UK speedway slowly dying

[THE DEAN MACHINE 4,748]

I just read a post from speedway GB about have a poll about changing the league scoring system for 2023, good god we are facing the end of professional speedway in the uk and they have ideas like this , I give up   

[Goldhawk 76]

Bomber would have loved track . Event been in decline now for a few years from previous earlier years. Time to look at other possible major venues in UK to hold it. 

[iainb 5,017]

23 hours ago, Grachan said:

It seems that for people who were watching speedway for the first time, this was actually a great meeting.

I've just seen a post on Facebook by people saying ti was their first meeting and they loved it and intend to go next year.

Also, my son's mate came along, and in the car on the way home he phoned his dad and was saying how brilliant it was, how there were loads of people there and how he wants to go again next year.

Imagine what these people would have thought if there has been great racing and a bigger crowd.

I hope that the crowds will be back to at least previous levels next year. There are many factors this year that could have affected attendance.

I also hope the organisers come out and explain the problems with the track, and how they are going to rectify them.

A bad track can happen. Wasn't it Warsaw where it happened a few years back? I hope the poor track this year doesn't cause the attendance to drop again. This is more of a spectacle with more people watching.

The atmosphere in the stadium was still brilliant, but there were far too many empty seats where there used to be crowds.

The riders not trying to race were a let down too. If Dan and Jack Holder - who only got into the series as substitutes - could ride it, there's no reason why the other riders couldn't.

 

Speedway always has been and always will be a great sport for a newbie. You can't fail to be impressed by the skill and bravery of the riders, the noise, the smell, the sheer spectacle of it all... it's only when you scratch the surface that (especially now in Britain) it doesn't really stand up to scrutiny. Some folk will realise "it's all about the start", some will make it a bit further and say "it's all about the first bend"... then you only have to attend a few fiascos, go home covered in dust, realise that your rider is riding for every other Tom, Dick and Harry and you're out

[bruno 1,790]

Let's be honest there's so much more wrong with speedway than the points system. Tinkering yet again, green helmet anyone. The fiasco Saturday has seriously got me wondering why I bother and I don't normally do moaning. Lucky I have a track on my door step or I don't think I'd bother. Was going to Oxford for first time tomorrow since it re opened but il Keep money for the pub instead

[OGT 612]

On 8/1/2022 at 8:09 PM, mikebv said:

100000%....

Hype! Hype! Hype!...

It doesnt even have to be true...

It just has to make enough people believe it is...

 

Having the BBC on your side helps, if we were talking women's or transgender speedway, they'd be on it like a shot! 

[mikebv 10,282]

3 hours ago, OGT said:

Having the BBC on your side helps, if we were talking women's or transgender speedway, they'd be on it like a shot! 

Tell them Danielle Bewley won on Saturday then.. 

[Fromafar 10,363]

5 hours ago, bruno said:

Let's be honest there's so much more wrong with speedway than the points system. Tinkering yet again, green helmet anyone. The fiasco Saturday has seriously got me wondering why I bother and I don't normally do moaning. Lucky I have a track on my door step or I don't think I'd bother. Was going to Oxford for first time tomorrow since it re opened but il Keep money for the pub instead

Have to agree ,they have a lot to worry about than who gets a bonus point.

[OGT 612]

1 hour ago, mikebv said:

Tell them Danielle Bewley won on Saturday then.. 

Could tell them he won RuPaul's speedway race. 

[steve roberts 9,246]

6 hours ago, iainb said:

Speedway always has been and always will be a great sport for a newbie. You can't fail to be impressed by the skill and bravery of the riders, the noise, the smell, the sheer spectacle of it all... it's only when you scratch the surface that (especially now in Britain) it doesn't really stand up to scrutiny. Some folk will realise "it's all about the start", some will make it a bit further and say "it's all about the first bend"... then you only have to attend a few fiascos, go home covered in dust, realise that your rider is riding for every other Tom, Dick and Harry and you're out

I was hooked form the very first meeting that I attended...everything about it! Standing on the terraces with fellow enthusiats and chewing the fact/arguing made it a great night out! Never bothered me personally the gaps between races...that's when we all became an 'expert' Team Manager! Don't go along with gimmicks which is what the general public with their short attention span now seem to expect. I attended two American Football matches at Wembley and I found all the razzmatazz all a bit tedious and it struck me that was what the fans were more interested in. The Mexican Wave was in vogue then and the spectators appeared to take more notice of that rather than what taking place on the pitch. Speedway when presented right takes some beating but, alas, those in control thru' years of mismanagement have allowed it become a pale shadow of its former glorious self!

[iainb 5,017]

22 minutes ago, steve roberts said:

Never bothered me personally the gaps between races...that's when we all became an 'expert' Team Manager!

That's a huge part of the sport that is missing these days, TM's are so limited in what they can do other than swap reserves around

[steve roberts 9,246]

21 minutes ago, iainb said:

That's a huge part of the sport that is missing these days, TM's are so limited in what they can do other than swap reserves around

Couldn't agree more! You should be able to place any rider in any order between one to five with only the reserves (those with the lowest averages at six and seven). I would also do away with fixed gates.

[mikebv 10,282]

2 hours ago, iainb said:

That's a huge part of the sport that is missing these days, TM's are so limited in what they can do other than swap reserves around

And who is the best guest to bring in obviously....

[cowboy cookie returns? 747]

Speedway a team sport that doesn't have tactics or any true meaning of a team sport just a band of riders who pull on a teams race jacket a couple of times a week before riding for someone else the next night.

[steve roberts 9,246]

12 minutes ago, cowboy cookie returns? said:

Speedway a team sport that doesn't have tactics or any true meaning of a team sport just a band of riders who pull on a teams race jacket a couple of times a week before riding for someone else the next night.

Unfortunately that does appear to be the scenario today...wasn't always the case.

[mikebv 10,282]

1 hour ago, cowboy cookie returns? said:

Speedway a team sport that doesn't have tactics or any true meaning of a team sport just a band of riders who pull on a teams race jacket a couple of times a week before riding for someone else the next night.

Is that the Wikipedia definition of UK Speedway? 

Edited August 16, 2022 by mikebv