ITEM: I wrote a couple of weeks ago about the UK Speedway Series (UKSS), a mysterious series of events to be held on Premier league tracks and featuring primarily Premier League standard riders. A kind of Tesco Value Speedway Grand Prix series, if you will.
Information on the series was difficult to come by then, and still not much clearer now, three weeks on. One thing is certain, though, the Speedway Control Bureau - in charge of administering speedway in the UK - are not in any way involved and have forbidden any SCB-affiliated track and/or rider to take part, subject to censure and sanctions.
The talk is that the brains behind the series are the father & son team of Mark & Scott Courtney, and that the involvement of the Motorcycle Federation (MCF) - who have successfully tightened the loose network of British motocross clubs into a coherent network, and have been involved in promoting the spectacular ArenaX events - goes no deeper, at least currently, than providing insurance.
There is a history of "running black" in British speedway, that is going outside the usual authorities to promote and present the sport to fans. Mostly this results in action being taken by the ACU - the governing body for all motorsport in the UK - on behalf of the senior power in speedway (latterly the SCB, although they are mostly an arm's ength front organisation for the BSPA these days) to threaten all concerned with fines, bans, and eventually excommunication from the sport.
There is currently only unlicensed track operating in the UK - at Lydd, in Kent - and so to be any kind of success the UKSS would have to run on tracks willing to put their involvement with the SCB at risk. The two tracks initially announced - Leicester & Rye House - were slow to confirm any involvement in the series, and Leicester has subsequently dismissed all ties with the venture.
There is certainly room for something a little different in British speedway, though whether the UKSS is it remains to be seen. The idea could be managed within the present set-up: with most tracks already running at least one individual open meeting every season (Rye's The Ace of Herts, Leicester's Pride of the Midlands, and Edinburgh's Scottish Open, to name but three) it wouldn't take too much working out to ensure that a core of riders takes part in each one, with locally-chosen wildcards making up the field.
There is a wariness of risk-taking in British speedway that runs contrary to those taken on the track - promoters don't like anything other than league racing, as a rule, because they claim (and their bank balances would show, presumably) that the fans don't support it. But we run the risk of ever-decreasing returns unless we try something new.
Perhaps the Courtneys jumped the gun by trying to circumvent the usual channels, although for all we know they may have tried and been met with a wall of silence. But one thing is certain - they want to try something new and are willing to back it. Isn't that worth investigating, SCB?
ITEM: Still no news on whether Sky will be showing the Grands Prix this year, with those in the know whispering that just because a deal isn't in place now, or may not be in place by the time of the New Zealand Grand Prix on March 23rd, doesn't mean there may not be one by the time the SGP circus rolls into Bydgoszcz on April 20th.
Just why Sky no longer feel attracted to what can be a spectacular show is a difficult question to answer. There are probably many reasons, all playing a part, from the unhelpful start time (Saturday evenings is a graveyard for live sport, particularly that which should appeal to young men), or the uncool image the crowds can often portray, as much to blame as dipping viewing figures.
One thing that certainly won't have helped is the lack of competitive British interest in the series, with no home-grown winner for thirteen years and few even looking like they can mix it with the best on the slick, Ole Olsen-inspired tracks.
There seems to have been an attitude in recent years (and maybe a few before that) that the business of British speedway was purely in league racing, and it didn't really matter so much where the team members came from, as long as the fans could get behind their local team. What the British riders did away from league racing was a distraction from their day-to-day business and, quite frankly, if they weren't going to be World Champion their extracurricular activities were of no use to their club promoter.
The same went for the World Cup, the winners of which would hardly bring in an extra tenner at the gate in their club appearances, and more than one England/Great Britain/Team GB manager has quit citing a lack of support from the BSPA as a reason.
The thing is, a successful British team, and successful British riders, benefit all clubs. The sport gets precious little column inches as it is, and any extra are nothing but good news, literally. With the proper support - financial and logistical - a British rider or riders could easily compete with their rivals, who (especially Poland, Sweden, and denmark) do have the support of their federations, and make an impact on the world stage once more.
This would go some way towards keeping the SGP and SWC on TVs in this country, and that would also help the Elite League stay on TV, too, because if there's one thing TV companies like, it's more of the same. As it is, we look like having no international speedway on Sky (though the European Championships may be on Eurosport, of course), and there's only one year left on the Elite League deal.
If that goes the way of the SGP & SWC, who's to blame? For some promoters, at least, the mirror is the answer.
ITEM: Speedway runs all year round in the southern hemisphere and in California. The weather allows it to, of course. And the standard may dip in their winter (summer in CA) but the fans still get to watch competitive action for pretty much the whole year.
In the UK speedway traditionally shuts down between Halloween and Easter, although with the latter being a moveable feast, it may be weeks before that the sport awakes from its winter slumber. In recent years winter meetings have been allowed, but only one a month, and some tentative outings have been enjoyed by speedway-starved crowds in Scunthorpe, Newport, Poole and Somerset, amongst others.
Speedway doesn't completely shut down, however, and there are winter training schools, and amateur meetings at those tracks lucky enough to be able to stage meetings whenever the whim takes them, and I wonder if this can't become more of a formal arrangement...
A winter championship, held at Scunthorpe, Leicester, Northside, and others, would provide amateur and keen professional riders with some much-desired action and the fans with something to do between November and March. Ostensibly amateur, these meetings could not charge an entrance fee, nor pay the competitors, but sponsorship and donations would mean that the riders and perhaps the Speedway Riders' Benevolent Fund could profit from the exercise.
Yes, it would be cold. And, yes, a few would run the risk of late call-offs due to inclement conditions, but wouldn't it be fun? I know I'd like it.
ITEM: Talking of tapes up, it's just under four weeks until the start of the season proper, with the Tomas Topinka Farewell meeting at King's Lynn kicking 2013 off with a bang, and a goodbye to a faithful servant of the Norfolk club.
I have an idea for a project in 2013 that will require the assistance of (at least) one fan from each track, so if you'd be up for helping out - with minimal effort required - please get in touch. It's nothing too hooky, so don't worry! You can e-mail me at alan.boon@gmail.com if you're interested, or find me on twitter - @alan_boon. Cheers.
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