What Does A Team Captain Do And Do They Make A Difference?

[jeff]

I read all the stuff about 'passing on experience' and 'geeing up the lads' but I struggle to see what the point of the team captain role currently actually is. Surely how 7 riders get on, communicate and support each other during a meeting will be down to what they are like as individuals and with so many riders riding for numerous teams in this country and abroad it's probably like ships passing in the night. It may well have been different years ago but it's a nonsense now isn't it?

 

 

[The White Knight]

I read all the stuff about 'passing on experience' and 'geeing up the lads' but I struggle to see what the point of the team captain role currently actually is. Surely how 7 riders get on, communicate and support each other during a meeting will be down to what they are like as individuals and with so many riders riding for numerous teams in this country and abroad it's probably like ships passing in the night. It may well have been different years ago but it's a nonsense now isn't it?

 

 

Who is going to call 'Heads or Tails' at the toss. :rofl:

[StevePark]

I read all the stuff about 'passing on experience' and 'geeing up the lads' but I struggle to see what the point of the team captain role currently actually is. Surely how 7 riders get on, communicate and support each other during a meeting will be down to what they are like as individuals and with so many riders riding for numerous teams in this country and abroad it's probably like ships passing in the night. It may well have been different years ago but it's a nonsense now isn't it?

 

 

 

 

Who is going to call 'Heads or Tails' at the toss. :rofl:

 

Add to that any problems with, say, the track conditions, it's always the two captains (and team managers) who are in discussion with the ref.

[ruffdiamond]

do they not take the lads for a meal or a drink after a good win or performance, (nice touch that),,, then could maybe claim it back in expenses ???

[The White Knight]

 

 

 

Add to that any problems with, say, the track conditions, it's always the two captains (and team managers) who are in discussion with the ref.

You are right the Abbott - there is a lot more to the job than calling at the Toss. I was being a bit flippant. Sorry.

[SCB]

Call heads and tails. Fill in a form to say all riders have been paid. one of the signs a club is in financial difficulty is the captain changes because he refuses to sign the form.

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

I will say this as a former rider and currently mechanic ,there are riders that will always help other riders with advice etc and they are not made captain but help anyway and there are riders who dont help are strangely are made captain and do nothing

[Trees]

I guess it depends on what each team manager thinks is important in a captain, is it to set an example on track and/or always being ready to help and/or being that upbeat person who can gee up their team mates despite their performance, being confident of their ability. I guess the best captains have a mixture of everything.

[ColinMills]

I will say this as a former rider and currently mechanic ,there are riders that will always help other riders with advice etc and they are not made captain but help anyway and there are riders who dont help are strangely are made captain and do nothing

would love to take a guess at that, but i wont!

[BWitcher]

A 'good' team captain can be inspirational and although it sounds corny, literally add pts to the team.

 

Back in his heyday Sam Ermolenko was as good a captain as you will find in so many ways.

[The White Knight]

I would say the motivational skills are essential, that plus experience.

[LagutaRacingFan]

Goes around the pits and makes sure that all the lads have had a good kip and kebab before the meeting.

[ColinMills]

could be totally wrong here, hands up if so, but sure i saw some rider have a notebook of set ups at each track, and kept them to himself. cant think who it was off hand, never got that really, bit like riders not knowing the scores of a match

[arthur cross]

could be totally wrong here, hands up if so, but sure i saw some rider have a notebook of set ups at each track, and kept them to himself. cant think who it was off hand, never got that really, bit like riders not knowing the scores of a match

A few riders clearly produce better results if they're left to just concentrate separately on each race they're taking part in rather than have that concentration affected by any impact from the scoreline ... such riders often end up at number-2 in the 15-heat format still used in the Premier & National Leagues because then their scheduled rides are out of the way by heat-10 (home) or heat-11 (away), leaving riders who don't mind knowing the score to take part in the later heats where the scoreline's more likely to influence any team tactics.

[Grachan]

could be totally wrong here, hands up if so, but sure i saw some rider have a notebook of set ups at each track, and kept them to himself. cant think who it was off hand, never got that really, bit like riders not knowing the scores of a match

 

It could have been Ivan Mauger. I'm sure I remember reading that about him. I believe he also kept notes on referees, such as how long they held the tapes after the green light, who they tended to exclude if a rider came off and laid on the track, stuff like that.

[Tsunami]

could be totally wrong here, hands up if so, but sure i saw some rider have a notebook of set ups at each track, and kept them to himself. cant think who it was off hand, never got that really, bit like riders not knowing the scores of a match

First saw this with our Danes at Newcastle. The likes of Bjarne, KB, etc, all had largeish handsets which was a phone, but with a mini computer on the reverse side. They recorded all the setup details from every meeting, their scores and the conditions, and consulted the info before every meeting. The detail they had on everything was amazing.

 

 

Grachan

You are right in what you say about Ivan. In one of his books he tells you that he knew the temperament of every referee in domestic and overseas meetings, down to the average time they would take to release the tapes. In his notebook he recorded a 'P' as a code against a refs name to indicate a trait of the ref. It was all mind games with Ivan and the refs, and I know who won most battles.

[lucifer sam]

First saw this with our Danes at Newcastle. The likes of Bjarne, KB, etc, all had largeish handsets which was a phone, but with a mini computer on the reverse side. They recorded all the setup details from every meeting, their scores and the conditions, and consulted the info before every meeting. The detail they had on everything was amazing.

 

 

Grachan

You are right in what you say about Ivan. In one of his books he tells you that he knew the temperament of every referee in domestic and overseas meetings, down to the average time they would take to release the tapes. In his notebook he recorded a 'P' as a code against a refs name to indicate a trait of the ref. It was all mind games with Ivan and the refs, and I know who won most battles.

 

And in his book, Briggo told us what the P stood for.

 

All the best

Rob

[Team Man]

could be totally wrong here, hands up if so, but sure i saw some rider have a notebook of set ups at each track, and kept them to himself. cant think who it was off hand, never got that really, bit like riders not knowing the scores of a match

 

What set up for a track for one rider doesn't always work for another so sharing setups is not always productive.

[ColinMills]

What set up for a track for one rider doesn't always work for another so sharing setups is not always productive.

yes, quite agree

[Vince]

In the good old days it was the team captains responsibility to ensure that every one of his riders took advantage of the 3' depth of dirt to make at least 5 passes in every race. Any less and the captain had to make 7 passes in order to make the meeting more entertaining for the 50,000 crowd at a southern league meeting.