mikebv

It isnt too difficult to share around the rider talent pool is it...? Which is far more important to the survival/development of the sport than any single team winning any of the trophies on offer.. Lose a team and 600 to 800 fans minimum a week are gone... Where as a trophy winning team wont get anything like that in increased admission numbers...

Surely after being out of UK Speedway since 2013 he should get a reduction?

Every league could have the same... If every rider was listed on here and you had to grade them one to seven, and put ten riders in each grade, I am 100% sure that the vast majority on here would agree on around 90% of the riders with the other 10% being a close call within two grades... Therefore, why not do the same when compiling the teams? One rider from each grade per team... Still use rider's averages, and keep a mean average maximum team points total to ensure no team can pick the best riders from each grade..,

100% re Div 2.... Best of both worlds currently, loads of Div 1 riders and the best of Div 3, and can ride on any night of the week, except Monday and Thursday, using the weekends which is a key time for the entertainment industry.. Standardised engines are for me one of the two major ways to reduce costs... The other (less popular I am sure), being "just pay less" to semi pro riders... Use standardised engines for league racing, sealed units, and similar to F1, any replacement parts must be itemised and records kept of each key part within the machine... Any changes can be viewed on Zoom, Skype etc and signed off by scrutineers watching, and then confirmed as still legal at the next meeting when the riders arrive with the bike.. Two basic GM bikes and machines per rider is what? £10k? And if any rider wants to compete at international level then they can do this using whatever level of machinery they wish to do so... Meaning, if they want to spend £30k (and often well above) on machinery replacing a box standard bike with best clutch, best carbs, best handlebars, best furry dice etc etc, to pursue individual dreams (which has very little in the way of positive impact to crowds at club level), then they can, but this kit wont be allowed to be used in domestic Speedway...

Maybe ominous for their GP places? Or maybe being a mainly individual sport they will be allowed to ride under a non Russian flag, like other individual sports have done.. I would imagine the Polish League's will also be monitoring their suitability for League racing too.. Although, that would leave huge holes to fill for their teams, especially given no top level replacements would be available..

Agreed, so give up fixed nights and ride on any evening or day when enough of the top riders are available... I do laugh when people blame Poland for so many of the UK issues... "How are they allowed to get away with it? "They shouldn't be allowed to implement these restrictions" etc... Restrictions? The UK is the ONLY domestic Speedway league which runs on Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat and Sunday... The UK is the ONLY domestic Speedway league that chooses to run head to head directly against FIM meetings... So who is getting restricted? In short. The UK ride SEVEN evenings a week. Some restriction... I do think it is 'very convenient' to blame Poland as let's be honest, the fixed race nights plan was supposed to ensure the top riders could ride over here, and this was done well before the Poles put the restrictions on, and guess what? They didn't come over.... In reality. The fixed race night is in place in the UK so the sport can stil have more than one league and appear "structured" and also ensure some promoters feel that they operate st the "highest level"... However, the only way to compete at this "highest level' is to use exactly the same riders from the two levels below... Which is a 'happy coincidence'' given it also ensures 'x' number of riders don't miss out on any meetings going.... Monday to Sunday...

You can only presume those who have picked this as the first meeting must know broadly what Birmingham's team will look like? Who just said at the back "They should tell Birmingham what it is then!" I am sure they will have tried to pick a meeting that won't contain too many juniors or guests, first up...

Fixed race nights are only in place to ensure the 2nd Division has a certain level of rider, and that this certain level of rider gets the chance to ride for teams in two leagues... Surely therefore, it would be better to run the odd meeting without the likes of Dan Bewley and other top riders, and make the most of the opportunities brought when they are available... As has been shown for decades. Guests and RR are a fundamental part of the sport with or without fixed race nights, so just carry on as normal. (As this will happen anyway)... Ironically non fixed race nights might actually help get a fair few top talents back, riding on a flexible ad hoc basis. Use Monday and Thursday's as "core nights" if needed, but try and work around the agendas of the top riders and race on other nights where possible... And if some meetings have to take place without them, then so be it, (been like that for ages anyway)... A team with Fricke and Bewley for example, whilst not the level of Ipswich with T Rick and Gollob et al would still generate a fair bit of interest I would suggest... Even if it was for only 70% of the meetings... There will be plenty of RR and Guests next season, there always is, so make it a part of the plan not a reactive fix, and try and get a few "big names" over here even if only for the odd meeting or so.. Hopefully the PCMM will show what is possible crowd wise when you get "big names" together...

"Declassified down to the same status as the other minor leagues"..... Kapow! Smack! Blam! Freudian slip?

To be fair to them... Most times they show transparency it highlights so many glaring issues that they immediately get lept upon, with all the obvious issues being called out... Thus rendering their operating plan wide open to ridicule... Therefore, much better to keep as much as possible "in house" and try and fudge their way through...

The Price Point is interesting for me.... £22 standing, £24 and £27 for seating.... That calibre of rider on show, so early in the season, 'should' get 2500 or so I would suggest.... And if so, over £50k income would be a good return for a domestic Speedway meeting... Got two £24 seats bought....

If it was away meetings he missed I doubt the Aces would have bothered too much, if at all... He would have been at the NSS most Mondays so home crowds would have been good... And, let's be honest, that is the key priority in Speedway, as it helps ensure survival. In fact, going away with an NDL reserve would probably save a fair few quid, so the best of both worlds... For decades many a team have gone away missing their best riders but (miraculously), always seeming to have their best available for home fixtures, so it wouldn't be anything new... Whatever has prevented it happening, it's a shame for British Speedway as a team with Fricke and Bewley would have been a crowd puller wherever they went...

Biggest crowd of the season, inclusive of even if they reach the play offs, I would say if that is the line up... Monday evening or not....

Quide liderally one of those guys who spoke publigly like they thought they were an Amerigan radio DJ... Gread made.... Probably did a lod of work for charidee but didn'd like to tawg aboud id....

I am sure Mark will put the correct Pisces together.. If he doesn't eel be told he is a right spratt by salmon.......

It is only quite a pretty recent (ish) thing for clubs to name their teams pre Xmas... Many a year has been spent going into press and practice days with line ups getting confirmed not too many days before.. Whatever team they end up with, the racing will be very good I am sure..

The Award for the most mentions on the BSF saying that he isn't very good as a team manager?

I agree re their level... However, the goal posts were moved re the standard of Div 3 to protect Div 2, meaning the bottom league would have been a hard sell given the rent needed... The "old" Div 3 would have been "perfect" for a good few teams currently I would say...

The Div 1 pairs event that is being ran in the UK could also be worth a visit... Depending on who is there obviously... If it ends up with Scott and Bomber riding for three teams each on the night it gets to your track then it might not be worth it...

They are using a model which seems to bring success in the USA and Oz in particular... Having seen it at first hand in the States it certainly "brings the town out", and you can easily spend 3 hours watching what goes on due to the variety of racing that is on offer, without once thinking, "this is dragging"... For some, Speedway will always be about team racing (ironic given it is such an individual sport), but sadly, in this country, the lines get blurred somewhat meaning it isn't really a "proper team sport", hence in lots of places only die hards remain... A shame really, because the raw product is a good as it ever has been for me, hence the IOW use it as their "core product", then build the rest of the "event" around it.... With VFM being the overall aim of what they deliver... Give people what they want, at a price point that they are willing to pay, and guess what? They more than likely will come back... Who knew? The next couple of years will see who can really promote their business and provide a credible offer at a price point which enough find acceptable to purchase, and that just isn't in Speedway but all business's... Maybe two teams per meeting, seven riders per team (any ad hoc seven riders per team I should have said), has had its day after so many decades and new ideas will flourish...? And that radical overhaul and reset that should have taken place during lockdown, actually does take place, and subsequently delivers a bright new dawn...? (He laughed knowingly as several porcine looking animals were flying passed his window..)....

Hopefully, (Covid willing), I will get to travel around Europe watching the Polish Leagues, the GP's and the SON.. Got my Cardiff ticket already... Will spend a fair few quid taking me and my lad on flights, hotels and tickets etc, however.... The Speedway I watch will be a credible offering featuring the best in the world... Sadly neither will be on show in the UK... Hence, on the main, I keep my money away from the UK promoters, save for (maybe), a couple of last minute decisions on "pleasant evenings" during the summer when you can guarantee the meeting is on (and no guests are there)... The Peter Craven meeting always seems to provide great racing so that too may get a visit depending on line up and weather on the night... Who knows, maybe one day UK Speedway will at least equal the sum of its parts, and crowd levels rise accordingly....

The rent/(mortgage) was quoted as £5k a week I think at the outset.. The intention being to use the facility as a money earner seven days a week.. If memory serves, they were paying over £3k a match at the old place so from a business perspective it did make sense.. Maybe now the Aces just rent the facilty like everyone else does on matchdays only?

To be fair, it is a situation repeated at many conurbations around the country... It's just that as its "Britain's Second City"* I suppose the lack of decent crowds stands out s bit more... * The "Britain's Second City" comment is I know subjective and is disputed by many Londoners who feel that their City holds that accolade... Behind Manchester obviously.. ....

When announcing that they would take over the club, the consortium did say that they would assess at the end of the season how things had gone, and that they wouldnt just throw money at it (like some do).... It seemed from the interview they gave the SS a few months back that they were confident of having the finances in place to support at least one season, then review how things were.... In all honesty, I do think that they will need plenty of sponsorship on board given the history of low crowds at Birmingham over the past several years.. When I went around 8 years ago I think I was (at 46), the second youngest spectator there, with my then 10 year old lad the actual youngest... Fingers crossed for those willing to at least give it a go...

And I will be joining them in September as I hit 55.... You just make sure you keep working hard to ensure the economy prospers and my pension remains a good one.... And keep paying those taxes too, so when I need the NHS in my frail dotage, they can spend thousands on me..... I may even buy a season ticket the year after for the Aces... So no slacking......