Grachan 7,362 Posted December 31, 2015 Good idea but not possible at some tracks due to the fort knox type barriers in place. At Coventry there is approximately a 15 foot high fence to protect everyone from any stray Stock Cars deciding to leave the track. Coventry used to be great for slapping riders on the back as they returned to the pits.Pity. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Skid Sprocket 243 Posted December 31, 2015 Good idea but not possible at some tracks due to the fort knox type barriers in place. At Coventry there is approximately a 15 foot high fence to protect everyone from any stray Stock Cars deciding to leave the track. It happens at Redcar from pits to track down aprox 50-60 metres some riders very sociable, shouldn't single one out but Matej Kus very friendly towards supporters. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red Flag 454 Posted December 31, 2015 It happens at Redcar from pits to track down aprox 50-60 metres some riders very sociable, shouldn't single one out but Matej Kus very friendly towards supporters. It has been the norm at Wolves for a few seasons now Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Star Lady 5,400 Posted December 31, 2015 Good idea but not possible at some tracks due to the fort knox type barriers in place. At Coventry there is approximately a 15 foot high fence to protect everyone from any stray Stock Cars deciding to leave the track. y Same at Lynn but nothing stopping the riders walking round the bottom of the terracing...the crowds aren't big enough to be unsafe....not sure about the terracing at ?Brandon tho That was pretty decrepit last time I went for a wander. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iris123 20,996 Posted December 31, 2015 y Same at Lynn but nothing stopping the riders walking round the bottom of the terracing...the crowds aren't big enough to be unsafe....not sure about the terracing at ?Brandon tho That was pretty decrepit last time I went for a wander. Not sure about the terracing,but there is a danger of getting attacked by a dog or two,so I have heard 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Paulco 7,080 Posted December 31, 2015 Might not be to everybodies liking , but when promoting a meeting , speedway needs to concentrate on the controversial side . In 2011 I went to a meeting in Poland , Gniezno v Bydgoszcz . The home side had Scott Nicholls in their side and the away team had Emil Sayfutinov in theirs . All over the town of Gneizno on the lead up to the meeting , plastered on every available wall or lamppost , was posters with a picture of their Cardiff difference of opinion the year before . We need to big up any kind of potential controversy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
george.m 3,063 Posted December 31, 2015 GREAT summary which I will be passing on to Buster Chapman in the hope that he and his colleagues will at least take a serious look at it ... which in the case of Buster at least I am sure he will. If speedway is serious about it's COLLECTIVE long term future then the answer is quite simple. Bring in the experts, the consultants who turn business's around. But it doesn't come cheap. Before they provide the answers, they will tell you what the question is! How we attract a new, young audience may not be the right option. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Trees 2,814 Posted December 31, 2015 I'm guessing league racing ain't the answer to attract crowds. Events involving solo speedway, sidecars, short track, drifting would attract crowds on Friday\Saturday\Sunday Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alan_Jones 1,005 Posted December 31, 2015 I'm guessing league racing ain't the answer to attract crowds. Events involving solo speedway, sidecars, short track, drifting would attract crowds on Friday\Saturday\Sunday Why not go the whole hog and have football, darts and T20 cricket instead of speedway? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
martinmauger 584 Posted December 31, 2015 Moving not really off topic but slight sideways (!), it has always baffled me why motorcycle road racing (MotoGP, Superbikes, etc) is so massively popular. And not just the big events, where 10,000's watch, but club meetings too. The viewing is often appalling, you pay the Earth to stand 1/4 mile away from one part of the track, the riders come round once every minute and a half and someone has passed someone else - maybe - or not even arrived at all on the next lap and the chances are you won't have seen what happened, a dozen races if you are lucky. Unless somoene like Rossi is going for it, the riders follow each other around the track waiting for a mistake, but as we know speedway riders often race side by side and around the outside. The big bike companies are involved of course but the bikes themselves hardly resemble bikes you can buy to ride on the road, and yes, I was a keen biker myself once but it does liitle for me. Yet I can watch the, apparent, borefest pit-stop to pit-stop race that is F1, from beginning to end. That said, road racing events do, and have alomst always, attract huge crowds.... 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RobMcCaffery 2,752 Posted December 31, 2015 there are no teams anymore , even the national league is full of superstars whose only idea of Team is that they all have the same name on ntheir paycheck , as far as the sport goes their team mates wear the same race jacket but helping any other member to score points only tarnishes your superiority And there's one of the modern faults that needs to be rectified. Not an easy task. We need to repair these fundamental problems before we start to even think about trying to attract new fans, of whatever age. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gemini 4,894 Posted January 1, 2016 (edited) Coventry used to be great for slapping riders on the back as they returned to the pits.Pity. Ah now you mention it that little bit is still open as they return to the pits as I think the high fence is next to the track. .......Trees.......I'm guessing league racing ain't the answer to attract crowds.Events involving solo speedway, sidecars, short track, drifting would attract crowds on Friday\Saturday\Sunday. No interest to me though, although I've no idea what drifting is. I don't even like individual meetings so I'd only attend league matches. Edited January 1, 2016 by Gemini Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Robert Lee 128 Posted January 1, 2016 Ah now you mention it that little bit is still open as they return to the pits as I think the high fence is next to the track. No interest to me though, although I've no idea what drifting is. I don't even like individual meetings so I'd only attend league matches. C'mon Gemini, everyone knows what drifting is - it's what snow does on a windy day. This must be a plan to extend the season through the winter months. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Skid Sprocket 243 Posted January 1, 2016 I'm guessing league racing ain't the answer to attract crowds. Events involving solo speedway, sidecars, short track, drifting would attract crowds on Friday\Saturday\Sunday I always discourage raw newcomers from individual meetings, a team meeting is a far better to introduce a newbie with a simple explanation of the rules; "Our team" wear red and blue helmets (at home). A win gets 3 team points, second 2 and third 1 point At the end of the night the team with the highest points total is the winner. After the meeting they can go in the bar and start to learn the finer points of the sport or go home and reflect on the unique spectacle they have just witnessed keen for the next time! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
g13webb 4,254 Posted January 1, 2016 Moving not really off topic but slight sideways (!), it has always baffled me why motorcycle road racing (MotoGP, Superbikes, etc) is so massively popular. And not just the big events, where 10,000's watch, but club meetings too. The viewing is often appalling, you pay the Earth to stand 1/4 mile away from one part of the track, the riders come round once every minute and a half and someone has passed someone else - maybe - or not even arrived at all on the next lap and the chances are you won't have seen what happened, a dozen races if you are lucky. Unless somoene like Rossi is going for it, the riders follow each other around the track waiting for a mistake, but as we know speedway riders often race side by side and around the outside. The big bike companies are involved of course but the bikes themselves hardly resemble bikes you can buy to ride on the road, and yes, I was a keen biker myself once but it does liitle for me. Yet I can watch the, apparent, borefest pit-stop to pit-stop race that is F1, from beginning to end. That said, road racing events do, and have alomst always, attract huge crowds.... You and me both mate !! I have spent much time and money perusing my hobby of watch Motorbike racing, and cannot fathom the reasons why there such disparity in the viewing public. My own view is that the sport has become to predicable, the bikes are too fast, all riders are of similar ability , and the appeal has consequently diminished. Where once, a meeting lasted all night, now its over in less than a couple of hours. Most riders are aloft and go about their business, then off to the next meeting. They show little evidence of actually caring about the club or the fans..... Moto GP and BSB are a day out, something you look forward too. From the moment you leave home to the time you get back the day is completely dominated by the sport. The characters are bigger and more responsive. Walking through the pits, everyone is in a good mood and want to oblige with photo's and chats. The friendship within the fans is better . The racing is normally good. the poor riders make the good ones stand out. The colourful bikes and Kevlars all adds to the occasion . I feel for our Promoter in that their hands are tied. Riders now demand a big percentage of the gate funds, The fans don't have deep pockets and need VFM. all of which highlights the biggest problems of all. There is no surplus to spent on presentation, promoting and other idea. I have often said that Sponsors are keeping this sport alive, and without them it will die. The costs now are far too big for a sport with little following ............ 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
