The Direction That Speedway Needs To Take In The U.k.

[AndyM 1]

Don't disagree with what you say - just think that the core product will not attract and sustain a mass audience any more, whatever facilities you provide. There needs to be better value in the speedway itself - more thrills, easier to watch anywhere.

[tomcat 21]

I've commented on this in various articles in Speedway Star and on my personal blog, but I remain convinced that the way for Speedway to survive, build, and once more thrive, is not necessarily to re-invent itself, but to look at what is fundamentally wrong and thus holding back Clubs all over the land...this always points back to the ownership of facilities, and the subsequent inability to control their own desitny.

 

Through much more careful consideration of planning applications (a la Beaumont Leys, Leicester), new, much improved Speedway 'mixed-use' facilities can be built and possibly owned by their promotions, and only by doing this, can they make the necessary revenue to improve the way the Club performs on and off the track.

 

I cannot underestimate the importance of Leicester formalising their planning permission at BL, as this will pave the way for other promotions to be brave enough to follow suit and make the move.

 

Sherif

 

 

Whilst I believe that the majority of fans would agree, that current stadia are

eye sores, run down etc etc, the basic problem is that fans can no longer

identify with the sport, as we did when I was a youngster.

Like many thousands of others, I would be on the terraces at a meeting and

be day dreaming of being the next John Louis or Ivan Mauger etc, as it was

financially possible to get into the sport and compete on or very near to

their level with regards to machinery etc. But, today, unless you have thousands

to chuck at the sport, then the average youngster has no chance what so ever

of becoming a speedway rider and emulating their hero's.

Its no good having a state of the art stadium and track and then filling your team

with foreign journeymen. What the British public want, as far as I can gather, is

a team of British riders, preferably local talent, with whom they can identify and

support year in year out. Make the costs prohibitive regarding machinery and

that is never going to happen, the proof is right here and now.

 

I use the Ipswich Witches as an example in the 1970's. We had John Louis, Tony

Davey, Mike Lanham, Trevor Jones, Billy Sanders (Adopted son of Suffolk),

Ted Howgego et al, who were all local, stayed with the team for more than a

season or two and identified with by every Witches fan. Back then you could get

a machine, ready to race for very little outlay and suddenly your dream of being

the next Witches star was a reality. It won't happen today as it really is just too

damn expensive.

Quite simply, get the product right first, then worry about how posh your stadium

looks etc. If the racing is conducted on a level playing field, where Fred Bloggs

stands just as much chance of winning a race more than once, against the likes

of the Crumps, Adams and so on, then the fans will feel that they are being

properly entertained. Instead we currently have a situation, where the guy

with the biggest bank balance will win time and again, well in most cases anyway.

Like it or not, speedway fans love an underdog and the chance that said underdog

can suddenly compete with the so called stars of the sport will mean more interest

and hopefully more fans returning. Keep on with the way we are today, where we

have a select few winning everything, then the sport will die on its backside.

 

Look at the GP threads, its already down to about 4 riders that have any chance

of lifting the World Crown, likewise the Leagues, its virtually the same team names

that are considered able to win the titles year after year.

Even the machinery out and suddenly everyone becomes capable of winning.

Now and again you'll get a suprise team come along and win, someone that

was never even considered as potential Champions, but thats as rare as hens

teeth, as they say here in Northern Ireland.

Fans look at the fixture list and see, for example, Poole V Ipswich this season,

no way are Ipswich going to get near Poole, but put those 14 riders on the

same machinery, untuned, out of the crate and suddenly anything is possible.

As a fan again now, I wouldn't waste my money travelling and paying to see

that kind of one sided slaughter, but if we had an even chance of giving them

a close match or maybe an away win, then many more fans would be inclined

to travel and cheer their team on.

OK, there could be a very slim chance that we get something down at Poole,

but the odds are so heavily stacked against us, or any other team, that the

crowd levels will be affected. Even home fans will start looking at this and

staying away, as one sided matches are not what people want to see.

 

I probably haven't put any of the above that well, but hopefully some people

will get what I am on about and see the bigger picture.

 

I used to love going to meetings, home and away, knowing that one of the

lesser stars could compete and possibly grab a maximum or beat the

oppositions No1 a couple of times, because he was aboard machinery

of a comparable standard.

 

Its not about going back to the 'Good Old Days' of uprights, black leathers etc,

but it is about giving possible future riders the chance to compete with the

current stars and maybe pulling off a shock or several.

Just think.... the possibility of not ever having to watch a race where there are

two very seperate races going on at the same time, due to the haves and the

have nots....

IMO, if British speedway got its act together and instigated this, we would see

a very real upturn in attendances throughout the country. This in turn would

mean more financial stability within British speedway and the sport hopefully

returning to somewhere near its former level with the TV and media in general.

We may also rid our sport of this common thought, that the first out of the

gate wins every time, which IS how speedway is percieved by many people

these days.

 

[gsmills 0]

Well i can see were on the same track, my lad recently started riding and hes doing ok , but how do you explain to your child that if you get to a good level,we cant afford for you to race. Its not what any parent wants to say , but its the reality of speedway to most of us.As an instance when we need parts and pass out at the price were gleefily told "its the exchange rate mate" but its not just us thats in recesion.There is maybe a way for us mortals look at what there doing with pit bike engines its probaly the brits only.

[tomcat 21]

Well i can see were on the same track, my lad recently started riding and hes doing ok , but how do you explain to your child that if you get to a good level,we cant afford for you to race. Its not what any parent wants to say , but its the reality of speedway to most of us.As an instance when we need parts and pass out at the price were gleefily told "its the exchange rate mate" but its not just us thats in recesion.There is maybe a way for us mortals look at what there doing with pit bike engines its probaly the brits only.

 

Hi Miles,

I know where your coming from regards this.

I started out, at around 16, got a clapped out Honda 125 Grass bike

for £120, took myself off to local fields and practiced, to get the hang

of the bike, progressed onto a Jawa 2 valve for £250 and I was off

and running. I then smashed myself up a tad and packed in for a few

years, got married and got the bug again.

2 weeks into a new marriage, I took myself off from Kent down to Swindon

to a guy called Roy, who ran RDS racing. Got a MK4 Weslake and some other

kit, helmet, boots, steel shoe and gloves for £500. Then coughed up £400 for

a set of new leathers, then invested in a new back protector and so on.

I used that bike and kit for 2 years or so, then had my last big spill and had

to pack in or probably die trying to make it... I still had no fear, even at age 23.

I sold everything for a mere £150.... Ok I was desperate for money, having been

out of work due to the injuries sustained, so I just wanted the cash and rid of the

bike, before I did myself a seriously bad mischief.

 

In 1996 my lad came along, he started wanting to ride a bike at age 4, so we

got him this little Fantacini monkey bike, that cost us £200, then helmet, gloves,

goggles and body armour etc, that was the best part of £600 gone. After riding

that bike about 3 or 4 times, he was complaining it was too slow and we upgraded

him to a Moto X bike, 80cc, semi auto. £800 for that, plus new protective gear,

race suit, boots, steel show, as he could ride on the shale with it, we bolted the

rear end down to clamp the rear suspension, body armour, etc etc... nearly

2 grand later and he is starting to get into this racing lark. Then he starts to

grow quicker than we can earn the money, needing new race suits, boots and

so on. It soon starts to get damn expensive.

We moved over here to NI 3 years ago, and he hasn't ridden any bikes since.

But... we are talking about coming back over the Irish sea to live within the next

couple of years and he has started asking if he can get back into the racing and

in particular speedway.... like yourself, how do you tell a kid No.

I know he's my son, but he does have a really uncanny sense of balance and

has handled everything thats been thrown at him machinery wise, as he has

had goes on speedway bikes, which gave me a heart attack, he did a practice

start, the very first time on it, went down the straight at what looked like a 100

miles and hour, I thought he was going to hit the first bend fence, but just laid the

bike over and went round the turn like he had been riding for decades. A born

racer and a natural on a bike. And no I'm not trying to be biased as I wouldn't

build my boy up only to see him knocked down. If he was crap, I'd tell him to

forget it, but he isn't and here I sit today, knowing I will be unable to afford to

get him back into speedway.

 

This is where I think speedway shoots itself in the foot. Its us parents that have to

cop for the costs and not one person within the speedway heirachy gives a damn.

I realise that you can't stop progress, but speedway is one of those sports where

progress and technology has slowly strangled the sport, alienating the beginners

out there via the huge amounts of money needed to even start riding, let alone

compete and race in a league.

This then creeps into the lower league, where kids and parents are struggling to afford

the machinery to compete. And so it goes on to the upper levels, which we have all seen.

The obvious haves and have nots, the two races in one scenario that many like to

bang on about. Its not all about limited ability, the major problem is the difference in

budgets for the tuning, special parts and so on.

 

As I said in a previous post, let the GP stars have their rocket ships, but lets have

standardised engines for League racing.

I would actually like to know, how many youngsters have been lost to the sport

due to not having unlimited finances to pour into their bikes.

I bet there's a heck of a lot gone by the wayside due to that particular problem.

The trouble is, a majority of those that have been lost because of that will never

be seen racing again, at least not at the top levels and I include the three current

leagues in Britain in that statement. Amateur racing is fine and dandy, I've had a

dabble in that myself, its a lot of fun, but it won't make you a League winner, or

a World Champion, as your racing at a level where it doesn't matter if your bike

isn't up to GP standard, its all about the fun of taking part.

 

Get the machinery and running costs of that machinery down and watch the kids

come out of the woodwork to have a go. Make this compulsary in League racing

in the UK and the racing must improve. Closer racing means the fans get the

entertainment they crave, the hero's to follow and then crowds may increase.

If it keeps on as it is, we'll end up with a form of Super League, for the few

riders that can afford the costs, if there are enough left to form enough teams.

The rest will end up riding amateur club meetings or being lost to the sport.

 

Once thats been sorted out, then we can start to look at the stadia that are a

shambles. I know some that I wouldn't let my dog take a poop in, let alone want

to stand and watch a sport in. But, until we get the on track product right, you

could have weekly racing at the new Wembley and no-one would bother after

the first month with regards to watching as the racing would be rubbish, as it

seems to be a lot of the time now.

 

Start at the bottom, racing needs sorting out, then worry about the surroundings.

 

Oh... and this constant promise of simplifying the rule book by the BSPA/SCB

needs addressing asap. We all know that speedway is a simple sport, ruined by

the ridiculous amount of stupid and petty rules. They need to either get it done

or allow someone to do it for them... and I would gladly volunteer to sit down for

6 months over a summer and try to do that for them... Free of charge, as my

beloved sport comes above and beyond any financial reward.

 

Passionate about my speedway... You bet I am, angry at the way speedway has

gone with costs and technology.... Too right.

 

Time to put our house in order within British Speedway or lose it as a professional

sport.

[MACK1 0]

<!--quoteo(post=1684099:date=Feb 14 2010, 05:11 PM:name=seedef27)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (seedef27 @ Feb 14 2010, 05:11 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1684099"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->2 posts now & still no mention of which team you follow (i'm guessing it's not Redcar) and just out of curiosity which team did you ride for..<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

whats the way foward , took my two lads to watch speedway for first time last year, 7.45pm start till 10.00pm they saw 15 races at 60 secs each. this left 2 hours when they were bored and they couldnt even prounounce the riders names as there wasnt even a british rider racing. So this evening cost me 35 quid to see a bunch of foreigners take the money, not helped any of our british lads cause the league is swamped by foreigners and even the mention of "going to speedway"to the kids results in a loud BOOORING.Well i dont know the answer but if you cant get youngsters to watch were really struggling,but i do no i want to watch british riders like Carl Wilkinson who will always give it a go rather than foregn riders any day.I just beleive its right look after our own. ps before any body says im not a rascist or a Scunthorpe supporter just want to see speedway survive.

[Garry1603 353]

The future is definitily bleak if the kids find the product boring.

[speedyguy 20]

I think the time has come for speedway to drop team racing for at least two seasons, instead staging meetings similar to those in the USA. open events with tracks booking in various riders. The continued 'new ideas' that come into speedway every year are slowly destroying it.

Edited December 19, 2010 by speedyguy

[jollie roger 0]

Ido not see dropping team racing will improve speedway.In latter years individual meetings have been poorly supported,that is why there are far fewer than there used to be.

[Bavarian 766]

I think the time has come for speedway to drop team racing for at least two seasons, instead staging meetings similar to those in the USA. open events with tracks booking in various riders. The continued 'new ideas' that come into speedway every year are slowly destroying it.

 

This is much to radical. It would destroy the sport in the UK, if there were no more league teams racing. Just see how poorly supported the American dirt-track / flat-track or whatever they are called meetings in the UK are.

 

Perhaps we should go way back in time and do it like they did it in the early years of the sport. A bit more variety is what is needed. Let's have league team racing in the first half of the programme, with perhaps smaller teams of only five or six riders and over a limited number of heats, say nine or so, and then follow with a "big" second half individual programme of individual senior, junior solo and even the occasional sidecar racing. Maybe that part of the prog could be done along the lines of the US speedway show meetings, with a bit of fun after the deadly earnest league match, to please the younger generation?

I'd prefer the second half to be a serious competition, though, but the promoters would soon find out what the fans would like to see, clowns on bikes or serious sport.

 

Let's have the best of both worlds! That's how they did it in the early 1930's and it worked perfectly well and attracted a wider range of people as an audience for such meetings.

[Brian De Boise 2]

Two things I'd like to see introduced would be a) the obvious standardardised engines owned and maintained by the teams (as was being looked at by Jon Cook, I believe) and the minimum average for 1 or both reserves should be around 4.00 as this would help the back of some races to be more competitive.

[Dexter 1]

I think UK needs to find a way to attract more crowds to meetings. More crowds means more youths and more potential riders. This is how they did it in Poland in 90-ties and it resulted in large number of talented riders in mid 90-ties such as Protasiewicz, Dobrucki, Hampel, Skornicki, Balinski etc.

 

It looks different now when crowds are smaller, ticket prices higher and the product is not as attractive as it used to be.

[Peregrinner 0]

Thinking back ....

 

If we are to improve the crowds we need to attract younger men in, so.....

 

Y) What did I think about Speedway when I was younger?

O) What do I think about Speedway now I am a fan?

 

 

Y) Its boring watching 4 blokes ride bikes in a circle.

O) It is fantastic to see a 3 point rider beat a 10 pointer.

 

Y) Why is that guy we hated last week riding for us this week?

O) Without the guest facililty we would not stand a chance.

 

Y) One of them just crashed. Send for the dustbin men.

O) That is a human being out there. I hope he is uninjured.

 

Y) I really enjoy it when we completely stuff the opposition.

O) Ideally we want a really close meeting that goes to heat 15.

 

Y) Watch the guys at the back. One of them is going to crash.

O) Look how smoothly the leader is riding round this rough circuit.

 

 

We need to cater for the younger viewer who wants action and aggression while recognising the realities.

 

My ideas:

 

1) Better commentating outlining each race and the riders involved

2) Squad system would breed team loyalty. No more guest riders.

3) Encourage a few of the wilder riders to continue in the sport.

4) A wider variety of riding circuits. The new ones are all too fair.

5) Encourage a few more dangerous riders to enjoy the sport.

 

Just my thoughts.

[Trees 2,814]

5) Encourage a few more dangerous riders to enjoy the sport.

Crikey, you wouldn't be saying that if you had to race beside them!!!!!

 

I'd say offer young boys "have a go at speedway" days then they will understand what it's all about and should be in awe of the guys who make it look so easy ........

[The Know 221]

Crikey, you wouldn't be saying that if you had to race beside them!!!!!

 

I'd say offer young boys "have a go at speedway" days then they will understand what it's all about and should be in awe of the guys who make it look so easy ........

 

young people are not interested in speedway. times have changed and there interested in other things. i would love my children to want a go at speedway, motocross karting and would back them all the way but they prefer other sports. lets face it speedway is not that popular anymore and hasnt for a while.

[Trees 2,814]

Suggest some ways of getting the kids interested then, instead of sponsoring the GPs why don't you sponsor some "Kids for Free" meetings at your local british speedway club, might do more good!! It wouldn't do your company's name any harm locally and probably nationally as us fans would be more likely to buy off ya if you're caring about OUR speedway