Cardiff Gp

[New Science 1,059]

Seems I've gone against the masses here.

 

The meeting was good entertainment with a great atmosphere but I thought BSI got bailed out with Tai's performance. Remember last year when the atmosphere deflated after his crash.

 

My problem was the surrounding presentation. Poor acoustics on first bend 2nd tier, or maybe that was just the announcer. Very little fan interaction, no band, no singer at interval.

 

Fanzone was in wrong place with same old stalls.

 

Biggest let down was the appalling programme in comparison to previous years efforts. Poor quality paper and no spine. If Pinegen are going produce that then it should have been priced accordingly at say £6.

Enjoyed my weekend at Cardiff as usual,my take on things,thought the track and racing were ok although it still concerns me to see riders of the ability of Darcy Ward looping and been thrown of his bike.Fortunately the riders behind managed to avoid him,had they not this topic may have had a different theme.As much as Ole Olsen says in last weeks Star "We don't get ruts anymore" fact is at Copenhagen and Cardiff there was a large rut.Thought the fanzone was ok but there needs to be more going on, particularly on the stage to get people to stop longer than 30 minutes.There always seems to be lots of speedway people knocking around,get em on the stage I'd happily listen to interviews with the likes of Crump,Nicholls,Havelock,Loram etc.Glad I saw the guy on the bike at the fanzone because in the stadium with the lights out and dry ice about it was difficult to see if not on the big screen.Thought the opening was OK,not breathtaking as described in the Star,Ive seen plenty of terrific GP,s in Poland with riders coming round on a truck,racing comes first every time for me.Not sure why the announcer felt the need to tell us it was a record attendance when clearly it wasn't,also not sure what the digital advertising below the middle tear brought to the event, was told for the first time ever,can't hang your flags there ! had to trek to the top tier instead.

[Mark 1,497]

The rider introductions took too long which isn't good for nervous riders or fans who are gagging to see some racing.

[Noodles 1,337]

Seems we all have the wrong date, 12th July according to Eurosport adverts tonight

[severnsider 197]

Seems we all have the wrong date, 12th July according to Eurosport adverts tonight

 

They were showing the wrong advert as they showed the one for this year which had highlights of the 2013 meeting.

[van wolfswinkel 635]

Second successive year going to Cardiff GP.

To beat the high hotel prices we stay outside Cardiff for the Sat. night then drop into Cardiff for the Sunday night. This year we did a third night in Swansea, just to see Gower Peninsula etc. Any big city will up hotel prices when an event is on. Surely they cannot make it pay for less then £30 per room per night you can get on the Sunday night.

We just got there for 5 o'clock, just about got a program. Wife has a medical problem and needs to drink water, cant take bottles in so had to queue for ages before the meeting. Their was bar staff hanging around the back of their "shop" pretending to be be bust but doing nowt, how annoying that was when you in a queue, think they forget whos paying their wages.

Opening ceremony/rider introduction - didnt particularly care for it last year, this year felt the same. I prefer where they introduce the riders, then they get in a pickup and do a lap of the stadium.

The track prep was loads better then last year, just two falls (at the same spot) and top marks to the riders for getting up and off the track so no stoppages.

I dont expect top quality racing in every race at any level of speedway, the whole meeting I thought was very acceptable, obviously the atmosphere within the stadium can add to a meeting and Cardiff does that. Really good buzz and the cheering is something else.

Hancock boring - I dont think so. Sure, he doesnt have the style of Woffi, Ward, Holder etc, but he is rock steady. Thats pays off for him - he doesnt get many injuries does he, a fact emphasised by the fact he has been in every gp of the modern era. How he competes at top level at the age of 44 is beyond me. A legend? Sure is.

The meeting was very slick, hardly a delay between riders going into pit after a race and the next lot coming out. Well run meeting.

What I didnt like and couldnt understand.

1) mechanics allowed on the centre green near the start attending to their riders bike after they had left the pits area. I noticed TW and NP mechanics doing this, there may have been others.

2) on a similar vain - spare bike on the centre green with mechanics after riders had left the pit area.

3) Park and ride - not too bad a wait at Cardiff City footie ground to get a bus to the stadium, but coming back - we left the stadium before the presentation, so we didnt hang about, jet there was a very large queue at Tressilian Way to get one back.

At £10 per couple, they pulling in loads of money, at least they could provide the busses to do the job

4) and like someone else has already quoted, I thought I was being smart by going straight to County Hall park and ride as per last year, only to be told this year it was a shoppers park and ride closing at 6pm - then we had to get to the north side of the city to the football ground.

 

Cardiff is an excellent venue for the gp, for all the reasons already stated. If there was a 2nd one at Wembly I wouldnt bother going - been there many times in the 60's and 70's. Would probably choose Cardiff over a new Belle Vue, and thats despite BV just being 35 mile down the road.

Not yet looked at what I recorded from Eurosport but looking forward to it.

Ready to book for next year and looking forward to it.

 

An add-on :- Impressed in how MJ-J rode, thats 2 semis in 2 rounds standing in for Chris Holder. Disappointed Batch could not replicate the previous GP in Copenhagen, even though track size was almost the same and similar shape etc. And Craig Cook, yes, took his 5 rides but that was a bit too early in his career even though he is playing catch up with the years - but what an experience for him.

Also walked back to Cardiff City FC in the west of the city...half hour walk, next year will probably be parking in central car-park for 9 quid, or off side street between the two stadiums for free. Or there's always the train.