After the poor
performance in the World Team Cup by the Great Britain team the speedway press
and the various forums on the internet have been full of people voicing their concerns
about the future of the national team and the lack of young British riders who
could reverse the decline.
Well it’s not a new
problem.
“Next winter, I would
like to see a proper National Training School put into operation, with all the
promoters backing the scheme with machines and financial aid.
If this was brought into
force, tracks all over the British Isles could be used and any discoveries put
into a general pool and shared out to the various clubs by the discretion of an
unbiased committee.
It has been definitely
proved that many of the best juniors are among the working class novices – the
lad who cannot afford to lay out over £22 for the chance of trying his luck.
What these boys want is
an opportunity of trying their skill and obtaining an expert’s advice on their
prospects of making the grade before risking the whole of their savings. To
overcome this a National Training Scheme must be formed”
John Wick Editor
Speedway World
Norwich Speedway Monthly
February 1949
Could the same be said in
another 59 years?
S.Bear