ruffdiamond 6,115 Posted January 28, 2022 7 minutes ago, The Dog said: Fine Am sure there's a will to run such a thing, Tsunami used to run a training school at Newcastle. It wasn't done without effort and organisation and, he probably burdened the cost of it all. So maybe you need somebody willing do the same? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fortythirtyeight 841 Posted January 28, 2022 22 minutes ago, ruffdiamond said: Am sure there's a will to run such a thing, Tsunami used to run a training school at Newcastle. It wasn't done without effort and organisation and, he probably burdened the cost of it all. So maybe you need somebody willing do the same? If you bother to read the posts on the subject you will realise the suggest was to run it during the hour before the main match, Dave ran his at lunchtime, bit of a difference ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ruffdiamond 6,115 Posted January 28, 2022 7 minutes ago, Fortythirtyeight said: If you bother to read the posts on the subject you will realise the suggest was to run it during the hour before the main match, Dave ran his at lunchtime, bit of a difference ! Ooh ok,,, don't get ya knickers in a twist!!!,,, sorry for not taking in all the story beforehand. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Speedway fan 206 Posted January 29, 2022 23 hours ago, The Dog said: One of the major issues is investment in the sport at 'lower than grand prix' level. Instead of paying riders daft money, clubs should be buying one or two smaller bikes and give the kids a taster an hour before the meeting starts. Parents aren't willing to spend on all the gear for the kid to hate it after one lap,unless they already have a speedway background. Advertise it as a free trial for kids and the parents get in free just the once. Even if they don't want to be a rider they may just become a supporter. Needs to be a huge carrot to get people through the gates, this might not be it but it's a different idea.. Apologies for hijacking the Brum thread. quite a few tracks would not be able to do anything an hour before within their planning permission which only allows even the warm up of engines from a set time . Plus the track man is usually finishing off his watering etc . Nice idea but not practical 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ghosty 500 Posted January 29, 2022 On 1/28/2022 at 2:55 PM, Fortythirtyeight said: What ? Where do you watch the sport ? All northern tracks run second halfs and have done for many years , not just the NJL matches either . What I'm suggesting is to go back to 13 heats & then with all 14 riders + 4 local talents in the second half with sponsored final. The objective being discover & encourage MUCH NEEDED new riders but also freshen things up. Keep this going until we have enough riders to fill our team places without the hated double-up/ double-down shenanigans. 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sings4Speedway 3,247 Posted January 30, 2022 10 hours ago, Ghosty said: What I'm suggesting is to go back to 13 heats & then with all 14 riders + 4 local talents in the second half with sponsored final. The objective being discover & encourage MUCH NEEDED new riders but also freshen things up. Keep this going until we have enough riders to fill our team places without the hated double-up/ double-down shenanigans. Nice idea but not overly practical and the void in talent between rider levels in the same league is already alarming. The CL features a lot of the PL heatleaders down to NDL graduates and then chucked out on track together and questioned why the racing is follow the leader. Personally the level of the NDL needs to be maintained/raised to keep it strong/competitive, minimum averages need to be achieved in each league before stepping up, the proposed avaerage calculator needs bringing back in so PL/CL conversion rate is at 2.0 and if a double upper highest average is used. The decision really needs to be made to acertain if the CL is the league that everyone wants to focus on given the number of teams and that most decisions appear to be being made for the benefit of the CL. An actual focus on what is important for the sport in the UK rather than individual clubs is what is needed. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
*JJ 512 Posted January 30, 2022 And the Midland [Northern/Southern] Development Leagues need to be reinstated. This was an invaluable stepping stone between training schools and the National League; now it has (mostly) gone, people wonder why there is a shortage of riders! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mikebv 10,293 Posted January 30, 2022 23 minutes ago, Sings4Speedway said: Nice idea but not overly practical and the void in talent between rider levels in the same league is already alarming. The CL features a lot of the PL heatleaders down to NDL graduates and then chucked out on track together and questioned why the racing is follow the leader. Personally the level of the NDL needs to be maintained/raised to keep it strong/competitive, minimum averages need to be achieved in each league before stepping up, the proposed avaerage calculator needs bringing back in so PL/CL conversion rate is at 2.0 and if a double upper highest average is used. The decision really needs to be made to acertain if the CL is the league that everyone wants to focus on given the number of teams and that most decisions appear to be being made for the benefit of the CL. An actual focus on what is important for the sport in the UK rather than individual clubs is what is needed. Whilst the 2nd Div tail can wag the Div 1 dog it wont ever work too well.. Div 2 truly do have it all ways.. Using many of the best riders available from both Div 1 and Div 3... A few on here seem to take some satisfaction by talking up there clubs as if they have miraculously increased their followers through great promotional work.. And for some that may be a factor.. However, I would suggest the bigger factor is having six Div 1 heat leaders competing regularly at those tracks each season. Which has attracted more "lapsed" fans who have drifted away in the preceding years back to the sport.. The same would happen if an influx of GP riders came back in Div 1... The question though is obviously "how long will it last?"... The novelty of watching "better riders" only lasts so long before it becomes "normal" and then those "non regulars" who have been attracted back start to drift away again... And, as we see, having so many Div 1 heat leaders in a select few tracks in Div 2, wont help the whole sport organically and generically grow... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
soupy 556 Posted January 30, 2022 On 1/28/2022 at 7:04 PM, Fortythirtyeight said: If you bother to read the posts on the subject you will realise the suggest was to run it during the hour before the main match, Dave ran his at lunchtime, bit of a difference ! Archie used to go round before the main match solo with Tsunami overlooking events at Newcastle for a few seasons. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fortythirtyeight 841 Posted January 30, 2022 11 hours ago, Ghosty said: What I'm suggesting is to go back to 13 heats & then with all 14 riders + 4 local talents in the second half with sponsored final. The objective being discover & encourage MUCH NEEDED new riders but also freshen things up. Keep this going until we have enough riders to fill our team places without the hated double-up/ double-down shenanigans. So you want to go back to the ‘ old days ‘ ? Ask yourself why that was done away with in the first place . To provide more ‘ entertainment ‘ of the top level and do away with the mostly corrupt second half finals that were rigged by the riders themselves, as demanded by the dwindling fans who mostly walked out after heat 13. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fortythirtyeight 841 Posted January 30, 2022 47 minutes ago, soupy said: Archie used to go round before the main match solo with Tsunami overlooking events at Newcastle for a few seasons. And ? One kid doing a couple of laps, quite quickly, is a totally different scenario. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fortythirtyeight 841 Posted January 30, 2022 1 hour ago, *JJ said: And the Midland [Northern/Southern] Development Leagues need to be reinstated. This was an invaluable stepping stone between training schools and the National League; now it has (mostly) gone, people wonder why there is a shortage of riders! They weren’t done away with, the NJL has never stopped , the others simply ran out of ‘ ghost teams ‘ to fill them. There was nothing stopping the same riders being used by the host club but they simply weren’t interested in running juniors themselves so blame the clubs themselves not the authorities ( on this occasion ). 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Big Al 708 Posted January 30, 2022 Take note of how other sports are introducing variations to the main format. Try something like two mini-matches of 6 heats (same teams/riders), followed by a 3-heat match with riders in the final race being the top scorers, and a straightforward way of awarding League points at the end. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Skidder1 7,637 Posted January 30, 2022 What has been stopped (by the BSPL) are those clubs without a permanent track of their own being allowed to run at an adopted track!! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
soupy 556 Posted January 30, 2022 1 hour ago, Fortythirtyeight said: And ? One kid doing a couple of laps, quite quickly, is a totally different scenario. And your point is? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
