Leicester Lion

Putting the sexist nonsense aside, one of the problems at Leicester is that for the last three years Mr Hemsley has been learning how to be a speedway promoter. The evidence continually shows he has learned very little. Maybe the BSPA were wrong to licence someone with no previous speedway background. Maybe the BSPA should have supported him more.

Think again. Trolling is about making off-topic, inflammatory postings.

I was merely highlighting your hypocrisy. If that massages your ego there's nothing I can do about it.

Especially when it's about the track at the Cardiff GP, eh?

The "you should be grateful" argument doesn't carry much weight three years later. The honeymoon period is long gone. It's ludicrous to suggest fans shouldn't have legitimate complaints and should just carry on indefinitely blindly accepting mediocrity (or worse) because they should only ever be grateful.

The stands were only supposed to be temporary anyway. The interview showed typical contradictions. Swearing black is white, Hemsley claims the racing at BP is some of the best anywhere, yet he'd happily risk making wholesale changes to the track if someone stumped up the cash. When asked about Norwich he said he hadn't heard from them, yet somehow they are working together to bring speedway back.

Until someone shows him their front wheel up the inside, then it'll be his left arm that goes up!

It's a great post, but I'm feeling somewhat left out.

I said this probably over a year ago, but it's equally valid now. Leicester should be the second team/track for fans from other Midlands tracks, fans who don't care too much about the result, provided the racing is entertaining. It simply isn't. Fans from Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Peterborough, even Coventry etc don't come to BP because the on-track entertainment is just not worth it. It's an important revenue stream that has been lost. As Mr Darcy said, it's only fifteen quid so if you don't like it you haven't lost much. But if fans don't come back the promotion loses plenty more. Some Lions fans will tolerate, and even defend, the extremely poor racing because the team is winning, and for them that's the main thing. Some take the view that we should just be grateful that we have speedway, and will ignore the lack of entertainment. That's their choice. I think there are some Lions fans who really know nothing better. Many others - the dissenting voices - see the bigger picture. Crowds aren't as large as they were, and that's with a team that generally wins at home. If the team starts losing, crowds will drop. It's blatantly obvious that the promotion isn't flush with money, and smaller crowds must endanger the future of the speedway. Eventually, this promotion, or the next one, simply must do something radical to the track to improve the racing and increase the crowds.

Accusing others of wrong assumptions, only to make one of your own! I'm not saying anything of the sort and would never say someone isn't allowed an opinion. Anyway, this is all sidetracking... So Joe Screen was riding alone. A rider going around on his own may demonstrate that the bits they sliced off the inside can be ridden on, but it doesn't show that those changes have made the slightest difference to the quality of the racing, which is, after all, why they were supposed to have been made. The changes can only be shown to be successful or not when riders of comparable ability are racing against each other. Sadly the evidence so far has shown that there is little difference, with no prospect of improvement.

I resent being accused of not contributing to serious discussion. As I said earlier, I'm always sceptical about people who declare themselves neutral. I'd hope that most people, regardless of their initial standpoint, are at least open to - and respectful of - the views of others, even if they don't change their minds. To accuse others of inflexibility and then put everyone who you don't agree with into one group, the "usual few", and label everyone's opinions and points as "bile" doesn't strike me as serious discussion, and certainly not from someone who says they are neutral. You saw Joe Screen ride flat out (if that's possible where the riders obviously have to lose quite a lot of speed at the end of the straights) all the way around the inside line at Leicester. Was he racing against anyone of comparable ability, or was he riding alone?

On any of your visits to Leicester, have you offered this advice to the promoter?

I think he also said he'd never seen so much passing in every race as he'd seen at Leicester. Or something on those lines.

I love the high quality of the debating on the Leicester threads.

After deciphering this, I actually think there is a reasonable point being made. Riders do have to want to pass their opponents, otherwise all we will ever have are processions. But the track itself, the shape, length of the straights, tightness of the corners, banking, width, all play a part in encouraging riders to take those risks, and to build up the extra speed needed to execute a pass. Leicester's track makes it very difficult to pass. We can wait and see, as Roy says (and I appreciate his openness in declaring his connection with David Hemsley), but I'm unclear what we are supposed to wait for.

Forgive me, but I'm always a touch sceptical about people who declare themselves neutral. Clearly there is a "vocal group" but that shouldn't be taken to mean there is an organisation behind it, or a campaign. As I see it, they are fans who are just airing their concerns. Doesn't seem at all sensible to me. I talk to many fans around Beaumont Park on a race night and there are far more than "4 or 5" who have genuine issues with the entertainment served up by the track and have quite reasonable concerns about the way things are done at Leicester. Not everyone posts in the BSF. I'm not sure what is meant by "tells the whole story". Coventry may well be as poor as Leicester, racing-wise, but that doesn't mean there should be a race to the bottom to see who provides the worst racing. Fans are entitled to be entertained and should demand better, whichever track they frequent.

Sadly, the infrastructure, the terracing, banked standing areas, referee's box and the track drainage were all installed with no consideration for the possibility that the most important thing - the track - might require significant alterations. It's obvious there is now no money to do anything meaningful about it. Hemsley's programme notes ring alarm bells. Attacking the fans suggests the promoter is in trouble.

This is a rhetorical question, but I wonder how this tipping is allowed to continue. It's adding nothing to the aesthetics of the site, and doesn't appear to be for any development purpose.

Boring, maybe, but many fans, not only on this forum, feel it's important. We may have a winning team at home, but attendances are still falling. Hemsley can ignore this if he chooses, but for many fans a winning team isn't everything. People go out on a Saturday night to be entertained. If the speedway isn't providing that entertainment some will look elsewhere.

They must somehow drop down to about 25mph on the corners then, without brakes. Anyway, like I said, regardless of the exact top speed attained, the point is that the straights need radically shortening.

While I doubt they reach quite the top speed being claimed, it's clear that the straights are far too long for the corners. Shaving a tiny piece off the entry and exits to the corners isn't going to change that.

It improves the racing no end.

If we're having to analyse single examples of passes, it only goes to show how rare passing is at Leicester. Hemsley is supposed to be a successful businessman. He needs to look at why his customers are walking away from his product, and make the changes necessary, or get out and make way for someone who can turn Leicester around before the city loses speedway again. Blaming the fans for his failing business is short-sighted, and sums up the general feeling among the fans that Hemsley will always look to blame anyone but himself.

But those track alterations were supposed to have made the racing so much better.

Yes, I heard Mr Darcy assert that because Roynon had been tweeting the day after the crash that he would be back in action very soon. The interviewer pointed out that Horton had said something rather different. Maybe Horton had spoken with Roynon or his people, maybe not, but it didn't sound to me like Mr Darcy had.