mikebv

If so, maybe Buxton could return?

I can guarantee one way to stop the Sponsors and TV companies chucking money in is for Poland to run their Speedway Leagues like the BSPA do theirs over here..

Spot on.. Sponsors put big money in to be associated with the best and are obviously happy that they are dealing with a clearly well respected brand.. This standard then delivers great TV coverage and means Polish Speedway can actually auction their meetings to the media, rather than take any meagre pickings thats offered by a single interested party.. That great blanket TV and audio coverage then helps engage a new generation of fans, as well as delivering great coverage for the sponsors to the right demographic they wish to engage with.. It also makes means big money to the riders, which makes being s speedway rider in Poland a truly aspirational career which can bring huge rewards, therefore training schools are full and a conveyer belt of talent is pretty much assured.. This money coming in then means realistic admission costs which encourage families in particular to attend as it remains firmly within their budgets, meaning younger fans start to take notice of the sport to hopefully maintain a strong future for it.. As you say, doing very nicely at the moment... I am sure though being very forward looking, they will still be contemplating how they can improve their current operation further.. Winners never stand still, because they know that if they do they will effectively fall behind competitors who are moving forwards.. Maybe to improve things going forward, they will think of dropping the weekends and run on those 'traditional' family leisure nights of Monday and Thursday's? And maybe consider inserting a rule that lets every rider ride for every club in the league on an ad hoc basis whenever there is a gap in any team? Two ideas both sponsors and TV executives would love to see brought in I am sure.. Or maybe they wouldn't...

And the next village along is PontyPandy where Fireman Sam lives... Oops, I mean Firefighter Sam obviously, apologies... Although the term fighter may be a bit too agressive for young children if I am honest.. Fireputterouter Sam it is then... Already booked for next year, staying at Norman Price's place, above his mams shop.. Can't wait....

In a nutshell... When Woffy has been in contention at other Cardiff GP's later in the meeting the atmosphere has remained ramped up.. As we say many times, following sport needs that emotional attachment to the individual or team you follow to make that experience truly mean something.. An emotional attachment that sadly has been gradually eroded away in domestic UK Speedway..

I always think the Cardiff GP crowd highlights the huge opportunity that still exists for the sport in the UK.. I would suggest there were more UK based people there last night that don't attend UK speedway regularly than those who do.. The UK promoters really need to ask themselves why that is the case... Or maybe more pertinently FIND OUT why that is the case and do something about it.. Even just 30000 people regularly attending each week would be a huge positive move forward such is the ultra low base it comes from.. 40000+ at Cardiff every single year shows there is still a fair old appetite for the sport in the UK.. It also shows then that many just don't like the 'menu' UK Speedway serves up..

To be fair, they do give you months and months of time to purchase your tickets.. And, a bit like at a motorway service station or a theme park, if you are already there in Cardiff you are pretty much a captured market, so fair game for the owners to charge you what they want to charge you.. I would imagine not many people living in and around Cardiff locally would suddenly on the day decide to go, meaning anyone in Cardiff without tickets will be there for the one reason alone, which is to attend the GP.. Therefore the organisers know they need to get as much out of you as they can in the small amount of time they have to do so.. I also remember being able to buy a cheaper ticket and move over to a more expensive seat in the stadium in the past, without any restriction control whatsoever in doing so.. If that is still the case then it makes sense for them to only sell the higher priced seat in the first place..

Lots of sporting events have the 'occasion' outperforming what's on show.. The Monaco GP is invariably processional crap.. The Lords' Test Match is invariably the most bland of any Test Match on the roster as fans get restricted as to dress code, musical accompanying etc.. Playing England games at Wembley never ever reach the level of enthusiasm that got delivered when they put the games around the country when Wembley was being rebuilt.. Cardiff is unique and a jewel in the crown of British Speedway.. And British Speedway should be thankful it exists to remind many ex followers in the population that the sport is a) still going in the UK and b) can be ran properly without needing Mickey Mouse rules..

And the beauty of course is that several lads who appeared in the final will, (quite possibly due to the late staging) guest for either team in the qualifier of a competition that they had already competed in the final of for somebody else.. Or something like that. .

Can either of them still qualify?

But 13 years ago every rider due to race every meeting didn't have two/three/four/five teams that they rode for.. Many do now...

Got back into the sport when TK was regarded as one of the best... Reputation from some fans as I came back was as a typical 'Danish gater' and nothing more.. Glad I saw him ride... He was so much more than that... Watched him ride the Kirky Lane track the first time Cov visited and he was exceptional... Many riders had struggled to get round it the first few times they rode it.. He didn't...

Getting 14 riders (whereby the vast majority can collectively represent every single team in the top two leagues), together at the same time? Not to mention their foreign clubs.. Must be a logistical nightmare.. Guests really undermine any credibility the sport has but so many are caused by riders getting injured and needing to be required somewhere else the day or two later.. If clubs just ran once every week then the number of guests would drop significantly as riders would have time to get fit.. Fixture planning must need a degree in logistics..

If it's factual... (?) I would suggest it's down to the riders racing in much closer proximity to each other due to having more confidence in the track surface (which proves my point that it delivers better racing) and also because they get paid much more so that risk v reward is much more enticing, resulting again in much closer racing... And then of course you have the pressure on them to perform each week to keep those fantastic contracts, as well as ultimately a fanbase that expects and demands you to deliver (and let's you know in no uncertain terms if you don't).. Seem to remember Scott Nicholls mentioning how he hoped racing would improve the other week at the GP once 'the riders could trust the track'... It didn't really improve much as they remained strung out, suggesting they never really trusted it to take any undue risks.. If the NSS was full of bumps and hollows you can 1000% be sure the racing wouldn't be as close, and therefore, as good to watch..

Steradentski? Polygripski?

They are sometimes a bit poor aren't they with their coverage.. It just appears that the later in the day things happen the less their timings are maintained.. And as you say, even if they join an event later than the start, they still only show the same action in the later broadcasts, almost as if what they didnt show didn't happen.. Do a great job with TDF and Superbikes but this might be due to the morning/mid afternoon times in which they run..? Lets hope there's not a second round match that goes to five sets late afternoon from the Lapland Open scheduled in before the Speedway...

Riders don't like unpredictable tracks.. They race much closer together on tracks when they feel it's conducive to do so.. Overtaking through mistakes isn't really too exciting to watch as invariably it means most races over the whole meeting will be strung out as riders reduce their chances of injury. Particularly injury caused by mistakes from anyone in front who then collect them.. Poole's (or anywheres) bumps and hollows won't encourage riders to take the risks that sometimes are needed to deliver great entertainment..

Great reactions from Bomber... Although to be fair he was on one of the 'uphill' parts of the track so that would have slowed him down a bit.. If he had been on one of the 'down slopes' then maybe he wouldn't have had time to react...

The tides I believe have been given as a reason previously..

Kelvin having a bit of a dig there about the AGM priorities...?

I would suggest the biggest % drop off in fans was from around 1995 to 2005.. Anecdotal evidence as it is but.. I stopped around 1995 and started again ten years later and was amazed at how crowds had dropped off.. And in that time Britain had a World Champ and all the world's best still rode here which suggests the level of rider isn't such a huge fan attraction.. I would suggest that the % drop in the past five years to ten years is way lower than the one for the timeline I mentioned.. Admittedly it is because crowds have been generally crap but it shows that the weakened product still attracts the die hards in reasonable numbers which can only be a positive for the sport if it wants to reduce costs by weakening again.. Bottom line is, you can't spend what you haven't got and most tracks look like they don't have much spare from what they pay out now. Therefore finding six grand a night (or maybe even more given they will have an expectation based on earnings elsewhere?) for two World Class No1 riders would be a 'tad' difficult I reckon..

Bet 365 used to stream the matches didn't they? Therefore maybe getting a betting company involved will help with production costs through sponsorship of the whole process? Link say a £10 access charge with a free bet on the match, winnings paid as they usually do in other free bets by another free bet which this time could generate cash winnings.. Maybe the bet could be on the +/- handicap team score? (Or how many guests will be riding)? And as always, as they do with free bets, it will be seen as their investment/ hook to get you chasing the dream long term. A decent big name in the betting industry aligned to the sport will help the sports brand reputation standing too.

For me its purely down to the lack of crowd shown on TV, and where they do exist the demographic of them, as well as the often Mickey Mouse nonsense that is allowed to happen, as that can never persuade a major sponsor to come on board.. Perception is so much part of the modern psyche when it comes to deciding what is 'current' and what isn't, and sadly Speedway (in Britain) isn't seen as 'current' enough to get investors on board.. Ironically the same sport, often featuring the same riders, is very much 'current' with a much younger average fan base of males and females in Poland.. Thus, the advertisers are actually queuing up to come on board.. When you watch the Polish league the adverts actually feature the riders as they have public recognition, and the products they help advertise are often aimed at the younger market. Beer and Energy drink producers being two in particular that sees Speedway as something they need to be associated with for growth and success.. Sadly in the UK there isn't that youthful vibrancy that generates the interest that might stimulate major companies to join in.. And as I have said previously, should a major player come to support the sport and invest plenty, they definitely wouldn't want to be associated with swapping riders in a final, or be aligned with any team that can let their best rider effectively ruin his own chances of success, and that of his own team by putting in a rider of the night performance for a rival team.. What you could get away with years ago, you simply cannot now in the modern media era where any tweet can go viral within seconds.. (And if Poland allowed such nonsense does anyone really think they would have the following they do?) Filling the TV matches with fans would 100% help, especially if you filled the stadiums with a clear mixed demographic of the population.. Giving 1000's of tickets away if you have to as it would be all about the 'long game' Doing that might get any major potential sponsor to at least take notice and see if they could get any mileage out of associating with the sport given it will look like its fan base is something more than a SAGA get together which it does look like far too often.. As Poland proves, there is potential there, so all hope isn't lost. The sport is still exciting, adrenaline fuelled, and fast and furious.... It just needs its fan base to reflect the same to bring in some corporate interest..

Will Kenny be fit for the 2ng Leg? What did the World Class Medical team at Brussels' Airport diagnose?.. Strange place, and a long way to go with an injury to an Airport but he must trust the Doctors there I suppose.. And got the chance to take some photos of planes too, so all in all not a bad afternoon for KB..

Too open to subjectivity. A major inherent problem in UK Speedway's rules.. (a perfect example of this is your opinion of Lamberts reasons).. Make the rules clear.. You don't turn up, you get banned for 28 days You produce a sick note, you miss 14 days to help you convalesce. (A caring organisation).. You produce a 2nd sick note in a season, you miss 28 days (a very caring organisation).. Poland seem to have all their riders arriving in time, from all parts of Europe every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.. I presume they just must be lucky mustn't they? Or are those (consequential) contracts they make the riders sign making Poland 'lucky'?