Good Evening all, and may I be the first (obviously!) to provide a hearty welcome to one and all, and of course my deepest appreciation to you for your support in viewing this page.
My intention over the coming weeks and months is to blog what I see, hear and personally feel about the state of British Speedway and my thoughts on how to restore the sport to a healthier position in general, but predominantly focusing on improving the facilities infrastructure, thus changing perceptions, stereotypes and attitude toward what, in my humble opinion, is one of, if not the most exhilarating sports in the World.
Until next time (once I have familiarised myself with the whole blogging phenomenen!) followers, be good, be healthy and enjoy your sport!
Sherif
Sunday 13 September 2009
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Fascinating idea for a blog, and I look forward to reading more as time goes on.
ReplyDeleteThe loss of major stadia (Milennium Stadium being one happy exception) has certainly changed the feeling of British speedway since the days of Wembley, White City, Wimbledon, Hyde Road, etc. But I think falling attendances have more to do with track preparation and admission prices.
During the recent Slovenian Grand Prix (one of the most processional, boring meetings I've ever seen), the Sky studio commentators spent much of their time discussing the sad fact that tracks have become slick and concrete-like, all but eliminating passing. Furthermore, the so-called 'man-made' tracks (is there some place where speedway tracks are a naturally occurring geological phenomenon?) frequently get rutted and ripped apart, resulting in dangerous conditions. It's not entirely Ole Olsen's fault, or the fault of promoters in general. The promoters of the new Inland Motorsport Speedway in San Bernardino, California, Jason Bonsignore and Shawn McConnell, vowed to build a track with "plenty of dirt". After a few weeks of racing, however, McConnell reported in an interview that many of the riders had been 'whining' about the deep track, so he had given in and prepared a hard-packed track for them. Is it that the overpowered laydown-engined bikes need a hard, slick track? The last speedway machines I rode were a Rotrax JAP and a 2-valve Jawa, so I can't answer that question. But the voting on your blog reflects the consensus that track preparation is one of the most important factors that must be addressed to improve the future of speedway.
Equally important, according to the voting, are admission prices. Even here in the U.S., the price of speedway tickets has outstripped inflation. My wife and I attended the U.S. Speedway Championship Final at Costa Mesa Speedway last week, and after adding up parking, two tickets to the stadium, a programme, and a couple of slices of pizza, we had spent 70.00 USD. Because it was a championship, the tickets were 5.00 USD higher than a normal meeting, but even at that, a family of two adults and two children would spend more than 100.00 USD per week going to speedway, far too much for many people. Yet promoters seem to barely survive, and prize money for the riders is lower than it was in the 1970s. I don't know where the money goes or what the solution is, but people are not going to pack the grandstands the way they did in the past unless it is more affordable.