HackneyHawk

I was going to vehemently disagree with your point Chunky because I so badly want Speedway to be credible, however American wrestling is massive and is not a 'real' sport!!

And may explain the demise of 'team riding' which is such a unique and exciting part of Speedway and would be a huge attraction to new fans if it were still done regularly....

Guests and 'doubling up' is ludicrous but a symptom of Speedway dying, not a cause in my opinion.

If Wimborne Rd is praised by the riders then a Poole fan would have a good idea of what a good track looks like? If someone pays money to watch, they are entitled to critique the product.

Yes I think so

I take your points but with great respect you are not the demographic that we need to capture to ensure that Speedway still exists. You love Speedway and are loyal to it. Presentation, advertising, creative solutions, taking the rules of the sport seriously etc are vital for survival

Come on East End fan....don't just knock other people's posts for the sake of it or if their opinion is different to yours. I didn't have a ticklist (not sure what your point is here?) I just noticed how poor Speedway has become and how it doesn't resemble any other professional sports or entertainment experience in 2021, unfortunately there were quite a few disappointments There are a couple of sign posts for the stadium, not enough and not as many as for other sporting stadia and none that mention Speedway

Just to clarify for anyone confused. A stadium can be nice AND scruffy, hence my comment about potential. I suspect you weren't really confused though and just like to be contrary!

No I haven't. If the people who run Kent allow this, they're hardly likely to agree with me are they? Speedway is insular and amateurish. The reason I have posted this is purely venting my despair about a once mighty sport This is a forum, the perfect place for it in my opinion.

Having been in love with Speedway for 50yrs but falling out of love for the last 10 or so I decided to try my nearest track (Kent) last night. Start was hugely delayed, something to do with the track conditions despite it being good weather for days here in Kent No rider parade/introductions. Multiple attempts to run heat one. Then inconsistency in applying the rules of rider exclusions. Programme poorly designed No signposts or advertising of stadium Merchandise poorly designed with poor clarity of brand, no car stickers (unforgiveable) Scruffy staff Scruffy stadium (could do with some cheap smartening up) Announcer was too quiet to hear, made a few mistakes and was very 'low energy' - no presentation etc Barely audible music played randomly with mainly silence around the track Main stand had almost no lighting 4 portions of chips and 2 sausage rolls took 30mins from ordering to eating No card payments in the Cafe Interminable 'gardening' before starts Utterly pointless 2 minute warnings No team riding by the 'heat leaders' Barely any overtaking past bend 1 (this is a perennial speedway problem not just Kent obviously) And please.....in 2021, no more undignified victory parade with riders looking bored being driven round on the back of a lorry/trailer/car! - Get the riders without helmets to ride round in formation on their bikes carrying Kent flags! Positives: The mascot was fun and looked interested! The riders looked smart Parking Nice stadium with lots of potential Huge local catchment area if anyone knew about the Kings It was nice to see Martin Goodwin in the restaurant (fantastic rider) and nice to be back at a speedway track but not many reasons for a newcomer to return. I really fear for UK league Speedway

Having been in love with Speedway for 50yrs but falling out of love for the last 10 or so I decided to try my nearest track (Kent) last night. Start was hugely delayed, something to do with the track conditions despite it being good weather for days here in Kent No rider parade/introductions. Multiple attempts to run heat one. Then inconsistency in applying the rules of rider exclusions. Programme poorly designed No signposts or advertising of stadium Merchandise poorly designed with poor clarity of brand, no car stickers (unforgiveable) Scruffy staff Scruffy stadium (could do with some cheap smartening up) Announcer was too quiet to hear, made a few mistakes and was very 'low energy' - no presentation etc Barely audible music played randomly with mainly silence around the track Main stand had almost no lighting 4 portions of chips and 2 sausage rolls took 30mins from ordering to eating No card payments in the Cafe Interminable gardening before starts Utterly pointless '2 minute warnings' No team riding by the 'heat leaders' Barely any overtaking past bend 1 (this is a perennial speedway problem not just Kent obviously) And please.....in 2021, no more undignified victory parade with riders looking bored being driven round on the back of a lorry/trailer/car! Get the riders without helmets to ride round in formation on their bikes carrying Kent flags! Positives: The mascot was fun and looked interested! The riders looked smart Parking Nice stadium with lots of potential Huge local catchment area if anyone knew about the Kings It was nice to see Martin Goodwin in the restaurant (fantastic rider) and nice to be back at a speedway track but not many reasons for a newcomer to return. I really fear for UK league Speedway

I would suggest that The Hundred example in Cricket is exactly what Speedway needs, however in the hands of speedway promoters it would be embarrassing and probably make things worse... To the posters who like the idea of Speedway as part of a mixed motorsport agenda, I feel that 'team riding' (though very rare now) is one of the exciting and marketable aspects of Speedway and it's the club aspect that sets Speedway aside from other hobbyist motorsports and could be it's salvation (if handled properly)

I very much don't think Speedway is being run the right way, hence my post. Try to be adult and objective and see Speedway in the context of other professional sports. The Isle of Wight sounds a great day out and the promoter seems very creative and dynamic (fantastic!) Is Speedway an exhibition event much like a wall of death, where you see it amongst other exciting motorsport demonstrations and a bit of a 'one off' Or is it an organised semi-pro/pro team sport which hopes to make it back into the national consciousness through media/social media?

Good luck to them but.....it's a sideshow, akin to a fiarground 'stunt show' type of event. Speedway should be a professional and serious sport and run like one. I don't like all the 'no breaks, no fear' stuff, it's amateurish and childlike

Kent.....not much. An occasional mention in a local newspaper....very occasional No signs, posters, radio, TV, appearances etc etc etc If I ran a team, I'd design a really modern looking, classy car sticker with some essential ingredients such as the club logo and clear 'SPEEDWAY TEAM' on it and give them out free to ever single person that attends. Cheaper than you'd think and car stickers get seen ALOT

A poorly written and inadequate obituary to Philip Rising from the British Speedway news website today. Who administrates the website and under what authority? If this is the official outlet of the BSPA it wouldn't surprise me and is an indictment on the state of Speedway in the UK.

This is a brilliant post, completely agree. In these very visual, information rich, internet days, can you imagine if people knew about local Speedway teams which had clear branding and affiliation (and merchandising) with local areas. Teamwear is so popular and having a tribe/brand/team is very very popular. Speedway IS the motorsport for people that don't particularly like motorsports, (me included) and we should play to those strengths Speedway noise needs to be reduced, stadiums smartened (cheaply) presentation and advertising improved (there are cheap ways of making presentation better and increasing awareness) It has to make sense as a sport of course and not be a sideshow that noone takes seriously. Take Speedway away from the insular bumpkins who have a fantastic 'product' and have managed to reduce it from the second biggest spectator sport in the UK to barely a mention in the press.

I can't resist...........I've said this a million times to anyone that will listen but here I go again League Speedway needs to be promoted with professionalism and taking itself seriously as a sport to attract new committed partisan supporters of local clubs. I DO NOT LIKE Speedway being promoted as a sideshow, you get the picture "extreme sport - no brakes" type of thing. That is not sustainable. It should be a serious sport. If it's a sideshow, people come along like they would to a 'monster truck' show then they've seen it once, the racing thrill soon wears off if they have nothing to support and they don't come back. A cultural phenomena that has really taken hold over the past 20yrs is more and more people getting into supporting a football team, wearing the merchandise and 'belonging' to a club. People will even wear team colours of sports teams from other countries. Put on a decent presentation (which doesn't cost money) and promote the sport as though it means something as a sport and not just a spectacle. And any 'promoter' who doesn't put some signposts up around the town or try to get the team into local newspapers/tv/radio should be shot! The general quality of UK league speedway PR is horrible

No to Speedway celebrating Pride. Not because Pride isn't worth celebrating (it really is) but if Speedway did it, it would be an embarrassing, clumsy load of old crap along the lines of much of the way British speedway is run/presented generally

See this is the average intellect of the Speedway fan and I have to say organisers/promoters too. Speedway is dying out and a large part of the reason is that many people involved in the sport are as thick as sh*t

A really nice little article with a lovely picture reminding me of why I love Speedway. Thank you Philip. Am I missing something? (aside from the usual negativity from this forum) Isn't Saddlebow Rd the home of the Kings Lynn Stars???? ...........and there you have the typical Speedway Fan/promoter

A bit like saying, if you're fed up with being assaulted, don't go outside?

Yes fair enough, I could cry about what has happened to Speedway and the fact that I have had to change 'home' tracks so many times. I'm going to give Kent another go myself this season but if it's not good (presentation, parade, racing etc) then I think that's it for me and Speedway!

Ha ha! We did refuse to dismount the grassy bank as there was no obvious good reason for insisting that we did. We'd paid our money and the redeveloped London stadium had no outside raised terracing to stand on. A single, rather aggressive steward threatened to call the police without telling us why we had to move, so we waited it out............unfortunately the Met arrived and we were returned to Waterden Rd! I must say i was a bit hurt by Colin Pratt's behaviour as a Hackney Hawks fan.

And Kent now?