NO WORD FROM THE BSPA

[ouch]

Fix items for me include.....

 

Racing. 

We have tracks actively favouring gate and go or at least turning a blind eye to it. This can and should be put right and a track commissioner should watch meetings and assess what needs to be done. We have a track playing about with its shape half heartedly, one with no outside line, one with continued surface issues and one that may have changed now, where the material used wasn’t good for speedway even though it suited other sports. All fixable. I’ve left out club names so we don’t descend into name calling again but if you feel insulted then you’ve obviously identified your track which speaks volumes. 

 

Cheating/rule bending/ unsportsmanlike behaviour. 

Quite simply this removes the sporting contest element and pretty much renders meetings as glorified challenges. Easy fix. 

 

Speed of meetings/presentation. 

I think meetings are run efficiently now save for falls or injuries but I can live with that. 

Rider interviews, comprehensive communication, decent sound system, viewing and comfort as good as clubs can manage, entertainment (Chase), decent affordable food & drink. I’d like to see characters back with some friendly needle between fans and riders. I’m not bothered if it’s a bit staged as long as it keeps kids (of all ages) entertained. All doable. 

 

More stable teams. 

Riders the fans can identify and mix with year on year, at least a core of three or four. 

 

Consistent fixtures. 

If it’s every two weeks then so be it but three blank weeks then six meetings in a month at the end is a no no. 

I’d have liked to have seen a better attempt at fixture planning and still would, rather than jumping in with FRN. 

 

I think it should be compulsory for all clubs to run a junior team, even if only MDL standard with meetings following every main event. If both teams are using R/R then a junior must be used in that place. 

 

Just on that, if three riders are missing from one team or four from both combined then the meeting is postponed as would be the case for a rain off. Postponements arranged in 24hrs and must take place within the following four to six weeks. 

 

 

 

 

[ch958]

decent proposals ouch

i hate double RR - get some kids in 

[PHILIPRISING]

55 minutes ago, New Science said:

Unfortunately not

KELVIN Tatum has an idea that we will be producing in SS shortly. Fundamentally, reduce the costs for riders and they require less from the promoters. Most British tracks haven't changed in decades but the equipment they are using certainly has. 

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

1 hour ago, cityrebel said:

The tracks are too small and the bikes are too fast. Has anyone got a magic wand.

Tracks are not too small, gustrow proved that today and bikes are not really any faster than they were 30 years ago, the back wheel speed has increased but the bike speed is pretty much the same but you don’t need a magic wand what you need is someone to get control of the machinery and stop the free for all which has gone on for years but it won’t happen cause the tail wags the dog and while it does the sport is cooked 

[noaksey]

Any suggestion that involves payment being made to "an independent body" a marketing expert or market research company is a non starter. There's no money to pay them.

This week's speedway star had a suggestion that an expert in sports marketing and pr who has held some of the most senior positions in sport and is a speedway fan should be asked "to join the quartet tasked with recommending where the sport goes in the future"

I wonder if he were so minded that the BSPA would be offering a consultancy fee commensurate with his ability and experience? 

[mikebv]

37 minutes ago, noaksey said:

Any suggestion that involves payment being made to "an independent body" a marketing expert or market research company is a non starter. There's no money to pay them.

This week's speedway star had a suggestion that an expert in sports marketing and pr who has held some of the most senior positions in sport and is a speedway fan should be asked "to join the quartet tasked with recommending where the sport goes in the future"

I wonder if he were so minded that the BSPA would be offering a consultancy fee commensurate with his ability and experience? 

No money to pay for professional marketeers....

Yet literally MILLIONS paid out collectively EVERY season to riders across the sport in Britain...

Riders whose names resonate with hardly anyone on their very doorstep locally let alone nationally..

Riders whose names, whether there or not, bring hardly anyone extra to the meeting..

Pay BIG money to a proper marketing company to try and make these guys household names...

Then pay them the BIG money when (if) it works...

[Stoke Potter]

1 hour ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said:

Tracks are not too small, gustrow proved that today and bikes are not really any faster than they were 30 years ago, the back wheel speed has increased but the bike speed is pretty much the same but you don’t need a magic wand what you need is someone to get control of the machinery and stop the free for all which has gone on for years but it won’t happen cause the tail wags the dog and while it does the sport is cooked 

It should be about making the sport the best it can be which means more tracks in this country like Belle Vue so, sorry Dean, the tracks are generally too small. 
Add to that that they are also too narrow, usually the wrong shape and poorly prepared and you have a fundamental problem.

Modern day bikes do not respond well around tight narrow circuits with patchy surfaces.

And before anybody says, yes I know I'm disagreeing with an ex-rider but anyone who says the tracks are not a major part of the problem in this country needs to analyse the sport instead of just watching it and I'll continue to bang the drum about crap tracks at any and every opportunity.

[Whisperer]

45 minutes ago, mikebv said:

No money to pay for professional marketeers....

Yet literally MILLIONS paid out collectively EVERY season to riders across the sport in Britain...

Riders whose names resonate with hardly anyone on their very doorstep locally let alone nationally..

Riders whose names, whether there or not, bring hardly anyone extra to the meeting..

Pay BIG money to a proper marketing company to try and make these guys household names...

Then pay them the BIG money when (if) it works...

They've just blown hundreds of thousands on the Gerhardt project

[Daytripper]

6 minutes ago, Stoke Potter said:

 

Modern day bikes do not respond well around tight narrow circuits with patchy surfaces.

They don't respond well to big wide tracks with patchy surfaces either.  Big or small, riders need a smooth consistent surface in order to perform well. Unfortunately British weather is not always conducive to that. The quality of the shale at certain tracks doesn't help much either.

[Stoke Potter]

The point is you are far less likely to be locking the bike up on a bigger track and that's when it can take off from under you.  On a wider track you also have more time to react before being in the fence.  I agree that almost all tracks need work on the surface though.

[Whisperer]

4 minutes ago, Stoke Potter said:

The point is you are far less likely to be locking the bike up on a bigger track and that's when it can take off from under you.  On a wider track you also have more time to react before being in the fence.  I agree that almost all tracks need work on the surface though.

Throttle works both ways but on a slick track the slightest grip or driving out of a hole is enough to chuck em up. With lower revving engines they would alter the gearing to stay in control and feather the throttle to find grip but sitting on the lifting handle on the stop balls out really leaves the riders at the whims of the track surface and curator.

[stevehone]

which is exactly why i tell people that nowadays Rye House had to be slick, no room for anything else

[Stoke Potter]

OK, I can see sense in that.  So why did they evolve to be so high revving in the first place?

If someone turned up with a lower revving machine they would still collect points if only by virtue of the fact they stay in control for more of the race.

Edited July 14, 2018 by Stoke Potter
spelling

[DC2]

3 hours ago, Wolfsbane said:

I guess you do what the majority want, at least that way you give yourself a fighting chance.

 

Well, no. Surely you’ve got to balance what the customer wants with what’s financially viable?

Customers want:

(a) the best riders, no doubling up or guests, better stadiums, preferred race nights, better presentation

and

(b) cheap prices.

It’s obvious to everyone that you can’t have (a) with (b), so the BSPA needs to come up with a costed compromise and get the support of the fans for it. Be inclusive, open and honest.

 

[Humphrey Appleby]

11 hours ago, RobHowe said:

But what if the client base wants a myriad of different and at times conflicting things?

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.

Edited July 15, 2018 by Humphrey Appleby

[E I Addio]

46 minutes ago, Humphrey Appleby said:

It’s actually somewhat pointless asking what existing speedway goers want, as they’re largely going to come away. 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.

No point in targeting new audiences, or even trying to hold on to your existing ones if you don't first of all give them a speedway meeting to attend. As has been said before, what those dullards Chapman and Godfrey have done is to unliterally wipe three clubs fixtures from the already sparse  fixture list , which cannot fail to hit the attendances of the clubs concerned even further. They then compound that display of mismanagement by telling the fans absolutely nothing, not even the briefest of announcements and  merrily carrying on as if nothing has happened, and hope the fans wont notice.

The more I think about this utter, crass stupidity, the lack of communication, and the abject short sightedness of those at the helm, the angrier I get. They are worse than useless.

[THE DEAN MACHINE]

11 hours ago, Stoke Potter said:

It should be about making the sport the best it can be which means more tracks in this country like Belle Vue so, sorry Dean, the tracks are generally too small. 
Add to that that they are also too narrow, usually the wrong shape and poorly prepared and you have a fundamental problem.

Modern day bikes do not respond well around tight narrow circuits with patchy surfaces.

And before anybody says, yes I know I'm disagreeing with an ex-rider but anyone who says the tracks are not a major part of the problem in this country needs to analyse the sport instead of just watching it and I'll continue to bang the drum about crap tracks at any and every opportunity.

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 

Edited July 15, 2018 by THE DEAN MACHINE

[Halifaxtiger]

7 hours ago, Stoke Potter said:

It should be about making the sport the best it can be which means more tracks in this country like Belle Vue so, sorry Dean, the tracks are generally too small. 
Add to that that they are also too narrow, usually the wrong shape and poorly prepared and you have a fundamental problem.

Modern day bikes do not respond well around tight narrow circuits with patchy surfaces.

And before anybody says, yes I know I'm disagreeing with an ex-rider but anyone who says the tracks are not a major part of the problem in this country needs to analyse the sport instead of just watching it and I'll continue to bang the drum about crap tracks at any and every opportunity.

More about width and preparation (although I fully support and entirely agree with your drum banging ) than size, I'd say. 

No-one would say that Berwick is a better racing track than Mildenhall, for example, and I have seen some cracking racing at the smallest of them all, Plymouth. 

I think the best example about preparation is STMP, Redcar. When it opened, it gained a deserved reputation as a very fine circuit. Then Havelock got hold of it and basically destroyed the track's racing capability. Now that he has left, its regaining its earlier reputation. 

That shows that we can never underestimate how much the ability and attitude of a promoter can affect the quality of the speedway at a track. 

[Halifaxtiger]

7 hours ago, E I Addio said:

No point in targeting new audiences, or even trying to hold on to your existing ones if you don't first of all give them a speedway meeting to attend. As has been said before, what those dullards Chapman and Godfrey have done is to unliterally wipe three clubs fixtures from the already sparse  fixture list , which cannot fail to hit the attendances of the clubs concerned even further. They then compound that display of mismanagement by telling the fans absolutely nothing, not even the briefest of announcements and  merrily carrying on as if nothing has happened, and hope the fans wont notice.

The more I think about this utter, crass stupidity, the lack of communication, and the abject short sightedness of those at the helm, the angrier I get. They are worse than useless.

I don't think that point can be overstated.

Basically, it has been left to the clubs to explain to their fans when the decision has been made from the centre. Gross irresponsibility comes to mind.

Edited July 15, 2018 by Halifaxtiger

[waytogo28]

12 hours ago, ouch said:

If it’s every two weeks then so be it but three blank weeks then six meetings in a month at the end is a no no. 

We already have three matches in a week at King's Lynn in July. As we look unlikely to get to the playoffs perhaps it does not matter ( except for other teams who may need to ride against us before the deadline ).