GWC

I’m hoping the days of loan fees have gone - especially in the current world.

Major league racing exists in 3 other countries, Poland Sweden and Denmark. In all these countries their stadiums are used purely for speedway which in the U.K. is a luxury the majority of owners can’t afford. The number of dog tracks used for speedway has rapidly declined as they have been redeveloped most were built in City centres and are prime-redevelopment sites. The remaining are in such poor condition with outdated facilities people are starting to vote with their feet. There will be a time when dogs will be gone but speedway, as we currently know it will also be gone sadly.

And when they don’t do well it will be ‘falling star’....

Cheap air travel fuelled riders ability to flit between countries in Europe. Poland and COVID has for this season at least, given promoters here a shot of realism. Well done to Bjarne for committing to U.K.

Mildenhall track is a good example of a tiny track but it’s shape produces fast full throttle action. Majority of U.K. tracks were long straights and sharp bends reflecting the stadia like a dog track. The new tracks like Somerset Redcar Scunthorpe built without that restriction are much better shape. Unfortunately the plan didn’t quite include Leicester for some reason.

Unless you can get a sponsor to put up the meeting costs you are going up against the GP series and Poland which are primary to riders these days. Great idea though and we all remember the International series in 1973!

Peter Collins said this many years ago U.K. tracks with few exceptions took their shape from the stadia unlike Sweden Poland Denmark that had built stadiums to suit a track shape. He would know coming from Belle Vue specifically built for Speedway.

The racing was better and safer with skill on the bike being paramount rather than ‘gate and go’ !

I think the way youngsters are encouraged today is far better with the 250 350 and then 500 sections giving them confidence to ride a bike from an early age as opposed to getting straight onto a 500 and getting scared to death! This will be beneficial in the long run making the quality over quantity issue far more important. it won’t populate our leagues quick enough so we still need influx of Aussies etc but it should help the GB profile.

Let’s go back 15 years and Len Silver ran full second half racing after the main meeting and helped produce a lot of good young riders. Unfortunately the problem has always been at what level these riders can achieve and as is so often the case they find a level they want and don’t improve through ability or in a lot of cases injury. Every so often a gem turns up but because the standard required for top flight racing is so high today, it’s probably 1 in 100 as opposed to 1 in 10 some 40 years ago.

You are a year out Bob it was 1965 when the leagues amalgamated. The same situation existed then as now, top 5 riders - Craven Fundin Moore Knutsson had gone apart from Barry Briggs. It took an independent report to show what was obvious to many that the leagues must come together. However it wasn’t until the second division was introduced that the sport really took off again bringing in so many youngsters to the sport.

I’m guessing the rising star place is there to allow teams to cut costs. There can be little to suggest they will beat anybody other than the other no.7 or when another rider has a misfortune. Lets also hope that if we get racing on we are not going to see teams chop and change injuries permitting of course.

I suspect there is ongoing dialogue between promoters as the league is going to be much weaker. Maybe they won’t go with a ‘rising star’ in that case.

If Plymouth move up to replace Somerset then that will leave just 2 stand alone NL clubs.

I started going in 69 so the 70’s were very good and following second division saw the rise of many riders who became stars. Supporters got to know riders much better than they do today and didn’t mind losing a rider if they saw him progress to the top league

Somehow in the past teams were put together without averages being used. Simply put it was 3 heat leaders 2 second strings and 2 reserves. If promoters can for once come together for the sake of the sport and put aside their own interests then maybe, if the season can start, get a semblance of a competition going. Who will really care who rides for who so long as it gets speedway going and I’m convinced people will want live entertainment after so long away from the sport.

Swindon and now Somerset have dropped out of any future planning so maybe Falcons theory is a ‘last resort’ scenario. Almost 60 riders listed requiring nearly 9 tracks needed to at least get a speedway season in what would be a one-off season.The alternative of no speedway will be disastrous for riders and the sport in the U.K. Go back to 1958 I think there were less tracks operating and people said then that speedway as a major sport was finished.

Maybe it’s necessary for 2021 at least, to go with a combined league and ditch averages so as to give employment to majority of riders. I am assuming not all tracks will be able to operate in the half vaccinated half not U.K. come the spring anyway.

Yes that’s the correct way round I got it a bit confused! - the following is a short note from a friend who grew up in Hoddesdon at went to Rye in the 1950’s - “The original track 1935 to 1957 was 440yds, some film of this is on YouTube, some showing Dickie Case. In fact in the early days it was known as Dick Case's Speedway. He also ran the pub next door for a number of years. The new track was the brainchild of Mike Broadbank as was the temporary track from late 1958”

It was built for speedway by Mike Broadbank in the late 50’s after being moved from where the go karts are now based. Pretty sure the whole area including Karts is designated a sports complex but unfortunately not specific to speedway.

Lowering the team total CMA year on year just weakens and weakens the product year after year. The strength of the second division is nothing compared to what it was, probably even 10 years ago let alone even further beyond that. I would strongly disagree with that comment have a look at the teams in 2010 and there is far more experienced riders in the Championship now.

But to have a Woffinden we need a lot of Sargeants otherwise the sport will collapse at league level. I watched Tai for 2 seasons at Rye House and he was so far ahead of the riders there at 16 you could tell he was going to be very good if not world class. Similarly with Peter Collins.

Couldn’t agree more but a lot of riders will look at the sport rather differently if they couldn’t do it full time. I believe we are at the crossroads of the sport hastened by the pandemic in the U.K.

You have to put NZ aside in this pandemic where the culture and infrastructure is totally different to Europe.

The scientists say without a vaccine then we will have to live with the virus for ever. How you bring back a spectator sport is then anyone’s guess. Promoters won’t be able to put on meetings in empty stadiums or limited spectators which make it unrealistic financially. Regrettably the sport in the U.K. doesn’t command the sort of sponsorship that Poland can attract therefore it might survive there but everywhere else could be in serious trouble. Total reorganisation required to save the sport and going back to part time riders will be a start.