Vince

Might be the way to make Speedway accessible in more places for youngsters/ beginners........before they move on to proper bikes. Needn't be slow, sure I saw that electric bikes are lapping the Isle of mann TT course at or near to 100mph average.

There was a long running dispute between the ACU and the AMCA many years ago about the ACU not letting their riders compete in other events. The outcome was that it was judged illegal and that riders could not have their licences withdrawn for competing with a different federation.

Welcome to the Leicester 2013 thread, the current under 5's playground of the BSF :-)

For the biggest current club in British Speedway to report a financial loss when they have previously been proud to announce that they are one of the few financially viable clubs has to be some of the most worrying news of the winter. Put it alongside the possible loss of Sky or a lesser deal from them at the end of the year and it would appear there will need to be some really drastic changes in the very near future. Could be the end of the professional sport as we know it or just maybe the opportunity to restructure and improve.

I find it hard to believe that so many people cite the introduction of 4v engines as being so harmful to Speedway. Jap 2v engines were no more reliable and how reliable do you think a 2v Jawa would be with another 30 years development so it would also be revving to the same levels? The only extra cost of these engines is literally for the items needed to run 2 valves and that is minimal in the overall picture. Neither did the 4v or laydowns introduce slick tracks, they evolved because they worked better on the slick tracks that were becoming the normal. When I first went to Speedway in the mid to late 60's I used to hear all the old folks moaning about how much better it was when they used Jap's, they should never have allowed the Eso or Jawa, Cinders produced much better racing and on and on. Some meetings were brilliant, the majority OK, some poor (for the younger members I have to say that not every race in the 60's produced 25 passes!) All I used to see was 4 blokes tearing round a track risking life and limb and thought it was the most exciting sport I've ever seen. Now I am one of the old blokes and I hear basically the same complaints referring to days I can remember but still all I see is 4 blokes tearing round a track risking life and limb in the most exciting sport I've ever seen.The only real difference is that the crowd is very much smaller and that inevitably takes something away from the excitement.

When they stopped calling Speedway dangerous and started with the 'family sport' image building. It was a family sport anyway but in the 60's many of the kids annuals and comics would have something about Speedway and it always emphasised the risk. That also applied to the newspapers. My memory is not good enough to say whether their coverage decreased in line with the spectators but I have a feeling the sport fell out of popularity with the press before it did with the public. To my way of thinking the idea of promoting Speedway as a family sport was very much 'selling coals to Newcastle' what teenager wants to like the same things their parents do unless they can say they do so for different reasons? There is a lot more competition for peoples money anyway so I think spectator numbers would have declined no matter what but the marketing has been poor. For me the racing is at least as good as I have ever seen (I believe better) and rose tinted glasses bear a lot of responsibility for people knocking the sport.

Because under the current system they can make money in future transfers or loan fees if they pay the right price

Since riders are self employed and not paid a year round salary or retainer it is difficult to see how the asset system can possibly stand up legally. For me the biggest problem with the system is that British youngsters cost clubs money in loans fees so are either not given the opportunities or only given a very short time to achieve their average when they step up a league. An untried foreign rider could be bought in for similar money but will become a club asset and therefore is worth giving a long run in the hope he will come good as he would then be financially beneficial to the club. I can see how the asset system can benefit the clubs but it is a nonsense that youngsters can become assets of a club they have never ridden for and who have done nothing for them training wise.

No but how many riders from the midlands have benefitted from their efforts and is that worth jeopardising to whinge about one rider who, if the only poster to know anything about him is right, is unlikely to get a NL place anyway? I would be suprised if your posts on here haven't cost your boy a lot more rides than this lad ever will.

1. His mother is British so that means he is as well, just because you don't like it doesn't make it any less true. 2. I don't know Kelvin or Chris but it sounds like British riders will be worse off without them around trying to help and that is the most likely outcome of people like yourself slagging them off. Tell me how many rides will the lads that even you agree are British will lose then. 3. One of the major problems in British Speedway is that people who do nothing to help but are very objectionable on internet forums make those who do actually do something for the sport give up, feeling that nobody is backing them. Like this thread, the critics are a minority but often a very vocal one and it must make the people who are trying to organise some Speedway for midlands lads wonder whether it is worthwhile.

Does anybody believe that if the answer is yes Robert72 will accept it and wait and see what happens? Or like me do you think he is just hoping for any reply that he can dispute and use in his continual attempts to put anybody off going to Leicester Speedway?

I don't think anyone is suggesting that at all, certainly I am not. That's why I said 'as things stand' when talking about NL opportunities bviously you need more interest in the sport all around in order to get more kids wanting to get on Speedway bikes. However that is a completely different argument to whether this lad might take a place that is desperately needed by somebody else.

I am all in favour of the NL being for British lads but if there is a British parent I can't see how he could possibly be denied a place - if his ability justifies it - he is British end of story. As things stand I believe the opportunities are there for youngsters of a suitable standard to break into the NL, it's the step(s) up from there that need sorting or possibly the places for middle average NL riders are where it starts to break down. I think a few years ago there would have been a valid point about there being too many of doubtful patriality in the league but I will put my tenner alongside Vog's if you can list more than 5 current riders.

Too true! How dare they put money into a Speedway track?

I have seen quite a lot of Robert practicing this year and the lad is definitly a special talent. However if it were down to me I would have him ride NL next year alongside whatever meetings he can get in Germany. It would seem very likely that he will only get beaten now and again in the NL but it will happen. It would also give him a lot more experience of different tracks and conditions in competitive circumstances, difficult to see how that can be bad thing until he is 16 and able to move up a league (or 2).

You really need to get over yourself and recognise that just because somebody holds a different opinion to you doesn't automatically make them wrong. I am not a Poole or especially a Holder fan, in fact Nicki P is probably my favourite rider but I never thought it was a clear cut decision and on review think the ref made the correct call. Clearly my opinion is not as important as yours (in your mind) but I'm pretty sure this forum is here so I can state it.

I hate that saying ever since I first heard it from an ACU official who had never sat on a bike in his life. It's crap when applied to most motorcycle racing and hardly applies to Speedway at all. If Holder had shut off everybody would have been down. I already said that I first thought Holder should have been excluded and seeing it again I still think he could have been but all 4 back was also a fair decision in the circumstances. In my opinion it was nowhere near clear cut and obvious who was at fault. The only reason to exclude Holder would have been that onto the run into the corner he could have predicted what was about to happen and the more I have seen it the more I tend to think my first opinion was wrong and the ref right.

I thought Holder should have gone (and I wanted him to be champ) but my son thought it was the correct decision. Difficult call and nowhere near as obvious as some on here are saying imo.

OK, I can't resist asking why you brought him to the UK instead of Denmark or whatever?

I think I get it perfectly well even if I don't agree with your obviously superior view! I didn't know that the Russians, Poles and Danes allowed 14 year old riders to compete in their adult leagues. Do the Danish youngsters even get to ride 500cc bikes at that age? I also disagree that young Mr Lambert is at the correct level, as far as I have seen I would consider him to be an exceptional talent at age 14 - for any nationality. Ideally he might need a higher level of competition but it is my opinion that putting him into adult leagues is not the way to do that. As for everyone else being below par - perhaps the continual criticism and lack of support for British youngsters by people like yourself is another reason they take longer to make the grade. Finally Robert Lambert is a young lad who needs time and people to get behind him. If topics in this vein keep appearing other people will be getting him a reputation for being full of himself that he doesn't deserve. The rules are in place, they might not be perfect, or even close but you can't start allowing exceptions (unless he signs for Poole of course )

I have seen Robert practicing a few times this year and he is a very, very good rider wih a lot of potential, he is also a kid. In my opinion whether he is good enough to compete against adults has very little to do with whether he should be at his age, especially in the PL or EL. What do riders who have to compete against him do? rough him up into the first bend and take the flack for being hard on him - after all 'he is only a kid' would be the cry the first time somebody put him into the fence. Alternatively they could take it easy on him and get hammered by their own fans for not being hard enough. There is also the possiblity that being in the adult leagues at his age could result in problems and injuries that kill his passion for the sport. He can practice, he can compete in the U16 Championship and probably win it without breaking sweat, he can then take part in the NL when he is 15 where he will get to race against some experienced riders and he will do very well in my opinion. That might not be stiff competition for him but at 14 & 15 years old it is experience and then when he is 16 and has matured a bit he will be allowed to take on the worlds best if he is good enough. The final problem is that if you make a new rule to allow him to upgrade to adult racing early what happens when Joe Bloggs wants to do the same and he is nearly as good as Robert then Fred Smith wants to upgrade because he is nearly as good as Joe?

Sorry to go off subject but I wanted to mention the actual track at Leicester Only time I have been there was a few weeks ago and for flattrack not Speedway. I thought that the track is an unusual shape with the bends too tight for the straights (or the straights too long for the bends!) however the problem when I saw it was that the surface wasn't binding together to produce grip. This is something I have noticed elsewhere, especially with new tracks, presumably in the 'good old days' all the oil being dumped on the surface quickly stuck everything together nicely but things take a lot longer with only water doing the job. The surface appeared very 'marbly' as though it could do with more fines to pack it down, however that may well not be the case as there might have been plenty of fines packed underneath. Maybe working with the surface could produce an improvement more quickly and less expensively than changing the shape although changing the shape would be the ideal. Too much grip though and it could be a nightmare I should think so it's a very fine line. Then again maybe they have already tried everything they can with the surface and I am talking nonsense!

On one hand we have a couple of newspaper reports, on the other a forum member who has discussed the exact situation with the event Promoter. Why are people forming their opinion on newspaper reports coupled with a bit of guesswork?

Personally think transponders would be bad for Speedway. It wouldn't be long before people were asking for the figures to be made available to the public and I have a feeling that the speeds advertised and those proven by transponders at various points of the track might be a bit different. Could be one of those cases where what is believed or accepted is more impressive than the reality and all for the sake of something that happens extremely rarely.

People are claiming there is less talent around than in the past, I really believe the opposite to be true and think there is a huge depth of talent out there. The gulf between the top few and the rest is so wide because over a GP series experience of tracks and set up's is far more important than for a one off final. Same reason older riders are at the forefront I believe, after all it would be quite possible for Sayfutdinov or Lindback for example to pull of a win at a winner takes all World Final. If there is lack of ability spread through the ranks how is it possible for a sub 5 point PL rider to be all but on the pace at a GP? I don't believe it's because the GP riders are less talented than their forebears rather that the standard in modern Speedway is extremely high throughout the leagues. The likes of Briggs and Mauger would be at the top in any era but I honestly believe that if you take a step back to the 'average' rider the standard today is vastly improved