PHILIPRISING

OLYMPIC stadium doesn't have a roof either and I would still be quite happy to drive to Cardiff (and pay the toll) rather than East London. I was born in London but don't share the view of some that it is the be all and end all as far as staging sporting events is concerned. THE KNOW: Andy your disillusionment with speedway is well known and as a personal view that's fine. But it certainly doesn't follow that speedway in Poland, especially given the facilities they generally enjoy, will fall out of favour with the younger generation.

I have been to Wembley on more than one occasion this year. It's all in the eye of the beholder but in my view Wembley (not London) cannot hold a candle to Cardiff.

AND the hotels, bars, restaurants, etc in Wembley as opposed to Cardiff? Anyway, it's all academic. The British GP takes place in Cardiff and I for one have no problem with that.

DO you need a lift?

WHAT makes you think racing would be any better at Wembley?

IRIS123 ... you haven't tried the pudding so how do you know what it tastes like?

CRUMBLING wreck? I'll have some of what you are on. Sponsors can be and in fact are royally entertained at the Millennium. Have you ever seen the Methanol Club facilities? Or the corporate boxes? And the fantastic new HD screens? And .... no matter, pass the bottle.

OF course I don't have a vested interest other than enjoying the fact that speedway has such a great showpiece event which reflects well on the sport to many on the outside. I just don't see how anyone could see gambling upwards of half a million on putting on a speedway meeting at Wembley, with no cast iron guarantee that the event would even go ahead or what the crowd would be, makes any sense at all. The roof is a major factor not just on the day itself but for track preparation. BSI effectively hire the Millennium for a week. How much do you think Wembley would cost for a similar period. The Football Association don't even recognise the history speedway had at the old Empire Stadium and efforts by Barry Briggs to locate a speedway museum there have simply fallen on deaf ears. The weather is rarely kind in Gothenburg but the city is desperate to keep the Grand Prix there especially as so many other major sporting events in Sweden have moved elsewhere. However, the lure of covered stadiums in Stockholm, one of which I believe actually has a temperature controlled climate, will be tough to resist. And, personally, I think the capital is much nicer place to visit.

MICKTHEMUPPET ... said before, the old Wembley had a permanent speedway track. The new Wembley doesn't. And in those days there was no choice. There is now. And a better one in my opinion. But that's all it is ...

CARDIFF is a capital city ... very accessible from many parts of the UK, more so for many than Wembley. You should try it sometime. And Wembley is a poor location. Tens of thousands of fans may attend various events there but that doesn't mean it isn't a nightmare journey for them. I live in Surrey and I have tried various methods of getting to and from and all of them torturous.

NONE of us actually know how many people a speedway meeting at Wembley would attract. But we do know that it would be a massive financial gamble. The cost of staging a meeting there, even if the Wembley owners sanctioned an event, would run into many hundreds of thousands of pounds. So, the essential question is who will stump up the money in the first place knowing that it could quite conceivably end in tears. Even if the weather was kind. Cannot accept the analogy of soccer fans turning up in their droves for Cup Finals. Might do if Belle Vue attracted 76,000 for their home matches as do Man United.

See Chris Holder's comments on speedwaygp.com

PERSONALLY don't see why you think Wembley would be a sell-out and it is hardly in the middle of London is it? Great stadium, obviously, but poor location especially when travelling by road. And, to repeat, it doesn't have a roof and the cost of renting the stadium and putting in a track (which in itself would be well in excess of £100,000) when it could all be wiped out by rain would be financial suicide. Why do you think that tourists coming to London (not Wembley) would be interested in going to a speedway GP? Staging GPs at Ullevi is probably enough risk for one year and with the availability of two new covered stadiums in Stockholm one must wonder for how long Gothenburg will stay on the calendar. I just don't possess the same sentimental feeling for Wembley as many on here do. That era ended in 1981 and I say that as someone who saw every World Final there from 1962, the 1966 World Cup Final, Manchester United winning the European Cup two years later and countless England internationals. The old stadium had a special aura despite the fact that in many respects it was a bit of a dump. The Millennium Stadium is far better suited for GP speedway than Wembley for all sorts of reasons, not just the roof and, but as Humphrey points out, the ease in which the grass pitch can be temporarily removed. It is a much more compact arena and generates a fantastic atmosphere which frankly I don't think would be replicated at Wembley. Also, and this cannot be over-stated, the Millennium officials love having the speedway there and beg over backwards to do everything they can to help. Do you honestly think the Football Association, who have already obliterated speedway's history at Wembley, would do the same?

BUT they didn't have to lay a track at the old Wembley, just tart up the one that was permanently there. Of course they are worried about 'getting wet' as you put it. Why take the risk when there is such a fantastic facility as the Millennium Stadium ready and willing to stage speedway and a town like Cardiff which has much more going for it than the neighbourhood in which Wembley is situated.

WEMBLEY doesn't have a roof ...

BEST suggestion yet

GEARHEAD ... don't get me wrong, I also fail to understand what riders actually glean from practice most of the time and also find the whole two hour session tedious. And you are right, more often than not riders will comment that the track on race day is totally different to what it was in practice, although that is less common now with temporary tracks. One reason that practice will now start at 6pm is to try and better replicate atmospheric and weather conditions the next day. For example: practice under a hot sun will be very different to racing conditions the following evening. However, unlike say road racing on a surface that never changes, or motocross where it doesn't really matter, speedway surfaces are notoriously fickle and are obviously susceptible to weather conditions whether it be sun and wind or just rain. Preparing the perfect speedway track isn't an exact science, although it must be said that the progress made by Ole Olsen in ascertaining the optimum mix of materials (now in place at Cardiff, Copenhagen, Gothenburg and, hopefully, Auckland) is narrowing the gap but there again practice can often wreck all their efforts. However, as previously stated, riders want practice, which in effect they see as a rehearsal for the following day, and it would be tough to deny them that.

IT has moved forward in a number of ways, especially behind the scenes, and the investment has been considerable especially in terms of presentation, temporary tracks (huge sums spent on materials for Cardiff, Copenhagen and Gothenburg, which are now stored in climate controlled environments), etc. Transponders: perhaps you should try them again. Australia: doesn't necessarily have to make shed loads of money but taking place a week before or after NZ, given that all the riders and other paraphernalia would be there anyway, makes it a much more viable proposition.

TRANSPONDERS from Tag Heuer were trailed at Gorzow and are still being looked at. But (sorry to disagree with Humphrey again) the whole operation doesn't come cheap. Agree they would add something to practice and help with close finishes, etc. No doubt they will happen sooner rather than later. The old BSI (John Postlethwaite) had taken the GP about as far as they could. JP readily admits that to develop the series further it needed the commercial muscle of a company like IMG behind it. And so it has proved. And, of course it is about the fans whether they be at the event or watching on TV. No audience no GP. But many of the complaints registered on this forum would appear to be almost exclusive to the UK. The series is moving ahead, several major stadiums are seriously enquiring about staging events in the near future, and the likelihood of a Grand Prix in Australia is coming ever closer.

DIFFERENT regime at BSI/IMG and in the days of 24 riders they were all included in programmes, signage and TV graphics. However, it was accepted that the knockout format was harsh and a change was made. Your last sentence isn't even worthy of a reply. However, talk to riders like Crump and Hancock and they will wax lyrical about the SGP and how it has transformed and enhanced their careers and enjoyment of speedway. I have never heard them say they are being abused. And what old and tested format are you talking about?

HUMPHREY ... it wasn't okay for riders to go to Australia (and elsewhere) for the possibility of just two rides which is one reason why the format was changed. Also, 24 riders was too cumbersome and some tracks and especially pit areas couldn't handle the number of riders and machinery. You are basing your arguments on the assumption that there would be benefits from riders coming through a Friday practice. But not everyone accepts that premise. Riders like and indeed need to know that they are competing in every round. You cannot seriously expect a rider to travel all the way to a gP, and with all the preparation required for himself and his team, and risk being eliminated in practice. We are not talking about factory sponsored teams here. Also, Programmes are printed, signage prepared, TV graphics... I can think of various reasons why it wouldn't work as far as a SGP is concerned. It would be nice to make practice more meaningful but qualification for the meeting itself isn't the way to go. As Kiwi has pointed out, there was practice before the one off World Finals. At Wembley it was the Thursday before the Saturday, elsewhere the day before. And, with respect Gearhead, I probably speak to more riders at a GP than you and actually attend every riders' briefing at every GP. Quite often the call from riders is for MORE practice not less.Some, like Sayfutdinov, often don't take all their sessions. Others, like Hancock, Gollob and Crump would probably ride all day if you gave them the chance.

SOMETIMES I think you are living in cloud cuckoo land. How many riders would turn up for pre-qualifying in Auckland? Besides, practice is not a major issue and the the event itself doesn't require any tinkering. It's doing fine and any comparisons with F1 are just absurd.

NEXT year practice will start at 6pm on the Friday preceding race day except in Auckland where (subject to confirmation) it will be at 3pm because of noise constraints. Wouldn't disagree that practice can be (is) boring but it is for the benefit of the riders and to a lesser degree track staff and TV companies and not the public. There were numerous examples last season when riders who didn't practice fared better than those that did but, trust me, any suggestions to curtail practice have been vigorously opposed by the riders. Efforts to introduce some form of timing to practice have and will continue to be looked at but how riders would be rewarded remains an open discussion. I appreciate what The Know is suggesting but it simply isn't practical for riders to travel to a GP and be eliminated before the event has even begun. That was the major bone of contention with the knock-out format used a few years ago. I can still remember Greg Hancock turning up for the opening round at Prague in 1998 as the defending World Champion and packing his bags after just two races. Competing in the GP is a huge commitment for riders and they need to know that they will at least have five races (and the appropriate TV time) in every round. It is on that basis that they try and sell themselves to sponsors. I am sure Meridian Lifts would much rather back a rider who was guaranteed exposure rather than be involved in a sort of Russian roulette system. There have even been thoughts of holding practice on a Saturday morning. That would be fine if speedway tracks were concrete rather than dirt and wouldn't suffer the inevitable damage that practice (equivalent to over two full meetings) incurs.

OVER 40 now booked to travel from UK ... you underestimate the interest being shown by people from the UK. Over 3000 tickets (including all those for the grandstand) for the event already sold, over half from Australia. Don't be so pessimistic.

HUMPHREY ... you are sounding like a little Englander. Just because the GP and motorcycle racing in general attracts little media interest in the UK doesn't mean it is the same elsewhere. There is huge coverage in Poland, of course, and a significant amount in countries like Denmark, Sweden and elsewhere. Don't understand what you mean by the missing 40,000 fans at Cardiff. A much higher proportion of fans who regularly attend league racing in the UK go to Cardiff than was the case at even Wembley and especially Bradford (Odsal) for World Finals during the 70s and 80s. If the overall weekly speedway attendance in the UK was the same now as it was during the early 1970s in particular I have little doubt that the British GP would be a sell out.