Welcome to the latest installment of Asked & Answered, addressing a selection of your questions about all things speedway.
Colleen, from Cumbernauld, asks:
I’ve only been going to speedway since 2013 and it’s always been 15 heats. However, I’ve read that it used to be 13, was 16 at one point and during 1993 the Tigers raced 18 heat matches with 8 man teams – why has it changed over the years?
In answer to your question – not sure! However, you’ve raised a very interesting point. Why 15 heats for a speedway meeting? Why 90 minutes for a football match? Why 50 overs for a one day match in cricket?
Many speedway fans of a certain generation refer to the phrase ‘happiness is 40-38’ which relates to their team winning a 13 heat match by the slimmest of margins. Back then there was also a second half event which the top riders took part in and usually culminated in a ‘rider of the night’ race with a trophy on offer for the winner.
Was this the best format? Was speedway better back then? Is nostalgia just kicking in?!
Sports fans have high expectations nowadays and they want a slick show, entertainment and above all else, value for money.
Another format we haven’t mentioned is the one used back in 1997 when the Premier League as we know it today came into being. Each team essentially consisted of three experienced heat leaders and three younger riders who were looking to make a name for themselves in the sport. Certainly not the worst format in our opinion!
Next up is Tommy, from Kilmarnock, who asks:
Although we’ve been lucky here in Glasgow with the weather during 2016, many fixtures in the rest of the UK have been postponed due to tracks being waterlogged. Is there anything that can be done to prevent speedway matches being called off due to rain?
How many times have speedway promoters asked this very question over the years? Having looked forward to your methanol fix all week is there anything worse for fans than the weather gods deciding to spoil things? It’s an equally frustrating situation for riders and officials alike when so much preparation goes into every match.
So what are the options? Having already lost their season opener to the weather and with rain forecast for the afternoon of the rescheduled fixture against the Redcar Bears, home side Berwick decided to employ the use of track covers. They believe this to have been a first for a fixture involving two Premier League clubs. Thanks to team manager Scott Courtney and his band of helpers they managed to get the covers on and back off again in time for that night’s match to go ahead as planned.
This is probably a course of action that can prevent matches being postponed due to adverse weather in advance but what about when the wet stuff falls just before heat 1 or mid meeting?
The weather didn’t exactly play ball for the Tigers early home matches of the season against Coventry and Edinburgh but supporters were treated to some highly entertaining racing in both fixtures. Every member of the track staff deserves huge credit for making this possible and thankfully the rain didn’t persist for the duration of either afternoon.
Alternative track surfaces have been suggested in the past but would that make any difference? Can you imagine watching speedway on anything but shale?!
Therefore, it looks like we will continue to have something in common with those who have a passion for cricket – a dislike of the British weather!
Finally Sarah, from Dumbarton, asks:
Twelve of the fourteen riders who took part in the recent Elite League fixture between Swindon and Leicester are either current members of Premier League sides or rode at this level during 2015. Once upon a time there was a pretty wide gap between the leagues – that doesn’t seem to be the case any more?
Your question Sarah opens up one of the hottest topics within British speedway!
The 2016 season opener at the Peugeot Ashfield Stadium resulted in an extremely close encounter between Coventry and the Tigers. The Bees managed to win that day by a solitary point even with Grand Prix star Chris Harris and former world number two Krzysztof Kasprzak in their line-up.
Some would point to the absence of Jason Garrity and Josh Bates from their side, which in fairness probably resulted in them being slightly weaker but Glasgow appeared to be in the driving seat until Ben Barker and Danny Ayres were both excluded in heat 12 with the home men 10 ahead.
Ultimately the closeness of the final result reinforces your belief that Premier League clubs can give the big boys a run for their money. Might the two leagues come together one day, perhaps with a Superbowl-style grand final? You never know!
Submit your questions below for the next edition of Asked & Answered!