A View from the Terraces
By Mick Clargo

It is fast approaching 60 years since I was covered by shale for the first time, on the third bend at Oxford. Since then, I have seen speedway's ups and its downs. Of course, for us Cheetahs fans it is down as far as it can go right now, with the bikes falling silent at Cowley just over two years ago.

There is something addictive about speedway and even during times when it has been hard to go to meetings, keeping up to date with the developments has always been a must for me. It is quite amazing that people always remember the exact details of how they were introduced to speedway and who rode at the time. I am no exception and vividly recall riders like Jim Gregory, Jim Boyd, Harry Saunders, Bill Kemp and Ronnie Genz.

I can remember plenty of 'ups' in speedway. I am probably the envy of many because I have witnessed the majestic riding of 'The Wizard of Balance' (Peter Craven). Then there was a fresh faced Mark Loram's debut at a sodden Oxford track, when he showed the others how it should be done. And the time that Ronnie Genz went smoothly around the outside of Ove Fundin at Oxford then went on to win the race. These are all fond memories and every speedway fan has similar ones.

But what of the present? I wonder just how many supporters will remember who their favourites were in 60 years time. I'll bet that most will have a hard job remembering the teams the riders represented after the continuing game of musical chairs we endure every season. Ronnie Genz was a major influence at Oxford for a number of years and if you think of Nigel Boocock, you can only think of Coventry. The sad reality today is that most riders have ridden for more clubs than they haven't. No wonder rosettes went out of fashion - otherwise you'd end up with a wardrobe full of them!

The constant team shuffling is no doubt down to the points limit and I wonder if this idea for controlling team strength has had its day. After all, it has not stopped teams from being under-strength (e.g. Mildenhall and Oxford in recent years). It has also had the effect of destroying championship-winning teams (e.g. Coventry, Oxford, and Poole).

One of my pet dislikes is the double points rule. I have never understood the logic behind this and I think it belittles speedway. How can any team have more points on offer than the other, while still playing on a level field? It is especially ridiculous in two-legged matches. Speedway is about racing and not playing trump cards. Nothing wrong in my mind with having tactical substitutes, as these needed real team management and they allowed cover if teams were decimated during a match (i.e. losing one or both reserves). In the same way that Formula One motor racing has become distracted by pit lane tactics, I fear that these double point rules are helping speedway move towards tactical manoeuvring.

While there has been much been said about the play-offs and the GP Series, the problem that I have is that I cannot genuinely accept the winners as the true champions. I have been to Cardiff and it is an enjoyable spectacle (to which I shall be returning). But in my heart of hearts, I do not believe the GP champion to be a real world champion, since he is participating in a restricted field. Likewise, I think the League Champions should be just that. Champions of the league and not just the better team of two, over two matches at the end of the season.

We hear about getting back to basics in all sorts of things. I think speedway really needs to do that if it is to be on an up once again (which it will be eventually). I say get rid of the gimmicks and the obsession with averages. I don't pretend to know all the answers, but I do know one thing. Disposing with that infernal green helmet was a move in the right direction!

This article was first published on 25th February 2010