New Format Proposal (Read 2,137 times)

[ricardo63]

In the great words of Barry B, if ya don’t like it instead of bagging it why not write your own version & post here.
Okay, so I’m not totally happy with the format for this event & have a few ideas to throw around. I’m a big boy so if its rubbish I’m sure you Macgorians will let me know quick smart!!

Caveat #1 : This format will only ever allow 12 teams to enter, but I cover this later on.
Caveat #2 : If fewer than 12 teams enter, well I’m in the nuts then…….

Before you pull this to bits I’d like to state the following:
I don’t reside in NZ at present
I have raced speedway (Midgets) previously in the early 2000’s
I’m an avid follower of all speedway in NZ and have been following Macgors for at least the last 6years.
Only just starting to post as I expect/want to come back soon ish (2years)

Caveat #3 : If you don’t like to mentally think about new ideas & process these situations then you are best do yourself a favour & go read another thread as this one won’t be for you…...

[ricardo63]

SEEDING OF TEAMS
Seeding of teams is as follows, since both major teams meetings are via the same promoter & bit of cross pollination certainly won’t hurt.
Results from Palmy & Waikaraka teams champs are merged. Palmy is the bigger event & at the moment attracts a larger field so therefor points awarded as follows from the overall results:
Palmy 1st 120
2nd 100
3rd 90 you get the drift

Auckland 1st 80
2nd 70
3rd 60 you get the drift

All teams that enter these events are then totalled across the two meetings. The top FOUR teams across these events are then seeded for the FOLLOWING speedway season.

This seems to be fairer as the aim across these two events is rewarding teams that do the following
• Turn up to both events
• Race consistently
• Gives teams that crap out at one the chance to still make the top four.
• Not favour teams who perform better just at Palmy

[ricardo63]

THE DRAW
Geez I’ve been away from NZ for a long time now but gidday me we still like a whinge aye??
Top four teams are seeded into four groups as follows as it makes it easier for jo plogs spectator to follow:
• Seeded team 1 Group A
• Seeded team 2 Group B
• Seeded team 3 Group C
• Seeded team 4 Group D

This way if all goes well, seeded team 1 shall meet seeded team 2 in the final. Just like Gram Slams in tennis & a host of other sports. I found it slightly confusing that the top seeded team from last year (Palmy was in Group D ‘14).

The final eight teams are marble draw. But just like at the World Cup football (Yes okay been in the UK too long I know) there are some minor rules:
1) No group can contain more than 1 south island team (This to stop Nelson drawing Christchurch)(Like boring, they already compete for the xx Cup each year)

Draw has to be done live on a Speedway chat show, there’s a couple now to choose from. 2nd it has to be videoed & posted on YouTube. There you go that will shut a few of you up until you can come up with some left field conspiracy theories…..

[ricardo63]

NIGHT 1
No changes to the individual race format.
Points to stay the same as ‘14

I think it was great that the ‘Pool of Death’ Group C from ’14 contained mega close races & all teams coming away from the night with one a piece. The team that desired to go through ended up progressing, I’m sure all neutral supporters thought that this was the case, regardless of who/which teams these were.

Compared to Palmy who ended up with much more points than these teams means jot to me. The points are there as an equilibrium to even out the Pools against each other.

The breakdown would be as follows and this is where this format starts to take a major detour:
• Top teams from each group progress to the SEMIS – MAJOR CUP
• The team that scored the second most points from each group go into the PLATE FINAL
• The team that scores the least amount of points go into the RELEGATION CUP

The names above have just been chosen to really identify the groups for NIGHT 2

In NIGHT 2, the groups are set, no team can move up or down out of a group.

Race program = 12 teams races

[ricardo63]

NIGHT 2 – MAJOR CUP
The current format penalises the two loosing semi-finalists the most. The semis are probably the two toughest races of the weekend with attrition being unbelievably high. So running points on these to me is just not fair.

The majority of the times, the teams contesting the other two races have got a much bigger advantage to make the 3 and 4 place race. The team that is getting beaten in this race is going to say this or at least process this at some stage: I gunna wreck my car if just too maybe go up to the race for 3 / 4th. Nah it’s been a good weekend but this year is just not for us…..

Statement
So the looser of the Semis both race for 3 / 4th places.

All races on Night 2 for the MAJOR CUP are first past the post. No points are required.

[ricardo63]

NIGHT 2 – PLATE FINAL
My idea is to give drivers that will maybe never contest for an individual cup can have a chance of winning a great team trophy. So this maybe keeps the competition really interesting right up until the last races of Saturday evening.

Teams are seeded from Night 1 on points accumulated. So seeded from 1 – 4

All races on Night 2 for the PLATE FINAL are first past the post. No points are required.
1 v 4
2 v 3

Winners to finals and losers to 3 / 4th run off

Think of this concept just like the 7’s rugby tournaments. Gives the second level on day two something rewarding to play for. In this case also prize money could be proportioned equally to ensure ‘Active’ + ‘Committed’ racing till the end.

It still gives teams in this pool 4 matches over the weekend so improving Teams racing exposure.

[ricardo63]

NIGHT 2 – RELEGATION CUP
This is where things get really interesting. The theory behind this is that the chat around this week has an undertone of the 12 team format being the most fairest. Now we have a problem, what if Huntly has a resurrection and has a team & wants to enter in ’15? That’s cool but I said earlier only 12 teams are allowed at the big show.

Teams are seeded from Night 1 on points accumulated. So seeded from 1 – 4

All races on Night 2 for the RELEGATION CUP are first past the post. No points are required.
1 v 4
2 v 3

Winners to finals losers to 3 / 4th run off

Night 2 will therefore have 12 teams’ races again!!!! Crowd will love this.

[ricardo63]

ENTRIES FOR FOLLOWING YEAR
Remember seeding consists of the two Superstock meetings for the season.
All entries for the following year must be submitted by December. So if you aren’t seeded 1 – 4 then you basically have to enter again. If only 12 teams enter by the cut off then that’s great. If more than 12 enter here is how it goes:

The teams that were seeded 11, 12 onwards go into a playoff for places to enter the 12 team format. A qualifying meeting is organised at the venue of the team placing the FIRST entry outside of the 12 teams from the previous year.

This will fix a couple of problems
• This means that teams have to be serious about teams racing at these events
• The best 12 teams in the country get to contest the premier event in the country
• Hopefully showcasing the best 12 teams in the sport to a televised audience…………
• Teams outside the 12 get more practise before the big stages.
• Teams that stay together will be rewarded over time.
• Promoters of the not so big tracks will get to put on a meeting with Superstock teams racing.

Rules of this meeting
• All of the travelling teams are paid a set fixed pre-determined fee to attend
• Meeting to be announced 5weekes in advance
• Meeting must be at least three weeks before the Palmy meeting
• Teams may only be allowed one RING IN for these races.
• If teams qualify, then this RING IN must be part of the team competing in Palmy.

Each team will race each other once for points. Best two teams get the spots for palmy…

This concept may also help the Auckland event where getting teams to commit is harder for various reasons.

There you go, if you got this far you have done well!!
P.S. This was done in work time today after reading the great efforts by iaccelerate
No body works here on a Friday in the UK anyway…….

[judge10tpt]

Fantastic and well thought out plan

[mcfly]

Sounds like a very good format to me!

[Sharns With Sparky]

Why dont thay seed 1 to 12 in groups stops the moaning eg group 1 has 1 8 12 group 2 has 2 7 11 etc?

[knownotmuch]

Sounds excellent in theory but do you really understand how much of a uphill battle in is for at least half the clubs to even field a team for Palmy without having to be expected to have to compete in Auckland as well. To legislate the number of ring-ins would end up with some teams only needing one withdrawal, for breakdown, injury, or personal life and they would have to withdraw.

[BarryB]

This will make for a very good read once everybody recovers from the weekend I think

Barry B

[ricardo63]

Hi all, thanks for the replies thus far. Not too many body blows as yet but I'm sure they will come!!
Okay time to come clean. I wanted to provoke some proper thinking surrounding the best advertisement for our sport.
I wrote this with a view of a 2-3 year plan for growth. I hid the following line intentionally
• Hopefully showcasing the best 12 teams in the sport to a televised audience…………
I'm as frustrated as most speedway supporters out there as this event should be way further ahead in the pecking order of televised events.
Television = £££ no surprise there.
With physical audience numbers over the weekend surpassing many other sporting events that get regular TV appearance, why ARE WE SELLING OUR SPORT SHORT.
I see no reason with the quality of this event used as the foundation element; we can/should be able to take our amateur sport to at least semi-pro.

[ricardo63]

Hi knownotmuch. Great set of questions there.
1- Yes it is a struggle for all clubs to raise/conjure teams (Wellington this year) to even get to the start line. I totally agree with this. But the vision was that with the growth of teams racing as a ‘Legitimate Motorsport’ event worthy of a place on the NZ TV calendar.
This would bring much bigger revenue & the teams could be very well compensated for the appearance. Snowball down the mountain…. Planning could take place well prior if guaranteed £££ were made available to competitors.
2- Ring Ins rule is only evoked for the runoff event prior to Palmy. This was written for several reasons:
a) to stop teams going out & hiring 3x Hemis for the night.
b) To try to keep the events ‘Regionalised’ and get tracks to build their own numbers.
c) So if a track does uses a ring in, then that competitor MUST race at the big shows.
d) It stops tracks from ‘buying’ their way into the big shows.
Ring Ins at the big shows is allowed & tolerated.

More than happy to increase the ‘1’ limit if that would impede the concept.

[ricardo63]

Listen all, I know that this concept is a little 'Perfect senario’ stuff here but…
Nelson Mandela dreamt that one day his country was free and history shows us…….

I dream a lot and mine for teams racing is :
The 2x Superstock teams events on the speedway calender = the Chilli bowl (Pinnacle) for midgets
SO WHATS STOPPING US THEN, at the moment its our own pre conceptions that we aren’t/can’t do it. Or good enough to make it happen.

[ricardo63]

Oops just wanted to state that at no time do I think that the current promoters aren't doing a good job. They are doing an amazing job & have taken this event such a long way forward since I left NZ. Well done guys.

[mcfly]

Feb 10, 2014 4:02:17 GMT 12 ricardo63 said:

Oops just wanted to state that at no time do I think that the current promoters aren't doing a good job. They are doing an amazing job & have taken this event such a long way forward since I left NZ. Well done guys.

There in lies some of the problem I think, the current promoters have not taken this event anywhere. The teams have increased their profiles and the spectator factions have added colour and personality. The promoter and stadium own have increased the cost, but that is it. The teams don't even get much more than they used to as far as I am aware, and that is part of the struggle to get cars in the teams.