Where Is British Speedway Going.

[The White Knight 9,039]

We can discuss all day as to what is wrong with speedway but it is a fact that the average fan wants to see his team win by as big a margin as possible, as does his promoter. Which is why we have tracks prepared how the home team want them prepared. Which generally means crap racing with little passing and also means that any newcomer to the sport is not going to come back. Some generalities there I know but, generally speaking, correct.

That is why they brought in Double Points? :rolleyes: :rofl:

[waiheke1 4,295]

They could sort out warring Promoters for a start. They could stop some of the 'fiddling' that goes on. They could make sure that the Sport is run in an open and honest manner. They might even be able to prevent SKY from changing the Rules ie. Double Points, Playoffs etc.

 

People seem keen to shoot down this idea of an independent body - but - nobody seems able to come up with suggestions that might help Speedway. I believe a truly INDEPENDENT body could help.

Sky didn't bring in double points, the promoters did to save money.

The play offs are the most financially successful part of the el season, can you see any rational independent body getting rid of them? Or the promoters agreeing if they tried to?

There is very little in the way of exitement in the GP's or the EL. There is far to much dick follow the leader racing, and this is from the way the tracks are laid these days and the drop down bikes. Yes when the tracks where deeper and we had the old upright bikes the racing was much ceaner.

 

I reckon the standard of racing in gps is generally better than the old world finals. How many world finals had racing as good as the first two gps this season?

There have always been good and bad meetings, even at hyde rd where I watched most of my speedway in the uk.

The main issue in the uk imho is that presentation of meetings has barely evolved in the last 30 years. People have more than ever limited time and a vast array of entertainment options - a league meeting needs to be condensed into an hour and a half of entertainment, 15-20 mins of which will be the racing itself.

[moxey63 1,785]

Sky didn't bring in double points, the promoters did to save money.

The play offs are the most financially successful part of the el season, can you see any rational independent body getting rid of them? Or the promoters agreeing if they tried to?

I reckon the standard of racing in gps is generally better than the old world finals. How many world finals had racing as good as the first two gps this season?

There have always been good and bad meetings, even at hyde rd where I watched most of my speedway in the uk.

The main issue in the uk imho is that presentation of meetings has barely evolved in the last 30 years. People have more than ever limited time and a vast array of entertainment options - a league meeting needs to be condensed into an hour and a half of entertainment, 15-20 mins of which will be the racing itself.

Your last statement is true. I for one used to sit through three or four hours of GPs, watching them live, and sometime s three hours for a league macth on SKY. I honestly don't know how I survived that, and now, when I feel like watching speedway, I record the match and just can through the needless waffle, watch the races, and I'm done in about half an hours, not waiting for Chris Louis' version on showing me what I've just seen, or Nigel and Kelv trying to sell me something.

Speedway doesn't have to be live, it is best perhaps being editied into a one hour programme and shown later in the week perhaps, give people the hunger to get back to their local tracks and deny them live speedway in their homes.

But, with internet, there are more avenues than before. There are always live matches on there.

Edited June 3, 2014 by moxey63

[Shale Searcher 1,264]

Just wrote a long post ref above, hit the post button and it vanished!!!!

[The White Knight 9,039]

Just wrote a long post ref above, hit the post button and it vanished!!!!

Obviously wasn't meant to be.

[cowboy cookie returns? 747]

Tonight at Ipswich being my first visit for a while showed up the one huge problem that British Speedway has yet again the rule book!

The double point or T##t hat rule as it is now know within my circle was brought in if I remember to keep alive meetings that could be a whitewash. So tonight we have A KO Cup match with yes different rules to a league match no double point tac subs are allowed ok fair enough I thought as the rule is daft anyway. But hang on the powers that be excel themselves by not allowing tac subs of any type so we have a match that was a complete white wash & the visiting team manager had no power to do anything about it.

So we now have team speedway in the same country with the same sides & 2 sets of rules crazy crazy crazy!!!

Please please please can we make speedway simple & easy to follow with out the crap rules & regs!!

[Trees 2,814]

But it's a KNOCK OUT cup match so no tacs makes sense imo, well done to the promoters!!

[Mixy230 120]

Times have changed in the last 20/25 years!

More TV, more social media, more computers.

Peoples tastes have changed.

In some towns (Worcester as an example 20ish years ago 6 to 8 Saturday leagues for Football, now lucky to get 1 League next year) tastes and life have changed.

 

I think the promotors are fighting a losing battle financially, that is a tough way to live week in and week out.

 

Speedway could end up being run as "clubs" with members who share the work, responsibility etc. (As some MotoX, Grasstrack, Autograss, Autocross, Local shows, steam fayres etc)

 

Paying for a Stadium is expensive, can costs keep being covered?

 

Needs a complete overhaul in the UK to survive.

Play on the extreme! make it an event etc etc (All been said before)

 

Good luck all, great sport, I fear it will slowly just ...............

 

m

[Midland Red 2,383]

Jumpers for goalposts!

[New Science 1,059]

Tonight at Ipswich being my first visit for a while showed up the one huge problem that British Speedway has yet again the rule book!

The double point or T##t hat rule as it is now know within my circle was brought in if I remember to keep alive meetings that could be a whitewash. So tonight we have A KO Cup match with yes different rules to a league match no double point tac subs are allowed ok fair enough I thought as the rule is daft anyway. But hang on the powers that be excel themselves by not allowing tac subs of any type so we have a match that was a complete white wash & the visiting team manager had no power to do anything about it.

So we now have team speedway in the same country with the same sides & 2 sets of rules crazy crazy crazy!!!

Please please please can we make speedway simple & easy to follow with out the crap rules & regs!!

Dammed if they do Dammed if they don't these promoters ! Edited June 6, 2014 by New Science

[weatherwatcher 664]

Speedway these days has now turned out to be an individual sport. The teams are no longer working together as a team should. Or very few are. I have seen lots of meetings of the last few years. It seems now that the top dog has to have to get to the front so that that he can win evry race possible.

Nothing he winning. But I have seen far to many races where the top rider comes from the tapes and figths to get to the front, even at the expense of of taking his team mates line and then sending him back a couple of places, He will even try his best to get by his team mate so he can get that coverted race win.

Normally the top rider goes flying into a lead of 4 or 5 bike lenths in front of all the others, leaving his team mate to fight of the other 2 riders all on his own.

This should never happen, how many races have there been that have gone from being an easy 5-1 to becoming a 3-3 because the other rider has hat no back up from his team mate and has to fight a lone battle against the other 2 riders only to go to the back and lose valuable points for the team,

Gone are the days when 2 riders worked together and covered all the racing lines one up top one on the inside,

It seems that all that matters is to keep your 9riders averages up at the top and then come out as the top rider of the league, it is now just about personal glory.

I used to enkjoy wathing speedway when speedway riding was an art. Much closer racing with the 2 teams riders working as a team and riding together. I thought that is why we had teams.

There are a few mjeetings that have some good team work but very few far to much, of this long spread out line of riders after turns 1` and 2 have been achieved and once the battle behind has been sorted out we get this long spread out line of riders.

It looks more like a meeting at the GP,s these days than team riding on a club track.

Until the promoters get the riders to work together would see a great change in the outcome of meetings if the riders started working together as a pair, What doe it matter if the No2 rider is in front of the No.1 rider, it is time to make the top boys to work with thier team mates and not just storm off from the start to get the win at all costs.

With the riders on such a busy schedual, riding the EL and doubling up in the PL then guesting for other teams, riding in Sweden, Denmark, Poland and the GP,s, it makes you wonder if they even know which team they actually ride for. There is no luxuary of teams being able to get together to practice as a team.

And from what I have seen of recent years, very few riders these days are not capable of riding the inside of the track, or even capable of riding together as a good pair of riders should be able to.

Edited June 14, 2014 by weatherwatcher

[ColinMills 1,728]

Your last statement is true. I for one used to sit through three or four hours of GPs, watching them live, and sometime s three hours for a league macth on SKY. I honestly don't know how I survived that, and now, when I feel like watching speedway, I record the match and just can through the needless waffle, watch the races, and I'm done in about half an hours, not waiting for Chris Louis' version on showing me what I've just seen, or Nigel and Kelv trying to sell me something.

Speedway doesn't have to be live, it is best perhaps being editied into a one hour programme and shown later in the week perhaps, give people the hunger to get back to their local tracks and deny them live speedway in their homes.

But, with internet, there are more avenues than before. There are always live matches on there.

good post. edited coverage could be a awful lot better

[Mike.Butler 601]

anyone know any other sport that doesn't have their top clubs competing in national cup competition? With the fast-track system surely a k.o. cup with PL and EL teams is more attractive this year than ever before?

Edited June 14, 2014 by Mike.Butler

[B.V 72 1,054]

Pity we can't claim back Saturdays, let the bloody GPS run on Wednesday nights!

Alot of clubs could if we just bite the bullet and admit that British speedway will never be the same again.Every year there are less top line riders willing to ride over here its only a matter of time till none of them will.I would love the elite league to be as it was but that is never going to happen again.

So the option is do we tell the remaining top boys to sod off and then clubs can race on nights that they want and feel that they will get better crowds in.With the money they save from paying these top boys maybe they could cut a few quid off the admision price.At the mo we have 6 G P riders and maybe 6 or so others who would possibly not want to ride over here so would it be that much different.Most premier league fans seem happy with the quality of riders that they watch every week So do we see which riders really want to ride over here and then pick teams from those that do.The benifits no doubleing up riders,full teams at most meetings,watching different teams visit every week possibly cheaper speedway and could stop a few clubs closing down.

I know all this seems a bit o t t but i think its going to happen over a few years anyway so why not do it now on our terms and maybe save a few clubs going to the wall.

I know it is a gamble but things cannot be any worse than they are at the momment.

[Trees 2,814]

I'd rather the GPS run on Wednesdays :-)