PHILIPRISING 7,298 Posted July 23, 2017 We parked at Newport, took the train, walked out of the stadium straight onto a train, no traffic issues at all, M4 was clear for us, we traveled back to Andover, 2 hours from leaving the stadium we were home. Why did the water truck drive around the track for 6 laps with nothing coming out of the sprinklers? TYRE packing the track Quickly printed some more - really?? PLENTY of programmes left at the end. I take photos of the crowd and comparing last year to this, the crowd looks up, but not by a huge amount. The crowd levels have been very similar for years now and it seems bsi just can't push crowd attendances to the next level. BUT with thousands less attending British speedway on a regular basis that is quite an achievement. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iainb 5,015 Posted July 23, 2017 yes they get hammered but amen to all that what a ridiculous thing to say... there's nothing more tedious than sitting near a drunk person at a sporting event, if you want to get hammered go to the pub... or better still stay at home! Tai he is by far the most charismatic & media savvy rider today imo can't seem to conduct an interview without swearing... the media loves that Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Old Ace 5 Posted July 23, 2017 Would have loved to have seen Dan Bewley have a go on the world stage, that would make a lot of people sit up, riding only 18 months, looks about 12 years old, a ringer for Peter Craven on the track, what a magic combination 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tactical Joker 60 Posted July 23, 2017 Just found this forum so thought I'd chip in my 2p worth. So many sporting events don't consider those that travel by public transport. I got back home by train to Ipswich last night, but had to miss the fireworks to play safe. An earlier start would be preferable but that cuts down valuable drinking time, although I agree for the odd few (not just Poles) that wouldn't be a bad thing. Cardiff is expensive compared to other European GPs. Cheap air fares to Eastern European destinations make Krsko (stay in Ljubljana) Warsaw, and Prague better value for money. Even Horsens only cost me similar to Cardiff, and Denmark isn't cheap. As for the event itself, well the racing was certainly enjoyable, heat 11 anyone? The only annoyance was the 'music' before the event, which given the age profile attending was not perhaps particularly appropriate, but seems to be part of generating an 'atmosphere'. After all that will I return next year?, yes, thoroughly enjoyable day out. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SCB 0 Posted July 23, 2017 The reason that there are so many empty seats is the same reason that there are such low gates @ British speedway tracks - PRICES. Make it cheaper , also have the meeting on a Saturday afternoon to allow people to be able to get there & Back easier. Prices? It cost £25 for a ticket yesterday. £25 for a speedway GP, £25 for an event in one of the best stadiums in Europe. How much do you think they should charge? I do wonder if Cardiff would gain by having a slightly earlier start time say 3 or 4pm The reason for this is public transport if you had the meeting a bit earlier more people would be able to get back by train. At present it was ok if you wanted to get back to Swindon or London but couldn't get any further than that but yet by changing it by just an hour would enable people to get connections back via London to Midlands for Leicester,Wolves,Birmingham,Manchester & ,Sheffield in the North Eastbourne,Kent,Rye House,Lakeside and Poole in South and Ipswich,Kings Lynn and Peterborough in the East I do think this would help increase the attendance as people are put off driving due to delays getting in and out of Cardiff and then finding somewhere to park plus then you can have a few drinks if you want as well. To me it would be worth BSI trying this to see if the attendance does increase and I think it would Why would anyone going to Leicester, Wolves, Birmingham, Manchester or Sheffield go via London? Cardiff goes directly to Birmingham and Manchester. Once in Birmingham you minutes from Leicester and Wolves and certainly closer to Sheffield than going via London. It's Cardiff, not Timbuktu! I'll admit the extra hour would make a huge difference for any further than London (where very few speedway fans are based) and the Midlands. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Midland Red 2,383 Posted July 23, 2017 Far too soon to right him off & whatever you think of Tai he is by far the most charismatic & media savvy rider today imo The definition of charismatic is someone or something with a compelling and charming personality or traits that are attractive and alluring to others. An example of a charismatic person is someone who everyone likes and wants to be around because of his compelling personality. Sound like Tai Woffinden to anyone? 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fromafar 10,361 Posted July 23, 2017 The definition of charismatic is someone or something with a compelling and charming personality or traits that are attractive and alluring to others. An example of a charismatic person is someone who everyone likes and wants to be around because of his compelling personality. Sound like Tai Woffinden to anyone? No. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flagrag 704 Posted July 23, 2017 SCB- I know Cardiff has connections to places listed but not regular trains in the evenings or late afternoon what I was trying to show was that by changing the start time that you can do get back via London to all those places opening up the opportunity for more fans to attend. If they were to do this Great Western trains may even be interested in some sponsorship as would be of huge benefit for them 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted July 23, 2017 Attended my first live meeting for 10 years yesterday so really am just a sports fan rather than a dyed in the wool speedway fan. As an overall spectacle it was ok but not worth the category 6 price I paid. The parade was inconsistent. Some riders completed a circuit of the track whilst others did half a lap. Didn't seem to be any logic or explanation for it. The first hour was extremely tedious with the constant restarts. For the life of me I can't see why the riders needed to return to the first bend for refuelling?? This must be pretty simple to address, just go straight back to the tapes. These delays coupled with no real overtaking made the first few races extremely boring to watch and the meeting took a long time to get any momentum and real passion. it would have been good to have had access to more of the interviews. The only one I can recall was the one with Greg Hancock. Totally agree that the racing improved as the meeting reached the business end but there was no real explanation that I heard about how the semi finalists were decided. It would have been good to have it explained to the crowd why Tai Woffinden was the sole rider on 9 points who failed to make the semis. Think Emil missed a trick by going off gate 1 in his semi, am surprised he didn't consider taking an outside gate given how the track rode in the latter heats. Magic was a deserved winner and he, Doyle and Zmarzlik were probably the best riders on show. Cook was the most disappointing as he didn't seem to fathom out how the track should be ridden. Thought Tai was unlucky having to go out each time the track had been graded. Things just didn't go his way with how the results stacked up in Heats 17-19. The Polish fans around us on the 1st/2nd bends were amazing and passionate, though the crowd seemed significantly smaller than my previous visit in 2004. As a result, the overall atmosphere felt a bit flat. Did I enjoy the day out in Cardiff with some old speedway friends? Definitely Would I recommend it to non speedway friends? Probably not Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nw42 2,048 Posted July 23, 2017 SCB- I know Cardiff has connections to places listed but not regular trains in the evenings or late afternoon what I was trying to show was that by changing the start time that you can do get back via London to all those places opening up the opportunity for more fans to attend. If they were to do this Great Western trains may even be interested in some sponsorship as would be of huge benefit for them. As an example, the last train to Crewe (generally a decent hub for all North West) leaves Cardiff just before 9pm, into Crewe just before midnight, which is a bit late for many connections. So an earlier start would definitely introduce the option of rail for these such supporters, I'd definitely consider it, being safe in the knowledge that I'm going to get home that night. Only about £50 return and could be a lot less if bought at the right time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Craftman 26 Posted July 23, 2017 (edited) Prodons is spot on .. The whole event seemed flat from the beginning , no pre race entertainment as per previous years .. Agree that the riders should immediately return to the start when a heat has been aborted , just slows the whole event down ... Racing was bland in the main , but can't blame the organisers for that .. Something has been lost from previous years , interesting to see what other people think .. Steward told me it was the lowest crowd in Cardiffs history , with just over 32000 and it seems people are turning their back on the rising costs of the day out .. Just a note that the grid girls stayed in our hotel and despite their obvious good looks , were arrogant and ignorant especially how they obviously feel they are some sort of royalty and treat others accordingly ... Edited July 23, 2017 by Craftman 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AFCB Wildcat 1,362 Posted July 23, 2017 UPPER tier along the back straight was pretty full. I thought it was one of the biggest attendances. Great meeting to watch, some terrific racing, none better than in Heat 11. Not for the first time thought Emil made the wrong gate choice for the semi. If you don't make a clean break from one, which he didn't, you cannot get to the dirt line and he was toast. Shame, thought in his previous three rides he looked like the Emil of old. Didn't shy away from some hairy moments. My fault with Emil I'm afraid as I picked him for my once a year bet which is ultimately the kiss of death!With Emil to win and an each way on Kildeman who I fancied could shake things up I was feeling quite smug at the semis but as usual it went badly wrong 😒 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Craftman 26 Posted July 23, 2017 Enjoyed the meeting although did seem a bit more muted than previous ones. Security going in was pathetic. Took about 45 minutes to get in. And don't say it was for our safety because they stole the selfie stick that my wife always keeps in her handbag. Last time I saw terrorist atrocities on the news, Al Qaida weren't killing people with selfie sticks. Great stuff from Jason Doyle after a disastrous start. Good to see Woffy getting a good reception as always. Great ride from Josh Bates first time out. Ref was a prat. Stopping every race If someone made a good start and then deciding whether or not some or moved from the replays. I think this 'warning' system makes it worse. Riders now have it in their head that they can get away with rolling once. Jason Doyle had nothing to lose taking a gamble in the final as even if warned he had no more races. Ticket prices need to come down or this event will slowly die. Without the Poles the place would be half empty. It was half empty , 32000 ... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OveFundinFan 4,141 Posted July 23, 2017 Is there any good reason why the GP start time couldn't be further brought forward, to say 2pm? That might be the way to put the hotels in their place and boost the attendance. If there was an early flight down from Scotland, that would certainly perhaps entice me to return. As I understand the Welsh government or Cardiff Council put a lot of money into the Cardiff GP. Maybe the return is in the business it drums up for the area. Dont know any detail but perhaps if the meeting was held in a way that lots of supporters did not spend money in Cardiff then maybe the authorities would not be backing the GP so much. Maybe the Principality Stadium would not be available to speedway. What goes round comes round. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RPNY 608 Posted July 23, 2017 It was half empty , 32000 ... According to your 'Steward Source.' Between reading your obvious disdain for the event & looking at the crowd I'll decline to believe you 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
