Worlds Top Riders Coming Back To The Uk.......

[TesarRacing]

Completely hypothetical I know but referencing the quote from GRW123 below on Peter Collins award in EL section:

 

 

That's impressive when considering the quality of the opposition. This was the time when British Speedway ruled the world, and EVERYBODY wanted to race in our league.

Wonderful memories, Wonderful times, Brilliant Speedway. So pleased I was able to live and enjoy the iconic period of 1970's

(Make love not war !!!)

What would the speedway leagues in the UK be like now if all the best riders in the world wanted to ride in the UK and make this country their priority league?

[Pirate Nick]

Broke

[BWitcher]

It's a rose tinted post from GRW, particularly the 'brilliant speedway' part.

 

The actual racing wasn't much different to what we see now, the difference is that there were bigger crowds so even mundane meetings would have 'felt' to be far better than they actually were.

[foamfence]

Completely hypothetical I know but referencing the quote from GRW123 below on Peter Collins award in EL section:

 

 

That's impressive when considering the quality of the opposition. This was the time when British Speedway ruled the world, and EVERYBODY wanted to race in our league.

 

Wonderful memories, Wonderful times, Brilliant Speedway. So pleased I was able to live and enjoy the iconic period of 1970's

 

(Make love not war !!!)

 

 

What would the speedway leagues in the UK be like now if all the best riders in the world wanted to ride in the UK and make this country their priority league?

If you have a league filled with top riders, they just become normal everyday riders. We have the best riders in the world anyway, Ward and Woffinden. It's good if each team has a big star who you look forward to seeing when they visit, but teams stuffed with top riders just doesn't work here. Personally, I've watched plenty of Polish and Swedish league racing and I much prefer ours. Feel free to disagree but that's how I see it.

[BWitcher]

Also if you have a league with 15 teams, you will appear to have more 'star riders'.

 

Likewise people have an impression riders were better back then because bonus pts were included in the averages. You see so many people commenting how many '10pt' riders there used to be and only a couple now..

barmy.

 

There were of course more of the worlds top riders racing here then, before anyone jumps on it.

Edited March 12, 2014 by BWitcher

[stratton]

It's a rose tinted post from GRW, particularly the 'brilliant speedway' part.

 

The actual racing wasn't much different to what we see now, the difference is that there were bigger crowds so even mundane meetings would have 'felt' to be far better than they actually were.

Why stir the sh.. ? did you actually go then? how would you know? same old Witcher trying to get a reaction. People who went in those times i believe would have many happy memories i certainly have i still enjoy the racing now so i am not stuck in the past and i am sure GRW is exactly the same.

[Bagpuss]

Plus they a had four rides more often than not and the number ones only met in heat 1.

[BWitcher]

Why stir the sh.. ? did you actually go then? how would you know? same old Witcher trying to get a reaction. People who went in those times i believe would have many happy memories i certainly have i still enjoy the racing now so i am not stuck in the past and i am sure GRW is exactly the same.

 

Nobody is stirring anything. Just stating reality.

 

Well done though, I knew it wouldn't be long before you posted your 'did you go' crap. The answer is yes I did.

 

I went in late 70's when very young, throughout 80's, 90's, 00's.

 

Like yourself, GRW and indeed many others I have GREAT memories of the racing. Attending Monmore in the late 80's through the 90's my memory tells me the racing was unbelievable every week. We had Ermolenko, Correy, Karlsson etc. Monday nights were the best night of the week, the crowds were good, the atmosphere was great.

 

However... I also have every single one of those meetings on DVD (Mike Bennet kindly put all the old seasons onto DVD's for me) and watching them the racing was quite honestly MORE strung out then than it ever is now. There were riders literally half a lap behind in a number of races.

 

The point is our memories are selective. We will remember the great races and forget the mundane. The mundane races we will have enjoyed anyway if the atmosphere was good.

 

The actual racing was no better.

[stratton]

Nobody is stirring anything. Just stating reality.

 

Well done though, I knew it wouldn't be long before you posted your 'did you go' crap. The answer is yes I did.

 

I went in late 70's when very young, throughout 80's, 90's, 00's.

 

Like yourself, GRW and indeed many others I have GREAT memories of the racing. Attending Monmore in the late 80's through the 90's my memory tells me the racing was unbelievable every week. We had Ermolenko, Correy, Karlsson etc. Monday nights were the best night of the week, the crowds were good, the atmosphere was great.

 

However... I also have every single one of those meetings on DVD (Mike Bennet kindly put all the old seasons onto DVD's for me) and watching them the racing was quite honestly MORE strung out then than it ever is now. There were riders literally half a lap behind in a number of races.

 

The point is our memories are selective. We will remember the great races and forget the mundane. The mundane races we will have enjoyed anyway if the atmosphere was good.

 

The actual racing was no better.

You are in total Cookoo land,i enjoy the racing still now but at times by about 9.30 i am ready to go home hold ups galore. Maybe we get say 5 good races out of 15 not saying they're was not a load of s.. years ago because they're was the old BL they're is no comparison with this Micky mouse EL now.

[BWitcher]

So there were 'no hold ups' in the old days?

 

Oh dear.

[Vince]

Why stir the sh.. ? did you actually go then? how would you know? same old Witcher trying to get a reaction. People who went in those times i believe would have many happy memories i certainly have i still enjoy the racing now so i am not stuck in the past and i am sure GRW is exactly the same.

 

I started watching Speedway in either 67 or 68 and despite already spending every weekend watching motorcycle sport I fell in love with Speedway immediately. However I am entirely convinced that the Speedway I have seen in the past 10 years is a much better spectacle. Apart from crowd levels I would take Speedway today over the 60's and 70's every time.

[stratton]

I started watching Speedway in either 67 or 68 and despite already spending every weekend watching motorcycle sport I fell in love with Speedway immediately. However I am entirely convinced that the Speedway I have seen in the past 10 years is a much better spectacle. Apart from crowd levels I would take Speedway today over the 60's and 70's every time.

The Ward,s of this world i would agree Vince but my personal opinion is that the sport has got to quick now.The PL what i have seen of it i have enjoyed very much, but our domestic league now for me is not in the same league as the old BL.Every team in those days had an in/out no 1 often supported by 2 in and out heat leaders.As examples Ipswich Louis,Sanders,Davey Belle Vue Mauger,Sjosten,Collins.Now our watered down product of the EL is pretty average in comparison and another point that i think is important there is not the VARIATION of tracks now in the EL.All a bit of a muchness where then you had Sheffield,Exeter,Halifax,WhIte City,Hyde rd, Leicester,Hackney,all different tests.I do agree Vince that it still is a great spectacle when i went away having watched Leigh Adams everyweek you still get that tingle of something special and i have to say the GP series is a great product league racing is not as exciting for me but that is only my personnel opinion.

[BWitcher]

The number of heat leaders is governed by one thing alone, the number of teams in the league.

 

The more teams, the more heat leaders.

 

I and I am sure most others agree with you Sidney that league speedway isn't as 'exciting' now as it was. That's mainly due to the crowds and atmosphere, they play a big part in our perception. An average race in front of a loud crowd will be more enjoyable than a great race in front of a sprinkling of quiet fans.

Edited March 12, 2014 by BWitcher

[mikebv]

the overall 20+ heats of a modern gp is miles ahead of what the old one off 20 heat world championship threw up, simply because more of the best riders in the world are on display...

 

too many out of their depth old eastern bloc riders in the 70's meant many races were formalities..

 

the vast majority of the gp races today are a true contest, and the swc finals deliver consistently some of the best racing I have ever witnessed, again due to having all the worlds best together on track with no major difference in capability level..

 

watching for example, PC v Olsen and Mauger was special because they were special and had a talent far and away above many of their peers, however when they raced against lesser riders these three often won races by a 'country mile' (even if PC missed the gate)!..

 

I would suggest that the differential in talent at the top level now is much less across a good many more riders than even in speedways 'halcyon days' thus racing today is closer even if passing opportunities are less....

 

if we still have riders of the top level over here then good, and we should appreciate their talent, however they wont make many races close when riding against much inferior opposition.....

 

which if we are honest and remove our 'all our yesterdays' glasses, is exactly how it always has been...

 

as has been said, average racing in front of packed crowds is looked upon much more favourably than average racing in front of 'one man and his dog'...

 

it's still average racing though...

[stratton]

The number of heat leaders is governed by one thing alone, the number of teams in the league.

 

The more teams, the more heat leaders.

 

I and I am sure most others agree with you Sidney that league speedway isn't as 'exciting' now as it was. That's mainly due to the crowds and atmosphere, they play a big part in our perception. An average race in front of a loud crowd will be more enjoyable than a great race in front of a sprinkling of quiet fans.

Good points.

[CardinalSin]

 

I started watching Speedway in either 67 or 68 and despite already spending every weekend watching motorcycle sport I fell in love with Speedway immediately. However I am entirely convinced that the Speedway I have seen in the past 10 years is a much better spectacle. Apart from crowd levels I would take Speedway today over the 60's and 70's every time.

I agree regarding the racing. But I personally think there isn't the same characters and rivalries around today that there was, particularly in the 80's when the Americans were a force.

 

That could simply be though because that was an era in which I grew up and things always seem more exciting when you're young.

 

The big rivalry between Kenny Carter and the Amercians still lives fresh in my memory 30 years on. I'm not sure in 30 years time if I'm still here, that anything from today will be remembered too much.

 

Again maybe that's just a childhood thing. I'm sure we've all got special memories from our childhood not just speedway, but life in general.

[stratton]

the overall 20+ heats of a modern gp is miles ahead of what the old one off 20 heat world championship threw up, simply because more of the best riders in the world are on display...

 

too many out of their depth old eastern bloc riders in the 70's meant many races were formalities..

 

the vast majority of the gp races today are a true contest, and the swc finals deliver consistently some of the best racing I have ever witnessed, again due to having all the worlds best together on track with no major difference in capability level..

 

watching for example, PC v Olsen and Mauger was special because they were special and had a talent far and away above many of their peers, however when they raced against lesser riders these three often won races by a 'country mile' (even if PC missed the gate)!..

 

I would suggest that the differential in talent at the top level now is much less across a good many more riders than even in speedways 'halcyon days' thus racing today is closer even if passing opportunities are less....

 

if we still have riders of the top level over here then good, and we should appreciate their talent, however they wont make many races close when riding against much inferior opposition.....

 

which if we are honest and remove our 'all our yesterdays' glasses, is exactly how it always has been...

 

as has been said, average racing in front of packed crowds is looked upon much more favourably than average racing in front of 'one man and his dog'...

 

it's still average racing though...

 

As an occasion as an (example) Cardiff is not in the same league as Wembley the occasion and atmosphere was electric.Often some of the finals were average but what a day out a day you always remembered.Also in the GPs they're are say at least 8 riders who have zilch chance of winning the WC so is the level any better than the old one off finals? also is the series a closed shop.?

[E I Addio]

 

Nobody is stirring anything. Just stating reality.

 

Well done though, I knew it wouldn't be long before you posted your 'did you go' crap. The answer is yes I did.

 

I went in late 70's when very young, throughout 80's, 90's, 00's.

 

Like yourself, GRW and indeed many others I have GREAT memories of the racing. Attending Monmore in the late 80's through the 90's my memory tells me the racing was unbelievable every week. We had Ermolenko, Correy, Karlsson etc. Monday nights were the best night of the week, the crowds were good, the atmosphere was great.

 

However... I also have every single one of those meetings on DVD (Mike Bennet kindly put all the old seasons onto DVD's for me) and watching them the racing was quite honestly MORE strung out then than it ever is now. There were riders literally half a lap behind in a number of races.

 

The point is our memories are selective. We will remember the great races and forget the mundane. The mundane races we will have enjoyed anyway if the atmosphere was good.

 

The actual racing was no better.

 

 

All very true plus the fact that most things in life are more exciting when they are new and when you first discover them, that's why so many of us are still saying the music of our youth was better than today.

 

And a lot of it is perception. I actually lost interest in in speedway in the late 80's/90's when some people claim it was exciting, as at the time I had become bored with it , but then my life was pretty full with other ventures and distractions at the time . I do think you are right about strung out races though. The thing that I noticed most when re-gaining my interest in the sport after a break was that the second strings seemed to have got a lot better and were on the pace much more, which I put down to modern machinery.

 

Finally I think the easy access to the sport in TV takes away some of the excitement. If you only saw a star rider two or three times a year you would make sure you were there for it and even if he won from the gate the mere build-up to the race would get the adrenalin going and you would think it was a great night, now we see them every couple of weeks in the GP's plus league matches from all over the place, and we see even the World Champions getting last places at times, a lot of the tension/drama/ call it what you will is not the same. I still enjoy, but in a different way to before.

[stratton]

All very true plus the fact that most things in life are more exciting when they are new and when you first discover them, that's why so many of us are still saying the music of our youth was better than today.

 

And a lot of it is perception. I actually lost interest in in speedway in the late 80's/90's when some people claim it was exciting, as at the time I had become bored with it , but then my life was pretty full with other ventures and distractions at the time . I do think you are right about strung out races though. The thing that I noticed most when re-gaining my interest in the sport after a break was that the second strings seemed to have got a lot better and were on the pace much more, which I put down to modern machinery.

 

Finally I think the easy access to the sport in TV takes away some of the excitement. If you only saw a star rider two or three times a year you would make sure you were there for it and even if he won from the gate the mere build-up to the race would get the adrenalin going and you would think it was a great night, now we see them every couple of weeks in the GP's plus league matches from all over the place, and we see even the World Champions getting last places at times, a lot of the tension/drama/ call it what you will is not the same. I still enjoy, but in a different way to before.

. A good post and i can identify with alot of what you have said.In the 90s like yourself i lost alot of interest i still went but i think as soon as Jason Crump started i got alot of my interest back.You are right about the tv coverage the no 1 riders then you might only see them ride once a year then which made it more enjoyable

[FTM]

I don,t think you will ever get a level playing field for either side to agree on. I started going in 1965 when I lived half way between Oxford and Swindon ,my cousin lived closer to Swindon so I used to go to Oxford thurs, and pick her up Sat to go to Swindon. In those days Oxford had Jimmy Gooch,Ron How,Arne Pander,and Colin Goody as their top 4 Swindon had Barry Briggs,Mike Broadbanks,Martin Ashby and Bob Kilby as their top 4 .I could never split the two teams as one better than the other so come local derbies it didn,t matter who won .I think the racing was better teamwise than now as don,t matter who was out in what heat be it star or reserve the better rider always looked after his team mate .IMO speedway took a backward step when laydown engines took over from uprights ,they are much faster but more unpredictable and there are (although air fences have helped ) much more serious injuries in the last decade than there were then.Another major factor in this problem is track materials and track maintenance and I say this being a trackman (retired cos no one wants me ) but not being crabby just putting my honest opinion .