waytogo28 2,054 Posted August 11, 2021 11 hours ago, Deano said: riders use their own bikes, but fitted with sealed standard engines. Without this, coming in sooner rather than later UK domestic speedway is all over. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iainb 4,962 Posted August 11, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, waytogo28 said: Without this, coming in sooner rather than later UK domestic speedway is all over. All that money going out of the sport to engine tuners... with absolutely zero return! I've never been to watch a Speedway meting to see how a rider goes on his newly tuned engine! Or with his newly added piece of "special" kit. Edited August 11, 2021 by iainb 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HackneyHawk 64 Posted August 25, 2021 Having been in love with Speedway for 50yrs but falling out of love for the last 10 or so I decided to try my nearest track (Kent) last night. Start was hugely delayed, something to do with the track conditions despite it being good weather for days here in Kent No rider parade/introductions. Multiple attempts to run heat one. Then inconsistency in applying the rules of rider exclusions. Programme poorly designed No signposts or advertising of stadium Merchandise poorly designed with poor clarity of brand, no car stickers (unforgiveable) Scruffy staff Scruffy stadium (could do with some cheap smartening up) Announcer was too quiet to hear, made a few mistakes and was very 'low energy' - no presentation etc Barely audible music played randomly with mainly silence around the track Main stand had almost no lighting 4 portions of chips and 2 sausage rolls took 30mins from ordering to eating No card payments in the Cafe Interminable 'gardening' before starts Utterly pointless 2 minute warnings No team riding by the 'heat leaders' Barely any overtaking past bend 1 (this is a perennial speedway problem not just Kent obviously) And please.....in 2021, no more undignified victory parade with riders looking bored being driven round on the back of a lorry/trailer/car! - Get the riders without helmets to ride round in formation on their bikes carrying Kent flags! Positives: The mascot was fun and looked interested! The riders looked smart Parking Nice stadium with lots of potential Huge local catchment area if anyone knew about the Kings It was nice to see Martin Goodwin in the restaurant (fantastic rider) and nice to be back at a speedway track but not many reasons for a newcomer to return. I really fear for UK league Speedway 1 3 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Piotr Pyszny 206 Posted August 25, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, HackneyHawk said: Having been in love with Speedway for 50yrs but falling out of love for the last 10 or so I decided to try my nearest track (Kent) last night. Start was hugely delayed, something to do with the track conditions despite it being good weather for days here in Kent No rider parade/introductions. Multiple attempts to run heat one. Then inconsistency in applying the rules of rider exclusions. Programme poorly designed No signposts or advertising of stadium Merchandise poorly designed with poor clarity of brand, no car stickers (unforgiveable) Scruffy staff Scruffy stadium (could do with some cheap smartening up) Announcer was too quiet to hear, made a few mistakes and was very 'low energy' - no presentation etc Barely audible music played randomly with mainly silence around the track Main stand had almost no lighting 4 portions of chips and 2 sausage rolls took 30mins from ordering to eating No card payments in the Cafe Interminable 'gardening' before starts Utterly pointless 2 minute warnings No team riding by the 'heat leaders' Barely any overtaking past bend 1 (this is a perennial speedway problem not just Kent obviously) And please.....in 2021, no more undignified victory parade with riders looking bored being driven round on the back of a lorry/trailer/car! - Get the riders without helmets to ride round in formation on their bikes carrying Kent flags! Positives: The mascot was fun and looked interested! The riders looked smart Parking Nice stadium with lots of potential Huge local catchment area if anyone knew about the Kings It was nice to see Martin Goodwin in the restaurant (fantastic rider) and nice to be back at a speedway track but not many reasons for a newcomer to return. I really fear for UK league Speedway I've watched speedway since 1976 (at various tracks, as I've moved around the country) but hardly at all since 2008. Against your experience at Sittingbourne, I'll set my visit to Scunthorpe (versus Redcar) a couple of Fridays ago. It was only my second meeting in four years: Large car park (Scunthorpe charge a quid to use it - and always have, as far as I'm aware. I'm OK with that. They're not taking the Mickey) £17 admission (not cheap but it did include the programme, which was designed well enough for my speedway rookie wife, a solicitor, to fill in without any problems) Tidy little stadium whose facilities have improved greatly since my last visit, in 2008 Pretty sure there was a mascot (being child-free-by-choice, I have no interest in mascots or what they get up to) The meeting started on time, and the main match racing was finished in an hour-and-three-quarters (despite several riders given maximum time for 'two on the trot'). The riders were introduced (rode round without helmets, IIRC) Advice to drivers is to follow the Normanby Hall brown tourist road signs. Worked a treat No merchandise on sale (a personal speedway first - and the one black mark) The staff (starting with the guy on the turnstile) were smartly dressed and friendly Announcements and music clearly audible The stand we were in had lighting ( a little more would've been desirable) In the clubhouse, my tea was served in 15 seconds (I don't do sports stadia food but it seemed to be going out efficiently) Couldn't tell you about card payments in the clubhouse (although Scunthorpe have the option of buying match tickets online) I can't say I noticed a great deal of 'gardening'; the referee seemed keen to get on with things The racing was superb, with passing (inside and out) in various places in most races. Indeed, some attendees described the meeting as the best they'd ever seen An enthusiastic crowd, with plenty of away fans, made for a lively atmosphere There was a victory parade, which seemed to please the home contingent My wife described the spectacle as "engaging" and was keen to see speedway again (which we did, twice in the next week) Scunthorpe Speedway has a vast catchment area, including the northern half of Lincolnshire, Hull (reached easily via the Humber Bridge) and west towards Doncaster. We travelled from York (as had, bizarrely, the two people next to us). Should Scunthorpe be attracting more than 800 spectators? This experience, coupled with those - similarly positive - at Belle Vue and Redcar that followed, suggests it's not all doom and gloom. Incidentally, I've been to Kent Kings once, in 2017. I thought it was fine. Decent racing, decent crowd and decent (by speedway standards) facilities. Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey seems to take a lot of flak but I'm struggling to find fault with the meeting we attended at his track. Why didn't he invite along Martin Goodwin? Tsk. Edited August 25, 2021 by Piotr Pyszny 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bigcatdiary 3,164 Posted August 25, 2021 On 8/11/2021 at 10:14 AM, iainb said: All that money going out of the sport to engine tuners... with absolutely zero return! I've never been to watch a Speedway meting to see how a rider goes on his newly tuned engine! Or with his newly added piece of "special" kit. Hans Andersen used a newly tuned engine in the Peterborough v Wolves match Monday, he looked pretty quick I seem to recall. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iainb 4,962 Posted August 25, 2021 11 minutes ago, bigcatdiary said: Hans Andersen used a newly tuned engine in the Peterborough v Wolves match Monday, he looked pretty quick I seem to recall. What about Bjarne? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bigcatdiary 3,164 Posted August 25, 2021 1 minute ago, iainb said: What about Bjarne? Don’t have any details about him Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iainb 4,962 Posted August 25, 2021 Just now, bigcatdiary said: Don’t have any details about him Come back to me when you do Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lbw 869 Posted August 25, 2021 (edited) 6 hours ago, HackneyHawk said: Having been in love with Speedway for 50yrs but falling out of love for the last 10 or so I decided to try my nearest track (Kent) last night. Start was hugely delayed, something to do with the track conditions despite it being good weather for days here in Kent No rider parade/introductions. Multiple attempts to run heat one. Then inconsistency in applying the rules of rider exclusions. Programme poorly designed No signposts or advertising of stadium Merchandise poorly designed with poor clarity of brand, no car stickers (unforgiveable) Scruffy staff Scruffy stadium (could do with some cheap smartening up) Announcer was too quiet to hear, made a few mistakes and was very 'low energy' - no presentation etc Barely audible music played randomly with mainly silence around the track Main stand had almost no lighting 4 portions of chips and 2 sausage rolls took 30mins from ordering to eating No card payments in the Cafe Interminable 'gardening' before starts Utterly pointless 2 minute warnings No team riding by the 'heat leaders' Barely any overtaking past bend 1 (this is a perennial speedway problem not just Kent obviously) And please.....in 2021, no more undignified victory parade with riders looking bored being driven round on the back of a lorry/trailer/car! - Get the riders without helmets to ride round in formation on their bikes carrying Kent flags! Positives: The mascot was fun and looked interested! The riders looked smart Parking Nice stadium with lots of potential Huge local catchment area if anyone knew about the Kings It was nice to see Martin Goodwin in the restaurant (fantastic rider) and nice to be back at a speedway track but not many reasons for a newcomer to return. I really fear for UK league Speedway Have you put these points directly to Len Silver and the Kent management? Bit pointless posting them on here if you haven't 4 portions of chips and 2 sausage rolls took 30mins from ordering to eating? You shouldn't be so greedy! Edited August 25, 2021 by PirateShip 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iainb 4,962 Posted August 26, 2021 13 hours ago, PirateShip said: Have you put these points directly to Len Silver and the Kent management? Bit pointless posting them on here if you haven't 4 portions of chips and 2 sausage rolls took 30mins from ordering to eating? You shouldn't be so greedy! In my experience the promoters just don't care... Len maybe different I don't know Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HackneyHawk 64 Posted August 26, 2021 17 hours ago, PirateShip said: Have you put these points directly to Len Silver and the Kent management? Bit pointless posting them on here if you haven't 4 portions of chips and 2 sausage rolls took 30mins from ordering to eating? You shouldn't be so greedy! No I haven't. If the people who run Kent allow this, they're hardly likely to agree with me are they? Speedway is insular and amateurish. The reason I have posted this is purely venting my despair about a once mighty sport This is a forum, the perfect place for it in my opinion. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikebv 10,240 Posted August 26, 2021 47 minutes ago, HackneyHawk said: No I haven't. If the people who run Kent allow this, they're hardly likely to agree with me are they? Speedway is insular and amateurish. The reason I have posted this is purely venting my despair about a once mighty sport This is a forum, the perfect place for it in my opinion. There is actually some mileage in this I would suggest HH.. Maybe there should actually be some kind of "minimum standard" checklist that needs completing.. Businesses in the retail and entertainment sector have "mystery shoppers" so why shouldn't Speedway..? Your list covered pretty much the "day to day" stuff that most expect to see and receive and maybe some "independent feedback" would help their overall offering? Seeking and then reacting to feedback, both good and bad, (but especially the bad), is one of the priorities of any forward looking modern business as without this information it wont move forward.. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Trees 2,814 Posted August 27, 2021 On 8/25/2021 at 12:46 PM, HackneyHawk said: Having been in love with Speedway for 50yrs but falling out of love for the last 10 or so I decided to try my nearest track (Kent) last night. Start was hugely delayed, something to do with the track conditions despite it being good weather for days here in Kent No rider parade/introductions. Multiple attempts to run heat one. Then inconsistency in applying the rules of rider exclusions. Programme poorly designed No signposts or advertising of stadium Merchandise poorly designed with poor clarity of brand, no car stickers (unforgiveable) Scruffy staff Scruffy stadium (could do with some cheap smartening up) Announcer was too quiet to hear, made a few mistakes and was very 'low energy' - no presentation etc Barely audible music played randomly with mainly silence around the track Main stand had almost no lighting 4 portions of chips and 2 sausage rolls took 30mins from ordering to eating No card payments in the Cafe Interminable 'gardening' before starts Utterly pointless 2 minute warnings No team riding by the 'heat leaders' Barely any overtaking past bend 1 (this is a perennial speedway problem not just Kent obviously) And please.....in 2021, no more undignified victory parade with riders looking bored being driven round on the back of a lorry/trailer/car! - Get the riders without helmets to ride round in formation on their bikes carrying Kent flags! Positives: The mascot was fun and looked interested! The riders looked smart Parking Nice stadium with lots of potential Huge local catchment area if anyone knew about the Kings It was nice to see Martin Goodwin in the restaurant (fantastic rider) and nice to be back at a speedway track but not many reasons for a newcomer to return. I really fear for UK league Speedway That all could be put right, cheaply? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Trees 2,814 Posted August 27, 2021 22 hours ago, iainb said: In my experience the promoters just don't care... Len maybe different I don't know All I can say is Rye House didn't change much .... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HackneyHawk 64 Posted August 27, 2021 5 hours ago, Trees said: That all could be put right, cheaply? Yes I think so Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
