SCB Posted March 26, 2017 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 .... is that is killing the sport. Meetings should take between 90 minutes and 2 hours to run, seriously, sort it out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The White Knight Posted March 26, 2017 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 .... is that is killing the sport. Meetings should take between 90 minutes and 2 hours to run, seriously, sort it out! Where was this SCB? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulco Posted March 26, 2017 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 Where was this SCB? The Simon Lambert testimonial today . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The White Knight Posted March 26, 2017 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 The Simon Lambert testimonial today . AAhh right. Thanks very much Paulco. A ridiculous time for a Meeting that. :nono: I reckon, if it was cold, I would have left before the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCB Posted March 26, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 Where was this SCB? Anywhere. Been to a few of them over the years and I see its come up again today at Simon Lamberts testimonial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulco Posted March 26, 2017 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 AAhh right. Thanks very much Paulco. A ridiculous time for a Meeting that. :nono: I reckon, if it was cold, I would have left before the end. To be fair , there were some crashes . Plus testimonials are dreadful meetings to watch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The White Knight Posted March 26, 2017 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 To be fair , there were some crashes . Plus testimonials are dreadful meetings to watch Yes. Fair comment Paulco. I take your point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Star Lady Posted March 26, 2017 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 Aren't testimonials run by a committee? Never a plan for brevity, however well intentioned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulco Posted March 26, 2017 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 Aren't testimonials run by a committee? Never a plan for brevity, however well intentioned. They probably are , but unless you are a big fan of the particular rider , they're a no-no for the discerning speedway fan . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ouch Posted March 26, 2017 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 Belle Vue are very quick with meetings, 90mins tops with one Colts match last year being run in under an hour. Buster does seem to take an age with meetings but after the U21 farce I thought he'd do everything to prevent this and keep the fans happy. Guess not. Great shame. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G the Bee Posted March 26, 2017 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 (edited) This is one of speedway's biggest problems. I've posted this before, but it's worth bringing up again. For years I tried to get my son into the sport, but the fact is, he's bored to tears by heat 4. Why? Because in about half an hour, he's seen about 4 minutes of action. It's why speedway simply cannot attract a younger audience. The modern generation expect entertainment instantly. They need something going on in front of them all of the time. The world has changed hugely in the last 20 years but the sport is stuck in the 1970s in terms of what it thinks constitutes an acceptable standard of entertainment. Every speedway meeting should have 20 heats, with the aim of having them all done and dusted in about an hour and a half. The whole way the meeting is run should be with the aim of giving the supporter as little 'down time' as possible. The riders should have 30 seconds after a race to exit the track, which is still ample time for the winning rider to pop a few wheelies to entertain the fans. The two minute time allowance should be halved. After this time, the one-minute time allowance for the next heat would be sounded. At the end of the one-minute, the start marshal needs to be able to signal to the referee to put on the green light. Any rider causing the start marshal to be unable to do this would be excluded and fined. Unsatisfactory starts for rolling would be more heavily penalised. Instant exclusion and a fine for the rider deemed to be moving before tapes up. If a rider knew rolling would hit them in the pocket with a double-whammy, they would all stop doing it. Riders should never be allowed to return to the pits. Even in the event of a delay for a fall, the riders not involved in the fall should have to wait on the centre green until the re-run. Riders should not be given as much time as they are currently given to get themselves ready after a fall. Far too often I see a rider get up, walk back to the pits and then take an age to get ready for the next heat. If their preferred bike is damaged, clogged up with shale, got bent bars etc, tough luck. Use your spare. Strictly timed brief grading intervals after heats 5, 10 and 15. These would replace the traditional interval at heat 10/12. Referees need to be tougher. They are in charge of the meeting, not the riders. We're in the entertainment business. It's about time the riders and promoters started to realise that, because I honestly think very few of them actually do. Edited March 26, 2017 by G the Bee 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCB Posted March 26, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 This is one of speedway's biggest problems. I've posted this before, but it's worth bringing up again. It long been a pet hate of mine but these days, working 2 hours from the nearest speedway tracks (taking into account traffic conditions) the last thing I want after having been in work all day is to get to a track, eat a manky burger that just cost £5-6 and then stand around for 2+ hours knowing I have to travel home another hour or more after the meeting. It just puts me off attending. They can't do anything about how far I work from a track and there probably very little they can do about the crap food on offer but they could get meetings over in a timely fashion so I can be home at a semi reasonable time so I can eat when I get home. If it irks me, how much does it annoy and put off kids and far more casual fans that me? That said, I am only a causal fan these days, they need to be asking why. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trees Posted March 26, 2017 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 Yes it went on a bit but we had a few falls, we had junior races, presentations to riders and committee, interviews with Kings Lynn legends as well as 23 heats of senior races. Testimonials are not meetings to be rushed through, they should be to celebrate a rider's 10 years with a club as they see fit ...... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityrebel Posted March 26, 2017 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 Fair point, and that's the reason I don't go to testimonials. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The White Knight Posted March 26, 2017 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 Yes it went on a bit but we had a few falls, we had junior races, presentations to riders and committee, interviews with Kings Lynn legends as well as 23 heats of senior races. Testimonials are not meetings to be rushed through, they should be to celebrate a rider's 10 years with a club as they see fit ...... I agree to a point - but - FOUR HOURS is ridiculous. Allowing for the 'extras' at a Testimonial Meeting - I reckon two and a half to three hours with three hours being the absolute limit. You are right when you say that you have to consider the Rider whose Testimonial is being celebrated - but surely you should consider the paying public too. Without them - it wouldn't be much of a Testimonial. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trees Posted March 26, 2017 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 I'm sure they did, I wasn't particularly watching my watch, just had a laugh in between heats, spoke to people I haven't seen since last season, read the prog, contemplated the heats, etc etc .... I guess I must be a little odd just being glad to be back watching speedway ;D 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemini Posted March 26, 2017 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 Fair point, and that's the reason I don't go to testimonials. They don't interest me either but I did make an exception for the Chris Harris one last season and very enjoyable it was too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehone Posted March 26, 2017 Report Share Posted March 26, 2017 Testimonials always take longer than a regular meeting, lots of presentations and interviews, lots of extra photos, support races etc, so it was expected. I saw some good racing today though, so came home happy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bagpuss Posted March 27, 2017 Report Share Posted March 27, 2017 I think the main problem yesterday was the first heat wasn't completed until 45 minutes after the start time. Of course testimonials are different but bearing in mind there were 27 heats yesterday it probably should have been a bit slicker in its running. Different people will have different opinions of course but I'd say that three hours ought to be the absolute maximum for a meeting of this kind and two for a regular team match. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halifaxtiger Posted March 27, 2017 Report Share Posted March 27, 2017 It long been a pet hate of mine but these days, working 2 hours from the nearest speedway tracks (taking into account traffic conditions) the last thing I want after having been in work all day is to get to a track, eat a manky burger that just cost £5-6 and then stand around for 2+ hours knowing I have to travel home another hour or more after the meeting. It just puts me off attending. They can't do anything about how far I work from a track and there probably very little they can do about the crap food on offer but they could get meetings over in a timely fashion so I can be home at a semi reasonable time so I can eat when I get home. If it irks me, how much does it annoy and put off kids and far more casual fans that me? That said, I am only a causal fan these days, they need to be asking why. Unnecessary delay annoys everyone. Standing at Ipswich on Saturday the lads I was with all complained about the interval, all the more so because it was a cold night. Scunthorpe rarely have a meeting that takes longer than 90 minutes because they get on with it - I have even heard Rob Godfrey tell the referee to put the 2 minutes on - and have no interval. No reason why everyone else can't do the same. As to food, get Mr Anderson to supply it. The burgers and pies at Berwick are amazing. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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