mikebv

In fairness... The promoters put demands on them to have the best kit... Which costs several thousands for two bikes minimum... To help them win something they shockingly then devalue by using such a ludicrous operating model.. An incredible business plan.. Personally, I think they should keep the top riders and reduce the "middle order" and the "RS"... As, the top riders must bring a few more in than would ordinarily go... As everyone knows, a struggling business needs to either increase turnover or reduce costs... Now, given increasing turnover seems to be a challenge, then cost reduction has to be the way forwards.. And the easiest and quickest way to do that is by reducing head count.. However, a business with seven employees wouldn't lose its top two people, as that would close the thing down... Instead it would make savings further down the line, and hope the top two would drive enough turnover... For me, five man teams, no make weights, all over 4.5 point average... That would release seven 3rd HLs/SS's immediately to potentially cover either as official "squad riders" or short tern replacements... With a six team top league, not a bad starting point to bring some desperately needed credibility..

I know most get covered their costs by other outside income than points money... Therefore, surely that should be "boom time" for the clubs shouldn't it? Big names, potentially no costs, so just sit back and watch those stands fill up... Kerching .. The reality of course is something different... NB And if sponsors do cover all the costs, I suppose the question must be.. Why is it around 20 to 25% more expensive to watch Speedway now than it was pre COVID in 2020? Maybe that is a bigger reason for the current crowd levels than the level of riders on show?

They have already had riding here, or brought in over the past two seasons... Woffy, Emil, Doyle, Bewley, Kurtz, Fricke, Holder, Lindgren, Holder, Janowski, MJJ,, Zagar, Kvech, Lidsey and B Cook... All either Ex World Champs, or GP winners, some being multiple GP winners, some are GP riders, others being well known names, or Polish top tier riders.. And most tracks have seen no increase in crowds, with some actually showing less... Yet their costs have increased by using these riders... How do you afford even more "top level riders?" so your crowds can magically grow?

I had a vision of someone reading out the statement at the monthly PZM meeting... And the reaction from all there being like that Smash advert from the 80's....

Leicester 6/1.... Worth a punt I think...

The crowds dropped in big numbers whilst the likes of Trick, Pedersen, Hancock, Crump, Adams, Loram, et al, all rode over here... The fact that most left when the Sky money ran out suggests that this was the only thing keeping them here... Meaning crowd numbers alone were not enough to pay them what they required... Therefore, their presence didn't deliver enough attendees to justify the outlay required without Sky money... The same has happened since the "top talent" has come back... Great to see them ride, but they are not, at most tracks, bringing extra fans in through the turnstiles... To the many millions around the country who have never heard of Speedway, Robert Lambert will mean as much to them as Simon Lambert..

Not many successful entities use an operating model that they used 50 years ago... With their reason for doing so being... "We did it 50 years ago"....

100% agree, however... UK Speedway has put themselves into such a position that they need these riders more than the riders need UK Speedway... There is simply no deterrent as UK Speedway cannot afford to have one...

That will certainly teach him.... And, be a lesson for anyone else who may think about doing something similar... I think we can all agree... This type of thing won't happen again...

The riding style of today gives little room to pass... They enter turns now pretty much sideways, whereas they used to go into them almost grass track like, with left foot forwards and then hooking the bike up when it hit the dirt... Meaning the rider behind had options... Now there is no dirt so riders can just fly into the dust knowing they won't get fired off anywhere, by hitting any grip... The tyres too are conducive to slick circuits whereas the hard compound ones used years ago were conducive to grippier circuits.. At a track like Sheffield, any rider going in to a bend sideways, and riding a two thirds track, will mean there is very little space outside him to go around, and with no grip on the kerb, it means little opportunity to pass, especially at the speed they go there.. Several tracks have widened their bends to give more entry and exit lines, and give riders behind potential room to go around opponents who have locked up, filling a large portion of the turn... The reality is with the modern riding style, the more circular, wider circuits provide the best racing, and converting a more oval, narrower one, into this design isn't easy... Sheffield actually has the shape, but probably needs at least three metre's taking off the inside given how the air fence has impacted the racing there...

One of the key plusses for watching Speedway at the NSS is the fact that the Aces do, so many times, get out gated by their rivals.... And then use their set ups to reel in their opponents. Set ups based on the home advantage every team has... The challenge for the Aces lies away from home where such starting costs them greatly, given the much less opportunity to pass that most other tracks offer.. Sheffield last night was fast, with the riders riding out wide on the one dirt line, which in itself is exciting to see, however, from a TV perspective it looked very much like follow the leader with lots of races having four riders equidistant apart riding over the same part of the track... A track with bends just too narrow, and too slick, for the straight line speeds generated, which negates passing opportunities... The NSS also provides grip on the inside up against the kerb for pretty much most of the meeting which provides another passing opportunity that many other tracks seem to struggle to provide...

Max traditionally starts the season well, then has a dip, before hitting form again in all his leagues about now.. It is the play offs where he struggles to win his head to heads against his fellow GP riders... If he can sort that, Leicester have a great chance against anyone..

Technicalway...😁

Once again, If any of Emil, Doyle or Dan T have an "off night" away from home.. The "engine room" struggle to handle that extra pressure and cover their points... Must be worrying for the Witches come play off time, especially if it is Leicester who are dark horses if Fricke can maintain his usual two thirds of the season results into the play offs..

Bloody throttle jockey's..... Just showing off, scraping the fence, blasting around their opponents... I prefer tracks where you have to show track craft, where you turn the bike hard by locking up, scrubbing speed off, and often straightening up as you nearly high side, then locking up again before you hit the fence.. He who stays on the fastest wins... Proper Speedway that .😀...

Too many throttle jockey's seemingly... You need "track craft" to make Speedway watchable, I have heard. ... Pickering flying around the fence is surely what fans pay money to watch?

You cannot have both Oxford and Birmingham being rubbish in a seven team league... Especially when four qualify for the play offs... Hopefully, six teams next year, with five riders each... No rider below 4.5 average... Each team competitive... Do that, and the play off qualifiers will have some jeopardy and the results have some consequence... Which could increase the "qualifiers" crowds...?

See.... Ianb has the right answer..... He knows his onions...

Great ride from Tungate to keep Holder behind... Charles Wright having a vape in the pits... Is that allowed in a stadium?

PC used to miss League meeting on Saturday's to ride Longtrack in Germany on Sundays... Hello Larry Ross, Pete Smith, John Titman, Martin Ashby* to replace him.. * Use as applicable..... The difference from today was?... You only found out after you had paid to get in.... 😯 The modern promoters must hate the internet... 😁

Signing a decent No1 provides access to most of the league... On a horses for courses basis too, as a nice Brucey Bonus...

Well.... Mickey Mouse definitely has a certain synergy...

Too many passes.... Amazingly Hyde Rd had the same issue where riders could pass outside and inside... The last thing you need is someone flying around the outside, scraping the fence to pass an opponent like both Kurtz and Bewley do, (and Fricke also).. Hopefully Will Cairns goes through his career using "track craft" and ignores all that nonsense...

Until this country builds its operating model to not depend on so few riders, then the riders will always hold all the cards... And. Banning them isn't an answer, given they are so needed, and still have their, by far, major income from elsewhere to fall back on.. And it just means more Mickey Mouse guestfests... And. As Poland head towards the play offs it could be even beneficial for their riders to actually get banned over here!!! So, banning isn't much of a deterrent is it? The BSP have certainly put themselves into a position with very little to bargain with during any negotiations...

The BSP have put themselves into a position where they are painted into a (very small) corner.... On here we have fans from track after track saying "we need replacements" yet the reality is very, very few riders want to come and ride over here.. The reputation of the tracks being part of the lack of enthusiasm, (bloody throttle jockey's eh?), and many simply don't want to take on extra work given lots do Poland, Sweden and their own country already.. Hence the teams start with the riders who do wish to ride over here, with very few interested others.. So, instead of doing the logical thing and reducing team places to create some spare riders, or running with less teams in each league, and keeping Div 3 at a decent level to accommodate those clubs incapable of competing at Div 2 level... They fudged around, making do and mending, having almost everyone doubling up, running leagues with teams completely out of their depth using up rider resource, but also allowing teams to ride in leagues below their organic status just so they could be a big fish in a small pond.. They did all that rather than building a set long term clear vision for the sport, where they were self sufficient, with clear demarcation between the leagues, and organic progressional growth for both teams and riders.... Instead of relying on the crumbs dropped from the Polish table... Like so many issues facing the sport today, all this was called out well over a decade ago on here and in Speedway publications, yet, as always seems to be the case, no one in the BSP saw any issues whatsoever, so just carried on as always... I don't blame the riders given the pressure they are under from their other employer who pays them between five and ten times more, as logically we would all do the same... It's the reliance on these riders that should have been sorted out, a long time ago...