NO WORD FROM THE BSPA

[SPEEDY69]

19 hours ago, Daytripper said:

 Yes back to the subject. The BSPA have now pulled the plug on the   Lakeside -v- Peterborough fixture on 27th July. This fixture has now  been submitted, approved , withdrawn, re-instated and  withdrawn again. This would have been a profitable fixture for Lakeside , partly because it is the start of the school holidays, and partly because Peterborough is near enough to attract more visiting fans than most other clubs. Interestingly, it so happens that Scunthorpe are racing the same day.

Still no comment from the BSPA.

There was a BSPA meeting due to be held today. It remains to be seen whether the fans are given more   information after todays conflab, or whether we will once again be referred to the nearest brick wall for a full statement.

Pity, I was going to this meeting with my daughter.  Never mind me or the other fans though.

[mikebv]

13 minutes ago, Richard Weston said:

I was going too...had been really looking forward to seeing this big clash.

 

Imagine spending money on advertising and gaining sponsorship for this match? Then having the rug pulled from under you for no apparent reason that either team is responsible for?

We fans often criticise promotions for not promoting, but truly, what would be the point of doing so when, on a whim, fixtures can simply 'dissappear'?

[cityrebel]

We are now entering the last chance saloon for this once great sport. Lakeside v Peterborough will be my fith meeting in the South East to be called off for non weather reasons, within the space of a few weeks. An unbelievable state of affairs when we are enjoying our best summer since 1976. The powers that be, should hang their heads in shame, but they probably don't care.

[acef]

5 hours ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

What ever way we take we are going out on a limb and is going to be painful, so we need to step back regroup and try to make the sport great again, GB set up will keep those riders good enough to compete on the world stage up to that standard but the bread and butter speedway in Britain has got to step away from the speedway we know, nobody really wants to do  it but what is the alternative ?

The alternative imo is to address the tracks. I'd argue it would be cheaper than redeveloping the equipment. Tidy up the stadiums, relay the tracks that are problematic and then choose a race night that suits the clubs supporter base. That is the foundation to build from, we then have a better product to sell. 

Glasgow are a great example of how changing a track can get results. They have a great promotion. I'd imagine that track now is an absolute dream to ride. Nice wide entrance to the corners with some good banking. 

The sport needs investment from somewhere. Most clubs are on the brink of bankruptcy so if someone with a dollar can step and chair the association to help fix these stadia/tracks, we can start to move forwards again. 

Edited July 18, 2018 by acef

[acef]

47 minutes ago, cityrebel said:

We are now entering the last chance saloon for this once great sport. Lakeside v Peterborough will be my fith meeting in the South East to be called off for non weather reasons, within the space of a few weeks. An unbelievable state of affairs when we are enjoying our best summer since 1976. The powers that be, should hang their heads in shame, but they probably don't care.

The powers that be are certain promotions with a louder voice. Some have much more sway than others which doesn't aid the fair running of the sport. Forget all the track development, changing of equipment and any other ideas people may have, the biggest change is attitude and how the sport works on a daily basis. 

The jobs for the boys mentality needs to stop, working for your own end needs to stop. It's short sighted. Working as one is now more critical than its ever been. 

I can't belive that given the current climate there are certain clubs in the championship not racing on their most suited race night because they can't get other clubs to 'agree' to fullfilling the fixture. That is outrageous. I have no words to describe how short sighted and selfish that is. 

[acef]

5 hours ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

What ever way we take we are going out on a limb and is going to be painful, so we need to step back regroup and try to make the sport great again, GB set up will keep those riders good enough to compete on the world stage up to that standard but the bread and butter speedway in Britain has got to step away from the speedway we know, nobody really wants to do  it but what is the alternative ?

Just another quick point, how much is it going to cost dean to keep gb competitive? Keep in mind that if we standardise equipment in the UK these lads are still going to have to foot the upkeep of the bikes when they travel. 

I'm not saying cost cutting the equipment is a bad thing, but it needs to be implemented everywhere. Your going to have to get both Sweden and Poland to agree and given the sport works well in those countries, its going to be a major major headache. 

[acef]

8 hours ago, waytogo28 said:

I feel that that is the case. The BSPA will go on with their pointless changes within UK speedway until there are 2-300 fans at tracks ( or less ) and it is kept going by sponsors who also dream they are "running a major sport" when in fact merely a handful of the general public have an interest in it. Truly the emperor's new clothes syndrome at it's best.

I actually felt that one or two of the changes that were touted in the last off season would help the sport move a step forward. What happened is we were sold a pup. Particularly around fixed race nights and the method behind that decision. They implemented the idea but the changed certain parts around it, which is classic BSPA. 

Some promoters have had the audacity to blame that call on the fans! You couldn't make it up! 

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

49 minutes ago, acef said:

The alternative imo is to address the tracks. I'd argue it would be cheaper than redeveloping the equipment. Tidy up the stadiums, relay the tracks that are problematic and then choose a race night that suits the clubs supporter base. That is the foundation to build from, we then have a better product to sell. 

Glasgow are a great example of how changing a track can get results. They have a great promotion. I'd imagine that track now is an absolute dream to ride. Nice wide entrance to the corners with some good banking. 

The sport needs investment from somewhere. Most clubs are on the brink of bankruptcy so if someone with a dollar can step and chair the association to help fix these stadia/tracks, we can start to move forwards again. 

Speedway’s problems are not what happens inside the safety fence, speedway isn’t and never will be a motorsport, it’s a team sport on bikes, it’s all about the fan experience but we have lost sight of that in the last 20 years, I say this as someone as a lover of bikes, engines etc”the bikes don’t matter never have “ ,.haven’t Glasgow’s crowds off quite a bit recently . While it would be nice to have nice stadiums and tracks it won’t make a difference to the sports issues , the product is wrong and bloated 

Edited July 18, 2018 by THE DEAN MACHINE

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

35 minutes ago, acef said:

Just another quick point, how much is it going to cost dean to keep gb competitive? Keep in mind that if we standardise equipment in the UK these lads are still going to have to foot the upkeep of the bikes when they travel. 

I'm not saying cost cutting the equipment is a bad thing, but it needs to be implemented everywhere. Your going to have to get both Sweden and Poland to agree and given the sport works well in those countries, its going to be a major major headache. 

They use different engines anyway in poland as they do here so it wouldn’t be extra expense it would just be a change of expense, a riders british engine won’t go anywhere in poland now so what’s the problem if he had to use a standard engine here, they may look the same but they are different engines here and abroad 

Edited July 18, 2018 by THE DEAN MACHINE

[bigcatdiary]

On 7/17/2018 at 4:06 PM, lucifer sam said:

Out of those three teams I would have said Scunny would have preferred Peterborough - we always go well around there.  So any conspiracy theory regarding the draw is daft.

Certainly did well this year Lucifer

[acef]

21 minutes ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

Speedway’s problems are not what happens inside the safety fence , haven’t Glasgow’s crowds off quite a bit recently . While it would be nice to have nice stadiums and tracks it won’t make a difference to the sports issues , the product is wrong and bloated 

Don't agree with that. 

We are not reinventing the wheel here. The sport of speedway has to sell itself in its most basic format first and foremost. If 4 motorcyclists going round an oval track 4 times doesn't do enough in the first phase, then we have a huge issue. 

[wealdstone]

The BSPA itself in its present form was created so promoters were in control of the sport and could perpetuate their narrow self interest It is naïve to think it will ever be any different. They resent anything or anybody not part of the clique and drive out those that they perceive as a threat or threaten the status quo.

Chapman stated last year that Rathbone had sold British Speedway down the river  when in fact the BS PA have been doing it for years

Edited July 18, 2018 by wealdstone

[acef]

22 minutes ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

They use different engines anyway in poland as they do here so it wouldn’t be extra expense it would just be a change of expense, a riders british engine won’t go anywhere in poland now so what’s the problem if he had to use a standard engine here, they may look the same but they are different engines here and abroad 

In that they are tuned different you mean?

 

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

Here is 2 examples of my fan experience at a speedway meeting  Monday night I went to wolves vSwindon , no passing not even close racing, scoreline never in doubt so not a close meeting . Crowd was average but silent, no atmosphere,feels like no hero’s for fans to cheer, stadium pretty good  and at £18 I felt ripped off, not in a rush to go back there even though it’s ny local track, last season I went to Gdańsk  v Torun , the meeting had no passing and scoreline wasn’t close and never in doubt, pretty dull meeting ,crowd was massive and the atmosphere was amazing,the stadium is Wooden benches on concrete steps, the home fans went nuts for their hero’s and at £4 to get in it felt like a bargain and we had a blast and can’t wait to go over again ,speedway is all about the fan experience

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

12 minutes ago, acef said:

In that they are tuned different you mean?

 

Yes but they physically are different engines as it’s not worth having them changed every weekend and then changed back so they have different engines 

Edited July 18, 2018 by THE DEAN MACHINE

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

25 minutes ago, acef said:

Don't agree with that. 

We are not reinventing the wheel here. . 

That is exactly what we need to do , the poles follow their teams , it’s all about their teams, the racing is secondary, when they put on individual meetings or anything other than a team meetings the crowd drops alarmingly even with top riders because all that matters is their team, we had that and bit by bit diluted it to the point now where there is barely any teams , it is great to have loads of passing on a good track but first we need to get the fans in and we won’t do that by making the entry into the bends wider 

Edited July 18, 2018 by THE DEAN MACHINE

[acef]

25 minutes ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

Here is 2 examples of my fan experience at a speedway meeting  Monday night I went to wolves vSwindon , no passing not even close racing, scoreline never in doubt so not a close meeting . Crowd was average but silent, no atmosphere,feels like no hero’s for fans to cheer, stadium pretty good  and at £18 I felt ripped off, not in a rush to go back there even though it’s ny local track, last season I went to Gdańsk  v Torun , the meeting had no passing and scoreline wasn’t close and never in doubt, pretty dull meeting ,crowd was massive and the atmosphere was amazing,the stadium is Wooden benches on concrete steps, the home fans went nuts for their hero’s and at £4 to get in it felt like a bargain and we had a blast and can’t wait to go over again ,speedway is all about the fan experience

£4 is relative. It's not really a fair comparison. 

I agree the team element of the sport needs to be better but that isn't reinventing the sport, it's basic promoting and that doesn't happen often enough. 

Joining the leagues will help that issue. It will remove the same staffing in both leagues and give something the fan can relate to. 

I still stand by original argument though. Track prep and anything else that aids better racing is only going to help. Ask any person with a minimal knowledge of speedway about the sport and they will all give you the same answer. It's boring. 

The mentality of the Polish community is nothing like that of the British. 

They are quite prepared to watch a dull meeting on the remit that they can relate to their team. 

That simply wouldn't fly in the UK. 

[Grand Central]

46 minutes ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

Here is 2 examples of my fan experience at a speedway meeting  Monday night I went to wolves vSwindon , no passing not even close racing, scoreline never in doubt so not a close meeting . Crowd was average but silent, no atmosphere,feels like no hero’s for fans to cheer, stadium pretty good  and at £18 I felt ripped off, not in a rush to go back there even though it’s ny local track, last season I went to Gdańsk  v Torun , the meeting had no passing and scoreline wasn’t close and never in doubt, pretty dull meeting ,crowd was massive and the atmosphere was amazing,the stadium is Wooden benches on concrete steps, the home fans went nuts for their hero’s and at £4 to get in it felt like a bargain and we had a blast and can’t wait to go over again ,speedway is all about the fan experience

 

38 minutes ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

That is exactly what we need to do , the poles follow their teams , it’s all about their teams, the racing is secondary, when they put on individual meetings or anything other than a team meetings the crowd drops alarmingly even with top riders because all that matters is their team, we had that and bit by bit diluted it to the point now where there is barely any teams , it is great to have loads of passing on a good track but first we need to get the fans in and we won’t do that by making the entry into the bends wider 

IMHO Dean has got it spot on and this understanding of the fan's identification with a local, consistent team that it THEIRS is the imperitive for the future.

15 minutes ago, acef said:

The mentality of the Polish community is nothing like that of the British. 

They are quite prepared to watch a dull meeting on the remit that they can relate to their team. 

That simply wouldn't fly in the UK. 

IMHO totally wrong.

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

3 minutes ago, acef said:

£4 is relative. It's not really a fair comparison. 

I agree the team element of the sport needs to be better but that isn't reinventing the sport, it's basic promoting and that doesn't happen often enough. 

Joining the leagues will help that issue. It will remove the same staffing in both leagues and give something the fan can relate to. 

I still stand by original argument though. Track prep and anything else that aids better racing is only going to help. Ask any person with a minimal knowledge of speedway about the sport and they will all give you the same answer. It's boring. 

The mentality of the Polish community is nothing like that of the British. 

They are quite prepared to watch a dull meeting on the remit that they can relate to their team. 

That simply wouldn't fly in the UK. 

It flys in football, yes better racing will help but it’s not a prority, it won’t get new fans to come, I do ask people with knowledge , it’s ptetty much how I spend my speedway meetings these days , I still have friends in high places and I’m constantly asking them, running ideas by them, some of my posts are not my ideas but that of well respected members of the speedway community, not sure if you saw my Twitter spat over doubling up  with Steve worral last year? But the backing I had for that huge and from well respected people, I don’t have all the answers and I try to base my ideas/thoughts on the fan perspective . To a point it doesn’t matter what me or you think it matters what the people who don’t go to speedway think 

[acef]

41 minutes ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

That is exactly what we need to do , the poles follow their teams , it’s all about their teams, the racing is secondary, when they put on individual meetings or anything other than a team meetings the crowd drops alarmingly even with top riders because all that matters is their team, we had that and bit by bit diluted it to the point now where there is barely any teams , it is great to have loads of passing on a good track but first we need to get the fans in and we won’t do that by making the entry into the bends wider 

I think that post Dean highlights perfectly the difference in point of view between how a Polish person would view the sport versus a British person. 

From my own experience I've always viewed speedway as an individual sport even at team level. I think many Brits share that point of view. 

We can't assume that what works in Poland is going to work here. The sport simply don't carry the weight here that it does out there. 

We need to start entertaining the fans. Speedway can be incredibly exciting and that is what will put bums on seats in the UK. Track prep and shape so that it suits the current machine is going to help that significantly