Countries Where League Racing Has Failed

[Guest]

Sorry, I was purely guessing gustix.

 

I had presumed League Racing did take place in all of these countries at some point as they had teams represented in the World Pairs and World Cup etc.

 

Mind you most of them maybe like Ireland where there were few riders but no league.

 

Hungary would be an interesting guess.

 

There's nothing to be sorry about Joe Beevers. We are in debate and exchanging opinions to gather a larger picture of the demise of league racing in various countries. You now name Hungary - involved in speedway for many years - but I am certain has never staged league racing.

​I wonder where the next country to see league racing cease will be - did I hear somebody say "quite near to home'?

Edited July 3, 2016 by Guest

[iris123 20,988]

If i remember rightly Hungary did field a team in the lowest polish leage in the last 10 years,just like Prague had a team as well as Daugavpils from Latvia,who are the only survivors of the foreign teams

 

Sandor Levai is listed as having raced for Honved i think,but might have just been a club like Debrecen that organised meetings and had a few challenge matches against others?

[Guest]

Countries where league racing has failed: USA, New Zealand (in the original concept), Australia, South Africa, Holland (in the original concept), Italy (?).

Any additions to the list please? And possible reasons for the failures.

Where could it happen next?

 

 

 

Now added to the list to make it eight countries where league racing has failed are Rhodesia and Ukraine.

 

The count remains at eight - as listed in the Link posts - Joe Beevers. The yardstick for this thread is obviously where an actual league competition of home clubs has taken place in the same country.

[HertsRacer 222]

If i remember rightly Hungary did field a team in the lowest polish leage in the last 10 years,just like Prague had a team as well as Daugavpils from Latvia,who are the only survivors of the foreign teams

 

Sandor Levai is listed as having raced for Honved i think,but might have just been a club like Debrecen that organised meetings and had a few challenge matches against others?

Seeing Joe's list brought to mind another country with a long history of staging speedway, namely Austria. Did they ever stage league racing?

Edited July 3, 2016 by HertsRacer

[iris123 20,988]

Seeing Joe's list brought to mind another country with a long history of staging speedway, namely Austria. Did they ever stage league racing?

Holland definitely in the past few years had a league of sorts.3 or 4 teams.Austria had clubs challenges(Ove Fundon amongst others riding for the Vienna club i think,but have never seen any evidence of a league

Edited July 3, 2016 by iris123

[Guest]

Seeing Joe's list brought to mind another country with a long history of staging speedway, namely Austria. Did they ever stage league racing?

 

I am fairly certain that there has never been a league competition in Austria - but obviously I stand to be corrected!

[erinil1 7]

Regarding the team from Hungary competing in the then lowest polish league, hasnt it been a team from Ukraina competing in Poland?

 

How is the situation looking in Norway? Is there a league there?

[Joe Beevers 207]

Just looked up an interesting piece on domestic racing in Bulgaria and Romania which I did not know.

 

Quoting Wikipedia:

 

"Bulgaria has one domestic league, with a total of six speedway tracks. In 2011, after years of neglect, the National Championship was restored, conducted in cooperation with Romania. In 1977 the track in Targovishte, in the country's north east, was licensed for international meetings. The track then held the quarter-final of the European youth championship in 1978, won by Nikolay Manev. The eighth-finals were held there in 1982, 1985, 1986 and 1987, with a semi-final in 1980 and the 1982 semi-final for the World pairs championship, followed by the 1988 quarter-finals for the European youth championship".

 

Also are Italy not still going. I was trying to remember which nations were still going from reading a Speedway Star from a month ago.

 

I cannot think of many to be honest. I would be guessing the Baltic countries and I have name everywhere else except for the speedway that takes place in Japan.

Edited July 3, 2016 by Joe Beevers

[Guest]

Just looked up an interesting piece on domestic racing in Bulgaria and Romania which I did not know.

 

Quoting Wikipedia:

 

"Bulgaria has one domestic league, with a total of six speedway tracks. In 2011, after years of neglect, the National Championship was restored, conducted in cooperation with Romania. In 1977 the track in Targovishte, in the country's north east, was licensed for international meetings. The track then held the quarter-final of the European youth championship in 1978, won by Nikolay Manev. The eighth-finals were held there in 1982, 1985, 1986 and 1987, with a semi-final in 1980 and the 1982 semi-final for the World pairs championship, followed by the 1988 quarter-finals for the European youth championship".

 

Also are Italy not still going. I was trying to remember which nations were still going from reading a Speedway Star from a month ago.

 

I cannot think of many to be honest. I would be guessing the Baltic countries and I have name everywhere else except for the speedway that takes place in Japan.

 

That's an interesting comment in regard to Bulgaria - thanks Joe Beevers. Is the Bulgarian League still active?

I am certain there is still plenty of speedway activity in Italy and also I have seen a rather busy forum on Facebook in regard to Romania although it appears to be individual meetings rather than league racing - but I could be wrong.

Edited July 3, 2016 by Guest

[moomin man 76 171]

 

I found this comment in regard to Finnish speedway in 2015:

 

http://www.monsterenergyswc.com/news/article/4107/fast-facts-finnish-speedway

 

 

LITTLE LEAGUE: While Poland, Sweden, Britain and Denmark attract riders from all over the world to race in their leagues, Finland’s SM-Liiga is a comparatively small competition, featuring five clubs.

 

 

Didn't Finland have a league once, or have they still got one?

The Finnish League is still going strong. This season there are five clubs racing in the Finnish SM-Liiga namely;

 

Sand Blowers - Hyvinkaa;

Ankkurit - Varkaus;

Haukat - Lahti;

Porin Nopea Racing - Pori;

Kotkat - Seinajoki.

 

If in Finland, I would definitely recommend visiting a League Match. The SM- Liiga uses a four team tournament format, with a normal league fixture consisting of nineteen heats. Admission is a bargain 10 euros.

In contrast to Finland, the league in Russia (as has been well documented elsewhere) is unfortunately left with only three teams standing - Turbina Balakovo, Lada Togliatti and Vostok Vladivostok.

[Guest]

 

 

The Finnish League is still going strong. This season there are five clubs racing in the Finnish SM-Liiga namely;

 

Sand Blowers - Hyvinkaa;

Ankkurit - Varkaus;

Haukat - Lahti;

Porin Nopea Racing - Pori;

Kotkat - Seinajoki.

 

If in Finland, I would definitely recommend visiting a League Match. The SM- Liiga uses a four team tournament format, with a normal league fixture consisting of nineteen heats. Admission is a bargain 10 euros.

In contrast to Finland, the league in Russia (as has been well documented elsewhere) is unfortunately left with only three teams standing - Turbina Balakovo, Lada Togliatti and Vostok Vladivostok.

 

That's an interesting comment moomin man 76. I was sorry to read about what is happening in the Russian League - why has it gone wrong? I believe at one time it was a strong competition and well supported financially?

Edited July 4, 2016 by Guest

[moomin man 76 171]

I wouldn't pretend to be an expert on what has happened with the Russian League, but in the relatively recent past the following teams have disappeared from it;

 

St Petersburg - Initially to the Finnish League, but now no longer operating in League Racing.

Lokomotiv Daugavpils (Latvia) - Now riding in the Polish League.

Salavat + Oktyabrsky - Tracks still exist, but dropped out of the Russian League, as they couldn't compete financially with the remaining clubs.

 

At some point, I'm fairly sure at least one of the Ukrainian clubs joined the competition, but dropped out quickly.

 

I'm sure there are those in the forum, who have a more detailed knowledge of Russian speedway than I would be able to fill in the gaps. One thing is certain though; the league is far far smaller than in the days of the Soviet Union.

[HertsRacer 222]

I wouldn't pretend to be an expert on what has happened with the Russian League, but in the relatively recent past the following teams have disappeared from it;

 

St Petersburg - Initially to the Finnish League, but now no longer operating in League Racing.

Lokomotiv Daugavpils (Latvia) - Now riding in the Polish League.

Salavat + Oktyabrsky - Tracks still exist, but dropped out of the Russian League, as they couldn't compete financially with the remaining clubs.

 

At some point, I'm fairly sure at least one of the Ukrainian clubs joined the competition, but dropped out quickly.

 

I'm sure there are those in the forum, who have a more detailed knowledge of Russian speedway than I would be able to fill in the gaps. One thing is certain though; the league is far far smaller than in the days of the Soviet Union.

Weren't several teams backed by rich "oligov's". Remember many world stars competing in the league once. Now it seems to be limited to just home grown riders. Judging by clips on U Tube the existing clubs still get good crowds. I expect the travelling distance for some clubs didn't help the league much.

[arnieg 3,643]

I wouldn't pretend to be an expert on what has happened with the Russian League, but in the relatively recent past the following teams have disappeared from it;

 

St Petersburg - Initially to the Finnish League, but now no longer operating in League Racing.

Lokomotiv Daugavpils (Latvia) - Now riding in the Polish League.

Salavat + Oktyabrsky - Tracks still exist, but dropped out of the Russian League, as they couldn't compete financially with the remaining clubs.

 

At some point, I'm fairly sure at least one of the Ukrainian clubs joined the competition, but dropped out quickly.

 

I'm sure there are those in the forum, who have a more detailed knowledge of Russian speedway than I would be able to fill in the gaps. One thing is certain though; the league is far far smaller than in the days of the Soviet Union.

Russian League tables here:

http://www.historyspeedway.nstrefa.pl/dmrosji.php

 

And the Soviet Union era here:

 

http://www.historyspeedway.nstrefa.pl/dmzsrr.php

[moomin man 76 171]

Many thanks for the links - it certainly helps fill in the 'gaps' about the development of the Soviet/Russian speedway leagues.