Prague Gp

[DukesGreg 46]

GREG (the Hancock version and most probably yourself) is an absolute delight to work with and especially at Press Conferences and there was some great banter on Saturday evening after Tomasz Gollob called him the "old man." Ivan Mauger was a mere 40 when he won his sixth and final World title but who would bet against Greg doing so at 41. There wouldn't be a more popular winner I can assure you.

 

Agreed, Gollob winning it as such an age, and Ivan in Poland at 40 (which then REALLY WAS deemed old.. hence the nickname The Galloping Grandad) makes it an absolute possibility for someone like Greg to scoop the title this year.

 

Holta and Hampel have been hit and miss, Pedersen has won a GP but won't, for me, keep that kind of pace up, Sayfutdinov great at times, but liable to having a turkey now and again, Gollob still constistent but not running away with it, another Hancock win or placement in the next GP will make it hard to rake up and catch points as the season goes on.

 

To be honest, nothing would please me more than Hancock winning the title. For the sport, Greg himself, and people in their early 40's like myself!!!!

[PHILIPRISING 7,298]

Since my criticism of track prep in the SGP you seem to be trotting out alot of excuses.Surely the high winds,sun,rain etc were exactly the same wind,sun and rain we had last year when we had good track prep and good racing.In Italy last year we had 12 hours of heavy rain only stopping at lunchtime but still had a good track.To big up the racing in Prague as the best some fans have seen there in years and using the winners name as an endorsement is ridiculous,remember Chris Holder wanted to carry on racing in Gothenberg after heat 16 when he was top of the leaderboard,the considered opinion was the meeting should not have started.This is not a personal attack on you Phil,I understand your position,but sometimes you cant defend the indefensible

 

I DON'T recall last year's track at Terenzano being very good but the 12 hours of rain certainly improved it. "No one waters a track better than god" they say because you get an even spread and at Terenzano it had plenty of time to sink in.

 

I am not defending the tracks in Leszno and Prague, simply saying that Tony Olsson found himself banging his head against a brick wall and the fault lay with the local organisers rather than either the Race Director or BSI.

 

I am no more a fan of processional racing than anyone and thrill at the spectacle of speedway at its best but sadly poor tracks are nothing new. I saw every World Final from 1962 to the last one in 1994 and can count on less than two hands the number of top class races I can still recall. People talk about 1981 at Wembley but take away from Penhall's races with Olsen and Knudsen what else was there?

[PHILIPRISING 7,298]

thank you for the reply.

 

why did FIM or BSI go to Italy as the stadium only holds about 4000 people and, you say, it needs some surgery to make it a decent race track. Those two points make no sense business wise. 4000 paying customers cant raise much cash for track prep

 

I cannot answer that but presumably they have their reasons and there is no doubt that the local civic authorities are keen to have an international event there.

[oscar 0]

I DON'T recall last year's track at Terenzano being very good but the 12 hours of rain certainly improved it. "No one waters a track better than god" they say because you get an even spread and at Terenzano it had plenty of time to sink in.

 

I am not defending the tracks in Leszno and Prague, simply saying that Tony Olsson found himself banging his head against a brick wall and the fault lay with the local organisers rather than either the Race Director or BSI.

 

I am no more a fan of processional racing than anyone and thrill at the spectacle of speedway at its best but sadly poor tracks are nothing new. I saw every World Final from 1962 to the last one in 1994 and can count on less than two hands the number of top class races I can still recall. People talk about 1981 at Wembley but take away from Penhall's races with Olsen and Knudsen what else was there?

I dont go as far back as you but my memory keeps going back to last year,a terrific series,must see tv every other Saturday.Im not getting that at the moment and I want it back.Im a huge fan of the SGP series and attend 2 overseas every year.As for Terenzano last year watch the dvd of chris harris in action.

[Mark 1,497]

I cannot answer that but presumably they have their reasons and there is no doubt that the local civic authorities are keen to have an international event there.

 

 

Are FIM, or BSI, really FIFA in disguise ?

[PHILIPRISING 7,298]

Are FIM, or BSI, really FIFA in disguise ?

 

HOPE not ... I also had 16 years as editor of World Soccer dealing with FIFA many years ago but I doubt whether much as changed except for the worse.

[Humphrey Appleby 13,960]

why did FIM or BSI go to Italy as the stadium only holds about 4000 people and, you say, it needs some surgery to make it a decent race track. Those two points make no sense business wise. 4000 paying customers cant raise much cash for track prep

 

Doesn't matter to IMG/BSI, provided they cough up the rights fees. Not sure what the exact arrangement is in Italy, but GPs at the smaller venues are usually subsidised by the clubs, local authorities and/or tourist boards.

 

That said, doesn't Terenzano stage fairly regular speedway, so it's not like they're having to build a track for just one event.

[Humphrey Appleby 13,960]

HOPE not ... I also had 16 years as editor of World Soccer dealing with FIFA many years ago but I doubt whether much as changed except for the worse.

 

Hmmm.. small envelopes thrust into big hands was how I think Brian Glanville described the stealing of the FIFA Presidency in 1974, which set the scene for the current crooks in charge.

 

Not sure that BSI or even the FIM are anything close to that league, although they possibly wish they were...

[ImpartialOne 160]

I am no more a fan of processional racing than anyone and thrill at the spectacle of speedway at its best but sadly poor tracks are nothing new. I saw every World Final from 1962 to the last one in 1994 and can count on less than two hands the number of top class races I can still recall. People talk about 1981 at Wembley but take away from Penhall's races with Olsen and Knudsen what else was there?

This is something I've said for years. People look on the old days with rose tinted glasses and see clips from yesteryear on you tube and wish it was the same standard today. But these are just the highlights and if you watch 99% of meetings from any era from start to finish there are just as many processional races as there are now.

 

1981 is over rated. I think the two Bradford World Finals were better quality.

[spook 28]

From where I was sitting Tony Olsson did a good job last season and we were rewarded with some great racing....... if he accomplished that by sitting back and letting the trackmen get on with their jobs then full marks to him because we know that wasnt happening with Ole and it was killing the racing in the competition..................... the test with Tony was always going to be how he handled possible wet weather and Gothenburg showed (rightly or wrongly) that he could deal with it...........

 

I feel that if there is any flak for Tony.... then it is not learning from previous years and not making sure there was more grip at Leszno ... but even then maybe the smart move in that politically volatile situation was to keep it slick........... responsibility should be left at IMG's door for the choices of Prague and Gothenburg ...but even then they can point to last year as better examples

 

The trouble is that the effects of a bad prep at Prague and a bit of bad luck at Gothenburg have made the start to the season as flat as a pancake .....and its obvious to fans and non fans........... in years past the man made tracks werent as good as they have been the last few.... which is just as well as if there are issues it could end up with half a season gone ... and a less than inspiring World Championship

[Marmite 84]

lIKE OTHERS HAVE SAID IT WAS A PLEASURE FOR ONCE TO SIT AND LISTEN to some infomation about people.costs of ,equipment after lindback crashed,and general info about track records etc.Jan seemed really clued up with what was going on,and again like others have said it seems to have brushed off on pearson as well giving some info about Holtas clutch lever etc.Now we have the commentry sussed at long last all we have to do now is dig up the track at the marketa staduim so next year everything will fall in place !!

 

 

I agree with most than Jan was a pleasure to listen to, and he did get something wrong, but corrected himself, which is fine, rather than gloss over his mistake which others seem to do. His technical knowledge of the sport is without question, and a world finalist himself, brings real stature to the commentary box. I disagree with most on here in that I actually don't mind Tatum. Tatum at least offers opinions, I don't always agree with them, but he does not sit on the fence and to be fair to Tatum, he calls it real time, without the benefit of replays, although sometimes he seems to ignore the replays when available to stick to his original view. The main problem remains Pearson, at one point Jan was talking technical about someone's clutch slipping, and it biting, which was informative, but he repeated the same thing 5 times in the space of two minutes all because of the questions that the senior commentary box presenter should have worded better, to get Jan to expand more, rather than repeating the same thing.

Edited May 31, 2011 by Marmite

[MFE 105]

Firstly let me say, that I love Prague have been there for many years now - Speedway introduced me to this great City, but now the Speedway has become an incidental reason for visiting,which is just as well, because the racing there is very poor indeed, absolutely delighted as an ex-Cradley fan that Herbie won, but the track surface is appalling leading to very little passing on a white chalk dustbowl of a track - a gaters paradise! the track needs urgent remedial work, reshaping etc. and lets not forget those seemingly forgotten words - Dirt & Grip, which have become alien to the GP organisers.

The exchange rate means the admission is very high, to sit was around £50 and the Value for Money as a result is very poor, the facilities at the stadium are minimal with only the toilet block having a roof (if it rains) unless you are one of the VIPs. There must be better options available than the Marketa Stadium!

[SCB 0]

Firstly let me say, that I love Prague have been there for many years now - Speedway introduced me to this great City, but now the Speedway has become an incidental reason for visiting,which is just as well, because the racing there is very poor indeed, absolutely delighted as an ex-Cradley fan that Herbie won, but the track surface is appalling leading to very little passing on a white chalk dustbowl of a track - a gaters paradise! the track needs urgent remedial work, reshaping etc. and lets not forget those seemingly forgotten words - Dirt & Grip, which have become alien to the GP organisers.

The exchange rate means the admission is very high, to sit was around £50 and the Value for Money as a result is very poor, the facilities at the stadium are minimal with only the toilet block having a roof (if it rains) unless you are one of the VIPs. There must be better options available than the Marketa Stadium!

Thats my thoughts too. Been to Prague 3 times, absolutely amazing city and the speedway gets in the way of a good weekend. I say that as someone who loves his speedway and probably goes to more meetings than most in this country. Since they removed the staning area on the back straight that at one point cost £12 then went up to £18 (which was fine, it was a GP) but it's about £30 now to sit there. I've not been back as a result. Between the cost and the poor racing, it's just not worth it.

 

Someone said Pardubice is about an hour from Prague on the train, so have it there, I seem to remember it's about 30-40 on a tram to get to the Marketa from the centre of Prague anyway, so an hour on the train is not much worse and you would hopefully get a better GP.

 

C'mon GP organisers, either sort out the Marketa or get the GP elsewhere and I'll be back next year, I love Prague and don't need much of an excuse to return but it would be nice if I could tie it in with my passion for our wonderful (most of the time!) sport!

[Dave Jones 2,127]

Thats my thoughts too. Been to Prague 3 times, absolutely amazing city and the speedway gets in the way of a good weekend. I say that as someone who loves his speedway and probably goes to more meetings than most in this country. Since they removed the staning area on the back straight that at one point cost £12 then went up to £18 (which was fine, it was a GP) but it's about £30 now to sit there. I've not been back as a result. Between the cost and the poor racing, it's just not worth it.

 

Someone said Pardubice is about an hour from Prague on the train, so have it there, I seem to remember it's about 30-40 on a tram to get to the Marketa from the centre of Prague anyway, so an hour on the train is not much worse and you would hopefully get a better GP.

 

C'mon GP organisers, either sort out the Marketa or get the GP elsewhere and I'll be back next year, I love Prague and don't need much of an excuse to return but it would be nice if I could tie it in with my passion for our wonderful (most of the time!) sport!

 

The journey time from Prague can vary depending which type of train you catch, it can take anything from 1 to 1.5 hrs but the service is excellent. There are buses to the stadium area which cost next to nothing . The Pardubice track is very wide and can produce first class racing, although like Prague the stadium has no cover if the weather is poor.The one downside may be accommodation as Pardubice has nothing like the choice of hotels that you would see in Prague.

I do think however, that it would be an excellent venue as a meeting at Pardubice should be on every fans "to do list"

[mojo 3]

Firstly let me say, that I love Prague have been there for many years now - Speedway introduced me to this great City, but now the Speedway has become an incidental reason for visiting,which is just as well, because the racing there is very poor indeed. The exchange rate means the admission is very high, to sit was around £50 and the Value for Money as a result is very poor, the facilities at the stadium are minimal with only the toilet block having a roof (if it rains) unless you are one of the VIPs. There must be better options available than the Marketa Stadium!

 

Totally agree with MFE. If it wasn't for the city of Prague I do not think we would bother. This was our 10th visit, our first being 1998, but seriously thinking about giving it a miss next year. We paid £35 but the prices have gone up and up each year and nothing has improved, and the flights were much more expensive.

The first year we went, a gentleman (who posts on this thread) stopped and shook our hands and thanked us for coming. Since then more and more English fans have been and we have made a lot of friends. This year however, we did not meet any of them except one who is English but lives in Prague. I didn't think there were as many Scandanavian fans as usual and if the Poles didn't come the place would be empty!