Jason Doyle In This Weeks Speedway Star

[foamfence 2,917]

They don't have double ups. Simples

Is it though?

[tigerowl 630]

I think pages 2 and 3 of this week's Star demonstrate everything that is wrong with British speedway at the moment.

 

The head of the BSPA advocating more guests because his team had a bit of a disaster at home to Wolves is a knee jerk reaction to an issue which ignores the long terms problems of excessive doubling up and awful fixture planning. This reaction is, I suppose, understandable in light of the season the Stars have had but it only goes to show how much an independent head of the sport is needed. Someone with knowledge of speedway but with no links to a club and with the best interest of the fans and the sport in general at heart.

 

And then we have Jason Doyle going on about quitting if the top league is not on fixed nights. This shows that there is little loyalty to a country and a league, let alone a club, from some of the top riders. Again, this is understandable in a way as it is a short and dangerous career and they need to make their money while they can. The world has changed from the 1970s and 1980s when the British League was the goal of every rider around the world. Poland and Sweden have overtaken us for a while and the Grand Prix series along with the various other FIM events have all but taken over every weekend.

As fans we have to accept this and live in the real world. We cannot expect to see the world's top riders here all the time, riding in front of a few hundred fans because the crowd levels we are getting won't support this. Also, the riders have to live in the real world and accept that they can't be all full time professionals on those same crowd levels.

 

We need to take two steps back to go forward again. Stop doubling up, have tracks operating every week on fixed nights through the year, have riders riding at the correct level and give the fans their teams back. Once the sport has credibility and integrity and the fans start identifying with their teams again, perhaps we can move forward and establish the sport on a firmer footing again.

[PHILIPRISING 7,298]

I REALLY don't understand some of the comments here. Do you really think only Aussies complain about tracks? All speedway riders, of whatever nationality, whatever talent, need decent tracks to provide the sort of racing that we all want to see. That is incumbent upon the promoters but many, for all sorts of reasons, do not comply.

 

Doyle is getting a lot of stick here but he is simply echoing what many riders are saying and have been for a long time. Speedway riders cannot make a decent career and set themselves up for later life by simply racing in one country, even if that is Poland. They want to ride as much as possible and supplement their income where they can. They do not operate in a sport where one club (track) can offer them an exclusive 12-months contract. They ply their trade wherever they can.

 

To co-ordinate their racing between several countries requires them to know when they will be riding in each country. Doyle, like many others, is actually saying he is prepared to commit himself lf to the UK, rather than the contrary, as long as he can pencil in either Monday or Thursday as the days he will need to be in the UK. These guys have really hectic schedules and and want to be able to plan where and when they will be riding. Is that really too much to ask?

 

Doyle has been the target of much abuse here but no doubt Swindon fans will appreciate the time and effort he has put in to get them to the top of the league and most likely finish as champions.

[foamfence 2,917]

I REALLY don't understand some of the comments here. Do you really think only Aussies complain about tracks? All speedway riders, of whatever nationality, whatever talent, need decent tracks to provide the sort of racing that we all want to see. That is incumbent upon the promoters but many, for all sorts of reasons, do not comply.

 

Doyle is getting a lot of stick here but he is simply echoing what many riders are saying and have been for a long time. Speedway riders cannot make a decent career and set themselves up for later life by simply racing in one country, even if that is Poland. They want to ride as much as possible and supplement their income where they can. They do not operate in a sport where one club (track) can offer them an exclusive 12-months contract. They ply their trade wherever they can.

 

To co-ordinate their racing between several countries requires them to know when they will be riding in each country. Doyle, like many others, is actually saying he is prepared to commit himself lf to the UK, rather than the contrary, as long as he can pencil in either Monday or Thursday as the days he will need to be in the UK. These guys have really hectic schedules and and want to be able to plan where and when they will be riding. Is that really too much to ask?

 

Doyle has been the target of much abuse here but no doubt Swindon fans will appreciate the time and effort he has put in to get them to the top of the league and most likely finish as champions.

If the Poles tell Doyle he can only ride in one other league, you wont see him for dust.

[PHILIPRISING 7,298]

If the Poles tell Doyle he can only ride in one other league, you wont see him for dust.

NOT just Doyle. He is no different to many, many riders. You can hardly blame him or them for giving preference to those who pay the most.

[Fromafar 10,363]

NOT just Doyle. He is no different to many, many riders. You can hardly blame him or them for giving preference to those who pay the most.

 

Sometimes pay!

[speedibee 3,091]

Sometimes pay!

stop arguing with the Doyle loving ,German hating plonker

[PHILIPRISING 7,298]

Sometimes pay!

MORE often than not

[False dawn 2,298]

So it's alright for riders to make ultimatums on their British bosses who don't operate on set nights for good reason, such as stadium availability?

But when it comes to the Poles the riders bow down, despite being restricted in their ability to earn extra income in an arbitrary fashion?

The Poles are sticking two fingers up to the rest of Europe with their increasingly restrictive practices and the riders say not a word. Except to say Britain has to change to make it possible for them to accommodate us. They must think we're mugs.

Change British Speedway to make British Speedway better for our fans, for our promotions and for riders who want to ride here.

[speedibee 3,091]

So it's alright for riders to make ultimatums on their British bosses who don't operate on set nights for good reason, such as stadium availability?

But when it comes to the Poles the riders bow down, despite being restricted in their ability to earn extra income in an arbitrary fashion?

The Poles are sticking two fingers up to the rest of Europe with their increasingly restrictive practices and the riders say not a word. Except to say Britain has to change to make it possible for them to accommodate us. They must think we're mugs.

Change British Speedway to make British Speedway better for our fans, for our promotions and for riders who want to ride here.

Doyle wanted to ride here when he was nothing (still is IMO ) what we have to do now , is stop more Jason Doyles ,Chris Holders ,Greg Hancocks , jason Crumps Tai Woffindens ,doing the same in the future

[PHILIPRISING 7,298]

BUT is it an ultimatum or simply a rider stating the days on which he is available? I see it as the latter.

[moxey63 1,785]

I am not personally criticising Doyle. It could have been any other rider who put his neck in the noose. But I do believe that the exodus of the main players from British speedway will prove that it was a turning point in the sport's history over here. We may be getting back to basics, a chance to reboot the sport here over the next few years. There will always be someone to replace these riders who aren't willing to ride here, always someone to step up and score what the likes of Doyle would have scored, as history has proved. But, if we don't sort the whole thing out now, these replacements will eventually decide that other countries offer more.

Edited September 2, 2017 by moxey63

[PHILIPRISING 7,298]

Change British Speedway to make British Speedway better for our fans, for our promotions and for riders who want to ride here.

THAT'S exactly why going to set race nights is being mooted ... and Doyle is one of the riders who wants to race here. So what's your problem?

[foamfence 2,917]

NOT just Doyle. He is no different to many, many riders. You can hardly blame him or them for giving preference to those who pay the most.

I don't blame him and it isn't relevant that there are others (this is about him) but he has nailed his colours to the mast and from what he says people might expect him to comply with our seemingly inevitable and forced upon set race nights. When we all know that he's a glove puppet of the Poles and how they decide things will be his future. His words might well prove to be hollow.

[PHILIPRISING 7,298]

I don't blame him and it isn't relevant that there are others (this is about him) but he has nailed his colours to the mast and from what he says people might expect him to comply with our seemingly inevitable and forced upon set race nights. When we all know that he's a glove puppet of the Poles and how they decide things will be his future. His words might well prove to be hollow.

He isn't asking for anything that British promoters haven't been trying to achieve for ages.