

 

The Under 15's, Academy League and 2nd halfs are these young riders modern day apprenticeships so lets get behind them and not suffocate them, they can only learn from experience, wrapping them up in cotton wool will only see Team GB on the bottom footings for many, many years to come.

 

If supporters and promoters want a successful Team GB and a World Champion of the future everyone has to get behind them to help them succeed.

[morganbike]

Ronnie + Swindon????????

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

SWINETOWN- Do you not know that Ronnie and his brother are buisiness men and own lots of assets in the speedway world ?.

Forgive me if i am wrong but I am sure Ronnie owns Swindon and he aquired this via a deal done with Peter Toogood at the start of 2004.He then apointed/enlisted the team manager Alun Rossiter to run the elite team and Martin Satchell in conference (which unfortunately only lasted 1 season).Prior to this Oaks and Toogood opened the small training track before every premier/conference match to the youngsters at 6.30 pm.They then had 45 minutes of small track training pre-meeting and there were 15 to 20 lads giving it the max.Then post racing there was 2nd halve racing up till 10pm.Oakes was there to do it all.

Toogood went to somerset and Rosco then closed all sessions when they went Elite and will not let the kids out.Ronnie could allow the start of training sessions again.In my opinion,If you want to make a point 'Dont approach the monkey but go direct to the Organ grinder'

Swindon conference do not run anymore because they loose money at the public gate figures and the price now asked by the riders per point scored.Rosco's comments on this are made public in Speedway Star some time ago.He said'THE GOING RATE FOR A CONFERENCE RIDER WAS £5 A POINT'and all the current riders laughed at him.

Where did Rosco start out riding at ?.He rode at SWINDON as mascot.But now he can't be bothered to carry on where his predicesors left off.They are not interested in developing the future riders.

Edited September 4, 2005 by morganbike

[JamieSealeyRacing]

putting 12-14yr old on 500cc doesnt really gain that much, 80cc is the way to go.... maybe about time for a really amateur system with no connections to bspa so that grant money is forthcoming.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

if all of the youngsters rode 80cc they wouldnt be able to improve at all as the dont have enough power to slide around the corners and would most probably blow up an engine most meetings

[morganbike]

maybe about time for a really amateur system with no connections to bspa so that grant money is forthcoming.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

No connections to BSPA would mean personal rider insurance is neccessary which would cost the earth.Imagine being sued for hurting a fellow rider or track staff/member of public !.What insurance company would cover a 12 yr old on a 500 speedway bike ?.An amature system still would not overcome the fact that there are very few places to ride competatively.

[Guest Steve Dixon]

It is a bit of a downer to come to the back end of the season and we can only thank one person for making the under 15's / Academy matches a great success this year.Peter Oakes- long may this vast inclusion of the Youth continue and lets hope next year will see more Youth racing and more promoters/Team managers getting involved.

  Main problems encountered this season are that riders are pulling out of meets at last minute and thus leaving Pete with the impossible task of filling places at short notice.Letters are sent out to each rider with adequate notice but those that don't turn up are spoiling it for the future.ANY dedicated youth rider knows how hard it is to get second half rides so please support and involve yourselves in these meets 100%.

 

Phil

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I think the under 15 events have been good for speedway and i have enjoyed watching these guys improve over the last couple of years.

I think you are a little hard on the ones who pull out though, parents(as im sure you are aware) are not bottom less pits of cash, some of these under 15 meetings have been too far for some to travel to, eg Glasgow on a Sunday evening,parents have to get to work on Monday, not to mention the petrol all that way for 2 rides!

[Vince]

Maybe the answer is to invest in youth Grass track rather than Speedway. The infrastructure for an amatuer sport covered by insurance is already in place and tracks are cheaply and quickly built. If a link could be forged so that each club had weekly access to a practice track (maybe try and combine with MX practice tracks which are plentiful) then the kids would have opportunities to both practice and compete on a regular basis.

They could then automatically qualify for a 500 Speedway licence at, for arguments sake 14 if they have held a grass track licence for 2 years. This would enable one year of practice before entering the CL.

We found there were plenty of practice tracks open in the off-season but less so in the season. If I had known Sam might develop an interest in Speedway I would certainly have taken him via Grass track rather than Motocross.

I'm not so sure that 80's or 125's are the answer on Speedway unless you have tracks built especially for them (i.e. very small) where on the Grass track the kids can ride smaller bikes to learn the basics no matter the track size.

[Tsunami]

morganbike

 

You are wrong. It's Terry not Ronnie that owns Swindon. Ronnie owns Arena Essex.

 

[jules m]

I think the under 15 events have been good for speedway and i have enjoyed watching these guys improve over the last couple of years.

I think you are a little hard on the ones who pull out though, parents(as im sure you are aware) are not bottom less pits of cash, some of these under 15 meetings have been too far for some to travel to, eg Glasgow on a Sunday evening,parents have to get to work on Monday, not to mention the petrol all that way for 2 rides!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Something I have been thinking about is if there were enough under 15s then maybe it would be better to have a North/South League so there is less travelling for them finishing with a final with the 2 top teams somewhere in the middle. Might cut out some of the travelling and costs and make the parents lives a bit easier. I will also say that I watched the Academy League meeting at Poole which ran concurrently (sp) with an individual meeting which seemed a lot better than when the meetings are added onto the end of other league meetings and your racing the curfew as well as each other. Watching Ben and Josh last night racing CL and PL riders at Wolverhampton goes to show that it must be worth the time, effort and money for the future of British speedway.

 

Jules

[Dekker]

if all of the youngsters rode 80cc they wouldnt be able to improve at all as the dont have enough power to slide around the corners and would most probably blow up an engine most meetings

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thats the point, they will learn that slamming the throttle isnt the be and end all of speedway.

 

80cc never stopped any of the scandanavian kids wiping the floor with the brits brought up on grass.

Edited September 6, 2005 by Dekker

[morganbike]

I think you are a little hard on the ones who pull out though, parents(as im sure you are aware) are not bottom less pits of cash, some of these under 15 meetings have been too far for some to travel to, eg Glasgow on a Sunday evening,parents have to get to work on Monday, not to mention the petrol all that way for 2 rides!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Turning down an invitation to ride at the venues is NOT the problem.We all knew the Team line ups, Dates and Venues a long time ago. Like I said,

 

'Main problems encountered this season are that riders are pulling out of meets at last minute and thus leaving Pete with the impossible task of filling places at short notice.'

 

He can easily bring in a guest or similar if enough time is given by the rider who wants to pull out.The league matches and teams were allocated so that those who live nearest to the set venue get the offer to ride there.

Don't forget if the public are entertained and the promoter is impressed then the series will be invited back again.Some don't realise how hard it is to get frequent rides and are not as dedicated as they should be.

Yes as you say

 

'some of these under 15 meetings have been too far for some to travel to, eg Glasgow on a Sunday evening,parents have to get to work on Monday, not to mention the petrol all that way for 2 rides!'

 

Is that going to change when they reach 15 and are in conference ?.There is plenty of time out of season to to sit at home and get to work on time.These are oportunities any upcoming hopefull youth speedway rider cannot afford to miss out on at any cost.

At over 50% of meets my son has attended he has been offered 5 litres of fuel,1 litre of oil and occasionally a tyre for free.What more could they wish for or expect, 15p a mile and £5 a point !.

[morganbike]

morganbike

 

You are wrong. It's Terry not Ronnie that owns Swindon. Ronnie owns Arena Essex.

 

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Like I said,

 

' Forgive me if i am wrong but I am sure Ronnie owns Swindon'

 

Ok so I got the brothers mixed up but my point has been made and Im glad to see people taking interest in this thread.

[chopper]

As you most would be aware, here in australia we run a succesfull 125 junior sidewinders program.Most if not all of the current crop of riders have come through this system.Luckily we run on purpose built tracks, because as was put forward to run on full size tracks would be a waste of time.The worrying thing for us is in adelaide is that the numbers are dropping, and as far as senior racing goes no body else is coming into the sport. Regards Darrell

[AndyM]

Phil, that's a fine post. I've long believed the lack of willingness of British speedway to invest in its own future is a major reason for the long-term downturn in the sport's fortunes, though it's not just time that hinders the development.

 

All regular motorcycling venues, even where they're open for use, need permission from the owner of the land, who must in turn ensure that the land usage does not exclude regular use without planning permission - as I recently found out when some neighbours complained about lads using a nearby gravel pit facility nearby to practice on moto-cross bikes.

 

The other major factor is that very few clubs own or control their own facilities to be able to open on other days or out of season. Most would have to pay rent and wouldn't be gaining any gate money to fund that. Different story in the days of Hyde Road, when Bammy used to open the track for kids very regularly at all times of the year, including junior fixtures open to the public. Where can we do that nowadays?

[SwissPosition]

The other major factor is that very few clubs own or control their own facilities to be able to open on other days or out of season.  Most would have to pay rent and wouldn't be gaining any gate money to fund that.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

AndyM - nail, head, hit there I do believe.

 

Control of facilities is the key to all this. Quite simply, look at what Newport and Sittingbourne offer outside the season (I know there are others, sorry for not mentioning them).

 

The only way the supply of competant riders can really be increased is by the creation of more dedicated speedway facilities in locations which allow them to operate on more than a handful of days. As it stands there are very few places where a potential rider can start out, and this really does put an exceptionally heavy burden on parents, both in terms of finance and time.

 

I know this'll probably attract a few flames, but councils objecting to speedway running "in town", and the increasing difficulty of running in shared facilities might well be a long term blessing for the sport. The more "make as much racket as you like" out of town tracks we have, the greater the opportunities for younger riders will be.

[Speedway Angel]

Dekker, The problem is with all youths riding 80cc is it gets boring. I got bored on the 125cc after a few months and couldnt wait to try the 500cc!It isnt like myself and other youths are forced to ride the 500cc's we do it cos we enjoy it and want to make it somewhere in the proper leagues of this sport. The under 15s has been great and it is brilliant to see some of the future talent improve meeting by meeting.I can only hope il be racing alongside or against some of them before im 15 for me it would be a great challenge. If everyone under a certain age rode smaller cc bikes it would be boring for them and also boring for the crowd, youngsters like new challenges. Thats the thing speedway is called speedway cos its about the speed and yes when your riding right the only way you can make it round those bends is by slamming the throttle on, thats the excitement in it. The thing that noone realises is smaller cc bikes are sooo difficult to slide. Yes bigger cc bikes are more difficult to control and as most know you need strength but smaller bikes are hard to slide because there just isnt enough power, they are good for training on but not racing.