Speedway Star in the winter

[arnieg 3,637]

2 hours ago, waytogo28 said:

I genuinely thank you for your lengthy and informative reply. That is most welcome. The disappearance of heat times is not so easy to clear up or understand as it is another facet of speedway that we should polish and hold up, as speed, thrills and on track excitement is a multi-faceted entertainment we should be putting before younger fans in an attempt to pull them in en masse.

By leaving out heat details the SS could shrink further with fewer pages and mean less to existing hardcore supporters ( and purchasers of which I am an enthusiastic one ). By the way, The Big Issue is excellent.

I assume that without local journalists to supply match info the Star are now relying on the BSPA website. The SCB official results reproduced there do not include race times.

[ouch 1,191]

Times are on Updates, why not lift them off there?

[mikebv 10,268]

Got the pre season 'bumper edition' today. .

As always, it does the sport proud....

It certainly presents British Speedway in a professional light...

Even if the reality sometimes is a little less so...

Well done to all involved, I hope the changes made work out financially, and here's to a successful season for both the SS and the sport in the UK, as one will very much reflect the other I would think..

Edited April 9, 2019 by mikebv

[Son of Shaleman 4]

Eastbourne website says it will give times for home meetings and will do their best for  always. Perhaps other club websites should follow suit. 

[hawks 1975 69]

Last weeks bumper issue once again was top class - congratulations to all who produce this every year.

This week I must say what a superb new style cover featuring Josh Bates. Really eye catching. Is this the new look?

I, along with many, will miss comparing race times - shame they've gone, but I understand the economic reasons why.

The sport may have it's problems, and it's (keyboard) critics, but the Star continues to do it proud.

 

[PHILIPRISING 7,298]

57 minutes ago, hawks 1975 said:

Last weeks bumper issue once again was top class - congratulations to all who produce this every year.

This week I must say what a superb new style cover featuring Josh Bates. Really eye catching. Is this the new look?

I, along with many, will miss comparing race times - shame they've gone, but I understand the economic reasons why.

The sport may have it's problems, and it's (keyboard) critics, but the Star continues to do it proud.

 

THE new look covers will continue, provided by Jeff Davies who does some exceptional work, and when space allows we may use some on the back cover as well.

We are looking at means of acquiring official times from the referees...

Edited April 11, 2019 by PHILIPRISING

[iris123 20,969]

18 minutes ago, PHILIPRISING said:

THE new look covers will continue, provided by Jeff Davies who does some exceptional work, and when space allows we may use some on the back cover as well.

We are looking at means of acquiring official times from the referees...

What do you mean ‘official times from the referee’ ?

Thought that is all there was. The times announced over the tannoy are surely not made up ones. The means of acquiring them is to keep your lug holes open, like everyone else.

Edited April 11, 2019 by iris123

[Gambo 1,338]

9 minutes ago, iris123 said:

What do you mean ‘official times from the referee’ ?

Thought that is all there was. The times announced over the tannoy are surely not made up ones. The means of acquiring them is to keep your lug holes open, like everyone else.

The Referees do not make note of the race times in their official Match Programme.

[PHILIPRISING 7,298]

11 minutes ago, iris123 said:

What do you mean ‘official times from the referee’ ?

Thought that is all there was. The times announced over the tannoy are surely not made up ones. The means of acquiring them is to keep your lug holes open, like everyone else.

 

2 minutes ago, Gambo said:

The Referees do not make note of the race times in their official Match Programme.

BUT, apparently, they do have them. 

[Gambo 1,338]

1 minute ago, PHILIPRISING said:

 

BUT, apparently, they do have them. 

That is up to them if they note them down somewhere, but there is no provision in the Official Spreadsheet to input race times.

Have a look on the SCB website where you can download completed meeting Scorecards/Programmes

[iris123 20,969]

5 minutes ago, Gambo said:

The Referees do not make note of the race times in their official Match Programme.

Seem to be making a pyramidical mountain out of a molehill. Race times aren’t hard to collect for a fan, so surely the Star can get their hands on them as well?

[f-s-p 832]

16 minutes ago, iris123 said:

What do you mean ‘official times from the referee’ ?

Thought that is all there was. The times announced over the tannoy are surely not made up ones. The means of acquiring them is to keep your lug holes open, like everyone else.

 

1 minute ago, iris123 said:

Seem to be making a pyramidical mountain out of a molehill. Race times aren’t hard to collect for a fan, so surely the Star can get their hands on them as well?

The problem is that they should be available for everyone without asking or the need to try and find them. It’s no biggie to write them up, but it seems that people seem to think they are not needed anymore.

And if you need the heat times fron your favourite match, its no biggie. But for example if you have to use 10 mins each in finding them from the 500 matches there are...

[iris123 20,969]

1 minute ago, f-s-p said:

 

The problem is that they should be available for everyone without asking or the need to try and find them. It’s no biggie to write them up, but it seems that people seem to think they are not needed anymore.

And if you need the heat times fron your favourite match, its no biggie. But for example if you have to use 10 mins each in finding them from the 500 matches there are...

Somebody announces them over the tannoy!!! Write them down or ask the person who announced them, get a fan to send them in or maybe the speedway updates has them? I know we want the official ones and not some that someone has misheard, but it isn’t too difficult. I like the idea of getting fans to send in a report  You have to cut your cloth accordingly

[leander 495]

On 3/31/2019 at 8:41 PM, tigerowl said:

I've always championed the Star on this site and think it is a great magazine.

However, I think this is a massive step backwards and really disappointing. The match reports provide a written history of the sport that one can look back on in years to come. There is loads of stuff that could have been cut before the match reports and I'm sure that there could be other ways of producing match reports without having to pay a journalist to do it. There are fans at all tracks who could and would do it for free.

One idea would be for fans to submit their match reports to the Star by email on the day of the meeting. The best one from each track could be selected and published (after spell checking and grammar checking). It would be a fantastic accolade to have one of your reports published and could actually increase circulation. I'm sure there would be at least one report submitted for every meeting and would give us a bit of entertainment and variety.

I entirely agree. The lack of individual match reports is a huge disappointment, and I will be considering whether to renew my subscription when it is due as it was usually the first section I read. The new format provides very little information that can't be found online.  Every Sunday newspaper (national and local) provides an individual match report for practically every professional football fixture that took place the previous day. This new "global" format does nothing for me.

 

[Grand Central 2,654]

It is often said here that Speedway should be grateful for the quality of Speedway Star we get as it is a far higher standard that the rest of the sport deserves.

I do agree with that sentiment, wholeheartedly.

But one of the failings of British Speedway - in my eyes -  is that it has been producing a poorer value product year after year and charging the same price for it. In general the paying numbers have fallen as a result. But the argument for continued 'cost cutting' has always been made on the basis of 'the sport having to cut its cloth'. Despite the fact that will only result in more loss of paying cusomers in a downward spiral.

The star has resisted such a silly approach .... until now.

But it would now seem that the arguments used for dropping match reports, of the style that has always been a core part of the magazine's appeal, are exactly the same 'cutting our cloth' that have got the whole sport into this mess.

I suppose it is fittingly ironic that the mag should make just the same sort of mistake as the promoters have been doing for years.

But it is terribly sad.

PS.

And the bizarre discussion on race times that have suddenly become so ridiculously difficult  for The Star to include just beggars belief when they are announced over the tannoy and the updates site have them live as they happen.

Why have we all gone mental this year ?

Edited April 11, 2019 by Grand Central