What Went Wrong?

[cowboy cookie returns?]

Hi

 

First off sorry I'm sure this has been asked & covered many times however I will ask the question.

 

My first season of watching speedway was 1989 so I missed the golden years of the early 1980's.

However being off work for a few weeks I have found some of the racing from the late 1970's & early to mid 1980's interesting to watch.

One of the big things that struck me was the amount of movement at the starts this I think seems to add something to proceedings.

 

However the question is having just watched the complete 1981 World Final from Wembley how did the sport in the Uk go from 93500 people packed into Wembley to its present state?

 

[Ray Stadia]

For one reason, we had riders like Bruce Penhall.

[steve roberts]

Difficult to know where to start really!

[teaboy279]

Tbf we still get close to 40,000 at Cardiff, and that does not reflect back to league racing. So whilst there was 90,000 plus, how many of them went weekly to their local team.

I honestly feel if we had a world championship level meeting in one of Londons big stadiums it would be close to a sell out.

[Shrimmy]

Tbf we still get close to 40,000 at Cardiff, and that does not reflect back to league racing. So whilst there was 90,000 plus, how many of them went weekly to their local team.

I honestly feel if we had a world championship level meeting in one of Londons big stadiums it would be close to a sell out.

Haha...really

Edited April 7, 2017 by Shrimmy

[lucifer sam]

Hi

 

First off sorry I'm sure this has been asked & covered many times however I will ask the question.

 

My first season of watching speedway was 1989 so I missed the golden years of the early 1980's.

However being off work for a few weeks I have found some of the racing from the late 1970's & early to mid 1980's interesting to watch.

One of the big things that struck me was the amount of movement at the starts this I think seems to add something to proceedings.

 

However the question is having just watched the complete 1981 World Final from Wembley how did the sport in the Uk go from 93500 people packed into Wembley to its present state?

 

 

There were actually around 70,000 of us at Wembley in 1981 - it wasn't a sell-out. Certainly not 93,500 - that was above the capacity of the stadium at the time

 

No final after 1952 was a complete sell-out.

 

But yes, the sport has shifted back a couple of gears since 1981.

 

All the best

Rob

Edited April 7, 2017 by lucifer sam

[waytogo28]

What went wrong is that over the last twenty years or so the majority of promoters have adopted a head in the sand attitude and never ever thought about developing the sport in the way that fans wanted to see it being run. I heard in the past that a number of promoters said " we have always done it like that and that's OK". Clearly it is not if nearly all tracks are slipping towards average crowds in three figures and not four! What is on sale regularly now is 5 mins of thrilling passing ( if you are lucky i.e. five heats ) 10 mins of processional heats - all taking two to three hours to happen. No mystery about why few new fans are attracted and retained. Modern bikes make the first away, wins an even more of a certainty. If the BSPA want the sport to survive in some professional form they need to listen to and respond to fan's feedback. I can hear Roy Orbison singing THAT song - " It's Over".

[The White Knight]

 

There were actually around 70,000 of us at Wembley in 1981 - it wasn't a sell-out. Certainly not 93,500 - that was above the capacity of the stadium at the time

 

No final after 1952 was a complete sell-out.

 

But yes, the sport has shifted back a couple of gears since 1981.

 

All the best

Rob

Does anyone know the actual Gate at the 1972 World Final please.

 

Just out of intertest.

[lucifer sam]

Does anyone know the actual Gate at the 1972 World Final please.

 

Just out of intertest.

 

It's around the 70,000 mark for the majority of the latter finals. I think 1978 was the largest - that was not far from capacity.

 

I'm trying to recall where the article about it was...

 

It was quite interesting that only four post-war finals (1949-1952) were complete sell-outs.

 

All the best

Rob

[The White Knight]

 

It's around the 70,000 mark for the majority of the latter finals. I think 1978 was the largest - that was not far from capacity.

 

I'm trying to recall where the article about it was...

 

It was quite interesting that only four post-war finals (1949-1952) were complete sell-outs.

 

All the best

Rob

Cheers Rob. :approve:

[SCB]

The sport refused to evolve and when it did the old folk cried, "but its always been done like that, we don't like change" so they reverted back to the old way. Then they wondered why the sport had started dying whne it had done nothing in terms of presentation to drag it along to modern times.

[ruffdiamond]

For one reason, we had riders like Bruce Penhall.

 

have to agree, he definitely put me off speedway a bit

[martinmauger]

Nutshell: each time speedway shoots itself in the foot it loses people, often never to return; newbies and eventually the die-hards. One example (name delated) a club opened to a crowd of near 9,000 but various fall- outs, late meeting call offs, electrical failures, meets cancelled late, 'rain offs' on sunny days, people admitted on wet nites then "sorry folk, but the weather has beaten us" - newbies don't get the 'readmission after 9 heats or whatever' rule, etc, etc. Well eventually the club ends up performing before 600 people. OK, the afore-mentioned situations can occur any time but in real terms the club in question (name still deleted) 'lost' over 8,000 in 20 years or so. The answer: I'd be rich beyond my wildest dreams if I knew it. Just my 2p worth....

Edited April 7, 2017 by Martin Mauger

[Starman2006]

 

 

 

There were actually around 70,000 of us at Wembley in 1981 - it wasn't a sell-out. Certainly not 93,500 - that was above the capacity of the stadium at the time

 

No final after 1952 was a complete sell-out.

 

But yes, the sport has shifted back a couple of gears since 1981.

 

All the best

Rob

A couple of gears, its almost in reverse..

Edited April 7, 2017 by Starman2006

[Ray Stadia]

The sport refused to evolve and when it did the old folk cried, "but its always been done like that, we don't like change" so they reverted back to the old way. Then they wondered why the sport had started dying whne it had done nothing in terms of presentation to drag it along to modern times.

To be fair, 'old folk' (like me) were not keen on dirt deflectors, laid down engines, the GP world championship system, but they happened and still speedway struggles. What changes has speedway tried to implement, but reverted back to the 'old ways'? (Scratching my head!)

[moxey63]

What has changed is that Grand Prix racing has become more important than the league, whereas back in 1981 it was the other way and riders put in a good shift for their respective teams before starting on the road to world title gold. You could go to a match, see your local side that you'd travel home and away to watch, because they were your boys. You'd even travel miles to see one of your boys in a world championship meeting, even an open meeting somewhere. They were a member of your team, they pulled in your direction as a unit, so it was only right - it felt right - to support them when they went all individual. Only a handful of riders back in 1981 expected title gold... but the GPs, most are battling to either win, gain rostrum spots, or just qualify for next year. It takes so much energy, league racing isn't the goal. It is a full season, not the one night.

 

As we near 40 years since the last Wembley, league speedway has allowed itself to become creaky and old looking, merely surviving. In Britain we have sunk to a poor third world sort of set up where riders sort of feel embarrassed to own up to riding. It is much better for them if they gain gigs in Poland and Swedish leagues. It leaves the crumbs of what's left to fill our summers on the terraces... and it doesn't feel like a team sport anymore, as it isn't just the GPs that dwarf domestic racing in Britain, it is other leagues in Europe. To help compensate a short fall in quality riders, promoters who merely exist to run a track once a week dabble into each other's riding stock, to fill a side to get one fixture out of the way and we can all turn up again next week.

 

Our love of the team ethic has sort of vanished and fans that are left just use speedway now as a reason to get out of the house and fill in a programme. Like the supporter stood right beside you... many of the side you think are riding for your club may not be in the line up the following week, never mind the following season. It has got that bad now, riders are given testimonials for 10 seasons in the sport, and not a decade for one team. Their loyalty to the club naturally isn't as strong as the fan. And that's a major shift from all those years ago.

 

Says it all.

 

In 1981, the 70-plus thousand which watched that world final were supporting men who had carried their league team dreams all year. It felt like they were part of them, had celebrated a match-winning ride... and were worried by a uncharacteristic poor display. It was their rider after all, the rider earned his main crust for their team. They were one.

 

Now, 36 years on, riders have their fingers in too many pies, too many other distractions home and abroad. It is hard to form any bond between terrace fan and racer. It is a team sport still... but not as we knew it. The riders seem to have lost all concept of what team speedway is. They probably know... points limits and square pegs in square holes will cement their immediate future for the next year, and not whether they break sweat chasing every point.

Edited April 7, 2017 by moxey63

[cityrebel]

When times were good the promoters just pocketed the money instead of investing in in the infrastructure of the sport.

[moxey63]

When times were good the promoters just pocketed the money instead of investing in in the infrastructure of the sport.

 

 

And all that SKY money... modern promoters haven't really learned.

[The White Knight]

What has changed is that Grand Prix racing has become more important than the league, whereas back in 1981 it was the other way and riders put in a good shift for their respective teams before starting on the road to world title gold. You could go to a match, see your local side that you'd travel home and away to watch, because they were your boys. You'd even travel miles to see one of your boys in a world championship meeting, even an open meeting somewhere. They were a member of your team, they pulled in your direction as a unit, so it was only right - it felt right - to support them when they went all individual. Only a handful of riders back in 1981 expected title gold... but the GPs, most are battling to either win, gain rostrum spots, or just qualify for next year. It takes so much energy, league racing isn't the goal. It is a full season, not the one night.

 

As we near 40 years since the last Wembley, league speedway has allowed itself to become creaky and old looking, merely surviving. In Britain we have sunk to a poor third world sort of set up where riders sort of feel embarrassed to own up to riding. It is much better for them if they gain gigs in Poland and Swedish leagues. It leaves the crumbs of what's left to fill our summers on the terraces... and it doesn't feel like a team sport anymore, as it isn't just the GPs that dwarf domestic racing in Britain, it is other leagues in Europe. To help compensate a short fall in quality riders, promoters who merely exist to run a track once a week dabble into each other's riding stock, to fill a side to get one fixture out of the way and we can all turn up again next week.

 

Our love of the team ethic has sort of vanished and fans that are left just use speedway now as a reason to get out of the house and fill in a programme. Like the supporter stood right beside you... many of the side you think are riding for your club may not be in the line up the following week, never mind the following season. It has got that bad now, riders are given testimonials for 10 seasons in the sport, and not a decade for one team. Their loyalty to the club naturally isn't as strong as the fan. And that's a major shift from all those years ago.

 

Says it all.

 

In 1981, the 70-plus thousand which watched that world final were supporting men who had carried their league team dreams all year. It felt like they were part of them, had celebrated a match-winning ride... and were worried by a uncharacteristic poor display. It was their rider after all, the rider earned his main crust for their team. They were one.

 

Now, 36 years on, riders have their fingers in too many pies, too many other distractions home and abroad. It is hard to form any bond between terrace fan and racer. It is a team sport still... but not as we knew it. The riders seem to have lost all concept of what team speedway is. They probably know... points limits and square pegs in square holes will cement their immediate future for the next year, and not whether they break sweat chasing every point.

A very good and perceptive Post Moxey63.

 

I can agree with, and associate myself with, every single word. Most particularly the Team ethic that you emphasise.

[teaboy279]

Something I remember as a kid was going to international meetings were people cheered for foreigners nwho raced in their local team. I never have and never will but into that! Let's use the old football analogy once again. I am an Arsenal fan for my sins but back when we had half the french team playing for us I would never of considered supporting the french national side..

Haha...really

Yeah I honestly believe that.