Speedway...

[mel 19]

I haven't met anyone yet who has the same back ground as me.....as for anoraks or wulf sport jackets...never owned any of them.

 

Flask? no way, have my personal servant to get my cups of tea!!!.

 

Deck chair, nah not me, not the same, you can't jump around on one of them and still remain uninjured.

 

Camper van? Eh? I like a bit of luxury, mines a shiny Audi A4

 

Social misfit? er.... right will keep quiet on that one.I fit in well at speedway...it's just everywhere else I don't fit

 

 

And I'm still under 40!!!!!!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

i'm almost the same crazy sue except my dad takes me an its a mondeo

[neil_L 3]

Since I started following the sport proper in '87 I've seen this discussion over and over many many times. back in the late 80s people blamed the decline of the sport of foreign riders, then it was lack ot TV, then it was lack of wemble and a British world champion. All these arguments have proved rubbish. Face facts the sport is as big as it's going to get. I love this sport and it's a big part of my life so I'm not being over negative, just realistic.

 

But look on the positive side we still have the sport 20 yrs on from when people said it would be dead. In my opinion it is still a great night out and the entertainment value is still good. The sport does well considering. There are plenty of people who knock promoters but I'd say most do it as a hobby and we should be grateful. The costs involved in running a speedway team on crowds that can be as little as 500 must turn any promoter's underpants brown on a daily basis !

 

As to the future the sport needs to consolidate, keep costs down and keep the entertainment value high. The sport may never be "big" again but that's not to say a few extra people through the turnstiles doesn't go a miss.

[sandman 0]

hard to say really, it seems to all be in place.. BSI involvement is great for the sport, the quality of racing is there,quality of riders obviously as well... must be in developing the seperate personalities of the riders so they dont all seem the same except for the countries they represent, and... to interest the world wide public.... dirt deflectors, while i see they keep the riders clean so one can see their sponsors on the ol kevlars, i hate em.. they look stupid, it would be like puttin mud flaps and wheel coverings on sprint cars.. sacreligious to say the least.. when is the last time anyone saw a race with a deep track and four riders creating trails of dirt? otw.. known as rooster tails? surely one of speedways traditional spectacles ..as i said too, promoting the riders as individuals is paramount, and that is why it was refreshing to see Jason become World Champion because he is different..the sport is so close at the moment to breaking out of its current situation, and when it does, or i should say if.. finally the riders will make the kind of money and get the world wide recognition they deserve..

[Trees 2,814]

Just a little something that "could" help:

 

If the BSPA could persuade local BBC radio stations to report on speedway country wide instead of just their own local speedway that would be great for us all! The fans could help with this one by emailing their radio stations and asking questions about results etc etc

[mark cox 1]

All comes down to marketing and until promoters get away from the safe 'family' image and start portaying it more as an extreme sport you will have a hope in hells chance of attracting a more youthful audience. I cringe when i hear this 'family' tag linked to speedway - it conforms to every boring, warm and fluffy, anoraky stereotype that exists.

 

Speedway in it's raw form is as extreme as any motorsport - that's the angle to go with not old boys with badges flasks and a rug!

 

Now beating a quick retreat from an army of old boys armed with flasks

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree and have said before a number of times,one of the biggest problems is the fans.To see a bunch of speedway fans is like looking at society's mis-fits.It hardly helps that speedway is staged at places like Mildenhall,Peterborough,Arena-Essex.....It's all set up not to be attractive to a large and young audience.It is well made for the camper van,deck-chair,jacket covered in badges with year bar brigade

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Christ on a bike!! There we were thinking that speedways ills were down to a lack of consistent and professional management/rule changes/slick tracks/dodgy stadium facilities/poor marketing..... when all along it was staring at us in the face... the young and beautiful people don't watch speedway shock!!

Hopefully the good people of Peterborough, Essex and Mildenhall continue to watch our great sport, despite being severely handicapped in not having the correct jacket, trainers, age and socio-economic group profile.

[Searley 1]

Most people attending speedway are over 40, the sport is not attracting young people as there is so much more to do and most find it boring. Over the next  10 years the numbers will drop sharply, sad but true.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I disagree! there not im 15 and i havent missed a meetin for 4 years, i am going 2 give it a go myself! and i sit with a group of 40 people and most of them are in the late twentys early 30's and the people my age!! ok you get the older people because they have been fans since the start or so basically but there bringing there siblings here and there childrens children. i think that speedway will get progressively bigger!!