Stoke Potter

This gets to the heart of the issue like few posts do. The reality is that the vast majority of UK tracks are too small and/or narrow to produce genuine top class racing that will attract new fans from outside the sport. I would say it's probably closer to 90% of races being over by the end of the back straight on lap 1. Get the product right with decent sized, well prepared tracks and then launch a sustained marketing campaign and the sport will have a future, otherwise...

While I would agree with Mr Rising that now is not the time to be dishing any dirt on Belle Vue or the NSS, I also think that when the time comes you can be sure it will avoid being too critical of the BSPA. In my opinion a bomb under the BSPA, or at least certain factions of it, is well overdue.

Perhaps people wouldn't so readily come to conclusions such as that if the SS made a much stronger case for the dismantling of the status quo with the BSPA, and pressed more for solutions along the lines of an independent commission?

Any ideas if Belle Vue plan to run this in October?

It's not the first time you've utterly failed to understand what I've said. Evidently you must be lacking the intellectual capacity in that regard. If you look through my posts you'll see I stated that not all big tracks are good and not all meetings at even the best big tracks are good. Of course other factors are involved, width, banking, surface, preparation, weather. I'll say again, if you want the absolute best spectacle the sport can offer, it's on the best big tracks. And I agree with the poster above who said if you're starting with a blank canvas the preference would always be to put in a big track with the appropriate width and banking, etc.

Of course, silly me, it's only crap when Sky are present! The very time when you want it at the absolute best. And I'll comment when I see fit, thanks all the same, not when you tell when I can.

Entirely predictable cheap shot regarding the surface and totally irrelevant to the discussion on track size. No doubt there will be plenty of jealously emanating from wolves (and others) when the BV circuit is up and running! Now you're getting to the point. The majority of British tracks are shoe-horned into places they don't really fit and so aren't conducive to good racing. It's not the first time I've seen Lakeside on the TV, I wasn't impressed on the previous occasions either but this week's was probably the worst. Finally, you won't find me defending the Stoke track, it's pretty poor in my opinion which is a shame as in the past it has been very good.

No you haven't got it actually. For the purposes of this mini discussion the stadium facilities are irrelevant. If you wish to throw them into the mix however, Torun beats Wolves again, shocker. No, not every big track is great and not every meeting at the best big tracks is great. But if you want the best racing spectacle the sport can offer that comes with the best big tracks. Yes, it's my opinion, that's the point of a forum. I'm utterly confused as to why the Belle Vue promotion didn't copy the Lakeside and Wolves' track dimensions. Maybe it's because it's generally accepted that there is far better..?

Wolves is better than Torun is it? Course it is!

And still you miss the point.

Absolutely nailed it! You're missing my point. Making everything else equal, and doing a comparison of the racing on the best big track and the racing on the best small track, the spectacle on the big track will always be better.

The best racing on a big track will always be better than the best racing on a merry-go-round.

Good question! And one of your more enlightened posts. If/when (not sure of the current situation?) they do shut that track and, if they actually manage to get another, then tell them to put in a proper sized track with a decent surface. No more toytown speedway.

What an appalling track Lakeside is! Everything you wouldn't want on a speedway track, small, tight, rough, dusty, slick! Should be ashamed to put it on Sky.

The rain was about an hour behind the forecast for the Staffordshire area, keep us updated please.

Thanks very much, that's appreciated.

Is this still on? Anyone know when a decision will be made, or the best place for a weather update? Thanks.

Tracks that are conducive to passing and decent racing for a start. The vast majority of tracks in this country only produce anything like decent racing in the middle of the meeting, if they actually manage it at all.

Oddly enough even though I don't post on that often, when I do, I tend to "bump" into the same people. E I Addio and Bwitcher are of that number. Yes people most races are boring, saying otherwise is denial! And yes these are my opinions that's the point of a forum. My opinion based on what I see at most meetings. However I perhaps was incorrect to say that most people are in denial. Having reviewed that, I would now say that most people have realised it's boring (and no longer go) and I base that on the fact that most clubs play to low crowds in the hundreds. I would question if crowds have ever been any lower at the majority of clubs and further question whether the EL could in fact exist without the Sky monies. Anyway, I would advise against disagreeing with those folks because since I have, I've been struck down with the stomach bug from hell and still not recovered..! Beware ;-)

Fair point, it wasn't a jibe, more an observation and not just directed EL.

The sport obviously has no problems, that's why tracks are packed out and every race is a thriller.

Most races are boring. That's the reality, more so in Britain I believe. There are 2 main reasons for this. Firstly, the tracks are generally dire, only one line and poorly prepared surfaces. Secondly, poorly matched teams with too bigger gulf from 1-7. This particularly applies to the EL. Don't expect anything to change as most people are in denial about it. Track sizes need to change.

Thank you for that detailed response (I wasn't going to quote it all above as that would be pointless), it's appreciated as, at that time I wasn't particularly focussed on the going's on of the EL. My conclusion would be that things appear to be biased in Poole's favour. One thing I don't get, Coventry and Peterborough walked out but Poole are now sponsored by Readypower. How does that fit with the previous animosity?

How can a sport that only attracts fans in the 100's hope to have any real future? I wouldn't dispute the political arguments raised on here and I am no particular fan of how the BSPA appears to conduct itself, however it's not really the reason that nobody goes to watch. The product has to be right and it's not. The fact is most races at all tracks are boring processions. That needs to be fixed and to do that costs money as you need to fix the tracks. Modern day bikes have outgrown the small, narrow tracks of the UK. They all should be absolute minimum 300m and races should last at least 60 seconds otherwise it's all over too quickly. Adequate widths on straights and bends is also required. Of course all that will be shot down,mainly because of the cost but it's what needs to happen. Once you fixed the tracks then it's about having more equal teams from one to seven but that's for "Volume 2" of the debate.

I don't have the in-depth knowledge of Poole's supposed past misdemeanors but what I don't understand is why the other promotions would allow them to get away with it? Did the Coventry - Peterborough walkout have any connection with Poole's dominance? It's also got to be true to say that if most clubs had a Ford then the EL would be much better.