Ray Stadia

Many riders just have the one bike, some may have two for the same class, i.e. 2 500cc bikes. Some may ride in both say, 350cc and 500cc, so will have 2 bikes, one for each class. I don't think they are forced to use a particular tyre. I think the rim size mostly used is 22 inches and Barum used to be the tyre of choice. That may have altered now. Some will rebuild their own engines or a family member, but most, especially those using GMs and Jawas (250,350 and 500cc), will have their engine rebuilt by a competent engine builder, but many, every 2 years, some every year. Between meetings, just check tappets, strip the clutch down, maybe clean chains, air filter, just general servicing.

You can see good racing, without 'setting the house on fire'!

Believe me, they would do, if they could. The reason they can't is the lack of meetings. There are grasstrack riders, complete amateurs, who will travel from Essex to ride in Cornwall, because they love the sport. In the 70's, just in the Eastern Centre (Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk), you could ride virtually every week, there were that many meetings. Many speedway riders rode on grass also in those days. Speedway over the years has grown snooty towards grasstrack and I don't know why? The funny thing is, from what I see on Facebook, grasstrack seems to be on the up.

Regarding your first post, if promoters/organisers/clubs tapped into grasstrack riders, I believe there would be sufficient. Also, many youngsters ride grasstrack, often sons and daughters of grasstrack riders and ex riders. It is a resource awfully and woefully overlooked. Grasstrack riders are crying out for 'track time' . I think the trouble, is the mindset. As someone else said, possibly yourself, there are 2 types of fans, those only interested in their team winning and those that enjoy the racing for what it is. Grasstrack fans and riders enjoy the racing. Speedway needs to attract those fans and I believe they are out there. Point 2, I personally think there have been very few promoters over the years who have made money out of the sport, John Berry, according to his book did, but I don't think it made him rich. Speedway promoters are enthusiasts and perhaps, egotists, but then, a lot of sports are like that. football clubs lose money, as do rugby clubs. But football and rugby seem to find benefactors who will bail them out. Why speedway doesn't, I'm not sure. Perhaps it's the demographic of the fans as a whole or simply the sheer lack of numbers. I agree it's not just the fault of the promoters, but someone has to carry the can! Foreign riders certainly hasn't helped with the costs and allowing machinery costs to runaway hasn't helped either. Why can't speedway or a type of speedway, switch to an amateur model, similar to the way grasstrack, moto X, trials is run? There are riders in all three disciplines who do make a living, but the cream only. The rest, just enjoy a Sunday ride in the summer!

All too late I'm afraid. Sweep the decks and start again! Re-open High Beech!

It seems that many of the current promoters, with the exception of the Isle of Wight, just want to carry on with the same formula. It would appear they are not interested in getting round a table with marketing people, supporters of the sport, riders etc. There seems to be a 'my way or the highway' attitude. I think change could only happen in one of 2 ways, 1. new tracks open with a new formula and not called speedway, but it is still 4 riders going round a track. So you start, effectively with a brand new sport. 2. assuming the new sport is successful, the existing set-ups 'jump ship' to the new sport. The new sport would have to be amateur, certainly at the beginning and will probably have to be 'a track in a field', as the chances of a new stadium in a town, with that kind of land at a premium and all the other problems associated with the building of an inner or indeed an outer town stadium, won't happen. The biggest thing killing the sport, is the costs. I doubt current riders would accept a pay cut. Stadium owners are not likely to be sympathetic to reductions in rents. For the sport to survive, in my opinion, it has to ditch the 'glitz and glamour' mentality, that every rider is a superstar, needs multiple bikes, a sign written van etc etc, we need to get back to a rider, with a passion for the sport, not a passion for what the rider will earn, but a passion for riding a speedway bike. Those riders are out there, they are competing in grasstrack, paying to enter, driving long distances, all out of their own pockets. What is more, they are 'starved' of enough meetings to attend. They would, I'm sure, love the chance to also ride a speedway type sport, but without all the 'cloak-and-dagger' the riders get with speedway.

So, what would be your solution HA?

I agree. I think once speedway gets it's model/formula right, it can go back to meetings in the best spring/summer/autumn months, every week!

I know how you feel, but I do believe speedway or the model can be reinvented. At the end of the day, basically, we enjoy watching 4 riders, on 500 cc single pot 4 stroke engines, going round a shale oval track, over 4 laps, with the whiff of Castrol R in the air.

What would be your solution?

I think this is one of the problems with speedway, clinging onto team racing, is what is killing speedway as a sport. You could have several individual meetings, spit the country into zones or centres (similar to grasstrack) and every now and then, create a team from the riders within the centre/zone/district, whatever you want to call it, to race against other teams, in a team meeting. Once again, similar to grasstrack's inter-centre meetings. This will create more variety for the supporters. Pay the riders? No, pay them prize money based on gate takings.

Maybe speedway could try and register itself as a charity?

In my opinion, attracting new fans isn't going to happen with the way the sport is currently set-up. Those that run and compete in the sport, in this country, obviously believe the sport is bigger than what it actually is. For the circle to be squared for speedway, the first stage has to be reducing costs for everyone involved, including the fans. Unless that happens, and happens quickly, more tracks will close and more riders will turn away or will not enter the sport. I think the Isle of Wight's ideas could be the salvation of 4 bikes going round a shale oval track.

It wasn't very clear. The Rye House version was very easy to navigate. It felt as though it was a precursor to a full blown object/accept, but maybe it's not.

I've sent something to Erica Buchannan, but it all seemed a bit weird. I had to sign up to be able to leave my objection and the nearest description of who I am is 'neighbour'. Which does make me wonder if only people in the area will be 'listened' to?

But....the so called progress, hasn't translated into more fans and more tracks.

My first grass bike was a BSA Gold Star 350 cc (B32)! Running on methanol.

If there was a switch to battery, surely you would get the explosive instant power, similar to a current methanol burning engine, but you wouldn't get the braking effect from an electric motor, but maybe that can be overcome. On the other hand, 4 bikes going round without the distinctive noise and, although reducing these days, due to riders using synthetic oil, the smell, will be the final nail!

I believe methanol was the chosen fuel, due to the additional power you get from methanol and the use of high compression pistons. When you take the head off a speedway engine, there is virtually no carbon deposits on the piston, the head or valves. And the ports are clean. Methanol used to be more expensive to buy, but I think it might be the same as petrol or even a bit cheaper now. As for the environment, it wouldn't surprise me if methanol is cleaner. It's used in power boat racing and speedway engines (2 valve Jawas and JAPs) used in pre 65 scrambles, they can and many do, use methanol.

Sent my objection, together with my comments.

Definitely another thought/angle?

Not many could sustain a loss of 84k, without some kind of quid pro quoi! i.e. another business which is tied in with the same set up, that makes a profit and allows the loss to be offset against profits.

I think John Louis started late in speedway, after a switch from scrambles/moto X, but soon picked it up!

Looking at the Metro online today, they have a headline 'Speedway spectator, 57, killed by shrapnel after driver crashed into wall', but of course it's in America and relates to one of their car race meetings. Probably won't help our version of 'Speedway'!

I think the thing is, speedway teams have this person who runs the show, who is called 'the promoter'. The title sounds like he is the man/woman who holds the purse strings, is cash rich, is an expert in marketing and media marketing and an expert organiser. The reality, is the promoter is a speedway enthusiast, probably has a business to run, so has limited time, makes no money from the sport, probably loses money, but hey, he/she is an enthusiast. Perhaps the name promoter should be scrapped. The name promoter is normally given to someone who is organising a one off event, such as a pop/rock concert, who would likely be cash rich, as he/she will be running a promotion company. Team manager is probably a more accurate title.