Warsaw Gp Saturday 18th April

[Undercover Elephant 50]

I do suspect that tonight will be a very significant turning-point for the sport at international level. To me, the sport's been trying to over-reach itself for many years, based on the ability to pull off meetings at Cardiff, although that's been a very close-run thing on a few occasions.

 

Trying to take the sport to a new stature and level of public awareness are of course noble ambitions but I do wonder if the sport simply has the resources to pull off these grandiose schemes often enough?

 

Is this a brown ale sport pretending it drinks champagne? (No Darcy Ward jokes please - there's a separate thread for that).

 

Just how far can speedway reach? Is it wiser to play it safe, run meetings on tracks that can allow a decent product to be offered to the world or do we keep aiming too high and falling on our noses? Yes, it does work sometimes but you cannot build a sport on just atmosphere and hype. You can fool some of the people etc. etc.

 

What we saw tonight was simply deplorable. It was like seeing a former love in the gutter, begging for fags or another drink. Jim Lawrence was not in control. The failure to exclude Troy Batchelor was questionable but the inability to either see the problem with the starting gate or why riders were pulling-up, or simply to choose to plough on regardless was simply unacceptable.

 

The Grand Prix tries to provide us with the best riders, the best stadia and best racing. Is Jim Lawrence one of the best referees? If so, we need an urgent training programme! His on-screen body language during the early problems was worrying. It did not look like someone in control, and I've been in the company of enough referees over the years to have a clue about this.

 

Regarding the role of the Race Director, Phil Morris faced three crises in his first meeting - practice, starting gate and then the track break-up. The fact that the meeting failed after 12 heats shows that it was not a happy start. But his predecessor in the role Tony Olsson was clearly there, as seen on TV and I presume that his predecessor Ole Olsen was also present, given that he was in charge of the track installation. Surely either or both were on hand to advise?

 

Just how many times will we suffer these fiascos and just how many more times will we hear that lessons have been learnt and that the problem can't happen again?

 

It has. It has many times. It's been happening for years, even back at Wembley, such as 1975. Speedway cocks up, eventually. Gelsenkirchen, Riga, Ullevi. The list goes on.

 

I am certain that BSI's rivals One Sport will be delighted to see them fail so spectacularly in the most prominent stadium in Poland. Is this a turning-point in speedway politics that sees Poland trying to take control of the sport it already financially owns? (Ask any rider fined by a Polish club for getting injured riding for a team outside the country, or at least threatened regarding that latter point)

 

It's time for the sport at ALL levels to live within its means, to stop thinking that a few flashy risks will bring riches. They won't. Solid development will, putting good value for money meetings on at sustainable venues. Let people grow to love an all-action sport rather than use smoke and mirrors to convince people that crap is gold-plated.

 

It's time to focus on the product, the racing, not the wrapping. Then, once the product is strong enough, organisationally and financially then take it to those higher levels. We can see some great racing at GPs. Not enough though.

 

Any fool can reach for the stars and fall. To get there you have to do more than reach, you have to build on solid foundations.

 

In Britain, in a week of generally fine spring weather we have staged how many meetings at out highest level? Two. Just two. This is to accommodate tonight's hubris in Poland.

 

That's a high price to pay and once again the British public have been mugged as much as those fools who think that flying to Poland's going to automatically give them great speedway.

 

Still, the atmosphere was great I suppose and the beer was cheap., Who needs more?

 

So far this year for various reasons, notably health I've no been able to get to any live speedway. Fortunately that's changing and I can hopefully start getting to some league matches, ideally in the PL or NL. I'll leave the rest of you to be dazzled by the shiny shiny.......

 

Speedway cannot afford to self-destruct like this yet again. Sadly it will. It mustn't.

 

(P.S. - "So, this time in English please Tomasz.....")

You my friend pretty much sum up everything about the organisation that I am questioning. So many errors and lack of responsibility towards the riders is just disrespectful no matter how they want to smoke and mirror this episode, yet these wallies who run the show are not as competent as they think they bloody are. The FIM are just as bad. It's like a side business for Sepp Blatter to subsidise without giving a toss.

[speedy17 226]

Try saying that to the riders who fell during the meeting..............I am sure they would love to know that they are prima donna's for putting their own safety and that of the other riders first......................

 

RP

I'm fed up with all this rider safety nonsense. Yes i appreciate the entertainment they provide and hope none get injured. But it's becoming more and more that if a track isn't like a snooker table the toys come out of the pram. It's their Job to perform! Last night it wasn't a snooker table, and some kicked off about it.

 

If Morris is no longer the director after this week I'd love to know what the riders said.

[orion 7,615]

Sky + the meeting and avoided the result ....Was looking forward to watching it this morning only to see a complete joke of a meeting from start to finish .

 

The track was poor and the tapes and green light starts were a joke . As others have said I have seen far worst one off tracks with ruts in them and the riders have just got on with it . Harris etc were not only able to ride it but race on it so not sure why they called it off . Also Jim Lawrence to me is the worst Ref out there so not sure why he getting gigs like this .

Edited April 19, 2015 by orion

[KARLMAIER 0]

I could not believe what I was witnessing last night..........albeit from the comfort of my sofa.

 

I have followed Speedway since 1981/82 and I truly believe that we have already witnessed the "Golden Era" of the Grand Prix series. I haven't watched league racing for a few years......and now the top flight of Speedway is clearly dying on its feet. For me, last night was a turning point where I suddenly lost interest in anything Speedway.......but just about curious enough to search out others opinions on the embarrassment that was last night......

 

There was, however, one redeeming aspect and that was the use of the 'Green' light...... Why not adopt a traffic light system full time like F1, WSB, BSB etc.? They all appear to manage.....sadly I don't care enough to worry about it now.

 

I'm done.....out, I will not be watching the rest of the series and will take no further interest in the sport.

 

Sad day indeed.

[Woz01 3,589]

I get the feeling had this GP been on later in the season it wouldn't have got called off.

[Blazeaway 1,501]

Personally I think if the tapes hadn't failed the meeting would have been run to its conclusion.

[Star Lady 5,400]

Is the race director an employee of BSI or is he an FIM official? If it's the first why? Is speedway a sport or a money making entertainment? Answers on a postcard addressed to anyone in authority that actually gives a $@#k

[R87 476]

Bottom line is that NOBODY involved in last nights disaster comes away with their credit intact. I'm afraid to say that once Phil Morris showed weakness in failing to put his foot down the moment the problem with the tapes started, then the riders realised they could walk all over him. Ole Olsen has in faults (not least his role in track building), but I don't ever recall seeing the riders push him around the way that Morris was.

 

How on earth does Jim Lawrence continue to get top FIM events? I have been at countless meetings when he's been in the box when he's dropped at least once clanger. I seem to recall Ivan Mauger saying that British referee's were traditionally weak, and last night highlighted that for me.

 

I can understand the riders concerns over safety - lets face it it's not us putting our lives on the line - but even they come out of it with little credit.

 

As I said last night, Tomasz Gollob deserved a much better exit from the world championship stage than the one that he was afforded to last night.

 

There simply has to be a full scale investigation into this. The FIM and BSI have got away with sweeping things under the carpet and hoping nobody will notice for too long now, but last night cold very well be the final straw.

[BWitcher 12,453]

Personally I think if the tapes hadn't failed the meeting would have been run to its conclusion.

 

There you have it.

 

Some of the old guard didn't like the green light starts, indeed they were almost fairer as the riders simply HAD to sit perfectly still.

 

All this nonsense about the track, Batchelor and Holder... one who isn't fit and likely shouldn't even be racing in the meeting and the other is way out of confidence and struggling on all tracks.

 

I'm not one to hark back to the 'good old days' but would we have seen riders such as PC, Carter, Briggs etc struggle to ride on such a track? I highly doubt it.

 

Yes I know the bikes are partly to do with it, but Bomber showed the track could be ridden and indeed raced on perfectly well.

[screm 8,053]

What a cock-up.

[Undercover Elephant 50]

Wow what a thing to criticise about y flags a minor detail in view of what happened get a life

See what happens is certain countries dont want foreign flags like England or GB in the stadium. So when security see fit, they tell you no flags unless Polish. It depends on their moods and attitudes!

 

In the UK at Cardiff for example, we welcome with open arms to all fans from all over the world to cheer and support their favourite riders/s in harmony.

 

Is this to be believed?

[Gearhead 31]

Arriving at stadium entrance with English flag told cannot take it in.No foreign flags allowed only Polish flags allowed to be displayed!Were refusing to allow me into stadium.After arguments managed to shove flag in bag and push through.Obviously cannot show support for foreign riders.Try stopping Poles taking their flags into Cardiff .

 

Vote UKIP...

[speedibee 3,091]

I do suspect that tonight will be a very significant turning-point for the sport at international level. To me, the sport's been trying to over-reach itself for many years, based on the ability to pull off meetings at Cardiff, although that's been a very close-run thing on a few occasions.

 

Trying to take the sport to a new stature and level of public awareness are of course noble ambitions but I do wonder if the sport simply has the resources to pull off these grandiose schemes often enough?

 

Is this a brown ale sport pretending it drinks champagne? (No Darcy Ward jokes please - there's a separate thread for that).

 

Just how far can speedway reach? Is it wiser to play it safe, run meetings on tracks that can allow a decent product to be offered to the world or do we keep aiming too high and falling on our noses? Yes, it does work sometimes but you cannot build a sport on just atmosphere and hype. You can fool some of the people etc. etc.

 

What we saw tonight was simply deplorable. It was like seeing a former love in the gutter, begging for fags or another drink. Jim Lawrence was not in control. The failure to exclude Troy Batchelor was questionable but the inability to either see the problem with the starting gate or why riders were pulling-up, or simply to choose to plough on regardless was simply unacceptable.

 

The Grand Prix tries to provide us with the best riders, the best stadia and best racing. Is Jim Lawrence one of the best referees? If so, we need an urgent training programme! His on-screen body language during the early problems was worrying. It did not look like someone in control, and I've been in the company of enough referees over the years to have a clue about this.

 

Regarding the role of the Race Director, Phil Morris faced three crises in his first meeting - practice, starting gate and then the track break-up. The fact that the meeting failed after 12 heats shows that it was not a happy start. But his predecessor in the role Tony Olsson was clearly there, as seen on TV and I presume that his predecessor Ole Olsen was also present, given that he was in charge of the track installation. Surely either or both were on hand to advise?

 

Just how many times will we suffer these fiascos and just how many more times will we hear that lessons have been learnt and that the problem can't happen again?

 

It has. It has many times. It's been happening for years, even back at Wembley, such as 1975. Speedway cocks up, eventually. Gelsenkirchen, Riga, Ullevi. The list goes on.

 

I am certain that BSI's rivals One Sport will be delighted to see them fail so spectacularly in the most prominent stadium in Poland. Is this a turning-point in speedway politics that sees Poland trying to take control of the sport it already financially owns? (Ask any rider fined by a Polish club for getting injured riding for a team outside the country, or at least threatened regarding that latter point)

 

It's time for the sport at ALL levels to live within its means, to stop thinking that a few flashy risks will bring riches. They won't. Solid development will, putting good value for money meetings on at sustainable venues. Let people grow to love an all-action sport rather than use smoke and mirrors to convince people that crap is gold-plated.

 

It's time to focus on the product, the racing, not the wrapping. Then, once the product is strong enough, organisationally and financially then take it to those higher levels. We can see some great racing at GPs. Not enough though.

 

Any fool can reach for the stars and fall. To get there you have to do more than reach, you have to build on solid foundations.

 

In Britain, in a week of generally fine spring weather we have staged how many meetings at out highest level? Two. Just two. This is to accommodate tonight's hubris in Poland.

 

That's a high price to pay and once again the British public have been mugged as much as those fools who think that flying to Poland's going to automatically give them great speedway.

 

Still, the atmosphere was great I suppose and the beer was cheap., Who needs more?

 

So far this year for various reasons, notably health I've no been able to get to any live speedway. Fortunately that's changing and I can hopefully start getting to some league matches, ideally in the PL or NL. I'll leave the rest of you to be dazzled by the shiny shiny.......

 

Speedway cannot afford to self-destruct like this yet again. Sadly it will. It mustn't.

 

(P.S. - "So, this time in English please Tomasz.....")

Yes you can .MX, American football , Football , Cycling , and the absolute proof WWF.. all bullrubbish sports . relying entirely on Atmosphere and Hype

[Gearhead 31]

See what happens is certain countries dont want foreign flags like England or GB in the stadium. So when security see fit, they tell you no flags unless Polish. It depends on their moods and attitudes!

 

In the UK at Cardiff for example, we welcome with open arms to all fans from all over the world to cheer and support their favourite riders/s in harmony.

 

Is this to be believed?

 

We're declared "racists" when we fly our flag or favour our own,so as I say vote UKIP..

[TheReturn 1,724]

Yes you can .MX, American football , Football , Cycling , and the absolute proof WWF.. all bullrubbish sports . relying entirely on Atmosphere and Hype

bullrubbish sports? Football, cycling? seriously? You try cycling 100 odd miles a day for close to three weeks as they do in the Tour and tell me it's not a sport.