How Many Of Us Are Losing Interest.?

[steve roberts]

Double that out of season and 3 times plus in the holiday season.

I had a friend who used to holiday on the island regularly and would always come home praising the efforts of those involved at the IOW raceway.

[cityrebel]

Last night I attended my ninth meeting of the season on the island from my Surrey home. The team has struggled this season, but the racing has been good. I don't mind the interval entertainment, as long as it doesn't delay the main event and hinder me catching the 21.47 ferry!

[topsoil]

Not losing interest in the slightest. For me the racing has been better this season and it's still a good night out and a laugh with mates. But then again I don't get hung up on guests, r/r, doubling up, tactical rides, I want to see good racing and enjoy myself, which I do.

[barrybishop]

Last night I attended my ninth meeting of the season on the island from my Surrey home. The team has struggled this season, but the racing has been good. I don't mind the interval entertainment, as long as it doesn't delay the main event and hinder me catching the 21.47 ferry!

Thank you squire for commitment to the Wightlink Warriors, it is very much appreciated.

[Guest]

All success to Wightlink Warriors but attendance figures TBH hardly puts speedway in the mega crowd attraction category does it. At best about 450 spectators. Not like the heady days of the 1950s - when New Cross closed in 1953 they were still averaging around 9,000.

But to be fair - I am pleased at the continuation of speedway on the IoW. And may the Wightlink Warriors continue for many seasons to come.

Edited September 8, 2017 by Guest

[cityrebel]

Thank you squire for commitment to the Wightlink Warriors, it is very much appreciated.

no probs Barry. A rare home win was worth celebrating wasn't it!

[Chris116]

My biggest wish with Smallbrook stadium is that they could have a pathway to Smallbrook station so we could catch the train that links with the ferry. It would make the journey much less of a worry as last time I attended I nearly missed the ferry due to the first taxi being full and the second one not arriving for some time.

[moxey63]

For starters, we need stability - team line-up, rules, knowing race days (Belle Vue, for example, all over the place). Three simple things to begin with.

 

Promoters are damned if he do, damned if they don't. But how many of us have think we have that perfect remedy to put things right? How many would risk their hard-saved nest-egg in the sport to implement their changes?

 

Me neither.

 

And, to think of it, many have even stopped risking that admission fee.

[cityrebel]

My biggest wish with Smallbrook stadium is that they could have a pathway to Smallbrook station so we could catch the train that links with the ferry. It would make the journey much less of a worry as last time I attended I nearly missed the ferry due to the first taxi being full and the second one not arriving for some time.

smallbrook station is a steam railway, not a general passenger line.

[barrybishop]

My biggest wish with Smallbrook stadium is that they could have a pathway to Smallbrook station so we could catch the train that links with the ferry. It would make the journey much less of a worry as last time I attended I nearly missed the ferry due to the first taxi being full and the second one not arriving for some time.

To my knowledge no one has missed a ferry for the last two seasons that Martin and I have been in charge. The taxi service provided free of charge from our sponsors Ryde Taxis is completely unique in speedway. I will pass this information on to them though, as I know they are extremely proud of the support and service they offer the club and those who travel to it from the mainland be that Warrior or away fans.

 

Sadly, Smallbrook Station is not actually on any type of main train line, it is for a steam engine attraction that operates on the Island.

no probs Barry. A rare home win was worth celebrating wasn't it!

Fan dabi dozy my friend.... was great to have the final piece of the jigsaw as they say

All success to Wightlink Warriors but attendance figures TBH hardly puts speedway in the mega crowd attraction category does it. At best about 450 spectators. Not like the heady days of the 1950s - when New Cross closed in 1953 they were still averaging around 9,000.

But to be fair - I am pleased at the continuation of speedway on the IoW. And may the Wightlink Warriors continue for many seasons to come.

Well to be fare New Cross did have an immediate catchment area of about 6 million (Actually 8.35m), with excellent communications to the Old Kent Road,....so it will be interesting to see if our attendance of 450 (its actually often more than that but in general around 450), when compared to the isalnd population of 150,000 as a percentage works out .

 

I did a little research and in 1943 New Cross crowds were 22,000 or 0.26% of the catchment - our crowds are 450 or 0.3% of the catchment.....

 

The two cannot be overly compared in my view. By the way I am not picking a fight here... just trying to present figures to people in a different way. I think the question really is, if New Cross ran today what would the figure be? Can the Isle of Wight restore their crowd to the crowd levels of the first two season or so? Martin and I would love to be able to achieve this and as I was told and now tell everyone "aim high...."

 

Our target for the sport at our level is to break even and grow... when speedway died here two years ago they had crowds of 50 - 100, yes you read it correct... our crowds continue to grow, despite our location, despite our league position, with all the troubles we endured team wise at the start and during the season and, for me, that's the message which needs stand up to be embraced.

[Halifaxtiger]

I feel the IOW are doing the right things in the right way but are being held back by the sport

 

I don't think that's true Dean, short of the fact that while others have had some seriously crooked decisions made in their favour IOW have had nothing. Word is, though, is that Peter Morrish finishes this year and providing we get someone half decent (you, maybe ?) that is a huge step in the right direction for the NL. As far as I am concerned, he is cowardly, incompetent and prejudiced and I can say quite honestly I have never heard a good word about him.

 

What IOW do is actually pretty simple : they treat a paying fan as someone who they want to come back again (as Barry says, dinner at his house). You would have thought that would be standard practice but we all know it is anything but. Hostility, aggression and abuse are common place. That's one of the principle reasons why speedway is on its knees - the take them for granted, if you don't like it, don't come, doing us a favour attitude that seems to pervade almost everywhere.

 

 

 

Last night I attended my ninth meeting of the season on the island from my Surrey home. The team has struggled this season, but the racing has been good. I don't mind the interval entertainment, as long as it doesn't delay the main event and hinder me catching the 21.47 ferry!

 

5 for me and I live in Yorkshire. Only Scunthorpe, Sheffield, Belle Vue & Workington will top that.

 

I loathe intervals but IOW make them part of the show and there's no doubt that the highlight for some of the children attending is the bike and running race at interval time. Without that, its possible that they (and their parents) might not come. Compare that to standing around getting cold, annoyed and unhappy at Birmingham on Wednesday when they had their interval.

 

Too much time on this forum listening to the whinges and whining will certainly make you begin to lose interest.

 

Especially when it's populated by folks such as the last two posters on a thread asking if they are 'losing interest' when they lost interest 10+ years ago.

 

Sure the sport has issues, but personally, I can't wait for the next GP and equally can't wait to get to England for the play-offs.

 

However, please fix the doubling up issue for next year so teams can have a regular 1-7!!

 

On your last two points, spot on.

 

The moaners don't affect me, though, nor should they affect anyone else because that's all they do. Their view isn't balanced, fair or objective, its biased unfair and subjective so you can just basically ignore them.

 

In addition, most of them don't go. That means you can't comment on the racing, the presentation, the stadium or any other aspect of what goes on during a meeting. How you can have an informed opinion on speedway as a whole without that is beyond me.

Edited September 8, 2017 by Halifaxtiger

[The White Knight]

In addition, most of them don't go. That means you can't comment on the racing, the presentation, the stadium or any other aspect of what goes on during a meeting. How you can have an informed opinion on speedway as a whole without that is beyond me.

You can comment on the Rules of Speedway though.

 

You can also comment on other people's experiences.

 

You know where I stand HT - I try to keep myself as fully informed as possible. My views are not totally negative - Four Riders belting around a Track is great - but sadly it is what comes with that that is the problem. Some of the Rules/Organization/Waiting about at Tape Offences/Gardening and Intervals these are nearly all negatives for me.

[Guest]

To my knowledge no one has missed a ferry for the last two seasons that Martin and I have been in charge. The taxi service provided free of charge from our sponsors Ryde Taxis is completely unique in speedway. I will pass this information on to them though, as I know they are extremely proud of the support and service they offer the club and those who travel to it from the mainland be that Warrior or away fans.

 

Sadly, Smallbrook Station is not actually on any type of main train line, it is for a steam engine attraction that operates on the Island.

Fan dabi dozy my friend.... was great to have the final piece of the jigsaw as they say

Well to be fare New Cross did have an immediate catchment area of about 6 million (Actually 8.35m), with excellent communications to the Old Kent Road,....so it will be interesting to see if our attendance of 450 (its actually often more than that but in general around 450), when compared to the isalnd population of 150,000 as a percentage works out .

 

I did a little research and in 1943 New Cross crowds were 22,000 or 0.26% of the catchment - our crowds are 450 or 0.3% of the catchment.....

 

The two cannot be overly compared in my view. By the way I am not picking a fight here... just trying to present figures to people in a different way. I think the question really is, if New Cross ran today what would the figure be? Can the Isle of Wight restore their crowd to the crowd levels of the first two season or so? Martin and I would love to be able to achieve this and as I was told and now tell everyone "aim high...."

 

Our target for the sport at our level is to break even and grow... when speedway died here two years ago they had crowds of 50 - 100, yes you read it correct... our crowds continue to grow, despite our location, despite our league position, with all the troubles we endured team wise at the start and during the season and, for me, that's the message which needs stand up to be embraced.

There's some great comment in your Post barrybishop and I take MOST of it. However a very glaring error re New Cross attendances in 1943. Due to World War Two starting in September 1939, the last pre-WW2 at New Cross was in August that year. Speedway then resumed for a handful of meetings in 1945 following the cessation of WW2, but there was certainly no speedway at the track in 1943.

[Halifaxtiger]

You can comment on the Rules of Speedway though.

 

You can also comment on other people's experiences.

 

You know where I stand HT - I try to keep myself as fully informed as possible. My views are not totally negative - Four Riders belting around a Track is great - but sadly it is what comes with that that is the problem. Some of the Rules/Organization/Waiting about at Tape Offences/Gardening and Intervals these are nearly all negatives for me.

 

Yes, indeed, but as I said its about commenting on speedway as a whole. Commenting on others experiences fails to take account of potential bias and is nothing compared to having those experiences yourself.

 

How do you know its great if you are not there to watch it ?

 

You can't base a view on the state of current speedway on experiences from the past, and Isle of Wight is the classic example : you have to be there to know what it is like.

Edited September 8, 2017 by Halifaxtiger

[The White Knight]

 

Yes, indeed, but as I said its about commenting on speedway as a whole. Commenting on others experiences fails to take account of potential bias and is nothing compared to having those experiences yourself.

 

How do you know its great if you are not there to watch it ?

 

You can't base a view on the state of current speedway on experiences from the past, and Isle of Wight is the classic example : you have to be there to know what it is like.

You can also watch it on the Television.

 

Nigel tells you all you need to know.

Edited September 8, 2017 by The White Knight

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

 

I don't think that's true Dean, short of the fact that while others have had some seriously crooked decisions made in their favour IOW have had nothing. Word is, though, is that Peter Morrish finishes this year and providing we get someone half decent (you, maybe ?) that is a huge step in the right direction for the NL. As far as I am concerned, he is cowardly, incompetent and prejudiced and I can say quite honestly I have never heard a good word about him..

what I meant by that was the IOW are doing a great job of promoting but are being let down by the sport in general being in a mess , the NL job was mentioned to me a couple of weeks ago that's why I put it on Facebook as he was retiring , I wanted to see who people thought who is replacement would be ,not saying I wouldn't be interested but it's not something I am looking to do but it won't happen anyway because of how these people are chosen no matter if they are the right person or not, my mrs said she is going to apply to get the job just to see if she gets an interview or even a reply Edited September 8, 2017 by THE DEAN MACHINE

[barrybishop]

There's some great comment in your Post barrybishop and I take MOST of it. However a very glaring error re New Cross attendances in 1943. Due to World War Two starting in September 1939, the last pre-WW2 at New Cross was in August that year. Speedway then resumed for a handful of meetings in 1945 following the cessation of WW2, but there was certainly no speedway at the track in 1943.

maybe it was a memory issue by the author.... here is where I found it from but of course I bow to your better judgement as for sure that was even before I was a twinkle in my grandfathers eye let alone my dads

 

http://www.speedwayplus.com/FansGone.shtml

[Chris116]

smallbrook station is a steam railway, not a general passenger line.

Smallbrook is both Island Line electric trains and the Steam Railway. At present the electric trains only stop when the steam trains are running but that could be changed so they stopped for speedway meetings as well which would get rid of the need to have taxis for fans from the mainland.

[bruno]

When I went over this year in the spring bank holiday for a week the ferry was quite expensive even going through the iow site, I did stay 6 nights though. If I went down in a non school holiday week and didn't stay overnight how much roughly is the ferry then. Car or motorbike prices if any one as an idea. Barry?

[Chris116]

To my knowledge no one has missed a ferry for the last two seasons that Martin and I have been in charge. The taxi service provided free of charge from our sponsors Ryde Taxis is completely unique in speedway. I will pass this information on to them though, as I know they are extremely proud of the support and service they offer the club and those who travel to it from the mainland be that Warrior or away fans.

 

Sadly, Smallbrook Station is not actually on any type of main train line, it is for a steam engine attraction that operates on the Island.

 

Please understand that I did not miss the ferry and I am very impressed with the service provided and with the whole set up at Smallbrook.

 

However the Smallbrook station is a National Rail station on the electric Island Line that runs from Ryde Pier Head to Shanklin and as you say the station is also on the steam railway

When I went over this year in the spring bank holiday for a week the ferry was quite expensive even going through the iow site, I did stay 6 nights though. If I went down in a non school holiday week and didn't stay overnight how much roughly is the ferry then. Car or motorbike prices if any one as an idea. Barry?

The foot ferry from Portsmouth to Ryde is £19 return for Adults and £14.20 return for Over 60's.

 

I always go in the morning and visit the Steam Railway during the day and then the speedway in the evening. The fares I quoted are for 21st September when Cradley Heathens are visiting and the Steam Railway has a two train service.

 

Wightlink also do a special fare which includes the Ferry, Island Line to Smallbrook Junction and all day on the Steam Railway which is good value but I do not use it as I volunteer on another steam railway and get my own special deal on the steam trains. I have nearly convinced myself to attend the meeting having looked up the details!