Kings Lynn 2018..

[tellboy]

 

 

The truth hurts they say, and it does in this case but JC you are about the only one that is making any sense at the moment. Speedway is all but finished in this country and if this is the only way to save it so be it. If a few riders, get caught in the cross fire that's unfortunate but if it's a choice between the sport or a couple of loyal riders it's no contest.

Imo every British rider should be given a chance to ride in this country.They shouldn't be governed by a ridiculously low average.If though their wage demands are to high then that would be their own fault if they found themselves without a club.But at least they would have had a chance.

[MattK]

You dont need to be a Mathsmatician, A scientist or a Professor to see our sport has been on life support for several years. Of course we want to see the top boys ride, but our attendances don't provide enough capital to pay their fees. As it stands at the moment, the two options we have is either, Lower the standard of riding, or double the attendance fees. Its that simple. Promoting the sport better, would induce more support, but would that be enough to survive ??

 

Every season the standard is lowered. Where has that left us? Is the sport more sustainable today than it was 10 years ago?

 

You can only go on lowering so far. Last season saw a significant reducing in quality, a team building limit of around 35 points compared to 2016 Elite League averages. Has it helped to reduce costs or does it simply raise a rider's expectations as someone who was a reserve last year is now a heatleader and a heatleader is now a number 1?

 

The problem with reducing the standard is that the only barrier to GP-quality equipment is cost, so an affluent rider or an owner with deep pockets can easily bankroll the best gear.

 

The only way to prevent this is to have some kind of technical restrictions on what a rider can use. I have no idea if this is feasible, but if it is there is I see no reason it couldn't be introduced for the current roster of riders. Maybe this is something that Britain should be looking to introduce in combination with Sweden and Denmark, as it would at least give some riders the chance to use equipment across multiple leagues.

[Daniel Smith]

How I'm reading JC's comments is that no riders should be exluded from racing.

I believe he's showing where British Speedway is and where it needs to be to survive.

Rider's like Harris, Nicholls, Lambert etc, to gain a contract in British Speedway will need reduce their demands to that of a 6 pointer.

Any refusal will see them out of work and for the benefit of British Speedway rightly so.

 

As I'd mentioned on another thread I'm fed up with rider's saying they're having a tough time of it yet buy brand new equipment unnecessarily year in year out.

 

For me, the pay rate should be the same for all rider's in the 1-5 and a third of that pay rate for reserves as they can get 7 rides.

i.e.

 

Premiership

1-5 = £100

Reserves = £35

 

Championship

1-5 = £50

Reserves = £15

 

The better riders will still earn the most money but for British Speedway to survive the day of rider demands have to be over.

[BWitcher]

The riders you have mentioned such as Harris and cook are amongst the ones British speedway can not afford.... FACT

 

This should be about cutting costs and allowing speedway to cut its cloth accordingly so it can invest in marketing and growth. But you talk like it is 'jobs for the boys' .... In fact you talk just like a promoter.

 

No, you are talking just like a promoter.

 

All the sport has done for the last 20 years is lower the standard of the product on offer.. whilst still increasing prices. Fans have continued to walk away.

 

Essentially dragging successful clubs down to the level of the weakest.

[SteveLyric2]

Couldn't agree more BW. There will always be the 'haves' and 'have nots' especially in speedway, so why not let those clubs that want/can afford the top riders (through deep pockets or good sponsorship or whatever) run in a top league, whilst using the basics of what JC has outlined above for the other lower league(s).

 

If the senior league only has a few clubs - lets say 6-8 for arguments sake - and therefore insufficient fixtures to sustain a whole season,(which would suit many of the 'top' riders) then let those clubs also run a 'B' team with only the 6 point and below average riders using the standardised machinery (Gerhardt?) and a price differential for those fixtures..

Edited October 30, 2017 by Skidder1

[Theboss]

 

No, you are talking just like a promoter.

 

All the sport has done for the last 20 years is lower the standard of the product on offer.. whilst still increasing prices. Fans have continued to walk away.

 

Essentially dragging successful clubs down to the level of the weakest.

Please can you highlight where I have ever said prices should be put up?

 

Also can you quantify a 'successful' club.

[BWitcher]

Please can you highlight where I have ever said prices should be put up?

 

Also can you quantify a 'successful' club.

 

It doesn't matter if prices are put up.

 

Weaken the product, more fans will walk away. It seems the only idea the BSPA can ever come up with is.. weaken the product.

[Star Lady]

Imo every British rider should be given a chance to ride in this country.They shouldn't be governed by a ridiculously low average.If though their wage demands are to high then that would be their own fault if they found themselves without a club.But at least they would have had a chance.

 

 

I agree with that BUT it would only take one of the riders to be given a "special deal" and the whole thing would implode. I'm not having a go at Harris or Nicholls et al here but they understandably would be looking for the best deal they could get for themselves.

To all those that say we need superstars I say put all riders in black leathers and then see if you can tell who is who. Judge the sport on the entertainment and standard of racing not reputations of individual riders.

[Hodgy]

The riders you have mentioned such as Harris and cook are amongst the ones British speedway can not afford.... FACT

This should be about cutting costs and allowing speedway to cut its cloth accordingly so it can invest in marketing and growth. But you talk like it is 'jobs for the boys' .... In fact you talk just like a promoter.

Your master plan puts 2/3 of the riders out of work, closes tracks and leaves you with nothing to market.

The truth hurts they say, and it does in this case but JC you are about the only one that is making any sense at the moment. Speedway is all but finished in this country and if this is the only way to save it so be it. If a few riders, get caught in the cross fire that's unfortunate but if it's a choice between the sport or a couple of loyal riders it's no contest.

 

Making sense, really? You don’t attend today - will you be tempted back when our top level league is NL standard?

How I'm reading JC's comments is that no riders should be exluded from racing.

JC confirmed the exact opposite. He would exclude 2/3 of today’s riders.

[Star Lady]

 

Making sense, really? You don’t attend today - will you be tempted back when our top level league is NL standard?

 

 

 

I actually prefer lower level league racing so the answer is probably yes . I'd also prefer to see all riders on standard machines but doubt that will happen. The most enjoyable meeting racing wise I've seen at Lynn in recent years has been at NL level.

 

The caveat is the whole level of entertainment off the track also has to be improved cos at the prices currently charged for a simple 15 minutes of racing it's extortionate.

[Hodgy]

I actually prefer lower level league racing so the answer is probably yes . I'd also prefer to see all riders on standard machines but doubt that will happen. The most enjoyable meeting racing wise I've seen at Lynn in recent years has been at NL level.

 

The caveat is the whole level of entertainment off the track also has to be improved cos at the prices currently charged for a simple 15 minutes of racing it's extortionate.

 

Thanks for the response. Were you one of the few that attended the KL NL meetings this season? Unfortunately ending prematurely.

[Trees]

 

 

I agree with that BUT it would only take one of the riders to be given a "special deal" and the whole thing would implode. I'm not having a go at Harris or Nicholls et al here but they understandably would be looking for the best deal they could get for themselves.

To all those that say we need superstars I say put all riders in black leathers and then see if you can tell who is who. Judge the sport on the entertainment and standard of racing not reputations of individual riders.

Of course you can tell who is who, all riders have their own style and way of racing. Riders will never all be equal, whether on similar engines or not, they all have different racing talents and are individual blokes, gating, passing skills, able to attract more sponsors, great with the public, good at set ups, keeping fit, physical strength, dirty/hard, tiny in stature etc etc.

 

It's only the promoters that know what finances they have to chuck about, whether their promotion is lacking etc

 

I certainly don't want to see the most talented guys stopped from racing here, they work hard to get where they are But IF the promoters are paying them what they can't afford mmmmmmm. The promoters are between a rock and hard place, they need to build strong teams to attract the public and sponsors but it costs, speculate to accumulate or live comfortably, bit like life really....

[Call me wolfie]

It's all very well saying no averages over 6 but what happens after the first year when a large proportion of those riders will have attained averages of 6+?

[waytogo28]

Going back five years or so we had many of these Big Name ( top dollar ) Riders in UK teams and they failed then, to bump up attendance numbers or attract new fans. Why will tempting them back work now?

[BWitcher]

Going back five years or so we had many of these Big Name ( top dollar ) Riders in UK teams and they failed then, to bump up attendance numbers or attract new fans. Why will tempting them back work now?

 

Five years or so ago the attendances were higher than they are now, and we didn't have 'many of these Big names', the league had already been weakened a lot, but it was stronger than now.

 

Five years further back the attendances were higher still.. and so on.

[Daniel Smith]

 

Five years or so ago the attendances were higher than they are now, and we didn't have 'many of these Big names', the league had already been weakened a lot, but it was stronger than now.

 

Five years further back the attendances were higher still.. and so on.

 

I don't agree at all.

Attendances have only reduced imo mainly due to the admission increases, only a small fraction due to rider standards.

if admission was rolled back to £10 in the top league the attendances would rise, I have no doubt.

[Star Lady]

Trees I'm not suggesting we go back to universal black leathers, I was saying that if they were all wearing black a large number would not be able to tell who was who. Certainly any newbies wouldn't.

 

In an ideal world riders would be paid the earth but that's not where we are and for the sport in the UK to survive radical measures have to be taken.

 

Hodgy, no I didn't go to NL this season. The only one I attended at Lynn this year was the one following Holder/Batchelor gate as I wanted to show my support for Busters stance. Quite frankly I was bored rubbishless. The meetings that have provided me with the most pleasure in the past few years have been those involving the youngsters - Bickley and the McGurks etc. The racing isn't always the best but the sheer joy and commitment shown by those lads more than make up for it. Sadly few of those meetings are within decent travelling time for me nowadays.

[mrss]

The reason crowds have dropped is because the racing has become rubbish and it's not entertaining anymore, the admission price is to high, and people are fed up with speedway.

[semion]

So if the Sport gets dumed down even further.... It will cut costs ...that's a given but will it not also

 

1. Be at a lower admission price

2. Attract a smaller paying audience

3. No TV coverage ( payment)

4. Sponsorship levels for both rider and Club would drop.

5. Smaller crowds = less food and beverage sales etc

Of course you can tell who is who, all riders have their own style and way of racing. Riders will never all be equal, whether on similar engines or not, they all have different racing talents and are individual blokes, gating, passing skills, able to attract more sponsors, great with the public, good at set ups, keeping fit, physical strength, dirty/hard, tiny in stature etc etc.

It's only the promoters that know what finances they have to chuck about, whether their promotion is lacking etc

I certainly don't want to see the most talented guys stopped from racing here, they work hard to get where they are But IF the promoters are paying them what they can't afford mmmmmmm. The promoters are between a rock and hard place, they need to build strong teams to attract the public and sponsors but it costs, speculate to accumulate or live comfortably, bit like life really....

 

Never mind all that Trees, I hear the local Tyre fitter is making a fortune where you are ..

Edited October 30, 2017 by semion

[waytogo28]

Much as I like to see NKI racing around Saddlebow Rd, his place in the team failed to attract any new fans - quite a number were lost during his time as a Star.