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ONE LEAGUE CAN WORK AND IS THE ONLY ANSWER

 

At present we have 18 tracks in the Premiership and Championship and with Lakeside closing, hopefully Rye House will be back plus hopefully two tracks can move up from the National League as teams would be built to Championship strength, not as was done in 96 when lower teams were made to get in star riders.

 

With twenty tracks you have 19 home and 19 away plus being at Championship level it means tracks can rave on their chosen race night. It also means the only doubling up would be with NL riders who would be number sevens and protected. 

 

ENOUGH RIDERS - Yes there will as you will have twenty riders moving in from the NL plus you have new riders in from Denmark, Sweden, Germany, America and many more countries to cover for the spaces left by riders that were doubling up. 

 

Fixed race ace nights were only bought in to stop riders that were doubling up missing fixtures in the other league and not to encourage top riders to return to the country that can't afford them. By racing in one league tracks can use their chosen race night and have weekly meetings instead of gaps of weeks waiting for the next home meeting. 

 

IMPORTANT RULES REQUIRED

PREMIERSHIP AVERAGES - Although teams will be competing at a level that is like the Championship is now, it has to be done using all riders on Premiership averages either set or assessed and done to one decimal, not two. Therefore a rider on 7.18 is actually 7.1 to avoid teams being 0.02 over the limit which is in effect one point in 50 races over. By using Premiership averages you will have riders like Rory Schlein, Craig Cook or Nick Morris on real averages instead of stupid 13.12 assessed averages that are not achievable and riders from the Championship that are on 6.22 in the CL being assessed at 4.7 (4.78) and teams will start with realistic figures. 

 

FOREIGN RIDERS - these are welcome to join or stay unless they decide riding in Europe is more beneficial however many will be happy to have 38 league meetings here and still able to ride abroad when they can. Riders can take priority in their home nation but otherwise commit to British Speedway. HOWEVER all foreign riders coming in or already here must have an assessed average if they are below that average at present. 

 

So so a rider like Erik Riss has an average of say 6.4 but his brother Mark has an average of 4.4. As German riders coming in would have an assessed average of 5.0. Mark Riss would have to use that assessed average until he reaches that standard so he will never drop below that 5.0 and if he was actually averaging 4.2 and misses a meeting, his team can only use a guest upto his real average of 4.2 and low and behold most of these would be British riders thus giving them more meetings. 

 

POINTS LIMIT would be set at 35 working out the common average of riders here and who could possibly come in as NL drafts would mostly be 2.0 riders but as all foreign riders will be at least 4.0 minimum, all reserves would mainly be young British riders and all teams must track at least THREE British riders which is easily obtainable. 

 

 

This his gives you weekly fixtures at home, a varied fixture list with no repeats, more spaces for British riders and all on the race night suited to each track. If you run this and then after a year you can get the top and bigger clubs to add a top level league in 2020 by using their top five riders in the one big league and add any TWO star riders from a choice of three signed to the club.

 

These meetings would be run on a Monday (just as BT matches would be in the one big league in 2019) and if eight teams want to also run these meetings they would have seven home and seven away meetings over the season. Each track would be involved in one home and one away meeting each month meaning they cover 14 set Monday nights which is filmed by BT. However BT can also film a few other Monday's showing the one big league meetings making 20-22 live TV meetings.

 

In the one big league, tracks would be encouraged to get admission prices down to £10 or £12 maximum as wage bills won't be as high as present for many and the tracks then also running the top level meetings can charge £20 as you get the chance to see Wolves with Woffinden, Lindgren (or Pawlicki) with Thorssell compete against Swindon with Doyle, Sayfutdinov (or Musielak)  with Morris. 

 

 

ONE BIG LEAGUE

VARIED FIXTURES

MORE BRITISH RIDERS

REDUCED ADMISSION (£10 hopefully)

YOUR SEVEN RIDERS ARE JUST YOURS

WEEKLY FIXTURES

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6 hours ago, INCOGNITO said:

RANT OVER !!

You make it sound so easy ... So it must be true.

I would love to watch Championship level Speedway for £10 to £12 in 2019.

But returning to planet Earth ....

 

 

 

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8 hours ago, Grand Central said:

You sound, from your much more 'knowing' perspective, to be suggesting that an 'one league' option could work better than before.

I am happy to be be guided by you.
I was of the opinion that it would be just as much of a FAIL as when tried in the 90s.

Really surprised that you think it would be different this time.

I really do think that the 'penny has finally dropped' with most (if not all) Promotions, that collectively they are as close to rock bottom as they ever have been..

Even the most myopic now can see that without other teams to race against their own business isnt worth a jot...

Necessity is truly the mother of invention so I can actually see them (for once) working together...

Without sounding too cold and calculating the demise of Rye and possible closure of Lakeside (and maybe others?) will actually release riders to be shared around the rest of the tracks which can only help the credibility of the Sport as guests shouldn't be needed as 'subs on the bench' will be readily available awaiting team places..

More riders and less team places can only help in driving down salaries too as supply will actually be more than the demand required...

And then who knows? Maybe admission costs will come down to a level that reflects the Sports standing rather than trying desperately to cover it's frankly ludicrous salaries for such a tiny minority Sport..?

Surely, the only way is up from here?

Let's hope those who run it can be radical enough to deliver the required improvements..

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51 minutes ago, Grand Central said:

You make it sound so easy ... So it must be true.

I would love to watch Championship level Speedway for £10 to £12 in 2019.

But returning to planet Earth ....

 

 

 

Totally agree

35 points using Premiership averages is 45.5 at this years Championship level

A 10% increase in rider quality yet there is an expected reduction in admission from around £16 to £10

Pie in the sky

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However in the alternative real world, that promoters often fail to see, is that a further dilution of the product and an increase in admission prices will certainly result in yet another drop in attendances. If the customers don't want to buy the product at the price it is offered at - they won't. And the shop closes down.

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9 minutes ago, dontforgetthefueltapsbruv said:

Totally agree

35 points using Premiership averages is 45.5 at this years Championship level

A 10% increase in rider quality yet there is an expected reduction in admission from around £16 to £10

Pie in the sky

To make one league work the standard would need to be 'Championship Lite' I would say..

1000 per match paying a tenner wouldn't even cover that level though I would think...

Maybe 1000 at £12-£13 could cover it?

But sadly 1000 may be too high a crowd level for some maybe?

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31 minutes ago, mikebv said:

 sadly 1000 may be too high a crowd level for some maybe?

I would say that 1000 was way too high a crowd level on which to base any financial plan for the majority of clubs, not just 'some'.

Edited by Grand Central
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On 7/14/2018 at 2:07 PM, mikebv said:

I would think there are 20,000 absolute max who attend Speedway 'regularly' each week..

I would also suggest that next week in Cardiff there could well be more fans there who no longer attend domestic British Speedway regularly than those who actually do. (Or not far off it)..

Maybe that is something that the BSPA could ponder and reflect on as to why.?

To me you make a great point. The Grand Prix shows you the "potential" for Speedway as a "high end" event; well publicised; well organised; well promoted. At the other "end" the National League is working at and succeeding in it's "brief" to develop the "the racers of tomorrow". 

It is the "bit in the middle" - Premiership & Championship that doesn't know what it should be or can be ?. 

I watch the Polish League (yes I know the money is in Poland) but how did they "steal" the mantle of the World's major Speedway league from the UK ?. Is it purely down to the World's best riders wanting to race there? I would contend that looking at the terraces in Poland there just is a "bigger appetite" for motorised bike sport than in the UK at this time. Although Motor GP; TT & Superbike are still hugely popular ? 

But; with the latter three notice these are "big individual events" where there is much interest centred around the bikes as well as the participants. Road bikers relate to the machines used in these events. Speedway does not enjoy that level of interest in the bikes as the bikes are essentially so unconvential to Motorcyclists. There maybe some Speedway riders who may never have used a road bike ? So it is hard to draw support from the "vast well" of interest there is out there for conventional motorcycling. 

Yet when Speedway began its origins were in "conventional motorcycling". The idea you could take your road bike "strip it back" turn up and race your mates round an oval circuit. Overtime Speedway has become "niche" and the bikes hold little interest to bikers ? Other than their lack of brakes; and the "counter intuitive" idea that you hit the gas into the corner and slide rather than knocking off the throttle and braking ! ? Then it usually gets the motorcyclists attention and respect. Essentially Speedway is akin to the "Wall of Death" at the Fairground. Which brings me right back to its inception ...the great man JH started his Dirt Track Racing essentially as a "sideshow" at the Fairground. Which ironically is where Speedway has ended up as a "sideshow" 

So accepting the "two ends" of Speedway (GP & NL) are working at what they do best. What do we want from the "bit in the middle"? Do we want or need a "League structure" ? Has the idea of the 7 man Speedway Team reached its end ? Is it more likely that fans will support a more "varied" type of racing programme over a season. If there are "teams" (and let's be clear it is increasingly difficult to staff these consistently) need the team comprise 7 riders ?. I saw something in the Speedway Nations Series that worked- 3 man "teams" and more "teams" in a meeting ?. Is that idea worth exploring ?. 

A team comprises 3 riders ? But effectively each club has "two teams.!? Let's stop calling Speedway "A Meeting" and instead call it "The Event" this has two parts to it (perhaps like Boxing) "The Main Event" and, "The Undercard" (might want to think if that's best termed ? ) But let's go with it for now. 

Each club has a Rider Squad from which it forms two teams. One - Premier ..One Championship. "The Main Event" is the Premier Heats. But interspersed with "The Undercard". So there are effectively two outcomes playing out during each Speedway event. So translating this to the current Scunthorpe team (illustrative only !! as riders in 2019 will revert to parent clubs in a "Leagues" merger)

Teams should be formulated at the start of the season using a "Rider Control Draft" based system using "gradings" not averages directly (splitting hairs on averages is "anti-speedway; leaves riders sidelined for 0.01pt ? )

Scorpions Premier (Main Event) S Worrall J Auty; J Garrity; 

Scorpions Champs (Undercard) G Manzeres; S Nielsen; D Phillips 

I would recommend a 3 or 4 Team Speedway Event. So Scunthorpe would entertain say; the 3 man teams of Sheffield & Belle Vue in the "Event" held over say an 18 Heat Card ..following a hybrid of the Speedway Nations race formulae - teams race in pairs as normal. The heats follow Premier - Champ - Premier - Champ. Consider the potential for "promoting" the top scoring Champ rider into the Main Event ? With the lowest scoring Premier rider dropping into "The Undercard" in the later stages ?. 

The Event would be the basis for all "Team Speedway" events on the British Fixture List. However "Team Speedway" need not be the "only" type of Event held through the season. Each Club could hold it's own "Grand Prix style" Individual Open Event ..and there could be accumulation of points over the season culminating in a Grand GP Finale at the National Stadium ? 

There is much to consider but personally the more I think about the above the more I believe in it's basics ? Speedway as a 7 man team concept may well have run it's course but the idea of 2 Speedway Events on the card and 3-4 Teams has potential ? Also bringing in a crowd drawn from the support of the 3-4 Teams on the Event Card. 

Obviously await someone pointing out short comings; but we are really coming up short with Speedway these days and surely something needs to be done to put a "stake in the ground" defend what we have left of a great sport and try to move it forward in these very "different times" we are in today. 

Another idea I have is to "revist" the "value" of Cycle Speedway to Motorised Speedway. I contend that the "very idea" of skidding your back wheel on a bike comes naturally to you as kid. Racing your mates on your bicycle is something we have all done having an oval circuit to do that on is the next step. Look how popular "cycling" has become and kids still want to pull wheelie's and tricks on them in the parks. Indeed some outdoor spaces are given over to "Cycle X" at urban and country locations.

Many Speedway riders grew up on Cycle Speedway's. Indeed Cycle Speedway is still happening today ! There's a brilliant track and set up in Poole as I recall. Every Speedway track might benefit from having a Cycle Speedway on a bit of spare ground where kids could have a go at emulating the Speedway Riders. It's only nature then to want to strap a motor to it ..  and off you go like me Speedway for life ! 

Thanks for reading. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by the outsider
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11 hours ago, KevH said:

And I guess you're hoping they don't, so your argument is upheld.

Forever the cynic I see. I deal with facts and realistic outcomes unlike you. Do you think Swindon fans are convinced they will have a track next year, given the manoeuvring of GB Stadia. I am sure they would love to be reassured they will have racing next year but not from you I would hope.

I see no more 'rich' clubs on your list at the moment. 

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32 minutes ago, Tsunami said:

Forever the cynic I see. I deal with facts and realistic outcomes unlike you. Do you think Swindon fans are convinced they will have a track next year, given the manoeuvring of GB Stadia. I am sure they would love to be reassured they will have racing next year but not from you I would hope.

I see no more 'rich' clubs on your list at the moment. 

Committing millions to build a brand new speedway stadium right now is madness. It would be like ploughing your savings into opening a new video rental shop. Personally, I still can't fathom how Belle Vue pulled it off. 

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18 minutes ago, moxey63 said:

Committing millions to build a brand new speedway stadium right now is madness. It would be like ploughing your savings into opening a new video rental shop. Personally, I still can't fathom how Belle Vue pulled it off. 

Whether the Swindon track is madness or not, It was included in a plan and passed by their council to provide a leisure sport facility alongside the accompanying  housing development. To not build now would be illegal manoeuvring by people with this sort of history. Torquay beware. Belle Vue got through because it fitted in with Manchesters grand master plan for a massive sports complex, and there were people who forgot what business they were in and forgot about normal trading cautions. 

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4 hours ago, Grand Central said:

You make it sound so easy ... So it must be true.

I would love to watch Championship level Speedway for £10 to £12 in 2019.

But returning to planet Earth ....

 

It's not just the sport that is the reason people are leaving but also the cost. By lowering the wages paid it can be lower admission prices and it will see an increase in crowds. By getting a bigger crowd you sell more at food outlets, create more atmosphere and more people talking about they night they had out at the speedway.

 

At £18 for adults you are not going to gain new people and judging by the age of lots of fans, many qualify for the £13 concessions now.

 

 

3 hours ago, dontforgetthefueltapsbruv said:

Totally agree

35 points using Premiership averages is 45.5 at this years Championship level

A 10% increase in rider quality yet there is an expected reduction in admission from around £16 to £10

Pie in the sky

 

Yes but foreign riders will be on assessed averages not 3.00 and with current Premiership riders in if you make a list of current riders here and add a number of new riders from abroad and the NL then 35 is a realistic figure. At the end of year season when averages are finished you can work it out but if it has to be 34 then so be it as long as it's fair to ALL tracks and British riders get more places, especially at reserve

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