Speedway Grand Plan

[SCB 0]

Speedway needs to go back to basics. Even with standard engines, your still going to get the "good" and "not so good". More dirt on the tracks, standard engines, basic rules = closer racing = more people watching

In Matt's perfect little world!!!

 

Why is a heat with standard bikes better than a heat with highly tuned bike? It's not, you will still have better riders and not so good riders, all that will happen is that the better riders will still gate first and still be fastest as they are now and there will be just as many faster riders failing to make the start and passing, as you do now. However, some "standard" bikes will be better than others so riders will buy bike, after bike, after bike until they get a good one and so drive up costs and they'll want more money and promoters WILL pay it and the sport suffers.

 

More dirty?! No, just well prepared not nessesarilly loads of dirty. I'm no expert but I'd say you need a thin layer of dirt with grip on the outside, slightly less dirt/grip about mid track and an almost slick track on the inside, not completly slick or you get the 'blue line'.

[Mylor 0]

..........BSI should have gone with a solo series that already exsists in a multi-race series. Longtrack.

 

The problem lies in the fact that riders for the most part most come up through the ranks to gain enough experience to ride at the GP level. Will clubs want to put effort into riders whos goal is to leave, and will has been GP riders find a place in team racing after showing loyalty elsewhere.

 

I'm a 2nd Division rider at Costa Mesa...................

Right, where were we?

Oh yes, discussing how speedway is promoted.

 

Longtrack........now what's that and how would you go about introducing that to punters outside Germany? Ok we do know what it is but I've only seen one longtrack meeting on the tele and that was 30 years ago. And how would you fit that in prestigeous venues with a view to expanding into non-longtrack countries. Nonstarter methinks.

 

Clubs and training tracks already put a lot of effort into riders they know will leave. It's common practice in the CL and PL. Good riders, especially respected ex-GP riders will always find a welcome at British tracks when they've finished their GP careers. Look at Sam Ermolenko and Billy Hamill. They may be looked down on as deserters from the American scene but if you don't want 'em, and they don't seem too keen to return, then we'll continue to welcome them. Got any more??

Edited December 16, 2003 by Mylor

[Mylor 0]

As for going to 20-30 countries, well in their dreams! They're having enough problems to find ten venues for their series, so where they'll find another ten, I have no idea.

Methinks you misread me post Kevin!!

 

'..if and when the sport takes off on the world stage, by which I mean in 20-30 countries,'

 

Just as F1 is seen in 100 or so countries Kev although they only hold 17 or so F1GPs..............more growth, more venues!!

[Hammer 10]

I thought Malcolm was spot on about appealing to kids, with bicycles and accesories. Most of us had our imagination captured by Speedway when we were children, there needs to be clever marketing in main stream shops as well. I spent many happy years proudly wearing a golden hawk race jacket.

 

If good quality club kevlar type replica shirts are sold in different sizes, we should all wear them around high streets and give the football shirts a run for their money.

 

Non Speedway people might start to wonder who the Witches or the Aces are.

 

On the subject of GP Speedway, I think Matt's right. Following Formula one in to constructor teams might well destroy the essence of Speedway where personal skill wins the race. I know there is disparity in equipment now, but imagine Speedway in ten years if Scott Nicholls on a Minardi equivalent bike can't finish on the same lap as Tony Rickardsson who is on a Ferrari. This is a little simplistic but you know what I mean.

 

Also So many Tracks are poorly prepared. The ELRC this year was absolutely shocking, Back to basics, Matt's right.

Edited December 27, 2003 by Hammer

[Malcolm 0]

Right, where were we?

Oh yes, discussing how speedway is promoted.

 

Longtrack........now what's that and how would you go about introducing that to punters outside Germany? Ok we do know what it is but I've only seen one longtrack meeting on the tele and that was 30 years ago. And how would you fit that in prestigeous venues with a view to expanding into non-longtrack countries. Nonstarter methinks.

Yes I agree it is a non-starter due to the brick wall some have up between Speedway and Longtrack. Still look at the crowd support at these events. As big and often bigger than speedway. It never will be, but it truely is the F1 of the sport.

Teterow 30-40,000 fans every year, Marmande 10,000 and a full floodlit stadium, the Paris event last year had upwards of 40,000 even New Zealand got what 7,000?

[Kevin Meynell 2]

Longtrack........now what's that and how would you go about introducing that to punters outside Germany?

The problem with longtrack is that it's boring once you get beyond being impressed by how fast the riders go. It seems mostly about how powerful your engine is, and passing is more or less non-existent after the first bend.

 

However, the fundamental problem with longtrack becoming popular is that the tracks require too much space. There is no chance of fitting them into an inner city venue, and their size makes viewing much too difficult.

 

The reasons you get big crowds in longtrack is that they're generally one-off events. Each track usually only stages one or at most two meetings per season, for which the locals all turn out. On this basis, we could equally argue that we get 40,000 fans for the British GP.

 

As for the New Zealand round of the World Longtrack Championship, 7,000 was decent enough considering the venue, but it hardly indicates that the event is hugely popular.

[Trackman 3]

Speedway needs to go back to basics. Even with standard engines, your still going to get the "good" and "not so good". More dirt on the tracks, standard engines, basic rules = closer racing = more people watching

In Matt's perfect little world!!!

 

Why is a heat with standard bikes better than a heat with highly tuned bike? It's not, you will still have better riders and not so good riders, all that will happen is that the better riders will still gate first and still be fastest as they are now and there will be just as many faster riders failing to make the start and passing, as you do now. However, some "standard" bikes will be better than others so riders will buy bike, after bike, after bike until they get a good one and so drive up costs and they'll want more money and promoters WILL pay it and the sport suffers.

 

More dirty?! No, just well prepared not nessesarilly loads of dirty. I'm no expert but I'd say you need a thin layer of dirt with grip on the outside, slightly less dirt/grip about mid track and an almost slick track on the inside, not completly slick or you get the 'blue line'.

Why is a heat with standard bikes better than a heat with highly tuned bike?

 

G'Day SCB

CIK,F/Ford, F/V, CART, WRC, Yamaha R6 Series, Porsche Cup, etc.. It can work and it can keep the cost down, but we need a UK Motor/ Frame set up for UK tracks, I think Hans had the best UK setup, in the Godden or was it PC on his Weslake. / ;D

Regards.

PS.

No, just well prepared not nessesarilly loads of dirty. I'm no expert but I'd say you need a thin layer of dirt with grip on the outside, slightly less dirt/grip about mid track and an almost slick track on the inside, not completly slick or you get the 'blue line'..... You've got it SCB, Spread the word.

[iris123 21,013]

The promoters need to get together with a bicycle company and make a speedway looking push bike. At the very least they could make a fibreglass kit for dressing up a bike. Same for riders, imagine kids peddling to school on a Billy Hamill replica bicycle. This gives the sport advertising and coverage, it keeps it in peoples minds year round.

If kids rode to school in Manchester on a bike with the Belle Vue logo on it, it would remind people of the sport, start conversations about it. Some of these other sports are successful because they are everywhere. We humans respond well to seeing a message repetitively. Out of site, out of mind.

If there was a spoiler in the track shop that would fit a bike rear wheel with the team logo and autographs, do you think any kid would want it for his bike.

Here is another spoilers, say half size or smaller that could be hung on the bedroom wall, autographed, team colours, rider replicas. Collect the set.

Funnily enough a Canterbury supporter patented a "Speedway-pedal-cycle" in `74 and his son rode it around Kingsmead.It was quote "a highly elaborate push-bike,kitted out as a speedway machine complete with battery operated noise and a flashing amber light at te rear of the exhaust to give an authentic under power impression".The bloke hoped to have it on the market by Xmas `75.Guess it didnt sell

[Hammer 10]

Amazingly, Raleigh did a Speedway pushbike in the mid to late seventies, it wasn,t very good though

[Malcolm 0]

A way of funding speedway would be to have a designated section of bike/bodywork uniform across the board on all bikes for sponsors of a British Speedway league. This type of thing is familiar on NASCAR racers front fenders.

The money would be spread evenly between teams and for possibly employing a PR team to help push the sport.

[Trees 2,814]

The promoters need to get together with a bicycle company and make a speedway looking push bike

 

Funnily enough I saw a boy on a bike the other day that looked a little like old time speedway bikes with upturned handlebars and what looked like a fuel tank. God knows what make it was and it looked new, it could have been custom built I guess, it surprised me for sure!

[longlivefrankie 458]

i reckon that was barrie evans

[Malcolm 0]

Points limit and what will it be this year is holding up team building. Scrap it and allow teams to BUILD ONE AND KEEP ONE.

No points limit will allow people and companies with money to come in a sponsor with certainty of what they are sponsoring or in the case of Sandu, owning.

Riders need to be paid enough to have one job SPEEDWAY. They should be riding or promoting it and their sponsors.

Keep speedway down by not allowing the freedom to grow and you will have silly rules (Tactical Joker), stories of teams demise (Coventry, almost) and the abiliity to see your favourite superstar rider working at a second job selling cars ala Stoney.

Crazy.

[Guest BilaHora]

Ms Trees

 

The bicycle companies are currently marketing "easy rider" type bicycles - it could have been one of those you saw.

 

Regards

 

BilaHora

Edited November 12, 2004 by BilaHora

[Nevs 4]

As Usual Moto X and Kawasaki are years ahead of speedway

 

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