Improving Speedway

[macinter]

In the main, although not always, the most entertaining speedway I have seen this year has either been in the GP's or the heats involving the youngsters in domestic racing. I don't know if that tells us anything apart from the feeling/fact that speedway is just as entertaining as any sport as long as the riders and their machinery are of similar standard.

Edited June 30, 2014 by macinter

[pandorum]

Q1, Your favourite decade of speedway?

A1 1970s

Q2,

A2 59

[Alan_Jones]

A1: 2005-2014

 

A2: 61-70

[Midland Red]

1961-70 - because I could see Craven (all too briefly), Fundin, Knutsson, Briggs, N. Boocock, Mountford, McKinlay, Plechanov, Wembley world finals, Wimbledon FIM Internationales, local riders, 13 heats + 2nd halves, riders in bar after meetings, 6d programmes, a good mix of team and individual events, virtually no guests, . . . . .

 

Age 14-23

[ColinMills]

1970s......dave lanning world of sport golden age, michanek, j.louis, olsen, mauger

41-50

[stratton]

1971/80 easily for me ,Briggs,Mauger,Olsen,Collins,Michanek,Lee,Crump,Jansson,Ashby,Betts,Wilson,Boulger,Persson,Sjosten,Plech,Jancarz,(ect) a great period for me.

[orion]

2013 for me ,...King ,Barker and Hancock

[jenga]

why dont they put a joker lap in a speedway race. that would make it interesting.

[The White Knight]

why dont they put a joker lap in a speedway race. that would make it interesting.

Don't be bloody silly. :mad:

 

You might give them ideas. :mad:

[New Science]

You enjoying your Speedway isn't the same thing as it being better, just being younger means you were probably less cynical and any sport is usually more exciting when it's new to you.

 

That's why I have a 'thing' about this! It's not a simple fact that Speedway is not as good as it was years ago, it's an opinion and one I mostly disagree with. There's nothing truthful about it in any way, it's an opinion, no more or less than that. The only thing I think was better was the atmosphere because of bigger crowds, in my opinion the racing today is the best I have ever seen in my 40+ years of watching Speedway. If you and I could take the same newcomer to his first Speedway meeting he would quite likely enjoy it with me because I would tell him what I think is so fantastic about the sport. On the other hand with you he would come away disenchanted because he hadn't seen the top riders and every race wasn't exciting like it used t be when you were a lad.

 

I just watched what was a pretty average GP these days, it was far better than most of the one off finals I ever saw and the best GP's are fantastic entertainment and better than any racing I saw in previous decades. You can claim that's untrue if you like but it's my opinion and a look at some Pathe reels will suggest I may well be right.

 

Somebody else claimed that the crowds have dwindled as the top riders left British racing, I wonder if that's true or if the riders have left because the crowds and the money have dried up.

I think we can put the Eastbourne meeting on Monday as evidence for the prosecution as to the case "speedways never been better"

[Vince]

I think we can put the Eastbourne meeting on Monday as evidence for the prosecution as to the case "speedways never been better"

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOf1faSgS9Y Highlights from one of those wonderful World Finals (first one I went to and like every other one we went to my dad swore we wouldn't be going again because the racing at Wembley is rubbish!), highlights and no passing and some seriously spread out racing. Evidence that Speedway was rubbish in the 60's......except it wasn't.

 

Or possibly like I said earlier you have always had good and bad meetings with the odd great one thrown in, one or several poor tv meetings is no evidence of the overall standard of racing.

[Shale Searcher]

Swindon v Kings Lynn was sh!te last night according to bet365 stream,strung out racing in a lot of the heats.. Definately an illness found in Speedway supporters, Rosus Tinteditus Glassesus.... No cure I'm afraid....

[New Science]

You enjoying your Speedway isn't the same thing as it being better, just being younger means you were probably less cynical and any sport is usually more exciting when it's new to you.

 

That's why I have a 'thing' about this! It's not a simple fact that Speedway is not as good as it was years ago, it's an opinion and one I mostly disagree with. There's nothing truthful about it in any way, it's an opinion, no more or less than that. The only thing I think was better was the atmosphere because of bigger crowds, in my opinion the racing today is the best I have ever seen in my 40+ years of watching Speedway. If you and I could take the same newcomer to his first Speedway meeting he would quite likely enjoy it with me because I would tell him what I think is so fantastic about the sport. On the other hand with you he would come away disenchanted because he hadn't seen the top riders and every race wasn't exciting like it used t be when you were a lad.

 

I just watched what was a pretty average GP these days, it was far better than most of the one off finals I ever saw and the best GP's are fantastic entertainment and better than any racing I saw in previous decades. You can claim that's untrue if you like but it's my opinion and a look at some Pathe reels will suggest I may well be right.

 

Somebody else claimed that the crowds have dwindled as the top riders left British racing, I wonder if that's true or if the riders have left because the crowds and the money have dried up.

If you read your post you said "the racing today is the best I have seen in my 40+ years of watching speedway" Showing a clip of an old world final does nothing to confirm that ! You can't tell us where this speedway is and choose to ignore the dross which is served up on the TV in your argument.Ill ask again if the speedway is the best you've seen in 40 years tell us where it is ? Coventry,Eastbourne,Leicester maybe ? Edited July 4, 2014 by New Science

[ColinMills]

if you compare the awful sky meetings of today, to that of world of sport. theres your answer?.......dave lanning probably speedways best ever commentator?..id suggest the "younger" speedway audience watch a bit of you tube and check it out, white city etc

[Midland Red]

Remarkable scenes!

[Vince]

If you read your post you said "the racing today is the best I have seen in my 40+ years of watching speedway" Showing a clip of an old world final does nothing to confirm that ! You can't tell us where this speedway is and choose to ignore the dross which is served up on the TV in your argument.Ill ask again if the speedway is the best you've seen in 40 years tell us where it is ? Coventry,Eastbourne,Leicester maybe ?

 

Where was the best Speedway in the 60's or 70's or whatever? At different tracks at different times and it was pot luck whether you saw a good meeting or not, just like it is now so you're asking an impossible to answer to your satisfaction question. Of course the clip doesn't confirm that which is why I quite clearly made the point that it proves nothing any more than a TV meeting quoted by yourself does.

 

I could equally make the point that I saw some bad meetings at just about every Southern and Midlands track throughout the late 60's, the 70's and 80's so Speedway must have been really poor then. However I also saw some really good meetings at most of those tracks as well during the same period. But to answer your question I have seen some really good races in the past decade or so at Poole, Oxford, Reading, Eastbourne, Newport, Kings Lynn, Mildenhall, Coventry, Stoke, Buxton, Scunthorpe, Sheffield, Newcastle and Edinburgh that I can think of easily. Strangely I have only been to Somerset two or three times and never seen a good meeting, however I am willing to accept that I have been unfortunate and take other peoples word for it that the track usually provides great racing. Of course I have also seen some poor races but it's my OPINION that what I see now is generally better.

 

Riders that are at the very least a match for the best I saw in the early period (and in my opinion are actually better) would include Rickardsson, Pedersen, Crump, Woffinden, Holder, Sayfutdinov, Hancock and Adams. My idol as a youngster was Mauger with Briggo close behind but I think todays riders are more skilled and while Mauger was exceptionally professional in his day the majority of top riders would meet or exceed his standards now. The way of riding now may have changed a bit but to dismiss it as less skilled si crazy, it's just different.

 

Dave Lanning best Speedway commentator ever, World of Sport great coverage of Speedway? I remember just how exciting it was to see Speedway on the TV because it was a rarity and also only ever highlights. So much easier for a commentator to avoid the repetition and so much easier for the Speedway to be memorable when it's a rare treat than when it's on TV several times a month.

 

Could modern Speedway be improved? Of course it could but not by harpng back to some fictional past but by embracing the positive side of the sport then bringing the rest of it into the modern era in my opinion. Of course there are lessons to be learned from the past but during most of the wonderful times being quoted the sport spent periods of being on the verge of extinction with very short periods of boom times.

[Shale Searcher]

I think, we subconsciously only remember the good meetings, the bad uns, just Don't register in our long term memory......

[OveFundinFan]

I agree with Shale Searcher... we only remember the good meetings.

 

1967 World Final was a good un........ Ove Fundin won it!

 

But from my point of view fro more then the racing on the track on the night.... but what happened off it. Fundin bucked the trend of using Jawa and stuck a JAP engine in. Horses for courses..... brilliant tactical move and all off track.

[ColinMills]

can you recall any classic sky meetings?? league ones??.....in my memory i recall many good wtc and gps..just wonder whether the crowds make a difference to the actual action on track?

 

Where was the best Speedway in the 60's or 70's or whatever? At different tracks at different times and it was pot luck whether you saw a good meeting or not, just like it is now so you're asking an impossible to answer to your satisfaction question. Of course the clip doesn't confirm that which is why I quite clearly made the point that it proves nothing any more than a TV meeting quoted by yourself does.

 

I could equally make the point that I saw some bad meetings at just about every Southern and Midlands track throughout the late 60's, the 70's and 80's so Speedway must have been really poor then. However I also saw some really good meetings at most of those tracks as well during the same period. But to answer your question I have seen some really good races in the past decade or so at Poole, Oxford, Reading, Eastbourne, Newport, Kings Lynn, Mildenhall, Coventry, Stoke, Buxton, Scunthorpe, Sheffield, Newcastle and Edinburgh that I can think of easily. Strangely I have only been to Somerset two or three times and never seen a good meeting, however I am willing to accept that I have been unfortunate and take other peoples word for it that the track usually provides great racing. Of course I have also seen some poor races but it's my OPINION that what I see now is generally better.

 

Riders that are at the very least a match for the best I saw in the early period (and in my opinion are actually better) would include Rickardsson, Pedersen, Crump, Woffinden, Holder, Sayfutdinov, Hancock and Adams. My idol as a youngster was Mauger with Briggo close behind but I think todays riders are more skilled and while Mauger was exceptionally professional in his day the majority of top riders would meet or exceed his standards now. The way of riding now may have changed a bit but to dismiss it as less skilled si crazy, it's just different.

 

Dave Lanning best Speedway commentator ever, World of Sport great coverage of Speedway? I remember just how exciting it was to see Speedway on the TV because it was a rarity and also only ever highlights. So much easier for a commentator to avoid the repetition and so much easier for the Speedway to be memorable when it's a rare treat than when it's on TV several times a month.

 

Could modern Speedway be improved? Of course it could but not by harpng back to some fictional past but by embracing the positive side of the sport then bringing the rest of it into the modern era in my opinion. Of course there are lessons to be learned from the past but during most of the wonderful times being quoted the sport spent periods of being on the verge of extinction with very short periods of boom times.

excuse me for "harping on" about the past, but a tv commentator can make or break the viewing, i dont recall dave lanning pandering to new comers..do you watch match of the day and listen to "3 pts for a win" etc?

[The White Knight]

can you recall any classic sky meetings?? league ones??.....in my memory i recall many good wtc and gps..just wonder whether the crowds make a difference to the actual action on track?

excuse me for "harping on" about the past, but a tv commentator can make or break the viewing, i dont recall dave lanning pandering to new comers..do you watch match of the day and listen to "3 pts for a win" etc?

Actually Colin, I can. ALL of them in the Premier League.

 

That must tell you something....