British Speedway Gp V British F1 Gp

[Steve Shovlar 10,453]

One might be run with hundreds of millions, the other on two packets of crisps and a Bacon roll, but comparing both sporting events that took place this weekend, there is only one winner. The Speedway GP was a far superior sporting event. Loads of action right to the final bend.

 

The F1 GP was boring all the way with absolutely nothing happening of any interest whatsoever. If this had been a boxing match the ref would have called a halt after round one.

 

Yet tomorrows press will have page after page of reports on the F1 GP, with speedway coverage being probably a square inch in one of the columns up the side of the page. Speedway has no press and very little chance of gettng much further. The BBC will not even mention it and will cover a golf tournament in Abu Dabai rather than mention over 40,000 fans were pcked into Cardiff for the second biggest sporting event in the UK this weekend.

 

Why 110,000 paid upwards of £200 a ticket to watch some cars whizz past at 200mpg and then have to go home or look on the internet to see who has won beggars belief. But media coverage generates interest and the F1 GP has lot of it. Giving freebies to reporters will always help.

 

Envious of the F1 coverage? I sure am. But the Britsh Speedway GP is slowly getting there. The crowd was the biggest yet, the Fanzone very good addition. Not sure the media could completely ignore it if it got to the stage whee it sold out weeks in advance. Long way to go for that to happen and we would need a British challanger. And there isn't one even on the horizon.

 

Still, we all know that the Speedway GP was the far superior product this weekend and doubt there is a single F1 fan who would disagree.

[cityrebel 2,960]

i agree with you steve. i saw a little of the F1GP today and it was like watching paint dry.

[iris123 21,150]

That is your opinion Steve and mine and probably a number of speedway fans.But the figures don't lie.1,000's spend a fortune going to these GPs and buying up merchandise.Plus the viewing figures tell a different story,sadly.We are fans of a minority sport.Face

[ladyluck 1]

But the Britsh Speedway GP is slowly getting there. The crowd was the biggest yet, the Fanzone very good addition.

 

Not according to the Sunday Times, which apparently reports a disappointing crowd of circa 32,000, while several attendees have similarly posted their impression of a reduced attendance.

[Tatums Left Nut 0]

I'm sure F1 is quaking in it's boots at the thought of being outshone by the Cardiff Speedway GP ..... NOT

[TrueBee 147]

F1 wasn't that bad today, it's all about preferences.

[Steve Shovlar 10,453]

F1 wasn't that bad today, it's all about preferences.

 

I watched it all the way through. Absolutely nothing happened of any interest whatsoever. Nothing. Follow the leader from the start to the finish.

 

But whatever floats you boat I guess.

[TrueBee 147]

I watched it all the way through. Absolutely nothing happened of any interest whatsoever. Nothing. Follow the leader from the start to the finish.

 

But whatever floats you boat I guess.

 

Don't get me wrong, I much prefer Cardiff, hence my attendance but to suggest nothing of interest happened in the F1 today is idiotic.

[eric i 624]

F1 wasn't that bad today, it's all about preferences.

Very strange preferences

[philfromcov 326]

was there an F1 today? hows mansell getting on?

[T.N.T. 355]

I too would much rather watch the Speedway rather than F1 even on telly, but then again I would much rather watch Rye House v Birmingham than Chelsea v Aston Villa too.

 

Millions of other people around the world have the other view and while it would be great for speedway to have crowds of 10,000 plus (even though most couldn't hold that amount), its possibly the rawness of the sport that makes it special to us petrolheads.

 

 

Also if speedway did become a multi million pound sport, could you see any promoter wanting a rider they pay £20,000 a meeting (which is what it would lead to), ride anywhere other than for them !!

[Steve Shovlar 10,453]

Whilst there's an obvious attraction to F1, ( people drive cars and like to think of themselves as some superstar hamilton) in truth many F1 races are extremely dull. Todays was a prime example. Nothing happened in th whole meeting to get the pulses going. ( unless a pit stop does it for you or a shreded tyre)

 

Speedway can't and never will compete with the money, sponsorship and facilites that F1 has. It's all doen to coumn inches in the press or the hours on TV. This leads to companies willing to spend hundreds of thousands to have their name in very small letters on the side of Hamiltons race suit. For a year. Or tens of millions to have their name on the wing of the car.

 

In comparison Julies Petshop or Bere Regis Pallets can the whole arm of a speedway rider for a new tyre every meeting.

 

Yes we are speedway fans so are biased, buut show a neutral last nights speedway meeting and then let them watch this afternoons F1 GP and 9 out of the 10 would chose the speedway in all its excitement over the borefest this afternoon.

 

And I do watch the F1 most weekends and am not anti F1 at all.

[severnsider 197]

The speedway grand prixs have generally been fantastic this year. Cardiff had plenty of exciting racing as did Leszno and Torun. The racing has far outweighed the racing on F1 and also MotoGP which has been very poor this year even before Rossi was injured. The commentators go on about exciting close racing on MotoGP but even allowing for the extra speed it is nothing compared to the quality of the racing in SGP

[iris123 21,150]

Yeah,yeah,but i am sure there are loads of fans who come out from watching an exciting ice hockey/table tennis/basketball/banger racing meeting/match and think the same......"if only the tv and papers take more interest and if thousands of people had watched that they would be hooked instantly".Truth is even an exciting to us, speedway meeting is of no interest to the general public

[Stoaty 0]

I watched it all the way through. Absolutely nothing happened of any interest whatsoever. Nothing. Follow the leader from the start to the finish.

 

Yes. Absolutely nothing happened and there was no overtaking.

 

Apart from Webber getting ahead of Vettel at the first corner.

 

And Vettel getting a puncture after contact with Hamilton.

 

And Button passing six cars on the first lap.

 

And Alonso passing Kubica by cutting a corner and being told to give the place back. However Kubica retired before Alonso could do that and Alonso was given a drive through penalty, but had to wait until the safety car came in before serving it.

 

Yes. Absolutely nothing happened and there was no overtaking.

 

Oh, there was also Vettel coming back through the field.

 

And Button eventually finishing fourth.

 

And Rosberg finishing third with tyre marks on his side pod and a missing barge board.

 

Other than that, yes, nothing happened and there was no overtaking.

 

Except for Sutil forcing his way by Schumacher.

 

Yes, you are absolutely right.

 

Or maybe you were watching the shopping channel by mistake.