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Drawn Out Meetings


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I went to Birmingham BMX track today to watch a great nephew taking part in a BMX meeting .. I will certainly never complain about drawn out speedway meetings again , there is so much messing about and so little action it's absolutely ridicilous , in the space of 2. 1/2 hours they managed to run no more that twelve 40 second races , wont be going again for sure and after a further 30 minute delay was pencilled in before the Finals . I left

 

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Sounds like Tony Steele was in charge!

They did have something which i think , speedway could use ,, a smartphone app , to keep the competitors up to speed as to races scores etc , a sort of auto updating program . with added features

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Seriously, though, I have seen my share of drawn out matches. My love of standing there, or even watching at home, for hour upon hour have long since gone. Times change, and no longer do I sit in my living room, watching a live GP for three hours or more, just cos it's live. If I wish to watch, I'll record and then just watch the main feature.

 

I think TV speedway should do away with the live stuff and just show the highlights in an edited programme. Much better that way.

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Seriously, though, I have seen my share of drawn out matches. My love of standing there, or even watching at home, for hour upon hour have long since gone. Times change, and no longer do I sit in my living room, watching a live GP for three hours or more, just cos it's live. If I wish to watch, I'll record and then just watch the main feature.

 

I think TV speedway should do away with the live stuff and just show the highlights in an edited programme. Much better that way.

The only problem with that is:

 

In some Meetings - there aren't any. :sad: :sad: :sad:

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I went to Birmingham BMX track today to watch a great nephew taking part in a BMX meeting .. I will certainly never complain about drawn out speedway meetings again , there is so much messing about and so little action it's absolutely ridicilous , in the space of 2. 1/2 hours they managed to run no more that twelve 40 second races , wont be going again for sure and after a further 30 minute delay was pencilled in before the Finals . I left

 

Nearly as bad as Swindon-Poole over a month ago...left after heat 11,( first time I've ever left before the end), had been stood there for 3 hours for 12 minutes of racing! Haven't returned since. 3 Swindon riders were taken to hospital, meeting was eventually abandoned through lack of medical cover. Have better things to spend my hard-earned dosh on. And probably a few of the 2500 crowd thought the same. The ref Robinson didn't help matters constantly stopping races with belated red-light decisions. Pants!

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This is one of the reasons, although not the most important, why I have stopped attending. Unfortunately my local track think that with the tension and excitement mounting with just 3 heats to go, they will let things go flat by having an interval after heat 12. The worst case was the end of last season when it was a cold night, their was a couple of R/R's, which resulted in many extra 2 minutes for riders doing two on the trot. The meeting had dragged on a bit, but it was still announced an interval after heat 12. Everybody around me said the same, why can't they just get on with the match. You have to stand around watching tractors after heat 12 and then another delay two heats later while they work out who is in heat 15.

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Seriously, though, I have seen my share of drawn out matches. My love of standing there, or even watching at home, for hour upon hour have long since gone. Times change, and no longer do I sit in my living room, watching a live GP for three hours or more, just cos it's live. If I wish to watch, I'll record and then just watch the main feature.

 

I think TV speedway should do away with the live stuff and just show the highlights in an edited programme. Much better that way.

 

Really? You must share that with everyone on the forum one day...

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This is one of the reasons, although not the most important, why I have stopped attending. Unfortunately my local track think that with the tension and excitement mounting with just 3 heats to go, they will let things go flat by having an interval after heat 12. The worst case was the end of last season when it was a cold night, their was a couple of R/R's, which resulted in many extra 2 minutes for riders doing two on the trot. The meeting had dragged on a bit, but it was still announced an interval after heat 12. Everybody around me said the same, why can't they just get on with the match. You have to stand around watching tractors after heat 12 and then another delay two heats later while they work out who is in heat 15.

 

Agreed. Complete, total and utter waste of time. In fact, I don't know anyone - and that apparently includes the riders - who actually likes them.

 

Some delays are inevitable - 2 minutes for doing two on the trot, for example. But I sincerely believe that a lot are entirely preventable - you don't have long delays for injuries at Newcastle and Plymouth because they have two paramedics and two ambulances. Costs more, but what cost having your fans standing around (in some cases for hours) on a cold night ?.

 

Sometimes I really believe that promotions don't realise just how damaging drawn out meetings are. They are, disastrously so.

Edited by Halifaxtiger
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......Halifaxtiger......Sometimes I really believe that promotions don't realise just how damaging drawn out meetings are. They are, disastrously so.

 

They obviously don't but it's time they got the message. The last away match I attended was Kings Lynn v Coventry and I won't be in a hurry to go back for the 'B' fixture. 40 minute delay waiting for the sun to go down - okay that's reasonable but if it's a regular problem why not start at 8pm instead of 7.30pm? Standing around in a bitterly cold wind was not much fun. Heat 11 Iverson took out Chris and Danny on the 1st bend so the race needed to be re-run but not before the 2 Bees riders sorted out their damaged machinery. So why not bring the interval forward one heat to have it during the delay? But no we have to wait and then have an interval after the next heat. Drives me mad all this messing around. Just get on with it! 15 heats - no interval to keep the match flowing. :mad:

Edited by Gemini
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I was at a meeting at Birmingham last year and due to the threat of the rain the meeting finished at 8:40 from a 7:30 start. Some delays in a meeting are inevitable but imo there is no reason why a meeting should run any longer than 90 minutes with a 10 minute interval included. Grand Prix's are the exception as I think that you are there for the event rather just than the racing but when you are standing on the terraces for a league meeting its a different story. I know he may not have been the most popular referee but Fast Fingered Frank Ebdon used to be my favourite ref at least you knew the meeting would flow by how quickly he used to put the 2 minutes on.

Edited by perkdon
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I was at a meeting at Birmingham last year and due to the threat of the rain the meeting finished at 8:40 from a 7:30 start. Some delays in a meeting are inevitable but imo there is no reason why a meeting should run any longer than 90 minutes with a 10 minute interval included. Grand Prix's are the exception as I think that you are there for the event rather just than the racing but when you are standing on the terraces for a league meeting its a different story. I know he may not have been the most popular referee but Fast Fingered Frank Ebdon used to be my favourite ref at least you knew the meeting would flow by how quickly he used to put the 2 minutes on.

Coventry run 10 heats in a little over 45 minutes Friday (before deciding it had got to wet) - it was a little rushed and not ideal but it did show you could run a meeting could be run a lot quicker and most of the delays are not necessary. an hour and a half should be promoters aim, maybe 10-15 minutes more but never anything longer than an hour and 3/4.

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They obviously don't but it's time they got the message. The last away match I attended was Kings Lynn v Coventry and I won't be in a hurry to go back for the 'B' fixture. 40 minute delay waiting for the sun to go down - okay that's reasonable but if it's a regular problem why not start at 8pm instead of 7.30pm? Standing around in a bitterly cold wind was not much fun. Heat 11 Iverson took out Chris and Danny on the 1st bend so the race needed to be re-run but not before the 2 Bees riders sorted out their damaged machinery. So why not bring the interval forward one heat to have it during the delay? But no we have to wait and then have an interval after the next heat. Drives me mad all this messing around. Just get on with it! 15 heats - no interval to keep the match flowing. :mad:

All that can be summed up in one word, organisation!. Not something speedway is recognised as being good at unfortunately. ;)

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Nearly as bad as Swindon-Poole over a month ago...left after heat 11,( first time I've ever left before the end), had been stood there for 3 hours for 12 minutes of racing! Haven't returned since. 3 Swindon riders were taken to hospital, meeting was eventually abandoned through lack of medical cover. Have better things to spend my hard-earned dosh on. And probably a few of the 2500 crowd thought the same. The ref Robinson didn't help matters constantly stopping races with belated red-light decisions. Pants!

at least you could see some reason for the delays . my BMX experience was just delay for the sake of it ..

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