Simple But Effective Idea For The Future

[Robbie B]

With several speedway teams lost a large amount of money last season, which is not good for anyone involved in the sport that I love. I have devised a formula that would not only help teams to save money, but also give extra entertainment to the sports' supporters, which could work. But would any forward thinking promoter adopt such an imaginative idea as this.

 

My idea is quite simple.

1) All teams to be reduced to six riders per team, thus saving the expense of having a seventh rider. This could save clubs many thousands of pounds each season, especially if their previous seventh rider was from outside the UK. This would also automatically strength all teams, as you could in theory have six riders with a seven point average, in your team. This might also help riders to stay at their clubs for longer and them help build a relationship with both the fans and their local sponsors. The league would use the current 42.50 points limit. Having regular pairings might help also bring back the lost art of team riding.

 

2) Now for a change in the league’s racing meeting formula. The league would use the old traditional International style formula of eighteen heats per meeting (but fifteen heats league matches would also work, with all riders having a minimum of five rides each). This gives the supporters three more races to watch, for eighteen heat league matches, and making the meeting more value for money, for the supporters without much extra cost to the promoter. Teams would alternate gates between inside and outside, for each race (so you have gates 1 & 3 in heat one, then your team then has gates 2 & 4 in heat two, and so on). The gate positions being reversed from heat number ten (so if you had gates 1 & 3 in heat one, you would now have gates 2 & 4 in heat ten).

 

3) Riders at numbers 1, 3 and 5 being allowed to take at least one additional rides per meeting in cases of rider replacement or injuries during the meeting. With riders at numbers 2, 4 and 6, being allowed two rides. All riders also being allowed to take one tactical substitution ride (which would count as additional ride. Riders allowed a maximum of eight rides (or seven rides if the fifteen heat formula was used), per meeting. The top three averaged riders in a team to ride at positions 1, 3 and 5, with the top averaged rider at the number 1 riding position. The lowest three averaged riders riding in any order, for numbers 2, 4 & 6.

 

Using this formula most clubs would be able to keep the majority of their 2010 line-ups, and in some cases, some teams would be unchanged (expect for not having a seventh rider, of course).

 

Please feel free to discuss.

[Humphrey Appleby]

1) All teams to be reduced to six riders per team, thus saving the expense of having a seventh rider. This could save clubs many thousands of pounds each season, especially if their previous seventh rider was from outside the UK. This would also automatically strength all teams, as you could in theory have six riders with a seven point average, in your team.

 

It would actually end up costing the teams more because you'd still be paying out for the same number of points, and the likelihood is that the higher paid riders would be taking extra rides. The travel costs for one junior rider are insignificant compared to what the average heat-leader is paid for a single point.

 

This might also help riders to stay at their clubs for longer and them help build a relationship with both the fans and their local sponsors. The league would use the current 42.50 points limit.

 

If you want continuity or what would effectively be a higher points limit, then you could equally do it with seven riders. The problem though, is that strong lineups are unaffordable whether with six or seven riders, which is why there's all the discussions about reducing the point limit.

 

Having regular pairings might help also bring back the lost art of team riding.

 

There's plenty of scope in the current heat format for team riding, it's just that it's not done.

 

2) Now for a change in the league’s racing meeting formula. The league would use the old traditional International style formula of eighteen heats per meeting (but fifteen heats league matches would also work, with all riders having a minimum of five rides each). This gives the supporters three more races to watch, for eighteen heat league matches, and making the meeting more value for money, for the supporters without much extra cost to the promoter.

 

Whilst I agree that ways need to be sought to give fans more value for money than simply 15 heats, the international format is too repetitive week-in-and-week out and actually needs 7 or 8 riders because it uses non-programmed reserves. Moreover, adding three heats with just six riders would greatly increase costs for the reasons outlined above.

 

If you go to 18 heats, it would actually be cheaper to have 7 or 8 rider teams because the extra riders could be lower paid juniors, and the higher paid riders could take fewer rides.

 

I personally quite like the idea of 6 rider teams, but because they allow for a better balanced heat format (either 15 or 16 heats) rather than because they'd save money.

Edited December 10, 2010 by Humphrey Appleby