Letter In This Weeks Speedway Star

[SCB]

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It's all about impression and if they don't give a toss about the toilets then maybe the rest is pretty poor too.

It's odd. As I'd have said one thing speedway promoters are very good at is taking the piss.

[LionsDen]

I was involved in the campaign to get Leicester back and went to each meeting that first year. I spoke with many, many visitors at that time who were either returning after 28 years away from the sport or were simply excited about having another Leicester sporting team to follow and keen to see the sport for themselves.

 

Sadly, so many of those tried it once, or even a few times, and then didn't come back. Even though they compare favourably to some tracks, Leicester's crowds aren't anywhere near what was expected in the original business plan. The most common thing I heard from those people was this... it's boring and not worth the money. Leicester is the perfect example of where a stadium (albeit one comprised of two tented stands and numerous portacabins) was put above the track. That was one reason, the racing was rubbish. The other thing that made it boring and was constantly moaned about were the long delays between the action, especially the endless laps by tractors, something experienced virtually everywhere as we all know.

 

People new to the sport, which is what speedway is crying out for just now, need to be convinced by the spectacle in order to consider spending their money on becoming a regular attendee. To see every stoppage accompanied by returns to the pits, referees who don't bother with using 2 minute warnings, lengthy track grades after every 3/4 heats, and so on. It all combines to make meetings drag on forever. Speedway should be fast, exciting and get the adrenaline flowing. It's capable of that but all too often we're stood around getting bored with nothing to watch other than a tractor going round. Throw in the constant team changes that remove any chance of continuity and affinity with your own team, the double points rule, the guest rule, rider replacement and the constant need to cross things out and re-write half your racecard and it all adds up to a product that simply doesn't attract people in the kind of numbers the sport needs to survive financially.

Surely it's not that difficult for the custodians of our sport to get right these basics, and think about what kind of product they're trying to sell to the wider public, and most of the above can be done without spending the aforementioned vast sums of money on new stadia. Sadly though, that appears to be exactly the case. I for one get extremely frustrated when I hear certain promoters speak utter nonsense in trying to convince the world at large that everything's great at their particular track. They talk the talk but then sit steadfastly on their backsides whilst the sport declines with each passing year as existing fans reduce in number and promoters do nothing to encourage new ones by making speedway meetings something that people want to buy.

Edited October 20, 2014 by LionsDen

[Shale Searcher]

I was involved in the campaign to get Leicester back and went to each meeting that first year. I spoke with many, many visitors at that time who were either returning after 28 years away from the sport or were simply excited about having another Leicester sporting team to follow and keen to see the sport for themselves.

 

Sadly, so many of those tried it once, or even a few times, and then didn't come back. Even though they compare favourably to some tracks, Leicester's crowds aren't anywhere near what was expected in the original business plan. The most common thing I heard from those people was this... it's boring and not worth the money. Leicester is the perfect example of where a stadium (albeit one comprised of two tented stands and numerous portacabins) was put above the track. That was one reason, the racing was rubbish. The other thing that made it boring and was constantly moaned about were the long delays between the action, especially the endless laps by tractors, something experienced virtually everywhere as we all know.

 

People new to the sport, which is what speedway is crying out for just now, need to be convinced by the spectacle in order to consider spending their money on becoming a regular attendee. To see every stoppage accompanied by returns to the pits, referees who don't bother with using 2 minute warnings, lengthy track grades after every 3/4 heats, and so on. It all combines to make meetings drag on forever. Speedway should be fast, exciting and get the adrenaline flowing. It's capable of that but all too often we're stood around getting bored with nothing to watch other than a tractor going round. Throw in the constant team changes that remove any chance of continuity and affinity with your own team, the double points rule, the guest rule, rider replacement and the constant need to cross things out and re-write half your racecard and it all adds up to a product that simply doesn't attract people in the kind of numbers the sport needs to survive financially.

 

Surely it's not that difficult for the custodians of our sport to get right these basics, and think about what kind of product they're trying to sell to the wider public, and most of the above can be done without spending the aforementioned vast sums of money on new stadia. Sadly though, that appears to be exactly the case. I for one get extremely frustrated when I hear certain promoters speak utter nonsense in trying to convince the world at large that everything's great at their particular track. They talk the talk but then sit steadfastly on their backsides whilst the sport declines with each passing year as existing fans reduce in number and promoters do nothing to encourage new ones by making speedway meetings something that people want to buy.

 

All this clatter about grading, in the "good ole days" see what I did there....

grading by tractor and by rakers was after EVERY race, not after 4,7, 10 and 14!! So grading is not new, just why is it a problem now.......?

[Trees]

Perhaps the promoters and riders don't make it clear how important grading is?

I'd like to see more in the hope of better racing and less falls which are caused by the build up of material on the outside of tracks/near the kickboards!

Edited October 20, 2014 by Trees

[moxey63]

Don't think Sky shows enough live grading, to be honest. Remember one meeting at Belle Vue, wait for it, when the tractor actually broke down in the middle of the track. My oh my, how we laughed. Worth the admission alone, even if we missed the last bus home and had to sleep in the depot.

[SCB]

Don't think Sky shows enough live grading, to be honest. Remember one meeting at Belle Vue, wait for it, when the tractor actually broke down in the middle of the track. My oh my, how we laughed. Worth the admission alone, even if we missed the last bus home and had to sleep in the depot.

That nothing. At Newport we had a tractor smash though the fence and another time the tractor and water bowser crashed and nobody was excluded either time!

[Trees]

Now read this letter, after receiving my second hand Star off a mate :-) An interesting read from a guy involved on the inside for the first time this year. He should write a list for Buster to take to the Conference and perhaps the Promoters will consider his points, even if they poopoo what he has to say it will stay with them and they may reconsider at the end of the day! Good on ya David!!!!