mikebv

As you say... It must have been so much more difficult to win World Titles in the Seventies and Eighties with around a third of the field from a much less progressive and heavily restricted, Eastern Europe.... Many of whom nicely helping fill the bottom five finishing positions.. ONE of them actually won the thing ONCE showing how good they were...! Getting to the Final was probably harder than winning it for many of the riders... Nowadays the best riders in the world ride against each other in every round, and any rider just outside the top echelon gets their opportunity to join in via the very high standard GP Challenge. (If they are good enough).. Winning any season long sporting competition, regardless of what sport, means you are 'the best' out there.. To do it regularly, in any era, means you are one of the 'very best' of all time....

You have been obviously too convincing.... Meaning some must agree....

Top riders who earn 100's of thousands of £'s in Poland and Sweden would all ride over here for thousands of £'s less per night if Speedway brought fixed nights in.... And if each club had three top riders each they would pack their stadiums out every meeting, so they could easily afford them..

Two meetings, over 25,000 fans in attendance... Would need at least fifteen meetings over here to get that many in the top league.. Some riders earning circa £25k - £30k a match... As you say, a world away.. Not comparable in any way shape or form...

Agreed... A great team man, consistent everywhere, however... The level of rewards and expectations in Poland now is far and away more intensified than when Leigh rode... So much live TV, so many blue chip sponsors, huge crowds, and so many young hungry riders busting a gut to take your place and earn the huge rewards on offer to the very best.. Real pressure to perform over there EVERY RACE never mind every week, with a very unforgiving fan base and in turn a very quick to make changes club hierarchy.. Becoming a mini version of the football premier league over here, lots of clubs speculating huge amounts, all desperate to stay in the top league to pay for their spending thru sponsors enticed in by the prime time TV coverage.. Riding in the UK must be a lot different and you can't keep up that intensity.

When he rides like he did at times yesterday there isn't anyone to touch him.. As he says, if he brings his 'A game' and everyone else brings theirs.. His is better.... You can see when he is in 'the zone' everything flows, there is no locking up, or fighting the bike, everything is so smooth (and therefore very fast) and he is almost thinking several steps ahead of when and where to pass... Great to watch, one of the best ever for me...

To be fair to the 'very top' riders it must be difficult to maintain the same level of motivation.. Its a bit like playing for Manchester United v Liverpool at the weekend, then represening Rochdale v Oldham on a Monday night.. The same sport but a huge amount of less intensity, pressures and rewards.. Watching the top league in Poland really brings home to you the vast difference. Every race is like a stand alone event with each heats' outcome being treated almost like the be all and end all.. 15 races of constant pressure and scrutiny from a very partisan demanding following.. A heat advantage to the opposition on your shoulders is treated like treason, especially when at home... And if anything, from what I have seen so far this season, the crowds and expectations are even bigger! No surprise then to see a drop off when these lads ride in the UK sometimes just 24 hours later..

I would think its down to the 'every £ is vital' situation that the sport has 'sleep walked' itself into Phil.. Probably worth over £2k all those £2's.. Pays for a heat leader I would think..

Bang on the money.. Those tracks that still exist in inner cities are often surrounded by ethnic minorities yet very, very few of those on their 'door step' are in attendance.. Running a shop one mile away from BV, my customer base is 31% Asian/Asian descent, and 5% West Indian/West Indian descent.. Guess what? I bring in loads of products Asians and West Indians want to buy!!!.. Asian families too are often larger than other non Asian families.. A rich untapped market.. Seemingly ignored..

No, just entrance fee.. Car Parking and Programmes will bump this figure up to a fair old amount at some places... But they are, like consuming food and drink at the venue, both 'optional extras'... I always park out on the side streets at BV and never buy programmes.. If I did it would take the cost well over £30 quid for the two of us.. NB in the SS this week it has corrected Leicester's admission to £16. Still very good value....

"Struggling with the set up, we just need to work harder to find it".. "The track is very different from practice" "I need to find my gating gloves"... etc etc etc.. And then produces a storming ride when its needed most, which very, very few could emulate, and belies several months of utter mediocrity... Not a new phenomenon how Chris' season's pan out so shouldn't be any surprises.. (He seems to be doing well in France)...

Isn't Lambert riding U21 this year? Thought he was, doesn't it depend on your age at the start of the year or season? If not then Dan Bewley would be a great U21 'third' rider, particularly at the NSS.. Would make sense crowd and PR wise too. Bring a lot of local fans in who may be undecided abut going, and give BT a positive narrative about the 'future of British Speedway' etc..

Dont think it does cost 'loads'.. With ITV being regionalised often you find complete ad breaks given over to 'small' businesses in your local area, which, I presume, is offered out for less than the usual going rate? Here in Granada land we often see ads for local car sellers, caravan sellers, private hotels etc etc. Not usually during peak time but during lesser watched programmes.. A bit like you used to see in the cinema with Pearl and Dean.. Par Par Par Par Par Par Par Par...etc Maybe given the 'close' proximity of Busters three clubs, a collective advert covering all three might be worth it? Or maybe, heaven forbid, the sport does one as a collective and goes national with it!

He is correct though... Poole by definition of their success attract more fair weather regulars than clubs who win nothing each year.. When in the odd year times are not so good, these fans seem to disappear.. Hence Matt always makes changes quickly if he thinks the team isn't play off/title winning material as he knows expectations are much higher than at lesser achieving clubs. 300-500 fair weather non attendees each week will leave a big hole in the coffers .. Victims of their own success to a large degree I would suggest..

You can't take your eyes off this one Nige... Speedway out of the top drawer... Pretty sure that's what the two Polish commentary lads just said!!! Can see me quite getting used to this every Friday...

I believe ''someone' said recently Kenny Bjerre wasn't at heat leader level in the UK any more? Hope that person is watching him tonight being a heat leader in the top league in Poland..

I have a suspicion the sponsorship he brings helps.... Good meeting this....

What a ride from Shamek 1-5 to a 3-3.... Superb.....

130% more to watch the same fourteen riders? As you say, it must be blinding racing at Kent...

Some common sense ideas.. So much could be done.. Flood secondary schools with free tickets, do the same with colleges and uni's... Lads and Lasses doing mechanical courses, give them some hands on experience at the track.. Dont bother with 'free when accompanied by an adult' rubbish, teenage kids hang out in packs, let them all in for nothing.. They are not there now in any amount of numbers, so absolutely nothing at all to lose, even if ultimately no gain.. And you may sell some more teenage/18+ fodder, burgers, pop, booze etc. So those who own their food and drink outlets would benefit from the extra footfall if nothing else..

Whilst I am sure the racing matters, for me the lack of any atmosphere generated by having so few fans st Speedway meetings is what's killing it quicker. Perceived poor racing in front of a big crowd always seems so much better, and vice versa, great Speedway comes across as much less than it should when played out in front of 'one man and his dog'.. Hardly any away fans, and a home fanbase quieter than a Library, means a very flat atmosphere, and ultimately suggests the meeting isn't one that has any value and therefore not worth your continued patronage.. Unfortunately poor crowds are a self fulfilling prophecy... As why should you attend when hardly anyone else does? And slowly and inexorably the rot sets in.. Maybe collectively the sport should agree away fans get some special deals to encourage their attendance..? Fuel costs now are far different from 20 years or so ago meaning an away trip can be an expensive night out.. To help offset these costs, maybe charging just a fiver entrance to away fans would be worth it? Tickets they have to purchase from their home track direct on match nights in person, so as not to allow any 'non away fans' to jump on to the offer by post or via websites.. "Buy a ticket to tonight's meeting and get in to the next away match for a fiver"! Hardly any away fans go now so selling tickets for a fiver wouldn't do too much damage to profits I would suggest, and it may just deliver a better atmosphere... Which may also deliver a more positive self fulfilling prophecy?

And will he be riding in the SON? Would Rosco pick a rider not competing at any where near the highest level when many other Brits are in the top league? Also he wouldn't be as 'match fit' as less meetings will have been ridden..

With Sky's money paying for so many of them... Over £100k per team given out for a long, long time... Now, no Sky money therefore a lot less 'top quality' riders.. Time for some clear re-alignment and re-avaluation when it comes to salaries in the UK, and it looks like it is starting.. Maybe it will need several more steps back to eventually start to go forwards..?

Same thoughts struck me... I have a fairly decent salary but not sure I could afford (or justify) £100+ per month for four Speedway meetings out of my disposable income, with the inevitable teenage requests for food and drink on top! There are so many other costs these days that have to come first.. Kids aged 13 - 16 are conspicuous by their absence at a great many tracks, maybe charging for them to get in also dissuades parents to attend who otherwise might go if their teenagers got in for free? Use free admission for their teenage kids as a 'loss leader', as let's be honest you don't see many teenagers now at many tracks so hardly a huge income loss... Do those who let teenagers in for free now I wonder see a reasonable amount of them there? Someone needs to replace the ageing demographic over the next ten years or so..

Reading the Speedway Star, and looking at the admission costs listed for each track, I thought I would see what the cost would be for me and my 15 year old lad to attend each circuit.. These teenage years (last year at school) seems to be the ones when 'kids' drift away from the sport, just at the time you would want to keep them interested as they are only one small step away from being potential paying customers themselves.. With the SON being just £22.50 for me and my lad to get in, it certainly puts into perspective some of the admission charges being asked for, and may also give some steer as to why terraces are hardly full to bursting. Some real disparate numbers for 'the same product'... Fair play to Buster, his three teams are by some way the lowest charging in the Premiership.. £27 - Glasgow, Edinburgh (Booked Online pre match day it's £25 at Edinburgh) £25 - Poole, Belle Vue, Wolverhampton, £23 - Swindon, Kent £22 - Redcar, £21.50 - Birmingham £21 - Scunthorpe, Somerset £20 - Newcastle £19 - Cradley £18 - Kings Lynn, Ipswich, Peterborough, Plymouth, Eastbourne £17 - Berwick £16 - Sheffield £15 - Leicester £13 - Isle Of Wight, Mildenhall £12 - Leicester Cubs £10 - Belle Vue Colts..