Speedway Agm

[Mark]

Muddllo and Chris Holder are tweeting about the new averages not helping them and that being successful is now penalised. Tough on the Poole guys but had to smile as these moves are to benefit the sport as a whole.

Edited November 7, 2016 by marky

[Fromafar]

I assume the BSPA will release full statement in the near future will all the answers to the queries that confuses us normal punters.(or abnormal as some suggest)

Edited November 7, 2016 by Fromafar

[speedibee]

I wish they would put a halt to that silly Joker feature with double points when a team gets behind. If a team gets behind so be it. I cannot think of another sport that has such a stupid rule. The other change I would like to see instigated is when there is a jumped start a 1 minute warning would be immediately put on with the pit gates kept closed and riders returned immediately to the tapes.

 

The biggest trouble speedway has is that if they cut out all the faffing about, the meetings could be done and dusted in an hour:D

I don't like the double points thing . but there is a need for manoeuvre by team managers , a couple of bad rides and an engine failure should not end your teams chances of winning . so there has to be a way of a struggling team fighting back

[The White Knight]

I don't like the double points thing . but there is a need for manoeuvre by team managers , a couple of bad rides and an engine failure should not end your teams chances of winning . so there has to be a way of a struggling team fighting back

Not really, it's sods Law. One time it would benefit you the next Meeting it might benefit the other Team. It would work out over the Season.

 

As I have said many times, contriving Results will not bring the Punters back. Most will know a 'con' when they see one.

[speedibee]

Not really, it's sods Law. One time it would benefit you the next Meeting it might benefit the other Team. It would work out over the Season.

 

As I have said many times, contriving Results will not bring the Punters back. Most will know a 'con' when they see one.

but in football you have players on the bench who can be brought in if things are not going well , so team managers should not be hogtied by the rules and should be able to use their riders as necessary to win .

[Gresham]

but in football you have players on the bench who can be brought in if things are not going well , so team managers should not be hogtied by the rules and should be able to use their riders as necessary to win .

But when those players come on, they can influence a game to score a goal...but they don't get two.

 

I'm all for tactical Subs...but double points is just plain stupid by most peoples sense.

Edited November 7, 2016 by Gresham

[speedibee]

But when those players come on, they can influence a game to score a goal...but they don't get two.

 

I'm all for tactical Subs...but double points is just plain stupid by most peoples sense.

I'm not an advocate of double points myself , and although I think the reserves should have minimum 3 races . I have no problem with any of the top 5 being replaced at any time ,

[Hobnob Smith]

i think they should go back to the old style TS when 6 pts behind replace a rider normal pts gives team managers room to work and keep meeting alive

with out silly double pts

[Bagpuss]

I would say 90 mins is about right for a speedway meeting, 2 hours max. As for double points, it was only introduced to save money but I'd be in favour of a more controlled tac sub rule instead, ie a certain number (two?) when ten behind and perhaps only up to heat twelve.

[Trees]

I would say 90 mins is about right for a speedway meeting, 2 hours max. As for double points, it was only introduced to save money but I'd be in favour of a more controlled tac sub rule instead, ie a certain number (two?) when ten behind and perhaps only up to heat twelve.

I'd rather no subs at all but a choice of gate positions instead.

[Joe Beevers]

I am at a loss to see what has been done that would encourage an increase in attendances

To be fair, I think every promotion has tried something different from half prices offers, £1 entry, advertising at tourist information, advertising their own business with their own shop in shopping centres, getting children involved in extra events, free gifts, town advertisement boards, websites, leaflets, celebrity turn outs and still speedway has no formula of attracting people.

 

Look at what's around. There is nothing that can be done. It is a minority sport and still I bet half the country don't even know what it is. It's a marmite sport. It is not in our society like it was in the 60s and 70s and those days are long gone. People have so much other choice on a Monday night such as other sports, using media or sitting round the box saving their hard earned.

 

If anyone could come up with ideas to solve it, I am sure the promotions would pay you to get 3-4000 bum on seats every week.

 

The only way I see it happening is a constant hefty admission drop but it is just not viable.

 

Just an honest opinion.

[Gresham]

To be fair, I think every promotion has tried something different from half prices offers, £1 entry, advertising at tourist information, advertising their own business with their own shop in shopping centres, getting children involved in extra events, free gifts, town advertisement boards, websites, leaflets, celebrity turn outs and still speedway has no formula of attracting people.

 

Look at what's around. There is nothing that can be done. It is a minority sport and still I bet half the country don't even know what it is. It's a marmite sport. It is not in our society like it was in the 60s and 70s and those days are long gone. People have so much other choice on a Monday night such as other sports, using media or sitting round the box saving their hard earned.

 

If anyone could come up with ideas to solve it, I am sure the promotions would pay you to get 3-4000 bum on seats every week.

 

The only way I see it happening is a constant hefty admission drop but it is just not viable.

 

Just an honest opinion.

I concur with all of your observations...even if it was free admission, after an initial peak, I believe the great majority would stop coming, just like so many who have paid in the past.

 

Times have moved on and people want and expect more.

 

To have returning fans each week, you need them to get hooked. To actually immerse themselves in the sport and understand it. After a while, watching four blokes going round in circles gets boring, unless you actually immerse yourself in the finer details.

 

Speedway is so confusing and different to pretty much all other sports.

 

The majority of Clubs don't own their 'stadiums'.

 

Many tracks are not purpose built and just fit around something else, which isn't condusive to good racing.

 

Apart from the racing, entertainment has pretty much been neglected.

 

Offering chips and hot dogs doesn't cut it these days.

 

Higher end hospitality is very poor standard... any potential sponsors with money would expect better.

 

Then you have the problem of rain off's...we live in a Country where it rains a lot. How Clubs expect people to keep wasting their money and keep an interest is beyond me. I can't think of one motor sport that's effected by the weather so much.

 

Speedway is confusing to the newcomer...it's neither a team sport or an individual sport.

 

You have teams with riders who all ride for other teams. Those riders also provide their own machinery. Those teams are also effected by what a rider is doing in 'individual' events. You now have 'Red Bull' teams and 'JAWA' teams etc...like in Road racing...I could go on....the sport is so mixed up, it has no idea which way it's going... it's mental.

 

Even if you do get interested and hooked...you end up frustrated, because everything you read is so negative. Read this, the star, social media, and it's just a raft of negativity and problems.

 

Speedway imo, needs a complete overhaul...it needs to forget some certain traditions and start again. Either become an Individual sport...or purely a team sport. Or....make it so that riders can only be in one 'code'.

[Humphrey Appleby]

Speedway is so confusing and different to pretty much all other sports.

 

Speedway is confusing to the newcomer...it's neither a team sport or an individual sport.

 

You have teams with riders who all ride for other teams. Those riders also provide their own machinery. Those teams are also effected by what a rider is doing in 'individual' events. You now have 'Red Bull' teams and 'JAWA' teams etc...like in Road racing...I could go on....the sport is so mixed up, it has no idea which way it's going... it's mental.

 

Either become an Individual sport...or purely a team sport. Or....make it so that riders can only be in one 'code'.

Whilst I agree with many your points, I don't really think there's a inherent problem in it being a team/individual multi-format thing. I don't have much interest in individual racing and I think it's bad for long-term continuity. It's okay occasionally though, provided the riders still have links to teams.

 

Being able to watch a league match, 4TT, pairs or whatever was part of the appeal for me and is what originally made speedway more interesting over others. In addition, whilst the sport can be watched at a simple level (4 riders 4 laps), the multiple levels of complexity also add intrigue once you've got beyond that.

 

You can draw parallels with cricket which is a much more popular sport globally. It's simple at a basic level, but you spend a lifetime learning the nuances if you want. And it has multiple formats as well - T20, ODIs and Test matches - all played in different ways. There's even an individual format - single wicket cricket - which is almost unheard of nowadays but which every kid has played and which used to be popular professionally.

 

Yes, riders competing for different teams (and the SGP/SEC) isn't ideal, but it's currently necessary because of economic realities. Furthermore, even cricketers are now competing in multiple T20 competitions, and even years ago would overwinter playing in Australia, South Africa or wherever.

 

I don't think the corporate team idea is such a great development, but it's hardly unknown in other forms of motor racing, cycling or even football in some places. And don't tennis players use their own equipment?

[IronScorpion]

I have a new take on the new Brit ruling, even though my previous post of my interpretation was genuine, the wording of the rule & subsequent tweets are ambiguous.

The ruling could have said " All British riders new to the Championship will start on a new minimum assessed 2. Any rider from 2016 who is still assessed at 3 will be amended to their true average (Bailey 2.05, Greaves 2.32, etc) but not lower than the minimum of 2."

[SteveLyric2]

Has there been anything official about what the Prem team building limit will be after the first set of rider averages (May 1st??)

[waiheke1]

No. But logically it should be 43 for both formats, with riders based in green sheets for respective leagues.

The "one average" concept imo should apply only to 2018 team building.

[SteveLyric2]

So whether it remains the same or is reduced to say 43, after riders have attained 'real' averages, then any replacement rider - especially any new or previous foreign rider - would come in on their previous actual average - assessed or 'real' rather than inflated?!

Edited November 9, 2016 by Skidder1

[waiheke1]

So whether it remains the same or is reduced to say 43, after riders have attained 'real' averages, then any replacement rider - especially any new or previous foreign rider - would come in on their previous actual average - assessed or 'real' rather than inflated?!

I would say an El rider should come in on 1.2. to reflect that averages will bl have dropped overall by 15%. There would be an argument that pl averages should be converted at 0.85. But I don't have faith in the powers that be having reached the same conclusion...

[SteveLyric2]

Maybe we can hope for a bit more 'meat on the bones' in this week's Speedway Star?!

 

Although I'm fairly sure after previous AGMs the promoters have had a 2-3 week window to fully consider all the proposed new rules and consider any major issues - ie look at a number of scenarios that they couldn't do in depth at the 2-day AGM and reconsider those proposals before they are rubberstamped by the MC and SCB?!

[Skid Sprocket]

Maybe we can hope for a bit more 'meat on the bones' in this week's Speedway Star?!

 

Although I'm fairly sure after previous AGMs the promoters have had a 2-3 week window to fully consider all the proposed new rules and consider any major issues - ie look at a number of scenarios that they couldn't do in depth at the 2-day AGM and reconsider those proposals before they are rubberstamped by the MC and SCB?!

 

Maybe even trawled through these pages to see where they went wrong