1970's or 2020's?

[Hamish McRaker]

I've put this onto the Premiership section because i've given up trying to get my tech to get into a general speedway discussions area! It applies to Championship level as well.

In the 1970's there were riders galore with averages over 9 points. Plenty over 10 and a small but significant contingent over 11.

Maximums or nearly by Mauger, Olsen, Crump, Collins, Lee, Louis, Simmons etc were commonplace. Ah, those were the days! Or were they??

Today, more or less anybody can and does beat the "top dogs". No more dominance, at least at the Mauger and Olsen level. I'm sure the race format and gate position changes will have played a big part in this.

So what's better? Domination by an elite group or riders, or greater unpredictability?

[RoundTheBoards]

22 minutes ago, Hamish McRaker said:

I've put this onto the Premiership section because i've given up trying to get my tech to get into a general speedway discussions area! It applies to Championship level as well.

In the 1970's there were riders galore with averages over 9 points. Plenty over 10 and a small but significant contingent over 11.

Maximums or nearly by Mauger, Olsen, Crump, Collins, Lee, Louis, Simmons etc were commonplace. Ah, those were the days! Or were they??

Today, more or less anybody can and does beat the "top dogs". No more dominance, at least at the Mauger and Olsen level. I'm sure the race format and gate position changes will have played a big part in this.

So what's better? Domination by an elite group or riders, or greater unpredictability?

Back in those days, bonus points were included in the Green Sheet Averages.   This made a huge difference to averages.  (remember there are on average 10 extra bonus points in a 15 heat match).

Also then, matches were 13 heats so the top riders likely met only once in a meeting.  Nowadays with 15 heats including a nominated, top riders will meet at least twice.  And with the 4 top riders all meeting in heat 15, someone is going to finish with a zero and take a big dent on their average.   In the 70s, a top rider would go into every race with a reasonable expectataion of finishing second at worst.

Also back then, leagues had 16 - 18 teams.  They met only once all year.  Nowadays with fewer teams and fewer riders, teams meet more often, so top riders clash more often. 

If was also quite common to turn up on a Saturday night in the 70s to find Peter Collins isn't riding tonight or Ivan Mauger isn't riding, because they had a lucrative Grasstrack meeting in Germany on Sunday afternoon.    So riders might even miss their only league head-to-head of the entire season.  (with no internet. no one knew they were missing until they'd paid their money, and no one seemed bothered).

With just one bike strapped to the back of a car, no lower end rider had the equipment to challenge a top rider who may have a workshop at the track.

If you want closer racing with a more level playing field, and riders meeting more often, then the current day is for you.

If you want a few top stars for publicity purposes with the top stars artificially inflated to appear more dominant than they are, then the 70s are for you.

 

 

[cowboy cookie returns?]

No idea the 70s were before my time.

To be honest dispite the likes of Rickardsson, Gollob & more recently Doyle & Emil my favourite era at Ipswich was 89/90 in the National League.

Plenty of teams & characters the sport just seemed more fun. Even though my all time favourite is the Cowboy.

[RoundTheBoards]

Just now, cowboy cookie returns? said:

No idea the 70s were before my time.

To be honest dispite the likes of Rickardsson, Gollob & more recently Doyle & Emil my favourite era at Ipswich was 89/90 in the National League.

Plenty of teams & characters the sport just seemed more fun. Even though my all time favourite is the Cowboy.

My favourite era was the 70s.   Crowds were big and the atmosphere due to the big crowds was incredible, even for run-of-the-mill, very ordinary, bottom of the table matches.

The racing is far better now than in was then.  But today's racing in front of 800 people just can't match the atmosphere of a league meeting in front of 8,000.

[Whitelinehugger]

8 minutes ago, RoundTheBoards said:

My favourite era was the 70s.   Crowds were big and the atmosphere due to the big crowds was incredible, even for run-of-the-mill, very ordinary, bottom of the table matches.

The racing is far better now than in was then.  But today's racing in front of 800 people just can't match the atmosphere of a league meeting in front of 8,000.

Poland are experiencing crowds and fun times like we did in that period

[The White Knight]

3 hours ago, Hamish McRaker said:

I've put this onto the Premiership section because i've given up trying to get my tech to get into a general speedway discussions area! It applies to Championship level as well.

In the 1970's there were riders galore with averages over 9 points. Plenty over 10 and a small but significant contingent over 11.

Maximums or nearly by Mauger, Olsen, Crump, Collins, Lee, Louis, Simmons etc were commonplace. Ah, those were the days! Or were they??

Today, more or less anybody can and does beat the "top dogs". No more dominance, at least at the Mauger and Olsen level. I'm sure the race format and gate position changes will have played a big part in this.

So what's better? Domination by an elite group or riders, or greater unpredictability?

I would take the 70's every time.

Atmosphere, Characters (where are they now), Upright Engines (not the rocket bikes they have now), no Grand Prix (where is that going, I wonder?) Second Halves, where we saw a lot of the future young stars coming through (Gone).

Who is there today, British Riders, who can compare to Simmons, Collins, Jessop, Louis and Lee.

The Sport had twice the Entertainment/Excitement than it does nowadays.

I sincerely hope that Speedway in this Country can resurrect itself in to the Magnificent Sport that it used to be

[dontforgetthefueltapsbruv]

No fixed gate positions in the 70s either and the top boys often pulled rank to get the best ones further cementing their dominance