iainb 5,018 Posted November 8, 2022 (edited) Back on a positive note, one other positive for me was watching the SGP 3 meeting from Wroclaw. Easily, by some distance the best racing I've seen in a single meeting for quite some time. If you haven't watched it, I recommend you do... it's what Speedway used to be like Edited November 8, 2022 by iainb Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steve roberts 9,246 Posted November 8, 2022 (edited) 20 minutes ago, iainb said: I wrote a rather long email to the Leicester promotion offering ideas on how to "cash-in" on their Championship win back at the beginning of last year when they were complaining that the crowds were too low... email was never responded to, not even a courtesy, thanks for your email but go away! That's bad customer relations but I guess par for the course with speedway promotions. Chris Shears during his one year at Cowley was another who mixed with the fans but had his wrist slapped by the BSPA for the audacity of running an old fashion second half for the benefit of the fans! Edited November 8, 2022 by steve roberts 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
auntie doris 2,342 Posted November 8, 2022 1 hour ago, iainb said: I wrote a rather long email to the Leicester promotion offering ideas on how to "cash-in" on their Championship win back at the beginning of last year when they were complaining that the crowds were too low... email was never responded to, not even a courtesy, thanks for your email but go away! Most promotions don't really care about the fans unless you're investing as fan or sponsor. Sad when you think of all the thousands of fans that have disappeared in the last 10 years or so. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ragdoll64 647 Posted November 8, 2022 I started supporting Glasgow in 1964 and I can honestly say that I have been enjoying the best racing in the last couple of years. What the Facennas have done for the club is immense and the way the track has been prepared lately has provided some absolutely fantastic tussles. There are so many racing lines so not just providing the occasional pass but passing and re-passing on several occasions. The downside of this is no, or very little, home advantage which makes it easier for visiting team as most riders seem to love riding the track. I’m happy to forfeit home advantage (and therefore part of the chance of winning medals) to see exciting racing week in, week out. That’s my positive view despite all the shenanigans (more than usual) that have made our sport a bit of a laughing stock this year. 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AFCB Wildcat 1,362 Posted November 8, 2022 For me, as an armchair viewer now since the demise of Weymouth & more recently Eastbourne I have to say that the Premier league grand final was the highlight. As a neutral, I didn't favour either team. I was delighted for Belle Vue to end their drought but gutted for Sheffield who certainly didn't get the rub of the green! I thought the racing was excellent with all riders giving 100% and putting it on the line for a trophy that we are lead to believe no one cares about. I thought Belle Vue were fortunate to take such a big lead from the first leg as the scoreline I felt didn't reflect the closeness of the racing on the track and it was a shame it was ultimately decided by incidents rather than racing, but overall I thought it was an excellent advertisement for the sport. As others have said BSN has been another major plus. It's been great to be able to watch Championship & NDL fixtures rather than the same teams all the time on Eurosport. I really hope it's been a success financially and continues. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bruno 1,790 Posted November 8, 2022 Must admit BSN for me have been a major plus they've improved week on week and kept fans in touch and even refunded when they couldn't supply what they advertised even though it wasn't there fault. I know some say it keeps fans away from live speedway but I wouldn't have attended any of the meetings they showed anyway Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chunky 6,094 Posted November 8, 2022 3 hours ago, bruno said: I know some say it keeps fans away from live speedway but I wouldn't have attended any of the meetings they showed anyway That's the one thing I've never understood. Why is it that speedway is the ONLY sport (allegedly) hurt by live TV coverage??? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steve roberts 9,246 Posted November 8, 2022 29 minutes ago, chunky said: That's the one thing I've never understood. Why is it that speedway is the ONLY sport (allegedly) hurt by live TV coverage??? Just my personal observations but I had a friend who prefered to stay at home and watch on SKY a match covered at Cowley rather than walk the half mile and pay his entrance fee. Don't know how much a promotion would be paid for potential lost revenue if there were many others who did same? However the bigger picture, or so we were told, was that LIVE speedway would attract major sponsors and raise the sport's profile nationally within the mass media? Didn't happen for whatever the reasons... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chunky 6,094 Posted November 8, 2022 9 minutes ago, steve roberts said: Just my personal observations but I had a friend who prefered to stay at home and watch on SKY a match covered at Cowley rather than walk the half mile and pay his entrance fee. Don't know how much a promotion would be paid for potential lost revenue if there were many others who did same? However the bigger picture, or so we were told, was that LIVE speedway would attract major sponsors and raise the sport's profile nationally within the mass media? Didn't happen for whatever the reasons... We ALL know that live sport is better than televised, but tv coverage opens sport up to hundreds, thousnads, even millions, of people who otherwise be unable to attend. Therefore, the big problem must be one thing - speedway fans. True, there aren't many left, but that is a pretty damning statement, don't you think? The REASON it didn't happen was because the speedway authorities - and many of the clubs themselves - didn't make it happen... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chunky 6,094 Posted November 8, 2022 One thing I can add to the thread title is that it does appear that more and more of the "Negative Nancies" on here are finally beginning to realize that the IMPORTANT thing about speedway - the racing - really isn't as bad as they thought. Yes, there will always be duff meetings, sometimes because of the weather, and sometimes because of negligence and/or incompetence, but if people honest, they should admit that modern racing is no worse than it was forty or fity years ago, and in many cases, far better! The problem is the the "spectacle" of speedway has been dimmed by the generic riding styles, the too-busy race suits, the lack of dirt on tracks, the lack of gleaming chrome machinery etc, but the racing itself is more than passable. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steve roberts 9,246 Posted November 8, 2022 (edited) 2 hours ago, chunky said: We ALL know that live sport is better than televised, but tv coverage opens sport up to hundreds, thousnads, even millions, of people who otherwise be unable to attend. Therefore, the big problem must be one thing - speedway fans. True, there aren't many left, but that is a pretty damning statement, don't you think? The REASON it didn't happen was because the speedway authorities - and many of the clubs themselves - didn't make it happen... ...thereby lies the crux. Don't know what the figures given by SKY on numbers who watched the TV coverage but it didn't translate into "neutral" people wishing to go and watch it live in any great numbers. One has to asked the question why was that the case? I remember someone telling me that when they entered their local club where SKY was available and when asked if they could tune into the speedway the response was a massive blank. Edited November 8, 2022 by steve roberts Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
