Do You Think Speedway might do in London in Future??.

[marko 956]

12 hours ago, customhouseregular said:

Sadly you missed the greatest London venue of them all.

And every time I pass through Custom House on the train I can’t help but think, what a waste.

The public transport links that stadium would have now if it existed would be better than any other.

[THE DEAN MACHINE 4,738]

As someone who spends a lot of time working all over London the answer is no 

Edited July 31, 2022 by THE DEAN MACHINE

[auntie doris 2,342]

1 hour ago, iainb said:

In an word No... London may as well be a different country to the rest of us who don't live there, it's a completely different demographic to the rest of the country

Same as Brum and Madchester, they both have teams. Used to go to New Cross, Ackney, Wet Spam, Wimbledon in the 60s, Wembley World Final. All the dog tracks have gone as well, flat cap 20th. Century council estate sports Nearest senior team to London is Oxford over 50 miles away.

Edited July 31, 2022 by auntie doris

[auntie doris 2,342]

16 hours ago, customhouseregular said:

Only if someone dug up the football pitches on Hackney Marsh  and laid a track. That’s assuming they’re still there of course. Not been to Hackney in decades.

Still there.

[THE DEAN MACHINE 4,738]

If there was a pot of gold in the person trying to open a track, then land would appear everywhere, no matter what objections or how many houses or whatever is around it, it would happen  I’ve seen this first hand on more than a few occasions now, however as it is at the moment nobody who has the pot of gold is stupid enough to blow it on our sport, on the other hand there are a few willing people who want to open a track but don’t have the finances and a few land owners who would have it but as soon as the land owners find out there is no pot of gold it becomes a no go, as with life in general it’s about money and speedway doesn’t have any 

Edited July 31, 2022 by THE DEAN MACHINE

[Hackett 220]

Cost would be prohibitive. With so many "wokes" in society these days and noise pollution there is zero chance of speedway in London unless a Saudi Arabian Royal Family member falls in love with the sport. 

 

[iris123 20,972]

Don't think these so called 'wokes' have anything to do with it

We have had NIMBY's for decades. Plus it is just a lack of support and finances.

Although that could be an advantage, in that the sport is a minority sport, and could capitalise on that aspect  

[LesR 139]

If there was someone with a pot of gold, and they have had to build up a successful buisness empire to achieve it, could you imagine them investing and being told by BSPL that they can only open on a Monday or Thursday, because the Poles only want the most productive days of Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I wonder how that would have worked with true Promoters of the 60's 70's and 80's?

[Trees 2,814]

On 8/7/2022 at 8:59 AM, LesR said:

If there was someone with a pot of gold, and they have had to build up a successful buisness empire to achieve it, could you imagine them investing and being told by BSPL that they can only open on a Monday or Thursday, because the Poles only want the most productive days of Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I wonder how that would have worked with true Promoters of the 60's 70's and 80's?

Fri, Sat or Sun maybe if they run Championship .....

[Technik 488]

On 8/7/2022 at 8:59 AM, LesR said:

If there was someone with a pot of gold, and they have had to build up a successful buisness empire to achieve it, could you imagine them investing and being told by BSPL that they can only open on a Monday or Thursday, because the Poles only want the most productive days of Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I wonder how that would have worked with true Promoters of the 60's 70's and 80's?

In those years gone bye it was the British Promoters that called the shots. The British were the ones that introduced demands upon riders one way or another, An off shore rider had to commit to the British club & if they should decide to race in their homeland then the British club would only be able to cover with a minimum average rider in their position. So really it's a case of the boot is on the other foot & someone else has the pot of gold & built their own empire.

[Trees 2,814]

3 hours ago, Technik said:

In those years gone bye it was the British Promoters that called the shots. The British were the ones that introduced demands upon riders one way or another, An off shore rider had to commit to the British club & if they should decide to race in their homeland then the British club would only be able to cover with a minimum average rider in their position. So really it's a case of the boot is on the other foot & someone else has the pot of gold & built their own empire.

Everyone has their day, Poland are making the most of it!

[uk_martin 1,606]

On 8/7/2022 at 8:59 AM, LesR said:

If there was someone with a pot of gold, and they have had to build up a successful buisness empire to achieve it, could you imagine them investing and being told by BSPL that they can only open on a Monday or Thursday, because the Poles only want the most productive days of Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I wonder how that would have worked with true Promoters of the 60's 70's and 80's?

That's an interesting question, as back in the 1960's and early 70's, the "market" for speedway riders was basically Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Sweden.  Denmark didn't really emerge until after Ole Olsen, Norway and Finland began emerging in the late 1970's plus there were one-off's from Germany and Holland. Russian, Polish, and most East European riders were tucked up behind the Iron Curtain until the early 1980's when a couple of Poles and some Czechs were allowed to earn some western currency, for themselves and their host clubs. British promoters were able, back then, to dictate who rode for which club, and the terms upon which they were employed.

British league racing was a weekday evening affair, with the best riders free to ride FIM events, long-track grass track or other individual meetings at weekends "on the continent". The only time "western" riders got to see Polish or other Eastern European tracks was for FIM World Championship (Team, Pairs or Individual) meetings. The rest of the time, travel there and back was forbidden, or more agro than it was worth.

Speedway on TV was a once-or-twice-a-year treat, with highlights of the World Final and possibly the WTC Final on World of Sport on a Saturday afternoon.

Eastern European riders were pretty much tied to JAWA machinery whilst the rest of the world benefited from the developments of Weslake, Godden and latterly GM engines.

A lot has changed since those days. Poland has changed immensely as a country and speedway in Poland has adapted to change a lot better than the "we're British and we know best" promoters in this country have managed to do with the sport over here. Just as Britain is no longer the epicentre of world football or world tennis, so it's lost that dominance in speedway to Poland, where they get huge attendances, huge television audiences, and huge sponsorships that are powering them to a position where they have to take measures to protect their investments. And understandably so. We have to resign ourselves to having lost control of the sport in Britain, and just as British promoters dictated to the rest of Western Europe how it could conduct its affairs before the Iron Curtain fell, so now we have to accept that we're just minnows in the sport and that we have to fit in with what other countries are doing. 

[arnieg 3,637]

Copenhagen - no speedway

Warsaw - no speedway

Stockholm - no speedway

The sport doesn't seem to do well in large cities.

[HackneyHawk 64]

On 8/3/2022 at 2:00 PM, Hackett said:

Cost would be prohibitive. With so many "wokes" in society these days and noise pollution there is zero chance of speedway in London unless a Saudi Arabian Royal Family member falls in love with the sport. 

 

How on earth have you brought 'woke culture' into a debate about speedway tracks????

 

[Happy Hunter 370]

Is Crayford Stadium still in existence?