Worlds Top Riders Coming Back To The Uk.......

[TesarRacing 1,825]

Interesting points of view especially regarding some of the great riders of the past which was when I first started watching speedway. I got hooked on speedway then - in the 70's but despite how much it has changed, I love it just as much now.

 

Back to my original question: If the worlds top riders were willing/able to ride in the UK would it be sustainable? Would it bring back the crowds to make the sport viable - maybe even make money?!! How would that affect the PL? I do often wonder where we would be now if the top riders had never migrated to other European leagues and stayed here. Would the higher attendances have been maintained or was it an inevitability that the sport would decline. I know it is all hypothetical but it is such an interesting debate.

[ruffdiamond 6,115]

 

That is your privilege, but the way Gates/Crowds are dropping - I honestly believe that lack of identity IS a contributory factor with youngster's involvement.. Speedway has always had scope for Riders to show Individuality in the past. Frank Varey - Red Leathers, Ken Le Breton - White Leathers, Boocock Brothers - One wore Blue Leathers (Nigel) - the other (Eric) Red. That is only a few. Bikes you could identify by the set/length of the Handlebars - George Major's great big Cowhorn type set up for example - nowadays even they are all the same.

 

Speedway I know is a Team Sport - BUT - there should always be a place for a Rider with individual flair or dress sense. THAT is the sort of thing youngsters go for - they certainly DON'T go for uniformity which is, sadly, what they get now.

 

There are times I struggle with who is who. Bikes are the same (more or less), Kevlars are the same, Riders look the same. Ohhhh for the days when you could recognise a Rider from the FRONT as well as the Back.

 

Regarding TEAM Colours - the old style Race Jacket was good enough to recognise which Team a Rider was representing. It was so much more impressive than faceless Adverts.

 

I love it when occasionally at Brough Park a replacement/Guest Reserve appears in a Race Jacket with a big White Diamond on a Black background - it really does look good. THAT is Newcastle 'Diamonds' identity - NOT Sponsors names.

 

I'm sorry but Speedway is and always has been about individuality. You have to be, in my opinion, a special type of person to ride Speedway. Drab Teams dressed in Drab Outfits will NOT bring the Crowds back to our Sport - individuality, flair and showmanship alongside some actual Promotion just might.

I do enjoy reading your posts, (usually anyway),,, but where would speedway be without sponsorship ???,,, in this day all sorts of stuff needs outside cash to fund things, take television for example,,, apart from the BBC, all other channels use sponsorship/adverts to fund them :-(,,,

one solution could be,,, charge everyone that has access to speedway a 'licence fee', wether they use it or not, and run speedway like the BBC, (and we all know how good it could be),,, lol

Edited March 14, 2014 by ruffdiamond

[Vince 9,459]

I don't think that having all the top riders in the Elite league would make very much difference to crowd levels at all. People who like Speedway already go to meetings, if they don't it's because of the cost, distance, illness or whatever. I can't imagine that there are many who don't go just because some of the top riders don't appear here. People who aren't interested in Speedway don't know who the top riders are so it won't encourage newcomers along.

[foamfence 2,917]

Interesting points of view especially regarding some of the great riders of the past which was when I first started watching speedway. I got hooked on speedway then - in the 70's but despite how much it has changed, I love it just as much now.

 

Back to my original question: If the worlds top riders were willing/able to ride in the UK would it be sustainable? Would it bring back the crowds to make the sport viable - maybe even make money?!! How would that affect the PL? I do often wonder where we would be now if the top riders had never migrated to other European leagues and stayed here. Would the higher attendances have been maintained or was it an inevitability that the sport would decline. I know it is all hypothetical but it is such an interesting debate.

I think everything boils down to cost. It's too expensive to run speedway, too expensive to ride speedway and too expensive to watch speedway. Plus nowadays too many tracks are out in the sticks and inaccessible by public transport. I also find the presentation is mostly embarrassing, a bunch of riders on an old trailer waving at empty terraces. Instead of all that crap, I'd prefer to see 15 minutes (before the start time) practice and then get straight on with it. I would make it that the two minute rule meant that the rider was at the tapes and ready for them to rise, or he's out! I like the Draft system and would like to see it as a progressive system from PL to EL (one big league would be better with all clubs having a second team in the development leagues).

[ColinMills 1,728]

do tracks get a special bus service? just for speedway fans?....i suppose crowd wise, the polish league does very well with strong line ups..as soon as you get a warm bank holiday afternoon, crowds flock in, so what makes a week night so different?..some people say its a school night, but that excuse doesnt work with football?

[foamfence 2,917]

do tracks get a special bus service? just for speedway fans?....i suppose crowd wise, the polish league does very well with strong line ups..as soon as you get a warm bank holiday afternoon, crowds flock in, so what makes a week night so different?..some people say its a school night, but that excuse doesnt work with football?

The Polish tracks have dropped attendance by a lot, years ago you were talking 20,000+ as the norm, they are nowhere near that these days, despite having club sides stronger than most countries line-ups.

[The White Knight 9,039]

I do enjoy reading your posts, (usually anyway),,, but where would speedway be without sponsorship ???,,, in this day all sorts of stuff needs outside cash to fund things, take television for example,,, apart from the BBC, all other channels use sponsorship/adverts to fund them :-(,,,

one solution could be,,, charge everyone that has access to speedway a 'licence fee', wether they use it or not, and run speedway like the BBC, (and we all know how good it could be),,, lol

 

Totally agree with what you say about sponsorship - Sponsors names could cover the BACK of the Rider for all I care - but on the front should be the Team Emblem. They would be seen better on the back too as when the Rider is clutching his handlebars, BOTH of his arms are covering the names anyway - on the BACK - that would NOT be the case.

 

I hope I have explained my point.

[Vince 9,459]

Sponsors names aren't a lot of good on the back of the rider, how often do you see photo's of a riders back?

[The White Knight 9,039]

Sponsors names aren't a lot of good on the back of the rider, how often do you see photo's of a riders back?

 

You can see the names when the Riders are on the Track racing though. You can't see the front - unless it was something BIG like the Team Emblem.

 

We want to see more people attending our Sport don't we? It would be good to have something to relate to.

Edited March 14, 2014 by The White Knight

[ruffdiamond 6,115]

if his arms are covering his front as he clutches his handlebars,,, how will anyone see his emblem ???

Edited March 14, 2014 by ruffdiamond

[The White Knight 9,039]

if his arms are covering his front as he clutches his handlebars,,, how will anyone see his emblem ???

 

The Emblem - in our case is one BIG White Diamond. If you couldn't see that you would be blind. Sponsors names on the front these days are largely unseen anyway.

[BWitcher 12,453]

 

You can see the names when the Riders are on the Track racing though. You can't see the front - unless it was something BIG like the Team Emblem.

 

We want to see more people attending our Sport don't we? It would be good to have something to relate to.

 

I'm really not sure what you are trying to say here WK.

 

If you were arguing that it was better when riders had their own individual leathers from which the avid fan could identify them then I would agree with you to an extent..

 

However, you seem to be going down the path of new fans having something to identify with, in which case team leathers are an absolute must! A team kitted out in the same leathers/kevlars looks far more professional than 7 riders in completely different colours. Most team leathers I have seen have the club emblem in the usual place anyway, so I'm not sure where the issue is?

[The White Knight 9,039]

 

I'm really not sure what you are trying to say here WK.

 

If you were arguing that it was better when riders had their own individual leathers from which the avid fan could identify them then I would agree with you to an extent..

 

However, you seem to be going down the path of new fans having something to identify with, in which case team leathers are an absolute must! A team kitted out in the same leathers/kevlars looks far more professional than 7 riders in completely different colours. Most team leathers I have seen have the club emblem in the usual place anyway, so I'm not sure where the issue is?

 

That is where I am going BW regarding Kevlars/Leathers - it should be up to the individual which combination of colours they should wear.

 

Regarding the Emblem being on the FRONT of the Race Jacket - THAT, in my opinion should be where the avid Supporter could PLAINLY see for which Team the Rider was racing.

 

All of Teams today have emblems 'somewhere' on their Kevlars - but sometimes you cannot make out where the Team Emblem is situated on the Leathers/Kevlars. In the GPs, for example, the Riders have a tiny little National Flag on their shoulder. People should be PROUD of their Team/Country. In the UKs case - what was so wrong with the Union Flag displayed BOLDLY on the front of the Rider. Same with the Club, a big Witch, Ace of Clubs, Star, Bear, Bandit or for my Team the Big White Diamond.

 

Let's face it - the main name, surely, is the Club Name not the Sponsor's ie Newcastle 'Diamonds' - the Club's Crest should be the main identifying feature to which Supporters can relate.

 

Pick up any 'old' 'Speedway Star' and you can immediately identify to which Club the Rider on the Photograph belongs as the Emblem jumps out at you - nowadays you can hardly tell what is what and who is who.

 

IF all of the changes from the 'old' ways of doing things were for the benefit of the Sport - how come Crowds are dropping so alarmingly? I would suggest that perhaps a small part of the problem is that the Teams have lost touch with their Supporters and the area to which the Team belongs. People, Supporters particularly like to IDENTIFY with their Team hence some of the big badge collections worn by Supporters long ago - you never see that now - perhaps that is because the Identity has been swallowed up in the search for Sponsor's names.

 

I hope that explains where I am coming from BW.

 

Something is missing from Speedway these days, it's colour, flair, individuality and Team identity is not what it used to be.

[waiheke1 4,295]

I see your point twk, and agree the old uncluttered race jackets look better. However speedway needs all the money it can get, so understand the reasons for sponsors taking prominent places. Team kevlars is a definite improvement imho.

And I dontvthink falling crowds are in anyway attributable to race jackets or kevlars, there are a myriad of reasons, but I dont think those are amongst them.

[The White Knight 9,039]

I see your point twk, and agree the old uncluttered race jackets look better. However speedway needs all the money it can get, so understand the reasons for sponsors taking prominent places. Team kevlars is a definite improvement imho.

And I dontvthink falling crowds are in anyway attributable to race jackets or kevlars, there are a myriad of reasons, but I dont think those are amongst them.

 

Fair comment. We will have to agree to differ on this matter.

 

I would just add that IDENTITY is important to youngsters - it is part of what attracts them to a Team. Speedway Teams no longer has that Identity and, as I said in my previous Post - a small part of Speedway's drop in Attendances may be down to this. Just look at Team Colours in Football, Rugby etc. all of these have their Colours prominently displayed - so should Speedway.