NO WORD FROM THE BSPA

[THE DEAN MACHINE 4,735]

11 hours ago, Stoke Potter said:

It should be about making the sport the best it can be which means more tracks in this country like Belle Vue so, sorry Dean, the tracks are generally too small. 
Add to that that they are also too narrow, usually the wrong shape and poorly prepared and you have a fundamental problem.

Modern day bikes do not respond well around tight narrow circuits with patchy surfaces.

And before anybody says, yes I know I'm disagreeing with an ex-rider but anyone who says the tracks are not a major part of the problem in this country needs to analyse the sport instead of just watching it and I'll continue to bang the drum about crap tracks at any and every opportunity.

The size of the track doesn’t make a difference and to a point neither does a patchy surface but a narrow track does make a lot of difference , tonight’s meeting in gustrow was as good as any meeting at belle vue and it’s a small track about the size of buxton and it was rough and bumpy but as always at this track it produced good racing as it is wide and has good width entry into the corners ,tracks are not the problem although width would help it’s the bikes that are the problem, there is nothing wrong with small tracks that isn’t speedways problem 

Edited July 15, 2018 by THE DEAN MACHINE

[Halifaxtiger 5,318]

7 hours ago, Stoke Potter said:

It should be about making the sport the best it can be which means more tracks in this country like Belle Vue so, sorry Dean, the tracks are generally too small. 
Add to that that they are also too narrow, usually the wrong shape and poorly prepared and you have a fundamental problem.

Modern day bikes do not respond well around tight narrow circuits with patchy surfaces.

And before anybody says, yes I know I'm disagreeing with an ex-rider but anyone who says the tracks are not a major part of the problem in this country needs to analyse the sport instead of just watching it and I'll continue to bang the drum about crap tracks at any and every opportunity.

More about width and preparation (although I fully support and entirely agree with your drum banging ) than size, I'd say. 

No-one would say that Berwick is a better racing track than Mildenhall, for example, and I have seen some cracking racing at the smallest of them all, Plymouth. 

I think the best example about preparation is STMP, Redcar. When it opened, it gained a deserved reputation as a very fine circuit. Then Havelock got hold of it and basically destroyed the track's racing capability. Now that he has left, its regaining its earlier reputation. 

That shows that we can never underestimate how much the ability and attitude of a promoter can affect the quality of the speedway at a track. 

[Halifaxtiger 5,318]

7 hours ago, E I Addio said:

No point in targeting new audiences, or even trying to hold on to your existing ones if you don't first of all give them a speedway meeting to attend. As has been said before, what those dullards Chapman and Godfrey have done is to unliterally wipe three clubs fixtures from the already sparse  fixture list , which cannot fail to hit the attendances of the clubs concerned even further. They then compound that display of mismanagement by telling the fans absolutely nothing, not even the briefest of announcements and  merrily carrying on as if nothing has happened, and hope the fans wont notice.

The more I think about this utter, crass stupidity, the lack of communication, and the abject short sightedness of those at the helm, the angrier I get. They are worse than useless.

I don't think that point can be overstated.

Basically, it has been left to the clubs to explain to their fans when the decision has been made from the centre. Gross irresponsibility comes to mind.

Edited July 15, 2018 by Halifaxtiger

[waytogo28 2,054]

12 hours ago, ouch said:

If it’s every two weeks then so be it but three blank weeks then six meetings in a month at the end is a no no. 

We already have three matches in a week at King's Lynn in July. As we look unlikely to get to the playoffs perhaps it does not matter ( except for other teams who may need to ride against us before the deadline ).

[iainb 4,962]

I don't know if I've missed something but what is the point of removing the Friday dates for the clubs mentioned? Are they looking at abandoning/switching FRN mid-season? Or do we just not know?

[waytogo28 2,054]

We just do not know. They do not know. No-one knows.

[RobHowe 56]

15 hours ago, Humphrey Appleby said:

It’s actually somewhat pointless asking what existing speedway goers want, as they’re largely going to come anyway. There’s probably not even much point asking former fans - even if you can identify them - because they’ve long since lost interest and walked away for whatever reason.

You need to be identifying new audiences to target, to whom speedway might appeal, and work out what will bring them through the door.

I think there is still some merit in attracting fans back that used to go, perhaps those that don’t have the apathy or downright negativity that some fans have, but I agree 100% about identifying and attracting new fans to the sport.

We all know that by and large speedway’s demographic is more older than younger. 

With some previous minor involvement in ice hockey back in the day I know that Steelers looked at a fan drop off per season of 10%. Death, ill-health, moving away, financial pressures, losing interest, etc all played a part. So they were always looking to replenish 10% of their fan base each season just to stand still.

I don’t pretend to have the answers, but surely some form of collective marketing approach could go some way to reaching out to potential new fans. Granted this will come at a cost.

[ch958 2,393]

2 minutes ago, RobHowe said:

I think there is still some merit in attracting fans back that used to go, perhaps those that don’t have the apathy or downright negativity that some fans have, but I agree 100% about identifying and attracting new fans to the sport.

We all know that by and large speedway’s demographic is more older than younger. 

With some previous minor involvement in ice hockey back in the day I know that Steelers looked at a fan drop off per season of 10%. Death, ill-health, moving away, financial pressures, losing interest, etc all played a part. So they were always looking to replenish 10% of their fan base each season just to stand still.

I don’t pretend to have the answers, but surely some form of collective marketing approach could go some way to reaching out to potential new fans. Granted this will come at a cost.

it would but if you remember those ads at the cinema for local companies where 'off the shelf' footage was used with the local info at the end.

If clubs paid for a clip for all to use with details of the nearest track at the end

In the Tyne Tees area for example they would mention Newcastle, Redcar, Berwick and Workington.

Its difficult to guage what effect it would have but it would certainly reach people 

the age old point remains though - if and when they do turn up it has to be to see a well run and entertaining show. It has to compete with the place they saw the ad - cinema or in front of the telly and has to be reasonable value. At present it would be around double the cost of a cinema visit and far less comfortable

[acef 795]

We could come with a million and one suggestions, non of them will really impact the sport enough to rescue it. 

The biggest change is mentality. The promoters need to see the greater good and start working as one. There is so much division between each club, there will never be progress whilst that is the case. 

Old habits die hard and too many promoters are still operating for their own good when it should be all about the fans and the sport as a whole. 

Sort that out, sort the stupid rules and make the sort simple again. Invest to make the tracks better and we have a foundation to start again with. 

That is the biggest requirement, but it won't happen imo, it's too far gone and too many people with too much to hide. 

[iainb 4,962]

19 hours ago, RobHowe said:

I think there is still some merit in attracting fans back that used to go, perhaps those that don’t have the apathy or downright negativity that some fans have, but I agree 100% about identifying and attracting new fans to the sport.

The trouble with attracting new fans or even enticing old ones back is that it's just such a lottery going to the Speedway and that's not just whether it's going to be a good match or not it's the weather, the make up of the teams, the delays, the standard of the track, the number of ambulances in attendance, the tractor racing, the standard of the stadium... the list goes on

I hate taking new people along to Speedway because there's always the chance of a disaster happening, fortunately on the few occasions that I have taken new folk along I have got away with it and even then non of them had a burning desire to return. When I was stood at KL the other week as that disaster unfolded I was thinking to myself... what if I had brought a first timer along with me... who would take that chance. Similar happened at Peterborough a few weeks before.

Fortunately I am able to travel for my Speedway so I just vow never to return to KL again, but if I didn't and KL was "my track" that'd be me done with Speedway after being treated like that.

[Bryce 349]

10 hours ago, acef said:

too many promoters are still operating for their own good

This is a huge part of the problem. Just look at the situation with Friday night fixtures being removed. One promoter (and a MC member at that) seems happy to potentially force up to 3 clubs out of business just so he can have a better choice of guests.

[waytogo28 2,054]

10 minutes ago, iainb said:

Fortunately I am able to travel for my Speedway so I just vow never to return to KL again, but if I didn't and KL was "my track" that'd be me done with Speedway after being treated like that.

King's Lynn is my local club and I can longer travel to watch speedway. It is very hard not to feel like that I must say although the refund gesture was reasonable and prompt. We were also with a complete newbie who had been attracted by casually viewing speedway on BT and heard of a track not far from where he lived for the first time. Whether we will see him again I do not know. He probably didn't hang on to his ticket!

The last three years have been very trying, shall we say. and repeated promises of "it will be all right next year" have been heard at the end of each season. "Stick with us we have been told". Sadly, nothing has changed for the good and less and less people are listening now.

[Whisperer 276]

30 minutes ago, waytogo28 said:

King's Lynn is my local club and I can longer travel to watch speedway. It is very hard not to feel like that I must say although the refund gesture was reasonable and prompt. We were also with a complete newbie who had been attracted by casually viewing speedway on BT and heard of a track not far from where he lived for the first time. Whether we will see him again I do not know. He probably didn't hang on to his ticket!

The last three years have been very trying, shall we say. and repeated promises of "it will be all right next year" have been heard at the end of each season. "Stick with us we have been told". Sadly, nothing has changed for the good and less and less people are listening now.

It's sad i know but please don't rely on that buffoon Brundle to sort it, he's effed up everything he's come in to contact with!   

[cityrebel 2,960]

There was a good crowd at Peterborough yesterday. Yet everybody was squeezed into the centre sections of the main stand because there wasn't enough stewards. It was very hot and quite uncomfortable. It's these minor details that give fans the hump, and should be avoided if possible.

[wealdstone 3,454]

.Plenty of space and room despite closure of either end of stand. This by the way was a restriction imposed by EOES not Peterborough Speedway.