Why So Few Brits

[pawel115]

When you start riding in Poland the club takes care of you they provide everything bike,methanol,mechanic the cost to you its nothing ,I remember Rzeszow having practice on track at least once a week during speedway season off season they have indoor practice sessions usually exercising early spring they all ride motocross .

[Mad Potter 2]

I am putting this in the EL section but it applies to all speedway in this country (Note: So is therefore moved to where it should be). No solutions here but just questions and personal thoughts.

 

There are few Brits in the EL and not so many in the PL. The NL has several but how many carry onto progress? There are a few that have done very well but these are few.

 

Many reasons spring to mind but three I think are strong are lack of practise and training facilities, lack of finance for equipment and travel plus the third which I think could be a big factor the very large choice of other sports they can choose from in this country that cost less and are far cheaper to take part in, also if they are good bring far bigger financial rewards.

 

I mean the obvious soccer which is everywhere but also rugby and cricket for two examples that do not exist in Poland, Sweden and Denmark.

 

These three countries bring on constant streams of new young riders but look at their training facilities and the fact that they start very young. Soccer can always take some away but they do not have as many choices as here.

 

Australia is very different. They produce riders all the time and have a great choice of sports. However, they do have much more space than any of us for young lads to get out on motor cycles.

 

As I said I have no solutions but would be interested in others views.

 

Because the Leagues are full of foreigners.

[The Know]

Abroad speedway is still very popular and young kids want to ride a speedway bike. You see them hanging round the pits or at practice sessions. They dream to be a speedway rider and some are lucky to make it.

In the UK kids just dont seem interested in speedway or other motor sports and dont dream of being the next big thing or world champion.

The lads coming over from motocross are good and find they can earn a living from speedway where they cant in motocross. I dont think they will world class but good riders.

 

Maybe its the times now as i find all young people i know dont even want to go watch let alone ride.

 

My boy is now just 13 and i would love him to ride motocross or speedway but just not interested He rode motocross and had good abilty at 5, he wanted to ride everyday and i had to take him down the back field, but just said one day no thanks and bikes just sat there.

 

I think lots of other parents must have the same thing. Kids just want play tennis, criket football and so on.

 

Speedway just does not appeal now to them or large numbers of kids, as i dont think its seen as cool or a long term thing.

 

Its a pity really as there are many good UK companies to back the right people but its getting the right people to back.

[Agrotron]

I think a lot of young British riders struggle with sponsorship and other financial burdens I would imagine its very hard to get a break, also comparing them to say a Pole of the same age they tend to lack drive.

[Tsunami]

Abroad speedway is still very popular and young kids want to ride a speedway bike. You see them hanging round the pits or at practice sessions. They dream to be a speedway rider and some are lucky to make it.

In the UK kids just dont seem interested in speedway or other motor sports and dont dream of being the next big thing or world champion.

The lads coming over from motocross are good and find they can earn a living from speedway where they cant in motocross. I dont think they will world class but good riders.

 

Maybe its the times now as i find all young people i know dont even want to go watch let alone ride.

 

My boy is now just 13 and i would love him to ride motocross or speedway but just not interested He rode motocross and had good abilty at 5, he wanted to ride everyday and i had to take him down the back field, but just said one day no thanks and bikes just sat there.

 

I think lots of other parents must have the same thing. Kids just want play tennis, criket football and so on.

 

Speedway just does not appeal now to them or large numbers of kids, as i dont think its seen as cool or a long term thing.

 

Its a pity really as there are many good UK companies to back the right people but its getting the right people to back.

 

Sad but very true. Society has changed and attitudes to bikes and other sports are not the same as it was in the heydays. We don't have the catchment area of say scrambling anymore, and kids are not even as interested in riding bikes these days as they would rather wait and get some super duper little Corsa. Someone told me not so long ago that motorcycle tests are down 80% so either kids don't ride as much, or there are more on the road without licences. Even kids riding offroad are now punished, so there does not seem many areas where kids can have a try riding a bike.

Strangely enough, countries like Italy, Spain and Portugal who have just about everyone riding bikes or big scoots, do not produce speedway riders in any numbers, but of course do have quite healthy numbers participating in say Motocross

[Jonny the spud]

But when you do get good English riders coming through they usually don't get the help with vans/ accommodation that the foreign guys seem to get

[The White Knight]

But when you do get good English riders coming through they usually don't get the help with vans/ accommodation that the foreign guys seem to get

 

Very true.

[Vince]

Whilst it is true that numbers of lads riding bikes on the road has sharply declined I would be amazed if the number of kids racing motorcycles isn't at an all time high. there have never been so many motocross clubs running meetings or so many proper mx practice tracks open in my lifetime (which is nearly forever!). Motocross is seen as being a cool thing for kids to do by their peers, Speedway most of them have never heard of.

 

What has changed is that there is hardly any place for kids to take a rough old field bike and have a play. Nowadays their parents have to be interested enough to outlay for a bike,a means of transporting it and the time to do so. The days of a group of kids chipping in to buy an old road bike to thrash around a local woods have pretty much gone. Nowadays the only people doing that are bike thieves who don't care if they have to leave the bike and do a runner.

 

When young kids show an interest in bikes all they want to do is ride them every hour of the day and that is something Speedway in the UK just can't offer them. The sport has to look at being part of whatever type of motorcycling kids are doing from when they start with the idea of Speedway being something you progress into at 14 or 15.

[Long Eye]

Speedway most of them have never heard of.

 

That is one the main problems with the sport. If people don't know about it then they are not going to either watch or take up the sport.Why do clubs have such big adverts in the Speedway Star? Why not try Fast Bikes, Trials & Motocross News etc. If someone is reading the SS then they are already aware of the sport.

[Vince]

How about?

 

Cheap entry for any youth competition licence holder into Speedway.

 

Speedway clubs backing local events. Putting up a few trophy's for the local club to call one of their meetings 'The "speedway team name" Challenge' wouldn't be expensive but it would make a connection.

 

Free Speedway try out days for youth competition licence holders. One of the things the BSPA really should have is a van and a few bikes that can be used for try out days and static displays. Needn't be expensive to run a couple of pitbike engined bikes and a couple of Jawa laydowns. Chuck a TV and generator in the van and show great racing at motorcycle events or big crashes at Tesco's and it should generate some interest.

 

My favourite is for clubs to form or tie up with local Grasstrack clubs.

[AFCB Wildcat]

Only my experience but I was disappointed by the response to our enquiries to our local clubs on how to get started when my lad first took an interest in speedway and we gave up. We looked at grasstrack but without significant outlay there didn't seem to be a way of just giving it a try. Only a chance conversation with a contractor at work put me on to Sittingbourne where you can have a go for little outlay including hire of all the kit and I know there are other similar venues around the country.

Why did our league clubs not seem to know this?

It also makes me wonder why the bigger clubs couldn't hire these training tracks in much the same way as the amateur clubs do and run junior events or offer trials.