Cardiff 2019 Saturday September 21st

[iainb 4,962]

1 hour ago, DSC67 said:

I've driven to Cardiff once before and its not something I want to do again &  I'm certainly not prepared to drive from the Scottish Borders to South Wales and back on the same day , so staying over  is  my only option 

That is a long one I'll grant you... But no need to pay more than £50 at a travel lodge somewhere on the way home

[iainb 4,962]

50 minutes ago, old bob at herne bay said:

MMmmm I did remember correctly.

So the "89p" sandwich and the "17p"  bottle of water that DSC67 purchased had to be consumed before entering ! 

I can understnad bags being checked but banning food and non alcoholic drinks still sounds to me nothing more than profiteering.

I'm the sandwich guy, cheese and onion from Aldi... When the last time a cheese and onion sandwich or a bottle of water killed anybody though I don't know... Can you make a bomb out of a cheese and onion sandwich and a bottle of water?

[sommelier 1,118]

19 minutes ago, GiveusaB said:

Best thing about this years BGP was finding 'Elvis Juice' on draught in one of the Wetherspoons !  

The meeting itself is way over-rated imo…..

Cardiff is ALL about the 'atmosphere/buid-up' outside the stadium.....

I've been to a GP in Warsaw and the 'atmosphere' in the stadium is far better, but absolutely 'ZERO' atmosphere in the City (pre-meeting)

I wont be going to Cardiff next year and will choose a GP abroad instead? I've heard Torun is the best ? 

Does anyone else beg to differ.....or 'suggest' an alternative?

Wroclaw by far IMO

[auntie doris 2,339]

I had a bottle of water confiscated a few years ago..they chucked it in a skip..but when they weren't looking I fished it out again. Wear trousers with lots of pockets..you can take food in..put at bottom of bag. Just eat and drink on the way in. At least you don't have to carry a chair in.

Edited September 22, 2019 by auntie doris

[OveFundinFan 4,136]

If you meet the criteria there is no reason to pay more then £19 plus booking fee. You know the date for 2020 so no excuse. As for staying over before journey home - stay outside of Cardiff and prices are cheaper. 2013/14 we stayed in TonyPandy and 2015 in Bridgend. Small b&b’s, about £60 for 2,  good breakfast included, and both within 1.5 mile of railway station, the digs in TonyPandy was about 100yards from railway station, and another plus point was AndyPandy lived next door. So get yourselves sorted now for 2020.

[mikebv 10,227]

40 minutes ago, OveFundinFan said:

If you meet the criteria there is no reason to pay more then £19 plus booking fee. You know the date for 2020 so no excuse. As for staying over before journey home - stay outside of Cardiff and prices are cheaper. 2013/14 we stayed in TonyPandy and 2015 in Bridgend. Small b&b’s, about £60 for 2,  good breakfast included, and both within 1.5 mile of railway station, the digs in TonyPandy was about 100yards from railway station, and another plus point was AndyPandy lived next door. So get yourselves sorted now for 2020.

And the next village along is PontyPandy where Fireman Sam lives...

Oops, I mean Firefighter Sam obviously, apologies...

Although the term fighter may be a bit too agressive for young children if I am honest..

Fireputterouter Sam it is then...

Already booked for next year, staying at Norman Price's place, above his mams shop..

Can't wait....

[iris123 20,918]

Brings to mind my fathers favourite saying. Always fight fire, with fire. Probably the reason he didn’t last long in the Fire Brigade !!!

[SR1953 6]

I'm one of those who think the racing is more important than the "occasion", because once all the pre-meeting stuff is over the rest is ALL about the racing. But I can see that others disagree and understand that.

What I don't quite follow is how the GP being at Cardiff is so good for speedway in the UK. It's not exactly thriving is it? The vast majority of those interested in going to the GP, or even watching on tv, are already speedway fans. It doesn't bring in new fans - or if it does, the evidence is hard to spot.

[RebelDan 203]

Like many I thought the racing was v poor and the meeting instantly forgettable. It’s not a cheap day so  the organisers really need to sort this out (last year at Cardiff was just as crap).

There is nothing wrong with the riders, look what happened in the Polish GP when you give the boys a decent track. I said after last year I’d give it one more year but not again for me unless assurances are made to sort the track out. Also this is a big event and the overall pre event entertainment is poor IMO, the organisers have got complacent. The highlight of the day was Charles Wright ! Well done Charles

[eric i 608]

I think the racing has been good the last few years but this year was poor, very hard to overtake after lap 1. Not that bothered about pre event entertainment myself

[fatface 2,549]

6 hours ago, DukesGreg said:

Some very interesting points on here.

 

I appreciate (as the guy said earlier) that age isn't relevant when it comes to speedway and an opinion, but having followed the sport for 45 years then I do believe that I can give a decent opinion of the merits of Cardiff, even though it does have it's down points. 

Speedway in the UK is pretty much on its knees. Many of us can remember the halcyon days of the 70's and 80's in the UK... when the British League was the global 'jewel in the crown' of speedway... the place to ride to be competitive... and a time which we probably all took for granted and never expected things to change. 

Back then... everyone in speedway pretty much EXPECTED that it would be a 'given' that we had a great venue here to house the 'World Final.' We took that as a given right. And there was also an expectancy that the British speedway public will fill the place easily. We had the old Empire Stadium at Wembley. We then had Odsal... then... we didn't.

The 'masses' went to watch speedway weekly. My father used to go to watch Odsal in the late 1940's... he had some old programmes from meetings... in the 'pre tv' era. Weekly there was 30,000 people watching meetings back then! The sport was huge. 

Fast forward to the state of affairs with our beloved sport today... and it really IS on its knees. I am struggling to work out how clubs actually stay afloat. And how small amount of clubs there is. It is bare bones speedway. I have followed Halifax, Bradford.... both  now closed. If you have track to support now... it's isn't a 'right' or a 'given,' then it is TRULY a gift from the Gods! 

Sheffield is where is go to watch now... almost 40 miles each way from my house! Bradford used to be 8 miles away... and my all time beloved club, Halifax... 16 miles! Now... 35 plus!!! 

THIS is how bad things are. 

Now if you had shown me today's state of affairs in the 80's, with a crystal ball. Or fetched me forward in a time machine... and showed me the absolute state of affairs in the domestic leagues.... THEN... this weekend... had taken me to Cardiff, and showed me that we actually have a stadium in the UK.. where FORTY thousand people will travel to, to watch not a 'one off final,'  but Grand Prix meeting (not as special IMHO), at a venue with a roof on it so that you KNOW it's not gonna be rained off... then I wouldn't actually believe that the whole Cardiff experience was a "thing." I would marvel about it!  I wouldn't actually be able to get my head around that this STILL existed. Cardiff still being with us... in a country where speedway is becoming almost defunct... is pretty much the biggest oasis imaginable... and in the world's largest desert.

I know that it has it's faults. Processional racing (not hardly a rarity in speedway... if we are being honest)... but yeah... yesterday's meeting was pretty much a gate fest. Hotel prices aren't cheap in the city (that is Capitalism rearing it's head.... why sell a room for £50 when you can sell it for 5 x that amount). Geography also for some isn't so great.... agreed. But for sure... if you look at the actual state of speedway right now here.. it is on it's knees. 

 

So the speedway GP at Cardiff... whatever it's faults... IS a miracle and a Godsend. We need to get our nostalgic heads out of our boots and appreciate it is as a thing / concept.

I agree that walk up ticket prices on the day of £50 is a disgrace. Why price late comers out when they could sell them at £20 and recoup money and get more people in the stadium? False and stupid econony! 

But in general... you can make the Cardiff experience reasonably inexpensive if you are up for it, with a little effort.

I treated my sister to her tickets this year. 2 tickets were say £42 plus booking fees. Which were reasonable. A pound here or there. It can cost a couple of hundred quid to see some bands at an Arena these days. 

So £42 for tickets, I booked parking via a website at an Ibis only 15 mins walk from the stadium. That was only £8. So £50.  Programme.... £10. We share it. £60. So £60 for the basics for two adults for the actual meeting / parking / programme.

The rest are expenses. We drive from Leeds. My motor guzzles a little... so used £76 worth of diesel for the round trip of 500 miles. Yes... that is a long drive to do on the day... but the buzz of having a day out pretty much carries me along. We set off early and stop off on the way (using the Starbucks near Ross on Wye.. which was drive through only this year).

So fuel (rather than hotel), tickets, parking, for two people: £136 or £68 each. How much would it cost to go to a gig or see a football match? All of this to watch a largely attended event of a sport we love in the middle of a struggling era in our sport.

 

I personally think that we are LUCKY to have Cardiff. VERY lucky. Yeah... the racing may have been shocking this year. And I appreciate that people would rather see a track like the NSS at Belle Vue house such an event. I get it... I truly do. But it just isn't happening. Even with bolt on stands... once we remove the whole Cardiff experience... we could lose it forever. 

And tragically... life isn't about mixing and matching. We can't have a track like the NSS in a place like Cardiff. It's indoor on a pitch. And that's not criticism to those sentiments above.. I long for better racing.. desperately! I truly do. But life is all about 'what if's,' and sadly, that is all they are. 

 

Even if we could make the NSS at 20k seater stadium... how would that help? People go to Cardiff annually... families. We are trying to promote the sport. Kids go there. Imagine the disappointment for kids if we take a 40k event and slash it by two into a 20 / 15k event (my figures are just examples and not real). People would be let down and miss out hugely. And again... all of this planning for a meeting at a city which is hardly famed for it's sunshine? Speedway is pretty much fortunate to have the NSS. But it was never gonna be a big stadium. Tracks get no support. So yeah... it is a great racing track... but really... just the fact that the NSS even exists is pretty much a miracle! We are NOW a minority sport. Sadly. Rose tinted spectacles off time.

It would be absolute domestic speedway suicide to dump off Cardiff and move it to absolutely ANYwhere. It really would. 

 

I would love the thought of a 'second GP' here some place... a "European GP." Or whatever, at another venue. I would be up for that concept. 100 percent.

 

But the British GP at Cardiff really is something that we are ridiculously LUCKY to have. The sport here is critical / not stable.. and is  on 'life support' right now.

 

And yeah...  bongo cams and presenters may be a bit tacky / trash (I am not having a dig at any poster here above... I totally agree :D) but for all of the little things that annoy... we rock up there once a year knowing that our money isn't wasted on a rain off, and knowing that we will probably be served up 'follow my leader processional racing' : pretty much how speedway is in general, if we are to be honest with ourselves.... and if we remove the romantic ideal that we often have of it. 

 

It has it's massive faults... but really, it's pretty much a great thing. 

 

 

 

 

Reasoned, balanced, fair. I hope its contagious. 

Nothing is perfect, but for a sport like speedway to have an occasion like Cardiff in 2019 is a minor miracle. 

[Gresham78 215]

I've been going to Cardiff now since 2012 and i've enjoyed the occasion each year until last year where I had  a bad experience with somebody  in the seat in front of me who seemed incapable of remaining seated for the the entirety of each race and this year like a number of others I found the racing to be lacking much excitement and very processional. The fact that we had the top three riders in the final I felt it should have been a lot more exciting than it was.

Coupled with the alternative Park and Ride being  full when I arrived and having to fork out £15  to park elsewhere it won't rank among my best Cardiff experiences.

The fact is you're never likely to get the best racing on a temporary track but with the Principality stadium we're able to showcase the sport in one the UK's top arenas which in my opinion is great PR for British speedway. 

However, I do appreciate that people get different things out of their GP day and  that for many its the chance to meet up with friends, have a day out eating and drinking with the GP as a back drop to the day. And whilst it continues to pull in 35 -40,000 fans each year it clearly works as an event and I would not advocate moving it elsewhere and in particular to  Belle Vue even though the racing would almost certainly be better. Why would you move it to a venue that can only accommodate around a quarter of those who currently attend?

The GP in Cardiff is very much British speedway's blue ribbon event and given the fragility of the sport at the moment I feel we need to keep it going to try and maintain the profile of the sport in this country.                

[Rob B 1,245]

45 minutes ago, Gresham78 said:

 

However, I do appreciate that people get different things out of their GP day and  that for many its the chance to meet up with friends, have a day out eating and drinking with the GP as a back drop to the day. And whilst it continues to pull in 35 -40,000 fans each year it clearly works as an event and I would not advocate moving it elsewhere and in particular to  Belle Vue even though the racing would almost certainly be better. Why would you move it to a venue that can only accommodate around a quarter of those who currently attend?

           

People aren't suggesting replacing Cardiff with Belle Vue, that would be ridiculous, why can't they both be used. Those interested more in the racing will go to Belle Vue along with more from the north probably, those who like the weekend away and the event would still go to Cardiff.

[Fromafar 10,325]

Well done to Charles Wright, didn’t let anybody down with that performance.

[Debbs 74]

Belle Vue will shut down.That staduim was wasted on those fans .should have gone to people who  support the sport..