Finale of UK Speedway ?

[old bob at herne bay]

Looking at he current position of the competing clubs in UK speedway, when do we think the final organised  UK speedway meeting will take place ?

Will it make it to 2028 the 100th anniversary ?

My guess is that we will see the last league meeting in  2026.

 

 

[25yearfan]

I hope your wrong obviously!

 

I think British speedway will continue to deterioate  to a point where drastic measures that should be happening now like clubs allowed to run on whatever night they wish to run on, more use of English riders, 2nd halves, not having dictatorial Directors like Godfrey bending the rules to suit himself, independent governance of the Leagues, less doubling up etc will be implemented. Whether it has a long term future is debatable but I think we will see League racing on the 100th anniversary in 2028.

[IainB]

Yet again last night, the best night of the year so far, weather wise... only 1 Speedway meeting on... and that was a junior match

[moxey63]

Many fans lose patience with those running speedway and eventually just stop going. The product is still fine, but the short-termism and come-day, go day attitude has been speedway's problem for decades. Tracks are closing at an alarming rate and there is no solution. Hopefully the sport will continue in some shape or form, as it still provides a good few hours' entertainment.  

[Fromafar]

1 hour ago, moxey63 said:

Many fans lose patience with those running speedway and eventually just stop going. The product is still fine, but the short-termism and come-day, go day attitude has been speedway's problem for decades. Tracks are closing at an alarming rate and there is no solution. Hopefully the sport will continue in some shape or form, as it still provides a good few hours' entertainment.  

There is very much a “this is how it is” take it or leave it,among  some speedway Promotions these days.Not a good way to operate IMO.

[Hawk127]

6 hours ago, iainb said:

Yet again last night, the best night of the year so far, weather wise... only 1 Speedway meeting on... and that was a junior match

Looking back, on the May bank holiday in 1973, May 26th you had nine meetings

Kings Lynn v Leicester, Belle Vue v Wolverhampton, Cradley v Reading, Halifax v Exeter, Berwick v Boston, Canterbury v Peterborough, Rayleigh v Teeside, Swindon v Oxford and a WCQR at Coventry.

On bank holiday Monday nine meetings were taking place and between the 24th and 31st May the fixture list showed 53 meetings were due to take place.

I afraid that is when speedway was really worth turning out for and many a happy Saturday night spent at the Weir watching leaping Len and the Rockets. Sadly the last season at the stadium.

[IainB]

1 hour ago, Hawk127 said:

Looking back, on the May bank holiday in 1973, May 26th you had nine meetings

Kings Lynn v Leicester, Belle Vue v Wolverhampton, Cradley v Reading, Halifax v Exeter, Berwick v Boston, Canterbury v Peterborough, Rayleigh v Teeside, Swindon v Oxford and a WCQR at Coventry.

On bank holiday Monday nine meetings were taking place and between the 24th and 31st May the fixture list showed 53 meetings were due to take place.

I afraid that is when speedway was really worth turning out for and many a happy Saturday night spent at the Weir watching leaping Len and the Rockets. Sadly the last season at the stadium.

Amazing isn't it that not one so called promoter had the gumption to put an event on and promote it. 

I used to think that Speedway in this country would continue with American style individual meetings when league Speedway finally collapses, as it inevitably will if the closure of tracks continues at its current rate... but now I'm not so sure.

[Sings4Speedway]

18 hours ago, iainb said:

Amazing isn't it that not one so called promoter had the gumption to put an event on and promote it. 

I used to think that Speedway in this country would continue with American style individual meetings when league Speedway finally collapses, as it inevitably will if the closure of tracks continues at its current rate... but now I'm not so sure.

The problem with continuing at even individual/amateur level is the supplies of equipment will dry up. Currently lower leagues and amateurs mostly feed off buying second hand pro bikes. If they stop being purchased the suppliers will shut down too and just leave a trickle of parts available or revert to the days of bodging and mending to keep ailing bikes running 

[longlivefrankie]

As a Newport fan, I can remember going to 3 meetings in one day on Whit Monday 1976, Reading v Hackney in the morning then onto White City v Hull in the afternoon then Wimbledon for the Internationale in the evening. None of those tracks exist now sadly. 

[stevehone]

riders needing to have 2 bikes at each meeting is an added expense also, the number of times i've been somewhere and riders would rather borrow from another rider or spend ages trying to fix something than jump on their own spare bike.

i think in league meetings the last rider i can recall having the 2nd bike set up the same as the 1st was Tom Topinka

[IainB]

A glorious Bank Holiday Monday (in Manchester at least) and only 3 matches on in the UK today! Why the hell aren't Championship clubs running some open meetings to boost their coffers?

[steve roberts]

3 hours ago, iainb said:

A glorious Bank Holiday Monday (in Manchester at least) and only 3 matches on in the UK today! Why the hell aren't Championship clubs running some open meetings to boost their coffers?

Yep! We used to race Reading home and away on Bank Holiday Mondays.

[TINYS]

7 hours ago, longlivefrankie said:

As a Newport fan, I can remember going to 3 meetings in one day on Whit Monday 1976, Reading v Hackney in the morning then onto White City v Hull in the afternoon then Wimbledon for the Internationale in the evening. None of those tracks exist now sadly. 

I remember doing 3 meetings in 1 day back in the good old days, Kings Lynn in the morning, Ipswich in the afternoon, and Hackney in the evening. Miss those times.

[Chris116]

Three meetings in a day for my family was Rayleigh for speedway in the morning, then stay for the Stock Cars and Bangers in the afternoon followed by a dash back to Wimbledon for the evening Speedway meeting. 

I have done an Arena Essex Speedway meeting followed by a Mildenhall Stock Cars and Bangers meeting in the evening which resulted in me commentating at Mildenhall that evening due to their regular commentator being ill and the promotor being very unhappy behind the microphone.

EDIT - I also had a wonderful day with my parents going to Cradley for a USA v England Speedway Test Match on a Saturday afternoon followed by the BriSCA F1 Stock Cars at Coventry in the evening. Sadly it was our only ever visit to Cradley but it was certainly one of our maddest trips as I drove a Reliant Robin in those days.

Edited May 30, 2023 by Chris116
Forgot another double.

[Beowulf]

Peterborough v Boston, Boston v Peterborough and Kings Lynn v Poland, then the drive back to Wolverhampton !

[TINYS]

34 minutes ago, Beowulf said:

Peterborough v Boston, Boston v Peterborough and Kings Lynn v Poland, then the drive back to Wolverhampton !

Happy days

[Beowulf]

44 minutes ago, TINYS said:

Happy days

That was a bank holiday. Another bank holiday one we did was 11:00 am Birmingham, 3:00 pm Ellesmere Port and 19:30 Leicester. Can't remember the fixture's now.

[old bob at herne bay]

Really don't see much future for British Speedway beyond 2 more years tbh. Losing stadia is not going away - and definite lack of interest in defunct tracks on restarting speedway.  

Looking at the prospects for even next season 2024

Premiership

Shot to pieces withe loss of Peterborough and Wolverhampton racing venues.  Down to 5 clubs in 2024. Possibly unviable with 5 clubs ?? racing each other 3 times a season home and away will give 12 home  meetings. Playoffs between top two ? 

Difficulty seeing other CL sides moving up withe current entrenchment of double up riders in PL and CL , plus the fixed race nights making Wednesday a non race night in the PL.

Championship

The availability of their stadia must raise doubts about Birmingham, Edinburgh and even Poole.  Poss Workington joining CL in 2024?  Down to 8 clubs in 2024 - assuming Poole will line up.

National League

Mildenhall have annual issues over running as a standalone club.  Edinburgh stadium issue.  Newcomers Workington have hopes of a Championship slot. in 2024. Rider availability seems to be a growing issue.

 

 

 

[old bob at herne bay]

Just read this weeks SS . Delete Kent from next years National League. 
They may become a NORA club alongside IoW . ?? Maybe Mildenhall will join them too ? 

[moxey63]

This is getting serious. Doubts over so many clubs.

Sooner rather than later, the middle man in what is often a laborious and predictable six months of table fixtures could be a thing of history, and perhaps we can just go straight to the two-team Grand "Last Men Standing" Final.

Edited June 1, 2023 by moxey63