iris123 20,986 Posted January 25 2 hours ago, therefused said: do any of those things 'promote speedway'? Not at all. And it is a bit of a misnomer to call these things 'attractions', as i doubt they attracted anyone. More often than not the stadium emptied out after the main meeting, or people were off to the bar/toilets I do remember Wimbedon had an annual Kent grasstrack bunch of riders going round the track Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
StevePark 2,781 Posted January 25 33 minutes ago, iris123 said: Not at all. And it is a bit of a misnomer to call these things 'attractions', as i doubt they attracted anyone. More often than not the stadium emptied out after the main meeting, or people were off to the bar/toilets I do remember Wimbedon had an annual Kent grasstrack bunch of riders going round the track Which is why they were put on during the interval. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iris123 20,986 Posted January 25 15 minutes ago, StevePark said: Which is why they were put on during the interval. Wasn't the interval after the main meeting in the period that is generally being discussed ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
arnieg 3,643 Posted January 25 1 hour ago, iris123 said: Not at all. And it is a bit of a misnomer to call these things 'attractions', as i doubt they attracted anyone. More often than not the stadium emptied out after the main meeting, or people were off to the bar/toilets I do remember Wimbedon had an annual Kent grasstrack bunch of riders going round the track There were exceptions, Tilehurst was full of 'teenyboppers' for (ahem) Gary Glitter in 1973. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iris123 20,986 Posted January 25 3 minutes ago, arnieg said: There were exceptions, Tilehurst was full of 'teenyboppers' for (ahem) Gary Glitter in 1973. Sure around that time Alvin Stardust came to Plough Lane. I can't be sure if he boosted the crowd . I do remember shaking all over during some of the cold early Spring meetings though Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
therefused 819 Posted January 25 Best bet is to do something with the fans during the interval where they could potentially win something, tickets to the next meeting or something like that. cuts down on paying for anything else and depending on what it is, keeps the fans in the crowd entertained Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
StevePark 2,781 Posted January 25 2 hours ago, iris123 said: Wasn't the interval after the main meeting in the period that is generally being discussed ? Quite possibly, but in those days (I'm talking mid-to-late-70's here), I seem to remember, a lot of people used to stick around, because it was a "proper" second-half, with all the riders from the main meeting involved. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steve roberts 9,246 Posted January 26 10 hours ago, StevePark said: Quite possibly, but in those days (I'm talking mid-to-late-70's here), I seem to remember, a lot of people used to stick around, because it was a "proper" second-half, with all the riders from the main meeting involved. I used to stay on and watch the second halves. At Oxford during the early to middle seventies we were spoilt dure to our tie up with sister tracks Eastbourne and Peterborough where many of their riders would contest the second half. Great days! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bigdave 35 Posted January 26 21 hours ago, therefused said: do any of those things 'promote speedway'? Yes, because it creates publicity before the meeting and increases the attendance at the meeting. If it didn't do either, then I would have thought that Ian Thomas wouldn't have booked any interval attractions. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
spinkox 37 Posted January 28 Long before any of our time - Bristol used to have Laurel and Hardy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chunky 6,093 Posted January 28 11 hours ago, spinkox said: Long before any of our time - Bristol used to have Laurel and Hardy. Riding for them? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
False dawn 2,298 Posted January 28 25 minutes ago, chunky said: Riding for them? I'd have had Stan in my team but I don't fancy your chances with Olly. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chunky 6,093 Posted January 28 1 minute ago, False dawn said: I'd have had Stan in my team but I don't fancy your chances with Olly. If he gated, he wouldn't be easy to pass! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
therefused 819 Posted January 29 On 1/26/2024 at 11:23 AM, bigdave said: Yes, because it creates publicity before the meeting and increases the attendance at the meeting. If it didn't do either, then I would have thought that Ian Thomas wouldn't have booked any interval attractions. i cant imagine it made much different to attendance whatsoever. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
piston197 194 Posted January 29 (edited) On 1/28/2024 at 9:55 AM, spinkox said: Long before any of our time - Bristol used to have Laurel and Hardy. Can't remember Hardy riding for Bristol ? Dave Hardy | Speedway riders, history and results (proboards.com) but Olle did in 1953 Olle Nygren | Speedway riders, history and results (proboards.com) Edited January 29 by piston197 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
