PL Fours, Peterborough, 15/07

[Steve Hewitt 11]

Can anyone throw some light on the qualifying process this year and if it's like last year who currently looks like qualifying.

[cat2 12]

its all names in to a hat and drawen out like it makes sence to us all !!!

[dontforgetthefueltapsbruv 10,706]

Top 8 teams using combined averages of the top 4 riders in each team as at a certain cut off date.

[penchev 342]

Be the usual last minute farce......not that fans have to sort out transport time off work etc....making that decision for themselves at the last minute because they dont know if there time is gonna be in it.

[crescent girl 1,907]

Top 8 teams using combined averages of the top 4 riders in each team as at a certain cut off date.

 

Which, with rolling averages not changing too much, makes it fairly easy to calculate even now if your team will be in or out.

 

But don't let that get in the way of your having a a few wild swipes at anyone and everyone, please.

[screm 8,057]

Untill the powers that be bring back 4TT Qualifiers,the selection system will always be a farce.

[Steve Hewitt 11]

Used to enjoy the quailifiers, with the teams all being reasonably local could get to more than one meeting.

[westhamboy66 599]

Surprised they never bring back the qualifiers. Surely a good earner if done regionally. Would have thought that anyone with half a brain would realize that but it is the BSPA we are talking about here

[Backless 538]

If you work on the current system of having 2 "heatleaders" in a team, an average gate has to cover the expense of 4 heatleaders, 6 second strings & 4 reserves.

A 4TT qualifier will have to cover 8 heatleaders, & 8 second strings plus some guarantee for 4 non-riding "reserves" - who may well be the remaining second string in the clubs' normal 1 - 7.

 

Legend has it that popularity waned, especially at southern tracks, which is what killed them off in the first place.

With the increasing northern bias in the location of PL teams there may or may not be more sway towards their return, but that doesn't addess the fact that they're considerably more expensive to stage if they're arranged properly

[Tsunami 10,219]

If you work on the current system of having 2 "heatleaders" in a team, an average gate has to cover the expense of 4 heatleaders, 6 second strings & 4 reserves.

A 4TT qualifier will have to cover 8 heatleaders, & 8 second strings plus some guarantee for 4 non-riding "reserves" - who may well be the remaining second string in the clubs' normal 1 - 7.

 

Legend has it that popularity waned, especially at southern tracks, which is what killed them off in the first place.

With the increasing northern bias in the location of PL teams there may or may not be more sway towards their return, but that doesn't addess the fact that they're considerably more expensive to stage if they're arranged properly

 

Quite correct backless. All riders are on the same payrate so you are really having to pay for 16 heatleaders and for 4 reserves, who would also get the same rate. The heatleader rate is not as high as some top lads get who sometimes insist on their contract rate, further increasing the final wagebill for their owning club. The hosting club would pay each visiting team the event payrate.

With this averaged rate, plus the number of riders and 20 heats to pay for, it is expensive to run which in the North is usually helped by bigger gates from visiting teams travelling fans. Not so true in the Southern teams such as IOW, Exeter, Reading and Newport who always used to vote against the qualifiers when it was on the AGM agenda to bring them back. Most regard it now as a lost cause.

[crescent girl 1,907]

Even now, picking the groups from the north wouldn't be easy -- Glasgow, Edinburgh, Berwick and Worky?

 

Then Newcastle, Redcar, Sheffield and Scunny?

 

Leaving the close-knit group of Plymouth, Rye, Somerset, Leicester and Ippy to make up a "lucrative" final quintet

 

Back in the day, when there were 16 or twenty teams in the (old) National League, everybody had near-neighbours and derbies, and the increased travelling and rider-payment costs (three away meetings to be met out of one home gate) were matched by increased attendances.

 

Nowadays, not so much. As one who remembers some of the northern group weekends being a fantastic time for fans, it is so sad that it can't be expected to happen (even if some of us are a little older and wiser in our behaviour today) but that shouldn't stop us having a fine old time at Peterborough next month.

[screm 8,057]

Even now, picking the groups from the north wouldn't be easy -- Glasgow, Edinburgh, Berwick and Worky?

 

Then Newcastle, Redcar, Sheffield and Scunny?

 

Leaving the close-knit group of Plymouth, Rye, Somerset, Leicester and Ippy to make up a "lucrative" final quintet

 

 

So not that hard after all then.

 

If there was a will from the BSPA to bring back the qualifiers then it would happen,but for some strange reason it hasnt quite happened yet.A level playing field is my arguement in bring back the qualifiers,as everyone starts off with the same chance,instead we have this qualification by average system which truely works well doesnt it.

[penchev 342]

Qualifiers should be (averages taken from the BSPA website)

 

Berwick 29.32

Glasgow 29.91

Leicester 29.21

Newcastle 29.33

Plymouth 30.9

Scunthorpe 29.07

Somerset 30.07

Workington 29.81

[RedcarRacer 228]

hmmm, seems like a good system when some of the best supported clubs in the PL are denied entry.

[penchev 342]

hmmm, seems like a good system when some of the best supported clubs in the PL are denied entry.

So will the qualify criteria change to the amount of people each club gets through the turnstiles then?? Every club has been dissapointed at not qualifing at some stage or another and this will continue to be the case unless the BSPA change the criteria (highly unlikely).