How Many Heats In A League Meeting ?

[Vince 9,459]

Same old story, people only remember the good second half races not the majority which were meaningless to the riders and fans. It was well known (even to me as a kid) that the money for the second half was often agreed to be shared before the racing started so that nobody had to take any chances. Riders would still race, sometimes hard, but mostly their earnings didn't depend on results.

 

How anybody thinks current crowd levels can support paying riders for several more races when the current format is losing money the majority of the time I have no idea. Introduce a less costly second half of meaningful junior meetings and half the crowd leave anyway and it won't be long before people are on here complaining about paying to watch 'wobblers' (although they are nothing of the sort).

[Rob Lee 51]

Why the obsession with 15 or 13 heats? How about 18? I seem to remember 8-man teams and 18 heats for a few seasons in the nineties - might have been earlier (or later!), memory fades with age.....

 

More heats for your money and no second rate second halves. I believe 18 heats could also work with 6 man teams, which might also alleviate the shortage of quality riders.

Edited March 11, 2013 by Rob Lee

[Mike.Butler 601]

it was great watching Eastbourne's kids of the 70's take on the visiting 2nd strings and beating them (not to mention the occasional heat leader). I even gave Mick Pither 'Man-of-the-Meeting' once for his after-the-interval efforts .

[Parsloes 1928 nearly 495]

Eastbourne did indeed stand-out as having exceptionally good 'second halves'.

I remember my first visit to Arlington in 1973 had a second half event, The Speedway Mail Trophy with invited riders from other clubs...

Also the next season in one second half, former Eagle and by then a Div I rider, Gordon Kennett came and rode match races. He had a dead heat with Paul Gachet and also rode against mult-World Finalist Mike Broadbank(s)!

 

This criticism of looking back is a strange one. Are you saying that there's NOTHING from Speedway's now 85 year history in the UK worth re-visiting as an idea? Even though over most of those 85 years those previous ideas were bringing in far bigger crowds than the sport gets today..?!

[Conkers in Gravy 120]

As far as I can remember there was always a mass exodus at the end of heat 13 with only the diehards left to watch the second half. I liked that format of meeting, but most folk didn't, so it's a no-go.

 

My biggest problem with speedway is there is just not enough racing. I went to a meeting last year for the first time since 2004 (I live 320 miles and two ferry journeys from my nearest track), I paid £14, stood on home-made wooden terraces, watched 15, 50-second, Premier League heats and three passing manoeuvres spread over an hour and three-quarters before being told that was that. A couple of juniors came out for some practice laps as I went to the car park feeling very short-changed. I'm not in a hurry to go back - at least not to that particular track.

 

I don't like to criticise riders who risk their personal safety for our entertainment, but they and the promoters need to give a bit more if there is to be any upturn in the sports' fortunes. Four races per man is not good value. It's not asking too much for them to come out again for a second half as well as the 15-heat meeting, just as it should be possible to run 20 heats in a couple of hours most of the time.

 

I've often wondered why the league match (the main event, after all) is on first with junior races (if provided) added afterwards. Could a meeting not start 15 minutes earlier with a couple of junior races with another in the interval? Maybe the best of the lads could line-up against the reserves after the league match? That way there would be more value for the diehard fan, while giving the less committed a sense that there is always something going on rather than a lot of hanging around listening to Abba's greatest hits.

 

I'm just thinking out loud here and there are probably very good reasons why I'm wrong - I daresay I'll soon be told why.

[Promor 0]

As far as I can remember there was always a mass exodus at the end of heat 13 with only the diehards left to watch the second half.

 

I totally agree, but it did make it easier to get out the car park at the end of the night

[g13webb 4,254]

As an oldie, I liked the 13 heats and the second half's. But speedway is different now. Where in the past the 13 heat formula worked was because the riders had pride and wanted to win every race. Sure they divided the spoils, but they all wanted to win. We talk about the No1's only meeting each once, but then each team had more better riders. There were 3 heat leaders and most were seasoned internationals. We at Lynn Betts at 1, Simmo at 3, Cole at 5 plus Phil Crump as a second string. Did it matter if Bettsy only rode against the other No 1 once, no cause it didn't. The teams were far stronger then and that's the reason it worked. Now its a different ball game. I've got no problems with the 15 heat format, my gripe is, I would like to see more races for my money and for the night to last longer. I don't like going home early.......

[BWitcher 12,453]

If we had a 13 heat formula again, we wouldn't be hearing so much of there being far more top riders around back then.. as the top riders would meet far less, and their averages would all rise as a result.

[cowboy cookie returns? 748]

Having seen the 13 heat format for the first time last season at Foxhall when it was used for John Berry's meeting i have to say i enjoyed alot more than the current 15 heats. However was that down to the number of races or that no fixed gates & a proper tac sub rule ment that the team manager had to manage & tatics came in to play alot more. For what its worth i think that the bottom 2 riders in the averages should always ride at 6&7 but the top five can ride in whatever postion the team manager thinks will work best for his team. Take last season at Ipswich you had Leigh riding at number 1 clearly not emjoying it if the managers could manage he could have been moved to any other position.

So bring back a proper tac sub rule do away with fixed gate positions & allow thw team managers the freedom to put there top 5 in any order they like. As for the heat format i guess we are stuck with 15 but i always liked the 16 heat NL format form 89/90 with a proper junior league.

[george.m 3,063]

Same old story, people only remember the good second half races not the majority which were meaningless to the riders and fans. It was well known (even to me as a kid) that the money for the second half was often agreed to be shared before the racing started so that nobody had to take any chances. Riders would still race, sometimes hard, but mostly their earnings didn't depend on results.

 

So true!

 

How often in seeing halves would you see second strings beating the maximum man from the league meeting.

 

One other point on second halves. In the main these were pretty poor shows. Do you really want the public going home on a downer? Best in show business for them to leave wanting more!

[Conkers in Gravy 120]

Best in show business for them to leave wanting more!

 

I agree, but less than 15 minutes of league speedway leaves you wanting so much more that you feel you've been had.

[The White Knight 9,039]

I agree, but less than 15 minutes of league speedway leaves you wanting so much more that you feel you've been had.

 

Sadly, at the Price, you do have a point - especially in these times of financial hardship.

[Deano 1,318]

This criticism of looking back is a strange one. Are you saying that there's NOTHING from Speedway's now 85 year history in the UK worth re-visiting as an idea? Even though over most of those 85 years those previous ideas were bringing in far bigger crowds than the sport gets today..?!

 

I'm not saying it's a bad thing, everyone can look back and think this and that was much better back then. The quality of television programmes for one.

 

The thing is the crowds have gone away for a reason, what worked in the 70's may not work now. Why would thousands of people come flocking back because we go back to 13 heats, drop the double points tac sub, drop the play offs and adopt the 70's rule book?

 

There was something they did back in the 70's that gave the general public the appearance that there was something new to watch, something worth standing out in the cold for. Something that gave the general public an affordable evenings entertainment, that was better than the pub, the cinema or an evening in with the piano and oboe.

 

Promoters should be looking at all the alternatives that families, couples and singles like doing during this day and age and beating it on quality, price and value for money.

 

 

I'll give you one example.

 

I enjoy, once a month meeting up with mates. We go to a pub and grab a curry. I spend £70 in total and consider it money well spent.

 

Why not grab the likes of me, who could bring mates to the speedway, drink quality ales and offer a decent curry at competitive prices.

 

At the moment, the beer and food is awful and it's more expensive. I generally couldn't get the same clean environment as a pub or restaurant in a speedway stadium.

Edited March 16, 2013 by Deano

[The White Knight 9,039]

There was something they did back in the 70's that gave the general public the appearance that there was something new to watch, something worth standing out in the cold for. Something that gave the general public an affordable evenings entertainment, that was better than the pub, the cinema or an evening in with the piano and oboe.

t's more expensive.

 

You can have a smashing evening in with the Piano and Oboe Deano. :D

Edited March 16, 2013 by The White Knight

[Skidder1 7,658]

I'm not saying it's a bad thing, everyone can look back and think this and that was much better back then. The quality of television programmes for one.

 

The thing is the crowds have gone away for a reason, what worked in the 70's may not work now. Why would thousands of people come flocking back because we go back to 13 heats, drop the double points tac sub, drop the play offs and adopt the 70's rule book?

 

There was something they did back in the 70's that gave the general public the appearance that there was something new to watch, something worth standing out in the cold for. Something that gave the general public an affordable evenings entertainment, that was better than the pub, the cinema or an evening in with the piano and oboe.

 

Promoters should be looking at all the alternatives that families, couples and singles like doing during this day and age and beating it on quality, price and value for money.

 

 

I'll give you one example.

 

I enjoy, once a month meeting up with mates. We go to a pub and grab a curry. I spend £70 in total and consider it money well spent.

 

Why not grab the likes of me, who could bring mates to the speedway, drink quality ales and offer a decent curry at competitive prices.

 

At the moment, the beer and food is awful and it's more expensive. I generally couldn't get the same clean environment as a pub or restaurant in a speedway stadium.

Come to Wimborne Road then!!