Next Season, Changes And Suggestions For Agm

[Marksman]

Starting this thread to state what I hope would improve British Speedway season as I don't believe this suggestion has been made?. I don't believe for one minute there will be radical changes, we won't see a change to a single race night in the EL, probably wouldn't work due to stadium commitments etc.

The main changes I would like to see is for the EL to revert back to it's original race format, this seasons draft format has done the sport no favours IMO, to many races are uncompetitive from what i've seen on TV, which goes on to my main suggestion is that the Fast Track list is retained to an extent to provide a list of around 30 riders and Have 1 British rider to ride at Number 7 in both EL and PL. Mainly to include riders 25 or under, although Lewis Blackbird is 27 but was included on this seasons list. There may be a case for Adam Roynon or Robert Lambert (if he agrees) to be added to the list too but have gone for 10 names so far.

 

EL British Riders List

 

Howarth

Auth

Birks

Wright

S Worrall

R Worrall

Blackbird

Kerr

Garrity

Newman

 

With the above riding at reserve in the old format, they will ride against better riders with only one reserve heat. The list is fairly balanced, isn't many weak names on that list.

The PL teams will then be allocated the next best riders with possibly a draft done in reverse order to this season league table:

 

Ellis

Nielsen

Starke

Morris

Jacobs

Bates

Rose

Greenwood

Perry

Sarjeant

Lambert

Morley

Halsey

Greaves

 

This way the EL is strengthened and the points limit should be brought up to at least 37 for 6 riders with the lowest average rider riding at Number 6, but would swap places with the main body depending on averages. British draft riders would stay at Number 7 all season. Guests and replacement riders for both leagues would be taken from the draft list as they have this season.

The PL points limit could drop to either 39.5 or 40 for 6 riders, but would not reduce the quality because most of the riders in the list are riding at reserve in the PL anyways. Around a 4/5% reduction could be given to all British riders, who are not Draft riders. Probably missed something I wanted to mention but they surely can't stick with the same system they had this season! Thoughts?

[stratton]

A good post and you have some great ideas, myself i don't even think about it now as things in Britain will never change not in my lifetime anyway.!

[mikebv]

Some suggestions for next year?

 

Try and avoid running meetings during the summer school holidays, much better to leave these weeks blank and then try and cram in loads of outstanding fixtures into the colder, darker nights when the kids have gone back to school.

 

Make sure your number of meetings ran by the end of august results in loads of double headers being required to complete the league before cut off dates. Ideally these double headers will be advertised as starting a half hour earlier than a normal meeting, but will only start in reality about ten minutes before the usual single meeting start time. This should result in both meetings not being finished but at least ten races completed in each will provide a result (and save ten races worth of points money).

 

Team strengths next year shouldnt be used, simply clubs should put together ' select' teams on a week by week basis using up to five guests, one rider of their own and rider replacement.

 

Riders should be allowed to pick and choose their meetings and then get paid ridiculous unsustainable salaries when they do deign to honour us with their presence.

 

Finally admission charge increase should be inflation busting and programme cover prices should have no correlation with what the true value of the programme actually cost to make...

 

There, some mighty fine original ideas I would suggest, however I am sure some may say 'way too far fetched' and 'would never be implemented'?

 

Well we will see....

[brianbuck]

I see that the hardy annual of a "squad" system has had another airing in this week's Speedway Star.

 

I would personally be strongly opposed to such a system on the grounds that it would almost certainly be abused and exploited by those clubs in a position to do this, and because I don't see why British Speedway has to keep pandering to part-time foreign riders at the expense of those who are willing to fulfill all of their commitments.

 

A possible alternative would be to establish a "squad" of the riders who are prepared to ride in occasional British fixtures and allow clubs to call on them in the event of an injury to one of their top two riders. I'd emphasise that this should be a replacement pool for injured riders ONLY - not for those who prefer to ride in Continental meetings or are too tired or too ill to leave their own countries!

 

At least this system would be using the part-timers for British clubs' convenience rather that these riders using us for their convenience.

[SCB]

A possible alternative would be to establish a "squad" of the riders who are prepared to ride in occasional British fixtures and allow clubs to call on them in the event of an injury to one of their top two riders. I'd emphasise that this should be a replacement pool for injured riders ONLY - not for those who prefer to ride in Continental meetings or are too tired or too ill to leave their own countries!

I've neevr understood why guests had to be in a declared 1-7. To me, it makes far more sense for guests to be from a pool. I'd like to see something like that, initially it would be a "guest pool" but eventually that pool could be more readily available injury replacements - even if it was only for a minimum 7 days, so might only be for one meeting but might be 3 or 4 in a busy week.

[screm]

No changes, why fix something that is working so well.

[KEITH M]

One thing that has been mentioned before and one I agree with, is riders who return to the pits after just an unsatisfactory start should be put on a 1 minute warning immediately

[Tsunami]

One thing that has been mentioned before and one I agree with, is riders who return to the pits after just an unsatisfactory start should be put on a 1 minute warning immediately

But what is to stop a mechanic staying on the centre green to do clutch adjustment /fill up with dope, or just jump over the air fence like it happened with Fricke's mechanic

[Arson fire]

But what is to stop a mechanic staying on the centre green to do clutch adjustment /fill up with dope, or just jump over the air fence like it happened with Fricke's mechanic

health & safety??

[Albert]

This is nothing to do with team building or general rule changes... One petty thing that annoys me, Riders delaying starts, so called gardening...it gets tedious at times. I feel for start marshalls, they try to get riders up to the tapes but they generally get ignored. I'd like an additional light or clock placed by the startline, operated by the ref, say a 5 or 10 second countdown to green light and tapes up. Also, should a race be stopped due to an unsatisfactory start, it should be straight back to the tapes, the pit gates stay closed, no bike adjustments allowed.

Edited September 13, 2014 by Albert

[The White Knight]

This is nothing to do with team building or general rule changes... One petty thing that annoys me, Riders delaying starts, so called gardening...it gets tedious at times. I feel for start marshalls, they try to get riders up to the tapes but they generally get ignored. I'd like an additional light or clock placed by the startline, operated by the ref, say a 5 or 10 second countdown to green light and tapes up. Also, should a race be stopped due to an unsatisfactory start, it should be straight back to the tapes, the pit gates stay closed, no bike adjustments allowed.

Why not give the Start Marshal real power. Anyone not coming to the Tapes when indicated to do so by the Start Marshal has to go back 15 metres. The Start Marshal having the right to exclude or penalise Riders who do not comply with his instructions.

 

If the Start Marshal has no power - then why is he there in the first place?

[screm]

This is nothing to do with team building or general rule changes... One petty thing that annoys me, Riders delaying starts, so called gardening...it gets tedious at times. I feel for start marshalls, they try to get riders up to the tapes but they generally get ignored. I'd like an additional light or clock placed by the startline, operated by the ref, say a 5 or 10 second countdown to green light and tapes up. Also, should a race be stopped due to an unsatisfactory start, it should be straight back to the tapes, the pit gates stay closed, no bike adjustments allowed.

 

Go back to concrete start, no need for any gardening then, and no need for any complaints about favour some gates as all gates would be equal.

[Tsunami]

Why not give the Start Marshal real power. Anyone not coming to the Tapes when indicated to do so by the Start Marshal has to go back 15 metres. The Start Marshal having the right to exclude or penalise Riders who do not comply with his instructions.

 

If the Start Marshal has no power - then why is he there in the first place?

No way Ian. Refs have to be vetted and examined for suitability. I have see a lot of SM's, who only pull up away riders, and some who would make a point of bumping into the arm of an away rider while he walks away from the gate. Not practical.

[The White Knight]

No way Ian. Refs have to be vetted and examined for suitability. I have see a lot of SM's, who only pull up away riders, and some who would make a point of bumping into the arm of an away rider while he walks away from the gate. Not practical.

I see your reasoning Dave.

 

Fair enough - I was wrong. Just trying to think of ways to make things fairer.

[oldtimer]

Some suggestions for next year?

 

Try and avoid running meetings during the summer school holidays, much better to leave these weeks blank and then try and cram in loads of outstanding fixtures into the colder, darker nights when the kids have gone back to school.

 

Make sure your number of meetings ran by the end of august results in loads of double headers being required to complete the league before cut off dates. Ideally these double headers will be advertised as starting a half hour earlier than a normal meeting, but will only start in reality about ten minutes before the usual single meeting start time. This should result in both meetings not being finished but at least ten races completed in each will provide a result (and save ten races worth of points money).

 

Team strengths next year shouldnt be used, simply clubs should put together ' select' teams on a week by week basis using up to five guests, one rider of their own and rider replacement.

 

Riders should be allowed to pick and choose their meetings and then get paid ridiculous unsustainable salaries when they do deign to honour us with their presence.

 

Finally admission charge increase should be inflation busting and programme cover prices should have no correlation with what the true value of the programme actually cost to make...

 

There, some mighty fine original ideas I would suggest, however I am sure some may say 'way too far fetched' and 'would never be implemented'?

 

Well we will see....

Nothing to change then?

[Mike.Butler]

Introduce a financial fair play system (for fans)..i.e. stop taking the p+ss.

Edited September 14, 2014 by Mike.Butler

[brianbuck]

The best starting method can be seen at Cycle Speedway meetings where the races are started not by the referee but by a starter who has to be positioned in a place where he cannot see the riders and the riders cannot see him. The referee puts the riders under starters orders (the equivilant of switching on the green light in motor speedway) and the starter has to release the tapes within 2 to 5 seconds, varying the time for each race. The riders are given a minute to get to the start line and have to have their front wheels positioned on a line drawn across the back of the starting grid and are excluded with no reserve replacement if they don't.

 

This allows the referee to concentrate exclusively on watching for movement at the start and whilst I would be the first to agree that cycle speedway has very many problems with its rules, bad starting isn't one of them.

 

Personally,I'm pretty well convinced that on the many occasions that a rider jumps the start and there are howls from supporters and television commentators) that he "anticipated" the start and should be allowed to get away with it, it is nothing of the kind. I think referees often release the tapes when they see a rider begin to move, with every intention of putting on the red lights so that they don't have the hassle of the tapes being broken and of having to exclude an offender.

 

Bad starting is a curse on speedway, and needs to be urgently eliminated.

[Sherborne Green]

EL teams run home and away every other week.

 

They also have a NL team that run on the week the first team is away.

 

This cuts costs, more good riders are interested in riding here. Crowds would see the riders they want to see as top riders would have less commitments. Young and upcoming riders would have a truly meaningful league in which to improve.

 

The PL works reasonably well but some clubs may well drop out because of the costs. Therefore, I feel that some of the riders who ride EL, PL and abroad must choose what they want. Doubling up upsets both EL and PL supporters and management. Therefore may I suggest that riders should only be allowed to ride for one team in this country but could also ride abroad if they wished.

 

Not saying this is the answer but just my thoughts.

[weatherwatcher]

Not all the riders have the means to ride abroad. They cost of air fares and moving bikes around for riders is a no go to most of them.

The Visa rules for the Australian and U.S.A riders needs to be relaxed a bit. They have been riding over here for years causing no big issues and all they come over here to do is race speedway, when they season ends they go home and then have to stuggle to get back again the following year by stuppid red tape.

A big issue that has agin reared it's head again this year is overseas riders coming over here riding for a few weeks or picking and chosing when they ride for thier club.

If they do this then they should be sent back to where they come from and then refussed to ever come back and ride over here. They just treat British speedway as a way to fill in until thier overseas leagues start or ride when thier overseas clubs tell them when they can race, not on we can do without them as all they do is cust cause lots of problems to the promoters.

I would rather see a team of dedicated riders that do thier all for thier teams than, these top class riders that treat us as a joke.

Keep the fast track riders scheme, but with major rule changes, there are several riders that are well above the class of the other riders and they should be given a chance in the main body of the teams. That is if the promoters have got enough faith in them to give them a full team slot, but something needs to change there.

It would be nice to see a British rider from the PL riding at No.6 and a genuine young rider, who has riden nothing but NL at No.7

Also when a restart is called, then they go straight back to the start line, non of this going back to the pits to change tyres or bike settings and have a chat and a cup of coffee, it went really well lastnight at Coventry, and was really good to see as the meeting flowed so much better.

So much more to say but don't think I have the space on here.

Lets hope that at this years AGM they get it right, also I hope that they have been working instead of shirking to find a new sposer as it has been ridiculess, that the BPSA have not found a new one in year after Sky pulled out, they can't afford to lose money like that, but if they do get one it needs to be spent much wiser than the way they scandered the money from Sky.

Edited September 16, 2014 by weatherwatcher

[Skodaman]

This is nothing to do with team building or general rule changes... One petty thing that annoys me, Riders delaying starts, so called gardening...it gets tedious at times. I feel for start marshalls, they try to get riders up to the tapes but they generally get ignored. I'd like an additional light or clock placed by the startline, operated by the ref, say a 5 or 10 second countdown to green light and tapes up. Also, should a race be stopped due to an unsatisfactory start, it should be straight back to the tapes, the pit gates stay closed, no bike adjustments allowed.

There is no reason for this as it is covered in the current rules but the referees generally do not apply it. The riders must be ready to race within the 2 minutes and if they are not then they should be excluded but most referees switch off the 2 minute light when the riders are in the vicinity of the start but not ready to race.