Time to have an enquiry into the death of Speedway

[cityrebel]

1 hour ago, steve roberts said:

Went to one Banger meeting at Faringdon Raceway (?) many years ago and found it very uninspiring!

I've seen the cars at about six venues. I was bored to tears every time.

[stevehone]

i'm certainly not a fan of bangers, but look at the crowds they get, what are they doing right that speedway isn't??

[cityrebel]

5 minutes ago, stevehone said:

i'm certainly not a fan of bangers, but look at the crowds they get, what are they doing right that speedway isn't??

The weather is speedways biggest enemy. Cars don't have that problem. What they pay for, they get.

[ch958]

4 minutes ago, cityrebel said:

The weather is speedways biggest enemy. Cars don't have that problem. What they pay for, they get.

Riders less willing to race in less than perfect conditions because of their rocket ships.

Stock cars aren't a weekly event.

[Hawk127]

1 minute ago, stevehone said:

i'm certainly not a fan of bangers, but look at the crowds they get, what are they doing right that speedway isn't??

Quite a few meetings are a mix of stox, bangers, mini rods etc. If you consider that each racer probably brings the family along and then the rivalry that exists between drivers and teams and this often does boil over and the fact that in most cases they knock seven shades of sh.. out of each other on the track and you get three or four hours of entertainment some of which is fast and furious and in other races it is stop the competition at a cost that is accessible to most who want to have a go and with kids who love the crashes etc it becomes all round entertainment from the youngest to the oldest and I suspect an aggression outlet for most who watch. In many ways why is WWE so successful and think about the parallels. I do not pretend to understand it but having watched the original early versions at Rayleigh back in the early 70’s with races held after the speedway meeting when the only way to stop a race was to turn the stadium lights out, it has certainly stood the test of time. Why, I simply do not know but most speedway teams would die to get the crowds that turn up at Ipswich. Perhaps speedway forgot the important word - entertainment.

[cityrebel]

1 minute ago, Hawk127 said:

Quite a few meetings are a mix of stox, bangers, mini rods etc. If you consider that each racer probably brings the family along and then the rivalry that exists between drivers and teams and this often does boil over and the fact that in most cases they knock seven shades of sh.. out of each other on the track and you get three or four hours of entertainment some of which is fast and furious and in other races it is stop the competition at a cost that is accessible to most who want to have a go and with kids who love the crashes etc it becomes all round entertainment from the youngest to the oldest and I suspect an aggression outlet for most who watch. In many ways why is WWE so successful and think about the parallels. I do not pretend to understand it but having watched the original early versions at Rayleigh back in the early 70’s with races held after the speedway meeting when the only way to stop a race was to turn the stadium lights out, it has certainly stood the test of time. Why, I simply do not know but most speedway teams would die to get the crowds that turn up at Ipswich. Perhaps speedway forgot the important word - entertainment.

I remember the stock cars in the Rayleigh car park, waiting for the speedway to finish.

[cityrebel]

4 minutes ago, ch958 said:

Riders less willing to race in less than perfect conditions because of their rocket ships.

Stock cars aren't a weekly event.

Neither is speedway nowadays!

[Piotr Pyszny]

4 hours ago, steve roberts said:

Went to one Banger meeting at Faringdon Raceway (?) many years ago and found it very uninspiring!

Have to say I've enjoyed F1 and F2 stock cars on the rare occasions I've watched it. The best drivers start at the back of the grid and, over 40+ laps, manage to work their way through to the front. Some skill involved. Imagine how much more interesting Formula One might be if the guys with the fastest cars - such as Lewis Hamilton - started from the back of the grid!

I did watch an unlimited bangers meeting at Brandon a few years ago. They held the pre-racing drivers' meeting on the infield. A family was sitting in front of me. The young girl turned to her mum and asked what was going on. The mum replied: "They're just telling the drivers there aren't any rules."

Edited August 3, 2020 by Piotr Pyszny

[Piotr Pyszny]

4 hours ago, steve roberts said:

Went to one Banger meeting at Faringdon Raceway (?) many years ago and found it very uninspiring!

Bovingdon?

[steve roberts]

13 minutes ago, Piotr Pyszny said:

Bovingdon?

I'm sure that it was Faringdon (half way between Oxford & Swindon) as there was some talk of Oxford Speedway re-locating there during the Purchase years?

[Fromafar]

1 hour ago, Hawk127 said:

Quite a few meetings are a mix of stox, bangers, mini rods etc. If you consider that each racer probably brings the family along and then the rivalry that exists between drivers and teams and this often does boil over and the fact that in most cases they knock seven shades of sh.. out of each other on the track and you get three or four hours of entertainment some of which is fast and furious and in other races it is stop the competition at a cost that is accessible to most who want to have a go and with kids who love the crashes etc it becomes all round entertainment from the youngest to the oldest and I suspect an aggression outlet for most who watch. In many ways why is WWE so successful and think about the parallels. I do not pretend to understand it but having watched the original early versions at Rayleigh back in the early 70’s with races held after the speedway meeting when the only way to stop a race was to turn the stadium lights out, it has certainly stood the test of time. Why, I simply do not know but most speedway teams would die to get the crowds that turn up at Ipswich. Perhaps speedway forgot the important word - entertainment.

Think that sums it up nicely.IMO

simple sport with very few rules.

Edited August 3, 2020 by Fromafar

[HGould]

Birmingham Wheels and Hednesford stage lot of Bangers..you get 50 to 70 drivers, many bring family, friends , backers, so 70 drivers each bring 30 to watch, then add similar for rods and you suddenly got 3 or 4000 maybe 4 or 5 times a year at local tracks.

It's a family and friends day out that's it's unique pull

[BangerBoy]

11 hours ago, ch958 said:

Riders less willing to race in less than perfect conditions because of their rocket ships.

Stock cars aren't a weekly event.

Normal times stock cars are a weekly event at all tracks sometimes twice a week in summer time.

[Piotr Pyszny]

10 hours ago, steve roberts said:

I'm sure that it was Faringdon (half way between Oxford & Swindon) as there was some talk of Oxford Speedway re-locating there during the Purchase years?

Farringdon, according to the Defunct Stock Car Tracks website. Closed in the late 1990s.

http://www.simonlewis.com/sc5.html

[steve roberts]

10 minutes ago, Piotr Pyszny said:

Farringdon, according to the Defunct Stock Car Tracks website. Closed in the late 1990s.

http://www.simonlewis.com/sc5.html

Apparently it ran as a Training Track (1985-87) and in 1988 as an Open and Training facility measuring 250 yards and was laid inside an autograss car racing circuit. There were issues with licenced riders taking part at the venue which was later sorted out and a license was issued in 1986. A challenge match with Iwade was planned to take part in 1988 but the track didn't operate into the 1990's due to a change of heart of the farmer who owned the land. I think that Standlake Arena had been earmarked by the Purchase Promotion but nothing came of it?

Courtesy to "Homes of British Speedway"...a great publication.

Edited August 4, 2020 by steve roberts

[old bob at herne bay]

The responses to this thread pretty much sum up the state of British Speedway today.

We have one poster complaining about the spelling (or grammar) . 

Some think everything is rosy, others think urgent action needs to be taken. Many clearly just don’t give a tuppenny damn and don’t bother to post.

This is replicated amongst our current set of promoters. They promote the sport, and until they cooperate fully, and put their personal ambitions to one side, I cannot see organised league speedway surviving in the UK.  

[stevehone]

41 minutes ago, old bob at herne bay said:

The responses to this thread pretty much sum up the state of British Speedway today.

We have one poster complaining about the spelling (or grammar) . 

Some think everything is rosy, others think urgent action needs to be taken. Many clearly just don’t give a tuppenny damn and don’t bother to post.

This is replicated amongst our current set of promoters. They promote the sport, and until they cooperate fully, and put their personal ambitions to one side, I cannot see organised league speedway surviving in the UK.  

the BIGGEST problem speedway has, it needs cooperation and unity from ALL promoters, and there's why nothing gets done

[Spl77]

9 hours ago, old bob at herne bay said:

The responses to this thread pretty much sum up the state of British Speedway today.

We have one poster complaining about the spelling (or grammar) . 

Some think everything is rosy, others think urgent action needs to be taken. Many clearly just don’t give a tuppenny damn and don’t bother to post.

This is replicated amongst our current set of promoters. They promote the sport, and until they cooperate fully, and put their personal ambitions to one side, I cannot see organised league speedway surviving in the UK.  

Spot on great post! It's worrying that the promoters put personal ambition above saving UK speedway. When the ambition is to win things that have little or no value and mean absolutely nothing outside of UK speedway. Very very sad times. 

[Piotr Pyszny]

Does OP HackneyHawk (or other posters) have anyone in mind to conduct this inquiry?

Who would make a suitable inquisitor?

Edited August 5, 2020 by Piotr Pyszny

[Racin Jason 72]

Graham Drury would be my choice.  Experience as a rider and promoter and currently retired.