mikebv

UK Speedway is unique in that you basically choose your own level to compete in... You get hardly any publicity for winning anything and there is no major financial reward for victory... In fact. Success can (and has), helped close tracks down... There is no promotion or relegation meaning that many meetings become pretty much 'dead rubbers' as we hit mid season, given it is often clear by then who will qualify for the play offs and who won't... And. Getting beat regularly at home can dissuade home fans from attending but similarly, hammering teams regularly at home can also have the same negative impact to crowd levels,, especially when play off positions are virtually assured months out, and weak opposition are in town... Therefore. Having close racing throughout a meeting, and keeping scores close enough to remain "interesting" has to be the major priority, and the only way to do that is equally share out those riders who make the main difference to both the racing standard and the score line, ie. The Heat Leaders.. And if that means a deadline in place of say December for each team to say they will run then so be it, and should they come to the table after that then they run NDL...

Proper marker thrown down by Wroclaw tonight.. Juniors look very strong too....

Looking from the head on camera, not sure Holder could see too well... Seemed to have quite dusty goggles and tear off....

Fair call, didn't touch him... Jack bailed out.... 50/50... Chuganuv lifted but controlled it and Holder still had room... Did a Nicki P... Majic showing his usual early season form... Best rider in the world till June every year....

Dan gating!!!!! What is going on?

Kowalski seems more than decent....

Good recovery from "Tai Bewley" there...

6-0 to GB in Ht 1... Two good races to start..

I know... Wheres the fun? My lad from U14 had photo registration on the FA website... It does though mean any transfers he has had move over at a click of a button... He now plays semi pro and got registered Friday and played the Monday after, earlier this season... No "guests" anymore....

Great ride from Holder... One man team unfortunately..

Thanks R and R... Maybe Ostrow using this season as one to earn a few quid to help build up for a longer stay in the top league a few years down the line.. Getting a few young lads in will help down the road maybe... NB. Got a bit lucky in the last one, but on the pace...

Takes me back to my Sunday League playing days in the mid 80's and early 90's... Used to get a tenner a game to replace some under performing, or "injured" players in big games... Obviously no internet then so my registration was not quite up to speed, and no photo identification either... Never an issue as long as I remembered who I was if (usually when), I got booked... Always wondered why the refs never got suspicious when they booked me and I said my name was "Steve such and such", or "Paul somebody", when for the previous hour all the players were shouting "Mike"... A mate of mine used to do the same and sometimes we were against each other and sometimes on the same side.. Looking back now, we were like the "Scotty and Bomber" of the Stockport and District Sunday League....

Matias Nielsen? This level? Never heard of him to be honest..

Indeed .. Common sense isnt it? But whilst UK Speedway ludicrously allows clubs to "pick and choose" which league they want to race in then it simply will carry on with out of their depth teams...

The problem with any minimum limit is that you can still be over it but full of riders with assessed averages based on "heaven knows"... All very subjective and, invariably, inaccurate... For me, the HL's being as close as possible collectively is key, given the amount of rides they have, both to keep the score "interesting" but (far more importantly), keeping the 14 or so races they contribute to a match, worth watching.... In a sport that has no real financial reward in winning for the teams, nor any relegation or promotion to keep things interesting as the season goes by, then having as many competitive meetings (and as many competitive races within those meetings as possible), must be the over riding No1 priority for the sport...

The root cause of course being the lack of a "proper" team levelling system... Each year it happens that the teams start "pretty equal" on paper, but each season one or two clearly stand out as being not good enough from the very outset and live up to that billing by ending dozens of league points behind the leading teams, and hundreds of race points behind too... Given the lack of riders of HL level there really does need to be some kind of maximum figure for the top three, within an overall team average.. Given the HL's will invariably most weeks ride in 14 of the 30 races each team has, more if Tac Sub, having each team with a "similar level" of top three has to be the way forward if you want to have competitive meetings, and keep the entertainment value up to the standard which attracts people back.. Having teams out of their depth is simply no good for anyone's business, so why do they allow it to consistently happen?

Ambition can bankrupt you and close you down in many sports... With Speedway being one of them that is particularly risky given the lack of any real financial remuneration for success when put up against the added money being paid out when you have a good season home and away.. Happiness Is 46-44.... And whatever happens away from home, happens... With many teams I would think being not too upset at the odd 30 to 35 point score now and again..

Great riding from Cierniak given the pressure he was under. Controlled the race brilliantly...

Big year for Kubera... I think he could break through into that very top level over the next two or three years...

Never really understood the seemingly dislike for RR by some people... It keeps the meeting, and therefore the whole league and sport in that country, credible.. And means the actual team wins (not "six riders and a ringer" wins) thus maintaining true team spirit and the ethos of a proper team sport.. And also provides the six men with the potential to earn more money... You could argue that an injury means you are down to five men but two injuries mean you are down to five too, and given the nature of the sport injuries happen all the time and at any moment... Poland in particular have true strength in depth so RR can be no disadvantage, and the Polish authorities will also be very mindful of the unmitigated disaster that would befall them and the sport over there, if they allowed "guests" similar to how they are allowed over here..

It could be a huge risk for me... If they get to a stage where there is a backlog of meetings to be "crammed in" then, given the large cost of living increases, I am not sure finding the money for three, four, or even five, visits a month, paid out of one pay cheque, will be doable for everyone... By August/September the impact of the inflationary issues will be in full swing, just as the season goes towards its end...

They have bought all the diesel in Norfolk for their weekly "Tractorathon"....

Was it 75 - 0 ???? Fair play to the Brummies Promoters... Running the meeting a night before Leicester turn up is a stroke of genius....

What? No! No! No! When did that attitude start? Winning at all costs has to be the mantra. ... There are massive competitions out there to be won, which deliver untold rewards... Three Div One Heat leaders is the minimum requirement for any self respecting Div Two team... And if some clubs cannot achieve that then tough, they all have the same points limit... Although reaching somewhere near that points limit might be difficult without Div One heat leaders, I would imagine, so maybe a tiny flaw in the cunning plan there, but anyway, enough of this "bolshy talk"... Hammering the (far too many), also rans has to be the target.... So some can rejoice in so many famous victories by massive margins... Happiness used to be 40-38... Now it's 60-30.... Are you going to let the Promoters know the fans want to see close matches? If so, break it to them gently as it will obviously come as a monumentally huge shock to some.......

Is that every GP live on Eurosport 2? Or is it some live on there and some live on Discovery?