The continuing decline of Speedway

[Ray Stadia]

10 minutes ago, moxey63 said:

Speedway's problem is that it has rules that encourage cheating, and the cheats often win. I don't know if getting rid of the points limit would be a better way of handling team building and revert to some kind of rider control, although that wasn't universally popular with those impacted. 

Bruce Penhall in 1982 (Overseas Final) was the first I recall someone actually not trying to win a race (he made it quite obvious). That was six years into my supporting speedway. Then came the Sunday People revelations of race-fixing. But neither put me off speedway.

But the sport seems to open itself up for abuse from the rule-benders. Even the old tac-sub, which I adored, I've heard stories of riders finishing a certain position so that his side could use a tac in the next heat. Is that cheating - or just taking one for the team? Perhaps get away with all form of tactical substitutes and just allow the programmed heats.

In football, when a bottom table side beats one of the top teams, Crystal Palace vs. Man City, you don't think City lost on purpose because they want to bring in a new signing next month or they went a goal behind in the first place because they intended to play the nominated goal rule which allowed it to count double. A win for Palace wouldn't have made me, a cynic, question it. A win for a bottom of the table speedway team again a top one... I think, "what's going on here."

Maybe I'm just a died in the wool pessimist. As a 15-year-old, in 1978, when the world was pure, as a relatively new speedway fan, I recall seasoned cellar-position side Leicester (who were not even good at home) actually winning at King's Lynn (with Michael Lee, Terry Betts...), quite good at home. When I got home from school, picked up one of the newspapers and saw this result, I was shocked. I didn't think "what's going on here." It was an honest result. When I see a good side lose to a weaker one now, I think "what's going on here." Perhaps seeing too many suspicious things along my time watching the sport has made me like this.

Seeing Crump vs. Pedersen in one of the slowest heats on World Cup record, both trying NOT to beat the other so that their country could utilise the Joker... that can't be washed from your mind.

 

Speedway allows rules that allow these things to happen. And it wonders why we are where we are, and thinks new fans will stay as patient as I did.  

Existing fans (shrinking fans) can argue all day long about the rules etc of speedway, but at the end of the day, speedway has to somehow attract and be attractive to a new audience. My next door neighbour doesn't say to me 'I don't go to Ipswich speedway because of speedway's match fixing', he says to me 'I don't go to speedway because it's dead on it's backside and is not advertised around the town'. And probably thinks it is too expensive, for what you get.  

[Ray Stadia]

21 minutes ago, moxey63 said:

 

Sorry, got posted twice...sausage fingers! 

Edited July 6, 2018 by Ray Stadia
delete

[moxey63]

8 minutes ago, Ray Stadia said:

Existing fans (shrinking fans) can argue all day long about the rules etc of speedway, but at the end of the day, speedway has to somehow attract and be attractive to a new audience. My next door neighbour doesn't say to me 'I don't go to Ipswich speedway because of speedway's match fixing', he says to me 'I don't go to speedway because it's dead on it's backside and is not advertised around the town'. And probably thinks it is too expensive, for what you get.  

My next door neighbour asks, "What's speedway?"

As for advertising... that could be true, should be done, budgets allowing of course. But I remember speedway fans saying, words like "once we have an English world champion, the media would take notice." Havelock won it, Loram and Woffinden... and we've had wall-to-wall live speedway for the past 20 years. That's advertising, isn't it? But I agree, there should be more localised advertising. As it is, speedway seems to advertise to the people who are aware it's happening.. like the adverts during speedway on TV telling us about Cardiff.  

Edited July 6, 2018 by moxey63

[lucifer sam]

12 minutes ago, moxey63 said:

No... I didn't really notice or can even remember the incident. It wasn't that I had affection for the King's Lynn pair either, as Lee, at the time, I didn't really like...was World Champion and I was a P.C. fan. Even now, I can see Penhall performing wheelies and making it obvious. I feel that stained his character somewhat... and the way he left British speedway, of course. Still a major Star though.... yes, and he rode in Britain.

Fair enough.

I was at the meetings in 1981 and 1982.  As an inquisitive 8-year-old in 1981, I asked my dad what was happening when Jessup suddenly dropped a couple of points in his final race, and was told he and Larry Ross didn't need the points to qualify, but Lee and Mauger did.

It's why I got fairly angry the following year when everyone started booing Penhall (my big hero at the time) for doing exactly the same thing.  Although I admit he made it slightly more obvious.

Edited July 6, 2018 by lucifer sam

[moxey63]

4 minutes ago, lucifer sam said:

Fair enough.

It was I was at the meetings in 1981 and 1982.  As an inquisitive 8-year-old in 1981, I asked my dad what was happening when Jessup suddenly dropped a couple of points in his final race, and was told he and Larry Ross didn't need the points to qualify, but Lee and Mauger did.

It's why I got fairly angry the following year when everyone started booing Penhall (my big hero at the time) for doing exactly the same thing.  Although I admit he made it slightly more obvious.

Penhall was a Star. I wouldn't criticise the man. It was probably because I watched the 1982 Overseas at the time over and over again on my newly rented VCR that it sticks out. I only had the one tape... It also perhaps shows the power World of Sport and Dave Lanning hyping it up had.

Edited July 6, 2018 by moxey63

[acef]

The BSPA needs disbanding. That is the immediate requirement. What happens after depends on whether or not an investor can be found to independently move the sport forwards. Whatever happens, a huge cash injection is going to be needed in the short term to stabilise the current situation. 

We then rebuild from there. 

It's a huge undertaking. Imo unlikely.

What is certain is that whilst the BSPA remain as a govering body with all the self interest, the sport will die in less than 2 years here. 

A crying shame, but you reap what you sew

[Hot Shoe]

13 hours ago, New Science said:

The 1980's may have gone but I feel blessed and thankful I watched my speedway in the 80's 90's and up to 2010. This year after 30 years of going every week I'm done with league speedway Don't forget to email the BSPA with all your ideas of how to attract todays modern youth so the sport can flourish again to a level it was in the 80's

I too was fortunate to watch speedway in the same period (and long before) as you and still go every week. The problem is that many supporters and promoters still think we are in the 1980s so the best advice i could ever email to the BSPA is that we are now in 2018. Unfortunately they would probably bin it and carry on with their 1980s view of how sport should be run.

 

[acef]

17 minutes ago, Hot Shoe said:

I too was fortunate to watch speedway in the same period (and long before) as you and still go every week. The problem is that many supporters and promoters still think we are in the 1980s so the best advice i could ever email to the BSPA is that we are now in 2018. Unfortunately they would probably bin it and carry on with their 1980s view of how sport should be run.

 

What would say are the fundamental differences between how the sport was operated then, versus now? 

[waytogo28]

3x or 4x the number of fans through the gates, who didn't much care how the sport was run IF the racing was decent.

[acef]

But the racing imo, is better than its ever been. I believe too much empashsis is put into the quality of racing when, really, it wasn't much cop back then either. 

[moxey63]

The new Belle Vue, from what I've seen of it on TV, is really brilliant and allows some of the best racing I've witnessed. But the crowds are still poor.

 

Racing in the seventies and eighties was unpredictable. Tracks were bumpy and riders had to really manhandle their machines. Often those in front would make a mistake and allow the other to draw closer. To me, though, it was the style of the riders, who really had to work hard for whatever points they scored.

Edited July 6, 2018 by moxey63

[Thornaby48]

21 minutes ago, acef said:

But the racing imo, is better than its ever been. I believe too much empashsis is put into the quality of racing when, really, it wasn't much cop back then either. 

From my experience since 1968 ,the standard of racing is pretty much the same but it is a lot faster now and I think is resulting in a lot more crashes.

[Ray Stadia]

Do some promoters ever offer gimmicks to try to introduce new fans, such as:

*Bring a friend and the friend can have a first time free entry

*Give out badges to kids in the town centre, ideally by a rider with his bike

*Free prize draws offering family tickets as prizes

*Interval rides on the back of a riders bike, slow of course, but H&S might say no and perhaps no time, due to curfews

*Corporate discounts, police, NHS, Local Authority staff etc, get a discount

*Do fan clubs still exist? I know they used to   

[foamfence]

29 minutes ago, Ray Stadia said:

Do some promoters ever offer gimmicks to try to introduce new fans, such as:

*Bring a friend and the friend can have a first time free entry

*Give out badges to kids in the town centre, ideally by a rider with his bike

*Free prize draws offering family tickets as prizes

*Interval rides on the back of a riders bike, slow of course, but H&S might say no and perhaps no time, due to curfews

*Corporate discounts, police, NHS, Local Authority staff etc, get a discount

*Do fan clubs still exist? I know they used to   

All those things sound familiar and I remember Bradford used to bring a class load of kids by bus to home meetings. After the first four laps one turned to me and said "is that it"? After about three races they would just be rambling around the stadium looking for something to do. It needs the product itself to tempt people but most clubs are beaten before they start, with teams made up of foreigners and guests and terrible tracks. 

[moxey63]

Speedway is one of those sports that, as a newcomer, you're impressed for the first half a dozen races and then it gets a bit tiresome. I was the same when I first went aged 12. It was only after deciding to go again the following week and then being showed how to keep the scores with a programme did I realise there was more to it. Without really not knowing what's going on, it would be quite hard to keep those that may become interested.... interested. It could even be helped as part of a maths lesson with local schools, perhaps, give them a load of free tickets and then when they turn up at the track, have someone from the club advising them. Just an idea. But you really need to know what's going on.

Edited July 6, 2018 by moxey63

[Thornaby48]

I noticed as I was driving to my speed way at Redcar( sorry Middlesbrough) last night that there wasn't one sign pointing the way to the track ,even at the entrance there wasn't anything . A missed chance of low level advertising I think.

[martinmauger]

" My next door neighbour asks, "What's speedway?"  ".  Like many others no doubt, if I had a pound for everytime I've been asked this, I'd have an awful lot of money. 

A true tale I've told before:  not one person I've 'actively encouraged', not exactly forced (!), to watch speedway - either in the flesh or on the box - has said "what a load of rubbish".  The only semi-negative comment, ever, has been "it's just motorbikes going round a track".  One fine day a lady at work and her family chanced upon beach racing, at Mablethorp I believe it was, and she and her family (husband, 1 boy, 2 girls) stayed until the very end.  She even asked when telling the tale "was it the speedway you are always going on about, it was very exciting. we'd love to see it / that beach racing  again".  Not exactly extensive market research but, again, many could probably tell smilar tales.....

[cityrebel]

4 hours ago, acef said:

But the racing imo, is better than its ever been. I believe too much empashsis is put into the quality of racing when, really, it wasn't much cop back then either. 

Totally agree with you, we have always had good meetings and poor meetings. What we have lost is great big city venues. When you are watching a meeting in a big stadium, The sense of occasion can compensate for a poor meeting. A good example of this is Wembley, never a great race track, but always a good atmosphere. 

[ch958]

1 hour ago, Thornaby48 said:

I noticed as I was driving to my speed way at Redcar( sorry Middlesbrough) last night that there wasn't one sign pointing the way to the track ,even at the entrance there wasn't anything . A missed chance of low level advertising I think.

theres probably scope for a billboard facing the A66 with thousands of cars passing every day

[chunky]

9 hours ago, Ray Stadia said:

There is a grass roots level Steve, Grass Track racing, but that too has seriously declined over the years. When sports of any kind, suddenly become popular again, it is usually due to something changing, fundamentally, which I think is what you are suggesting needs to happen. But you also need serious financial backing for that to happen. You need some kind of entity to pick the sport up by the scruff of it's neck. I have always been surprised that wealthy ex-riders don't get together to do this, unless there aren't any wealthy ex-riders! 

Innovative thinking happened with the Speedway Grand Prix, innovative thinking and a massive cash injection is needed for league racing in the UK. I agree, rearranging the deck chairs is not going to change the dire situation.

 

I know what you are trying to say, but it is "grass-track", not speedway.  Even though a fair few riders who do both, they are two different sports, at totally different venues, with totally different fans.  On here, you see many complaints that the Speedway Star "includes grass-track".  To me, they are close enough to warrant grass-track news in speedway mags, but they are not the same sport.  I am also aware that grass-track has taken a nose-dive in the UK too, which actually surprises me.

One of the things that fans - including myself - loved about grass-track was the access we had to the riders and their machines.  I maintain that one of the best ways to attract new fans to the sport is for them to get close to the machinery and the riders.  A few years ago, there was a general motorsports event up in Minnesota, and I went up there with former Workington rider James Mann, who was giving a speedway display with a couple of others.  As it was, the meeting was rained off (yeah, 1300 mile round trip for a rain-off...), but in the short time we were there, everybody was so fascinated by the bikes.  That's why I love the ideas of riders taking bikes to schools.

Yes, I was suggesting that something drastic needs to happen, but you and I both know that we aren't going to find "serious financial backing".  That is why we have to cut costs.  I just don't know what we can actually get away with.  The SGP was innovative thinking, but at that time, the sport as a whole was relatively healthy.  We are now talking about something to heal British speedway only, but the fact that British speedway is now on life-support makes it an extremely delicate situation.

Just sitting here making suggestions - and waiting for some major sponsor to simply dump a ton of cash into the sport - isn't going to achieve anything.  Even if we did find someone with money, five years down the road we will be sitting here replicating these threads, except that the crowds will be down to the 100-150 mark.  We NEED to change/update the product, and the way it is displayed.

Steve