IainB Posted June 18, 2022 Report Share Posted June 18, 2022 13 hours ago, moxey63 said: Individual meetings became unpopular decades ago, but now we're having a bunch of individuals thrown together to pretend we have a team sport. Personally I'm not sure they became unpopular... The quality of the line-ups certainly lessened, clubs closed and race nights changed. If you get a decent line-up and promote it well you can still draw a decent crowd for an individual meeting. I keep mentioning it but the Peter Craven Memorial held on a Monday night in Manchester in March drew a near sell out crowd. 12 hours ago, THE DEAN MACHINE said: speedway is and has always been a team sport on bikes not a motorcycle sport, Has it? Maybe in this country but not everywhere, USA and Australia spring to mind. The very first match I attended was the Silver Jubilee individual meeting at Leicester in 1977, it was the spectacle, the noise, the smell that drew me in, 4 riders, 4 laps, dirt flying, no brakes... quite a hook! Was a part timer for around a season and a half before really getting into it and that's when the problems start, the more you know about Speedway the more you wish you didn't. For me it's still those very reasons that hooked me in that keep me going today... I just have to put up with all of the other crap and at the moment for me it's still just about worth it. 11 hours ago, Deano said: I took my lads friend to Perry Barr for the first time this week, he 13 and a keen motorsport fan. My lad wanted to go and I said why not take some of your school mates. Anyway, He really enjoyed it and wants to go next week. Fingers crossed none of the guests for Plymouth this week ride for the Brummies next week or vice versa and ride for Redcar as I’m going to struggle to explain that one away . I wouldn't worry, I'm sure at this stage he doesn't really know who is who. It's only when he gets to look into the detail that you'll have some explaining to do... but hopefully by then he'll be addicted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IainB Posted June 18, 2022 Report Share Posted June 18, 2022 3 minutes ago, topsoil said: Crowds have gone up at Berwick over the past two years. Loads of kids there every week with parents. Championship, National League and Northern Junior League teams. That's not 'killing the sport'. Great! the year is 2030 and this week it's Berwick A vs Berwick B, with the return fixture next week to decide the final 2 play off spots in the 2 team league to decide the Super Elite Premier Championship Summer League Knock Out Cup. Seriously though... Berwick do seem to be a bit of a go ahead promotion, do they do a lot of promotional activities? And what are the alternatives in the area? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemini Posted June 18, 2022 Report Share Posted June 18, 2022 On 6/13/2022 at 6:53 AM, Sidney the robin said: .... surprised Gemini that you don’t visit Leicester speedway anymore anyway hope you are keeping well. I am keeping very well thank you but my 4 wheels these days is a mobility scooter as I no longer have a car. Even if I did I dont think I would bother though. Sad but I couldn't cope with all the hanging around these days. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IainB Posted June 19, 2022 Report Share Posted June 19, 2022 8 hours ago, Gemini said: Sad but I couldn't cope with all the hanging around these days. That's a shame as it really does depend on what track you go to... there is a hell of a lot of hanging around at Leicester and it's generally a 2 hour package, depending on the sun. Peterborough are generally done and dusted in 90 mins... with a 10 min interval Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve roberts Posted June 19, 2022 Report Share Posted June 19, 2022 2 hours ago, iainb said: That's a shame as it really does depend on what track you go to... there is a hell of a lot of hanging around at Leicester and it's generally a 2 hour package, depending on the sun. Peterborough are generally done and dusted in 90 mins... with a 10 min interval Again it never bothered me as I regarded it as a full night out and was in no hurry to get back home (I only lived round the corner) Used to groan when Frank Ebdon was on the button as one never had time to digest and discuss the previous/forthcoming race action! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IainB Posted June 19, 2022 Report Share Posted June 19, 2022 30 minutes ago, steve roberts said: Used to groan when Frank Ebdon was on the button as one never had time to digest and discuss the previous/forthcoming race action! Haha... I was the exact opposite when Mr Ebdon was officiating, knew I'd be able to get away early, different folks, different strokes. Living in Leicester I was without a local track for about 30 years, so had to travel for my Speedway, so was always happy to get on the road early before the road network closed down for the night Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trees Posted June 19, 2022 Report Share Posted June 19, 2022 On 6/18/2022 at 3:07 AM, mikebv said: The (tens) of thousands who make up the "silent majority" and have walked away... Cardiff will have approx 100% more British Speedway fans in attendance than will colllectively attend all UK meetings on any week.. Passionate fans of the sport who, in many cases, have "given up" watching Mickey Mouse nonsense like Bomber riding for heaven knows how many teams, with those who run the sport allowing it and thinking "that's ok that, makes perfect sense".. (At the current rate of guesting, Bomber is going to get "Rider of the Season" at several clubs' end of season awards nights).. Not enough riders of a certain level? Then have less clubs at that level, or less team places per team, thus creating a surplus of riders to replace injured riders or poor performance.. Make the supply exceed the demand by making changes to your infrastructure.. In other words. "Basic business practice"... Run the sport "properly", thus making the competitions actually worth winning, and who knows, maybe many of the thousands of fans who have walked away, but still love watching the sport either via TV, or in person at "proper events", will come back to domestic Speedway? And who knows also, if the competitions became worth winning, the league's themselves may attract headline sponsors happy to be associated with them..? Something that would be a "hard sell" under the current way of running things I would imagine.. You need to persuade the Championship promoters that they need to promote weaker teams, they are sitting pretty! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve roberts Posted June 19, 2022 Report Share Posted June 19, 2022 41 minutes ago, iainb said: Haha... I was the exact opposite when Mr Ebdon was officiating, knew I'd be able to get away early, different folks, different strokes. Living in Leicester I was without a local track for about 30 years, so had to travel for my Speedway, so was always happy to get on the road early before the road network closed down for the night When I used to go to White City on a Wednesday/Tuesday night travelling from Oxford was always a pleasure driving back along the M40 after the meeting. Visits to Wolves/Cradley was never an issue and trips to Eastbourne meant an evening walking along the prom after the meeting. Wouldn't wish to take those sort of journeys now with the increase in traffic however! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruno Posted June 19, 2022 Report Share Posted June 19, 2022 Only been to 4 aways this year and everytime the journey home turned into a nightmare, with petrol prices etc it certainly makes you wonder if it's worth it. Monmore Green is only up the road for me, don't think I'd travel great distances for home meetings 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve roberts Posted June 19, 2022 Report Share Posted June 19, 2022 1 hour ago, bruno said: Only been to 4 aways this year and everytime the journey home turned into a nightmare, with petrol prices etc it certainly makes you wonder if it's worth it. Monmore Green is only up the road for me, don't think I'd travel great distances for home meetings Cowley was walking distance for me. My nearest track now, I guess, is Scunthorpe across the bridge...wouldn't contemplate going if I'm honest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebv Posted June 19, 2022 Report Share Posted June 19, 2022 (edited) 7 hours ago, Trees said: You need to persuade the Championship promoters that they need to promote weaker teams, they are sitting pretty! Indeed... No Rising Stars either.. A good interview with Mark Lemon in this weeks Speedway Star on the very same subject... (The Star in the past few months has been truly of a great standard by the way, but I digress).. There simply is too big a leap from Div 3 to Div 2, as Div 2 is too strong.. And given the talent is in no way shape or form shared around, it is also too uncompetitive... Whether Div 1 should be of a higher standard is a discussion point, but immaterial in relation to giving those Div 3 better performers a route into the higher levels of the sport.. One Div 1 HL, and then the rest made up of two Div 2 standard riders, and three places at the bottom end for NDL level riders would be ideal.. Six rider teams with the No 6 being a true NDL level reserve who can be replaced by other NDL level reserve (but unattached), riders when injured or not capable of riding at a higher level.. There needs to be an organic pathway into Div 1 from Div 3... Therefore Div 2 has to be the stepping stones that facilitate it... Edited June 19, 2022 by mikebv 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ch958 Posted June 19, 2022 Report Share Posted June 19, 2022 7 hours ago, Trees said: You need to persuade the Championship promoters that they need to promote weaker teams, they are sitting pretty! once you get a few competitive meetings the crowds will soon forget the big names, in reality they're not here anyway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pvm Posted June 21, 2022 Report Share Posted June 21, 2022 We keep coming back to the same question, Which teams would you sacrifice in order to prop-up the perceived “Top league “. Baring mind that the present promoters of the said “Top League “ are the very promoters who have brought about it’s demise. Would you increase the number of teams in the “Top League “ to <11, thereby keep the present “Top League” promoters the advantageous numbers in any vote regarding changes to the rules etc? If you were to create a system, where there was one league, it would have to include more than 12 teams (assuming the present 6 Top league teams are part of any new league). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IainB Posted June 22, 2022 Report Share Posted June 22, 2022 (edited) 16 hours ago, pvm said: We keep coming back to the same question, Which teams would you sacrifice in order to prop-up the perceived “Top league “. Baring mind that the present promoters of the said “Top League “ are the very promoters who have brought about it’s demise. Would you increase the number of teams in the “Top League “ to <11, thereby keep the present “Top League” promoters the advantageous numbers in any vote regarding changes to the rules etc? If you were to create a system, where there was one league, it would have to include more than 12 teams (assuming the present 6 Top league teams are part of any new league). Div 1: Belle Vue Ipswich Kings Lynn Peterborough Sheffield Wolverhampton Poole Leicester Glasgow Oxford Div 2: Berwick Birmingham Plymouth Scunthorpe Kent Mildenhall Redcar IOW ANY new team coming in/back 7,6,5 or 4 rider teams, what ever is needed to run without doubling up All clubs to run a 3/4 rider junior team as a 2nd half Edited June 22, 2022 by iainb 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ch958 Posted June 22, 2022 Report Share Posted June 22, 2022 in reality, the situation is similar to the 6 team National league of the mid 60s. This resulted in the RAC appointing Lord Shawcross to come up with recommendations to ensure the survival, nothing less, of the sport. Can the RAC be asked to intervene again to independently find a way forward? His (Shawcoss) work lead to the formation of the British League (one big league!!) which prospered, led to a Division 2 which equally prospered and led further to a period of great success internationally and domestically. The problems any such commission would face are quite different to those in the 60's(rapidly diminishing audience and environmental concerns for two) but would at least be independent and dispassionate. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBP Posted June 22, 2022 Report Share Posted June 22, 2022 What's going to happen next season, Peterborough wont have a home due to redevelopment the premier League will only have 5 teams it's already dire only having 6 Something will have to be done, it's a crazy situation when the premier league supposedly the better league has less than half of the teams that the championship does. Even more stupid is that almost every premiership rider doubles up in the championship Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topaz325 Posted June 22, 2022 Report Share Posted June 22, 2022 Swindon might be back, Edinburgh might be lost.....Workington might be back in the junior League ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoda Posted June 22, 2022 Report Share Posted June 22, 2022 51 minutes ago, topaz325 said: Swindon might be back, Edinburgh might be lost.....Workington might be back in the junior League ? Edinburgh wont be lost Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve roberts Posted June 25, 2022 Report Share Posted June 25, 2022 Never mind tractor "racing" but apparently at the Crystal Palace track after heavy rain during the meeting created ruts a ten ton steam roller was introduced to iron out the track so that racing could continue...that would have been some sight! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWC Posted June 25, 2022 Report Share Posted June 25, 2022 6 hours ago, steve roberts said: Never mind tractor "racing" but apparently at the Crystal Palace track after heavy rain during the meeting created ruts a ten ton steam roller was introduced to iron out the track so that racing could continue...that would have been some sight! Back in those days the track would have been cinders 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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