Speedway to reinvent itself?

[lbw]

The time is now for speedway to reinvent itself like cricket as done with the 20/20 and the Hundred to bring in the crowds. 

Keep the traditional structure for league meetings but av a completely different structure for a cup competition. 

For example, av all the heats handicapped with the the highest average rider on each side in the heat goin off 8 metres. The race is only over 2 laps. Av 25-30 heats to make up for the shorter heats. A tactical rider will av to go off 10metres with 3 permitted at any time apart a reserves heat(s).

I dunno, just something where the rules are completely ripped up and something new is born in addition to wot we already know. 

Cricket is now attracting massive crowds with it's new formats, the excitement of the fast and furious with all the additional razzmatazz is a breathtaking show. 

But speedway I guess will just dawdle along dragging it's knuckles........ 

Hey well 

[Deano]

In another thread I suggested the meeting be conducted over a set number of laps. Not individual races.

only three riders per club

No points limit, but one must be a reserve/ U21/U19 or similar.

Team managers with the option to hit the chequered flag at any point after the first bend lap one to call the race result as it next goes over the finish line.

Bonus points for fastest lap.

Riders to use their own frames, but standard sealed engines to be used.

Open the mikes up so like rugby we can hear team mangers, riders and the ref talking.

 

Edited August 11, 2021 by Deano

[Grand Central]

Had two wonderful days at The Hundred recently ... Honestly totally stupid to expect anything of that type to be possible with the dullards in control of Speedway

Edited August 11, 2021 by Grand Central

[topaz325]

Sorry to be negative but we have all been here before....

My apologies again!

[iris123]

Well this came up on my timeline today from 2017. My comment at the top, of course

Great new project or load of old bull?

A worldwide TV audience will see the official launch of World Elite Speedway in October 2017,

In an attempt to clarify the situation and stop malicious rumours and ill informed guess work by certain sections of the Speedway media. World Elite Speedway have issued the following statement.

"World Elite Speedway is being set up to take Speedway to new audiences worldwide. The concept is the brainchild of Ducati Moto GP supremo Toni Franchitti. Broadly speaking the series will be staged at locations close to the Moto GP circuits worldwide. Toni who is a very successful Italian businessman has appointed his daughter BIANCA and former Scottish Speedway legend NEIL MACFARLANE as joint Chief Executive Officers.

Neil said that Toni has always had a passion for two wheeled motor sports and when he approached me to help run the project I had no hesitation in accepting the challenge. The riders will come from the top echelon of world speedway whom are available to sign lucrative contracts before the end of this year.

Planning is at an advanced stage with top Speedway personnel from Hungary, Poland, America as well as the United Kingdom already on board. All officials already committed to the project have a wealth of experience from riding at the top level, through team management and promoting, including FIM events.

WES executives have already had meetings with the FIM to discuss the project and more meetings are planned in the near future"

 

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[mikebv]

Wow...

Sounds great....

Next season probably now I take it..?

Those Hungarian stars will pack 'em in I am sure....

[IainB]

Wasn't that the one that the Speedway Star ran some kind of fraud expose on?

[lbw]

50 minutes ago, topaz325 said:

Sorry to be negative but we have all been here before....

My apologies again!

But unless we go there again though.... I do see your point though. As always it's a fantastic sport but badly run. No good the BSPL or promoters (in general) saying otherwise because crowds are dwindling. 

British speedway needs a big investment from an outside company, as if we didn't know. Surely there's a massive company out there that could write off £2 million plus a year because with the figures that are spent in football this amount would be loose change.

Etihad, Fly Emirates, Virgin etc etc, why is it so difficult to speak to these companies. Give me 5 minutes & I'll just give Richard Branson a call or Dickie as I call him 

 

[mikebv]

10 minutes ago, PirateShip said:

But unless we go there again though.... I do see your point though. As always it's a fantastic sport but badly run. No good the BSPL or promoters (in general) saying otherwise because crowds are dwindling. 

British speedway needs a big investment from an outside company, as if we didn't know. Surely there's a massive company out there that could write off £2 million plus a year because with the figures that are spent in football this amount would be loose change.

Etihad, Fly Emirates, Virgin etc etc, why is it so difficult to speak to these companies. Give me 5 minutes & I'll just give Richard Branson a call or Dickie as I call him 

 

I believe he calls you something similar.... 

Depending on which one of you he is talking to obviously..... 

[OveFundinFan]

The story goes the Saudi company Aramaco (nothing to do with oil) has just invested £130 million over 5 years which allows Valentino Rossi to put his VR46 team into MotoGP (he already has Mot2 and Moto3 teams). The money out there.

Edited August 11, 2021 by OveFundinFan

[lbw]

9 minutes ago, mikebv said:

I believe he calls you something similar.... 

Depending on which one of you he is talking to obviously..... 

He calls me Duckie 

[lbw]

10 minutes ago, OveFundinFan said:

The story goes the Saudi company Aramaco (nothing to do with oil) has just invested £1330 million over 5 years which allows Valentino Rossi to put his VR46 team into MotoGP (he already has Mot2 and Moto3 teams). The money out there.

Think we need Eric Boocock to go promoting out in them oil fields again.

You prove my point OveFundinFan, money needed to keep speedway seems mahoosive to us mere mortals but to these mega blue chip companies/individuals mainly from the oil industry it's a very miniscule typo on a spreadsheet.

I honestly don't get it why speedway can't tap into it. 

Edited August 11, 2021 by PirateShip

[Wardey]

2 hours ago, Deano said:

In another thread I suggested the meeting be conducted over a set number of laps. Not individual races.

only three riders per club

No points limit, but one must be a reserve/ U21/U19 or similar.

Team managers with the option to hit the chequered flag at any point after the first bend lap one to call the race result as it next goes over the finish line.

Bonus points for fastest lap.

Riders to use their own frames, but standard sealed engines to be used.

Open the mikes up so like rugby we can hear team mangers, riders and the ref talking.

 

Deano, as you have made meaningful suggestions, I feel it is fair to quote you.

Only 3 riders per team??  How many laps do you think.  I like your suggestion, but wondering how you would extend the meeting (timewise) so that fans get a good day out for x number of hours.

 

I totally agree with the opening of the mikes, makes people feel part of the game/meeting.  Rugby does it well & even cricket when the fielders are mike'd up....however could you guarantee clean language? lol

 

Did anyone listen to Ian Brannan's podcast with Phil Lanning?  Phil set out a number of ( imo excellent points) to boost the profile of speedway.

[mikebv]

18 minutes ago, PirateShip said:

Think we need Eric Boocock to go promoting out in them oil fields again.

You prove my point OveFundinFan, money needed to keep speedway seems mahoosive to us mere mortals but to these mega blue chip companies/individuals mainly from the oil industry it's a very miniscule typo on a spreadsheet.

I honestly don't get it why speedway can't tap into it. 

Moto GP is in a different stratosphere to Speedway....

It has a world wide following, particularly strong in the bike buying market of Asia....

As Poland proves, run the sport 'properly' and big business will engage with it, fans will follow it in numbers, and TV companies will pay plenty for the rights to cover it, out bidding each other to do so..

Run it like the BSP's do and they simply can only ever get what they have got....

No amazing secret to its malaise, no puzzling lack of success driven by its operating model...

It simply cannot be any other way....

Maybe instead of reinventing itself it should just concentrate on undoing all the nonsense it allows to pervade which drives fans away annually?

I am sure many thousands who no longer regularly go are still out there as 'followers' of the sport and plenty of them could be enticed back if they saw a 'proper team sport' being presented weekly in front of them...

Edited August 11, 2021 by mikebv

[IainB]

18 minutes ago, Wardey said:

I totally agree with the opening of the mikes, makes people feel part of the game/meeting.  Rugby does it well & even cricket when the fielders are mike'd up....however could you guarantee clean language? lol

Can you imagine listening to Tai Woffinden and/or Chris Holder with open mikes... the kids would be going home crying 

[Deano]

43 minutes ago, Wardey said:

Deano, as you have made meaningful suggestions, I feel it is fair to quote you.

Only 3 riders per team??  How many laps do you think.  I like your suggestion, but wondering how you would extend the meeting (timewise) so that fans get a good day out for x number of hours.

 

I totally agree with the opening of the mikes, makes people feel part of the game/meeting.  Rugby does it well & even cricket when the fielders are mike'd up....however could you guarantee clean language? lol

 

Thanks

i thought three so every team would have a rider not used by anyone else. I guessed at 19 stand alone teams and about 80 odd riders.

 

i thought perhaps it could be used to bring the admission price down. Less riders to pay, less rider overheads.

Could it last two hours? Maybe, depends how many laps it is ridden over.  A normal meeting is circa 60 laps, each rider doing about 16 laps in a normal meeting of 4 rides.

to reduce costs I guess they’d need to do less maybe 10 each? So could about 35 laps last two hours.. probably not.

[lbw]

1 hour ago, mikebv said:

Moto GP is in a different stratosphere to Speedway....

It has a world wide following, particularly strong in the bike buying market of Asia....

As Poland proves, run the sport 'properly' and big business will engage with it, fans will follow it in numbers, and TV companies will pay plenty for the rights to cover it, out bidding each other to do so..

Run it like the BSP's do and they simply can only ever get what they have got....

No amazing secret to its malaise, no puzzling lack of success driven by its operating model...

It simply cannot be any other way....

Maybe instead of reinventing itself it should just concentrate on undoing all the nonsense it allows to pervade which drives fans away annually?

I am sure many thousands who no longer regularly go are still out there as 'followers' of the sport and plenty of them could be enticed back if they saw a 'proper team sport' being presented weekly in front of them...

Agree entirely with you. Concentrating on undoing itself could well be achieved by having an independent body running the sport that so many of us keep screaming out for but deaf ears are running the sport. But that would still be reinventing itself if it had independent body.

And yes Motogp is on a different level to speedway but speedway wouldn't be asking for the mega money that Motogp presumably gets.

Thought Godfrey said they had a high profile marketing person on board who nearly, yes nearly, secured 2 major sponsorships.......ponder ponder righty oh!! What happened to her? 

Edited August 11, 2021 by PirateShip

[lbw]

I remember at Long Eaton once there was a circus in town and Johno went round the track on a camel.

That's entertainment, that's entertainment.........i feel a song comin on! 

[Vince]

Generally speaking I think the 4 riders, 4 laps is pretty good as it is. If you could lessen the time spent between heats and like the GP's grade every 4 or so it should be absolutely perfect for TV. To appeal though the danger aspect needs to be emphasised and the opposing riders not act like mates in front of the cameras even if they are really.  Surfaces need to be investigated to prevent TV rain offs while the open mikes and so on would all increase TV appeal and that is the only hope of attracting any real money into the sport in my opinion.

The disparity between riders is then heightened by the best riders being able to afford the best kit so it would be good to see some form of handicap racing tried.

Then either ensure that as much as possible standard equipment is used or introduce a claiming rule where any race winning bike can be bought by a competitor for a few quid above the price of a new standard bike.

The big thing for me is that currently a really dangerous and exciting sport is marketed as family friendly, it might be that but don't tell everybody up front. Stop punishing riders for getting too pumped up and reacting badly when they are convinced another rider tried to kill them. Let the fans see the passion and become involved emotionally (and while you're at it ban anybody apart from another rider who hits a rider from the pits for life). At least try marketing Speedway as the most extreme sport, tell everybody about the horrific injuries and just how battered the riders are half the time and how they have all broken bones in the sport.

[SteveLyric2]

1 hour ago, Vince said:

Generally speaking I think the 4 riders, 4 laps is pretty good as it is. If you could lessen the time spent between heats and like the GP's grade every 4 or so it should be absolutely perfect for TV. To appeal though the danger aspect needs to be emphasised and the opposing riders not act like mates in front of the cameras even if they are really.  Surfaces need to be investigated to prevent TV rain offs while the open mikes and so on would all increase TV appeal and that is the only hope of attracting any real money into the sport in my opinion.

The disparity between riders is then heightened by the best riders being able to afford the best kit so it would be good to see some form of handicap racing tried.

Then either ensure that as much as possible standard equipment is used or introduce a claiming rule where any race winning bike can be bought by a competitor for a few quid above the price of a new standard bike.

The big thing for me is that currently a really dangerous and exciting sport is marketed as family friendly, it might be that but don't tell everybody up front. Stop punishing riders for getting too pumped up and reacting badly when they are convinced another rider tried to kill them. Let the fans see the passion and become involved emotionally (and while you're at it ban anybody apart from another rider who hits a rider from the pits for life). At least try marketing Speedway as the most extreme sport, tell everybody about the horrific injuries and just how battered the riders are half the time and how they have all broken bones in the sport.

Couldn't have put it better myself!