NO WORD FROM THE BSPA

[IainB]

I don't know if I've missed something but what is the point of removing the Friday dates for the clubs mentioned? Are they looking at abandoning/switching FRN mid-season? Or do we just not know?

[waytogo28]

We just do not know. They do not know. No-one knows.

[RobHowe]

15 hours ago, Humphrey Appleby said:

It’s actually somewhat pointless asking what existing speedway goers want, as they’re largely going to come anyway. There’s probably not even much point asking former fans - even if you can identify them - because they’ve long since lost interest and walked away for whatever reason.

You need to be identifying new audiences to target, to whom speedway might appeal, and work out what will bring them through the door.

I think there is still some merit in attracting fans back that used to go, perhaps those that don’t have the apathy or downright negativity that some fans have, but I agree 100% about identifying and attracting new fans to the sport.

We all know that by and large speedway’s demographic is more older than younger. 

With some previous minor involvement in ice hockey back in the day I know that Steelers looked at a fan drop off per season of 10%. Death, ill-health, moving away, financial pressures, losing interest, etc all played a part. So they were always looking to replenish 10% of their fan base each season just to stand still.

I don’t pretend to have the answers, but surely some form of collective marketing approach could go some way to reaching out to potential new fans. Granted this will come at a cost.

[ch958]

2 minutes ago, RobHowe said:

I think there is still some merit in attracting fans back that used to go, perhaps those that don’t have the apathy or downright negativity that some fans have, but I agree 100% about identifying and attracting new fans to the sport.

We all know that by and large speedway’s demographic is more older than younger. 

With some previous minor involvement in ice hockey back in the day I know that Steelers looked at a fan drop off per season of 10%. Death, ill-health, moving away, financial pressures, losing interest, etc all played a part. So they were always looking to replenish 10% of their fan base each season just to stand still.

I don’t pretend to have the answers, but surely some form of collective marketing approach could go some way to reaching out to potential new fans. Granted this will come at a cost.

it would but if you remember those ads at the cinema for local companies where 'off the shelf' footage was used with the local info at the end.

If clubs paid for a clip for all to use with details of the nearest track at the end

In the Tyne Tees area for example they would mention Newcastle, Redcar, Berwick and Workington.

Its difficult to guage what effect it would have but it would certainly reach people 

the age old point remains though - if and when they do turn up it has to be to see a well run and entertaining show. It has to compete with the place they saw the ad - cinema or in front of the telly and has to be reasonable value. At present it would be around double the cost of a cinema visit and far less comfortable

[acef]

We could come with a million and one suggestions, non of them will really impact the sport enough to rescue it. 

The biggest change is mentality. The promoters need to see the greater good and start working as one. There is so much division between each club, there will never be progress whilst that is the case. 

Old habits die hard and too many promoters are still operating for their own good when it should be all about the fans and the sport as a whole. 

Sort that out, sort the stupid rules and make the sort simple again. Invest to make the tracks better and we have a foundation to start again with. 

That is the biggest requirement, but it won't happen imo, it's too far gone and too many people with too much to hide. 

[IainB]

19 hours ago, RobHowe said:

I think there is still some merit in attracting fans back that used to go, perhaps those that don’t have the apathy or downright negativity that some fans have, but I agree 100% about identifying and attracting new fans to the sport.

The trouble with attracting new fans or even enticing old ones back is that it's just such a lottery going to the Speedway and that's not just whether it's going to be a good match or not it's the weather, the make up of the teams, the delays, the standard of the track, the number of ambulances in attendance, the tractor racing, the standard of the stadium... the list goes on

I hate taking new people along to Speedway because there's always the chance of a disaster happening, fortunately on the few occasions that I have taken new folk along I have got away with it and even then non of them had a burning desire to return. When I was stood at KL the other week as that disaster unfolded I was thinking to myself... what if I had brought a first timer along with me... who would take that chance. Similar happened at Peterborough a few weeks before.

Fortunately I am able to travel for my Speedway so I just vow never to return to KL again, but if I didn't and KL was "my track" that'd be me done with Speedway after being treated like that.

[Bryce]

10 hours ago, acef said:

too many promoters are still operating for their own good

This is a huge part of the problem. Just look at the situation with Friday night fixtures being removed. One promoter (and a MC member at that) seems happy to potentially force up to 3 clubs out of business just so he can have a better choice of guests.

[waytogo28]

10 minutes ago, iainb said:

Fortunately I am able to travel for my Speedway so I just vow never to return to KL again, but if I didn't and KL was "my track" that'd be me done with Speedway after being treated like that.

King's Lynn is my local club and I can longer travel to watch speedway. It is very hard not to feel like that I must say although the refund gesture was reasonable and prompt. We were also with a complete newbie who had been attracted by casually viewing speedway on BT and heard of a track not far from where he lived for the first time. Whether we will see him again I do not know. He probably didn't hang on to his ticket!

The last three years have been very trying, shall we say. and repeated promises of "it will be all right next year" have been heard at the end of each season. "Stick with us we have been told". Sadly, nothing has changed for the good and less and less people are listening now.

[Whisperer]

30 minutes ago, waytogo28 said:

King's Lynn is my local club and I can longer travel to watch speedway. It is very hard not to feel like that I must say although the refund gesture was reasonable and prompt. We were also with a complete newbie who had been attracted by casually viewing speedway on BT and heard of a track not far from where he lived for the first time. Whether we will see him again I do not know. He probably didn't hang on to his ticket!

The last three years have been very trying, shall we say. and repeated promises of "it will be all right next year" have been heard at the end of each season. "Stick with us we have been told". Sadly, nothing has changed for the good and less and less people are listening now.

It's sad i know but please don't rely on that buffoon Brundle to sort it, he's effed up everything he's come in to contact with!   

[cityrebel]

There was a good crowd at Peterborough yesterday. Yet everybody was squeezed into the centre sections of the main stand because there wasn't enough stewards. It was very hot and quite uncomfortable. It's these minor details that give fans the hump, and should be avoided if possible.

[wealdstone]

.Plenty of space and room despite closure of either end of stand. This by the way was a restriction imposed by EOES not Peterborough Speedway.

[PHILIPRISING]

On 7/15/2018 at 12:34 AM, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

The size of the track doesn’t make a difference and to a point neither does a patchy surface but a narrow track does make a lot of difference , tonight’s meeting in gustrow was as good as any meeting at belle vue and it’s a small track about the size of buxton and it was rough and bumpy but as always at this track it produced good racing as it is wide and has good width entry into the corners ,tracks are not the problem although width would help it’s the bikes that are the problem, there is nothing wrong with small tracks that isn’t speedways problem 

I DON'T speak to as many riders as I used to but in my recent experience it is virtually unanimous that the modern day speedway bike is a 'bitch' to ride on most British tracks, underlined that no one I know of doesn't relish racing at the NSS. Riders want to enjoy their racing and that certainly isn't possible at a high number of tracks in the UK.

Edited July 16, 2018 by PHILIPRISING

[SPEEDY69]

5 hours ago, Bryce said:

This is a huge part of the problem. Just look at the situation with Friday night fixtures being removed. One promoter (and a MC member at that) seems happy to potentially force up to 3 clubs out of business just so he can have a better choice of guests.

Do you mean Scunthorpe and Godfrey?

[Bryce]

That was the implication given to the crowd at Lakeside on Friday by Jon Cook.

[SPEEDY69]

9 minutes ago, PHILIPRISING said:

I DON'T speak to as many riders as I used to but in my recent experience it is virtually rally unanimous that the modern day speedway bike is a 'bitch' to ride on most British tracks, underlined that no one I know of doesn't relish racing at the NSS. Riders want to enjoy their racing and that certainly isn't possible at a high number of tracks in the UK.

At less than 300 metres, Gustrow provided some great action at the weekend.

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

1 hour ago, PHILIPRISING said:

I DON'T speak to as many riders as I used to but in my recent experience it is virtually rally unanimous that the modern day speedway bike is a 'bitch' to ride on most British tracks, underlined that no one I know of doesn't relish racing at the NSS. Riders want to enjoy their racing and that certainly isn't possible at a high number of tracks in the UK.

Yes they are bitch but that tells you the bikes are at fault not the track the reality is we can’t make the tracks bigger so it’s the bikes that have to change, the riders and the tuners have dictated the engine direction because there is no controls in place, Warsaw ,Cardiff, horsens and gustrow are all small tracks and they seam to enjoy them, the problem is a lot of modern day riders learnt with the throttle only working one way, maybe it’s time to go back to speedway school, personally I preferred the tight technical tracks but I was riding engines that were fit for the purpose, i keep getting told it’s progress and engines have evolved, evolved into what ? Evolved into engines that need wide open spaces and no hint of rain, progress ???? We are going backwards 

Edited July 16, 2018 by THE DEAN MACHINE

[waytogo28]

1 hour ago, PHILIPRISING said:

I DON'T speak to as many riders as I used to but in my recent experience it is virtually rally unanimous that the modern day speedway bike is a 'bitch' to ride on most British tracks, underlined that no one I know of doesn't relish racing at the NSS. Riders want to enjoy their racing and that certainly isn't possible at a high number of tracks in the UK.

So mechanical restrictions are the only way forward, as many have said on here. Bikes de-tuned massively by whatever means ( will last longer too ) carburation, sleeving, electronics. Even simple 350's with no tuning permitted. The customer rightly or wrongly does not want to see tapes to flag "racing" or is it chasing. Promoters must sell what customers, old and new want to see or they must close down the tracks. Changing the tracks is beyond our resources but changing the existing bikes is not.

[Stoke Potter]

2 hours ago, PHILIPRISING said:

I DON'T speak to as many riders as I used to but in my recent experience it is virtually unanimous that the modern day speedway bike is a 'bitch' to ride on most British tracks, underlined that no one I know of doesn't relish racing at the NSS. Riders want to enjoy their racing and that certainly isn't possible at a high number of tracks in the UK.

Thank you.  It's the truth but some people won't see it.

We are now agreed that the bikes are a bitch to ride around British tracks but not 'round BV.  And that's somehow the fault of the bikes and not the tracks?

Bikes/engines have evolved, British tracks, generally, have not.  To make the situation worse, we still have people creating sub-optimal tracks from new, why???

Are the riders really going to give their absolute best around a track they don't enjoy? 

More tracks like BV means more rider enjoyment.  There are several potential positive side-effects of that.  I'll let someone else list them...

Every time the subject of BV as the best track gets raised, you always get people saying " well I saw decent racing at Plymouth, Redcar, X, Y, Z...", you even get people claiming they say see decent racing at Wolves!  :-)
Well, each to their own, but if you want the absolute best racing spectacle for the fan and, more importantly, the layman off the street, then you need the perception of speed combined with real racing and that's the secret of Belle Vue.  I'm also convinced that's why Polish Speedway "wins" in terms of crowds.

Open your eyes people... The future is NSS-shaped!  ;-)

Edited July 16, 2018 by Stoke Potter

[topaz325]

Yes we all know that but we can’t have every meeting at Belle vue

[New Science]

2 hours ago, waytogo28 said:

So mechanical restrictions are the only way forward, as many have said on here. Bikes de-tuned massively by whatever means ( will last longer too ) carburation, sleeving, electronics. Even simple 350's with no tuning permitted. The customer rightly or wrongly does not want to see tapes to flag "racing" or is it chasing. Promoters must sell what customers, old and new want to see or they must close down the tracks. Changing the tracks is beyond our resources but changing the existing bikes is not.

Surely all these things mentioned must be ratified by the F.I.M. So in reality you have no chance. As long as everything is ok in Poland there will be no change