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Spl77

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Posts posted by Spl77

  1. Posted

    1 hour ago, racers and royals said:

    How were they going to pay for it- shirt buttons ??

    Like most things you have to have a plan and to plan you need vision. 

    Brandon should be the jewell in the speedway crown and maybe a plan to make it the British speedway hq should have been put in place years before the demise in 2017

    • Confused 1

  2. Posted

    On 7/11/2020 at 9:10 PM, tyretrax said:

    Funny thing is greyhound people say that the greyhound board should have taken over Brandon for their H.Q.

    Maybe the BSPA should have brought it and turned it into there hq. Could have held Marketing Events and lived demos of the sport to potential investors as well as using it as a national coaching centre. If only that collective bunch of fools had some vision! 

    • Like 2
    • Confused 1

  4. Posted

    The professional approach to running speedway coupled with the status that the sport holds in Poland means its light years ahead of the UK. 

    It also kind of proves that the way the sport is run and portrayed is more important than the actual racing. 

    The people in charge could see the potential the sport had and are forward thinking and have successfully built on the large attendance figures from the communist era. 

    Sadly with the exception of one or two promotions the UK weren't looking forward to build on the standing the sport had here in the 70s and early 80s. To coin an old game show catch phrase 'look at what you could have one' 

    • Like 1

  6. Posted

    1 hour ago, steve roberts said:

    I remember a friend of mine who would stay at home and watch a match that was televised live at Cowley rather than walk the half mile to the track as was his normal want.

    Highlights I saw no problem with but live? Speedway's fan base was never going to be sustainable as attendances were already on the slide when live matches were introduced during the late (?) nineties. Whether speedway failed to capitalise is obviously a very good point and it seems that the sport missed an opportunity hence the current predicament that the sport apparently now finds itself in.

    The issue is some promoters didn't want and still don't want speedway live on tv so will happily see it fail. 

    When sky got involved in 99 that was the golden opportunity to rebuild speedway sadly the BSPA as a collective totally messed up and miss that opportunity. 

    TV can work look what's its done for Football and yes I know its not all been positive however football is completely reborn off the back of tv 

    Late 80s top flight football playing in old stadiums with dropping attendance figures. 

    The FA and the clubs knew they had to change to survive at the level they had been acustommed too. 

    Along comes sky with the money and before you know it money is flowing in tatty old stada rebuilt or brand new stada constructed and money at a level that could only be dreamt about flowing in. 

    Yes speedway is much smaller in scale however 99 was the golden egg and instead of the BSPA sitting on it and nurturing it they dropped and ever since have been trying to put the egg back in the broken shell. 

     

  7. Posted

    We have been lucky to have some true entertaining riders over the years. The pole who came in for a few meetings at the tail-end of 2005 or 06 was a real crowd pleaser. 

    For the Thursday rerun nights maybe we could see some national league action with the young Louis loram and moggo maybe witches v Hackney? 

    • Like 1

  8. Posted

    2 hours ago, DBP said:

    Its been reported that polish fans will be allowed in but at 25% capicity. 

    Not for the first round  of matches  thats still behind closed doors but for the second round think its around 19th June

    If something along those lines were given the go ahead by the government here British speedway could Re start no problem at all. 

    The BSPA plan over the last 25 years of making speedway such a niche market could finally bear fruit. All those supporters who have been driven away makes social distancing at speedway matches totally possible. 

    See the BSPA are genius and have been creating a business model that works in a pandemic crisis. 

  10. Posted

    This topic has been covered a million times on here and in the speedway press. Sadly those in the position to make real either won't or can't. 

    No my own personal take on the sport. 

    One spring evening in 1989 I was taken to my local track Ipswich by a family friend at the age of 12. I was instantly hooked and gave up watching football to go every week. 

    The sound the smell the action on track was all very exciting compared to football. At that time the crowd cheering or jeering and the banter with the rival fans who were next to you was great. 

    This was also apparent at other tracks I visited following the witches Hackney, Peterborough during those first two seasons and then Kings Lynn in 91.

    Atmosphere and passion from the crowd and the riders. 

    Those first two seasons gave me my first and only speedway heros Loram, Moggo and oddly given he rode for the opposition Galvin. 

    The national league days at Foxhall of 89,90 were superb so many different riders most clubs visited once a season the crowd's were good and as I said passion and atmosphere, and as several school mates alos went Friday was speedway discussion day. 

    As I went though my teenage years and into my early 20s friendships were formed that stand to this day and the social side of speedway came to the for. 

    For me the first time I became aware of speedway politics was the winter of 98,99 when dispite being agreed the year before the league champions could no longer keep their team. 

    After that various micky mouse decisions that the BSPA made over a 10 year period drove me away as a regular the social group that used to go went once last year. 

    Since my last ever present season of 2007 I have been to around 15 home meetings. That group of friends once ever presents most have totally walked away a few like me do one or two a year. 

    For me the key points for my decline in intrest are the lack of passion from the riders for their team, doubling up and down the over use of guests and the rocket ship equipment that is not suited to the UK tracks. 

    The BSPA had a superb opportunity to re invent the sport with the sky money and turn it into a proper professional sport between 199 and 2006 but failed to capitalise on it. 

    Looking back reading speedway books etc the infighting with the BSPA seems to have been going on for years, John berry's books certainly show that. So will the sport change or die sadly given the evidence of how the BSPA operates both now and historically it will die out. 

    In my own personal opinion the most professionally run league set up this county had was the old national league. 

    I want nothing more than to go along to a meeting a get the wow I have to come next week feeling and become hooked again, instead of the see you next year. 

    • Like 4

  12. Posted

    10 hours ago, EnglishRoundabout said:

    I guess something similar to early nineties football when their crowds were at an all time low. Suddenly there was a spike in interest ( I accept that was probably due to Sky money) but sometimes in life you only realise how you miss something when it isn’t there.

    So maybe Sky or someone else will provide the financial assistance the sport deserves and desperately needs. 

    Sadly sky have already provided massive (in speedway terms)  financial assistance in the early days of their TV coverage. Sadly like most things connected to the BSPA that golden egg was dropped and smashed in pieces. 

    Hence the poor revenue for later contracts and then the almost give away to BT sport. 

    From 1999 to mid noughies speedway had the media partner and the money coming in to really turn the sport around... The rest as they say is history! 

    • Like 2

  13. Posted

    Can't blame Doyle or anyone else who throws their hat in the ring to live and ride in Poland exclusively. Their top league at least is going to run so a chance for the riders to earn some money.  At the moment it's 50/50 at best that the UK will run a league program. We know unlike Poland we can't afford to run behind closed doors so are at the mercy of the government allowing fans into stadia which at the moment seems a long way off. 

    I've read in a couple of football articles in the last day or two suggesting it maybe January before crowds are permitted back into stadia. 

    Now I know speedway might be in a different position due to the low level of support which makes social distancing easier. 

    • Like 1

  15. Posted

    13 minutes ago, wealdstone said:

    All these plans seem to me to to have an even worse effect on getting this country back at the forefront of international Speedway

    I'm not for one second pretending that my ideas have anything with getting this country to the forefront of international Speedway. Its more to do with survival and building foundations to allow that to happen one day possibly. 

    • Like 1

  17. Posted

    2 hours ago, bruno said:

    Looking back to the glory days the answer is simple. All the top riders were here then but that's never going to happen again. Without being a defeatist I can't see how we can change things around over here especially with the current situation as well. Would love to be proved wrong tho

    I honestly don't believe that you need the top riders in the world in the UK. If you're trying to attract new support to tracks then the top riders make little difference the likes of Nikki Pedersen Chris Holder etc etc are not known outside of the speedway world. 

    However the entertainment level needs massive work so the place to start is with the bikes that clearly do not suit the vast majority of UK tracks and cost a fortune to run a cost that UK speedway can't support. 

     

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 1

  18. Posted

    I fully believe that in order to save British speedway something radical has to be done and starting with standard engines is what I would do and yes they would be uprights.

    Having watched racing from the 80s and 90s on you tube recently it's clear that the current bikes do not work on UK tracks.  With the uprights riders Were riding the inside middle and outside of the tracks. The same tracks these days with the current equipment and the line is mid track to the outside so inside half the the track sees very little traffic. That can't be good. 

    Seeing the reports this morning that the Poles are asking riders to take a 50% paycut so they can operate behind closed doors maybe it's time to reduce costs across the board for the greater good. 

    • Like 3

  19. Posted

    1 hour ago, FAST GATER said:

    There are probably hundreds holding workshop doors open I think more  original 2 valve Jawa were produced than any other  s/way engine ,knowing the eastern block they probably still have all the tooling etc .

    Jawa produced a batch of 2 valve lawdowns a couple of years ago for the nice series. I would have thought that they would be up for it. 

  20. Posted

    The bikes need slowing and to be honest uprights are probably safer and easier to ride compared to laydowns. 

    The way I see it is British speedway has to go semi pro and revert to standard upright machines these clearly suit the majority of British tracks far better than today's laydowns. 

    I know that would mean some riders deciding not to ride here because they wouldn't want to maintain 2 different sets of equipment. However to keep the sport going in the UK its clear machinery costs have to be reduced and the entertainment level of the racing improved across the board. 

    The only other solution would be for the FIM to oulaw anything other than standard equipment. To do that they would have to grow a pair. 

    • Like 3

  21. Posted · Edited by Spl77

    Interesting watching this tonight. Firstly it shows how far the sport has fallen looking at the caliber of rider on show 22 years ago. Secondly the old track wasn't all bad those outside moves from Gollob and Rickardsson prove that plus the Louis cut back. Thirdly the crowd wasn't a big as I remember. 

    Great days and sadly I doubt they will be repeated. 

    Next 97 16 Lapper Gollobs Foxhall debut. Did the cowboy ride in this one? 

  22. Posted

    8 hours ago, secsy1 said:

    This is the PROBLEM, pure negativity in every topic on THE BRITISH SPEEDWAY FORUM !!!!!!!!!

    Everyone just pulls it down and slates it !!!!!!!!

    WELL BELIEVE IT OR NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE BELIEVE IN IT.

    My parents always told me, if you have something to say, say it, but be objective and offer a potential solution.

    Until all the negativity from so called fans is eradicated, or as your post states put to sleep. How can it move forward.

     

    I think you will find that many on here who appear negative have in the past voiced their thoughts on ways forward and things that could be changed to make the sport appear more professional and improve the product. 

    Sadly most of the time we get shouted down and told all is well. 

    It's not always being negative but honest about the situation the sport in the UK finds itself. 

    Having watched the sport since the late 80s I was lucky in that the first few years the sport still came across as reasonably professional and the crowds at least at my local track were still pushing 4000 a week. 

    Over the last 20 to 25 years the sport has been slowly run into the ground becoming evermore micky mouse. 

    I'm sure that there are still a number of people who continue to support the sport enough to watch live and can live with all the things that are wrong and turn it in to a total joke.....sadly they are the few thousand and the the tens of thousands that used to live it. 

    I'm ready to be slated and told I'm negative however I think it's safe to say that I'm in the majority. sad times 

  23. Posted

    48 minutes ago, Terry said:

    1989, Ipswich 1 Chris Louis, 2 Peter Chapman, 3 Mark Loram, 4 Alan Mogridge, 5 Dean Standing, 6 Robbie Fuller, 7 Kevin Teager.  Hackney 1 Andy Galvin, 2 Barry Thomas, 3 Steve Schofield, 4 Paul Whittaker, 5 Gary Tagg, 6 Warren Mowat, 7 Michael Warren.

    1990, Ipswich 1 Chris Louis, 2 R/R David Norris, 3 Dean Standing, 4 Alan Mogridge, 5 Shane Parker, 6 Robbie Fuller, 7 Craig Hyde, 8 Darren Fitch D/N/R. Hackney 1 Andy Galvin, 2 Gary Tagg, 3 Steve Schofield, 4 Paul Whittaker, 5 Tim Korneliussen, 6 Michael Warren, 7 Ian Humphreys.

     

     

     

     

     

    Thank you Terry

  25. Posted

    8 hours ago, BWitcher said:

    You can abuse all you like. Just because you are unable to accept the truth is not my issue.

    I absolutely 100% guarantee you know plenty of people who will have influenza/pneumonia on their death certificate. They most likely had other conditions that you would say they died of, but very often when folk are vulnerable, it's a virus they catch that sadly ends things for them. You don't say they died from the flu though, you say whatever the main condition was that they had. That isn't the case now. Every death where they had covid-19 is labelled as that.. even if they had cancer, leukaemia... or heart failure for example in the case of Eddie Large.

    THERE lies the difference.

    I bet you say Freddie Mercury died from Aids don't you? He had aids, but it was the flu, which developed into pneumonia that finished him off. If he was around now and caught covid-19, it would be reported he died from that. 

    I'm not going to debate your alleged stories, perhaps they are true, perhaps not., I am debating reality. And that reality is.. absolute 100% proven by official government records, is that up till March 27th of this year there were a total of 28398 deaths with influenza/pneumonia on the death certificate. 

    If the truth pisses you off, so be it.

    It's beyond me why you are so worked up about it.

    Tell me the reason that you don't want to accept the facts..... And I will gladly pass it on to my wife and her fellow NHS colleagues..... In the meantime enjoy all the conspiracy theory out there 

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