The continuing decline of Speedway

[Hot Shoe 58]

On 6/26/2018 at 9:52 PM, mikebv said:

Now, I predict that the level of racing we see at the NSS far out weighs what will be served up at Cardiff yet we will come away from the GP 'buzzing' about what a superb sport Speedway is..

Not possibly because of the racing but more down to the event and the way it is promoted and presented..

That's a good point. Years ago people went to speedway etc as simply a evenings entertainment. There was no pre-meeting entertainment and you had a cup of tea if you were lucky. Now everything has to be an event and people demand more than just watching the racing. Go to professional football or rugby now and you have a glossy souvenir programme, burger, chips and a drink and a visit to the club shop to get your replica shirt etc.

Speedway promoters haven't moved with the times.

Edited June 29, 2018 by Hot Shoe

[keepturningleft 588]

Aren't some football clubs thinking of dropping the match day programme? 

[HertsRacer 222]

4 hours ago, keepturningleft said:

Aren't some football clubs thinking of dropping the match day programme? 

Think the 1st and 2nd Division teams have been given the option.

[Littleze 29]

Another idea I've had (it's probably full of holes)

Is to have say 6 super regional tracks (like Belle Blue) & all the clubs operate out of them.

So for example... Glasgow caters for Northern teams..

Coventry (if they can get back in the Stadium & renovate it) for Midlands.

Rye House for that region (these clubs own the Stadium)

Eastbourne... For South Coast 

Get a track in Wales....

Kings Lynn too... Covers that area.

Then you have 6 tracks of differing size,would reduce "home advantage" as clubs would share tracks.....  I'm sure you guys can pull this idea apart.. But trying to think out of the box.

[New Science 1,059]

On ‎6‎/‎29‎/‎2018 at 9:11 AM, Hot Shoe said:

That's a good point. Years ago people went to speedway etc as simply a evenings entertainment. There was no pre-meeting entertainment and you had a cup of tea if you were lucky. Now everything has to be an event and people demand more than just watching the racing. Go to professional football or rugby now and you have a glossy souvenir programme, burger, chips and a drink and a visit to the club shop to get your replica shirt etc.

Speedway promoters haven't moved with the times.

Most speedway clubs still have a match day programme, burger chips , a drink and a club shop 

[New Science 1,059]

On ‎6‎/‎27‎/‎2018 at 10:14 AM, Nobblytriers said:

I use castrol R in my petrol mower, strimmer and chainsaw, basically because I love the smell.  It's a smell you rarely get at speedway these days.  I mentioned this to my son-in-law and after a bit of a trip down memory lane he said "maybe they should get some old bikes and race them round to start the meeting off?"  I thought that was a good idea, right off the top of his head.  You could have two or three match races, a bit like the old Golden Helmet.  That would also get the dirt moving to improve the racing for the main event.  And if you could get away with it, run them with the old silencers, or better still without them! It would be different, add something else to the meeting and maybe just perk up the interest of a few punters enough to make them want to come back.

It would be better as a whole if speedway could have the old bikes back permanently .As a kid I fell in love with the sport for the speed,the atmosphere, the smell and the noise. Sadly only the speed remains. I can't argue with kids now who are not hooked,because the things that hooked me are no longer there.

[steve roberts 9,242]

10 minutes ago, New Science said:

Most speedway clubs still have a match day programme, burger chips , a drink and a club shop 

When Channel 4 first broadcasted (1982?) they were looking for a flagship sport to cover and hit upon the idea of American Football. I used to enjoy the highlights programme that was shown on Sunday evenings and really got into the game. I actually went to Wembley to watch the pre-season friendly but personally I found it  tiresome with all the stop/starts, breaks for adverts which were being shown back in the States...the off pitch entertainment and the dreaded Mexican wave which was all the rage back then. It struck me that the game itself was very much secondary to all the razzmatazz but it left me bored with all the over-hype nonsense. 

Edited July 1, 2018 by steve roberts

[iris123 20,938]

I thought they chose British basketball?Never really got great support though

[steve roberts 9,242]

8 minutes ago, iris123 said:

I thought they chose British basketball?Never really got great support though

...you maybe right. It was so long ago now. Just remember watching Nicky Horne (?) presenting a well edited highlights programme of the previous Sunday's matches.

[iris123 20,938]

Just have memories of Monday night live basketball,which only lasted a couple of years and British basketball was never heard of before or since

[Harley Keith 3]

This is a familiar story of a once avid Speedway supporter the era of Barry Briggs, Ivan Mauger, and then many top British riders of the time. Since this time, as a spectator I have had sporadic returns to the sport, the last time being two years ago at Swindon. I came away rather despondent through lack of entertainment, and not value for money, what I had witnessed was each race identical. This brings me to a recent televised event, a European Championship I began watching the meeting and soon realised this is exactly the same as I was watching two years previous at Swindon...…I only watched part of the meeting. And before anyone says, "You have lost interest", all my life motorcycles have been a passion either racing or riding on the road, which I still do.

I will explain,  we know the format four riders appear from the pits and progress to do practice starts, they return to the pit gate were upon clutch adjustment is carried out and rear chain tensioned, why??? There is no such thing as chain stretch, being a retired Mechanical and Electronics Development Engineer I can say the only reason drive chain require further adjustment is due to other inerrant engineering faults. Eventually one at a time they gather at the start where upon they all have a go at digging the starting gate up with their boots, if I wanted to watch gardening I would watch Monty Don.  The race is ready to go, oh, we may have a tape breakage, the above events are then repeated all over again, but this time with three riders. Hold on, I'm a paying spectator I come to see four rider in a race...…….and so it goes on. When a race does get under way it will be more times than not a drag race for four laps and no overtaking. I would suggest Santa Pod for that.

When watching the recent televised event, one of the heats was re-started due to a rider getting an allegedly unfair start. The rider in question did not roll, did not touch the tapes, he got a blinder of a start. What other sport penalizes a sportsman for being to good, which brings me to team averages. The team manager puts a lot of effort hopefully building a winning team only prior to the next season to change the team again to comply with academic averages.

Now ask a question, "If you did not know about speedway and went on the description above,  Would you pay money to watch this ??"

Again what other sport penalizes success. Being a supporter and hold a technical position of professional British Superbike, and supporter of World Superbike, and Moto GP I cannot for one minute imagine these shenanigans going on in those sports. 

[marko 956]

You only need look at some of the races posted on youtube to see one of the reasons the sport is in decline, even some of the better races featured are not that great and raced on what are dry, dusty and often a racing line almost devoid of shale.

[Trees 2,814]

15 hours ago, New Science said:

Most speedway clubs still have a match day programme, burger chips , a drink and a club shop 

That's what I was thinking.  I think speedway clubs often try harder than football clubs to make more of the evening entertainment with many interviews, looking after the kids, Hot Laps like we do at Lynn, giving fans the opportunity to watch heats from the centre and pick their Rider of the Night etc. When do the majority of football fans get these chances? Football doesn't have to try very hard, people love their football clubs and support them through thick and thin, the money just rolls in, they have every facility, they charge a fortune for entry and shirts etc and get away with it as their fans are passionate.... 

[steve roberts 9,242]

58 minutes ago, Trees said:

That's what I was thinking.  I think speedway clubs often try harder than football clubs to make more of the evening entertainment with many interviews, looking after the kids, Hot Laps like we do at Lynn, giving fans the opportunity to watch heats from the centre and pick their Rider of the Night etc. When do the majority of football fans get these chances? Football doesn't have to try very hard, people love their football clubs and support them through thick and thin, the money just rolls in, they have every facility, they charge a fortune for entry and shirts etc and get away with it as their fans are passionate.... 

...or brain washed!

[Shale Searcher 1,264]

Please describe "Hot Laps" at Lynn... And purpose?