Chadster

Tostig

I thought that he wouldn't reveal a blue print for reform in the Star but rather discuss it with his fellow promoters first. Like other posters I did notice a slightly defeatist tone in the interview. I can understand that some problems are difficult to resolve, if not intractable, but surely there can be no excuse for poor track preparation and poor presentation. The other thing that struck me was that certain initiatives hadn't been thought through. The idea that the EL and PL should be closer in standard was explained in terms of promotion and relegation but then you would expect that to be introduced but doubling up makes it impossible and if you strengthen the PL then of course it makes it much harder to step up from the NL, which is now where there is a problem.

You're totally correct about the differences between the 50s and the present. The point I wanted to make, but didn't emphasise strongly enough, was the need for clarity of thought and unity amongst promoters. In fact the big change in the 60s was brought about after chronic rivalry and division but it required an outside agency, the Shawcross report, to bring them about. We could do without that brinkmanship now. I also enjoyed the two seasons of one big league but always felt that certain promoters were unconvinced that it was the right way to go and did not do enough to make it work in terms of releasing riders etc. I still think it's the best way forward for the sport giving consistency of fixtures and different opposition every week but to make it work every promoter needs to be convinced by it and it would probably mean 6 man teams to get round the rider shortage.

There's no doubt the sport is in a hole at the moment, but whether it's in a bigger hole than it was in the late 50s is open to question. Yet within 10 years the fortunes of the sport had been transformed. So change is possible but I'd suggest it needs clarity of thought and unity amongst the promoters. Chris Louis last week put forward his ideas to develop new riders, which is vital in the long term but there needs to be action in the short term so these new riders will have tracks on which to display their talent.

I attended my first three meetings this season last week, two at Belle Vue and one at Sheffield. For what it's worth, I thought the crowds were better than on my last visit to those tracks which probably reflects the improved performances of the two teams. Perhaps Ipswich's struggles this season are reflecting in their attendances? Two of the meetings I saw were delayed due to weather and injury but the other meeting proceeded at a very leisurely pace. I'm sure better, sharper presentation would help crowd levels. Is speedway a £10 sport? No, unless it's at NL level. Any decent level sport is expensive to watch these days. Tickets for my local Championship level football club are £27 so £17.50 for EL speedway doesn't seem so bad.

In hindsight the 1965 season seems one of the most successful in the sport's history as the initial season of the British League. No guests were allowed (and no non-resident foreigners). However, there were a number of matches that were little more than massacres as teams were going into matches with 2 heat leaders missing and being replaced by juniors and so at the end of that season guests were allowed if more than one heat leader was missing. If only one heat leader was missing then r/r could be used. There was also an increase in foreign riders, though the big influx came in 1967.

In the 1960s certainly the Tac Sub rule was not limited to being used only once. You could use it as many times as you wanted if you were 6 points behind after heat 4. You could also swap gate positions when 6 down. With the onset of 2 reserves from the 1969 season, a good team manager was worth his weight in gold. Incidentally, rider replacement was introduced in 1966 for heatleaders only.

It was meant as a joke.....

Isn't this typical of British speedway? There are British flags wanting a chance and instead Somerset turn to a foreign flag.....

In the 19 strong BL from 1966, you'd have 36 league matches, at least 1 KO Cup match, 3 World Championship qualifiers and then there were Challenge matches, Individual meetings, in London and the Midlands there were regional cup competitions, Midland Riders/Northern Riders qualification meetings. That probably adds up to about 50 without guest appearances. Given that many of the riders were not full-time that was more than enough.

I was a regular at Wimbledon from the late 70s and never saw them race from different start lines or to different finish lines.

My understanding was then when they changed the track it was felt that the run to the first turn would be too short so they moved the start line back.

Last meeting at Liverpool in 1960. Can't remember who against but the Pirates won, a rare event that season

With no association with either team, I thought that was a terrific meeting last night, a reminder of how good speedway can be. Poole have been a 6 man team practically this season but Newman's return to form in the second half of the season meant that they were able to cope. I thought Howarth was terrific in the play off final and I hope his display gets him an opportunity to race abroad next season, which is so vital to the development of young British riders. I've also been impressed with Sarjeant when I've seen him lately. Makes you wonder why he can't get a PL berth.

Craven Shield? Young Shield?

Like all tracks there were good and bad meetings there, but when it was good, it was very good. I was actually at that Northern Riders meeting, my last ever visit to Hyde Road. Carter broke the track record in his first ride and then Morton came out in the next heat and absolutely obliterated Carter's time. It's safe to say the Belle Vue crowd, who I always felt were quite partisan, were delighted with that. I recall a couple of great races between Nigel Boocock and Alan Wilkinson, a fantastic KO Cup match against Sheffield, with all 3 results still possible as the riders came off the last bend and those fantastic BLRC nights in the 60s, when the place was heaving. I'm told the new track will be about 8 metres shorter than the old one, but hopefully it will generate the same happy memories.

Alex Harkness can't be blamed for the rain, which has so disrupted fixtures, for the injuries which have so depleted teams, or for foreign riders deciding not to honour UK commitments. If these problems which we've seen last week recur next season, then he most certainly deserves blame.

Other sports like cricket and rugby have complicated scoring systems and they seem to manage ok. They don't however, have anything like the double points rule and that damages credibility, I think

A few from Wimbledon who were fun to watch; Roger Johns, Todd Wiltshire, Kelvin Tatum and Mark Burrows. Andy Galvin as a visiting rider could always cause uproar. Others who were always entertaining; Trevor O'Brien, Chris Morton, Les and Neil Collins and Mark Loram

You obviously have a problem with understanding other people's posts. The point was, if there is no legal restriction in the NL why can't the PL introduce a scheme whereby, say, 2 British riders were at reserve. If you think that there aren't enough British riders for that to work, start with one, the next season make it two etc. This would give an incentive to get British riders coming through and not drop them at the first opportunity.

If the NL can insist on British riders only, why not other leagues?

I grew up with speedway in the 1960s, so from a nostalgic perspective I might favour one big league, 13 heats and a second half, the old tac sub rule etc. However, 13 heats was not a good formula and there were good reasons why second halves were abolished. People arguing for greater value for money seem reluctant to accept a logical step, which would seem to be longer matches. 18 heats was tried a while ago, is it time to think again? However, are the riders available? One weakness of the one big league approach is that if it included the 22 teams currently in the top 2 flights they would need 154 riders to stock the teams. I'm not sure at the moment there are sufficient riders of the standard available and that the top 2 flights are only able to run because of the amount of doubling up that's going on.

It says more about the referee than the sport. No one accuses football of going down the drain when the nightmare that is Kevin Friend referees a match

Most tracks in World Championship events are big, sweeping tracks that require powerful equipment. Most tracks in the UK aren't. They are of a size that require a certain technique to ride effectively. Indeed, it's worth pointing out that since our glory days in the 1970s, tracks in Britain have got smaller on average, many of the big, flat out British tracks like Hyde Road, Exeter, West Ham, Bradford have closed down. A lot of British tracks also, sited in greyhound stadiums are rather odd shapes, with long straights and tight corners, a far cry from what's seen on the continent. I'd be interested to know how easily our young riders acquire sponsorship as compared to their counterparts in Poland and Denmark.

The first thing the BSPA need to ask themselves is whether Team GB winning the World Cup would have any benefit for the sport in this country. If the answer is 'no', which might very well be the answer, then carry on what they're doing. If the answer is 'yes' then how are they going to achieve it, because it's not going to happen without a change and that change is going to cost money. A plan might include some or all of the following; Test matches abroad, which would probably need to be funded by the BSPA. Initially we'd have to be looking to take on countries like Czechoslovakia, Germany etc as the Poles would be far too strong. Identify and stick with young talent. Garrity seems the most likely of the younger riders, Robert Lambert is obviously another. Were Morris and Vatcher consulted over this years World Cup squad? Once young riders are identified, get them working with people like Loram, Tatum etc who can give advice on organisation and may be able to open up doors to sponsorship. All the above costs money, and our impoverished state makes me doubt that much if anything will be done.