PHILIPRISING Posted October 1, 2013 Report Share Posted October 1, 2013 OVER the past two Mondays we have been greatly entertained on Sky with terrific meetings from Swindon, Wolverhampton, Birmingham and Poole. Last night's fare from Wimborne Road, especially for neutrals like me, was pulsating. Good racing surfaces, good crowds, what more could you want? If British speedway was always like this (an impossible dream I know) the sport would have no financial woes and Sky wouldn't even hesitate about a new contract. What is does prove is that fundamentally the actual product can still be terrific. That's the frustrating part. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trees Posted October 1, 2013 Report Share Posted October 1, 2013 Meetings against strong teams are always good, need to make sure all teams are strong and keep them strong, easier said than done! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 1, 2013 Report Share Posted October 1, 2013 OVER the past two Mondays we have been greatly entertained on Sky with terrific meetings from Swindon, Wolverhampton, Birmingham and Poole. Last night's fare from Wimborne Road, especially for neutrals like me, was pulsating. Good racing surfaces, good crowds, what more could you want? If British speedway was always like this (an impossible dream I know) the sport would have no financial woes and Sky wouldn't even hesitate about a new contract. What is does prove is that fundamentally the actual product can still be terrific. That's the frustrating part. What do you mean by good crowds? 4,000 or 5,000? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scunny Stag Posted October 1, 2013 Report Share Posted October 1, 2013 What do you mean by good crowds? 4,000 or 5,000? Ones that can cover the outgoings 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FTM Posted October 1, 2013 Report Share Posted October 1, 2013 First part of your post I agree with don,t agree Poole was a good racing surface at all Reference massive double hole /bump which caused Josh Grajczonekj to come to grief on turn 1 there are those that will say he was knocked off by Hans Andersen but there was no contact although Middlo says there was .I watched the replays from all sides and Hans was past Josh,s leg and bike when he was lifted up in the air caused by the poor racing surface. I am not a Swindon fan before anyone asks I think they were let down badly by Troy Batchelor and I know Peter Kildemand is an out and out racer but feel he should have had the captain in his ear last night telling him if you are beaten out the gate and round the first bend just consolidate 2nd and 3rd place for a 3 3 thus protecting their 10 pt lead Don,t think Rosco was switched on last night which was a shame . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHILIPRISING Posted October 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2013 What do you mean by good crowds? 4,000 or 5,000? BY today's standards they were good crowds and probably viable ones, too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 1, 2013 Report Share Posted October 1, 2013 (edited) What do you mean by good crowds? 4,000 or 5,000? Ones that can cover the outgoings BY today's standards they were good crowds and probably viable ones, too About 1,500 then? Edited October 1, 2013 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthur cross Posted October 1, 2013 Report Share Posted October 1, 2013 If British speedway was always like this (an impossible dream I know) the sport would have no financial woes and Sky wouldn't even hesitate about a new contract. What is does prove is that fundamentally the actual product can still be terrific. That's the frustrating part. Yes, it's potentially still a great product ... but it's far too easily dragged down from those heights by the boneheaded actions of those in charge who appear unable/unwilling to learn from their mistakes (and even worse, repeat the same mistakes over and over again). Too many of those taking important decisions about the sport need to be much more realistic about speedway's finances and also much more realistic about how often bad weather can affect speedway ... then, meetings like the Elite play-offs would be truly profitable when the weather's good instead of being (for at least 2 clubs in recent days) just a vital way of catching-up earlier losses. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pugwash Posted October 1, 2013 Report Share Posted October 1, 2013 Meetings against strong teams are always good, need to make sure all teams are strong and keep them strong, easier said than done! Points limit = 45 pts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kester Posted October 1, 2013 Report Share Posted October 1, 2013 Points limit = 45 pts. And how many clubs can afford that? British speedway has gone way beyond the point that simply raising the points limit will lead to superstar teams and massive crowds. By the same token simply lowering the limit may make teams more affordable in the short term but won't in itself bring any more punters through the door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grand Central Posted October 1, 2013 Report Share Posted October 1, 2013 Why can't all Speedway be like this? Because these are the play-off semi finals. The culmination of the season. Surely it's just as simple as that. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post greyhoundp Posted October 1, 2013 Popular Post Report Share Posted October 1, 2013 I must congratulate the Birmingham riders for going into the crowd at the end of the meeting, chatting, having photos taken for me this should be done more often, its the personal touch which is being lost nowadays. Thats what kids remember, and come back for more, well in my day it was, so well done Brummies. 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 1, 2013 Report Share Posted October 1, 2013 Why can't all Speedway be like this? Because these are the play-off semi finals. The culmination of the season. Surely it's just as simple as that. Agreed: It's like a football cup final! Not consistent fare throughout the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penny Cross Posted October 1, 2013 Report Share Posted October 1, 2013 I must congratulate the Birmingham riders for going into the crowd at the end of the meeting, chatting, having photos taken for me this should be done more often, its the personal touch which is being lost nowadays. Thats what kids remember, and come back for more, well in my day it was, so well done Brummies. Poole have done this on each of their Play Off victories. These meetings were promoted properly. Cant say the same for most throughout the season. Promoters need to get back to basics. PROMOTE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrB Posted October 1, 2013 Report Share Posted October 1, 2013 Good racing surfaces? Poole's was more like a motorcross track in places! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pandorum Posted October 1, 2013 Report Share Posted October 1, 2013 (edited) The meetings were entertaining because something was at stake but I have seen a lot better meetings than any of the four on show as I am sure most if not all here have. Decent meetings yes great meetings certainly not. The crowds were nothing special either but compared to the usual crowd speedway nowadays attracts seemed that way. The commentators assertion that the city of Birmingham had turned out in force was pretty laughable. Why Can't All Speedway Be Like This? Because it's a sport and ALL sport has good bad and indifference. Better tracks more balanced teams. The answer is obvious but the wherewithal to provide this is severly lacking. Speedway is a great sport but poorly promoted and lacking in financial support. Until it has a good look at itself in the mirror and sees itself for what it really is then there is little hope that 2014 will bring any great cheer. We need home grown talent but we have no real plan to bring on home grown talent. We waste most of the sports income on flying useless foreigners back and forwards and trying to entice the Greg Hancocks of the sport here when the money would be better spent on tracks, stadium facilities and training schools/leagues. Will 2014 be the start of a new era? Of course it won't. The EL will struggle on desperately trying to justify a league that collapsed years ago and we will see our league once more used as a training ground for the rest and a bolt hole for the likes of Hancock to be used as a fall back when the lucrative leagues dispense with their services. The sport is a shambles but the POs gloss over that and leave the sense that the league system has been some kind of success when it really has not. The PL and EL need to start working together for the good of the sport but are a bunch of petty minded fools who prefer to get one over on their rivals and in reality could not promote thier way out of a paper bag regardless of the 'massive' crowds the POs attract. Develop new structures to bring on new UK based talent, put money into stadia (where possible), produce better racing surfaces and work towards better balanced teams which would be condusive to good racing. Sort of thing people here, who are seen as the enemy by promoters, have been banging on about for years. Edited October 1, 2013 by pandorum 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pandorum Posted October 1, 2013 Report Share Posted October 1, 2013 Points limit = 45 pts. It's time we dumped average based team building and embraced some kind of grading system that favours home grown talent and UK based foreign riders who commit to our leagues. Allow grading to last a set number of years and give teams some stability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsunami Posted October 1, 2013 Report Share Posted October 1, 2013 (edited) It's time we dumped average based team building and embraced some kind of grading system that favours home grown talent and UK based foreign riders who commit to our leagues. Allow grading to last a set number of years and give teams some stability. Grading of riders has been considered several times, but the system has more flaws than direct averages. Within grades there are bands covering say 1 point, e.g, 6.99 to 7.99. One team gets say a 7.01 rider and another richer team gets a 7.99 rider, so the lesser teams will lose part of the potential sum total of the agreed grading value. If say a team signs all lower riders within their grades, their team could be about 6 points value less than someone who is rich enough to sign all the top of grade riders. Averages don't lose or gain value, they are what they are, and are much more practical than anything others have considered. Everyone, to start with, has the opportunity to sign riders upto the agreed limit, making the potential of equal value teams. Grading does not. There is still the possibility of discounts for signing home riders in either system. Edited October 1, 2013 by Tsunami 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salty Posted October 1, 2013 Report Share Posted October 1, 2013 I was speaking to someone who was at Perry Barr last night and their main reaction about the meeting was not about the quality of the racing (which was deemed as OK), but the ridiculously long time it took the meeting to be run. They left before Heat 15. I know Sky like the double header nature of the play-off semi's but it always drags the meetings on for ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stokielee Posted October 1, 2013 Report Share Posted October 1, 2013 The Brum meeting was mediocre and the Poole meeting OK. I'd describe neither as good or anything approaching excellent. The slo-mo's showed the Poole track to be shockingly rough, I remember seeing Greg Hancock bouncing around on the entrance to the corners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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