Speedway

[Loramski]

Anyone else go down tonight? Decent track, for once, and unpredictable right to the end. The British lads all found different ways to get themselves eliminated (Steve Worrall showed respect for the local bye-laws by not exceeding 20mph all evening) which made for a slightly anticlimactic final but a good meeting all the same. Some rumours of it going back to Wembley next year but I can't see that happening.

[life on mars]

Re: Speedway

I used to love my Newport Speedway nights and the sight of Phil Crump coming of the boards , lose grit flying everywhere? Sadly for me , it doesn't seem the same sport .

[Loramski]

Re: Speedway

I used to love my Newport Speedway nights and the sight of Phil Crump coming of the boards , lose grit flying everywhere? Sadly for me , it doesn't seem the same sport .

Definitely the same sport. It was motorbike riders going round an oval track when it started 100 years ago, still was on Saturday. Maybe you've seen some greyhounds going round an oval track and got confused?

It's a sport in decline over here though. There was talk of speedway being the second biggest spectator sport in Britain (after football) at one point but there are only 19 tracks left now. Monmore Green, home of Wolverhampton since 1928, is due to close at the end of this season, Peterborough's track too.

I'm not sure what started the decline. British champion Kenny Carter killing his wife then turning the gun on himself in '86 wasn't exactly great PR for the sport but the rot seemed to be setting in before that. Britain still has three of the best riders in the world (and one of the best tracks in the world at Belle Vue) but while the sport thrives in Poland and Sweden, it continues to struggle here. Hard to see a way back for it either.

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Re: Speedway

I find speedway as tedious as formula 1 , horse racing , swimming , cycling etc

I know people enjoy these events and get pleasure out of them but one of the reasons for the decline must be that people have got better things to do

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Re: Speedway

Definitely the same sport. It was motorbike riders going round an oval track when it started 100 years ago, still was on Saturday. Maybe you've seen some greyhounds going round an oval track and got confused?

It's a sport in decline over here though. There was talk of speedway being the second biggest spectator sport in Britain (after football) at one point but there are only 19 tracks left now. Monmore Green, home of Wolverhampton since 1928, is due to close at the end of this season, Peterborough's track too.

I'm not sure what started the decline. British champion Kenny Carter killing his wife then turning the gun on himself in '86 wasn't exactly great PR for the sport but the rot seemed to be setting in before that. Britain still has three of the best riders in the world (and one of the best tracks in the world at Belle Vue) but while the sport thrives in Poland and Sweden, it continues to struggle here. Hard to see a way back for it either.

I think you have hit on the problem

100 years of riders going round and round an oval track

The people have seen through it

Maybe if they introduced potholes etc

[Loramski]

Re: Speedway

I think you have hit on the problem

100 years of riders going round and round an oval track

The people have seen through it

Maybe if they introduced potholes etc

To be fair, it's about a thousand times more sophisticated than the kind of football you like.

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Re: Speedway

To be fair, it's about a thousand times more sophisticated than the kind of football you like.

😂

Fair point , well made

However it's like sex

Simple tactics win the prize

[ToTaL ITK]

Re: Speedway

anyone watching cars go round a track for 10 hours needs to take a good hard look at themselves.

[BLUETIT]

Re: Speedway

This is the fella that I remember from Friday nights at Somerton Park

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Mauger

[Loramski]

Re: Speedway

anyone watching cars go round a track for 10 hours needs to take a good hard look at themselves.

As does anyone who juggles kiwifruits while sitting in a bucket full of baked beans, what's your point here? The longest race took 57 seconds on Saturday and there wasn't a car in sight.