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I now this sounds daft and would need a lot of work but what's wrong with looking at the big London stadiums such as Wembley, Emirates, Olympic (in fact at any of bigger London footy stadiums after all aren't they under utilised over the summer in general) for a second British GP ?

 

If they can put a decent track down, for a ONE off event, in Cardiff then they could do so at any other stadium (ish I suppose on that statement but you get my drift).

 

A World Final (sorry GP) at Wembley would get a seriously decent crowd.

 

Maybe Cardiff have an exclusive GB deal ?

Would those stadiums accept disruption to their surfaces? Cardiff is palleted and easy to remove/replace. Are they?

 

What evidence is there that Wembley would get 'a seriously decent crowd' ?

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I can see it being an even lower crowd then Cardiff, hard to get to and park, no facilities around the stadium can't see people wanting to go, not to mention no roof and a temporary track with no drainage and the British weather could be a disaster.

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I can see it being an even lower crowd then Cardiff, hard to get to and park,

Whatever reasons people put up they might have a point,but when i see this one(and i have seen it a number of times)i just have to wonder how alll those thousands and thousands manage to get to the big events at Wembley?Do they all set off a week before on some sort of Pilgrimage like those that trek to Santiago de Compostella with b&b's at a distance for every night? :rofl::rofl::rofl: There is a reason London is the capital and that was because of its location and over the centuries the connections to the outside world have only got better :P

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A World Final (sorry GP) at Wembley would get a seriously decent crowd.

Cardiff doesn't get a seriously decent crowd, so why go to the undoubtedly extra expense and risk of an uncovered stadium elsewhere?

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I can see Lonigo- or Terenzano back next season as hosting the 1st GP at the end of April-as it looks as if Slovenia is off the calendar.

What happened to Gorican?Decent weather for anearly GP,but are they not interested now Pavlic doesn't look like establishing himself as a top rider?

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Whatever reasons people put up they might have a point,but when i see this one(and i have seen it a number of times)i just have to wonder how alll those thousands and thousands manage to get to the big events at Wembley?

Wembley Stadium has its own railway station with a direct connection to Central London and Birmingham, plus at least two Underground stations within walking distance. I don't think the parking is any worse at Wembley (and possibly better) than at Cardiff, and there are hotels and restaurants located right next to the stadium.

 

The Olympic Stadium is also right next to one of the busiest railway stations in the country, as well as a big Westfield which is full of restaurants and bars.

 

There are undoubtedly other reasons for not having a GP in London, but it's nonsense to use the argument about accessibility and facilities.

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What happened to Gorican?Decent weather for anearly GP,but are they not interested now Pavlic doesn't look like establishing himself as a top rider?

Sadly don`t think they can make it pay- I went to a GP there-2011 just not enough of local interest.

Edited by racers and royals
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Would those stadiums accept disruption to their surfaces? Cardiff is palleted and easy to remove/replace. Are they?

 

What evidence is there that Wembley would get 'a seriously decent crowd' ?

 

Sotonian I have no proof just a suggestion. If Cardiff can get c35,000 then I would have thought a properly advertised Wembley (or Olympic Stadium for that matter) should be able to exceed that. Having been to Cardiff the once I wouldn't go again but I would very much be tempted to see if the old 'roar' is there at the new Wembley or at the site of the old Wick. And I suspect there might be more than a few others that would do the same. If you could convince the stadium owners to take the risk it might be worth it. Just a suggestion.

 

I can see it being an even lower crowd then Cardiff, hard to get to and park, no facilities around the stadium can't see people wanting to go, not to mention no roof and a temporary track with no drainage and the British weather could be a disaster.

 

 

Cardiff doesn't get a seriously decent crowd, so why go to the undoubtedly extra expense and risk of an uncovered stadium elsewhere?

 

In reply I thought the new Wembley had a moving roof (like Cardiff) so wouldn't suffer from the rain (having had a look at the stadiums website it does appear to be retractable).

 

Humphrey, I have no idea whether the crowd at Cardiff is deemed 'decent', I thought figures around 30-40,00 to be decent for such an event though and the stadium hasn't said 'no more' have they ?

 

Despite there no longer being a team (or venue) in London for Speedway I would have thought that a one off would still attract a good enough crowd to make it worth at least looking into. Don't forget that it would only be an annual one-off so with the experience that there is out there for setting up and running such meeings successfully why not at least try ? Having a Speedway GP in London would surely rate at least some media coverage ?

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Wembley's roof only retracts over the stands, not over the pitch.

 

There's absolutely no reason for BSI to rock the boat with Cardiff, the crowd is consistent, it's the second biggest in the series by some considerable margin, and you can guarantee it'll be on every year, absolutely no reason at all to try and usurp it.

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Am almost certain no retractable roof at Wembly - big mistake I would have thought seeing the football season is during winter.

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In reply I thought the new Wembley had a moving roof (like Cardiff) so wouldn't suffer from the rain (having had a look at the stadiums website it does appear to be retractable).

The Wembley roof doesn't cover the playing surface. It only retracts to allow more sunlight and air to reach the pitch.

 

Humphrey, I have no idea whether the crowd at Cardiff is deemed 'decent', I thought figures around 30-40,00 to be decent for such an event though and the stadium hasn't said 'no more' have they ?

30-40k is decent given current interest in speedway, but is still nowhere close to filling Cardiff. Going to an even bigger and presumably more expensive venue would therefore be a huge risk, even if the novelty of London drew a few more fans. And that's assuming one GP rather than London being a second GP which might dilute attendants.

 

I don't think the problem is holding GP in London if a suitably-sized venue could be found. It's just everything is too big, unroofed, and quite possibly unaffordable as well.

Am almost certain no retractable roof at Wembly - big mistake I would have thought seeing the football season is during winter.

I think there are technical difficulties building an all-seater stadium above an 80,000 capacity. The roof has to be too big, and whilst I guess solutions could be found, the cost would be exorbitant.

 

People often point to the Dallas Cowboys stadium which can get 108,000 inside, but that's for American football which has a narrower pitch, includes standing areas (not allowed in the UK), and I think requires the seats to be moved closer together.

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I don't think there is room for two large stadium-GPs in Britain and I also think that the rent for Wembley and the Olympic stadium is too

high i relation to how much income BSI would get from a GP held at either stadium.

Edited by Ghostwalker

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The Olympic Stadium has retractable seating, allowing for more space to build the track. Surely this should be looked into.

If they can cater for 50k fans every other Saturday, they could do it for 30-40k speedway fans.

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The Olympic Stadium has retractable seating, allowing for more space to build the track. Surely this should be looked into.

If they can cater for 50k fans every other Saturday, they could do it for 30-40k speedway fans.

 

Sure they could but how much would it cost to rent the stadium? I suspect that 30-40k fans Isn't enough to get a positive (financial) result from such a gp.

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