Eastbourne 2015

[Son of Shaleman]

 

Modern Speedway ?

 

Why do think Ivan Mauger went to Exeter in 1973 ?

 

It was, in those days, called rider control.

 

Its been around for 40 years so I thought everyone would have got used to it - even if they don't like it - by now.

And to be fair, rider control wasn't awfully popular 40 years ago. It is how speedway works.

[Guest]

And to be fair, rider control wasn't awfully popular 40 years ago. It is how speedway works.

 

...and is one of the ills that helps its decline...

[hawkeyenz]

I'm an Eagles fan now living in NZ and I'm really happy that Eastbourne have given Bradley a chance.

 

Kiwis gave great service to the British Speedway scene and it is very hard for guys from here to get experience which will allow them to progress.

Edited February 3, 2015 by hawkeyenz

[foamfence]

I'm an Eagles fan now living in NZ and I'm really happy that Eastbourne have given Bradley a chance.

 

Kiwis gave great service to the British Speedway scene and it is very hard for guys from here to get experience which will allow them to progress.

I tend to think that 'the British scene' has given great service to Kiwis, otherwise they would have got nowhere. I'm not a Johnson fan but he has been treated badly.

[Ben91]

 

...and is one of the ills that helps its decline...

No it isn't, teams need to be balanced otherwise chequebook speedway will take over.

[catinthehat]

Speedway is in decline but starting again with grass roots like Eastbourne have is the best way, Elite league speedway was never going to happen at Eastbourne as its too far away from anywhere but sunday at 3.30 is the best for speedway in the area.

 

Good thing is that the Martin & Connor have now been given time to shine, lets hope its a good summer for speedway in Eastbourne.

[catinthehat]

Just wondered if anyone else has seen this today? Seems quite clear to me but still a hard on Johnson also along with the Workington mess as well, maybe Johnson wants to join Workington they have a team place going? seems they all make mistakes? at least Dugard has told us the reasons why and cleared the matter up, I also think it was good of them to offer money for parts Johnson also may have paid for, What a jolly nice guy sack him in one hand and in the other let him use the facillity to train, Maybe i should get a bike and learn how to ride and see how many laps i can get in.

 

'TOUGH DECISIONS WILL BE MADE'

Wednesday 04 February, 2015

 

Eastbourne Speedway have admitted they made a mistake when it came to building their first National League team.

And that error led to the Eagles releasing Brendan Johnson.

Club chairman Martin Dugard said: “We received what we thought was reliable verbal advice that a rider we have yet to announce would come in on a three-point average.

“That has proved not to be the case and he will start on an assessed five-point average.

“It was our mistake but what I would say is that we are not the first club to be in such a position. Others have seen such things happen much closer to a season starting.”

Dugard said the unnamed five-point rider, who Eastbourne have been trailing for a number of years, was “the first name on our team sheet”.

He said: “As soon as it was realised that we would not be in the Elite League this year the ball started rolling to sign this rider. We have built our team around him.

“He will become an Eastbourne asset and we believe his signing is a game-changer as far as the Eagles are concerned.”

The BSPA officially accepted Eastbourne’s application to include the new rider in their team on Monday (February 2).

Dugard said: “Until the point that he was allocated a five-point average, both he and Brendan were always set to ride together in the same team.

“I have to make decisions that I believe are in the best interests of the club. We couldn’t accommodate both and my decision was to release Brendan.

“This is a standalone business. For speedway to continue in the longer term at Arlington, our National League team must be a success both on and off the track.

“That means tough decisions must be made and I will not shy away from making them.”

Dugard said Brendan Johnson had been told at the time he was released that he is welcome to practise at Arlington pre-season and at the same time an offer had been made to reimburse him for any expenditure on covers and seats that had been personalised for Eastbourne.

Kevlars for the Eastbourne team are being provided by the club.

Official announcements regarding the remaining team members and the club’s headline sponsor will follow in due course.

Eastbourne’s home fixtures begin on Good Friday with a local derby in the National Trophy against Kent.

Edited February 5, 2015 by catinthehat

[greyhoundp]

No it isn't, teams need to be balanced otherwise chequebook speedway will take over.

 

There is a slight difference now, in that if rider control allocated a rider that rider had to go where allocated, these days we still have cheque book Speedway, a rider will go where he is offered the best deal as an example.

 

1. Rider is offered 2 deals, one by a North Western Elite Team for £1000 per meeting, the 2nd deal is offered by a Southern Elite Team of £1250 per meeting, which deal would you choose ?. I would have thought Cheque book Speedway has always been around, even now in the NL as the Team i have followed are allegedly paying far and away above the norm in points money.

Points limits does NOT stop Cheque book Speedway, it only allows a fairer spread of riders.

[Hunters]

Martin has clarified the situation on the Eagles Web Site and it is exactly what Eagles fans I spoke to thought it would be.

Anybody that read the New Zealand paper announcement on 10th December should have noticed that Bradley told them on the previous Sunday (Dec 7th) that he had signed a few days before then. Brendon was announced on Friday Dec 12th. The team was obviously set up to include them both and only when the 3.00 or 5.00 issue came to light did he find he was 1.81 over the limit instead of .19 under. Somebody had to be let down and you can argue forever which one it should be. In the end issue he has to decide what is best for the team and it was probably a toss up between Johnson and Warwick. I would have said Warwick as it would have given him 5.2 points to find a replacement instead of 4.5,

On the other hand there does not appear to be many available riders on either of those gradings so perhaps it was better to keep Warwick and not be too far under the 36 limit.

 

As Martin said, he made a mistake and I have little doubt that every promoter has made one(or more)at some time with the rather cumbersome and very confusing rule book which has led to constant debates, misunderstanding and interpretation on this very forum over the years.

 

I suppose it is inevitable that those charming people who have conducted something like a hate campaign against the family and the club over the years will continue regardless of a change in personalities.

 

What sad lives they must live.

[Ben91]

 

There is a slight difference now, in that if rider control allocated a rider that rider had to go where allocated, these days we still have cheque book Speedway, a rider will go where he is offered the best deal as an example.

 

1. Rider is offered 2 deals, one by a North Western Elite Team for £1000 per meeting, the 2nd deal is offered by a Southern Elite Team of £1250 per meeting, which deal would you choose ?. I would have thought Cheque book Speedway has always been around, even now in the NL as the Team i have followed are allegedly paying far and away above the norm in points money.

Points limits does NOT stop Cheque book Speedway, it only allows a fairer spread of riders.

 

The way I read Gustix's post it looked as if he was saying the points limit is helping the decline of the sport now.

 

Of course the teams who offer more money can afford the pick of the riders, the points limit means they can't have the monopoly which is in no way a bad thing.

[greyhoundp]

The way I read Gustix's post it looked as if he was saying the points limit is helping the decline of the sport now.

 

Of course the teams who offer more money can afford the pick of the riders, the points limit means they can't have the monopoly which is in no way a bad thing.

 

 

I would have though there are two things helping to do with the decline of the Sport, i have read many times on here that points limits are the bane of all evil, I will say straight away i am no great fan of them.

 

However take them away and what are we left with ?, some suggest a free for all, okay lets take Poole everyones favourite topic; they are argueably British Speedways top Team, and announce a Team of Ward, Holder, Hancock Tai, Doyle, Garrity and Auty how long could Poole feasibly keep that Team together, i would suggest 1 season only then they would be bankrupt.

Or for the NL which is this Topic; Ellis, Clegg, Greaves, Morley, Halsey, Perks and Wotsisname its a similar situation to Poole though maybe the Heathens wouldnt be bankrupt due to the lower payments, the crowd would certainly drop off due to one sided meetings.

 

So though most people dont like points limits its probably the best system we have to balance Teams out ( within sensible budgets) and keep meetings competitive without bankrupting most Teams. What we have is a Sport that struggles to balance its books, and cannot any longer afford to have World Class riders in every Team.

 

The second item thats killing Speedway in the UK is ever increasing rider equipment costs, when we have a loaf of bread (crowds) continually getting smaller, and the riders asking for more and more from that loaf, we are slowly going to starve, and thats where Speedway is right now.

Take away Sky money and there wouldnt be an Elite League.

[foamfence]

 

 

I would have though there are two things helping to do with the decline of the Sport, i have read many times on here that points limits are the bane of all evil, I will say straight away i am no great fan of them.

 

However take them away and what are we left with ?, some suggest a free for all, okay lets take Poole everyones favourite topic; they are argueably British Speedways top Team, and announce a Team of Ward, Holder, Hancock Tai, Doyle, Garrity and Auty how long could Poole feasibly keep that Team together, i would suggest 1 season only then they would be bankrupt.

Or for the NL which is this Topic; Ellis, Clegg, Greaves, Morley, Halsey, Perks and Wotsisname its a similar situation to Poole though maybe the Heathens wouldnt be bankrupt due to the lower payments, the crowd would certainly drop off due to one sided meetings.

 

So though most people dont like points limits its probably the best system we have to balance Teams out ( within sensible budgets) and keep meetings competitive without bankrupting most Teams. What we have is a Sport that struggles to balance its books, and cannot any longer afford to have World Class riders in every Team.

 

The second item thats killing Speedway in the UK is ever increasing rider equipment costs, when we have a loaf of bread (crowds) continually getting smaller, and the riders asking for more and more from that loaf, we are slowly going to starve, and thats where Speedway is right now.

Take away Sky money and there wouldnt be an Elite League.

i always thought that an idea would be to have all overseas applicants directed to specific clubs to bolster them as needed, they would actually be employed by the speedway authorities and could be moved around as required, during the off season. As things are, overseas riders seem to indirectly control much of what goes on here, as fixtures and averages are manipulated to accommodate them, they should have to agree to fit in or be refused. You might get a reduction in team strengths at first but it would soon become unnoticeable. You are right about costs and it needs some brave (and even breakaway) moves to address that.

[Halifaxtiger]

As Martin said, he made a mistake and I have little doubt that every promoter has made one(or more)at some time with the rather cumbersome and very confusing rule book which has led to constant debates, misunderstanding and interpretation on this very forum over the years.

 

 

This is the rule:

 

.8 RIDERS MATCH AVERAGES (see SR 16.2 for Definitions) and GRADINGS

19.8.1 Riders new to National League racing will be given an assessed MA of 3.00

19.8.1.1 Riders qualifying by UK Patriality will be given an assessed MA of 5.00

19.8.1.2 Where a Rider has both a previous PL & NL MA, the highest will apply.

19.8.1.3 Where Riders transfer between Leagues, a conversion is necessary; from PL to NL = divide

by 0.6 (subject to the minimum / maximum converted MA’s being 3.00 / 12.00.

 

Can someone tell me how difficult it is to work out what average a rider with UK patriality will come in on ?

 

It is genuinely frightening that a British speedway promoter either doesn't have a rule book, can't or hasn't read it or can make a 'mistake' about something so blindingly obvious.

Edited February 4, 2015 by Halifaxtiger

[Michael Ceglio]

Maybe he thought he was able to get a UK passport then couldn't get one with current visa problems?

[Jonny the spud]

Just wondered if anyone else has seen this today? Seems quite clear to me but still a hard on Johnson also along with the Workington mess as well, maybe Johnson wants to join Workington they have a team place going? seems they all make mistakes? at least Dugard has told us the reasons why and cleared the matter up, I also think it was good of them to offer money for parts Johnson also may have paid for, What a jolly nice guy sack him in one hand and in the other let him use the facillity to train, Maybe i should get a bike and learn how to ride and see how many laps i can get it

 

'TOUGH DECISIONS WILL BE MADE'

Wednesday 04 February, 2015

Eastbourne Speedway have admitted they made a mistake when it came to building their first National League team.

 

And that error led to the Eagles releasing Brendan Johnson.

 

Club chairman Martin Dugard said: “We received what we thought was reliable verbal advice that a rider we have yet to announce would come in on a three-point average.

 

“That has proved not to be the case and he will start on an assessed five-point average.

 

“It was our mistake but what I would say is that we are not the first club to be in such a position. Others have seen such things happen much closer to a season starting.”

 

Dugard said the unnamed five-point rider, who Eastbourne have been trailing for a number of years, was “the first name on our team sheet”.

 

He said: “As soon as it was realised that we would not be in the Elite League this year the ball started rolling to sign this rider. We have built our team around him.

 

“He will become an Eastbourne asset and we believe his signing is a game-changer as far as the Eagles are concerned.”

 

The BSPA officially accepted Eastbourne’s application to include the new rider in their team on Monday (February 2).

 

Dugard said: “Until the point that he was allocated a five-point average, both he and Brendan were always set to ride together in the same team.

 

“I have to make decisions that I believe are in the best interests of the club. We couldn’t accommodate both and my decision was to release Brendan.

 

“This is a standalone business. For speedway to continue in the longer term at Arlington, our National League team must be a success both on and off the track.

 

“That means tough decisions must be made and I will not shy away from making them.”

 

Dugard said Brendan Johnson had been told at the time he was released that he is welcome to practise at Arlington pre-season and at the same time an offer had been made to reimburse him for any expenditure on covers and seats that had been personalised for Eastbourne.

 

Kevlars for the Eastbourne team are being provided by the club.

 

Official announcements regarding the remaining team members and the club’s headline sponsor will follow in due course.

 

Eastbourne’s home fixtures begin on Good Friday with a local derby in the National Trophy against Kent.

 

 

kevlars for the team provided by the club …… this is national league we're talking about ?

[catinthehat]

I believe you will find that Connor Dugard opened a sponsorship package where supporters buy the racesuits so it actually doesn't cost the club any money or the riders with the new rules stating that all riders must wear kevlar suits for 2015 (£600.00). So they can put more money into their equipment this season. - Brilliant work from Eastbourne.

[chopper]

kevlars for the team provided by the club this is national league we're talking about ?

Would be good if all teams could have them

Edited February 5, 2015 by chopper

[Blackbird]

This is the rule:

 

.8 RIDERS MATCH AVERAGES (see SR 16.2 for Definitions) and GRADINGS

 

19.8.1.1 Riders qualifying by UK Patriality will be given an assessed MA of 5.00

 

Can someone tell me how difficult it is to work out what average a rider with UK patriality will come in on ?

Good point!

So where does all that old pony about thingmajig-double-barrelled name having had his average upped because he rode in a 'State Championship' (actually twice winner of a National championship!) come in then? That's not a rule at all is it?

[foamfence]

Maybe he thought he was able to get a UK passport then couldn't get one with current visa problems?

The two are entirely separate.

[Michael Ceglio]

Well to be fair to the Dugards they put their hands up and they know they made a mistake but looks like they've resolved it in Richard Andrews! - great signing!