chunky

...and therein lay one of the major issues in British speedway; what the riders want and what the paying customers want are two totally different things! The supporters resent the riders for wanting conditions to suit THEM, when it is the riders who are the ones risking their necks. Of course, the riders then resent the supporters for wanting things that interfere with their jobs! Both opinions are totally justified, but it gets us nowhere. The issue seems to be the modern "all about me" concept, but unfortunately, I don't know what the answer is. Without the riders, there is no speedway. Without the fans, there is no speedway. Looks like we're screwed either way... Steve

That is exactly the way I feel. Speedway evolved from "dirt-track" racing. Watching burly men wrestling bucking broncos through heavy cinders was a spectacle! It wasn't just about passing, or close racing; watching the skill and sheer strength that was needed to keep a bike upright was worth the admission price! Sad thing, it's not just speedway. Now, we have fancy "motocross" on man-made indoor circuits instead of "scrambles" in waist-high mud! We have cool looking indoor trials over man-made obstacles rather than run the risk of getting dirty outdoors. Football went from a man's game to a an over-refined non-contact sport. Hell, look at life in general. We see these Facebook posts about what life was like when we were kids. We went outside, we got dirty, we got wet, we ate dirt, we drank from hosepipes, we played football with metal studs, we fell off slides and roundabouts and landed face first on gravel! "Ooooh no, we can't do that now..." None of that is cool now, and a much duller world it is as a result... Steve

People always mention football, but playoffs do not decide League or Divisional Champions. So, why should speedway? Steve

You okay, mate? Not like you to hold back!!! Steve

Ah, the days of Mr. Nelson Mills Baldwin OBE... Steve

Come on, ALL of us that have been around for 40+ years are cynical! Thing is, I know that, the older we get, the more cynical we get, but in the case of British speedway, there are very good reasons for our cynicism! Steve

I honestly don't think it SHOULD be a problem for a rider to ride for multiple teams across Europe. The important thing is that, whoever he rides for, he should be there, injuries not withstanding. If there is a clash of fixtures due to a rescheduling, the fixture that was originally scheduled for that date should take priority. Steve

..and the fact that Hancock is STILL one of the best 8 riders... Steve

So, even though he is still proving himself to be one of the better riders, you DO want them to pick who you want? Oh well... Steve

So, do you want them to just choose the riders YOU want? Steve

Here we go.. Sigh... Steve

If people are in the series on merit (qualifying by right), nobody should dismiss their efforts. And that also includes Cook. Steve

Who was that in white, and what did he do with Cook??? Steve

From the GP website. You have to sign up for an account, but it is free. Steve

That was great; thanks! Steve

Funny, isn't it? The BSF used to be full of people complaining that the lack of great racing is killing the sport, and how much better the racing USED to be. Now, thanks to videos which dispel all those misconceptions, it is amazing to realise the truth, and the racing really WASN'T better back then. Even to watch live streams from thousands of miles away, the lack of atmosphere - and people - is so evident. Being at Wembley on World Final night. or standing on the pit bend at Plough Lane mocking the 'ackney fans, it really is the people who made the difference. Sigh... Steve

How long have I been saying that??? Steve

I know what you are trying to say, but it is "grass-track", not speedway. Even though a fair few riders who do both, they are two different sports, at totally different venues, with totally different fans. On here, you see many complaints that the Speedway Star "includes grass-track". To me, they are close enough to warrant grass-track news in speedway mags, but they are not the same sport. I am also aware that grass-track has taken a nose-dive in the UK too, which actually surprises me. One of the things that fans - including myself - loved about grass-track was the access we had to the riders and their machines. I maintain that one of the best ways to attract new fans to the sport is for them to get close to the machinery and the riders. A few years ago, there was a general motorsports event up in Minnesota, and I went up there with former Workington rider James Mann, who was giving a speedway display with a couple of others. As it was, the meeting was rained off (yeah, 1300 mile round trip for a rain-off...), but in the short time we were there, everybody was so fascinated by the bikes. That's why I love the ideas of riders taking bikes to schools. Yes, I was suggesting that something drastic needs to happen, but you and I both know that we aren't going to find "serious financial backing". That is why we have to cut costs. I just don't know what we can actually get away with. The SGP was innovative thinking, but at that time, the sport as a whole was relatively healthy. We are now talking about something to heal British speedway only, but the fact that British speedway is now on life-support makes it an extremely delicate situation. Just sitting here making suggestions - and waiting for some major sponsor to simply dump a ton of cash into the sport - isn't going to achieve anything. Even if we did find someone with money, five years down the road we will be sitting here replicating these threads, except that the crowds will be down to the 100-150 mark. We NEED to change/update the product, and the way it is displayed. Steve

God, this forum is so bloody depressing... Like many other posters, I have spent a lifetime following the sport. My parents met at Plough Lane, and I first attended when I was three weeks old. No, I don't go now, but that is because I live 3000 miles away. Since my dad passed away in 2003, my trips to the UK - particularly during the speedway season - have become exceedingly rare. As a result of recent events, I too am genuinely worried for the future of speedway in the UK. The problem with this forum - and yes, I have said this before - is that so many of the so-called "experts" still aren't looking at the big picture; they can't see past their own personal desires for themselves or their teams. The single most important issue is that the sport is not viable for the promotions, the riders, or the fans. We have to change that, and quickly. Tweaking silly rules and policies will do absolutely nothing; it needs a complete overhaul - from the bottom up. We have to stop arguing about FRN's, team strengths, and how many leagues we have. We have to forget about getting the top stars back, or stepping on the toes of the Poles or Swedes. We just have to do whatever it takes to ensure that British speedway - in some form - can survive. Of course, people compare today to the 50's, but they are so totally different it is unbelievable. Okay, we dropped to a handful of teams, but we still had thousands upon thousands of people who wanted to watch speedway. We had numerous stadia that were not only capable of staging speedway - but WANTED to. We had promoters who wanted to PROMOTE. You know, in my own sport of darts, we have gone through some ups and downs in the last 30 years, but look at it now. I used to think darts and speedway were very similar, and both suffered similar issues - including shooting ourselves in the foot! What kept darts going was that there was always a grass roots level, with thousands of players competing in local leagues and small tournaments. Also, even though a lot of pubs have closed, there are still plenty of places to play. Speedway doesn't have either of those. There is no grass-roots level with thousands of participants, and there are just a small handful of venues. How we get round those, I have no idea. Neither do I have any idea how we address the viability issue on a LOCAL level, let alone a national level. This truly is killing me... Steve

He doesn't say that GP riders should "be done away with", he says that we "don't need" GP riders; two very different statements. Others have mentioned on here that riders of a similar standard can provide excellent racing, which is true. You don't "need" GP riders to provide good racing. Steve

More to the point, it can safely be claimed that rarely - if ever - the old World Championship was even designed to provide the best 15 riders in the world. For example, qualifying five World Finalists from the Continental Final, while genuine contenders were being eliminated at the Inter-Continental, Overseas, or even British Final stage... Steve

Thing is, speedway sold itself because of the sport as a whole, which includes the racing, the crowds and the atmosphere. Of course, much of that was down to TV. However, in the 1950's, speedway riders were literally household names, with Tommy Price, Jack Young, Ronnie Moore etc being used to advertise everyday products, in particular, cigarettes. Even though PC was "well-known", many people would still hark back to Barry Briggs, Ivan Mauger, and even Peter Craven from the previous decade. Speedway was still a hugely popular spectator sport in the 70's, but the profile of individual riders was already well on the decline. What we need now is to improve the product instead of using one superbly talented individual to highlight an incredibly sub-standard product. I fear that, at the moment, promoting what is happening in Britain would only add a few nails to the coffin lid... Steve

Spot on. Yes, it is nice to have to have "superstars", and they obviously draw the crowds. However, these days - certainly in the UK - the cannot draw sufficient crowds to warrant their inclusion. How many times has it been said on here that speedway is "four blokes racing motorbikes"? However much some don't want to believe it, that is true; it is not about ONE "superstar" showing up. It saddens me to hear those who say, "To me, it's all about the top guys. Second strings and reserves aren't important, and neither are the lower divisions." The top boys only represent - and have historically only represented - the top 5% or so of the sport. We can lose the top 5% - and of course, we pretty much have done - and the sport will survive. Lose the other 95%, and we are done... Whether we like it or not, speedway can be very exciting and entertaining WITHOUT that 5%, but the important thing is that we run a sensible and VIABLE sport. Steve

I have said before that when Tai is on form - whether it is cruising at the front, or fighting his way through the field - I don't think I have seen ANYBODY looking as good on a bike. It really does look like he is riding on rails. As far as being used to promote British speedway, I really don't think that has been done since the days of the early 50's when speedway was visible in day-to-day advertising. Thing is, while they can promote a rider (or riders) to push British speedway, I don't think it is the responsibility of the authorities to do that. Okay, the World Cup is going on right now, and the country is going crazy because England actually have a chance - however minimal you may feel - of achieving something. Having said that, the FA is not pushing Harry Kane. Nor have you seen the governing bodies of other sports using Carl Fogarty, Ian Botham, Linford Christie etc to promote their respective sports. The role of a governing body is to govern, although those in speedway seem to have problems simply doing that... Steve

As I said a couple of weeks ago, perhaps we should have 10 or 15 races before the actual meeting starts! You just need a few heats to get the track sorted. Steve