mike1944

It might be advantageous for BT Sport to show the whole meeting with all the races in full and most of the crap removed like watching most of the time with gardening, tapes being broken andreruns of false starts when the machines get a full service and refill of fuel and track grading. Show all the false starts by all means but cut out all the waiting and time wasting. This would make a much better programme for viewers. The amount of time wasting is horrendous, sometimes I wonder if it is created by the promoters to spin the meeting out. Cut out time wasting and you have got a decent 60 minute TV programme. As for spinning the meeting out unless there is a rider with two rides in succession or track grading taking place when a heat is finished, the riders should come out and be ready to race as the riders of the previous heat return to the pits, or would this look too embarrassing for a sport charging at least £1 for a little over of 60 seconds of actual racing. Football is expensive especially for the Premiership League but at least one does get 90 minutes football and even allowing for time wasting far more for your money. Sometimes standing in the cold and wind and sometimes rain when they cannot make up their minds whether to call a meeting off of not. poor track facilities and little comfort for around £15 for around 20 minutes actual racing max.

I wonder how the speedway riders of the past (1950s -- early1960s) coped with visibility, no dirt deflectors or tear-offs and they managed with these http://www.national-speedway-museum.co.uk/Speedway-Gas-Goggles.jpg over conventional goggles. I have seen riders and bikes coming back to the pits after a race completely covered in wet shale you could not even see the colour of their helmets or leathers, in conditions that no rider today would race in

Just looked at the weather radar and if they get a meeting on tonight I would be very surprised

If you are recording on Sky the epg is still showing a 6.30 start Showing some historical American ice hockey at at the moment at 6.05 Now starting Speedway doing track work so may be starting a few minutes late anyway

Well this is confusing, as the on the BT sport website they are only showing one meeting but the BT epg lising on Sky is showing 3 hr 45 mins allocated to speedway tonight and indicate it will be a double header

9pm to 11pm, also on Thursday 3.30 to 5.30 though I suspect this will be repeat of Wednesday's meeting. Apparently they own the rights to Swedish speedway for 2018 so I expect they will cover this next season.

What platform is this on quasartech, no listings for Sky (424) or Freeview (95) yet that I can see

Interesting story about the new FreeSports channel coming to all platforms -- http://www.a516digital.com/2017/08/freesport-confirms-freesat-details.html The channel, being launched by the people behind Premier Sports and the former Setanta UK service, has confirmed it will appear to viewers on Freesat channel 252, in addition to the previously announced slots on Sky 424 and Freeview / YouView (BT/TalkTalk) channel 95. The channel expects to reach 22 million homes from September. Further information on sports types to be screened on the channel have also been provided: FreeSports will feature Football, Rugby League, Tennis, Ice Hockey, MMA, Basketball, Cricket, Speedway, Nascar, Athletics and Wrestling, essentially beccoming a free-to-air version of Premier Sports, which already provides coverage of these sports on a pay TV basis. I wonder if it might possibly feature Swedish or even Polish TV as it is the same people behind Premier Sports

Double post

We could have easily got heat 15 in if they dispensed with all that gardening at the tapes and waiting between races. With rain forecast there is no reason why the heats could not have less time between them. Otherwise good racing and a close meeting.

At least BT Sport are showing speedway for the many people who cannot get to the meetings, easy to criticise but I would sooner have a few relatively minor imperfections than no speedway at all. Remember this is the first year BT have covered speedway so give them some slack rather than moan, moan, moan

Looking at the local weather radar, persistent rain will be spreading in later but if they get their act together and dispense with endless gardening and breaking tapes and then having a 10,000 mile service on their bikes they should get the meeting finished in time, with every bit of luck

I just hope that playing those silly "jokers" do spoil the meeting tonight. Just seems wrong if a team gets to the top without playing the joker gets beaten by a just point by a team that does. In my opinion this "jokers" should be removed from all race meetings, if a team gets behind by 6 points then so be it, why should they be able to get bonus points to catch up?

I just wish that damn Joker would be kicked into touch and never ever seen again. Why should a team that is behind be gifted bonus points to catch up -- does it happen in any other sport. I never have liked the Joker and never will like the Joker, teams are what they are, if a team are 10, 20 or 30 points behind then so be it, I do not want to see an engineered result with gift points given away so they could catch up.

I was not advocating rushing a meeting through but pointing out that the actual racing and necessary preparation took so little actual time. If the presentation was too slick it would be over and done in a very short time. This has been proved in some of the televised Swedish edited matches even when they do manage to fit all the heats in. The punters need more than just this for the admission that is charged and that does not necessarily mean wasting time, but providing some sort of entertainment, maybe a few heats after the main meeting showing junior and reserve riders. Another idea is a lap or honour by the winning rider round the whole track not a rush shortcut back to the pits. I also notice that in Swedish meetings the centre green is filled up with advertising boards but our tracks appear to do very little like that whatever income they brought in would help

I wish they would put a halt to that silly Joker feature with double points when a team gets behind. If a team gets behind so be it. I cannot think of another sport that has such a stupid rule. The other change I would like to see instigated is when there is a jumped start a 1 minute warning would be immediately put on with the pit gates kept closed and riders returned immediately to the tapes. The biggest trouble speedway has is that if they cut out all the faffing about, the meetings could be done and dusted in an hour:D

Wow that is a miracle. BBC mentions speedway -- must be a first.

From his Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jasondoyleracing/ That is sad news to hear, but his injuries were far more serious than first indicated.

Sorry double post

We appear have on this thread many people's interpretation of the rules rather than the rule actually being quoted. There have been many cases I have seen in the past when riders could have be warned about "delaying the start" but they go completely unnoticed until Hancock is accused of it. If he had broke the tapes that is a completely different matter, but he did not, I must have seen dozens of cases this year on TV when riders have been called back because the riders have jumped at the tapes without breaking them with no punishment given.

Well can anyone clarify quote this rule word for word then? I would like to read it in full and if such a rule exist is it worded as "jumping at the start twice in the same heat causing a restart" or "jumping at the start twice in the same meeting". I have tried searching and cannot find the actual rule.

What does this rule about moving and the penalties at the start actually say.

Have you got no way of recording it? I will not be up in the UK to watch it at 9am but I will record it and watch it at a more convenient time

Thanks for the heads up Tocha, I checked mine and it did exactly the same 1 and 2 playoff but no final, but thanks to your post have now set it to record.

To think that Sky TV was not even there tonight, if they had their cameras there it is odds on they would have taken all the flack.