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iris123

Electric Speedway

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Sorry must go now. Interesting debate and some could points made by you all. Hope the same level of rational debate can be held in more influential circles.

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3 hours ago, iris123 said:

It's not about being a crowd puller. I think the sport is in such a hole there isn't much chance of it finding a crowd puller. It is about surviving in the future. Emissions is just one problem that is on the agenda. And to most people it is the lesser problem. Noise is the big one if you want motorcycle sport in urban areas. If you are lucky to have a track in the middle of nowhere then good. But there is a major problem right there. That tracks way out don't attract many and have little chance to attract many. The bigger the population near a track the more chance you have to find fans and sponsors that are interested. Plus and a very important aspect mentioned by Vince, is that it opens up training opportunities which are needed

With electric bikes, maybe there is an opportunity to have a temporary track, put into a football stadium, maybe with a non shale surface, but a surface that is rideable. When I say a temporary track, I mean a track that can be laid and removed in sections. I can hear the wags lining up to suggest a Scalextric track! It could be a serious thought? :unsure:   

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27 minutes ago, bluebee said:

The elephant is the increased requirement on the National Grid which renewables will not meet. whatever the improvements in  the technology.  Not everything is scaleable or we would still have large ships driven by wind power. 

:rolleyes:

https://news.trust.org/item/20201209130140-yjblo/

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18 minutes ago, Ray Stadia said:

With electric bikes, maybe there is an opportunity to have a temporary track, put into a football stadium, maybe with a non shale surface, but a surface that is rideable. When I say a temporary track, I mean a track that can be laid and removed in sections. I can hear the wags lining up to suggest a Scalextric track! It could be a serious thought? :unsure:   

Well Briggo was talking decades ago about finding a new surface that would prevent rain offs etc. Not happened so far. And my one meeting watching speedway on concrete was a bit of a disaster from a viewing and rider (so many injuries) perspective. But maybe they just need to have more practice and it would be a go-er

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15 minutes ago, Ray Stadia said:

With electric bikes, maybe there is an opportunity to have a temporary track, put into a football stadium, maybe with a non shale surface, but a surface that is rideable. When I say a temporary track, I mean a track that can be laid and removed in sections. I can hear the wags lining up to suggest a Scalextric track! It could be a serious thought? :unsure:   

I think with the noise issue dealt with you could easily match the tyres to the track and run on concrete or tarmac. So maybe large car parks or industrial sites, then you have urban all weather Speedway.

On the subject of a temporary track though I did know a chap some years ago who produced furniture and was convinced that with some research he could produce a foam Supercross track that could go into trailers and be transported from site to site. He had raced for years so was well aware of all the issues that spring to mind so maybe it is possible. Imagine a couple of artics turning up to a city centre park and unloading a track which had disappeared by midnight.

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2 minutes ago, Vince said:

I think with the noise issue dealt with you could easily match the tyres to the track and run on concrete or tarmac. So maybe large car parks or industrial sites, then you have urban all weather Speedway.

On the subject of a temporary track though I did know a chap some years ago who produced furniture and was convinced that with some research he could produce a foam Supercross track that could go into trailers and be transported from site to site. He had raced for years so was well aware of all the issues that spring to mind so maybe it is possible. Imagine a couple of artics turning up to a city centre park and unloading a track which had disappeared by midnight.

Actually about a decade ago there was talk of doing an ice speedway meeting here with just that sort of concept. Laying down sections. The trouble was with the depth needed for the spikes, I think

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7 minutes ago, iris123 said:

Well Briggo was talking decades ago about finding a new surface that would prevent rain offs etc. Not happened so far. And my one meeting watching speedway on concrete was a bit of a disaster from a viewing and rider (so many injuries) perspective. But maybe they just need to have more practice and it would be a go-er

Maybe a tarmac type surface would be more forgiving? 

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Thanks Iris. I think I'll file that picture along with the pictures I have of the Reading Racino or the jetpacks they said we would all have on Tomorrow's World :D

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18 hours ago, Vince said:

Imagine a couple of artics turning up to a city centre park and unloading a track which had disappeared by midnight.

If they turned up in Brum, the track would disappear way before midnight.

B)

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E Speedway is easy to simulate, just watch the speedway on TV with the sound on mute.

Speedway is essentially made up of three senses, visual, audio and smell, just taking one element out can affect the experience, take two out and its no longer what you call speedway.

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3 hours ago, marko said:

E Speedway is easy to simulate, just watch the speedway on TV with the sound on mute.

 

Given some of the inane commentary and rider interviews, I often do :t: 

The racing doesn't suddenly get better or worse. But I can listen to something a bit more interesting.

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On 9/7/2021 at 6:00 PM, Vince said:

you could easily match the tyres to the track and run on concrete or tarmac.

Briggo has reported on Japanese "speedway" once or twice and a few of us have seen it. I loved it vastly more passing as very handiapped among 20 or so riders in a race. 600 cc singles on a much bigger concrete oval  ( Brooklands-ish ). Can't see the Uk rider putting up with the necessary rule structure. Admission less than 50p as all income is from betting! Cracking racing but 30 mins between races put me off going regularly  ( not a betting man ). But it can be done. Google - Autojo or watch on You Tube. Fast forward between the betting pauses.

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11 minutes ago, waytogo28 said:

Briggo has reported on Japanese "speedway" once or twice and a few of us have seen it. I loved it vastly more passing as very handiapped among 20 or so riders in a race. 600 cc singles on a much bigger concrete oval  ( Brooklands-ish ). Can't see the Uk rider putting up with the necessary rule structure. Admission less than 50p as all income is from betting! Cracking racing but 30 mins between races put me off going regularly  ( not a betting man ). But it can be done. Google - Autojo or watch on You Tube. Fast forward between the betting pauses.

I've only ever seen it in video (On any Sunday has a section about it) however they don't slide like our Speedway bikes do. It can be done though.

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3 hours ago, waytogo28 said:

Briggo has reported on Japanese "speedway" once or twice and a few of us have seen it. I loved it vastly more passing as very handiapped among 20 or so riders in a race. 600 cc singles on a much bigger concrete oval  ( Brooklands-ish ). Can't see the Uk rider putting up with the necessary rule structure. Admission less than 50p as all income is from betting! Cracking racing but 30 mins between races put me off going regularly  ( not a betting man ). But it can be done. Google - Autojo or watch on You Tube. Fast forward between the betting pauses.

Auto-racing doesn't solve the noise and non-electric issues. The bikes I have seen are twins, similar to a Triumph twin. Whether the Japanese will adopt electric bikes for this activity, possibly! 

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On 9/7/2021 at 6:00 PM, iris123 said:

Well Briggo was talking decades ago about finding a new surface that would prevent rain offs etc. Not happened so far. And my one meeting watching speedway on concrete was a bit of a disaster from a viewing and rider (so many injuries) perspective. But maybe they just need to have more practice and it would be a go-er

I was wondering about a recycled single use plastic track (that should get the environmentals juices flowing) if that's not a contradiction.

Think Lego.  Can't believe they've not tried it in Denmark. Maybe with a textured surface to allow more grip on the outside line.  Would you be able to slide a bike on such a surface, with no loose material? It would certainly be consistent and need limited in match maintenance. Could even have holes to allow drainage in the wet as long as it didn't compromise the strength.

Just like Lego you should be able to erect and dismantle as often as required.  And transportable without having to source shale. Just like erecting a concert stage, probably less complex without a lighting rig. Combined with noise friendly e-engines you could hold meetings in city centres no trouble. Think cricket grounds for the best shape.

Colourful to.  Imagine sponsors logo's on the racing surface not just the air fence. I guess it's just too expensive an experiment to happen. Or just not possible. 

It wouldn't be speedway as we know it, which should be noisy, smelly and dirty, but if environmentally friendly is the direction of travel why not go the full monty. Recycled tracks and battery powered bikes.....

Professor Brian Cox was on the radio yesterday and reckons the universe ends at some point anyway. In billions of years time.  The big rip apparently.  But I guess the end of the universe is a bit different to maintaining a planet that is habitable for a little while longer so there might be something in this environmentalism. Could be an opportunity to introduce a form of speedway to a whole new generation of environmentally friendly youngsters...   ...or do they not like competitive sport anyway?

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