Virtual Reality? Why Not?

Lockdown day 15864…

Over the last few weeks, it would be fair to say that we have all found ourselves living inside the plot of a Hollywood blockbuster, almost a fantasy land the likes of what we never thought we would see and the likes of which we frankly never want to see again.

With this comes a lot of time to think, a lot of time to reflect and as such the subject matter upon these blogs recently has been heavily fuelled on nostalgic trips to a forgotten times.

There have been plenty of fantasy speedway teams put together; 1-7’s that we will never ever see, but what if we could?

Let’s take two of the greatest riders ever to take to the shale and compare them, Ivan Mauger and Tony Rickardsson, six world titles each and dominating forces in their respective eras, but who’s better?

There is of course no wrong answer to this question and depending upon which era you come from the answer will skew, that is the nature of the beast.

But who wouldn’t want to see Mauger and Rickardsson head to head in a battle for supremecy? I know I would!

I will turn it up a notch here, Mark Loram is arguably one of the most exciting and entertaining riders to ever grace the sport, but how would he have fared against the likes of the late Kenny Carter, another man who could lay claim to that same tag?

Again, depending upon the era you come from this answer will skew, and if you’re a younger fan reading this you’ve probably no idea who these guys are, but that’s okay, there’s no wrong answers here.

What I do know though is that race would be an absolute barnburner!

Now, to look at this a different way and from a Berwick Bandits perspective, take for example Michal Makovsky and Steve McDermott, both had ten years with the Bandits and they occupy the top two spots in the Bandits all time top scorers list, but whose better?

Or to flip that the other way, what would happen if they were to line up in heat 13 for the Bandits in some sort of alternate universe where that was a possibility?

Keeping on a Bandits theme, our 1989 side is heralded by many as the greatest team to ever pull on the Black and Gold, but how would they compare to some of the other great sides of the modern era?

Again, our 1991 side may have brought about some of the most exciting racing the Bandits faithful have ever seen but how does the heat leader trio of Tatum, Nilsen and Knight measure up to the likes of Holder, Ward and Watt of Poole sides in recent memory?

Of course these are questions that we will never know the answers to, but what if?

What if there was a way to cross over eras and answer these questions? Well in other sports, this is a reality, albeit in a digitised world of virtual reality.

Ever wanted to see Mike Tyson take on Muhammad Ali? It’s been done!

Ever wondered which Champions League winning side truly is the best? It’s been done!

Even the Grand National was given the virtual treatment this year so why speedway can’t be afforded that same treatment is beyond me. I know I’m biased but speedway lends itself perfectly to that particular realm and in my opinion the possibilities for a speedway video game are virtually endless.

Current teams, classic teams, current stars and cult heroes could all be there, and all the fantasy racing you could ever wish to see could actually be seen live in front of you in glorious high definition.

There is certainly no way I can be the only one who feels the same here and I know this is something that Scott Courtney has touched on a few times on social media. If it were to become a reality I believe that speedway could potentially benefit massively from exposure in a market as monumental as the video game world.

Staying in my fantasy bubble here, if you were to play this game, which classic duels would you have play out?

Mogridge vs Alden?
Woffinden Vs Craven?
Pedersen Vs Gundersen?

What if? Why not?

Of course if you wish to agree, or disagree with the Mythman, have an idea for a feature, or you simply want to chew the fat over all things speedway, you can email me jbspeedwaymedia@hotmail.com or get in touch via the JB Speedway Media Facebook page. If your compliments, or indeed gripes can be contained to limited characters, you can send me a tweet @Mythman666.

Until next time…and there will be a next time.
Right I’ll hae’tae gan
Mythman