Booey boy Posted July 5, 2018 Report Share Posted July 5, 2018 Was the winter of discontent when 2 promoters wanted a independent body administrating speedway and they got thrown out the beginning of the end 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityrebel Posted July 5, 2018 Report Share Posted July 5, 2018 1 hour ago, Booey boy said: Was the winter of discontent when 2 promoters wanted a independent body administrating speedway and they got thrown out the beginning of the end The beginning of the end has been coming for a few years. I'm surprised it has taken so long to arrive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whisperer Posted July 5, 2018 Report Share Posted July 5, 2018 4 hours ago, Booey boy said: Was the winter of discontent when 2 promoters wanted a independent body administrating speedway and they got thrown out the beginning of the end Yes but that doesn't mean they were right or wrong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booey boy Posted July 6, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2018 13 hours ago, Whisperer said: Yes but that doesn't mean they were right or wrong I think there should be an independent body running speedway .At the moment the promoters are looking after there own interest which is not helping the sport as a whole 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevebrum Posted July 6, 2018 Report Share Posted July 6, 2018 We have to remember also the promoters have also been taking big hits financially to keep the sport afloat as well. However I agree that an independent body and a rebirth of the sport here is required. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveLyric2 Posted July 6, 2018 Report Share Posted July 6, 2018 (edited) Is there anybody with a reasonable knowledge of speedway and who is truly 'independent'? I have a post-it sized postage stamp to write down the list!! Edited July 6, 2018 by Skidder1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Downes Posted July 6, 2018 Report Share Posted July 6, 2018 Personally and maybe somewhat selfishly, my personal 'beginning of the end' was in 1991 when both Hackney and Wimbledon closed leaving no team left inside the M25. I blamed Poole at the time! (Really ... the great Melvyn Stewkesbury plan which took 4 top teams out of the National League and left the rest of them to fend for themselves) Since then, it seems to have been never-ending small steps towards oblivion (1 big league not working, the rise of the GP, the rise of the overseas leagues in importance compared to ours etc, speed over trackcraft etc) Speedway reminds me of a fish out of water - flapping and contorting its body in a desperate attempt to find credibility. Its fan-base is shrinking and it seems to have major problems recruiting younger fans (i cannot get my son to move from his bedroom to watch it on TV so what chance of getting him from Bristol to either Swindon or Highbridge) I wish i knew the answer, i really do 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aviator Posted July 6, 2018 Report Share Posted July 6, 2018 1 hour ago, Skidder1 said: Is there anybody with a reasonable knowledge of speedway and who is truly 'independent'? I have a post-it sized postage stamp to write down the list!! The alternative is to do nothing, which is not an alternative if you want to be watching speedway in this country beyond 2020. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveLyric2 Posted July 6, 2018 Report Share Posted July 6, 2018 4 hours ago, Andy Downes said: Personally and maybe somewhat selfishly, my personal 'beginning of the end' was in 1991 when both Hackney and Wimbledon closed leaving no team left inside the M25. I blamed Poole at the time! (Really ... the great Melvyn Stewkesbury plan which took 4 top teams out of the National League and left the rest of them to fend for themselves) Since then, it seems to have been never-ending small steps towards oblivion (1 big league not working, the rise of the GP, the rise of the overseas leagues in importance compared to ours etc, speed over trackcraft etc) Speedway reminds me of a fish out of water - flapping and contorting its body in a desperate attempt to find credibility. Its fan-base is shrinking and it seems to have major problems recruiting younger fans (i cannot get my son to move from his bedroom to watch it on TV so what chance of getting him from Bristol to either Swindon or Highbridge) I wish i knew the answer, i really do Did you mean Mervyn Stewkesbury?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Racin Jason 72 Posted July 6, 2018 Report Share Posted July 6, 2018 6 hours ago, Skidder1 said: Is there anybody with a reasonable knowledge of speedway and who is truly 'independent'? I have a post-it sized postage stamp to write down the list!! Graham drury 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Downes Posted July 7, 2018 Report Share Posted July 7, 2018 On 7/6/2018 at 6:20 PM, Skidder1 said: Did you mean Mervyn Stewkesbury?! Yes that's him! If I spelled his name wrongly it's because I haven't seen his name in print for at least 25 years (jeez time flies) After Hackney packed up, I didn't bother going to Arena as i'd got into a relationship with a lady who had no interest in bikes and i only really became interested again as an armchair fan again a few years ago - whatever happened to him anyway? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grachan Posted July 8, 2018 Report Share Posted July 8, 2018 The beginning of the end was the 39.95 points limit in the top flight - whenever that was. 2008? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
szkocjasid Posted July 10, 2018 Report Share Posted July 10, 2018 On 7/8/2018 at 9:49 AM, Grachan said: The beginning of the end was the 39.95 points limit in the top flight - whenever that was. 2008? Was 38.85 for that season! 2009 = 39.90, 2010 = 40.95 (a 3 year plan) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyE Posted July 10, 2018 Report Share Posted July 10, 2018 We have suffered a lot of different initiatives from our beloved BSPA over the years. A recurring theme is that as they seek to address one problem they cause another and the spiral continues. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fromafar Posted July 10, 2018 Report Share Posted July 10, 2018 4 minutes ago, TonyE said: We have suffered a lot of different initiatives from our beloved BSPA over the years. A recurring theme is that as they seek to address one problem they cause another and the spiral continues. That sums it up really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grachan Posted July 10, 2018 Report Share Posted July 10, 2018 4 hours ago, szkocjasid said: Was 38.85 for that season! 2009 = 39.90, 2010 = 40.95 (a 3 year plan) Thanks. So it's even worse than I renember. The sport has never recovered from those atrocities. Fans disappeared and never came back. Then, in recent years, we have had repeated attempts to force the likes of Jason Doyle out of the league. So far they've been unsuccesful, but I'm sure they will manage it in the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Science Posted July 10, 2018 Report Share Posted July 10, 2018 (edited) 2010 / 2011 was the beginning of the end of speedway in this country. The F.I.M changes in silencer regulations changed speedway bikes forever in noise and performance and rendered many British tracks unsuitable in shape, size and material to produce good speedway racing. While the throaty raw of a speedway bike was lost, also the smell of Castrol R disappeared and the atmosphere on the terraces was never the same again. The sport in Britain has plummeted rapidly ever since. Edited July 10, 2018 by New Science 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waytogo28 Posted July 11, 2018 Report Share Posted July 11, 2018 On 7/6/2018 at 1:43 PM, Andy Downes said: Speedway reminds me of a fish out of water - flapping and contorting its body in a desperate attempt to find credibility. Its fan-base is shrinking and it seems to have major problems recruiting younger fans That is a perfect analogy. And we all know what eventually happens to fish out of water. They can go on living or appearing to live for quite a long time. Someone else on here said we are unlikely to see speedway as it is in the UK beyond 2020. That is probably right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whisperer Posted July 11, 2018 Report Share Posted July 11, 2018 Looking at the decline from a technical perspective it was the introduction of laydowns for me, not because we saw poor racing but costs increased significantly overnight and it put the riders under immense pressure to invest more in equipment/facilities than was ever needed before. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ovalman Posted July 12, 2018 Report Share Posted July 12, 2018 2010 was indeed the downward spiral at Swindon. Big bad Ron took over from Rosco, Leigh Adams retired, and in 2011 the Robins finished stone bottom. Swindon boy Rosco returned from Coventry in 2012 to take the Robins to their first title since 1967. The crowds haven't been the same since 2010. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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