mikebv

And you get emails from the BSN team, advertising their product, and making sure I dont forget they exist... Almost like they understand the way that to be successful today your online presence and targeted marketing is key... Who'd have thought that? Will be signing up as an extra Xmas present to my wife... I am sure she will be delighted...

With averages used that will have been delivered by riding at other tracks.. A 38 point overall team could be several points up on that at home if filled by track specialists.. Delivering big enough home wins to get the aggregate BP is the aim this year..

It's like the American Baseball version of the British Speedway Premiership Play Off Final... But with massive crowds, huge financial rewards, loads of publicity, everlasting fame, credibility and kudos...

World Series seats behind the umpire £5000 dollars...

I think the way that some tracks simply almost "gave up" over the years, and just produced a "racing card" suggests that programmes were "on their way out" at their tracks, and were not cost effective for them... As has been said, there really should be a "real time" app available that updates each heat, aggregate score, times of each rider, average speed of each rider, averages up to the very moment, riders head to head history etc etc .. Considering Speedway almost drowns itself in figures, it is a huge opportunity to use them more publicly. Baseball is an example where "stats" get used to engage its punters, and keep then informed and hopefully interested..

You cannot put an 'App' in the loft...

It is a shame the BSPL dont be more "open", as all it does, by not divulging information, is to give off the impression that they must be concerned about their own rationale used to set up the rules... Maybe a little fearful that the rationale would be "ripped to bits" on the various social media channels and the letters page of the Speedway Star? It does often appear that within a hour or so of some "rule or regulation" getting launched , the various overlooked obvious issues with it get brought up on here and other Speedway forums, so maybe there is a wariness to fully go public on their operating model given the feedback..? You do get the odd promoter at club functions be more transparent so not really sure why the collective dont do the same via press releases.. It would paint them in a much more professional light... Riders averages in particular are always something the "die hards" like to know and use the info to put together their own septets.. Not for me personally, but keeping your most loyal punters engaged is extremely important...

Thought the RS was scrapped...? Brennan and all the RS's from last year got a 25% reduction in their average but are not RS's this year... (I think)... But, you never know...

What you read in them is invariably on the internet via a club website or on here, already.. And some are months out of date if the initial meeting was rained off... And at circa £20 now to get in "a night at the speedway" has become something many now need to plan in as part or their disposable income post all the living costs being paid.. A family of four in particular will be having to make some serious juggling of spending to afford attending their local track over the next season I would think... Programmes, Car parking fees and even food may be getting a swerve just so people can afford to watch the action.. The really important part of the night...

The Poles wouldnt put the standard of rider in their top league as a "junior" that this country does... The 2nd and 3rd Divs are the place for Rising Stars of all levels and ages, with the best then progressing to a protected No7 slot in the top league, with a 2 yr max protection...

A great call, long overdue by tracks if they want to encourage Season ticket sales.. Personally, I would find a pre paid charge too restrictive in running my business as it would prevent me doing adhoc marketing through the year to encourage less loyal punters each week, but Speedway seems to see some value in them.. Not sure it has the same cash flow impact that in "days of yore" it had though... My only add on would be to ditch the free programme and do a season ticket with the free programme value removed.. I never buy a programme, so knocking 3 quid off each meeting may persuade me to get a season ticket.. Good to see a promotion thinking with innovation though isnt it?

£5k a meeting...? That's £10k to find from your home meeting to pay for the away one as well.. £14k before VAT... At £20 to get in that would mean the first 700 punters just pay for him... Or someone brings in a BIG sponsor... Might be "someone else" I would guess....!!

Dont think he really means it...

Which to be fair was always how it used to be in both leagues... Teams will always start building teams from "the top" unless no riders left are available of that level. These teams will then go for "strength in depth"... When points limits are reduced the middle level riders invariably become the ones that lose their places.. It does though mean better rider availability for replacements to riders of a similar level through the season...

A very solid team which should be play off certainties... Covers a lot of bases... A top class No1 so plenty of top class guests if needed to replace him.. A still improving No5 who isnt far off reaching the top level.. Charles Wright is more a natural No4 than a No3 but if he does drop anything off his average then the expectation would be Lidsey improves his numbers by at least the same, meaning always a solid back up to the top two.. And Brennan and Blodorn will no doubt swap places during the season meaning the Aces always will have a "very decent" reserve, meaning Mulford shouldn't be under any pressure to perform above his current level.. The Aces can score 50 plus against any team at the NSS so come head to head play off time they will feel very confident...

The way the majority of fans now watch it I would say... A great spectacle and can still be a great evening out, but best not to take the outcome too seriously given the often contrived nature of its operating model.. I attended five meetings last year in the UK domestic leagues, including both play offs, and they were great entertainment, with some good "old school" hard riding and plenty of controversy.. The fact the Aces won was "a bonus", but if the Tigers had won I would still have felt that I had watched two excellent sporting contests to rival anything else, entertainment wise, that I had paid to see in 2022... No point putting a club under financial pressure simply to try to win any Speedway league given the lack of financial reward and publicity generated by "success"... Only one team can be Champions at the end of each season, but all need to be in existence at the end of each season...

Wait till September.. The leagues dont start until then...

Because fans dont need to know these details... Just pay your 20 odd quid or more, and be quiet.... The BSP know best. .

Just like the hare.....

I remember it was quoted that over £100k was the difference between the "old rate" and the "new rate" for some top class riders at the time, and that some of them simply were not going to ride... Hence some got sponsored by "companies" that suddenly sprang up.... And then everyone got paid the going rate...

He mentions how getting 'someone' in the role of "leader" is an aim, but that 'someone'would need to have the money to properly "lead the sport"... His role as far as I can see is more a 'sounding board' for any queries that come to light rather than a visionary who sets out how the sport will evolve... His influence on the sport will begin and end with his own club Scunthorpe I would suggest, no more than that, similar to how every other promoter influences the sport... Great to see The Star doing such interesting interviews with those who are heavily involved in UK Speedway's "success", or not, as the case may be... And good to hear that much of what we often on here complain about is getting some focus on trying to improve.. More open information from those who run the sport would certainly help their image and maybe engage more support for them...?

Whether he is or not, you dont see a queue of promoters fighting with each other to take over from him do you? A thankless task I would imagine... I remember reading Jon Cook's summary of his time on the MC in the Star and the amount of pressure he got put under when being asked (often at the last minute), to make a ruling on a guest replacement for example... Promoters threatening to not run meetings, close tracks down, if they didnt get the result they wanted... Unfortunately so much of the issue all goes back ultimately to having a "subjective rule book" rather than a "specific" one... Meaning interpretation is often allowed... With the ultimate in fudge and cop out being the "in Speedway's interest" catch all caveat.... So many issues... Yet. So many are self inflicted...

Something Rob Godfrey alluded too as well... Semi pro standard for the majority (like it used to be), has to be the way forward... I bet there have never been so many "pro riders", looking for 12 months money for six months work, and at a time when there has never been so few fans to fund this desire and expectation... An equation that simply doesnt add up...

Another excellent read this week.. Part 1 of an interview with David Gordon being particularly enlightening... He mentions the Sky money and how it varied from £1m to £1.5m a year in total, and basically paid for "highly priced GP riders to race in the Elite League" which left no money over for investment in the sport.. A good interview with Rob Godfrey too, which details some of the background work being done re saving tracks and reducing costs... An excellent publication once again....

The Scenario we have is this... Speedway at a brand new purpose built stadium... On the same site that has showcased the sport for decades... In a well populated town where pretty much everyone will have heard of Swindon Speedway at some stage... With a great many of them knowing exactly where it is and will at some stage have visited.... And also got decent crowds which were some of the best in the country... Isn"t "viable".... Yet.. Building a completely new track "somewhere" within a 45 minute radius of this well populated town with a tradition for following Speedway in numbers, seemingly WILL be "viable"... All very "strange" isnt it? Are the dogs still going by the way? As wasnt that the issue Swindon Speedway wouldnt be viable..? If so, I presume the dogs will go with them "somewhere" within a 45 minute radius too, as they appear to be fundamental to Speedways success..