PHILIPRISING

UK Speedway (whatever you think that was) never had the rights to the World Championship, which have always been in the domain of the FIM. What Great Britain did have as a trump card for many years was Wembley Stadium, for so long a global icon and an historic home for speedway, both domestic and international.

HARRIS, to be fair, has been GB's outstanding performer in recent SWC events, especially at KL, and is hardly a veteran.

THINK Monster (based in California) might have a bigger influence than Red Bull sponsored riders... plus, as stated, relatively easy journey from Auckland. Direct flight around 11 hours.

NEGOTIATIONS about a SGP in the USA (California) have been on-going for some time but the preferred venue, the Home Depot stadium in Los Angeles, is proving difficult to acquire for the required dates, either a week before or a week after the NZ SGP. Talks continue but time is running out if they are to add on another event outside of Europe although logistically flying to LA from Auckland would be quite easy.

THERE will be practice for the race-off on Thursday morning ... will get the exact time and post later. Practice for the final will be on Friday. PS: Have to tell you that practice for SWC events is even more boring than for SGP meetings!

THIS is part of a feature in speedwayXtra this week (speedwaystar.net)... THE British Grand Prix at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium is the absolute jewel in the sport’s crown but the event just doesn’t happen like magic. Preparation for the big night goes on throughout the year as Paul Bellamy and his team at BSI/IMG meticulously ensure that nothing is left to chance. Although Saturday’s event will be the 13th (hopefully not unlucky) staging of the British GP under the Millennium roof, mounting such a huge operation doesn’t get any easier. It all begins on the Sunday prior to the meeting when the material used to build the track, stored locally under environmentally controlled conditions, is transported into the stadium by a convey of trucks. The safety fence along with the air barriers will have arrived earlier in the SGP articulated truck that travels from one Grand Prix to another. It is now a well-oiled operation, under the guidance of Ole Olsen and his Speed Sport team, and amazingly by Tuesday morning the track is laid although it will continue to be rolled and tyre-packed throughout the week in readiness for Friday afternoon’s practice. Ole’s younger son Torben, Events Director at BSI, also arrives over the weekend to start a whole series of meetings with stadium officials to examine and re-examine every minute detail of the week’s schedule. By Wednesday morning more members of the BSI team are in situ, going ahead with a general run through of everything that will take place over the next few days. On Thursday Event Manager Gemma Fordham will co-ordinate meetings regarding Health & Safety, Security, Hospitality and general ticket arrangements. Gemma is also the key figure when it comes to handing out passes and tickets for officials, riders, guests and media. Her feet will hardly touch the ground over the next four days organising all the activities of her colleagues. More of the BSI team will now be at the stadium, co-ordinating with TV (for the first time this will be under the Eurosport rather than Sky banner), stadium lighting and sound, the big screen operators and checking all the hospitality facilities. SGP Race Director Tony Olsson will also be on hand on Thursday along with referee Krister Kardell, ensuring that the track, pits and paddock are as required. On Friday the whole operation swings into top gear. There will be meetings with the announcer and the camera crews, a rehearsal of the opening ceremony, a run through of what will take place at the CIP Methanol Club and much, much more. At 15.30 the first riders’ briefing will take place under the direction of Olsson but Paul Bellamy will be there as well to inform about the opening ceremony, which will be unique to this particular GP. At 17.00 practice will commence and should run for two hours. Once that is over the Speed Sport team will be back on the track, cleaning the air-fence and getting the racing surface back to pristine condition for Saturday evening. Much of this work will carry on throughout the night. On Saturday a whole series of rehearsals and sound checks take place and at 13.00 Torben Olsen will chair the Production Meeting which details, minute-by-minute, and even second-by-second, the schedule for the rest of the day, who does what, when and where. It is a comprehensive document, running to several pages, but it is a veritable bible for everybody concerned in ensuring that the big day goes without a hitch.

WILL be live on one of the Fox channels

ONE of the attractions of speedway (for me at least) is that it isn't always about raw speed, unlike long track. Someone said to me many moons ago that the quickest way round a speedway track should also be the shortest.

KRSKO much easier to get to as well. Only about half an hour from Zagreb (it is almost on the Croatia/Slovenia border) or 100 ks from Ljubljana. Lake Bled is delightful, countryside very much like Italy. Nice country, nice people. Not much in Krsko itself. Daugavpils is a three to four hour drive from Riga, almost on the Russian border. Quite isolated but cheap. Racing wise would also go for Slovenia.

PLENTY of passing round the inside ... which is what makes speedway so special.

YOU obviously slept through the opening heats ... age does that to you. Track was a bit tricky but what's wrong with that? Makes the riders think about how and where they race.

ECHO that...

DOES appear that the guy in the studio is letting Eurosport down and no doubt it is something they will address shortly. They do, however, need to have someone in the studio when they dip in and out of the world feed provided by BSI with Kelvin and Nigel at the stadium for their own ad breaks, etc. Cannot be rocket science...

PEDERSEN injury "so-called_ ... hardly. He has a broken arm. Give the bloke his due.

BEAUTIFUL day here in Gorzow... possible light shower later but looking good. Could be a cracker and yesterday Holder looked very on the ball. Gollob spent all his available time working on his own bikes, adjusting that, changing this. Sure sign that he is serious. Tai did all his practice runs. Staying in same hotel, in good spirits this morning. Aches but that is to be expected. But he needs to stay out of trouble. Another fall and he could be sidelined for the rest of the year. And Pete Adams knows it.

NOWHERE near that

TAI, remarkably, was one of the few riders to take all his six practice runs yesterday, Looked at ease on the bike but, of course, he was on his own. Just hope he doesn't get a big bang at some stage. If he further damages his shoulder he could be out for the season. Brave but a big risk, hence the long face on Peter Adams. Sorry, he always has that!

I IMAGINE they sold a higher percentage when the draw for each GP was made in time to be included in the programme. They seem pretty happy with sales so presume they think they have got the balance right. I know I am biased but the programmes we do include much more editorial and features than programmes in Poland or the Czech Republic.

BUT they still sell several thousand at events like Cardiff and Copenhagen...

PROBLEM not so much his wages but his ability... easy pickings in a combined league

SGP ... hearing much the same as you. Lots of merger talk regarding the EL and PL doing the rounds at Tuesday's General Council, especially if it helps to secure a TV deal. One thing is for sure... EL cannot carry on as it is, most if not all tracks haemorrhaging financially. Talk is that the big earners and highest averaged riders will have to be sacrificed but where would that leave someone like Tai Woffinden. Would he be effectively barred from racing in his own country?

AGREE with most of your last sentence flagrag although not sure Sky do themselves any favours with their choice of co-commentator at Premier League meetings, plus of course some woeful pit interviews. Just a personal view of course...

NOT a good day for Sky ...hours of wasted time at Edgbaston with the cricket rained off and now the loss of live speedway. Summer sports, don't you just luv 'em COULD be chicken and egg at the moment. What product will the BSPA have to offer? EL, PL or just one league? General Council meeting yesterday... probably like the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem

NOT in jest but obviously not thinking it would be handled by the BSPA! But, for example, the guys that oversee the GP coverage are more than capable of arranging quality TV production at a cost. The BSPA would have to fund that and get their money back and more by selling it on. The flaw, of course, is that it requires a level of professionalism from Rugby that is sadly lacking. PRESUME that if Sky did continue that they would provide their own pictures. But if they withdraw then some sort of alternative will have to be sort although, as you so rightly say, it would have to be of the quality now expected by all broadcasters including BT and Eurosport. Or even sought ! Or even sought!