Monster, Magic, Mayhem & Mudmen

ITEM: Last weekend saw the biggest meeting held in the USA for many years, the Monster Energy Invitational thingimajig. It's a sign of just how far the US has fallen as a speedway power that the field - although augmented by three of Monster's team riders (the other two missing through injury and idiocy) and some Hagon-backed Brits - was probably on a par with a low-level testimonial meeting in the UK. Still, from small acorns, eh?

The invitational was won by former Coventry Bee Billy Janniro (indeed, the top six - and ninth place - riders were all assets of the Bees), who rode well throughout, and headed home an all-American final to take the... well, whatever it is they gave to the winner. If Janniro's victory proved anything it was that the Americans could once again be a world power if all meetings were held on 200 metre tracks, and their opponents had to use borrowed machinery.

The track, constructed especially for the event, rode well by all accounts, and was protected from some un-California rain by a roof, with the sides left open to the elements to allow the track to breathe and any fumes to dissipate. This is where this meeting could prove to be something more than a vanity exercise by an unhealthy drink sponsor and actually become something useful for speedway clubs in Europe to learn from.

While a fully enclosed and roofed stadium may be well beyond the budget of most tracks, a barn-style set-up like that used in Industry Hills may be practical, obviously more so for the smaller tracks rather than 400 metre giants, and would allow 365 days-a-year access to facilities for practice and events. It would take a brave promoter to make the leap, and may be more useful for new tracks rather than convert existing ones, but we've now seen the option is there and works well.

While Janniro performed well, he is unlikely to return to British action, having found it too taxing at times, and few of the younger riders in the field showed enough to change the current perception of American speedway as an expensive hobby for all but a handful of its participants. It's going to take a lot of work to get the US back to anywhere near where they used to be on the world stage - let's hope that Monster are prepared to back with the work that Steve Evans, Billy Hamill, Martin Hagon and others have already put in. It'd be a shame if they just saw it as a market to exploit.

ITEM: There was a great little interview with Dean Felton in this week's Speedway Star, covering the last twenty years of his career up to his retirement at the end of last season. Felton was never a world-beater, although he dreamed of it like every other rider starting out, but provided entertainment wherever he went, and was still capable of big scores (albeit at National League level) right up to the end.

One of the most interesting aspects of his career is that he saw the second-half - pretty much from when he was left without a Premier League place in his early-30s - as a paid hobby, riding for fun and to help out his younger teammates, which showed in his efforts on the track and in the pits. If you ask some, the National League should be no place for this kind of rider, and should be the training ground of the next generation of stars rather than a playground for thrillseekers, but I think it can be both. Indeed, I think it needs to be both - with the weekend showboaters providing value-for-money entertainment while the youngsters learn their craft.

With only one over-25 spot available in each National League team, places for the likes of Felton are few and far between, and quite often older riders who lose their place in the Premier League are driven out of the sport altogether, with only the amateur scene (where they'd surely clean up) as an option. This may change if the mooted Formula 2 Speedway gets off the ground, and let's hope it does.

For now, though, I'd like to wish Dean Felton well, and hope that he continues to be involved in the sport in some capacity. In a sport which often forgets how simple and fun it can be, we need those who never lost that feeling more than ever.

ITEM: Once a year Rugby League stages what it calls the "Magic Weekend", held at a large-capacity stadium, and with all the teams in its Super League playing a match. The idea is to have a festival atmosphere, bringing fans of all clubs together in a stadium with superb facilities, and easy to televise and package for TV. It makes me wonder if there's any mileage in this idea for speedway?

The closest we have at the moment is the British Grand Prix, held in Cardiff, which attracts gates of around 40,000, and raced on a temporary track laid especially for the event. It's expensive to stage but the gross gate receipts are somewhere around £2 million. Furthermore, the publicity it attracts dwarfs anything domestic speedway has to offer, and for most fans it is the highlight of their speedway year. The big problem with Cardiff - as I've written before - is that none of the money generated stays in British speedway, and so finding an event which can compete with it for a slice of that money is not only desirable but pretty much essential for the long-term health of the sport on these shores.

With the Elite League's already imbalanced fixture list, adding an extra meeting, raced on a neutral track, shouldn't provide too many logistical issues, with the ten Elite League teams paired off by a random draw, held live on Sky Sports. Or, taking a leaf out of cricket's T20 book, a new format, with shorter meetings and involving as many teams as possible, could be cooked up, with a banner advertiser attracted to help cover the costs.

It's pie in the sky thinking, but that's what our minds turn to in the off-season, denied our regular fix of speedway action. It's not even one of the more ridiculous ideas I've had lately, and I genuinely think it could happen, with the right minds working on it. Who's up for a magic weekend, then? First round's on me.

ITEM: In what could be the defining theme of this closed season, the asset system was once again threatened this week with Peterborough standing firm in the face of what they consider to be illegal approaches for their riders from rival clubs.

The Panthers claim to be still considering their options over their number one rider, with a contract apparently having been offered to Hans Andersen, who spent last season at title winners Swindon. Andersen has turned down Peterborough's offer, and Swindon have made a bid to buy the rider, which the Panthers, too, have rejected. Meanwhile, Kenneth Bjerre, who many believe the Panthers really want to be their number one, must be feeling pretty unwanted by the Alwalton club for them to make such a fuss over his fellow Dane. The situation took an interesting turn this morning when Swindon, refused permission to speak to Andersen while Peterborough dither, asked for permission to speak to Bjerre, quite reasonably assuming that the Panthers can't employ both.

Meanwhile, Niels-Kristian Iversen, who has declared that he will not ride for Peterborough this season and will only ride for King's Lynn, has not been considered by the BSPA Management Committee to have asked for a transfer and thus will be allowed to go on loan to the Stars, against the Panthers wishes. Troy Batchelor, who has made some derogatory comments about the Panthers' management on his Twitter feed (since deleted) has been considered to have asked for a transfer, and thus if Swindon want to use him (they do) they will have to negotiate a purchase. So very tangled, so very inconsistent.

The situation has arisen because Peterborough "own" the registrations of six of the top twenty riders, and they can only use two. Common sense would dictate that the Panthers get fixed up early with so many to choose from, allowing other clubs to offer contracts to whoever is left. As it is, with the Panthers either dithering or playing games (depending how charitable you are feeling), there is uncertainty over who will be riding where or, indeed, at all.

In a sport which relies on the sale of a product to potential sponsors and season-ticket holders for much-needed operating capital, it is important for teams to be sorted and settled as early as possible. The actions of the Peterborough management, in denying this to forty percent of the Elite League (because bottom feeders Belle Vue are caught up in this, too, waiting to see what scraps fall off the table to complete their team), are dangerous to the sport as a whole, and should be dealt with by the BSPA at their meeting next week.

This cannot go on. If the asset system in its present form is to continue without legal challenge all clubs need to play ball, and stop playing silly buggers. Having a large asset base gives you options, not the right to hold the rest of the league to ransom. Agree a loan or name your price or take it to arbitration - whatever's necessary. Just do something other than use your local newspaper to score points, yeah?