My first post here as only recently discovered speedway even though I'm in my late 40s.
Coming at it from a newcomer I can see the point of concentrating on the target audience of the middle aged. However I would assume the majority of these people discovered the sport as kids so I still think kids should be targeted more.
I have been going for last 3 months with my two daughters (13 and 9) and they absolutely love it. They dont understand or would be bothered that most races finish as they start from the gate. They love the smell, the roar of the engines and interacting with the riders afterwards. By the time they are older and are more aware of the politics behind the sport they will already be hooked.
To a child this sport is still very exciting...as long as they know about it. I asked my eldest to bring her friend to the last meeting and they were instantly hooked too even though the races were poor.