Is Speedway still viable in the UK?

[Pieman72]

Speedway is unique in that generally the fans know little about the machines and technical side of the bikes. Perhaps the sport needs to reach out more to a different broader audience?

[waytogo28]

On 9/13/2018 at 9:51 AM, GiveusaB said:

I'm only a fan/follower because I've been brought up on the sport and it's in my blood.....none of the Premiership matches (our 'so called' TOP division) that I've seen on BT this season have floated my boat !?

I don''t know the answers....but the speedway product is really poor ! 

(p.s with the exception of Heat 13 at BV v Somerset last week?  Max Fricke was brilliant!) need more races like that !

Me too. If you were taken as a child to a well-packed stadium and the (then) fast seeming, close racing was addictive. My parents got me addicted in the 1950's and I am only now able to nearly shake off that routine attendance. Ove Fundin was my "dealer". You still, 60 years later, lust after the next exciting, close race full of passing, as in the now legendary Haet 13 BV V Somerset. And you detest the numerous tapes to flag races you have to endure.

[montie]

yes i think it is viable,why people dont go i have no idea!!

 

Ive seen one  meeting all yeat that was crap[Swindon dust bowl on TV] and the rest have been excellent meeting with competative racing on decent tracks

seen all Scunnys home meetings,been at Sheffied many times,Redcar,P`boro plus all TV and i must say they have been really good,one of the best seasons entertainment ive seen for a few years

Then reading on here threads from Glasgow,Workington, Ipswich where good racing was reported

 

to be frank im not really sure what more promotions can do than to but on a decent meetings on well prepped tracks

[steve roberts]

46 minutes ago, montie said:

yes i think it is viable,why people dont go i have no idea!!

 

Ive seen one  meeting all yeat that was crap[Swindon dust bowl on TV] and the rest have been excellent meeting with competative racing on decent tracks

seen all Scunnys home meetings,been at Sheffied many times,Redcar,P`boro plus all TV and i must say they have been really good,one of the best seasons entertainment ive seen for a few years

Then reading on here threads from Glasgow,Workington, Ipswich where good racing was reported

 

to be frank im not really sure what more promotions can do than to but on a decent meetings on well prepped tracks

One time speedway and grass track rider, Reg Luckhurst (father of Jamie and Jeremy), was quoted as saying same in the latest edition of 'Backtrack'!

Edited September 14, 2018 by steve roberts

[GWC]

There is too much unrealistic expectation of the sport.

We have tried to compete with Poland and Sweden with an ‘Elite’ league that profited the riders but was too expensive to maintain.

League structures have changed to reflect the diminishing rider quality and base. Sweden is in poor health rider wise and Denmark get by with 5 man teams.

Speedway is what it is and without team racing it’s gone, at least from the UK so go back to basics and start again.

[Hammer]

A great thread, full of reasoned well written opinions, some with which I agree and some not.

I am absolutely against doubling up, points limits and guests BUT.............................

Speedway depends on racing being exciting and that means close.  So that means the four riders in each race have to be of a similar ability.

As a few have mentioned, other sports like football have sporting purity in that the teams can only build within their means and are not penalised for success however you could have two mismatched teams and possibly still get an exciting game, even a giant killing, whereas in Speedway, every single heat will be a procession with 20 yards between each rider.

Therefore, a wider pool of riders needs to be available with a closer level of ability

Conference league teams should never be run at tracks on their own because it is an inferior product and will only attract die-hards ( who I agree, are disappearing) and anyone new to the sport will be left with a bad impression.

The team element is a very exciting and marketable idea if done well (Speedway promoters have never done it well) - Do team managers tell their riders to team ride and berate them if they get away from the tapes and clear off to leave their team mate at the back for a 3-3??

These days, so many people identify with football teams and even American football and basketball teams, the team identity is an attractive thing and should be seized upon by promotions

Edited September 14, 2018 by Hammer

[SteveLyric2]

I was interested to read about some attendances in this week's SS. Against all the doom and gloom merchants on the BSF, Leicester are reporting very good crowds - despite languishing at the bottom of the Premiership (and with claims of poor racing!!)

Somerset have reported no drop in crowd numbers by switching to Mons/Weds plus increased numbers as the season has progressed and their success has been recognised..

Belle Vue fans reckon that numbers have increased progressively through the season.

Poole's crowds whilst dwindling at the start of the season have now picked up considerably once their play-off place has been assured - and the club is financially stable..

 Swindon and Wolves? - Both owners have intimated they wish to continue in the sport's top level and don't want to be dictated to by the Championship teams!!.

That leaves Kings Lynn - top of the Premiership and presumably wanting to defend their 'title' next season?!  What about their crowds in their best season for years?

Not sure what any of that means in the overall scheme of things.......?

Edited September 15, 2018 by Skidder1

[dontforgetthefueltapsbruv]

The only thing Im sure of is that Skidder isnt sure of anything 

[Topcat]

One league next year,six man teams and reduced prices to get fans back. Riders pay will have to reflect that. Golden helmet returns ??? 

[Danny Connor]

Lynn is good too. I was going to say I think it’s still viable at some tracks.

the speedway star is bitter over track closures and rightfully so. I feel as the Coventry closure probably causes then a few hundred copies. Now lakeside too. I don’t think support is dwindling at all tracks and encouragingly at lynn when we did have a low low there was still a decent hardcore at lynn who still turned up regardless. 

 

But we will pander to the weak. Dilute the product and keep the attendance cost the same and not advertise properly at some tracks and scratch our heads wondering why it’s all going wrong. 6 rider teams in 1league won’t solve that. 

 

Id keep the current system for another year. And would only dilute the middle tier by about 5 points but reflect that in admission charges. maybe bring in the reserve draft at that level. As that’s where I’m hearing most teams are struggling. Rye house were in the wrong league with over enthusiastic promoters who lost interest so that don’t count. 

 

[GWC]

4 hours ago, Danny Connor said:

Lynn is good too. I was going to say I think it’s still viable at some tracks.

the speedway star is bitter over track closures and rightfully so. I feel as the Coventry closure probably causes then a few hundred copies. Now lakeside too. I don’t think support is dwindling at all tracks and encouragingly at lynn when we did have a low low there was still a decent hardcore at lynn who still turned up regardless. 

 

But we will pander to the weak. Dilute the product and keep the attendance cost the same and not advertise properly at some tracks and scratch our heads wondering why it’s all going wrong. 6 rider teams in 1league won’t solve that. 

 

Id keep the current system for another year. And would only dilute the middle tier by about 5 points but reflect that in admission charges. maybe bring in the reserve draft at that level. As that’s where I’m hearing most teams are struggling. Rye house were in the wrong league with over enthusiastic promoters who lost interest so that don’t count. 

 

Sorry but the current product has to change.

I was at Lakeside last night watching Craig Cook thrash others (apart from Lawson).

Keep a top league by all means but allowing top riders into both leagues is wrong.

The sport has in the past only profited rider wise by keeping a production line of new riders and this has been stifled in previous years.

Time to change before it’s too late and if that means weakening the product then so be it.

[Danny Connor]

5 hours ago, GWC said:

Sorry but the current product has to change.

I was at Lakeside last night watching Craig Cook thrash others (apart from Lawson).

Keep a top league by all means but allowing top riders into both leagues is wrong.

The sport has in the past only profited rider wise by keeping a production line of new riders and this has been stifled in previous years.

Time to change before it’s too late and if that means weakening the product then so be it.

So we agree then!!!! 

Middle league is too strong. Stop top riders riding in it and their positions can be filled by the draft system!

Keep 7 man teams though. 

Ive said it before but the biggest problem rider strength wise started with both the double up and the changing of the conversion rate away from 50%. it opened the door for riders over the Ave of 6.00 to fit into team building plans.

 

[ch958]

6 an 7 in Div 2 should be du Div 3 riders - giving them a chance to progress

DU/DD from Div1 to Div 2 should stop

the latter is just too much for those outside the speedway bubble of delusion

[foxxy]

The thing is we live in different times now when everything is down to money. I was lucky being an Ipswich supporter to have been able to regularly watch the likes of Thomas Gollob, Tony Rickardsson, Denis Sigalas, Peter Moore etc.  But Speedway is no different from other forms of entertainment,  As a youngster I regularly went to my local theatre and was able to watch a music show with the likes of Cliff Richard, Cilla Black, Tom Jones all on the same bill. I once saw the Beatles and Roy Orbison in the SAME show just for a few pounds,  now it costs a fortune to see an ageing rockstar (Rod Stewart) at Portman Road. Comedians like Dave Allen, Des O Connor, Harry Worth used to appear just as comperes, now to see Michael McIntyre I need to take out a mortgage and have to go to the O2 and watch him on a large TV screen.

The days of being able to see the stars at our local track will never return, so sadly No, I don' t think it is any longer viable.

 

[MattK]

15 hours ago, ch958 said:

6 an 7 in Div 2 should be du Div 3 riders - giving them a chance to progress

DU/DD from Div1 to Div 2 should stop

the latter is just too much for those outside the speedway bubble of delusion

I really don't understand the objection to doubling up. It increases the pool of available riders, it makes riding exclusively in Britain a practical option and it reduces costs for clubs in both leagues as they effectively share the fixed costs of a rider.

Implementing your suggestion would mean more foreign riders in both leagues, British riders having to rider overseas (and potentially prioritising those fixtures) and an increase in costs for teams.

I'm not sure what positive outcomes it would achieve?

[ch958]

2 hours ago, MattK said:

I really don't understand the objection to doubling up. It increases the pool of available riders, it makes riding exclusively in Britain a practical option and it reduces costs for clubs in both leagues as they effectively share the fixed costs of a rider.

Implementing your suggestion would mean more foreign riders in both leagues, British riders having to rider overseas (and potentially prioritising those fixtures) and an increase in costs for teams.

I'm not sure what positive outcomes it would achieve?

i accept your view mate, its just not for me. I suppose one positive would be credibility. Feel the same about guests and i accept the alternative views on that but again not for me. I would quite literally prefer teams getting mullered than using guests, which they often do anyway as guests regularly fail to perform. Just my view.

[MattK]

38 minutes ago, ch958 said:

i accept your view mate, its just not for me. I suppose one positive would be credibility. Feel the same about guests and i accept the alternative views on that but again not for me. I would quite literally prefer teams getting mullered than using guests, which they often do anyway as guests regularly fail to perform. Just my view.

I agree that in an ideal world clubs would have a squad of riders which they dip into in order to cover absences and injuries, but that simply isn't financially viable in the current climate.

As for credibility, in who's eyes? Guest and doubling-up (albeit not to the extent we have today) as existed for as long as I have been following speedway. Therefore, I find it hard to believe a significant number of fans are deterred from attending due to the above and as for the wider media, guests and doubling-up are number 435th on their list of reasons not to cover speedway.

[ch958]

it may be 435th on the list for the media but its top of mine - once a guest is involved i lose interest in the fixture. As a compromise i wouldn't mind D2 riders guesting for D1 and D3 for D2 with strict limitations. As a matter of interest what do you believe IS keeping people away. I think myself its a long list and guests/DU are just one.

As an aside, when i started watching speedway if riders couldn't earn a living from racing they worked as well.

[Eyejay]

Some fascinating points of view on here and a lot of food for thought. One of the biggest gripes I have had with the sport is the lack of publicity locally. My team, Lakeside, have never really publicised the fixtures that well locally. I lived in Grays for a long time and NEVER saw posters advertising meetings. The local paper carried a small report in its sports pages every week tucked away amongst the local Rugby etc. In comparison, the local non league football teams, Grays Athletic, Aveley and Tilbury all had far better coverage despite playing to COMBINED crowds that were significantly smaller than Hammers. 

As for the TV coverage, it is great the meetings are televised, however, I am not convinced they do anything to get people through the door nowadays. It was TV that got me into the sport in 2006, the coverage then was different. There was more action and far less interviews, and , the racing in general was a lot better. Too many times this year watching televised meetings I have switched off through boredom. 

A wat forward I think would be to have supporter representation on the BSPA, maybe half a dozen or so supporters to sit and be able to make suggestions and cast votes from our perspective. I can’t see it happening but it would be worth a go. 

[steve roberts]

1 hour ago, Eyejay said:

Some fascinating points of view on here and a lot of food for thought. One of the biggest gripes I have had with the sport is the lack of publicity locally. My team, Lakeside, have never really publicised the fixtures that well locally. I lived in Grays for a long time and NEVER saw posters advertising meetings. The local paper carried a small report in its sports pages every week tucked away amongst the local Rugby etc. In comparison, the local non league football teams, Grays Athletic, Aveley and Tilbury all had far better coverage despite playing to COMBINED crowds that were significantly smaller than Hammers. 

As for the TV coverage, it is great the meetings are televised, however, I am not convinced they do anything to get people through the door nowadays. It was TV that got me into the sport in 2006, the coverage then was different. There was more action and far less interviews, and , the racing in general was a lot better. Too many times this year watching televised meetings I have switched off through boredom. 

A wat forward I think would be to have supporter representation on the BSPA, maybe half a dozen or so supporters to sit and be able to make suggestions and cast votes from our perspective. I can’t see it happening but it would be worth a go. 

...Personally I was never convinced that televised meetings particularly attracted people to the sport. In fact I was never sure who the targeted audience was?