Do Riders 'manipulate' Their Averages To Get A Ride?

[TonyMac]

When you see a rider struggling for a point on his home track for your side, it does raise the question in your mind as to whether he's saving himself for something he classes as more important, another meeting for another league club.

 

In the 70s and 80s, when I attended regularly, it was common practice for certain riders to save their best engine/bike for a World Championship round or the World Final and ride their spare in domestic meetings around that time.

 

In terms of riders deliberately dropping points in order to lower their average, Malcolm Simmons admitted in his 2006 autobiography that he did exactly that while riding for Swindon in a home BL match near the end of the 1985 season. He needed a zero score so that his average for the following season enabled him to fit into the (NL) Hackney team (think his Robins CMA would have converted to something like 10.00-plus per meeting for the Kestrels).

 

The tricky part for Simmo was that he had to ride badly enough not to score but not woeful enough to be taken out of one of his rides and replaced by a reserve. He needed to take all four of his programmed rides to achieve the 'right' final CMA for the season.

 

He did what he needed to for very selfish reasons (from memory, I think Swindon still won the match) but later regretted it and said he was ashamed of what he did, which was apparently unbeknown to anyone at Swindon.

Edited May 26, 2017 by tmc

[moxey63]

 

In the 70s and 80s, when I attended regularly, it was common practice for certain riders to save their best engine/bike for a World Championship round or the World Final and ride their spare in domestic meetings around that time.

 

In terms of riders deliberately dropping points in order to lower their average, Malcolm Simmons admitted in his 2006 autobiography that he did exactly that while riding for Swindon in a home BL match near the end of the 1985 season. He needed a zero score so that his average for the following season enabled him to fit into the (NL) Hackney team (think his Robins CMA would have converted to something like 10.00-plus per meeting for the Kestrels).

 

The tricky part for Simmo was that he had to ride badly enough not to score but not woeful enough to be taken out of one of his rides and replaced by a reserve. He needed to take all four of his programmed rides to achieve the 'right' final CMA for the season.

 

He did what he needed to for very selfish reasons (from memory, I think Swindon still won the match) but later regretted it and said he was ashamed of what he did, which was apparently unbeknown to anyone at Swindon.

 

 

Great recollections of the Simmo story. In a way, I can understand that and why he did it. But I have a feeling that these scenarios are more common nowadays. Right from the off since the Play-offs were introduced I personally feel that teams play about with scoring because there's plenty of movement room before the biggies - the Play-offs - take place. They can take three or four months slow dancing before the disco starts. You can be bottom of the lot in the end of May and still be crowned P/O Champs at the final whistle.

 

Riders naturally saved their best machines for WC meetings back then. But now they are saving them for whichever they see as their best domestic pay cheque (which then only comes after any WC meeting they race). I know it's rose-coloured glasses, but even 20 years ago I as a fan felt the rider in my team was doing it for my team. I know there was scripted races... but I didn't get the feeling that every race I watched may have been one.

 

The Play-Offs, the double-points, doubling up and down, riding across the globe in other leagues, they have all tainted the sport. It is sort of disingenuous now. In some cases I feel they - riders and promoters - are in it together just to be able to earn a living and pay their bills. A speedway rider now is more like a comedian who plays at holiday resorts a few nights at a time.

 

I have come across fans saying they'll watch any speedway... it is better than nothing. And to some, its credibility is not important - they like it anyway it is given, whoever rides for their team or other sides - and they get their fix at filling in score sheets, get out of the house once a week. In fact, so deluded, they can't understand why everyone else doesn't like it.

 

Maybe, just maybe, it's a dwindling sport because of its credibility, which will have a big say when we try to attract new ones to take their places in the ensuing years

Edited May 28, 2017 by moxey63