PHILIPRISING

I DON'T know the answer but will raise the question when I get back to the UK next week.

IF you doubt my word I can prove that the programmes were printed and at the stadium. However, with the meeting in doubt, there was no point in trying to sell them only to have another refund issue on hand. The gates were never opened, people never admitted to the stadium, why would they sell programmes? And, yes, we probably do have some in the office but because of the race-card errors BSI never allowed them to go on sale even after the cancellation. I have written on here and in Speedway Star refuting any of the conspiracy charges which have about as much validity as Armstrong not stepping on the moon. I have first hand knowledge of everything that went on that day, as do lawyers representing various parties. There was no conspiracy. Sure, there was a roof. But the problem was with the shale before it even got into the stadium and the fact that no matter what it wouldn't dry given that the concrete underneath couldn't absorb any moisture and the air temperature inside the stadium was cold. Rob Armstrong, the senior IMG executive there, was rightly furious and anyone who knows him and his background will testify that neither he, nor his company, would ever be part of such a fraudulent act. Those who suggest otherwise are simply talking out of their backsides. Mistakes were made, human error came into play, but lessons were learned.

WHERE on earth did you get that idea from? There were programmes but they were not made available because (and this was a Pinegen, publishers of Sepedway Star error) they included an incorrect race programme. We rapidly produced inserts with the right programme ready to be loosely inserted into the actual programmes had the event gone ahead. We redid the programme for the re-staging.

HAVE you noticed one thing that darts and snooker 'stadiums' have in common ... a roof! And it is a lot easier to hang a dart board or move in a snooker table than to lay a speedway track. I was at Plough Lane in 2002 and Perry Barr when it re-opened. Big crowds compared to the norm at British speedway these days but hardly massive by any scale.

AND those councils are elected and if the people don't like their town supporting speedway and hosting a GP then they can say so at the ballot box. No different, although obviously on a far smaller scale, than London hosting the Olympics or, as I have recently seen during my stay in the USA, Indianapolis staging the SuperBowl. And much as I respect and frequently enjoy Parsloes' campaigning on behalf of London, his idea of a "massive" crowd (openings at Wimbledon, Perry Barr, etc) is very different to mine. By the way, good post Oldace.

SPEEDWAY'S fan base in Poland is much bigger than in the UK and the stadiums there are permanent which means the cost of staging GPS there is miniscule compared to here. Personally cannot see any sound argument at present for more than one GP in Britain. THERE is nothing wrong with the destination as you put it. If Cardiff was a dump with no amenities the case for London would be strong but it isn't and it isn't.

BUT it doesn't have ... oh, why bother!

NEVER was very good at keeping a promise, even to myself. OF course Cardiff isn't set in stone forever - what is? - but there is a long term contract in place and both the Welsh Assembly and the city council are strong supporters as well. It ticks all the boxes. Humphrey: the number at the lunch was immaterial but was indicative of the of the feelings of many attending the British GP. The people there are 'converts' as far as the British GP is concerned but not necessarily to Cardiff. To the best of my knowledge the subject of the Olympic Stadium and the British GP has never been seriously considered at IMG but I am hardly privy to everything that goes on there. As I keep saying: neither Wembley nor the Olympic Stadium has anything (other than a London location which, unlike some posters here, I don't consider significantly advantageous) that the Millennium hasn't. But the Millennium has one thing neither Wembley or the Olympic Stadium has. Clue: four letters, first one r. If the Millennium had nothing going for it OTHER than a roof then maybe the likes of Sidney would have a point. I have seen nothing at Wembley which would add to the occasion and I seriously doubt whether the Olympic Stadium could either.

ODSAL rivals the Millennium? Are you completely bonkers! The British GP is the showpiece event of the series. A roof is essential given the huge outlay. Why Sidney do you find that so tough to grasp? Plus all the other amenities - wonderful facilities for the hugely popular VIP Methanol Club, corporate boxes, new million pound screens, etc, etc, etc. It was interesting when the question of Wembley was raised at Cardiff two years ago during the Methanol Club lunch attended by over 300 people. When IMG's Rob Armstrong say there were no plans to move from Cardiff the room erupted in applause. I am sure the Swedish GP will move to Stockholm and a stadium with a roof in the not too distant future. At present there is no alternative to Ullevi. Vojens is a totally different kettle of fish and is not a BSI promoted event. I keep promising myself not to continue with this debate, as it has been done to death, but hopefully I will now do just that..

NO idea

YOU have asked that question before and the answer was and is NO other than wishing to see the British GP be as successful and well-attended as possible because that reflects well on the sport and could, if others were to get off their backsides, benefit speedway in this country as a whole. And, for the one millionth (at least) time of stating, Wembley doesn't have a roof. Why would anyone risk millions of pounds when there is a perfect stadium readily available with a roof which not only guarantees the event going ahead but also enhances the atmosphere inside a stadium which (like Wembley should it be used) will probably only ever be around half full.

RAKING over old ground now. Hasn't this been done to death here under various guises. After 1981 Wembley shut its doors to speedway. Fact. The long term future of the British GP is at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff ... a stadium with a roof which, as I have stated here ad nauseam, provides a massive insurance for the huge financial outlay required to stage a GP on that scale in the UK.

THERE is no doubt that the loss of Wembley as a World Final venue, which certainly arose because of pressure from the Football Association, seriously diminished Britain's standing within the Track Racing Commission (CCP) at the FIM. Wembley had always been a trump card when it came to the allocation of World Finals and its unavailability after 1981 also coincided with the USA (although only once) and then Germany joining the rota. The FIM agreed to the Harry Oxley, Jack Milne, Barry Briggs and Ivan Mauger consortium staging a Final as a result of getting themselves embroiled in a legal argument that the Californian Supreme Court ruled they had to answer. A by-product of that settlement was also that Germany would get a Final in 1983. With no Wembley as a bargaining chip and only Odsal as a possible venue Britain simply had to wait its turn and received no preferential treatment. I did indeed write a number of articles campaigning for the SCB to fight harder to get Wembley back but it was flogging a dead horse. Could the SCB have tried harder? Possibly, but the deal had been done and the FA held all the aces. It was convenient around that time to enhance speedway's perceived popularity in general and the Wembley World Final in particular and to bandy figures like 90,000 around and at the time no one argued. It was only a little later that the real attendance figure for 1981 was revealed, unofficially as far as I can recall, but nobody really wanted to destroy the myth and speedway had already run its course there. Incidentally, the attendance figures for the British GPs at Cardiff are supplied to the media by the stadium authorities through BSI at the Press Conference after the event.

THAT'S what I like ... a quick response!

DIDN'T Sam win in Pocking. Per won at Odsal on an afternoon when Tatum probably should have done had he not been stuffed by Nielsen.

SORRY Sidney but the official figure was around 72,000 and was available at the time for those prepared to listen. It was always good propaganda to bump up Wembley attendances even for soccer when the magical number of 100,000 was bandied around.

NOT sure about that. Zagar in Italy, Ward in Poland. All riders competing in a GP have to possess a FIM international licence which covers Grand Prix events.

YES, it's a three year deal. My latest info is that tickets sales have been very encouraging especially as pre-buying is hardly essential given that what reserved seating there is has already sold out. If reports emanating from Gillman in Oz continue to be as positive as they have been of late then I would be very surprised if BSI and the FIM don't take a long hard look at staging a GP there, maybe as early as 2013. It makes sense especially if they don't have the worry and cost of installing a track.

WELL the guy who is paying the bills probably knows best what makes commercial sense as far as he is concerned. No one will carry the can more than him if it goes t*** up.

THIS is speedway we are talking about. Not soccer, tennis or golf. The commercial aspect has to come into it whether we (and I include myself in that) like it or not. In an ideal world this might not be the case but in the real world sadly it is.

I HAVE a pretty good take on it given that Larry Ross is my brother-in-law and I count both Briggo and Ivan as good mates. The Kiwis will not expect Bunyan to pick up many points but will see it as getting some NZ representation in international speedway again and while they have a very long haul ahead of them it is a start. There is a plan for a few of their youngsters to have a session with World Champion Greg Hancock at unofficial practice on the Thursday prior to the GP and hopefully the presence of Moore, Briggs and Mauger will be a big boost as well.

I HAVE my doubts about the choice, too, but understand as does woz01 why it was made. Having a GP in NZ is very much about trying to encourage the growth of speedway there and having a local in such an event will hopefully illustrate to young ruiners what can be achieved. It is Bill Buckley who is taking a massive financial risk here and his view has to be respected. Jason's participation may not excite people in the UK or Europe but, with respect, they are not the ones who will purchase tickets. And Bunyan has shown a great deal of loyalty to speedway in NZ at a time when it has been at a very low ebb and in that respect at least this reward is not misplaced.

TRUE but TRUE but hopefully the message is getting through. We will soon know.

GARRY was a remarkable character in every sense of the word but was also a very talented and classy rider who could and would achieved so much more had he not been a bit ... well, nuts. At the time he was riding for Hackney the Speedway Star office was in Temple Chambers, just off Fleet Street in London. Garry visited quite often, sometimes dressed as an airline pilot, sometimes as a German police officer or in various other guises. He would drive through German with fake police id. He had a few run-ins with Briggo and I think the gun made a number of appearances. On one occasion he tried to mow down Martin Rogers, then promoter at either KL or Leicester, with his Mercedes. Martin all but smashed the windscreen with the umbrella that he carried most of the time, rather like Chaplin and his cane. Garry contacted us on the day of the 1982 World Final at the LA Coliseum and asked for a pass. Briggo said no. I can remember walking down the slope that acted as the pits towards the track and there was Garry, bold as brass. He had got in okay. He could talk his way out of a cardboard box. He was also involved in a fraud involving herbal tea, and its 'magical healing qualities,' in the US. Like so many, we lost contact and if the stories of his demise are true it is sad. He was great company at times but his whole life was an act. If only he had taken himself and his unquestionable talent seriously.

MOST riders will tell you that the track basically wore out and became a one-line pony. Remedial work required isn't really complex or expensive and will hopefully have been done or will be done by May. Tony Olsson will be there at CoC meeting and is very keen to ensure that track is improved.