Jump to content
British Speedway Forum

Recommended Posts

35 minutes ago, phillwhitewasmad said:

Totally agree on the unsustainablity at the level, however as the parent of a junior rider it cost us circa £10k to run last year for the 125cc class. We don’t run brand new frames both bikes are 6 years old always use part worn tyres tyres picked up,at tracks(except for international meetings) and always look for most cost effective solutions tho replacing parts.This year is probably going to cost more due to the plans in place for progress . We have some very good sponsors who help massively and without them it would be almost impossible to compete at the level we do

i don’t have any answers to reduce the cost or on how it could be cheaper 

Well, that just shows what a mess the sport is in if that's the cost at this junior level. No wonder new riders cannot be attracted? Sponsorship, if you can get it, should be an added bonus, not a requirement for youngsters starting out. Just out of curiosity.....is there a need for two bikes at this level of the sport? I know it's desirable right enough to have a back up, but is it totally necessary?  Anyhow, good luck to you and your boy for the future. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 minute ago, ragdoll64 said:

Well, that just shows what a mess the sport is in if that's the cost at this junior level. No wonder new riders cannot be attracted? Sponsorship, if you can get it, should be an added bonus, not a requirement for youngsters starting out. Just out of curiosity.....is there a need for two bikes at this level of the sport? I know it's desirable right enough to have a back up, but is it totally necessary?  Anyhow, good luck to you and your boy for the future. 

It’s not a given you have to have two but bikes however with the large amount of traveling involved it is a nightmare to get somewhere and the bike don’t run properly . We always warm both bikes up before we go anywhere to make sure ther ok and have had instances of one playing up and not being right once we get to the track. Try telling an 8 to 12 year old he can’t ride after 4 hours in the van and another 4 to get back. The cost wouldn’t be reduced massively with one bike as in our case our set up has been over a four year period and the figure I quote is running cost for the year and dosent allow for any initial purchase cost of the bikes over the time. Would say our cost is mid range for a top level junior some will spend more some less but not by huge amounts.

thanks for the good wishes it’s all up to him he has the backing and talent but only time will tell if he has the desire and ambition. Regardless of what happens we have made some brilliant memories 

  • Like 3

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
16 hours ago, woofers said:

Shame the team sponsor, Thomas Armstrong (Holdings), couldn't help somehow. Their accounts show that at September 2017 they had a net worth of £123m including £30m in the bank. Perhaps they have had a tough time in the last 12 months.

Seems strange for such a wealthy company not to help.......I do think the new stadium plans, and all that jazz, has had an effect on Workington speedway's future though.

While I will most certainly miss my Saturday night Comets fix, you know what I will no longer wake on a Summer Saturday morning and hastily look/worry at what the weather is doing...as far as I'm concerned it can p down every Saturday from now on (i.e. in west Cumbria).....oooops... sorry to the' tan' fans!!!!

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
39 minutes ago, singy13 said:

Seems strange for such a wealthy company not to help.......I do think the new stadium plans, and all that jazz, has had an effect on Workington speedway's future though.

While I will most certainly miss my Saturday night Comets fix, you know what I will no longer wake on a Summer Saturday morning and hastily look/worry at what the weather is doing...as far as I'm concerned it can p down every Saturday from now on (i.e. in west Cumbria).....oooops... sorry to the' tan' fans!!!!

With workys luck,or lack of it,it'll no doubt be the driest season in history 

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, gregory peck said:

With workys luck,or lack of it,it'll no doubt be the driest season in history 

dry, as in very few fixtures in the U.K. speedway scene ?

i think its time to run the speedway fixtures like the football did . once a fortnight @ home and the following week away . that way the season will seem longer ! fans will keep an interest in the sport and look forward to the next home fixture . eh ..

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On ‎1‎/‎18‎/‎2019 at 8:58 AM, montie said:

one could argue if you have invested over £40k in last 13 months you are either brave or crazy;) [that figure is totally unsustainable at this level of speedway]

I would take a guess that the £30k in 2018 was based on outgoings ie: investment on bikes pre season then travelling costs(diesel/petrol) before he has started racing. Then there is the running costs(methanol, oils, tyres, chains, tuning, spare parts). Kyle was only a number 6, not expected to score many points(similar to our D Phillips) but was on a learning journey for experience so was probably on a fixed wage plus minimal points money as at one time he was scoring zero points similar to Danny. His £10k is his investment for 2019 which will come under his costs for 2019.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
21 hours ago, woofers said:

Shame the team sponsor, Thomas Armstrong (Holdings), couldn't help somehow. Their accounts show that at September 2017 they had a net worth of £123m including £30m in the bank. Perhaps they have had a tough time in the last 12 months.

 

4 hours ago, singy13 said:

Seems strange for such a wealthy company not to help.......I do think the new stadium plans, and all that jazz, has had an effect on Workington speedway's future though.

While I will most certainly miss my Saturday night Comets fix, you know what I will no longer wake on a Summer Saturday morning and hastily look/worry at what the weather is doing...as far as I'm concerned it can p down every Saturday from now on (i.e. in west Cumbria).....oooops... sorry to the' tan' fans!!!!

Perhaps he's got more sense than money.  Once bitten, twice shy and all that.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, StevePark said:

 

Perhaps he's got more sense than money.  Once bitten, twice shy and all that.

Of course Steve but had he not offered to help, the Comets would have gone on ice in November. Oops have I let a cat out? Sorry

  • Thanks 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, Byker Biker said:

Of course Steve but had he not offered to help, the Comets would have gone on ice in November. Oops have I let a cat out? Sorry

Oops slip of the keyboard !!! :)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
10 hours ago, ragdoll64 said:

Well, that just shows what a mess the sport is in if that's the cost at this junior level. No wonder new riders cannot be attracted? Sponsorship, if you can get it, should be an added bonus, not a requirement for youngsters starting out. Just out of curiosity.....is there a need for two bikes at this level of the sport? I know it's desirable right enough to have a back up, but is it totally necessary?  Anyhow, good luck to you and your boy for the future. 

You have to remember juniors still want to do their best for themselves and their team. In the Northern Junior Jeague the races alternate between 500's and 125's so you only have 1 race interval to solve a problem. A warmed up second bike can get you out quick on a running bike, and deal with the fault sometime afterwards. Even juniors like to take all their rides for the teams sake.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
4 minutes ago, Tsunami said:

You have to remember juniors still want to do their best for themselves and their team. In the Northern Junior Jeague the races alternate between 500's and 125's so you only have 1 race interval to solve a problem. A warmed up second bike can get you out quick on a running bike, and deal with the fault sometime afterwards. Even juniors like to take all their rides for the teams sake.

Exactly my point sir the juniors all take immense pride in riding for their clubs and speaking for our pilot he cares about the team and don’t want to let anyone down

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
10 hours ago, geoff100 said:

The man in charge is his own man he answers to no one so helping some other promoter aint going to happen i did allways think he would step in rather than see it close wrong again.

he may be a fan but hes a business man aswell 

he knows how much money he lost first time round and maybe fancys keeping some cash back for his retirement 

how much money the company has in the bank has nothing to do with personal savings or income 

you can only take so much money out of a company before you end up in trouble via the court room

 

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
5 hours ago, Byker Biker said:

Of course Steve but had he not offered to help, the Comets would have gone on ice in November. Oops have I let a cat out? Sorry

Tut Tut !!!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 18 January 2019 at 8:58 AM, montie said:

one could argue if you have invested over £40k in last 13 months you are either brave or crazy;) [that figure is totally unsustainable at this level of speedway]

Standardisation of bikes looks like it won't happen however...

Maybe a two bike maximum should be authorised? Box standard bikes purchased by the club, the make and model being the riders choice?

Would £10k set aside for two bikes and running costs be enough? No tuning allowed, only servicing which gets done once a season..

No special clutches 'that Tai uses' or carbs 'that Greg swears by', allowed to be fitted. All as arrives on the bike...

Riders then pay back the £10k during the season with money earned..

If they want to use a bike for their individual exploits, or overseas team places, then they need to buy their own bikes and can do what they want to them. But the club bike stays in the UK intact..

In this digital age it wouldn't be hard to police the bikes as all key parts could be logged centrally with serial numbers so scrutinisers could ensure no tampering had taken place.. Photos could be taken to ensure all correct v the central database..

Riders may pay out tens of thousands now but don't forget this is their business so they do need to speculate to accumulate like all businesses do, however the big rewards generally don't come till a business is established over years so 'losing money' in the first few years isn't a uncommon situation, especially as you build your assets base..

Bottom line is if a PL reserve/NL heat leader pays out £30k a year (and no doubt more for some), you cannot expect British Speedway to afford to pay the money needed to make a profit for the rider on the crowd levels it gets... 

60 meetings at an average of £1000 a night with £10k costs would net a £50000 profit...

Not bad for six months work I would say...

 

Edited by mikebv

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now

×

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. Privacy Policy