Championship Fours 2020

[Mimmo]

1 hour ago, Hamish McRaker said:

Due to the strict time limit imposed on parking at Leicester, and to help meet anticipated demand levels, free parking will be available at both Peterborough and Sheffield speedway stadia, with free shuttle buses provided to and from Leicester.

FREE PARKING......UNBELIEVABLE.......THERE'S GOT TO BE A CATCH SOMEWHERE.

This to me just confirms that Leicester is not a suitable venue for this event, they just don't have enough seating for those that have a medical reason for needing to sit.

[SteelShoe]

7 hours ago, mikebv said:

Why run two National Comps together in the same weekend?

They have done the same in the past with League play offs and cups, cramming them all in at the end of the season...

Which, if you are successful, results in people picking and choosing what finals to attend due to cost..

Spread out the National finals through the year..

It maintains interest across the season and will help the punters affordability...

And also means teams who start the season well but then maybe have injuries and tail off, or teams that invest and make changes mid season can still be in the running for some success.. 

Totally agree

[Skodaman]

On 1/8/2020 at 5:09 PM, iainb said:

All generally by 1 rider though... Scott Nicholls

Rubbish - just look back at some of the videos from last season.

[False dawn]

I (along with many others) have expressed serious misgivings about running this meeting at Leicester and running it on the Cardiff weekend.
However, let's take a more positive view of this decision by the powers-that-be. We're not really likely to get the decision reversed or modified are we?

I regained my real fanaticism of the sport last year which had taken a real hit after the temporary closure of Brandon at the end of the 2016 season. I adopted Leicester as my home track and set about supporting the Lions and the Lion Cubs with renewed vigour. I hardly missed a home fixture all year. So as well as 50 years of watching speedway and the time at Beaumont Park last year, I think I can make some informed comments.

Having the fours at Leicester will mean the 60 (?) riders having very little pit space. It will mean the fans being jolly careful where they park their cars. And if we turn up in numbers it will probably be as cozy as the 90 odd thousand fans were at Wembley for the 1981 World final. However, the meeting itself i.e. the on track action, could well be an enjoyable spectacle. And as speedway racing fans isn't that what really matters?

[SteelShoe]

I can see why they have done it False Dawn but as usual I don't believe it's for the benefit of the fans however well Rob tries to dress it up.

Edited January 10, 2020 by SteelShoe

[False dawn]

7 minutes ago, SteelShoe said:

I can see why they have done it False Dawn but as usual I don't believe it's for the benefit of the fans however well Rob tries to dress it up.

As Tai (and many others) have a habit of saying these days, "It is what it is". That is, the meeting is going to be there, on that date. We have a choice to go or not.

 

P.S. it's dawn, the time of day, not Dawn. I'm a bloke! 

[bigcatdiary]

5 hours ago, False dawn said:

I (along with many others) have expressed serious misgivings about running this meeting at Leicester and running it on the Cardiff weekend.
However, let's take a more positive view of this decision by the powers-that-be. We're not really likely to get the decision reversed or modified are we?

I regained my real fanaticism of the sport last year which had taken a real hit after the temporary closure of Brandon at the end of the 2016 season. I adopted Leicester as my home track and set about supporting the Lions and the Lion Cubs with renewed vigour. I hardly missed a home fixture all year. So as well as 50 years of watching speedway and the time at Beaumont Park last year, I think I can make some informed comments.

Having the fours at Leicester will mean the 60 (?) riders having very little pit space. It will mean the fans being jolly careful where they park their cars. And if we turn up in numbers it will probably be as cozy as the 90 odd thousand fans were at Wembley for the 1981 World final. However, the meeting itself i.e. the on track action, could well be an enjoyable spectacle. And as speedway racing fans isn't that what really matters?

Definitely a major part of any meeting but having watched the action at Leicester I wouldn’t describe it as a good race track.

Somerset does provide good racing but neither venue should stage major meetings because of a complete lack of decent facilities for spectators.

[fliss44]

My local speedway stadium is Leicester as Coventry is not existing at this present time (I would welcome Brandon Bees back with open arms and totally support the wonderful people who are fighting hard for this purpose). The racing at Leicester can be very exciting and I have been to many tracks in my years. I still have some tracks in GB  to attend and for the sake of supporting speedway and of those tracks I have been to I would visit most of them again. However the Championship Fours (in my opinion) should NOT be held at Leicester. Parking facilities are not adequate, there is not enough room in the pits for racers and their bikes and the facilities (bars, etc.) would not cope.

[Cj69]

Looking forward to this and really good idea to hold it after Cardiff IMO. 

As long as the start time isn't to late that's my only concern.  

[IronScorpion]

On ‎1‎/‎10‎/‎2020 at 12:25 PM, SteelShoe said:

I can see why they have done it False Dawn but as usual I don't believe it's for the benefit of the fans however well Rob tries to dress it up.

That is a few times that you have mentioned "Rob" as if it is his decision & his alone. How do you know that Rob agreed to it? Could Rob have been against the proposal but out voted as this is how decisions are made, by votes. The BSPA has a committee of 5 members but almost all the promoters would have had a vote.

By the way, I do not agree that all 3 meetings should be on the same weekend, as it could be a financial burden to some families with it being just before the summer holidays.

There is also the issue that Peterborough could not fit it in at the Showground.

[Fortythirtyeight]

Shared events are not voted on. They are discussed, usually by the 3 on the top table as there's only 3 in attendance at 90% of management meetings , and then offered to whichever track they think can host it when the committee want it hosting, that's how it's always worked. 

You may have noticed the big meetings this coming season are being hosted by management members clubs.

[bigcatdiary]

14 hours ago, Fortythirtyeight said:

Shared events are not voted on. They are discussed, usually by the 3 on the top table as there's only 3 in attendance at 90% of management meetings , and then offered to whichever track they think can host it when the committee want it hosting, that's how it's always worked. 

You may have noticed the big meetings this coming season are being hosted by management members clubs.

Well if they haven’t they are not paying attention 

[bigcatdiary]

15 hours ago, IronScorpion said:

That is a few times that you have mentioned "Rob" as if it is his decision & his alone. How do you know that Rob agreed to it? Could Rob have been against the proposal but out voted as this is how decisions are made, by votes. The BSPA has a committee of 5 members but almost all the promoters would have had a vote.

By the way, I do not agree that all 3 meetings should be on the same weekend, as it could be a financial burden to some families with it being just before the summer holidays.

There is also the issue that Peterborough could not fit it in at the Showground.

A date was offered but not accepted by the MC was what I was told

[Shaymen]

Anybody got a start time for this meeting as we will be travelling up from Bristol on the sunday morning and because of the parking I dont wanna be setting off at 7 in the morning after a few drinks the night before

[Normski]

If Peterborough could not stage it, should have given Redcar the meeting. 

[SteelShoe]

On ‎1‎/‎10‎/‎2020 at 12:36 PM, False dawn said:

As Tai (and many others) have a habit of saying these days, "It is what it is". That is, the meeting is going to be there, on that date. We have a choice to go or not.

 

P.S. it's dawn, the time of day, not Dawn. I'm a bloke! 

Apologies for that 'the devils is in the detail as they say'

[SteelShoe]

On ‎1‎/‎11‎/‎2020 at 5:53 PM, IronScorpion said:

That is a few times that you have mentioned "Rob" as if it is his decision & his alone. How do you know that Rob agreed to it? Could Rob have been against the proposal but out voted as this is how decisions are made, by votes. The BSPA has a committee of 5 members but almost all the promoters would have had a vote.

By the way, I do not agree that all 3 meetings should be on the same weekend, as it could be a financial burden to some families with it being just before the summer holidays.

There is also the issue that Peterborough could not fit it in at the Showground.

Quite simply taken from his quoted words in the article on the British Speedway Official Forum.  Describes the weekend following the switch to Leicester as 'a fantastic all round package for fans' . Well that's his opinion and he is fully entitled to it, it just happens to be different to mine.

Mentioned Rob a few times ?  don't think so but please feel free to prove me wrong. Just because I'm from Worky doesn't automatically mean I've got it in for him. 

[IronScorpion]

Are they his quoted words? The article could have been scripted by the press office & Rob was the spokesperson to the BSPA site.

Also, I am agreement with you in that the 3 meetings should not be on a weekend, too much of a burden to fans. Also, if the weather forecast was a bit iffy, how would that affect the attendance. It is ok for Cardiff having a retractable roof but not so Somerset & Leicester. Plus those that have pre booked hotels/inns etc could lose out even more.

We have at Scunthorpe, benefitted by having the Glasgow League meeting on the Sunday after Cardiff(bar last years late running) so that is an opportunity lost to us. 

[Weeyin]

On 1/14/2020 at 12:47 PM, IronScorpion said:

Are they his quoted words? The article could have been scripted by the press office & Rob was the spokesperson to the BSPA site.

Also, I am agreement with you in that the 3 meetings should not be on a weekend, too much of a burden to fans. Also, if the weather forecast was a bit iffy, how would that affect the attendance. It is ok for Cardiff having a retractable roof but not so Somerset & Leicester. Plus those that have pre booked hotels/inns etc could lose out even more.

We have at Scunthorpe, benefitted by having the Glasgow League meeting on the Sunday after Cardiff(bar last years late running) so that is an opportunity lost to us. 

We Glasgow fans were hoping that we could have a meeting at Scunthorpe follwing Cardiff,  would rather that than the 4's at Leicester, means we wont get home until Monday, that is if the supporters bus to Cardiff will even do the 4's

[IronScorpion]

That is another issue with an organised bus trip as all will need to be in agreement to do Cardiff & Leicester.