MDL 2023

[Fortythirtyeight 841]

12 hours ago, Sings4Speedway said:

Thats the 3rd time yesterday i missed a single word out of something and completely changed the outlook. Home teams paid no no fees whereas ghost teams paid hefty entry fees. It’s certainly easy to argue that the 125cc concept whilst less interesting as a spectacle (in my opinion) does generate a natural progression pathway. The NJL also benefits from more weekend based race nights which is more suited for travelling and the MDL has lost the majority of tracks that ran on those nights or the teams that do/did run weekends have become disillusioned with it. 

Can’t agree with your opinion on 125’s , but that’s your opinion,  they can produce fantastic racing on a good track, they are the future. As for  reasons for the MDL not running, they refused to adapt to 125’s, look what’s happened !

If you really want to something to happen, you commit to it and make it happen, the NJL has !

[Sings4Speedway 3,247]

12 hours ago, Fortythirtyeight said:

Can’t agree with your opinion on 125’s , but that’s your opinion,  they can produce fantastic racing on a good track, they are the future. As for  reasons for the MDL not running, they refused to adapt to 125’s, look what’s happened !

If you really want to something to happen, you commit to it and make it happen, the NJL has !

I was really bad at getting my point across yesterday and apologies to all 125 riders. Often the 125 & 250 classes are the most entertaining during meetings my point about the spectacle was that the NJL has 3 heats of the same 4 riders in each class and that can often (not always) produce the same result 3 times.

I think for the MDL to survive they need more weekend tracks to participate, those that do run meetings need to make a much bigger effort to get them on (a lot of wasted travel occurs due to curfews met) and as covered to make it sustainable consider the switch to include 125 riders and generate the natural progression. In its hey day there was a strong amateur scene that enabled riders to compete against a similar level, then progress up and into the MDL etc safely. Sadly over the past few years the gulf in ability has been vast and bordering on dangerous in places which certainly doesn't help the cause. 

[JamesHarris 390]

10 hours ago, Sings4Speedway said:

I was really bad at getting my point across yesterday and apologies to all 125 riders. Often the 125 & 250 classes are the most entertaining during meetings my point about the spectacle was that the NJL has 3 heats of the same 4 riders in each class and that can often (not always) produce the same result 3 times.

I think for the MDL to survive they need more weekend tracks to participate, those that do run meetings need to make a much bigger effort to get them on (a lot of wasted travel occurs due to curfews met) and as covered to make it sustainable consider the switch to include 125 riders and generate the natural progression. In its hey day there was a strong amateur scene that enabled riders to compete against a similar level, then progress up and into the MDL etc safely. Sadly over the past few years the gulf in ability has been vast and bordering on dangerous in places which certainly doesn't help the cause. 

Correct. This has worked for the NJL and I have no argument against that. But this is the very same reason the MDL was created. The riders will not benefit if they are racing against the same 3 other riders in consecutive races. The result will more or less be the same and the crowd that have stayed behind to watch will soon get bored. The MDL provided a proper competition for those just below the NL. It was designed to be a mini-meeting with each team having 2 NL reserve standard riders and 2 Scunthorpe amateur open class riders. The highlight would be heat 6 where all 4 NL reserve riders raced against each other. Prior to the MDL most tracks just operated a few races billed as stars of tomorrow which were a dull affair comprising of the same 4 riders.  

[Fortythirtyeight 841]

1 hour ago, JamesHarris said:

Correct. This has worked for the NJL and I have no argument against that. But this is the very same reason the MDL was created. The riders will not benefit if they are racing against the same 3 other riders in consecutive races. The result will more or less be the same and the crowd that have stayed behind to watch will soon get bored. The MDL provided a proper competition for those just below the NL. It was designed to be a mini-meeting with each team having 2 NL reserve standard riders and 2 Scunthorpe amateur open class riders. The highlight would be heat 6 where all 4 NL reserve riders raced against each other. Prior to the MDL most tracks just operated a few races billed as stars of tomorrow which were a dull affair comprising of the same 4 riders.  

Sorry but can’t agree with your thought process. What will a rider learn from riding against a different rider once ? If he gets to ride against a slightly quicker rider twice or more he can possibly learn his line etc but that’s all a matter of opinion I suppose.

the NJL has used this format for several years now and has flourished, the MDL has finished so that suggests something.

The crowds that stop back and watch the NJL meetings have always stopped to the end without being ‘bored’, indeed they often comment how improved a junior might be in his third ride against a better rider than his first ride , but I guess MDL crowds must be different ?

I do hope someone gets the MDL back , in whatever state, preferably to include 125 riders but it needs riders willing to do it and others willing to run it. The riders are there, 50% of the 125 riders in the NJL reside in the midlands and the south, we have NJL 500’s riding at Wolverhampton , Birmingham and Belle Vue  so they are willing to travel for rides.

 

[JamesHarris 390]

19 hours ago, Fortythirtyeight said:

Sorry but can’t agree with your thought process. What will a rider learn from riding against a different rider once ? If he gets to ride against a slightly quicker rider twice or more he can possibly learn his line etc but that’s all a matter of opinion I suppose.

the NJL has used this format for several years now and has flourished, the MDL has finished so that suggests something.

The crowds that stop back and watch the NJL meetings have always stopped to the end without being ‘bored’, indeed they often comment how improved a junior might be in his third ride against a better rider than his first ride , but I guess MDL crowds must be different ?

I do hope someone gets the MDL back , in whatever state, preferably to include 125 riders but it needs riders willing to do it and others willing to run it. The riders are there, 50% of the 125 riders in the NJL reside in the midlands and the south, we have NJL 500’s riding at Wolverhampton , Birmingham and Belle Vue  so they are willing to travel for rides.

 

The MDL is still running though - albeit with 3 teams. But it is still running. 

[Fortythirtyeight 841]

3 hours ago, JamesHarris said:

The MDL is still running though - albeit with 3 teams. But it is still running. 

With one midland club and the help of a NJL club.

[Speedway fan 206]

MDL FIXTURES 2023

APRIL

SAT      15       REDCAR CUBS  V  BIRMINGHAM BULLS                                MDL

WEDS 19       BIRMINGHAM BUFFALOES V BIRMINGHAM BULLS            CHALLENGE

WEDS  26      BIRMINGHAM BUFFALOES V REDCAR CUBS                        MDL   

 

MAY

WEDS     3       BIRMINGHAM BULLS V BIRMINGHAM BUFFALOES        CHALLENGE

 

 

JUNE

WEDS      7     BIRMINGHAM BULLS   V  BIRMINGHAM BUFFALOES       MDL

 

JULY

 

WEDS    12     BIRMINGHAM BUFFALOES  V  BIRMINGHAM BULLS       MDL

 

AUG

WEDS    9       BIRMINGHAM BULLS  V REDCAR CUBS                              MDL

 

REDCAR CUBS V BIRMINGHAM BUFFALOES TBC

** BIRMINGHAM WILL RUN 2^ND HALVES EACH MEEING STAGING SOME AS CHALLENGE MATCHES V WOLVERHAMPTON AND SOME AS INDIVIDUALS PLUS 125CC AND 250 CC RACES .

 

[*JJ 512]

On 3/31/2023 at 8:54 PM, Fortythirtyeight said:

With one Midland club and the help of a NJL club.

At least somebody is doing something, unlike most promoters.

[Fortythirtyeight 841]

On 4/2/2023 at 9:29 AM, *JJ said:

At least somebody is doing something, unlike most promoters.

All 6 northern promoters are ‘doing something’, good that Laurence is joining in.

[*JJ 512]

20 hours ago, Fortythirtyeight said:

All 6 northern promoters are ‘doing something’, good that Laurence is joining in.

Nice to know; I wish that the rest of them would do something!

[Sings4Speedway 3,247]

2 hours ago, *JJ said:

Nice to know; I wish that the rest of them would do something!

A better question would be why have those who were involved previously stopped?

[*JJ 512]

21 hours ago, Sings4Speedway said:

A better question would be why have those who were involved previously stopped?

They were discouraged, I suspect. All of the MDL teams which I saw  - some years ago now - were run by fans and enthusiasts, not by the promoters of the EL or PL teams. And when the BSPL got rid of the 'ghost' teams, that discouraged them even more. As I said before, the promoters weren't interested; when a fan asked a promoter if the Long Eaton team could ride at Perry Barr, he lied and said that the planning permission only allowed for 20 heats. This is not true, it is 21, so the present promotion is able to run MDL teams.

[Sings4Speedway 3,247]

The only promotions i can ever recall giving a hoot about the MDL sides were Barry & Martin (IOW), Kevin Jolly & Rob Henry (Mildenhall), Dale Allitt (Kings Lynn)  and Laurence Rogers (various) the rest as you correctly stated have bee run by fans/enthusiasts who gave untold hours for the cause and received very little back. 

The list of NL/CL & PL graduates through the MDL was vast at one point now that number is rapidly declining and the only real routes are NJL and youth rounds. Fast forward 5 years and the NL will consist of riders who still own a bike rather than who makes the grade.

[PotteringAround 633]

9 hours ago, Sings4Speedway said:

The only promotions i can ever recall giving a hoot about the MDL sides were Barry & Martin0  (IOW), Kevin Jolly & Rob Henry (Mildenhall), Dale Allitt (Kings Lynn)  and Laurence Rogers (various)

Think the bulk of Martin Widman's MDL involvement was actually with Long Eaton (at Leicester), but Stoke, Belle Vue, Scunthorpe and Buxton were other clubs who "gave a hoot" about MDL for many, many, years when the MDL was going strong.  Sadly we won't see Stoke Spitfires again, but Belle Vue, Scunthorpe and maybe even Buxton would probably be in an MDL if there were any riders around to make it feasible.

[Sings4Speedway 3,247]

11 hours ago, PotteringAround said:

Think the bulk of Martin Widman's MDL involvement was actually with Long Eaton (at Leicester), but Stoke, Belle Vue, Scunthorpe and Buxton were other clubs who "gave a hoot" about MDL for many, many, years when the MDL was going strong.  Sadly we won't see Stoke Spitfires again, but Belle Vue, Scunthorpe and maybe even Buxton would probably be in an MDL if there were any riders around to make it feasible.

Great shout i shamefully forgot about Martins involvement with Long Eaton although not part of the promotion. Buxton's withdrawal from the MDL was costly for them as it was a great brreeding ground for potential riders especially when competing against clubs with deeper pockets. I think riders would appear from everywhere for the chance to ride at Belle Vue even with midweek fixtures but any experiences with Stoke and speaking to many others is that the promotion treated the second half riders poorly and would be the most likely track to not stage the even despite being a weekend venue.