Who Cares Who's World Champion? And more...

ITEM: I done a bad thing. I didn't watch Saturday's Grand Prix. I had a good reason - I was out at an honest-to-goodness speedway meeting, watching some sort of Bees' team get annihilated by Leicester and a Wolves' side who took it far too seriously. Birmingham also rode.

 

So while I was standing on the back straight at Leicester, my Virgin+ box was happily recording the Grand Prix for me to watch when I got home. Except I didn't. I just watched heat 5, and the aftermath, switched it off, pressed delete, and went on with my life. Not even the attraction of watching it in a little over 25 minutes was enough. Not even the prospect of watching it without comment or commentators. I didn't even watch the final.

 

I'm not alone. Viewing figures for the speedway Grands Prix are falling faster than a pit slut's knickers. But why? It's no less exciting than it ever was, and the horrible, horrible emergence of Chris Holder as a genuine challenger for the title ought to spark a little interest, so why  are so few people bothered with it?

 

I think it's because it doesn't matter. For all the addition of a cumulative score adds, each event is just a glorified open meeting. There's no sense that winning an individual Grand Prix means anything, and Sky don't even bother to show the podium presentation half the time. Throw in the madness that the winner of the final could actually come out with less points than the highest point scorer, and it's no surprise that no-one but the hardcore is tuning in.

 

Furthermore, I'm not actually sure that winning the big prize, the World Championship, actually means that much to British speedway and British viewers. It's been years since the World Champion rode for a British team, and with that lack of regular appearances on British shale comes a detachment. I'm not sure how Poland or Sweden - who still throw stupid money at speedway riders, to the detriment of their finances and those of local tax payers - market such appearances, but the arrival in town of the World Champion used to be a big thing. Greg Hancock pulled a big crowd to Coventry in March for his Brandonapolis appearance, but I wonder how much of that was down to former fans of Coventry and Cradley Heath welcoming him back. He certainly didn't seem to swell the crowd at Sheffield to the same extent.

 

This detachment from the bread and butter of British speedway has been a long time coming, and even though we may have the 2012 World Champion racing regularly on British shale in 2013 (assuming Holder wins and Matt Ford can sufficiently hoodwink the other promoters into letting him do what he wants), I'm not sure we can come back from this position. There's a watershed coming, and a parting of the ways may seem the most sensible option.

 

So the Grand Prix series marches on but less people seem to care every year. Their ambivalence is matched only by that of BSI themselves, content to chisel away at speedway to make their filthy lucre.

 

ITEM: An increasingly exasperated Nicki Glanz took to Twitter last weekend to demand money he's owed by Plymouth promoter Mike Bowden. His language wasn't pleasant, but then neither is not paying someone what you promised them. He also Tweeted that he expected a 28-day ban for his outburst, such is the punishment hanging over speedway riders who misuse social media these days.

 

Here's the thing: the body that would hand out that ban is the same one that is, publicly at least, turning a blind eye to the financial craziness at Plymouth. They've allowed the Devils to operate a facility for Glanz, and the pliant speedway press refers only to a "contract dispute". You can understand why Glanz would feel the need to take to Twitter when no other recourse seems possible. Remember, this is the same organisation that, when Hans Andersen walked out on Peterborough because he was owed SIXTY THOUSAND POUNDS, slapped a 28-day ban on him for withholding his services!

 

Bowden has already gone on record stating he's asked his riders to take a pay cut, and it's between him and the riders themselves whether that's acceptable. There have also been (unconfirmed) reports of rows in the pits between promoter and riders over sums owed, and the Devils changed captain mid-season. Incidentally, the captain is the one responsible for signing a declaration that all riders have been paid.

 

I'm pretty sure Plymouth aren't alone in not paying what they owe. There are rumours of at least one major club being in the same position, and as long as the BSPA allows it to continue, there will be many, many more. No-one wants to see speedway clubs close but unless the BSPA gets its house in order, and ensure that the men who risk their lives for our entertainment are properly compensated for their work, speedway is in big trouble.

 

ITEM: Another week, another Dudley Heathens story... Don't worry, I'm not going to make a habit of it, but it's a story with a bigger impact, one that deserves some discussion, and so I make no apology for having those Horrible Heathens in two weeks in a row.

Where was I? Oh, yes, Joe Haines has signed for Dudley until the end of the season, as injury cover for National League top lad Adam Roynon, who was injured on Elite League duty for Coventry two weeks ago.

Haines does not have a regular ride in the EL, and is averaging far less than Roynon in the Premier League, so although he may be a capable deputy for the Cumbrian racer, he's not quite at the same level.

So why has a move that clearly weakens Dudley caused such controversy? To hear the complaints of fans of rival teams you'd think that the Heathens had signed Greg Hancock, but even those who recognise Haines's true level are still unhappy.

The counter-arguments fall into two camps - those who think it's bad for Haines, and those who think it's bad for the National League. Haines, the nay-sayers claim, is taking a step backwards, and is now riding in a league he showed no interest in at the start of the season. Even if one were to accept the premise that it is a step backwards (although this ignores the obvious panacea that winning races can provide) the simple truth is that it gives a still-developing young British racer more rides at a time when fixtures slow down. Haines will also ride at several of Wolverhampton, Stoke, Mildenhall and the Isle of Wight, tracks which do not feature in the PL.

So is it bad for the National League? It depends which NL you are talking about, and what you perceive the function of the division to be.

The National League as it currently exists falls firmly between three stools. There are clubs like Dudley and Mildenhall, ambitious and with an eye on promoting speedway at a higher level, the NL being a way-station on their path to the Premier League. There are also stand-alone clubs Buxton, Stoke, and the Isle of Wight, for whom speedway at NL level is sustainable, but always with an eye on the balance sheet. Lastly there are the "junior" teams, of King's Lynn, Scunthorpe, and Rye House, who exist purely to develop talent for their senior clubs.

Three different types of club, with three different outlooks on what the NL should be. You have to say, though, with the balance of clubs being independent entities, having to attract fans to ensure their continued existence, that they should be given all the room they want - within the rules - to put out the strongest team possible.

The alternative for Dudley would have been to operate the dreaded rider replacement, book a guest (from an ever-diminishing, through retirement and injury, field of top NL riders), or throw in a rookie, out of his depth, which would do club and rider no favours at all.

Though it may not please their rivals, Joe Haines is the best option both for Dudley and an NL that needs to be taken seriously as a genuine 3rd tier.

ITEM: Oscar Wilde once said, "a cynic is a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing." Because I'm an arch-cynic myself I'm going to pretend he actually said it about speedway promoters, instead, and never more has this been true than of the Coventry Bees' attitude to the Adam Roynon/Josef Franc doubling-up position.

Roynon, as you know, was injured two weeks ago at Swindon. It's overwhelmingly likely he'll miss the rest of the season. Coventry have chosen not to remove him from the squad, claiming a gesture of solidarity with the injured rider. Sentiment doesn't pay the bills, but this would not be a problem if Roynon's doubling-up partner were suitable.

Josef Franc, for it is he, has had a mixed season. A good showing as the wildcard in the Czech GP has been all but eclipsed by a very average season for a very average Sheffield team. Despite sharing the doubling-up position with Roynon, his converted average is almost a full point less. This would be an issue in itself but for the bigger problem that he is prone to going missing to fulfill continental bookings for which the Bees cannot adequately replace him.

He chose to ride in an open meeting in the Czech Republic on Monday rather than a televised league fixture, and will again be missing tomorrow night when the Bees take on local rivals Birmingham. And with four fixtures still to be arranged, who knows if he'll be available for those!

Franc's unsanctioned (by the BSPA) absences can only be covered by a Premier League rider under a 6 point average. Even in a weakened Elite League these riders have no business taking to the track, and so teams that are forced to include them are rightly fined £300.

Quite often these riders can the difference between a win and a loss, and that is especially hard-hitting in home fixtures, where a string of losses reduces the crowd. Worse still, their inclusion sends a message to the fans that the management are disorganised and apathetic.

This could have been avoided by replacing Roynon as soon as the prognosis was delivered, or replacing Franc as soon as Roynon achieved his new, higher average. The club could even have made the best of a bad job by replacing Franc last week, when it became obvious he'd miss fixtures.

They chose not to act, and so will reap what they failed to sow. It's unfortunate that they don't realise how much damage it could do to crowd levels and cash flow, but there you go. Price of everything, like the man said...