Showered in Shale

Attendance Queries

noreply@blogger.com (Methanol Press) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 21:52:00 +0000

Attendance figures for the 2008 and 2009 Speedway Grand Prix (SGP) series have finally been released from where they’d been held in a file marked ‘Top Secret’ inside the BSI/IMG bunker located on the outskirts of London. A quick first glance indicates that the SGP World Championship outlook remains cloudy and its popularity with fans is (for the first time) in decline. Indeed, even according to these BSI/IMG figures, fans prepared to pay at the turnstiles to see one or more of the events has decreased in aggregate. Worse still, upon closer inspection, these figures don’t easily allow comparative analysis, let alone that they also raise doubts about both their accuracy and the methodology used to compile them.

Firstly, these attendance figures remain - as they have done traditionally - suspiciously rounded. Is it really that likely that only two out of the 2009 SGP events don’t have smoothed attendances that end in 000,00 or 0? Experientially and statistically, this smells like stinking fish.

Secondly, questions remain about whether these headline figures released by BSI/IMG refer solely to customers who actually paid for their entry to the various events that make up the SGP series! Indeed, suspicions remain that the inclusion of complementary giveaways along with press & other gratis attendees have possibly inflated the attendance figures. Though, to be fair, lack of fan enthusiasm combined with the need to portray the stadiums as crowded on TV are possibly a factor behind the need for such giveaways. Nonetheless, standard practice in pretty well every other ‘professional’ sport – many of whom IMG either manage or promote - is to list the PAYING customers rather than artificially boost the total attendance figure with these ‘false’, non revenue earning additions. For example, when Sunderland AFC publish the attendance figure for any individual match, it includes all paying customers (season ticket holders & via the turnstiles). They don’t include SAFC administrative or playing staff, friends, directors, press, refreshment kiosk staff, ice cream vendors, programme stallholders, Police, medical & security staff, prize winners or, even, gratis/comp tickets etc. Not only would it be disingenuous to do so but, more significantly, it would mislead both sponsors and advertisers who’re prepared to support the club based on the level of guaranteed television exposure (in addition to the value they attach to audited/verifiable numbers of fans actually at the game).

Lets go back a few steps to interrogate these recently released SGP attendance figures. The Speedway Star (July 5th 2008) reported critically upon the decision-making capabilities of the Cardiff SGP referee, noted the frustration of involved riders and also stated, “42,187 other people in the stadium concurred with them”. Compared to the (suspiciously rounded) figures reported for previous GPs at Cardiff, this was at that moment a NEW ATTENDANCE RECORD. However, amazingly, BSI/IMG now subsequently report that, in fact, the 2008 figure was 42,600. Where on earth did these 413 extra people suddenly come from? Possibly they exist and have justifiably been added to the spreadsheet. Who can say? There’s certainly a variance. Whatever the explanation, at this late stage how fantastic that the wondrous brilliance of the event allied to the magnificently innovative BSI/IMG adverts to promote the Cardiff ‘experience’ ensured that greater success than stated in the trade press was achieved! Nonetheless it’s strange that the specialist press would get such specific detail wrong?

If 2008 became increasingly super wonderful, then Cardiff 2009 was even more amazing with a reported attendance of 43,000 (nothing randomly ‘real world’ like, say, 42,937 or 43,236, but exactly dead on 43,000 people attended). Sadly for the World Championship, even after all these post-hoc revisions, reported overall attendance for the whole SGP series showed a decline of 7.3% from a reported 186,972 in 2008 to 173,309 in 2009.

Worse still - somewhere along the line - the attendance spreadsheet compilers appear to have lost track of some important but understandably disgruntled fans….
Few can forget that after the mismanagement that resulted in the fiasco of the Gelsenkirchen postponement, all tickets (but no travel costs) were refunded to badly let down fans. It was reported at the time (Speedway Star October 18th 2008), “Bellamy revealed they’d sold 11,500 for Saturday’s event, a disappointing figure following the near 20,000*[* doh! it says 25,000 in the BSI/IMG figures] last season” and “as a gesture of goodwill [these fans] will be offered a free ticket to a BSI-promoted event [namely, Gothenburg, Copenhagen or Cardiff] in 2009”. Questioned in light touch fashion by SGP series Press Officer Philip Rising (Speedway Star January 17th 2009), Paul Bellamy lashed out against misinformation, inaccuracy and rumour on the Internet about SGP generally and the Veltins Arena debacle in particular. He also categorically stated, “ticket sales were not that bad, we would have been alright. We would never cancel an event because of poor ticket sales. They only make up a portion of the revenue, there is TV money**, sponsorship and, of course, the reputation of the series”. [my italics]. By midsummer (Speedway Star June 6th 2009), with a hint of self-satisfaction, it was noted that the offer of compensatory replacement tickets “pledge” for one of three BSI-promoted events had been “honoured”. A delighted Bellamy burbled, “we have distributed over 6,000 tickets for the Swedish, Danish and British GPS to fans who were at the Veltins Arena”. Interesting the same issue also noted about the 2009 Gothenburg GP, “BSI were happy with the 15,000*** [***doh! 15, 236 in the figures] attendance on Saturday”.

Sooo, though assumptions are often the mother of all mess ups, it appears though 11,500 tickets were “sold” for Gelsenkirchen, in addition to their refund only 6,000 or so fans could be bothered to get a FREE ticket for the 2009 SGP series (despite a choice of three ‘attractive’ SGP event locations). One explanation could be that the postponement and its financial aftermath left fans short because it wasn’t properly compensated; thereby, prompting these fans to never ever want to watch the SGP live (in person) again, even for free! Possible draft headline we won’t see: Mismanagement of German SGP drives 5000 fans from the sport. Or, possibly, the publicly quoted figure of 11,500 was another approximation that could be subsequently revised to suit. Either way, the total figure for 2009 might need to be adjusted by circa 6,000 to read 167, 309 or, maybe, has been under reported and should be revised to 179, 309! Given, that suspicions that these figures might (or might not) include comps/gratis/giveaway tickets already, then any existing or potential sponsors would be advised to give such attendance figures a random percentage reduction (of their own choice) before they make any decision to invest. Clearly no business invests solely on the basis of the criteria of attendances but it could be a factor in their decision making process.

Also, when 41 of the BSI/IMG contractual demands given to the prospective Gorzow organisers as conditions to stage part of the SWC were revealed in the Polish press**** - something potentially relevant to these unanswered questions about the veracity of attendance figures – they included the requirement, “BSI will also be given, free of charge, 250 tickets for the best seats on the Main Stand”. Given the small size of this venue, BSI contractual demands elsewhere in the larger, modern stadia they advocate for stagings of the SGP series could be higher. For fairness, even if we just stick to this benchmark of 250 an event for every location in the 2009 SGP series, then 2,500 attendees could possibly also already be included in the 2009 aggregate figure of 173,309. Obviously, BSI demands for such perks could have remained constant for 2008 & 2009, so the net comparative effect might actually negligible. Nonetheless, such ongoing philosophical questions about the accuracy of the figures quoted remains unanswered. In the light of the uncertainty about this information, advertisers and sponsors might still possibly need to apply a further haircut to the attendance figures.

Even more wonderful than the uncertainty that surrounds them or the ongoing playfulness with said SGP attendance figures is the news that in 2009 - at both Parken and Bydgoszcz - more fans were reported in attendance than the SGP website advertises as the maximum capacity of the stadium holds for either speedway event!***** At the time of writing, the BSI/IMG website claims the capacity of Bydgoszcz is 17,000 (2009 reported attendance 18,000) and that Parken is 28,000 (2009 reported attendance 28,600). Obviously both these stadiums can adapt (increase/decrease) the capacity of their facilities according to the demands of the event to be staged there. However, though only a “portion of the revenue” BSI/IMG earns from the SGP is “ticket sales” you have to assume that the capacity the SGP website reports actually bears some vaguely ‘accurate’ relationship to the ticket numbers they intend to sell? Particularly at Parken which is, after all, a “BSI-promoted” event!

Given that BSI/IMG have secured the future rights to the SGP under licence from the FIM for the long haul, isn’t it time the FIM properly investigated what on earth is going on to produce such possibly discrepant reported attendance figures? Some investigation of this particular aspect wouldn’t go amiss before perceptions that the “reputation of the series” has been damaged gains any unnecessary credence?

** to be discussed in another blog shortly

**** thank you to Roman Chyla for his translation into English of the article that appeared in the Gazeta Lubuska that he posted on the informative Yahoo speedway email forum (speedway@yahoogroups.com)

***** taken from an article on the SGP that appears in the Spring 2010 issue of The Voice. (published quarterly - annual subscription £10) For more information contact on 0208 397 6599 or email stuart.towner@blueyonder.co.uk

Shale Snapshots 2009 (pt.2)

noreply@blogger.com (Methanol Press) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 19:23:00 +0000

Shale Snapshots 2009 (pt.1)

noreply@blogger.com (Methanol Press) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:46:00 +0000

A single random image has been chosen from every speedway event I attended in 2009 (every British speedway track was visited).

Observer Sports Books of the Year 2009 - "honorary mention" for Quantum of Shale

noreply@blogger.com (Methanol Press) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:39:00 +0000

"Finally, an honorary mention for Jeff Scott's Quantum of Shale: More Tales from the Shale (Methanol, £20). Scott writes extensively (one might even say obssessively...) on Speedway and Quantum is of his usual high standard. Needless to say if mud and noisy bikes don't interest you then neither will this, but if they do, Jeff's the man."

Quantum of Mud, Showered in Mud, Mud Britannia, Shifting Mud and Mud for Breakfast are all still available

Speedway Grand Prix 2009 - Rider earnings

noreply@blogger.com (Methanol Press) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:59:00 +0000

The fastidious Charles McKay has now collated the cumulative Speedway Grand Prix prize money totals earned by each rider during the recently completed 2009 season. They make pitiful reading for many riders concerned and also their accountants (but do accord with the derisory levels set by the FIM rules and regulations). Based on these figures alone, it can’t be even vaguely economic for most of the riders to compete in the series if, for example, you only factor in their increased travel and equipment expenses.

British Speedway also continues to pay a high cost each season in terms of intermittent and/or selective rider absenteeism during the course of each ‘long’ season. But the ongoing damage could also potentially be even more catastrophic long term - particularly if the self-interested cries of anguish from the ‘top riders’ that the British Elite League season is too long, that there are too many meetings ridden on different nights etc gains enough credence to eventually lead to structural change and, effectively, the abolition of ‘top tier’ weekend racing in Britain. Effectively such a change would merely be to accommodate the narrow commercial interests of the SGP circus and its field of notionally ‘world class’ competitors. We often hear about the packed schedule of riders who compete in the British, Polish and Swedish leagues (to name but three). Obviously, these demanding itineraries are compounded for all riders who chose to compete, qualify to compete or - in real grace and favour, true tug your forelock feudal fashion - get picked by the speedway experts found within the SGP/IMG management team as wild cards. (Blindfold pin the tail on the donkey sometimes looks a preferable wild card selection method in comparison to the informed deliberations of the small coterie of experts drawn from this particular inner circle).

Of course, the decision (once picked or qualified) to compete in any SGP series is the riders' right as self-employed workers but , ultimately, not really sufficient reason or justification to throw away eighty years of racing tradition in this country. We hear so often nowadays about the need to adapt – aka a convenient shorthand for the idea of ‘fixed’ Elite League racing nights - that you could half suspect it’s become the speedway equivalent of a Buddhist chant. Often without apparent irony, there’s wild talk of meaningless Elite League fixtures from riders (or their tame press representative advocates) who, nonetheless, conveniently forget that they also compete in the many turgid rounds of the borefest that the SGP has become. Clearly some promoters who operate midweek tracks will be in favour of such change to shore up their strategic, competitive and (possibly) financial positions. Bizarrely, some promoters even advocate, tacitly or implicitly, a measured form of entente cordiale and compromise with the SGP. This, despite the fact, it’s only ever been a parasitic one-way street, never mind the long held perception that the SGP couldn’t give a monkey’s about British Speedway and remain sanguine if they or the riders take the proverbial. However, it’s an unavoidable and incontrovertible fact that most well attended sports in this neck of the woods (and practically all countries elsewhere) pretty well all take place over the weekend or, at least, the extended Friday to Monday weekend that television sports coverage has gradually foisted upon us all.

A reasonable question could be posed, namely ‘why does British Speedway have to suffer (any more than the BSPA directs) by further compromising its traditions?’ Particularly when this appears to be for an independent commercial party with no connection or investment in British Speedway. If this were a detective novel or murder mystery, any half decent investigator would automatically ask ‘who really benefits from this?’ Based on the figures below, it’s clearly neither the majority of the riders nor British Speedway that emerges financially triumphant. If the siren voices for radical change (and supposedly moving with the times) are heeded, would the reduced EL fixture list so many are apparently in favour of demonstrate a pragmatic way to work round the SGP elephant in the room? More likely, it would be a bodged solution too far and signal itself as the precursor to the further inexorable decline of an already diminished top tier racing product?

Rider
1 Jason Crump $101,600 £67,811
2 Emil Sayfutdinov $84,300 £53,388
3 Tomasz Gollob $72,650 £47,225
4 Greg Hancock $60,200 £39,130
5 Andreas Jonsson $58,550 £39,263
6 Nicki Pedersen $54,650 £35,775
7 Rune Holta $53,750 £34,852
8 Kenneth Bjerre $53,050 £35,080
9 Fredrik Lindgren $52,150 £33,894
10 Hans Andersen $51,650 £33,581
11 Leigh Adams $49,500 £32,445
12 Sebastian Ulamek $46,350 £30,207
13 Chris Harris $42,350 £27,595
14 Grezegorz Walasek$41,950 £27,355
15 Scott Nicholls $38,500 £25,761
16 Neils K Iversen $13,900 £8,938
17 Antonio Lindback $12,000 £7,736

Promotion/Relegation Meetings 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Methanol Press) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:12:00 +0000

Congratulations to the Edinburgh Monarchs for triumphing through the Premier League Play Offs for the second successive season to again take part in the promotion/relegation meetings that could potentially see them join the upper tier of British Speedway. They certainly look to have put together at team that, on its present top-notch form, could stand a chance of doing so. Obviously, on their day they all go well at the Scotwaste Arena and a trip to Kirkmanshulme Lane will hold no fears for the majority of the team. Clearly, on a regular day-to-day basis, there is still a difference (in equipment investment and to the first corner?) between the perceived standards of Elite League and the Premier League. This was evidenced by the comprehensive drubbing the Monarchs received from Wolverhampton who, last season, were apparently completely demoralised and but a pale shadow of the team that’s subsequently torn up trees this season. Nonetheless, they still swept their erstwhile challengers aside and only an optimist person would bet otherwise for the forthcoming Monarchs versus Aces meeting.

No one can deny that the visit of an Elite League team to any Premier League will, weather permitting, draw a big crowd especially if there is something more than pride to (notionally) race for! With a couple of in form riders - people like Kevin Wolbert (who through accident or foresight will start the 2010 on an assessed average of 7.00 rather his higher ‘real’ average) and Ryan Fisher - plus a roster of talent that includes Andrew Tully, Matty Wethers and their latest secret weapon of the rider who sounds like a new but obscure martial art, Kalle Katajisto, Belle Vue will face more of a battle than Wolves did last season.

Even if we ignore on the ongoing encroachment of residential properties moving inexorably towards the Scotswaste Arena or rumours of site visits from supermarket surveyors keen to plan a possible future for this land, there are number of significant factors that indicate the promotion/relegation opportunity is much more a theoretical than a practical possibility. Though there’s the incentive of the nowadays increased Sky payments due to each Elite League team, all that glitters isn’t necessarily gold never mind that it’s widely accepted that increased rider costs will automatically swallow a big proportion if not all of this apparent satellite television bounty. Should the unthinkable happen, there would then be the complication of the Monarchs regular race night. This is currently a Friday and they’d quickly find themselves in the same boat as other Elite League clubs like Lakeside and Eastbourne. Whose fixture lists and gate receipts allegedly suffer from the ongoing deleterious impact of the increasingly boring but unreasonably demanding Speedway Grand Prix series events and its mandatory pre-meeting practices. Should any Friday night EL club stubbornly continue to run their League meetings on SGP weekends then the ‘stars’ of said same series would, most likely, not ride so fans would understandably think twice about the increased admission costs just to see something equivalent to what they have now (and nothing like what it says on the tin).

All these issues exist even before we take a brief look at the present geographical distribution of the Elite and Premier Leagues. Belle Vue are the most northerly of the Elite clubs and effectively have no local derbies while, if the Premier League split into regional North & South groups, the preponderance of ‘northern’ based clubs would probably find Stoke (38 miles from Belle Vue’s track) in the Southern group! In Quantum of Shale (a lovely present for the speedway fan in your life) as long ago as June 2008, Monarchs fan Ronnie Trotter expressed concern during a visit to Smallmead about the likely financial impact of lost revenues. “So, even though this year is a good year to go up for the big payment, our nearest club would then be Belle Vue and we’d lose the derbies against Glasgow plus the meetings against Workington, Newcastle and Berwick! So it wouldn’t be economically viable to even think about.” Even if you don’t include Redcar speedway in this list (which, given their location and support you should), based on their 2009 fixtures the Monarchs would lose the finances generated from four home meetings against Glasgow, three home meetings against Newcastle plus two home meetings against both Berwick and Workington. Who knows what the realities are of the actual income these local/regional meetings generate for the promotion? They’d certainly be missed! One thing is for sure: a couple of visits from, say, Lakeside, Eastbourne and Ipswich that the current Elite League structure (assuming no revamp over the winter months) dictates definitely isn’t going to produce such robust crowds for the Monarchs promotion at the Scotswaste Arena. Especially once the initial enthusiasm for visits from such top tier rival clubs fades.

For Belle Vue, the situation might possibly be the reverse of that faced by the Monarchs since ‘demotion’ to the Premier League would immediately eliminate the Sky payment but also significantly reduce their rider costs, provide much greater variety of visiting teams and many more regionally relevant meetings. Recently Belle Vue suddenly showed shockingly awful form over the first three heats against Ipswich in their last vital Elite League meeting on September 28th to, thereby, effectively guarantee their participation in the lucrative promotion/relegation meetings. If history suddenly repeats itself, Edinburgh riders could find themselves needing to lose races rather than win them in order to ensure that a possibly fatal financial ill wind doesn’t wreck their club.

All things considered, the smart money (if there is such a thing in speedway outside the SGP) remains on the Aces. While the concept of promotion/relegation meetings just about remains plausible, beyond its revenue raising and entertainment potential, at best the reality of its practice and execution looks ill conceived. For many speedway fans, whether neutral or partisan, the C word (for charade) will remain the abiding description, irrespective of any enjoyment derived from the clash of these two speedway clubs.

"Speedway is broken" claims Matt Ford

noreply@blogger.com (Methanol Press) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 16:46:00 +0000

Far more relevant to the future of the Elite League level of the sport and its overall reputation than the Internet debate over the post Heat 15 goings on at Arlington last night*, Matt Ford’s interval comments appear to have attracted little consideration or attention.

In a wide-ranging chat with Kevin Coombes, Poole Promoter Matt Ford appeared to call for the resignations or removal from future involvement of key but unnamed figures within the upper echelons of the sport. His comments upon governance were along these lines: “[British] speedway is broken…..we need some drastic changes….we can’t carry on the way we are. We need to do something! The same people who’ve been in charge need to step aside and changes have to be made…I sincerely hope that there will be changes!”

Quite who exactly Matt refers to is open to conjecture but such public comments clearly highlight that dramatic changes to the governance, structure and organisation of (at least) the upper tier of speedway in Britain are both needed and likely during the coming months.

Calling for unspecified changes is all well and good but after he’d identified that the future governance of British Speedway is a task “beyond any one man” alone, Matt Ford then proceeded to praise both Jon Cook (“has some fantastic ideas about how to take the sport forward”) and Jonathan Chapman (“not everyone’s cup of tea but someone who really cares about speedway”).

Prior to his outburst, Matt Ford also confessed he’s been “speaking to Bob [Dugard]” about the future of the Elite level of the sport before the meeting. During the latter part of his interview, Ford went onto attack the surprise mid-season decision to reduce the number of available Elite League play off places from six to four. “Things have to change – they can’t go on the way they are! People in glasshouses can’t just change the rules half way through the season. Ipswich and Eastbourne should both have been competing for play off places not having the rules change half way through the season because some people want them to!”

* After a tough financial outcome to the 2009 season for the club had again been raised, Bob Dugard identified a possible last gasp solution, “I’m just gonna fine every rider who was fighting here tonight £10,000!”

Lovely Review by Peter Oakes of 'Quantum of Shale' in the Speedway Star

noreply@blogger.com (Methanol Press) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 06:32:00 +0000

If Jeff Scott wrote regularly about football, cricket, horseracing
or rugby union, he would almost certainly be a household name.

He might even grab a spot on Strictly Come Dancing and would certainly be a regular guest on the sofa of the proliferation of chat shows that litter the TV schedules.

But Jeff’s chosen sport is speedway (although he has
published a mainly pictorial reflection of his personal support
for Sunderland FC) and that makes him little more than a peripheral
literary figure, although one of his previous offerings was so well
received outside the shale inner circle that it was nominated for
Sports Book of the Year.

Anyone who has read any of Jeff’s previous offerings – Showered in
Shale, When Eagles Dared, Shifting Shale and Concrete for Breakfast,
among them – will know exactly what they are getting for their £20.
A lengthy, prosaic tour of the country as he drops into most tracks and spends his time chatting mainly to those unsung figures from behind the scenes.

The first few sentences of Quantum of Shale set the pace and accurately précis what you will find in the remaining 318 pages.
Let me quote: “With the new speedway season only four weeks
away, the chance to get back into the swing of things arrives in the
Midlands. Well, to be exact, at the Coventry Sports Connexion Centre
in Ryton-on-Dunsmore. Usually the sports centre on the outskirts of
Coventry is the regular weekend home for dog shows, car boot sales
and is also famous as the Coventry City FC ‘Sky Blues’ training ground,
conceived and implemented by Jimmy Hill. However, this particular
Saturday – after the long dark winter nights of the close season – it
leaves speedway fans spoilt for choice with two different events taking place simultaneously at the same location.

“Inside a spacious sports hall is the 2008 Speedway and Grass Track Show that, the pre-show advertising in the Speedway Star boasts, will enable you to casually mingle with riders – albeit only ones from Coventry – as well as have your photo taken with the Eazy Oils Racer girls. The advert in the Star foregrounds the lure of these girls dressed in tightly fitted clothes and claims that fans should ‘come along and start your 2008 season!’.”

This, then, is where Jeff’s 2008 season began – and it ends at what could yet turn out to be Reading’s last ever meeting, their End of an Era event on October 19.

In between the two calendar extremes, Jeff’s ports of call include
46 other events, as diverse as High Beech, Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium, Sheffield (four times), Sittingbourne (on three occasions, probably for no better reason that it is relatively close to Jeff’s South Coast base) and Kidlington.

Kidlington? Perhaps you had better buy and read the book to discover this unlikely location which is hardly pinpointed on the majority of speedway fans’ itinerary! Almost every page – and there are a total of 336 of them taking into account the colourful cover, end pages, content, acknowledgements and afterword – takes you on a different journey, a powerful mix of whimsy, the lyrical, and chocolate coated barbs.

Scott has a happy knack of getting people to open up in their conversations, possibly because they know their words will simply be part of a lengthy narrative rather than plucked from obscurity and hardened into headline grabbing intros.

His is definitely from the prosaic Sunday Times school of journalism than the hard knock style favoured by The Sun and Daily Star. He does unearth some gems, however, with discreet revelations from several promoters and once you have ploughed through every word you will know far more about what happens behind the scenes than you did.

If you want to know what Sheffield’s Neil Machin really thinks about some of the BSPA decisions; how much Lakeside charge for advertising and sponsorship; which rider leaves tomatoes on the side of his plate; and who does, or perhaps doesn’t, wear red knickers, this is the book for you.

A brilliant, compulsive read.

[presently the book is £19 and postage free for UK customers on Amazon]

More Kleenex Venues Rumoured

noreply@blogger.com (Methanol Press) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 08:02:00 +0000

After the borefest of the Latvian GP, it’s hard to get excited about tittletattle in the Star claimed to be “whispers from the corridors of power” that trails notionally ‘exciting’ news that the SGP might expand into Russia in 2010 and, in as yet unspecified years ahead, to “India, Asia & Australasia”. All these countries or regions have huge potential audiences but presently remain blissfully unaware of the erstwhile glamour of speedway meetings held on substandard one off tracks (or the thrills of the gate position draws). The commercial logic of the opportunity to cash in on the popularity of the new Golden Boy of the SGP, Emil Sayfutdinov, in his home country is sensible enough. Doubtless, the sale of television rights and advertising will continue to be extremely lucrative for the organisers and, of course, the real purpose of the protracted, anodyne nature of the format, field and itinerary. However, unless admission prices fall dramatically, BSI have a poor pedigree in filling stadiums when they expand the frontiers of their series or, for that matter, building vaguely acceptable tracks inside the well equipped modern stadia their business model (unsubstantiatedly) proclaims as the future of speedway spectating. Even when they did release unaudited attendance figures into the public domain, the trend was mostly relentlessly downwards. In 2009, the evidence of our eyes when watching on the telly and continued rumours suggest that this trend towards indifference and non-attendance has taken firmer, perhaps fatal, hold.

A glance at the history of the series under BSI management when it comes to ventures into pastures new is even more informative since they appear to often stage expansion legs of the series at ‘Kleenex’ venues* before they then run away with their metaphorical management tail between their legs. A third venue has previously been added (Chorzow) in the most fanatical speedway spectating country in the world – Poland – only for attendances to then plummet by 20% in 2003! Not so impressive when you recall the then economic boom in Eastern Europe, let alone the aforementioned incredible popularity of the sport there. Less obviously, BSI explored then still nascent Holta Effect with a venture to Hamar in Norway and defied expectations to survive three years there (2002-2004) before its demise as a venue. Nonetheless, even at its height, fan numbers weren’t impressive though the fall off in demand by 25% in its last year of operation was undoubtedly an impressive, albeit sobering, number.

The use of the word “Australasia” in the Star puff hints that putative future venues might not be located in Australia but, possibly, New Zealand. In the context of the distances involved, time zones & population numbers, this would be a brave decision even before the lesson of the single staging of 2002 Sydney GP enters the equation.** Faced with a potential German language audience of 140 million people, BSI somehow failed to enthuse them but did attract debacles in Germany like foreign embassies in London garner parking tickets. Showcasing their reverse Midas touch, Gelsenkirchen remains fresh in the mind – technically a one off in staging terms – and, years before that particular fiasco, the Berlin leg of the 2001 series was hailed as the future but then conspicuously failed to be repeated. Failure to progress beyond the fanfare of opening, let alone robust sustain extensions of the series is a familiar characteristic of SGP brand extensions. Best not to hold our collective breaths about the sustainability of “India, Asia & Australasia”.

In business terms, key business lessons remain to be learnt: namely, that it appears on past performance that the SGP run by BSI isn’t scaleable (investors, advertisers & IMG management please note!). Obviously, TV pictures are location irrelevant though hackneyed shots of the chosen venue city can sometimes provide a one off publicity angle with some pleasing pictures for additional background. Think Sydney Bridge rather than downtown Daugavpils. Talk of heading off somewhere exciting new sounds good in the trade press, makes the management look go ahead or (more) important and looks even better in the business plan financials. However, it can’t disguise some the current problems with the SGP series: notably, boredom and predictability brought on by a tired format shown too frequently to a lessening fan base. Repackaging the same rubbish differently (with the addition of “new faces” to provide a veneer of change) is hardly innovative management, let alone strategic development of a speedway product that effectively has no competition! It takes some doing to own and run a monopoly to its detriment with such panache.

If there really is a need or demand for BSI to break new markets as well as spread the gospel of the SGP message and entertainment, then surely the management should looks to places run by despotic, repressive or highly controlling regimes more culturally suited to their regular embrace of jingoism (at Cardiff, for example) as well as their style of communications and governance. Countries with regimes similar to Burma, North Korea, Iran and China would welcome the exposure and business class managers of BSI, since they’re already familiar with highly controlled media where the messages are often at sharp variance to the reality of the lived experience. Such countries would welcome the international coverage and understand the need for the air brushed, sanitised, ‘hear no evil, see no evil’ reporting that characterises representations of the SGP product. Some additional fawning sycophancy wouldn’t stand out locally but the overall SGP ‘entertainment’ package would delight large blue collar audiences with a comparatively poor standard of living already well used to rudimentary incomes and entertainment levels from their ‘despotic’ regimes. Sure, religion and politics might be issues (along with the start girls) but travel to such locations would (for once) really be thinking out of the box and, hopefully, might break the unfortunate run of ‘Kleenex’ venues that have previously plagued the SGP series expansion efforts.

*In American Football, a Kleenex Play - like the tissue it takes its name from - is useless after one use (appearance)
** In Quantum of Shale, Glyn Taylor comments on some deal breaking management costs behind the recent abortive attempt to rekindle SGP interest in Australia

Irene Best

noreply@blogger.com (Methanol Press) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:05:00 +0000

The charming and friendly Irene Best has sadly passed away. Proud to be from Newcastle and even prouder of Newcastle Speedway, Irene typified the warm welcome you receive in the speedway office portacabin at Newcastle Stadium (aka Brough Park). Even more importantly, her love and dedication to the sport typifies the unassuming modesty of so many speedway fans who genuinely respect the handlebar heroes who thrill them and enjoy to the full the sense of belonging and community that the sport engenders. She’ll be sadly missed by many people.

From Concrete for Breakfast

In the passageway outside the speedway office is the small kitchen manned by volunteer Mrs Irene Best who looks after one of the key tasks at the club – making the tea and coffee! Traditionally, you’ve barely arrived in the building before she kindly enquires if you’d like any refreshment. “I’m a lifelong supporter of Newcastle Speedway. I came along as a child before the War – I can’t really remember it. It must be raining the way that phone keeps ringing off the hook! I just took to it – I lived locally at the bottom of Fosse Way. There was the war in 1939 and in 1946-47 we had Ken Le Breton – the White Ghost. My husband was more into grass tracking. I’ve never followed any other sport. Of course, our only child has come all his life and doesn’t know any other. He’s a man of 46-47 now, Robbie – he’s the Track Manager. Of course a lot of people give him a lot of help, I mean my son works full time as well as doing that. Monday was always our race night. The promoter I remember the most was Johnny Hoskins in the 1940s and 50s. I’ve seen some good riders come and go over the years. In the 60s there was Mauger. Of course we had the young Kenny Carter – we had Ole Olsen and Anders Michanek. All told we’ve had six or seven World Champions. Apart from my family, it’s my one and only love! And I’ve made some good friendships over the years. And the Owen family – Tom Owen, not Joe, is my favourite all-time rider. He’s a gentleman – and still keeping in touch with me!” At that moment we’re interrupted from our brief trip down memory lane by the arrival of one part of the club presentation team (and club Finance Director), Andrew Dalby, and also by George English who happens to open the door of his office at that moment. “Ee, George, the place is crawling with Sunderland fans! What’s happening here?” George rolls with the punches in life and speedway, so a few more Sunderland fans is just something you have to take in your stride, “I can’t blame him he doesn’t live here but this one [Andrew] does!”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
From Quantum of Shale

In the small kitchen directly outside the door of the speedway office, Irene Best is notable by her absence, not least because she oils the wheels of a successful meeting with an endless supply of cups of tea and coffee. Her son Robbie is the track curator at the club and rejoices in the grandiose title of Circuit Manager in the club programme. Later, I bump into Irene who, for the first time as long as she can remember, has had to miss some Diamonds meetings at Brough Park because of a bad back, “I can’t remember when I last missed two meetings! We’ve had some great riders here…..[pause] Did you see the World Team Cup? It was like seeing the Danish Diamonds – Kenneth Bjerre, Bjarne Pedersen and Nicki Pedersen all started here!”

“We are all entitled to an opinion though, in some cases, it is better to defer to those who know best…the riders”

noreply@blogger.com (Methanol Press) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 18:23:00 +0000

For those of us outside the charmed circle of speedway bigwigs and journalists who receive press releases from the BSI Press Office, we have to suffice with the thin informational pickings provided by the cleans whiter than white SGP website. Occasionally the SGP Press Officer, Philip Rising, selectively responds to real or imagined comments about the quality of the product on offer to the fans. As usual, Cardiff provoked a healthy postbag at the Speedway Star offices and prompted a “Point of View with Philip Rising” (July 18th issue) notionally in response to a letter from David Sturge. His repost conflated separate comments about the track prepared (“rubbish”) for the 2009 event and the quality of the staging venue itself.

Though we again still don’t have official attendance figures, those who did watch (or, indeed, race) at Cardiff we were treated to an event staged on track widely acknowledged as way better than the eight previous years. We can return to why it has taken so long to prepare such a track shortly but first let us savour the selective memory of Mr Rising’s appeal to the ultimate authority in these matters. He notes, “we are all entitled to an opinion though, in some cases, it is better to defer to those who know best…the riders.”

This sounds a reasonable enough point to make until you recall that for many years the riders have pointedly highlighted that the quality of the surface needed significant attention. This was for many reasons and these included it short-changed the viewing public, placed luck & chance ahead of skill and, most recently, verged on the dangerous. Rider and fan complaints about track quality have been the order of the day after many of the Cardiff stagings. Here are some relatively recent comments offered by the riders after the 2007 staging of the Cardiff event.

Hans Andersen: “the track was really, really rutty…it cut up badly…it broke up and became very hit and miss”
Jason Crump: “the track was a bit rougher than I’d hoped, probably a bit rougher than everyone had hoped”
David Howe: “I always struggle with deep ruts”
Tomasz Gollob: “I was just unable to master the track surface”
Jaroslaw Hampel: “the track surface is not very different to what we had used to ride in the previous years”
Greg Hancock: “the track was so demanding….although it makes the racing more interesting, it can make superstars look like amateurs at times”
Scott Nicholls: “it was like a minefield in places, you couldn’t see the ruts”
Nicki Pedersen: “The atmosphere at Cardiff is always fantastic, and it is great for the fans, but it is the worst track in the GP series. It cuts up so badly & you just can’t see the ruts…on a normal track you see the ruts coming”

Far from listening or learning from these comments, the BSI management sailed on regardless to oversee the preparation of an even more deleterious surface for the riders to race upon for the next Cardiff (2008) staging. The riders were even less happy with these conditions.

Leigh Adams: “it ruts up & it makes it dangerous”
Nicki Pedersen: “if this is going to happen again next year, I’m quite sure the riders are going to stick together & they’re going to end up with no events here in Cardiff”
Greg Hancock: “I hate to say it, but it was probably one of the worst tracks we’ve seen in Cardiff..I don’t mind the track being a little rough, it makes it more exciting, more fun & more technical, but it’s still got to be safe….I like it to be a little rough because it makes things happen, but not to a dangerous level and tonight was beyond that, it was dangerous & you saw a lot of crashes”
Krzysztof Kasprzak: “this track is terrible…I’ve heard the more experienced riders want to meet before the Czech GP to discuss the issue. I believe they will tell the organisers they will not race if such a track like Cardiff appears again.”
Tomasz Gollob: “the whole evening was bad for speedway. How can you call it any other way if riders fell off their bikes? What can you say when the eventual winner crosses the finishing line perpendicularly…safety first, and that was missing tonight”

Whether it was the threat of rider action or basic common sense that prompted change we will never know. However, that the solution was always close at hand and ‘easy’ to implement evaded the renowned management team behind this event who, instead, preferred to continue to invest in the wrapping rather than the present. For example, great play was made about the often pitiful and anodyne aural entertainment on offer rather than bother to try to fix the problematic track itself. It beggars belief that BSI ignored the opinions from the riders Mr Rising now suddenly valorises as authoritative. After plaudits for the 2009 event, a breathlessly excited and self-congratulatory Mr. Paul Bellamy reportedly commented that the SGP organisers have now finally invested in 4000 tones of ‘high quality’ Derbyshire shale (and brought in the required associated equipment needed to tend and install it properly). This is worthy of belated congratulation and so too is news that they will store it at Cardiff Docks so they can reuse it every year. However, ‘how come this took so long?’ would be a better question to ponder rather than castigate the temerity of readers letters? We could learn whether this decision was some deluded cost saving or just another example of teacher knows best? Mr Rising doesn’t give us the benefit of an insight into why such decisions took until the ninth year to arrive at. It’s all the more perplexing, given the huge revenues and profits generated by the Cardiff event alone, never mind that the shale was reputed to only cost in the region of £35 per ton and the storage costs aren’t likely to be killing (never mind that they’re both tax deductable expenses). Again, the organisers appear to historically have been penny wise but pound foolish at the expense of the competitors and fans alike.

If those paying customers (aka the “fans”) who cavil are peremptorily told by the Press Officer of the SGP series it’s “short sighted” to blame the (billiard table-esque almost shaleless) track for the lack of excitement and overtaking in 2009. Then, surely, it’s even more “short sighted” that such a simple and economical remedy with regard to the quality of materials used can have been ignored by the SGP management for the previous eight years to the detriment of their own flagship signature event? Though past performance indicates that this is unlikely, maybe now is the time for the organisers to do more listening to the riders and/or the fans if they wish to improve their SGP series before it wanes further?

Kenny Smith 1954-2009

noreply@blogger.com (Methanol Press) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 18:24:00 +0000

From Scunthorpe Press Release

13th July 2009

Kenneth Ian Smith 1954-2009 R.I.P.

After a near three-year battle against throat cancer, Kenny Smith, the Scorpions’ Team Manager, died on Monday morning at 6.15 a.m. at his home in Yarm. Over recent weeks his condition had deteriorated but after being told he only had days to live early last week he pledged to lead his side one last time. On Saturday his courage was on show for all to see as, unable to walk any significant distance, he was taken around the track on the back of David Howe’s bike for two emotional laps of honour.

Kenny’s grandfather was one of the pioneer riders in the 1920’s and he began his own racing career in grasstrack before taking up speedway in the late sixties at Doncaster. However, he will be best remembered for his days in team management at Newcastle and over the last five years with Scunthorpe. After being involved at Middlesbrough he switched to Newcastle when the Teesside club’s Cleveland Park track closed. Newcastle Promoter and Team Manager, George English, soon made him Assistant Team Manager and Kenny took responsibility for the Newcastle Gems when they entered a side in the Conference League. During that time there were few young riders in the North who hadn’t been influenced by Kenny and after the Gems withdrew from the Conference League Kenny offered his services to us at Scunthorpe.

Early links with his past saw Byron Bekker and Ashley Johnson join the club but he had an exceptional talent for managing riders. He was well-respected by his riders and that is no small feat in the adrenaline-filled cauldron that is a speedway pits when charged with the onerous task of taking away a riders’ opportunity to earn a living. Ever since Kenny joined Scunthorpe Speedway it has benefitted from Kenny’s unswerving passion for the sport and our club. His commitment and dedication to the club was rewarded in 2007 when he became a co-promoter and the club could have never wished for a greater ambassador.

A devastated Scunthorpe promoter Rob Godfrey commented: “Kenny has been a great friend and we knew his death was coming but that doesn’t make it any easier. It was an very emotional night for all concerned on Saturday and we are all devastated at losing him. It has been an honour to have Kenny in our lives for the last five years. He was a great inspiration to me and he touched the hearts of so many people. He will forever be a part of Scunthorpe Speedway.”

Sheffield promoter Neil Machin was one of the first to join the wave of tributes to Kenny. “One of the conditions of Scunthorpe moving into the Premier League was that they had a good man in charge as team manager. I recommended Kenny. He was dedicated to the sport and it was a mark of his courage that he was at Scunthorpe on Saturday.”

Somerset General Manager Dave Croucher added “Kenny’s passing is a great loss to the sport and I am sure there will be many hundreds of riders, officials and staff at tracks all over the UK who will miss his company and have happy memories of this lovely man.”

Kenny’s funeral will take place on Tuesday, July 21, starting with a service at the Eddie Wright Raceway from 10 am. The funeral itself will be held at Woodlands Crematorium, Brumby Wood Lane, Scunthorpe, from 11 am. No flowers but donations are welcome to be made to the Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Cards can be sent to: Scunthorpe Raceway Ltd, 157 Moorwell Road, Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, DN17 2SX.

For further information contact:

Robert Godfrey
Scunthorpe Speedway
157 Moorwell Road
Scunthorpe
DN17 2SX

Telephone: 01724-848899

or visit the club website

From Concrete for Breakfast

The place is already a hive of activity in the pits, on the track and in the general environs of the club grounds. On the way to the loos I bump into Scunthorpe Scorpions team manager, the endlessly hail and hearty “Kenneth Smith” (as the programme calls him), who’s so smartly dressed in jacket, collared shirt and tie that he could easily have just come from conducting some local Sunday School services. He’s always affable and chatty whenever I meet him and looks fit and healthy. I mention this only because the Speedway Star reported that he’s recently ‘battled’ with cancer. Last time I saw him I studiously didn’t mention it – I understand the last thing you need if you have cancer is prurient albeit well meaning curiosity about the exact details and the present state of play - but this time I do. Kenny makes very light of the situation and appears genuinely embarrassed that public record of the news has somehow made him unnecessarily the centre of attention when his preference would have been to keep it quiet. Almost predictably given his attitude to people and life, he couches his comments in the language of good fortune, opportunity and respect for the skills of all the medical practitioners he met as well as concern for the worry and stress that it’s caused his family and friends. He has a strong life force about him and an easy confidence, allied to a self-deprecating sense of humour that can only come naturally rather than be affected. “When the news came out in the Star, I didn’t know until the phone rang and I was asked if I was selling my Long Track bikes. I’m not but when I asked ‘why?’ they said, ‘well you won’t be needing them any more!’” After some more chatter, Kenny bustles off to get on with something he loves and relishes – his speedway duties.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
On the subject of dreams, the Scunthorpe riders have come out on their bikes for a victory parade to celebrate their convincing triumph. One of those on a machine is Kenny Smith who cuts an incongruously dashing figure in collared shirt, jacket flapping along with his ponytail. He pootles past grinning broadly and smirkingly catches the eye of his partner Julie Harrowven stood on the grass hillock in the knot of Scunny supporters, “that was to wind me up ’cause I told him I don’t want to push him in a wheelchair!” The backstory, as they’ve started to say in fashionable media circles nowadays, is slightly complicated since it mixes Kenny’s desire to beat his illness and pay tribute to a deceased young rider and his family. “He often says to me ‘I just want to ride four laps’. He wants to ride in the David Nix memorial meeting – ’cause he was there that night – but when he had his glands out it weakened a plated shoulder. He’ll make light of it and I know how good he is on a bike but if he needed to correct things, he’d be too weak to do it since the operation and that’s what I worry about!”

From Quantum of Shale

In the bar of my hotel, I bump into Scunthorpe team manager Kenny Smith ….[He] remains his usual cheerful, outgoing and clubbable self. His hair is tied into his trademark ponytail …an ex- speedway rider himself, Kenny takes a practical and sympathetic approach to young men he manages directly as well as those he’s previously worked with.... “I spoke to Charles Wright at Redcar on Thursday and asked him, what had happened there. He told me, ‘Auty had elbowed me first time out so I returned the favour’. I told him, ‘Lots of people will elbow you,’ and, he knows that.... At Scunthorpe Josh and Tai used to race all the time against each other when they were on the same team! I told them to ride as a team now and race each other in the World Final – as you’ll have plenty of time then!” Kenny has a casual modesty about his own racing career and skill as a rider. He has some unrepeatable stories about riding with Malcolm ‘Mad Wellie’ Holloway and some good stories about his experiences with Dave Mullett. He’s curious about what will happened to Reading speedway with the closure of Smallmead and also fondly recalls his days riding at Tilehurst. Various reminiscences from his time as a rider round the tracks blurt out, “I was taught how to ride at Exeter by Vaclav Verner. He said to aim at the fence and, then, brush your back wheel off it – woomph! Vaclav used to say his wheel only lasted eight meetings. We used to get up to all sorts. I remember Dave Kennett knocking me off (to break my wrist or arm) when he was really aiming to knock off second placed Dave Mullett – but I’d suddenly accelerated into that position! It’s different now to when I was a rider with lots of new tracks that we didn’t have then”

“It’s amazing how honest most people in speedway are. I got called to the gate at Scunny for a man who’d lost his wallet and I lent him £10 and the promoter said, ‘You’ll never see that again!’ And I said, ‘I’d have helped him anyway.’ The next week I was called back to the gate and repaid my money, he paid his entrance fee twice and spoke to Julie about a donation [£75] to the Riders’ Support Fund. I told him, ‘Take your cheque back, it wasn’t so you’d donate!’ He wouldn’t and the man even refused to give us his name (“just Alan”) for listing in the programme.”

Sometimes I watch the Speedway Grand Prix whether I want to fall asleep or not

noreply@blogger.com (Methanol Press) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 08:34:00 +0000

Riders and some pundits have rightly complained that the Speedway Grand Prix series organisers (“BSI – an IMG Company”) wish to stage the various meetings on sub standard tracks that sometimes verge on the dangerous. There have been some real shockers, so thank goodness last night that round four of the Speedway Grand Prix was staged on the ‘best’ track so far. Actually, thinking about it, it’s been so dull entertainmentwise (again) this year that the random, unpredictability that a track like a rutty ploughed field at least creates some much needed drama and spectacle. Admittedly, last night, Nicki Pedersen – who increasingly becomes a Kevin Phillips look-a-like - was again unlucky when the track was the primary cause of his exclusion (it wasn’t exactly clear from the pictures and Polish commentary but was Emil Sayfutdinov spitting at him or merely giving helpful suggestions?). It makes a change from Nicki’s ‘victimisation’ by those naughty referees but effectively concluded his defence of his title (according to him, anyway, when interviewed immediately afterwards), unless injuries intervene above him in the table.

It’s impossible to deny that the meeting presentation in pictures for the telly/interweb is slick and professional but, sadly, the racing ‘product’ served up really is – bumps induced drama aside - relentlessly as dull as ditchwater. No amount of provocatively blown kisses from the start girls can disguise (or Kenneth Bjerre dressed in his bright yellow nuclear decontamination kevlars) that the racing mostly bores and that this series concept looks in terminal decline. Almost every fortnight, we get treated to the same riders (except for Emil S) manfully labouring through yet another thrill-less qualification process to then finally grind their way through the knock out stage to completion. Nicki’s exclusion aside, there was possibly one thrilling race, little or no passing in an ongoing series of follow my leader processional races. Even when we got to the semi finals, the extent of the drama was a tapes exclusion and a modicum of on track aggression. Even the notional excitement of the rise of the young challenger – and my doesn’t he make a compellingly charismatic interviewee - effectively ended as a possible narrative for this series, if the SGP press office and assorted boosters are honest. Injury notwithstanding, the 2009 series appears destined to be Jason’s (and good luck to him) after what the Speedway Grand Prix – Official Website calls his “majestic” victory.

Even the SGP Official Website reflects the dullness of the series but, magnificently, takes it to a whole new level of torpor! If Ole Olsen’s supervision of the track preparation suggests that he’s a fifth columnist sent by parties unknown to sabotage the ‘credibility’ of the event and the ‘reputation’ of the organisers, then he definitely has his counterpart as webmaster for the ‘revamped’ BSI/IMG site. They say don’t put lipstick on a pig but whoever is in charge of their interweb ‘presence’ quickly demonstrates that they can’t even manage that! Doubtless they do have one hand tied behind their back because as series organisers, they really only exist to sell television rights (find sponsors and sell commercial breaks etc) so can’t give away the Crown Jewels of the racing action for free to casual punters. However, while the dullness of the graphics and design is an artistic crime that deserves punishment but whoever came up the various content ideas should order a taxi. It’s so bad and there are so many mis-steps, it’s actually really compulsive viewing with almost car crash levels of dullness that completely fails to engage or thrill the casual surfer. I can’t help drinking in the full glory of the thing but who would voluntarily linger when life is so short? We do get to see a series of rather wonderful videos:

We have the thrill of the live (yes, live) draw. At least, the square building blocks used are an innovation but apart from that it’s dull with a capital D. The format stays roughly the same for each round – some notable buffer Bank manager type figure with no real connection to speedway makes the draw while one of the start girls has been dragged in a day early to dress skimpily and simper alongside said important middle aged person. Round 1 was, I think, drawn by HRG from Heroes (it’s a shame Sylar doesn’t get to go to the BSI/IMG management meetings), the second was drawn by someone impersonating a mad professor dressed for a court appearance (actually the Mayor of Leszno) and Friday’s featured some bloke with unexplained managerial connections to the latest modern staging stadium. He adopted a quizzical glazed throughout that suggested he’d been sedated in preparation for an unpleasant minor cosmetic operation. The draw did open with a modicum of drama when he shakily placed the first building block drawn in the wrong position. Unbelievably, we also get a running commentary and so thrill to news like, “it’s the first time that Grzegorz Walasek hasn’t been at number 16 this year!”

The really condescending thing about this live draw is that it’s supposed to counter grumbles and allegations (who felt these were important enough to actually make?) that draws previously weren’t transparently done. But also, more laughably, the fanfare round this new found openness supposedly illustrates the integrity and probity of the organisers. Remember, these are the very people who have yet to publish their own 2008 attendance figures (never mind ever have them independently audited) or still have yet to reveal the results of their investigations into a speedway meeting not held eight months ago! Another function of this live draw is that anyone who actually attends the meetings in person, this season can buy a glossy, overpriced programme that fails to include the race card for the event! Admittedly, the organisers selflessly provide all purchasers with an insert but why bother when you can have the fun of filling it in yourself (after you’ve downloaded said document template for free here)?

After the live draw, later in the day we can further excite ourselves with videos of some rider interviews where they give their reactions to practice or the news of their gate positions. There’s a Zen Groundhog Day quality to the repetition of the question, ‘ so XXX, how was your practice today?” With such investigative reporting on display, it’s hardly a surprise that all the riders confess the track is heaven on earth. Luckily the gate position questions can be a tad more exciting, “Jason Crump you start in heat 4 with the red helmet colour – what do you think of that?” Sensibly Jason masks his ecstasy and instead sounds like he’s reading from a ransom note while held at gunpoint, “with the draw I’ve been given, I’m starting inside and moving out!”

Even more likely to kill off the interest of the casual server is the highlights package served up afterwards by “BSI – an IMG Company” to showcase the thrills of the speedway events they organise. Quite what the thinking is behind the random fast moving selection of arty images (without recognisable narrative) overlaid with a horrid soundtrack that probably intones some key subliminal motivational messages but also informs us endlessly something along the lines of speedway’s version of “I have a dream’. Actually, it’s some guff about, “sometimes it’s hard to be a man/world champion/customer service representative” [delete as appropriate]. It’s hard to navigate in this sea of awful tosh, let alone determine whether the sound track or the montage of evocative images is the most brilliantly surreal. Still, as they say, all this coverage and publicity means speedway is the winner!

Elite League Reverse Ferret?

noreply@blogger.com (Methanol Press) — Tue, 26 May 2009 08:10:00 +0000

It’s not that long ago that the tablets came down from the 2007 BSPA Annual Conference mountain. We then learnt that the Elite League promoters were to self administer some tough tasting medicine to address both team strength inequality but also build a more viable long term future for the upper tier of British speedway! There was natty talk of a Three Year Plan and dramatic news came in the form of a reduced points limit that would force teams to discard some of their ‘star’ higher paid riders. Jason Crump was axed by Poole to reduce their strength and the Speedway Star gushed, “Matt Ford is hoping he has set an example for others to follow by throwing his weight behind the revamped structure of the sport…he believes it’s a sacrifice which had to be made for the future benefit of British Speedway after freely admitting the top flight had lost its way last season [2007]”. Fans might have cavilled at the watering down effect on the quality of riders on display prompted in part by these decisions but Dr. Ford only had medical metaphors and the strategic interests of the sport at heart, “I’m looking at the bigger picture which is the sport in general and major surgery was needed to bring the Elite League back into a more competitive structure. It’s a case of short term pain for long term gain.”

The credit crunching economic climate and the ongoing deleterious imbalance of revenues to costs in the Elite League (and elsewhere) prompted the 2008 BSPA Annual Conference to endorse the validity of the Three Year Plan while it glanced 80 years into the future and looked at the future legacy for as yet unborn generations. Its website quoted an excited person or persons unknown (probably Peter Toogood or publicly gung ho anonymous Working Party member), “Our wonderful and exciting sport has built 80 years of heritage in the hearts of our nation, and we are pleased to be at the pinnacle point of re-building its foundations to make for another 80 years and beyond of action where our aim is to capture the hearts of a new generation.” Known for his business acumen and careful husbandry, Chris Van Straaten endorsed the financial maturity of the collective wisdom of the trade association, “Our decision and faith to start the three year plan last season was endorsed by all the Promoters during a conference where one of our main concerns was to protect our fans and the sport from the effects of the current economic climate.”

Ever loyal, the safely ‘protected’ fans only vaguely murmured at the further dilution of the EL product for 2009. There would definitely be no AJ, Greg or Jason. Most teams would only have two ‘real’ heat leaders occupying the three heat leader positions but the future was in the process of being safely brightened. The narrative helpfully suggested by many promoters (as though reading from a pre-prepared script) was that there would be less disruption from GP riders, closer racing and (just add water) a new generation of stars would arise. All this was hopefully true and would also have the added benefit – along with other equalisation measures like the innovative league points structure – that it engineered closer meetings between more evenly matched, mutually competitive teams. Anecdotally some closer early season EL meetings have been proclaimed as evidence of the perspicacity of this vision. However, the comparatively greater absence of so-called “GP stars” only served to further highlight the changed nature and built to tighter budgets conception of the EL. If you closed one eye, it was possible to pretend that there was consensus and a limited egalitarianism with measured forward planning had triumphed over narrower, individual commercial interests that have tended to force the sport lurch from one bodged solution to compensate for yet another set of unintended consequences.

In even plainer terms, the monopoly position enjoyed in the EL by the Top Three successful clubs like Poole, Swindon and Coventry could notionally be threatened by the middle tier and even the ‘smaller’ clubs like Belle Vue, Eastbourne, Lakeside and Ipswich who’d in recent years occasionally find themselves condemned to the general vicinity of the basement. With the Three Year Plan in place, the upper echelons could now (theoretically) be reached by any club without busting the bank, while measured upward progression was possible if not fully back on the menu. The vicious circle of increased costs, on track struggle reflected by reduced numbers through the turnstiles looked like it might be partially broken and replaced by a more virtuous circle of co-operation and support among the EL promoters and clubs. Sadly, team changes news during the last week has seen the Three Year Plan unofficially declared dead on arrival before it’s even reached half way stage, let alone fruitition. The latest round of the speedway arms race has replaced the recent phoney armistice. In a superb example of the reverse ferret, Dr. Ford has suddenly changed his suggested cure and this revised diagnosis has seen Hans Andersen sign for Poole (now that he’s able to fit within their points limit) and, frequent points purge victims [with their unenviable forced selection choices between Hancock/Hamill & Nicholls/Harris] Coventry, have temporarily re-signed their own asset Scott Nicholls. Commitment phobic Matej Zagar has ventured to Blunsdon and more surprise returns to British speedway (“I love the fans but there are too many meetings”) are forecast to follow.

Indeed, if just for commercial reason of regular Sky appearances, more EL teams will have to ape the trail that the market leaders blaze. If any EL team is now to seriously compete for end of season ‘glory’, then “star” riders and what we’ve so often been told are their ‘inflated’ running costs are once again firmly back on the agenda. How long before we see AJ, Jason, Nicki, Greg or, even, (and wouldn’t it be wonderful) Tomasz back riding here on short term contracts only too happy to metaphorically kiss the badge and give their ‘all’ for ‘their clubs’? While it might look good stuff from the terraces, at a stroke it wrecks the oft heralded back to basics EL cost structure, condemns all clubs on a tight budgets to large unsustainable overdrafts and shifts the sport back as the plaything of those with deep pockets or the most vaunting ambition.

This might be the logic of the market – look where this has got the English football Premier League and banking – but ill behoves the trade association that is the often-factional BSPA. Even if it weren’t a recession, toothless governance and an ‘I’m alright Jack’ approach surely shouldn’t be the approach advocated by the collective in the cold economic and sporting light of day? Though Wolverhampton presently appear to buck the trend with a more considered approach to their 2009 rider selections, will they or teams like Belle Vue, Eastbourne, Lakeside, Ipswich (let alone any team brave enough to accept promotion from the Premier League) realistically become EL Champions while this approach to long term strategy and team building exists?

Even Cheesy Costs Too Much in 2009 for BSI Speedway's Showpiece Event in Cardiff

noreply@blogger.com (Methanol Press) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 21:04:00 +0000

A snippet about entertainment at Cardiff that appeared in the lengthy coverage of the Prague Grand Prix (the first of the 2009 series) in this week’s Speedway Star inadvertently yet again reveals the desperation of the cost-cutting measures that BSI Speedway appear keen to undertake. Arguably, it also signals they have already planned for 2009 Cardiff revenues and/or attendances to decline from previous levels.

Since the inaugural Cardiff Grand Prix, the organisers have dictated that our pre and mid meeting entertainment should be of the cheesy faded, fallen star variety they apparently deem appropriate to the collective emotional and cognitive outlook of the average speedway fan. Though they might not be everyone’s fifth choice of musical artiste, the performers we’ve seen have enjoyed some element of name recognition and, often, a reasonable sized back catalogue of their own previously successful material.

To name but a few, some of the artists we’ve seen at Cardiff have included: Bonnie Tyler, the late great Edwin Starr, Belinda Carlisle, Chas & Dave, Tony Hadley (without Spandau Ballet) and Tony Christie. (We'll ignore X Factor losers like the McDonald Brothers or Ray Quinn) Obviously, there have been equipment problems (and some pitiful spiders with legs on stilts) but the veneer of genuinely wanting to put on a show at the Millenium Stadium has remained intact. You also have to think that all of these haven’t come (too) cheap. John Postlethwaite and his esteemed management team have hummed their cheesy, retro tune and we’ve dutifully sung along. This year - along with the traditional poor track surface, predictable format and field of participants - we’re informed that we’re now going to be treated to the pre-meeting entertainment sounds of a Queen tribute band!

Next year the ongoing logic of further BSI Speedway cost cutting at the SGP would dictate that the entertainment offered will probably decline even further to become karaoke with some extra coloured flashing lights. *

Why would anyone even think to bother to book a Queen tribute band? Hold on, actually, companies founded by John Postlethwaite have some previous here (and probably thinks “We are the Champions!” is the ideal signature tune to accompany BSI Speedway PowerPoint presentations of the SGP financials to IMG). Indeed, it’s less than three years since BSI Reading (during their ill starred attempt to ‘revolutionise’ the Elite League via their rebranded ‘investment vehicle’ of the Reading Bulldogs) tried and completely failed to entice/entertain the 2006 EL Play Off Final (first leg) crowd with – a Queen tribute band! If it’s good enough for Smallmead, I say it’s good enough for Cardiff. Obviously, I have no idea of the band booked then will be the one we get to witness at Cardiff. There are so many tribute bands, after all.

To give a flavour of what’s in store here’s a snippet – that also features dedicated Oxford Speedway trackman Nobby Hall - from my book on the 2006 speedway season Shifting Shale (now available for a bargain £10) that captures something of how the band at the Cardiff GP might sound:

“Far from seeking to innovate when it comes to the choice of music played to the punters at the premium speedway meetings they stage, the BSI as an organisation appears to pride itself to only offer music stuck in a time warp for a certain bygone era of mass entertainment. At Cardiff they at least have the decency to make ironic or slightly fey choices – though I must admit that the 2006 combination of Bonny Tyler and Tony Christie did appeal in a kind of kitsch-cum-retro type way – but tonight at Smallmead as a crowd we appear to have become trapped at speedway’s equivalent of Guantanamo Bay. We’re definitively a captive audience as we wait for the action to start and BSI Reading appear keen to infantilise us as well as beat us into psychological submission with some loud, garish and atonal music we haven’t actually chosen or can’t turn down. In fact, we have no choice but to sit passively and listen since it drowns almost all conversation. Judged by his coat, maybe a Queen tribute band is in fact John Postlethwaite’s favoured choice of music to relax to, though, much more likely, they’re somehow related. If none of these explanations apply, they’re probably just a rather condescending reasonably priced choice of what they think speedway fans would like to listen to. Whatever the reason, the lead singer greets us with a cheery “Hello Reading!” as though he’s mistaken this gig – so strongly redolent of an end-of-the-career booking - for the headline slot at the Reading Festival rather than its reality of the centre green at Smallmead. It must be a nightmare engagement - the chance to play to the older demographic in the form of an audience of uninterested speedway fans who really just can’t wait for you to stop. The volume is set at deafening so we’re all along for the ride, except for those with adjustable volume on their hearing aids. Sadly the singer affects to persuade himself, if no one else, that we’re actually all here to specifically see him and the band. He frequently implores us to rise above our default setting of catatonia throughout the ’gig’. “If you want to boogie feel free!”, “Show your hands” and “sing it” are uttered/screeched with apparent sincerity and great regularity, though without any appreciable impact. Apart from a touching lack of awareness, another factor that disrupts the performance is an apparent unfamiliarity with the basic lyrics and mechanics of the Queen oeuvre. “I’m going to sing something – sing it back to me” requests the lead singer before he noisily murders the rather appropriate choice of Another One Bites The Dust. Nobby isn’t impressed, “I can’t hear myself think, let alone speak”. With a few more failed imprecations to action or reaction from the stunned captive crowd, the band launch into the most famous Queen song of all which tonight, I think we can call, Bulldogian Rhapsody. Nobby shouts above the cacophony approvingly, “They’re all out of key now!” When the singer fails to simultaneously hit the high notes and introduces some unusual quavers into “mama, I just killed a man” you really hope that his mum isn’t here or, worse still for long-term future embarrassment of the whole family, isn’t a Smallmead regular as she’d never live down the horror and the shame of this execrable, almost post-modern performance that unintentionally verges on so-bad-it’s-good levels of irony.

Nobby shouts, “They’re better on Stars in their Eyes than here”. A short while later he points out a celebrity a row and few seats away, “that’s the dog that was on TV at Peterborough last week”. Boy, it is a cutely distracting dog and it sits throughout with its paws on the handrail to apparently follow each race with an intensity that is almost as absorbing as the on-track action. Before we get all the blessed relief of the loud roar of the bike engines rather than the loud violence of the ‘music’, we endure a final fruitless appeal from the lead singer, “come on Reading – big finish” before they grunkily segue into an atonal unintentionally post punk version of the Queen standard Radio GaGa. Nobby shouts wittily, “It’s all been GaGa!” At a different volume there might be a career for this band on the chicken-in-the-basket pub and club circuit but based on this display, to paraphrase Alan Partridge, their music would be better suited to the less discerning “spinal cord in bap” crowd.

When they finally mercifully kill the set, the silence is golden……”

* This might not be such a bad idea since I’m sure the always enthusiastic, good value and professional Cardiff presenter Kevin Coombes would definitely draw a considerable crowd into the stadium early to hear him croon a few choice numbers. If we could sponsor him and the monies raised were given to the Speedway Riders Benevolence Fund then things might really take off! And, indeed, also vaguely give something back to speedway rather than line BSI Speedway’s pockets.

Unanswered questions & secrecy mar launch of 2009 Speedway Grand Prix series

noreply@blogger.com (Methanol Press) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 21:21:00 +0000

The new series of the Speedway Grand Prix is about to get underway but, arguably, finds the glamour of its start marred by cost-cutting, secrecy and prevarication. Sadly, the fanfare over the arrival of a new website for the Speedway Grand Prix fails to paper over the vexatious issues and unanswered questions that still beset this ‘competition’ run by “BSI Speedway – An IMG Company”. Weirdly, the look and feel of this new all singing and dancing website mixes a kind of corporate German 70s porn aesthetic with something altogether more funereal. Perhaps, unconsciously, BSI Speedway want to acknowledge the great impending unsaid of its terminal decline?

Whatever message BSI Speedway tried to send to the world via cyberspace this lunchtime, we were allowed to witness the live draw (be still my beating heart) for the Prague Grand Prix tomorrow night. Well, actually I couldn’t as the flow player refused to load on two different browsers but, afterwards, I was able to thrill at written version of the keenly awaited gate position and helmet colour news. All this activity indicates that the 2009 series is again about to start to widespread UK media disinterest. This is fortunate for the organisers since serious questions remain unanswered about the ‘success’ of the series or even the quality of information provided by BSI Speedway.

The astonishing achievement of a cancellation of an indoor meeting because of the impact of the weather remains a reminder of the management expertise and ability the organisation can call upon. Only a few months back, Paul Bellamy blithely told the Speedway Star that the news from the Gelsenkirchen post mortem remained shrouded in mystery because of unspecified “legal issues to be resolved”. This still remains firmly swept under the carpet and, despite the ongoing public relations disaster of Gelsenkirchen debacle, no member of the management team has yet provided the promised update or done the decent thing and resigned.

The derisory offer of free tickets to 2009 SGP events for severely out of pocket fans has inadvertently revealed that BSI Speedway will only actually stage three meetings in the series themselves during 2009 (Copenhagen, Gothenburg and Cardiff, I believe). We must assume the rest remain franchised out under the SGP brand umbrella to locally based promotions or stadium owners. BSI used to stage four meetings but the addition of Gelsenkirchen to their roster proved way beyond them and now is no longer part of the series calendar. The oft-heralded strategic success of the indoor stadia revolution lauded by BSI now looks to be hype or a possible misstep.

If the series is really the success that BSI Speedway imply and/or claim, you would imagine that the attendance figures for the 2008 series would have already been published by the F.I.M. by now? They certainly have been published by the F.I.M. in the past but, mysteriously, this information remains absent from the public domain for the 2008 series and, obviously enough, notable by its absence on the newly revamped BSI Speedway website! Though, at least this is consistent since this revealing detail remained unacknowledged on the previous iteration of their website. How the series can think it might be taken seriously in the wider media when suddenly attendance figures stop being produced is a public relations question we can all guess the answer to quite easily. To be fair, we have heard that Cardiff attracted 42,187 (a wonderful 920 or 2.22% up on 2007 but only 0.45 % or 187 up on 2002). Suspicions remain that this is probably the biggest success story of 2008 SGP series for BSI Speedway but, without the figures for the other events, we have no context to judge this either way. Under the management of “BSI Speedway – An IMG Company”, the jewel in the crown of world speedway did achieve a real first. Namely, it exhibited early but severe recessionary characteristics way before the credit crunch had really hit elsewhere and long before it had begun to decimate other industries and/or entertainment businesses. This is quite an achievement when you, effectively, run a monopoly business without any serious transnational rivals!

Though in the past these lamentable average attendance figures lacked any real independent verification (and ignoring the worry that so many weirdly symmetrical numbers were included that you’d have to assume that these were ‘rounded’ figures not exact ones) - there was the additional issue of whether these figures actually referred to ‘paying customers’ or might (or might not) also include discounted admissions (and/or comps) to inflated often pitiful totals. Whatever, the specifics of their tabulation, BSI Speedway’s (“An IMG Company”) continued failure to publish the 2008 attendance figures for the SGP series can only fuel rumours that the popularity of the series is in terminal decline with paying customers prepared to go to watch the action at the stadiums themselves. This waning interest would be a rational reaction given the predictably stale, same old, same old* nature of the series that’s served up nowadays. Of course, this lack of interest has been compounded by the staging doubts raised by the Gelsenkirchen fiasco, never mind the mixed message sent by the recent dramatic cost costing to the Super Prix prize money by the organisers. If a few tweaks to the website are breathlessly heralded as breaking and significant news, it’s reasonable to assume that if there had been an improvement in overall fan attendances that we’d have heard about it somewhere!**

Still, with the management team they continue to employ, you have to wonder if BSI Speedway (or, indeed, IMG) really care about in the flesh speedway fans that bother to turn up at these events beyond some standard lip service? A teaser video on the new website for the 2009 boasts “brutally fast machines”, “wheel to wheel racing” and “no brakes”. To the background sound of portentous Home Counties mansion man style classical music, great play is also made that “something is coming” That “something” is probably yet further damage to the remaining credibility of the management team at BSI Speedway, while the popularity of the once vibrant series declines further amongst the true fans who can be bothered to actually attend these meetings. Sadly, the armchair fans the sponsors can reach have become the target audience and they’re not going to care either way whether they watch monster trucks or speedway rider’s battle for supremacy.

* Obviously the Prague GP win for 19 year old Russian rider Emil Sayfutdinov shakes up the old boys network of the established order and adds a degree of unexpected excitement. The SGP remains essentially a parasitic organisation that borrows other peoples assets (or hires the self employed dependent upon your PoV)and uses them thoughtlessly. The SGP has yet to invest in or pay for the development of any speedway rider, let alone a SGP one! It continues to use the pitiful F.I.M. pay scales so if Emil's arrival onto the SGP scene does manage to boost attendances, television and/or advertising rights revenue - he (like all the other participants) definitely won't be able to retire on the prize money he earns.

** The publicly available average attendance figures we do have for SGP series (until 2007) exhibit a five year trend of decline from 2002 and, even if you accentuate the positive, the slight ‘rise’ in average attendances per GP in 2007 remains below 2002, 2003 and 2005 levels.

Savage 83% Super Prix Prize Money Cut Announced

noreply@blogger.com (Methanol Press) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 22:00:00 +0000

It was only last year that the Speedway Grand Prix ‘organisers’ boasted on their website about the ludicrous concept of the Super Prix events. It was another of those new fangled revolutions that nobody had asked for or could really see the point of, despite hollow protestations that this “finale” would add to the drama of the SGP.

On the modest, self-styled “Number 1 website for League and World Speedway”, the Super Prix already has the stale whiff of the online equivalent of yesterday's chip wrappers. It boasts, “New for 2008 FIM Speedway Grand Prix Series is the introduction of four Super Prix events offering an additional prize purse of $200,000.” The prize money offered then was allocated as follows:
1st: $120,000
2nd: $40,000
3rd: $25,000
4th: $15,000

Under the headline ‘Not Super’, this week's Speedway Star reveals, “there will be no Super Prix finale with a big cash pot to conclude the 2009 SGP season”. However the lucky winners of three Super Prix rounds in 2009 – staged in Gothenburg, Copenhagen & Cardiff – will receive “double the normal prize money”. Wowy Zowy!

Let’s just remind ourselves of how pitiful the official F.I.M. Placing Prize money per meeting is for the SGP riders:
1 $11,000
2 $8,200
3 $6,900
4 $6,000
5 $5,250
6 $5,100
7 $4,650
8 $4,500
9 $3,850
10 $3,700
11 $3,650
12 $3,600
13 $3,550
14 $3,500
15 $3,450
16 $3,400
17 $2,100
18 $2,100

So, the SGP organisers have effectively announced an overall cut in prize money of 83.5% (S167,000). Strangely - as at April 2nd 2009 - the news of this savage reduction had yet to be relayed on “Number 1 website for League and World Speedway”. Now, the only way a rider can earn more prize money this season that it was possible to earn for victory in a SGP single race last season is if they win every single GP meeting of the 2009 season.

Hopefully, we’ll soon be able to read a full account of this decision on the SGP website Maybe this could be posted along with news from the long awaited allegedly sub judice investigation into the Gelsenkirchen fiasco. Quite what these savings from the prize fund will now be used for remains a mystery. However, thankfully we are informed, “the idea of a Super Prix bonanza race has not been scrapped”.

British Sports Book of the Year 2009 Award Ceremony - News Update

noreply@blogger.com (Methanol Press) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 19:20:00 +0000

In a glittering awards ceremony held at the swanky Park Lane Hotel, Piccadilly, the great and good of the sports and publishing worlds collided at the annual British Sports Book of the Year (2009) Awards.

Gaby Logan along with a huge variety of sportsmen and sporting men provided additional glamour. These included Bob Willis, Graham Poll, Ed Smith, Frank Maloney, Brough Scott, Mick Fitzgerald, Marcus Trescothick, Michael Owen (rugby player) and Paul Canoville and, from those great supporters and patrons of British Speedway, Sky Sports’ very own Jonathan Sim.

There were six categories announced at the event and, sadly, my nomination with Concrete for Breakfast in the Best Biography section didn’t win through! Though this accolade deservedly went Christopher Hilton’s Regga - his book on Clay Regazzoni.

Many books were praised but there can only ever be a limited number of winners. Some of those spoken about highly deserve a place on any bookshelf and these include:
When Friday Comes/James Montague (Mainstream)
The Accies:Cradle of Scottish Rugby/David Barnes (Birlinn)
Bob Woolmer’s Art & Science of Cricket (New Holland)*
Don’t Mention the Score/Simon Briggs (Quercus)
Black & Blue/Paul Canoville (Headline)

*There’s something in it for everyone since it, apparently, ranges from forward driving technique to sex and the test cricketer

Many of the speeches and comments were often both touching and witty, particularly those by Christopher Hilton and Paul Canoville!

I was delighted to receive my nomination and believe that I was the only self-published author to attend. This is quite something in itself but I was even more honoured to tacitly represent and showcase British Speedway at such a high profile sports occasion. Hopefully, the members of the press in attendance will give speedway more thought and coverage in future!

Everyone puts a brave face on afterwards if they’ve not scooped the top prize. As the author I’m delighted but, as the publisher, I’m gutted! And vice versa.

None of my books would ever have happened without the help, encouragement and support of so many people involved in British Speedway. Thank you!

With sincere apologies to everyone I’ve missed (sorry), I would like to reiterate the acknowledgements section of Concrete for Breakfast:

“I mentioned earlier that I have been overwhelmed with help and kindness. I hesitate to name everyone as, inevitably, I will make a mistake and miss someone I’m extremely grateful to, so, with sincere apologies to those who I do manage to miss out I would like to thank the following people: Peter Adams, Rachael Adams, Graham Arnold, Stephanie Babb, Mike Bacon, Paul Bailey, Graeme Bailey, Andrew Baker, Robert Bamford, Nick, Johnny, Bev, Molly and Colin Barber, George and Linda Barclay, Derek Barclay, Dick Barrie, Phil Bartlett, Norman Beeney, John Berry, Mike Berry, Alun Biggart, Ray and Mark Blackwell, Joyce and Malcolm Blythe, Richard Bott, Bob and Greg Brimson, Jim and Steven Brykajlo, Brian Burford, John Campbell, Alison Chalmers, Karen Chappell, Steve Chilton, Jon Cook, Graham Cooke, Kevin Coombes, Dougie Copland, David Crane, Lucy Cross, Dave Croucher, Jonathan Chapman, Keith and Cheryl Chapman, Martin Dadswell, Andrew Dalby, Paddy Davitt, Gordie Day, Nigel Dean, Anita Dennington, Alan Dick, Chris Durno, Tim Durrans, Graham and Denise Drury, Steve and Debbie Dixon, Neil Dyson, Svend Elkjaer, George and Joan English, Dave Fairbrother, Ben Findon, Richard Frost, Cory Gathercole, Chris Gay, Chris Geer, Trevor Geer, Arnie Gibbons, Bill Gimbeth, Darcia Gingell, Rob Godfrey, Mike and Anita Golding, Mick Gregory, George Grant, Rob Griffin, Andy Griggs, Nobby Hall, Keith Hamblin, Tim Hamblin, Steve Hilliard, Liz Hunt, John Hyam, John, Jordan, Karen, Mark and Judy Hazelden, Jim Henry, Andy Higgs, Mike Hinves, Richard Hollingsworth, Dave Hoggart, Charles Howgego, Paul Hunsdon, Lynn Hunt, Mike Hunter, Tony Jackson, Sue Jackson-Scott, Wendy Jedrzejakski, Adam Jennison, Edward Kennett, Elvin King, Tim Lang, Jo Lawson, Mark Lawton, Sheila Le-Sage, Kevin Ling, Gary Lough, John Louis, Roger Love, Joanna Lunde, Michael Max, Tony and Susie MacDonald, Ella MacDonald, Phil Mackie, Ian and Jean Maclean, Neil Machin, Lee Maclaughlin, Julie Martin, Martin Mauger, Iain McBride, Dennis McCleary, Charles McKay, Allan Melville, Steve and Sarah Miles, Howard Milton, Jayne Moss, Martin Neal, Bill Norris, Peter Oakes, Paul Oughton, Brian Owen, Gordon Pairman, Shane and Anji Parker, Dave Pavitt, Michael Payne, Nigel Pearson, Rob Peasley, Di Phillips, Mark Poulton, Andy and Win Povey, Colin Pratt, Dave Rattenberry, Julie Reading, Dave and Margaret Rice, John Rich, Gareth Rogers, Laurence Rogers, Wayne Russell, Craig Saul, Mark Sawbridge, Sid Shine, Len and Hazel Silver, Andrew Skeels, Derek Smith, Phil Spence, the late Tim Stone, Tony Steele, Trevor Swales, Shaun Tacey, Dave Tattum, Caroline Tattum, Peter Toogood, Stuart Towner, Ian Thomas, Tony (Grandad) Thompson, Stefan Usansky, Dave Valentine, Chris Van Stratton, Peter Waite, Barry Wallace, Nick Ward, Paul Watson, Alf Weedon, The Reverend Michael Whawell, Bryn Williams, Scott Wilson, Cameron Woodward, Ashley and Jane Wooller, Dave Wright and Malcolm Wright.

To pick out anyone in particular would be invidious. However, I owe so many ‘thank you’s’. The book wouldn’t look as lovely as it does without Vicky Holtham’s design and artistic skills, along with her stubborn persistence. There would be many more errors than there are without the diligent proofreading of Caroline Tidmarsh and Vy Shepherd along with speedway fanatic Billy Jenkins who has kindly encouraged and advised in so many thoughtful ways. Graham Russel has shown tremendous pedantry and knowledge to wrangle with my words to convert them into some sort of sense. My true friend Sue Young has encouraged me often in so many things and really saved me when I needed that most – for which she has my eternal gratitude. Of course, without the love and guidance of my parents – Mary and Alan – none of this book or so many other things would have been possible. Finally, you can never have too many teachers and I was lucky enough to have been inspired to write my speedway books by a truly great teacher, poet, musician and wit – Michael Donaghy. He remains greatly missed.”

With additional special thank you’s for Ian McMillan, Richard Whitehead and David Willis.

Selected Highlights from the 2009 British Speedway Regulations

noreply@blogger.com (Methanol Press) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:07:00 +0000

They say speedway is a simple sport. Basically, four riders on four bikes racing four laps around an oval track. The dense type and complexity of the 64 page speedway rulebook says otherwise and, though it laudably aims to outlaw cunning and manipulation, each year yet further amendments arrive.

Nowadays this rulebook often confuses the officials and the promoters, so new or novice fans will most likely struggle. You can find the new regulations for British Speedway here and they’re well worth detailed consideration in the comfort and safety of your own home.

Below are some of those that just jumped off the page.

SR 3.4.1.2
“No protest can be lodged against a Statement of Fact (see Nomenclature) pronounced by the Referee or SCB Officer or any other executive official”

Definition of Statement of Fact = “A Referees Heat decision, a technical ruling, an MC decision regarding a Team Line-Up or eligibility of a Rider in a Meeting”

So there is no appeal against a ref’s decision on heat finish. Or, even, any grounds for appeal MC [Management Committee] decision: for example, team line-up or eligibility of a rider in a meeting. Known, unofficially, as the ‘Phone a Friend’ amendment, this regulation merely formalises current practice.

The regulations also confirm that the SCB Consultant Administrator can make binding “on the day” decisions.

SR 4.2.7
Riders can now also obtain written rulings about whether medication is permissible via Internet.

There’s no longer any excuse for accidentally using Night Nurse.

SR 6.5.2 & App A
“Each Competitor must supply and use an Environmental Mat, (one for each motorcycle taken into the Pits) which measures a minimum of 1.80 metres x 0.75 metres”

So, this year, speedway has notionally gone ‘greener’ with its specification of the size of environmental maps. Mandatory fines have been introduced – these are £100 in the EL, £50 in the PL and £25 in the NL

SR 7.4.6
“Applications for a Testimonial, Farewell or Benefit Meeting on behalf of a Rider must be made to and approved at the BSPA AGM or GC”

Same as it always was really but still fraught for some riders who’re due or deserve a testimonial.

SR 8.1.2
“Riders returning from injury involving any form of concussion (or having been diagnosed by a Track CMO as being concussed during a previous Meeting) must have clearance from the SCB Medical Advisor”

We all applaud the bravery and resilience of the riders but common sense should, sometimes, prevail.

SR 8.2.1
All meetings must have a “2nd Medical Treatment facility”

SR 8.3.1
All medical staff can have no other responsibilities during a meeting

SR 8.5.h
Medical staff must have familiarity with “ALL varieties of clothing and equipment worn by competitors” and be trained in their safe removal

Riders will still have to dress themselves prior to a meeting and, if they [fingers crossed] remain uninjured, undress themselves afterwards (unless willing volunteer help is on hand)

SR 9.2.1.1
All new tracks constructed after 1st January 2009 must have an air fence.

SR 9.2.4.1
“A line 4-metres from the Inner edge of the track must be marked to signify the area inside which all Personnel on the Infield must stay during track maintenance (Track Staff carrying out their duties, e.g. track grading are exempt)”

This will be difficult to police unless every track ensures the centre green is marked with clearly drawn four (and ten) metre exclusion zones. I’m not sure what the penalty will be for the inevitable infractions or who will levy the punishments. This would imply that anyone who breaks this regulation is, by their actions, uninsured!

SR 9.2.4.2
“Essential personnel must also stay inside this 4-metre line during racing whilst non-essential personnel, e.g. Presenters, Start Girls etc. must remain at least 10 metres inside the Inner edge of the Track during racing”

A second exclusion zone will need to be marked on all centre greens (are all of them big enough?). Again what the situation with infractions is remains unclear. Sounds like sponsorship from Spirograph is just round the corner, never mind that the only way for mascots or excitable presenters to get close to the riders as they cross the finish line will be to stand on the terraces.

SR 10.43.1
Rear chain guards must be without holes or slots cut into it

SR 13.2
The National League requires a Development licence which, at £70, costs £23 more than the Amateur licence required for last year’s CL.

Given we’re crying out for up and coming British speedway riders, increasing the cost of participation doesn’t quite seem the way to find or encourage the young stars of the future.

SR 14.1
“The ANNOUNCER/PRESENTER's role is to provide Spectators in a strictly impartial manner with information they need to reasonably understand and enjoy a Meeting. Referee’s racing decisions, instructions and statements must be announced as given by the Referee. Under no circumstances should s/he make comments that gives the impression that a protest has been/is being made against a Referee's decision, that incites any section of the crowd, or comment on any matter that is sub judice and is responsible for the comments of any person being interviewed that does not hold an SCB Licence / Registration.”

Given the stringency of the above, this still appears to be very much in the ear of the beholder and is seen more often in the breach than the observance. Though lengthy, it’s a shame that the speedway authorities haven’t chosen to ban irksome and unnecessary commentary by announcer/presenters during the race itself (particularly on the last lap)

SR 14.2
The Clerk of the Course must have “no financial involvement with the promotion”

Unofficial investment via a third party remains an option

SR 15.13
A ‘revolutionary’ league match points system has been adopted that will distinguish speedway from almost any other sport you care to name.

“Winning Team:
Home win by 7 or more points = 3 Match points
Home win by between 1 and 6 points = 2 Match points
Away win by 7 or more points = 4 Match points
Away win by between 1 and 6 points = 3 Match points
A Draw:
Home Team = 1 Match point
Away Team = 2

Match points Defeated Team:
Home Team = 0 points
Away Team losing by 6 points or less = 1 Match point”

This innovation will make the Duckworth-Lewis method in cricket appear straightforward. All this will be hard to represent in an easy to understand sound bite or represent meaningfully table. Many promoters, fans and officials will struggle, so heaven knows how Kelvin & Nigel will cope with all the permutations during their frenetic live commentaries

SR 16.4.1
There will be no money spinning Play Off between the bottom two of EL this season.

SR 17.4.7
“Should a Guest Rider be permitted (see SR 18.1.4.5)* then that Rider must be in a current NL squad**.”
* i.e. NL allows guests only for their No 1 (identified by their CMA)
** each NL team can have a squad of eight riders

SR 17.4.7
“Commonwealth Riders as permitted (see SR 17.3.2.2), subject to a maximum of 2 per club are limited to ride for a maximum of 2 consecutive seasons which must be with that same club. They cannot ride for an EL/PL Team under any circumstances, even as a Guest.”

Wonder how long before someone tries to make the case to the MC that their Commonwealth rider should be treated as an exception?

SR 18.1
“Team Line-Ups must adhere to the following, unless an exception is detailed on the BSPA approval of a Team Line-Up:
a) The Top Rider (by CMA) must ride at #1.
b) The 2nd to 5th Riders (by CMA) can ride in any position 2 – 5”

SR 18.1.1.
For the first time, Team Manager’s must provide written evidence that they have notified each other of their line-ups five days prior to the meeting

Home team nominate first and the away team then have to respond within 24 hours.

It’s rumoured that to maximise programme sales (or to ensure extra writing for everyone whose brought a blank scorecard), one customer unfriendly innovation will be the lack of accurate team line up information until just before the tapes rise. Unlike previous custom and practice, club websites will only list their riders alphabetically rather than release their actual position in the increasingly mysterious/sacred team line-ups. Under the regulations, they will have had this information for four days previously. Rather find ways to attract more fans through the turnstiles or to fight the impact of the recession on the appeal of speedway to floating fans, the media and potential sponsors, the boffins have come up with this solution to the threat of the internet and the lost programme sales it’s reputed to engender.

SR 18.1.1
These written notified line ups then cannot be changed (unless, of course, they can. But only if the moon rises in Aquarius, you know someone on the MC or other such matters. See SR 18.1.2 for more information)

SR 18.1.2
Hugely complicated list of exceptions for which a “facility” [to replace a missing rider] may be granted

Interestingly, NL allows a facility for “any absence” e.g. clearly intended for work commitments but, obviously, subject to huge and creative ‘manipulation’. Headaches, weddings, important vet appointments for sick guinea pigs, parents evenings etc will doubtless probably all figure during the course of the season.

SR 18.3
The old seven day rule to stop guests riding at the same track week in week out has now become the 180 hour rule. Genuinely cunning solution to an intractable problem though, next year, this will probably become 250 hour rule to account for promoter sophistry as well as the enforced vagaries of the fixture list caused by Sky meetings and bank holidays

SR 18.4
For RR’s, NL doesn’t restrict just to the rider directly above. E.g. No.1 can take an RR ride for missing No. 3 in NL.

SR 18.5
Tactical gate switch (after heat 4) only permitted in Knock Out Cup competition

SR 18.6
The Conference League has been renamed the National League apart from where the rules describe the play off system where it becomes the National Development League (this sounds much posher, more lustrous and like it might result in the discovery of a future British speedway World Champion)

SR 18.b.3
The top six sides will take part in the EL play offs – only the team who finish 7th or 8th will be deprived of further action - with meetings now always staged over two legs. These will additionally be operated under a handicap system where the top four teams have bonus points added to their aggregate scores in the quarter finals/semi finals (1st = 10 pts, 2nd = 6pts, 3rd = 4 pts and 4th = 2 pts). The top two teams don’t contest the quarterfinals and no handicap points adjustments apply to the Final. The highest placed team always has first choice of opponent (the highest remaining team has next choice in both quarter and semi finals) and first choice of which leg they wish to ride at home.

This adds real complexity and makes the new scoring system appear sensibly boring in comparison. In a nutshell, this has most likely been introduced to enthuse Sky, maximise revenues (remember those admissions price rises from some clubs in 2008?), never mind that the reality remains that the top two in the EL are definite to make the final unless they really, really screw up.

SR 18.b.5
This regulation covers the “Golden” Heat rules introduced to decide selected tied meetings. Hugely complex but, essentially, first team to get a heat advantage wins. Quite when this will be used I’m not exactly sure (I expect during the play offs). If done properly, this could actually be the speedway equivalent of a penalty shoot out and might well appeal to potential new fans who’ve never previously had an interest in speedway!

All rules and regulations remain Copyright (c) 2009 The Speedway Control Bureau

Return of the Blunsdon Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Methanol Press) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 21:37:00 +0000

It's back! Older but wittier and wiser after it's much needed sabbatical.

Though the shale never really left his shoes, Swindon speedway blogsmith Graham Cooke is back at his keyboard to take you behind the scenes to, once again, see the rich tapestry and cast of characters that is the Wonderful World of Track Curation, Wiltshire style

To live the Blunsdon curatorial dream vicariously (and experience Robins fulfil their tag as the pundits favourite to march to Elite League glory in 2009) , click here

Unresolved Legal Issues Cloud Gelsenkirchen Post Mortem

noreply@blogger.com (Methanol Press) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 19:21:00 +0000

Widely seen as the man with the real brainpower in the team of all talents that makes up the BSI management team, Paul ‘Really Important’ Bellamy (Managing Director BSI) has kindly deigned to be savagely quizzed on the SGP (including the Gelsenkirchen fiasco) in this week’s Speedway Star. Billed on the front cover of the magazine as “Bellamy in the dock”, it’s a surprise to find that Philip Rising – who financially benefits from the FIM/SGP circus as the SGP Press Officer - conducts the investigative analysis and questioning! In speedway, we don’t expect Watergate levels of independence but, surely, this is only one small step removed from John ‘Very Important’ Postlethwaite conducting things? Hang onto your sleuthing caps, in fact the questions posed do sound suspiciously like the speedway equivalent of the oral cuddles recently administered by West Ham, never mind that they’re sometimes relentlessly anodyne enough to have been composed by the BSI Press Office team.

Actually, to be fair, Paul Bellamy’s bare feet are grotesquely beaten Midnight Express style by Philip Rising in a vain attempt to puncture the complacent management speak and elicit some vaguely honest answers. Indeed, we quickly learn that the fabled oft promised “post mortem” has finally started – hurrah! We’re goggle eyed to discover it’s “still an ongoing process but a number of valuable lessons have been learnt”. Blimey! What are they? (‘Don’t talk to strangers’? ‘Look before you leap’? Cover your shale?) Sadly, this “post mortem” is still mostly a case of Not In Front Of The Children because of ominous sounding but unspecified “legal issues to be resolved”.

Still, during the “process”, probably conducted in an identikit office building in Southern England, souls have been cleansed. However, while the information “gleaned” from “considerable time and energy going over everything” is digested, we’re reassured by news that luckily “no stone is being left unturned”. We can all sleep safe in our beds tonight knowing that Our Man with the Plan, Paulie Bellamy, along with The Man with the Vision, Johnny Postlethwaite, are on the case and will safeguard the interests of the fans and speedway alike.

BSI have decided (and also have sufficient “ambition” to “achieve”) that the quality of indoor tracks could be an “ongoing process” worth a look at possibly solving – costs willing - before they’ve been in charge for a decade. Fortunately BSI have experience, “we know how tracks perform under conditions” and Paulie B boasts they’ve “put in 18 temporary tracks” over these past years. True enough – pretty well all of them execrable, some unrideable but then, every cloud has a silver lining, so let’s luxuriate in the congratulations of the riders for the one they finally got right in 2008 in Copenhagen. Doubles all round!

Mr. Rising reveals that, apparently, “conspiracy theories” have erroneously claimed that “poor ticket sales” led to the cancellation of the 2008 Gelsenkirchen GP. Paulie elegantly dismisses these rumours out of hand as “false” and we believe him (“ticket sales were not that bad, we would have been all right”). I don’t know of anyone worrying if Paulie B or Johnny P were “all right”, though questions have been raised about their competence, people skills and customer relations. Paulie then accidentally reveals that all speedway fans are really just fodder, “we would never have to cancel an event because of poor ticket sales. They only make up a portion of the revenue, there is TV money, sponsorship and, of course, the reputation of the series.” (Just because IMG spectacularly overpaid for said “reputation” appears to fool Paulie into an inflated idea of its worth that, sadly, we won’t see tested in the open market).

Interestingly, Concrete for Breakfast (p. 274) has this quote on Gelsenkirchen 2007, “They say the staging costs at any Grand Prix varies between £230,000 and £280,000 – that was £280k excluding prize money. It was never expected to make any money. They say the attendance was 25,000 but they gave away loads of tickets just to boost the numbers because the capacity is 66,000.” Unless things altered dramatically in 2008, then the German GP was always budgeted to make a loss! So really, Paul Bellamy provides us all with a whole new definition of “all right” for the Credit Crunch Age. Namely, “all right” = financial loss, it’s definitely one that the next edition of the Oxford English Dictionary should incorporate forthwith.

Through diligent questioning, we learn Paulie’s favourite colour is green (the colour of money) but also of the hierarchy that affects speedway at the Grand Prix level since Paulie B reveals that speedway fans are “really important” but “our TV partners” are “very important”. In fact, the TV partners ensure that live SGP flickers unwatched on televisions in sports bars in 30 countries or its highlights packages get shown during the dead of night in 100 countries. Paulie calls these “new markets” and, note the use of the singular, where the SGP finds a “new audience” (something that sounds suspiciously like a patient in a coma).

Later there’s a wonderfully post-modern moment in the questioning when, without apparent irony, Philip Rising queries whether Ole Olsen has a conflict of interests with regard to the SGP 2009 round to be staged at Vojens. These baseless allegations are rightly denounced by Mr. Bellamy with some piffle about the “Danish market” thrown in for good measure to make things sound well thought out.

Like a new philosophical theory, the interview answers Paulie B provides are all too linguistically complex to drink in all at once but will be revisited when the “post mortem” results are finally announced.

No Room at the trough - SGP Rider Pay Rates frozen in 2009 (at 2005 levels) again

noreply@blogger.com (Methanol Press) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 22:18:00 +0000

The recently published FIM Speedway World Championship Grand Prix Regulations 2009 make interesting reading (listed as regulation 077).

Unluckily for the riders, their pay rates remain frozen for 2009 (just like they did in 2008, 2007, 2006 and 2005). The FIM have again produced an extremely comprehensive 39-page document that covers everything from the specifics of the helmet RAL Traffic colours to the type of fuel to be used.

Sadly, the FIM aren’t responsible for BSI IMG’s pay rates (or shale storage arrangements) so we can’t learn if Messrs Postlethwaite, Bellamy and Olsen remunerations have also been frozen! I think we can safely say it’s unlikely that still they have to get by on 2005 levels of pay. But then, to be fair, quality expertise rarely comes cheap.

The placing prize money per SGP meeting is listed below. It’s worth noting, that these are the magnificent rewards that have so focussed SGP riders minds and led them to lose regard for the intensive race schedule of British speedway meetings.

01. US$ 11,000
02. US$ 8,200
03. US$ 6,900
04. US$ 6,000
05. US$ 5,250
06. US$ 5,100
07. US$ 4,650
08. US$ 4,500
09. US$ 3,850
10. US$ 3,700
11. US$ 3,650
12. US$ 3,600
13. US$ 3,550
14. US$ 3,500
15. US$ 3,450
16. US$ 3,400
17. US$ 2,100
18. US$ 2,100

Some other rules and regulations catch the eye:
“Riders who do not wish to practice may however sign on, no later than 15:00, on Race day” [077.3.8 Signing on]
“Practice is not compulsory” [077.6 Practice]
“The travel and hotel expenses are included in the prize money (Art. 077.10.5)” [077.10.1 Travel and hotel expenses]
“For the Race Director, a single or double room must be reserved for 3 nights and paid for by the organiser” [077.10.2 Hotel accommodation]

Some of the financial penalties in the 2009 rulebook [077.12.3 Fines] are pleasantly quirky:
“Arriving after the start of Heat N° 1” results in disqualification from the meeting (fine US$ 800)
“Ungentlemanly behaviour towards any persons” has two levels of punishment: “with words or signs” (fine US$400) and “with violence” (fine US$ 800)
“Riding number jackets not worn during the Parade, Prize-Giving Ceremony, Press Conference, in the Pits and during TV interviews" (fine US$ 400)
“Riding number jacket not worn during the race” also results in disqualification, while riding with “front fork cover not fitted on the motorcycle from the meeting” (fine US$ 800)
“Team member not wearing a team colour uniform” (fine US$ 400)
“Lost or forgotten pass” (fine US$ 40)
“Riders are responsible for their team members”
Failure to keep shale dry (fine US$ 0)

Incredible Special Offer: £5 for 2008 Yearbook!

noreply@blogger.com (Methanol Press) — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 15:36:00 +0000

Exceptional New Year book offer:

Methanol Press SPEEDWAY YEARBOOK 2008
Edited by Robert Bamford
67% off! - was £14.99 now £5.00
272 pages Paperback

The indispensable companion for the 2008 season for speedway fans everywhere - edited by respected speedway author and historian, Robert Bamford.

It’s comprehensive, definitive and packed with useful information. The book covers all British Leagues – Elite, Premier and Conference – as well as all major meetings in Britain and Internationally along with complete coverage of the Speedway Grand Prix Series.

It also includes a review of the 2007 season along with a profile of every British League team, 74 black & white photographs, detailed track information as well as the ultimate speedway resource - the acclaimed and comprehensive Rider Index!

About the Author
Since attending his first meeting over 30 years ago, Robert Bamford is the best-selling and most published speedway author of his generation.

Other great offers:
Shale Britannia 34% off! - was £15.00 now £9.99

Shifting Shale 50% off! - was £20.00 now £10.00

UK orders only. Postage and packing charges apply

Order with your credit card via paypal get details here

Early Christmas Joy from BSI

noreply@blogger.com (Methanol Press) — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 08:20:00 +0000

After mismanagement and cost cutting apparently ensured the cancellation of the Gelsenkirchen Grand Prix in October, “Paul Bellamy, Managing Director of BSI (Speedway)” [as he’s snappily known] read from a prepared statement in the bored manner of a speaking clock to signal the emotional depth of his frustration at the inconvenience caused to the fans. Airily, he instructed us to look forward not back, “what we want to do now is focus on the event next weekend” in hope that we’d all quickly forget his pitiful managerial performance.

If the time for analysis and recrimination weren’t then, when was it that lessons would be learnt? The Speedway Star told us, “BELLAMY and [Rob] ARMSTRONG were positive and adamant to all they talked to that the show must and will go on. The time for a post-mortem is not now but must wait until the 2008 World Championship has been concluded.” Unless I missed the post-mortem announcement, it’s now been nearly two months since and we haven’t heard a dickey bird.

If we assume for once that figures issued by BSI are occasionally trustworthy, then there were over 11,000 “supporters” let down by BSI’s bungling (though in the weeks before the event rumours had ticket sales estimated at 5,000). Apart from a weak apology and the promise of a few free tickets for 2009 SGP events, most “supporters” were left seriously out of pocket. Many spent a minimum of £300+ per person going to Germany for a meeting that never took place. Any organisation that respected its customers, would have found some means to offer appropriate recompense, mitigate the loss or give a credible explanation. Even late news of compensation or the outcome of thorough ‘investigations’ would make a nice and unexpected Christmas present!

However, instead this week we witness the hapless Bellamy pretend to play Santa with the announcement that BSI will move the start time of the 2009 Cardiff GP back two hours. I stand to be corrected but the “customers” haven’t demanded this action and only a minority of those who attend the meeting actually book accommodation. Still Mr. Bellamy acts as if he’s a cross between Santa come early and a guest presenter on Watchdog, when his statement gives us some frankly unbelievable blather about doing so to possibly save “supporters” the unnecessary expense! Or, what the supportive Speedway Star termed, “a move specifically designed to combat the price of hotel accommodation in the welsh city”. What self-serving guff Bellamy spouts, particularly when – as noted above - only months previously his organisation completely failed to consider (let alone deliver) any serious offer of recompense to “supporters” for exorbitant travel, hotel and subsistence expenses going to Gelsenkirchen for the BSI fiasco.

Adding yet further flatulent insult to injury, Bellamy then goes on to self-deludingly fly in the face of more facts with the claim, “and in a way the British GP has been a victim of its own success…as the popularity of the event has grown it has been increasingly difficult to accommodate the fans wishing to stay in Cardiff on the Saturday night.” Even ignoring the strong likelihood that in 2009 attendances at Cardiff will decline, a brief glance at recent Cardiff attendances shows us that the trend is anything but a uniformly upward “success” story (nor has there been any significant theoretical increase in hotel room demand) since 2002:
2001 32,000
2002 42,000 (up 10,000)
2003 40,000 (down 2,000)
2004 35,251 (down 4,749)
2005 40,000 (up 4,749)
2006 40,000 (flat)
2007 41,267 (up 1,267)
2008 42,187 (up 920)

In bald terms, despite relentless boosterism on Sky and in the speedway press, from 2002 BSI have taken six years to show a net increase of 187 fans! Superbly illustrating the parallel universe inhabited by the BSI management team, at the time of the takeover by IMG John Postlethwaite, Chief Executive, BSI, commented: “I’m delighted all the hard work we have put into growing world championship speedway as a team has been noticed by a company of IMG’s stature. Myself and the team are extremely excited about realising some of our future growth plans that would not have been possible if we had continued independently.”

Back on planet earth, if someone tried to excite you with news that your pay would increase by less than half a percent (actually 0.445%) over the six years of an unsustainable economic boom, you'd definitely find that pathetic! If only the cost of admission to the Cardiff GP (or the programme) had only shown the same percentage uplift then I’m “supporters” would attend in greater numbers and be happier about an event staged each year on a shoddy and/or dangerous track surface.

Even worse for the credibility of anyone hailing themselves as a victim of their own ‘success’, demand for Cardiff based hotels clearly hasn’t exactly burgeoned in the manner implicitly suggested by Mr. Bellamy! Indeed, I’m not sure (and I expect BSI aren’t either) what proportion of the crowd actually does stay over in Cardiff? Indeed, given considerations of geography and cost, we can safely say that the majority of the “supporters” don’t stay overnight in Cardiff so, unless BSI isn’t being straightforward, what’s all the fuss about*?

What the ‘thinking’ by the BSI management team, this definitely fails as a publicity stunt to distract from or mitigate the public relations disaster caused by numerous “supporters” wasting their hard earned money travelling to an event that the organisers couldn’t manage to put on. However, it probably reads well in the monthly report Paul writes for John Postlethwaite and Rob Armstrong**.

*It’s old news too! In the Coventry v Poole programme dated 4th July, the anonymous ‘Buzz’ column noted that “rumours were rife” that the 2009 GP would start at 5pm.

Also if we assume that visitors from outside the country are the most likely to need to use hotels when attending a ‘foreign’ GP, then (except for Polish fans) the strength of the euro versus the pound will already have dramatically reduced Cardiff rooming costs! Thereby removing the notional reason for the earlier start time.....

** Interestingly on the IMG World website, their Press Room (where they carry all major announcements)fails to mention the changed start time. The BSI management team will need more dramatically newsworthy and attention seeking initiatives in future if they are to attract the attention of their corporate masters (and speedway fans).

Concrete for Breakfast Short Listed in 2009 British Sports Book Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Methanol Press) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:50:00 +0000

My latest book on British Speedway, Concrete for Breakfast, has been short listed in the prestigious category of BEST BIOGRAPHY in the 2009 British Sports Book Awards run by the National Sporting Club.

Chosen from a strong field featuring books on boxing, F1, Golf, speedway, cycling and the Olympics, the winner will be announced in London on 18th March 2009.

Exhibiting one of the first signs of madness I commented to myself on this blog, “None of my books could have been written without the stories, comments, advice, help and support of a huge number of people from within the speedway community. It’s an honour just to be short listed for such an acclaimed prize but also to get the opportunity to try to publicise the rich tapestry that is modern British Speedway to a wider audience.”

The book can be ordered postage free (in the UK) during December here

Short List.

Boxing A Cultural History by Kasia Boddy published by Reaktion Books
Concrete for Breakfast More Tales from the Shale by Jeff Scott- Methanol Press
Arnie and Jack -Golf’s Greatest Rivalry by Ian O’Connor- Yellow Jersey Press
Sex, Lies and Handlebar Tape- Jacques Anquetil by Paul Howard- Mainstream Publishing
Regga- Clay Regazzoni by Christopher Hilton- Haynes Publishing
The Austerity Olympics by Janie Hampton- Aurum Press

About the Book
Concrete for Breakfast
Jeff Scott
Methanol Press
304 pages (200 small black & white photographs)
Paperback
£20