Skid Sprocket

http://www.holsted-speedway.dk/media/2016/Heatskemaer/SGP09-2016.pdf

http://www.holsted-speedway.dk/media/2016/Heatskemaer/SEC4-2016.pdf

Believe it! Sly Fox has such a job and when does having such a job stop you being a supporter and give you any less rights than anyone else on here? It doesn't matter what your standing no one deserves the abusive post that was aimed at Sly Fox.

Eh?????????

For anyone wanting to pledge a tenner or so to help Plymouth Devils have a look at; www.crowdfunder.co.uk/thedevilsbid

Actually I've been told he prefers Ben

It was on the website on 20th January.

Thanks to all who purchased a copy of Smythe's Speedway World, you have made it possible for me to send £105 to the Ben fund. There are still copies available to help this very worthwhile cause.

What an inspirational video. Even though its in German its so easy to watch.

Thanks for that Gee Jay its really appreciated. Any more favourable (hopefully favourable) comments from anyone else to help boost sales for this very worthwhile charity fund?

A big thanks to Allan Melville of Speedway Plus, www.speedwayplus.com/ for his piece on Smythe's Speedway World. Please take a look and then order a copy, all income is going to the Speedway Riders Benevolent Fund. It will help lighten the dark days until March

Three speedway promoters Tom Dick & Harry with alzheimers are living together. One day Tom decides to take a shower, so says to Dick 'I'm going upstairs to take a shower'. Tom is standing in the shower when he forgets whether he is getting into the shower or out of the shower. He shouts down to Dick, "Dick I need your help I'm up here in the shower & I don't know if I'm getting into the shower or out of the shower!" "No worries I'll be right up to ya" says Dick and starts to run up the stairs. Half way up the stairs Dick forgets if he is going up the stairs or coming down. Dick shouts to Harry, "Harry we need your help. Tom is in the shower & doesn't know if he is getting into the shower or getting out of the shower & I'm on the stairs and I don't know if I'm going up the stairs or coming down the stairs!" Harry downstairs says to himself "Jesus I hope I never get as bad as them two,touch wood" [harry knocks on table] "Is that the front door or the back door!"

I wouldn't rely on offering I go direct to the marketing manager and get 100 or so, you get some very interesting conversations with pub and shop owners who don't even know what speedway is. I only get around 2% refusal and that's usually from national companies where it is head office policy.

I don't mean reading on here to learn about speedway, I mean spread the word in pubs, clubs and on the street with posters and even a chat over the garden fence. All you can do on here is try and motivate supporters to act.

In that case then get the owners to supply the paint etc I'm sure deals could be done and everybody wins.

Still some good points coming out, such schemes as "birthday" tickets but would have to come from the promotion, maybe there are some in operation? The biggest asset for spreading the speedway word are the supporters, it is nearly always suggested on here what should be done but what is actually being done, are there any clubs that have a volunteer task force that are set up with the sole aim of increasing attendance? (If we knew what attendance figures were such a task force would have a target to aim for.) We are constantly being told that supporters are the older age group who are often the ones with time on their hands and that stadiums are getting run down then why not call on their skills to do the places up? I'm sure many would enjoy the challenge.

I always discourage raw newcomers from individual meetings, a team meeting is a far better to introduce a newbie with a simple explanation of the rules; "Our team" wear red and blue helmets (at home). A win gets 3 team points, second 2 and third 1 point At the end of the night the team with the highest points total is the winner. After the meeting they can go in the bar and start to learn the finer points of the sport or go home and reflect on the unique spectacle they have just witnessed keen for the next time!

It happens at Redcar from pits to track down aprox 50-60 metres some riders very sociable, shouldn't single one out but Matej Kus very friendly towards supporters.

A free challenge match is a great idea but I'm not sure about at the start of the season, March can be a very cruel month for weather and if you get newbies standing about in the wind and cold their not going to be keen of a return visit. I distribute a lot of posters each year but would never deliver them in March for that reason. March is for hardened supporters, tempt the newbies with free challenge matches in late April early May and you might have them to the end of the season and beyond.

If you can hear the presentation between races and it keeps spectators engaged then there is no problem, you were wanting something to keep them engaged.

There is always the forgotten art of conversation to fill the gaps in a meeting, young and old might even learn something new.

I regularly read the People and have often tried to ask them why they dont give even the briefest speedway news, maybe these revelations from years ago could be the reason. Does anyone know where these "revelations" can be read, year, date etc?

Make that 3. We took a friend and her 13 year old son to a meeting and by the 3rd heat he was filling in the scores as though he had done it for years, he thoroughly enjoyed every minute. You cant class all youngsters the same, some will be bored before they get through the gate. Like promoting any event I would think a 30% uptake would be taken as a great success.

It's often said that speedway is seen as an older persons sport, do the youngsters also think that the riders are the same age group? a good point to get across to the younger generation would be the age of the riders. Does anyone know the average age of participating riders in the U.K leagues?

Most of you that bought a copy of Smythe's Speedway World will have done so for either the speedway content or to help the SRBF. If you bought it because of the connection with Andy Capp creator Reg Smythe then you might be interested in a new book on the life of Reg Smythe titled My Dancing Bear written by his niece Helene de Klerke. Helene was very helpful and, with Reg's widow, gave the families permission to reprint the cartoon booklet. "My Dancing Bear" is available from Amazon or direct from the publishers YPDbooks.com. There is no financial gain to the SRBF from the book, it is just my way of spreading the word to thank Helene for her ongoing help with Smythe's Speedway World (still available for Christmas ).