mikebv

The basket case that is British Speedway.. Leicester just a microcosm of the general malaise.... Guess what? You sign Polish riders they get called back at a moment's notice. Who knew? Guess what? Riding on a Saturday night means youre going to restrict yourself in the number of riders that want to ride on that night for your team. Who knew? Guess what? Saturday nights have lots of GP and U21 and Euro Championships and Best Pairs events which attract the better riders. Who knew? Guess what? The EL launched this season with a hugely obvious disparate level of capability between the teams from top to bottom resulting in the farce we have now. Who knew? Well everyone on here for a start...

I believe tonights match has been retrospectively called off.... The result wasnt "in the interests of speedway" apparently!!!!!! Tee Hee..... Well done Scotty and the boys.....

Confused? You will be.... Anyone else remember the USA sitcom SOAP? Every episode began with a voiceover update with tried in vain to give you an overview what had previously gone on and why, trying desperately to explain an impossibly complicated situation... Oh how British Speedway could do with a 'Benson' to sort everything out.☺

Just an observation but the NL at BV may possibly have an impact on the EL team crowds such is the value for money that exists watching the NL.. The racing in the NL is very good with plenty of passing and close racing due in the main to the similar standard (and maybe attitude) of the riders.. If someone who knew nothing about Speedway attended an NL meeting with their teenage kid and then both attended an EL meeting, they would find it hard to understand the £23 quid difference in admission that exists between the two leagues for sitting in the 'comfy seats'.. Or indeed the £18 and £14 differential that exists for the 'non comfy seating' in the Grandstand and Standing areas respectively... Can see me getting my 'fix' more at the Colts than the EL team this year as it's a very good night's entertainment for not a lot of cash...

Great post.... A load of contrived team building and race format bollox put together year in year in out to ultimately deliver a winner of a National Sporting Championship that hardly anyone in the country gives a toss about.... A tiny, tiny sport and getting smaller each passing year... Well done the BSPA, Great job.... They must be so proud....

The width of the bends is one of the track's key attributes.... Riders are starting to slide as soon as they cross the finishing line so the straights are not too long in comparison to the track's overall size.... Given the room available into the entry to the bends, I can see many riders, when behind, taking the opportunity to stay longer in a straight line than the guy in front and blasting around the boards with more momentum and speed... Jon Armstrong last night showed how it can be done on a slick track, more dirt (as will be created I am sure) and the racing could be superb..

To be fair, it was quicker than usual... ('Usual' being never)... Good to see someone from the MC actually made a public comment explaining a ruling! As always though, given no independent body you will always have 'vested interest' accusations thrown about... As it appears Promoter's wont accomodate a notion of 'someone else' running 'their' sport, then none should really complain when an MC decision doesnt go their way.. Made your bed so lie in it.....

Can see why MC has not allowed this... Enough clashes already scheduled with no doubt more to come... Peterborough "happy to run with guests".... I bet they are... Probably the No1 rider jn the league so they can have the pick of the League to replace him on a 'horses for courses' basis when he isnt available... Fair play to Rob Godfrey too for explaining the reasons for the decision...

The 'free'/£10 meetings should be the 'loss leader' for the many who don't know what the sport is or have drifted away... When they are there that is the time to get mobile numbers, email addresses, give away car stickers, face painting/photos with riders for the kids etc etc to target their return... Unfortunately, it seems very little pro active marketing is done at these events and I would suggest circa £18 entrance fees won't entice too many back.... So why is admission so high for a tiny minority sport? An example is my club who allegedly pay £3k to a rider which means a £6k bill for both the home and away meetings against any team.... I would suggest that their crowds over the past three years have been around 1000 paying adults a week with an average admission of £17... Not paying just that one rider would mean they could cut admission by £6 and still maintain their income/outgoing ratio... I would suggest an £11 admission would attract more of the 'ex fans', occasional fans and potential newbies than £17...? An increase of just a couple of hundred a week would put £40k or so into the business over a season... Maybe six man teams with the high earners going for a while until Speedway sorts itself out is the short term solution to facilitate a longer term strategy? Giving the Promoters less costs to invest more in the local and national marketing..? As many have said ad nauseam on here, the best meetings we remember were the ones where a big crowd generated the atmosphere. The racing at these events then take on a mythology all of its own regardless of whether it was actually any good or not... Speedway somehow needs to find that price point that generates that crowd level that will deliver that atmosphere consistently... Currently it seems a long way off and sadly, if the last ten to fifteen years or so are a barometer, devoid of ideas in how to do it....

GP qualifiers this Saturday...

I think that is the 'old' rule... The 'new' rule states.... Well, to be honest I haven't a clue as it will only get written sometime between now and Wednesday evening, depending on whether the meeting tonight goes ahead or not.... All done 'in the interest of Speedway' obviously!

Maybe next season the sport may be run properly and not allow such ludicrous nonsense to be actively encouraged and allowed any more?

Given you will use the same roads and unofficial car parks at the snooker club and cinema to park your car, I would suggest 'going first' is very much to speedways advantage... Gates open at the stox at 230 so every chance no spaces will be the order of the day at this time around the area, apart from the dog track car park itself... Could be total chaos to be honest given the same one road access to both stadiums.. At least we will be leaving any chaos not driving into it...☺

And Firemen, you forgot Firemen.... They work hard too..... Oh and the Army, Navy and Air Force...... Musnt forget them..... They work really hard..... And as for Farmers? "Cows dont know its Christmas Day you know"!!!

I see he ran a third? Get rid of him.....!

Woffinden is definitely someone who is very clear and driven in what he wants to achieve.... Everything appears, commendably, geared to winning the ultimate accolade.... Imagine then having that personal level of vision and drive and finding that the organisation that runs the sport in your own country plans in both semi finals of the British Championship either side of a GP? It is akin to the Football authorities planning in the FA Cup Semi Finals on the days either side of the Champions League Final.... Or Cricket planning the British T20 Semis either side of the T20 World Cup Final day... And both authorities then expecting participants in both Semis and Final to play in both competitions..... Wouldnt happen would it?... And why? Because it would be regarded as simply ludicrous to expect 'Elite' sporting competitors to mentally and physically give of their best under these conditions.... Yet British Speedway obviously didnt see any issue with scheduling these meetings into the confirmed dates... Says a lot really...

Didnt Woffinden say that he and a good few other riders would ride over here if it was only one night a week...? Bringing the sport in this country in line with both Sweden and Poland.... The BSPA, as is their right, have chosen to not restructure the sport to a single night each week to facilitate this... Therefore, Woffinden, as is his right, has chosen not to race here... When his main rivals for the World Title are not racing night in, night out, travelling thousands of miles each week from country to country, spending hours at airports that could be better spent training or relaxing, I quite understand Woffindens decision...

Just £10 to get in and under 18's go free... Be a good few there I reckon....

And all compiled within a framework that it would appear all of a sudden no one voted in....! Uncanny from Mr Ford.... (Again).....

I think that is because he might be left handed...... And also it was, possibly, a Thursday afternoon that the decision on his average was made so that would have effected the final outcome.... The third Thursday of the Month obviously.... A Month that had an 'R' in it of course.... But didnt end in a 'Y' as per Regulation 3.123 © Imagine the problems that would have been caused if the decision had been made on the Second Thursday in February? With a full moon due that night as well? Doesnt bear thinking about......

Now isnt that the truth.... Surely cannot be another Professional Sport in the UK where winning the National Title means so little? With the ultimate irony being that so many try and manipulate situations to win it, but by their very actions then render any victory completely worthless.... Who really cares who wins such contrived nonsense? Not the thousands and thousands who no longer attend this annual farce obviously......

So the MC are using an EL average for this situation but didnt use the EL averages when setting up the reserves tiers in the first place? For that they used the PL averages didnt they and ignored the EL one if applicable? But it doesnt matter anyway now as the reserves can now become heat leaders and anyone can now be a reserve....? Is that correct? Have I sussed it?

Good business sense having an NL match first up... First match equals a big crowd regardless of level of meeting.. Much bigger than a normal Colts' crowd I would suggest.. Will get another big crowd then for the first EL match.... And the track should have had a good stress test before the EL riders ride on it....

I bet 95% of BHS customers who still go through their doors are also never negative about them too... As were, I would imagine, 95% of Woolworths' customers who were loyal to them... Right up until their inevitable demise.... All due to a failure to change with the times and realise that their ever dwindling, ageing, customer base were not happy with what was being provided and no longer regarded parting with their cash with them as money well spent.. Sound familiar?😖

No! No! No! Four riders in a race going around a Speedway track.... That is what's important, loads of people say so... Dont worry about the politics of the sport just enjoy the racing... These rules dont keep any fan away or make those who still go become more and more disillusioned with the sport till ultimately they give up as well.... Us fans should just turn up, pay our money and watch the great spectacle of four riders of any given varying degree of ability, riding around under whatever 'flag of convenience' is appropriate for them on that particular night..... Lets not try and bring 'integrity' into the sport.... (Probably cost another fiver a night if we did)! Great Post by the way Coventry Bee, sadly as we know all too well, your views will be echoed by thousands but ignored by the few who run the sport.....