singy13

So the Polish teams, 8 of them says the post, only have 7 home fixtures from let's say April to September (24 weeks)???? My calculation has them with 17 blank weeks during Summer. How do they survive that ?

Just been catching up on these posts. Where on earth have you got the 200 crowd figure from ? I'm a regular and haven't seen any crowds at Northside that poor. Show me proof that I need to go to specsavers.

Yes very unlikely is how it may well be..But I think east Boldon greyhound/speedway stadium is only 5/6 mile from the large catchment area of Tyneside so it's surely worth some wealthy promoter at least running the rule as to reviving speedway - maybe some already have of course?

Just before the 1970 season started when interviewed on Border TV Ian Thomas labelled Vic Lonsdale 'The King of crash',,,,,but soon the crowd got tired of Vic's low scoring and booed at the mention of his name, he was hopeless. Then yes Chris Blythe got that title - not exactly one to be proud of eh. (I think Chris passed away this year?) And yes two unlikely lads won that 'best pairs' - I was there watching it.

What about Odsal?

Yeah chunky mentioned him.....Taffy Owen did a bit of doubling up too.

Yeah good shout marra. Don't forget also Peter Collins and Alan Wilkinson at Belle Vue and Rochdale.....so yep doubling up was there but I think not liked by the fans. And that remains as an awfully unpopular speedway feature nowadays.

Please note Workington Town are also at home on Sunday, kick off 3 p.m...................It's an 80th Birthday celebration match for Town (1945-2025) and they are drumming up support for this special occasion. UTT and UTC....love them both.

You missed off the remainder of that sentence!

That's a good question. No supply but plenty of rider demand if new tracks did appear (and doubling up would probably prosper). There are training tracks ongoing I believe. So maybe a couple of years as now until expansions? I just think that 6 and 7 team leagues are not exciting the evermore dwindling support. And while I confess to not helping any positive outcome I like to post here to see if anyone can help the dying sport. So in my early years of becoming a speedway fan, 1970 and the rest of that decade, how was it that new tracks were sprouting like mushrooms and doubling up was not a feature. Yes guests and rider replacement for injury cover. So how did all the 'mushrooms' manage 7 riders - granted some were as wooffy would say "wobblers" but certainly in Division 2 they were mostly acceptable. Ian Thomas used to advertise someone in a Comets squad as 'the king of crash' - I'll not name him but the crowd eventually got fed up of his poor returns. Yet all of this kept us talking speedway, it was thrills, spills, and excitement.

Yeah suppose....but the shale is automatically thrown away from any pitch i.e. left to right.....then of course fans get hit, so programme boards at the ready....why is speedway so difficult to maintain.

Okay 1 down....400+ to go.

Sadly speedway keeps losing tracks and it's possibly the final countdown for the great sport. What occurs to me, rightly or otherwise, is that speedway is short of top promoters - guys with funds and ideas to introduce new parties to the ranks. I see there are over 400 non league soccer grounds in existence. Plus more rugby stadiums. So can't a wealthy promoter (if they exist of course) find at least 5/6 stadiums capable of joining the speedway world? Ok it would need soccer's permission to build a track around a pitch but why not? I mean for approx 30 years I enjoyed seeing the Comets race 398 yards around Derwent Park's rugby pitch with minimal problems and great speedway. Surely down South or in the Midlands some stadia exist awaiting a promoters call?

Major comment there bellevueace. It's most certainly a factor that alienates the non speedway fraternity. And despite my best efforts to persuade some folk to attend speedway it makes it so difficult to sell the sport. In the 1970's, my early start to speedway fixes, you wouldn't see any riders plying their trade with two teams (go on prove me wrong) in fact guests were minimal with R/R the injury option, mostly. I know riders need to make a living but sadly it has cost speedway big style and the future is grimmer than ever.

Ian Thomas was a top promoter of speedway. And presentation was a strong point of his. I'll always recall the 1970 season when packed crowds at Derwent Park saw and heard the Comets (and away 7) march from the pits to starting area with the track staff to the Radetzky March by Strauss...that tune is still my fave classical piece. The sometimes downside was when you only counted 6 Comets - Ian would explain Bob took a fall last night, at Sheffield, so R/R will operate (naff to hear this about Bob Valentine). Although sometimes riders had just arrived and missed the aforementioned march however made their heats. But most certainly great days to live on in the memory bank. UTC.

Absolutely correct IainB..I'm quite shocked that the Plymouth meeting survived with only two of their team available. It makes a mockery of speedway as a serious sport. I'm a rugby league fan of Workington Town, as well as the Comets, and I have always fought verbal differences with the fellow RL fans who ridicule speedway for so many reasons. One main weapon they'd use against me is the 'guest' system. For example Stoney guesting for a team challenging Comets for the title - how does that happen they ask. And it's so hard to convince non speedway folk it's acceptable (no it's not actually but hey ho) so at the next Town match I'll not supply them with Plymouth bullets to down me. Speedway is a great sport so badly organised.

You can tell the difference when a Northside meeting finishes and ones that did at Derwent Park. So now everyone heads for the various car parks, there's not many on foot. But at Derwent Park traffic was held up while pedestrians, lots of them in the good times, blocked the bridge exit for vehicles (apart from the those who went to the bar of course).And DP is only 150 yards from the railway station. Northside a longer trek but well worth the effort folks.

Yeah enjoyed meeting you too - despite the dialect probs ha ,ha. Who knows maybe one day Somerset mind find a wealthy fan generous enough to get that track up and running again.

If there is four fixtures in one night that will require 56 physically fit riders to be allocated - nah no chance.

Yes the beauty of Derwent Park is the 1,000 seat grandstand with bars underneath which post meeting was well attended by riders and fans alike. I believe there is a bar at Northside above bends 1 and 2 ??? - not been to it. I had a good chat with a Somerset fan who, with his family, was on a tour of speedway stadiums. What a great way to enjoy summer hols. Also beside me was a geordie on first visit to the track. he was less than complimentary - calling it "a gaters paradise"....oh well it's hard to please everyone I suppose.

Table with phone on it by starting gate to encourage angry riders to shout at ref. 30 yard marker to keep riders in lane. Fans up to track fences. Reserves race after 13 heats of match -followed by 'rider of the night'. Guys scraping shale off fences. People on ladders outside stadium having free view (at Workington). Programme 6d. Challenge matches. Foreign touring teams e.g. Sweden, Poland, Checks (can't spell). Inter league challenges. 4000 crowds not 400..etc, etc, so what went wrong?

Well every race would have a winner. And back in 1970 a packed Derwent Park cheered every winner a 'wobbler' or otherwise - really unpredictable stuff so therefore entertaining.

Nope.....Oxford would only have one team in a one league set up.

Yeah Oxford will only run one team.

Better at maths than me marra.