Pay Rates Mystery

[bruno]

I earn £8-08 an hour...the reality of working within the tourist and leisure industry in York!

I think I might be on less than that Steve and usually only get about 18 hours but it suits my lifestyle and financial situation now. It's not to many years ago I was on 4 times the amount I'm on now and it was still not enough

[4thbender]

Neil Collins had to eat his pigeons

.....and lived in a cardboard box on the hard-shoulder of the M60.

[Fromafar]

.....and lived in a cardboard box on the hard-shoulder of the M60.

I know someone who offered to buy Neil Collins a drink one evening at Powderhall to which he replied "No but you can get me a packet of fags" Won't repeat the answer!!!

[Lord Skid]

The art is to make people think you're struggling to make ends meet, then get them to sponsor you, while your still making a very nice living.

The Aussies are masters at doing it.

[WembleyLion]

.....and lived in a cardboard box on the hard-shoulder of the M60.

 

Luxury - we used to have to get out of the lake at three o'clock in the morning, clean the lake, eat a handful of hot gravel, go to work at the mill every day for tuppence a month, come home, and Dad would beat us around the head and neck with a broken bottle, if we were LUCKY!

[Hawk127]

I think in Poland riders get a siging on fee and then points money. I read this on the International page a short while back. I wonder if UK teams pay a fixed fee and the points money is on top. A bit like sales with a basic that is just enough to keep,the wolf from the door but the opportunity to earn more if you (get sales) read score the points. Surely they have a basic pay scale and the rest is up to individual negotiations including the 'additions' such as van, flights etc. No one begrudges them earning a living but I think it is some pleading poverty and treating the fans with contempt. Most of the young riders ought to know that most supporters were not born yesterday and do not like having the p.... taken.

[cityrebel]

 

Luxury - we used to have to get out of the lake at three o'clock in the morning, clean the lake, eat a handful of hot gravel, go to work at the mill every day for tuppence a month, come home, and Dad would beat us around the head and neck with a broken bottle, if we were LUCKY!

you still lived better than me Eddie!

[Speedy swindon pete]

From afar wrote " Most No1's will think they are a top rider and can't see all the rest of the team riding for less than1/2 there team mates.In 2007 I spoke to a rider who was earning £80 appoint as an Elite League reserve."

 

Therefore the £100 per point in the Elite league ten years ago ( at reserve ) is quite likely to at least be £200 per point in the main body of the team - as a minimum.

 

​I am not putting down any rider - they are heroic - to race at close quarters into the first and second bend at the speeds they do. It can be a dangerous motorsport.Some have paid a terrible price for their efforts.

 

And yes it is a private matter and I don't want to know what Bomber or X might earn, I just wanted to demystify the I can't make it pay" - as some riders claim - aspect of modern speedway. I still believe that a doubling up rider averaging above 6 points per meeting is going to earn at least £250,000 from their racing ( gross ). Plus any sponsorship. That is 10x the average wage, so it's a good life if you have the ability and bottle. It cannot be that they can hardly make it pay.

 

​To get what they deserve we just need average crowds to be around 3,500 and that is what is impossible it seems.

Talk us through your maths on how you get to £250k.

[dontforgetthefueltapsbruv]

Talk us through your maths on how you get to £250k.

Its only about 300 meetings using 6 points a meeting half at £100 per point and half at £200.

 

Dont they all do 2 meetings a day 5 days a week with no gaps through the whole season 😛

[Terry]

 

Luxury - we used to have to get out of the lake at three o'clock in the morning, clean the lake, eat a handful of hot gravel, go to work at the mill every day for tuppence a month, come home, and Dad would beat us around the head and neck with a broken bottle, if we were LUCKY!

 

Paradise! We used to get up in the morning at half past ten at night, half an hour before we'd gone to bed, eat a lump of poison, work 29 hours a day at the mill for ha'penny a lifetime, come home and each night dad would strangle us and dance about on our graves.

[Guest]

Pay rates have certainly moved on from those for the old 1954 Southern Area League. Then it was 35p a point and no start money. But the good point was a rider was guaranteed a minimum of £1.50p a meeting.

[martinmauger]

Prob already mentioned, but no one forces anyone else to ride speedway all riders have their reasons for doing so. Reckon it costs £100+ just to turn up with one bike and put it on the track: vehicle fuel + new rear tyre + racing fuel & oil + chain oil + tear offs / goggle lenses + cleaning of bike & riding gear + servicing (cost divided by races), etc. Multiply by no. of bikes and add more vehicle fuel for greater distance travelled. Then factor in time spent 'prepping' the bike + time spent travelling. This assuming the bike hasn't required attention beforehand i.e crash damage, parts replacing, etc. As stated it's human nature not to divulge payments and also to aquiere as much payment as possible. Won't comment on possible greedy riders, but any who make a profit from riding speedway, good luck to them.

Edited October 19, 2017 by Martin Mauger

[The Master 88]

Prob already mentioned, but no one forces anyone else to ride speedway all riders have their reasons for doing so. Reckon it costs £100+ just to turn up with one bike and put it on the track: vehicle fuel + new rear tyre + racing fuel & oil + chain oil + tear offs / goggle lenses + cleaning of bike & riding gear + servicing (cost divided by races), etc. Multiply by no. of bikes and add more vehicle fuel for greater distance travelled. Then factor in time spent 'prepping' the bike + time spent travelling. This assuming the bike hasn't required attention beforehand i.e crash damage, parts replacing, etc. As stated it's human nature not to divulge payments and also to aquiere as much payment as possible. Won't comment on possible greedy riders, but any who make a profit from riding speedway, good luck to them.

Tyres, Fuel and Oil, Travel expenses are all covered by club or club Sponsors Normally, But all the other Mechanics pay, Gym membership, Additional Buildings ( no top level rider works out of a Garage anymore) plus all the running costs of that,

You have also have to realise it costs about 25k plus every Feb to start rebuilding and getting ready for the next year.

[ch958]

Tyres, Fuel and Oil, Travel expenses are all covered by club or club Sponsors Normally, But all the other Mechanics pay, Gym membership, Additional Buildings ( no top level rider works out of a Garage anymore) plus all the running costs of that,

You have also have to realise it costs about 25k plus every Feb to start rebuilding and getting ready for the next year.

there's a big part of the problem there - a way has to be found to make that sum smaller - i don'tknow how - needs a person who knows about the bikes. Be interesting what percentage of income goes on kit. Somebody needs to grasp the costs nettle and grasp it hard

[The Master 88]

If you take a average rider riding in 2 leagues, Generally that would be 4-5 bikes plus spares, Each engine CAN cost about 1-2k to be tuned, Plus all the extras, Not many riders use stock Handlebars, grips, chains, sprockets, Clutches, Clutch plates, seats mudguards, covers all have own preference or design, so that's extra, Kevlar's / Nylons 400-800 pounds a set normally 4 sets for 2 leagues, Helmets, minimum 2, 200-800, Gloves at least 5 pairs, Goggles at least 6 pairs, plus spares, Boots 2 pairs, Steel shoe some get old ones replated buts that's down to personal preference again, most other stuff should last year in year out, Body belt, Body armour, roll necks, face masks.

Vans don't last and need to be kitted out with bike rack, shelving, wheel holders etc.

 

And don't forget Personal insurance, for you and the race team, Van insurance, 50k a year mileage, multiply drivers that's high, All the bikes need insuring these days from Theft.

Yes you build up a stock of spares, but also take into account about 50 quid on Nuts and bolts a year, rubber washers, use once throw away, tool boxes, the list is amazing and very long.

[mikebv]

Spoke about 3 years ago with a sponsor of a rider who was at the time at a good HL level in both Leagues and rode only in Britain..

 

He earned between £90 - £95k from riding...

 

"Not much left" after paying out for kit and the general everyday cost of 12 months living was the comment..

 

Outlay was approx £20 - £25k each season for total start up to buy three new bikes and equip van with spare equipment etc..

 

This was offset to a degree by selling off the bikes at the end of the Season, but obviously this doesn't bring in the same value and would often only cover the years additional running costs of fuel, tuning, insurance etc etc

 

Obviously riders as we know could take other jobs during the winter, but many don't so rely solely on Speedways income..

 

Didn't Woffy say a couple of years ago in an interview that his costs were well over £100k a year?

 

Need a fair old income to do that...

Edited October 20, 2017 by mikebv

[clambo71]

What is the truth about "poor old riders" - are they driving home with nowt in their pockets after a hard night's racing?

If only we knew? No-one is prepared to break the Code of Silence over even basic pay rates are they? But they can't be too bad and doubling up riders must be well off. With what I have heard as £100 a point ( no idea if start money is now paid ) at Championship level and £200 per point ( minimum ) at Premier league level.. It looks as if no doubling up rider is earning less than £250,000 gross income per season from riding speedway - plus whatever income he can glean from sponsors ( which in some cases can be very considerable ). Yes, of course Development League riders who do not get paid could do with anything in the way of sponsorship. Let's hear about pay rates from someone in the know?

What I can tell you.I know a top NL rider who scores double points home and away who has sold his van and is going to get himself a proper job. He says he does'nt earn enough to risk life and limb every week.

[Sings4Speedway]

What I can tell you.I know a top NL rider who scores double points home and away who has sold his van and is going to get himself a proper job. He says he does'nt earn enough to risk life and limb every week.

 

Nothing against this mystery rider but here lays the majority of the problem. NL riders should be looking at their earnings as subsidising a sport they enjoy whilst still holding down a full/part time job. Riders of higher divisions and with more matches to complete are fully entitled to be a full time rider but should only be looking to cover the costs of living & racing a sport they enjoy. Everyone would love the opportunity to be paid to do the thing they love most but there are far too many riders trying to make a fortune out of the sport rather than embracing the opportunity to be paid to do something they enjoy and are good at.

[iris123]

 

Nothing against this mystery rider but here lays the majority of the problem. NL riders should be looking at their earnings as subsidising a sport they enjoy whilst still holding down a full/part time job. Riders of higher divisions and with more matches to complete are fully entitled to be a full time rider but should only be looking to cover the costs of living & racing a sport they enjoy. Everyone would love the opportunity to be paid to do the thing they love most but there are far too many riders trying to make a fortune out of the sport rather than embracing the opportunity to be paid to do something they enjoy and are good at.

Exactly.Do people think club athletes or table tennis players live off earnings from their sport?These people might compete in leagues,but they are all low level leagues and not top professional ones and have to have a job to live from.Years ago riders in the second tier often had jobs to suplement their earnings.Now it seems riders in the third tier expect to be professionals living off earnings from the sport alone.Unrealistic!!!

Edited October 20, 2017 by iris123

[INCOGNITO]

Each rider is different and while one rider may earn more per point than another, he may not be any better off as the other rider could have sponsors that helps him out so his running costs are lower.

 

It was well speculated that Matej Zagar got a minimum of £4,000 a night at Belle Vue and didn't have to ride in heat 14 if it didn't alter the result of the meeting and he wasn't the top earner in the top league. However in Sweden he would be on somewhere double that and even more in Poland where there are riders over £1,000 a point.

 

 

So basically Rider A could get paid £1,500 for scoring 9 points and Rider B earned £1,300 but with costs, Rider A has made £500 profit and Rider B has gained £700 profit. Meanwhile Rider C will be just about making £200 a meeting profit and back to work in the morning.